Translator: Helliot
Editor: P’Raikantopeni
–
In the bathroom, he had stuck his own fingers into himself with much difficulty to clean out what that man left behind, little by little. After that, it was a long struggle back to his bed only to find that red and white stains still covered his sheets. He could only wrap up the whole sheet and replace it with a fresh one.
He had been moving very slowly and frowning the whole time. When the pain got overwhelming, he would rest for a while to catch his breath before continuing.
Close to three in the morning, he finally laid down on his bed. His body was tense and uncomfortable, and it took a lot of effort for him to fall asleep, only to be woken up again by a nightmare. His throat felt dry as if a fire were burning up inside of him. His lips were cracked, and his whole body felt limp and powerless.
It felt cold, so he wrapped himself with a thin blanket, but it wasn’t enough. The chill seemed to spread from the bottom of his feet to his whole body. He was shivering, and he felt the subconscious need to curl up.
But as he did, it tugged on his wound. He didn’t dare to move. He was biting his fingers, but the cold continued to assault him. He was shivering, and he was only slightly relieved from the chill when the sunlight came in through the window.
He had lost track of time, and it wasn’t until Meng Yi knocked on his door and entered while rubbing his sleepy eyes, that he realized that it was already time to go to work.
He really wanted to get up to work, but he couldn’t. He wanted to call in sick, but he didn’t even have a phone. This was going to be it. He was going to be fired, he thought.
“Meng-Meng, are you not getting up? Meng-Meng is a big lazy bum.” Meng Yi walked in and saw the messy sheets piled up next to the bed, so he stepped to the side. “Meng-Meng, why is there blood on the bedsheet?” But before Meng Fu could give him an answer, Meng Yi thought of an answer himself. “I know! Meng-Meng is on his period!”
Meng Fu wanted to correct him. It was most likely one of the college students working part-time in the restaurant who taught him that. “Boys don’t have periods.”
“Oh.” Meng Yi seemed to understand. “Why? Oh yeah, I don’t have it either. Then why is Meng-Meng bleeding?”
Meng Fu pulled up his blanket. He was really tired. He wanted to sleep, but he was too uncomfortable to fall asleep.
“Xiao Yi, your big brother wants to sleep. If you’re hungry, then you can have some of the bread in the kitchen, alright?”
“Okay. Meng-Meng is a lazy bum!”
Meng Yi turned around and left. Before leaving, he even made a face at Meng Fu.
Meng Fu shut his eyes and tried his best to ignore the discomfort in his body so he could fall asleep as soon as possible. It took a lot of effort before it felt like he was finally able to sleep, but he was woken up by the cold, over and over again.
A long while later, when Meng Yi had gotten sick of playing by himself, he knocked on the door again.
“Meng-Meng, stop sleeping.”
“Xiao Yi, can you get a cup of water for your brother?”
He was really thirsty and his throat was so dry he could barely shout, but fortunately Meng Yi entered the room himself. After getting a drink, he asked Meng Yi to fetch him another blanket.
When Meng Yi covered Meng Fu with the blanket, he finally realized that something was wrong. His Meng-Meng wasn’t spirited at all. “Meng-Meng, what’s wrong? Are you cold?”
As he said that, he hugged Meng Fu over the blanket. “I’ll give Meng-Meng a hug, then Meng-Meng won’t be as cold anymore.”
–
Gu Ze was packing his luggage in his own room. He had to leave in another hour. There was a project in Europe that required his presence to advance. In fact, he could skip going. Still, after a few cigarettes, he still chose to go on the business trip.
He may have to leave for a month, or maybe even longer.
“Damn it.”
The driver was unsure whether he had done something wrong. “Chief Gu?”
“Nothing to do with you. Keep driving.” His elbow was leaning against the car window while he rested his hand against his lips. The tall buildings outside passed them by one after another.
He was just going on a business trip, he thought to himself. He wasn’t trying to run away from that guy. He never regretted treating him like that. It was all his fault. He didn’t mind sleeping with him either. He’s just a man, that’s all.
“Chief Gu, reports of Meng Fu’s latest movements have been passed over. There are also parts of them relating to Xie Zhenzhen and Meng Yu. Would you like to take a look right now?”
Since the reports have already been handed in, Secretary Wang who was sitting at the side, figured there was no harm looking at them.
“Didn’t I tell you that there’s no need for these anymore in the future?”
“Yes. It’s possible they may not have gotten the message.”
“Those guys just want money. I Give it to them and tell them they can stop.”
“Yes,” Secretary Wang answered. After a pause he asked, “Then…” Do you still want to see the photos?
“No. Destroy them,” he spat out an answer coldly.
At the airport, Secretary Wang stood there holding the bag of photos. Only after watching Gu Ze grab his tickets did he turn around to leave.
The driver was following Secretary Wang, chattering(flattering him apparently). “Chief Gu thinks so highly of you. Why didn’t he bring you with him this time?”
“They have someone arranged to help him out there. Why would I go and make a nuisance of myself?”
“Then…” The driver looked at the paper bag that Secretary Wang was holding. “Didn’t Chief Gu say to destroy this?”
“Of course.”
That’s what was said, at least, but Secretary Wang saved every last one of those photos. Chief Gu may have some use for them someday.
–
Meng Fu had greatly overestimated his endurance. He thought that he would get better after sweating it out in his sleep, but he didn’t get better at all even in the afternoon.
He gave Meng Yi, who had fallen asleep, a shake, and when he heard Xiao Yi’s stomach rumbling in his dreams, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Xiao Yi, time to wake up. Go see if there’s still bread. You should eat some.”
Maybe it was because he wasn’t feeling well, but he wasn’t hungry at all despite eating nothing the whole day.
“Meng-Meng, I thought of big drumsticks and cupcakes just now,” Meng Yi said while wiping the drool from his face.
“Big Brother will buy you some when he gets better, alright?”
“Yay!”
After that, Meng Yi ran to the kitchen to grab a few more slices of bread, stuffing them into his mouth. He wondered to himself, even though he ate a lot with Big Brother Ye Yan yesterday, why was he still so hungry?
He didn’t forget to bring food for Meng Fu as well, but Meng Fu just shook his head and drank a cup of water.
Only after watching Meng Yi finish his food did Meng Fu ask, “Can you come with your brother to the hospital today?”
“Are we going to play with those kids again?”
“No, we’re going to another hospital. Big Brother is going there to see a doctor, so behave yourself, alright?”
There was no way he could go to the hospital they were familiar with. He knew most of the people there, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself.
Meng Yi helped Meng Fu down the stairs, then they took a cab to a hospital further away from town.
Meng Fu was constantly gritting his teeth through each step, and he could barely find the strength to lean against Meng Yi. Both his lips and face were pale, but his forehead was burning.
When he finally arrived at the hospital, Meng Fu told Meng Yi to wait for him in the hallway. Worrying that Meng Yi would get bored and run around, he bought him some snacks to eat outside the doctor’s office.
When he took off his pants so that the doctor could examine him, he kept his head down the whole time. The doctor shook his head and sighed. “You youngsters don’t know how to hold back. You’re torn up back here. It’s best if you stick to liquid food for the next month and get some proper rest. Remember to do all your safety preparations beforehand next time, since the rate of transmission for disease in this circle is quite high.” Since Meng Fu had a pretty face, he couldn’t help but add on the extra advice. He asked Meng Fu to lie down on the bed and connected him to a drip.
After a while, when he was writing his medical record, he couldn’t help but nag. “You’re lucky you sought help in time. Things would’ve been bad if you’d gotten an infection. Remember not to do it so often either. If it gets loose…”
Seeing the doctor talk more and more, Meng Fu’s face couldn’t help but twist in embarrassment. Seeing Meng Fu’s reaction, the young doctor thought it was curious. “You’re still embarrassed like a pure virgin, huh?”
Meng Fu was silent. He was in fact still a virgin before last night.
After the doctor was done nagging him, he didn’t say anything more and called out to Meng Yi who was sitting outside. “Hey, boy. Come in and have a chat with me.”