Xiang Xi had a towel tied around his head and hadn’t said a word for a long while. Cheng Boyan casually threw out a sentence so straightforwardly that Xiang Xi didn’t even know how to respond.

Cheng Boyan didn’t pay him any more attention, half-reclining in a chair with his legs propped up on the table, watching a news video on his phone.

Xiang Xi sat on the sofa staring at the TV, fiddling with the towel on his head — tying and untying it repeatedly. He wasn’t even clear on what was playing on the screen.

Pervert.

Cheng Boyan had used that word, one he’d used several times before, and Xiang Xi suddenly felt a bit regretful. Why did he have to insult Tan Xiaokang in front of Cheng Boyan?

But Tan Xiaokang really deserved it!

Why did he have to call him a pervert though...

Because Tan Xiaokang was a pervert!

"Brother, I, uh, that thing I said… I wasn’t talking about you…” Xiang Xi rubbed his nose awkwardly and opened his mouth hesitantly. “I didn’t mean..."

Cheng Boyan turned his head, opened his mouth to respond, but fell silent as soon as he saw him. He stared at him for a long moment: "Who… are you cosplaying as?"

"Huh?" Xiang Xi was stunned for a second. He reached up to touch his head and finally realized he’d tied the towel around his chin like a strap. He quickly untied it. "I was just fidgeting."

"I should take a photo of you," Cheng Boyan said.

"Go ahead," Xiang Xi immediately tied the towel back under his chin. He was worried that calling someone a pervert might’ve upset Cheng Boyan, so now he was willing to cooperate with anything. He held up a delicate, orchid-like hand gesture (NT: positioning the fingers in a slightly bent way, similar to how someone might hold an orchid stem). “Kinda looks like something out of a folk opera, right?”

"If folk opera looked like that, it would've gone extinct a long time ago," Cheng Boyan stared at him for a few seconds, sighed, and picked up his phone to take a picture. “Just say what you wanted to say.”

"I wasn’t calling you a pervert, brother, I was talking about Tan Xiaokang," Xiang Xi sat cross-legged on the sofa. “And I didn’t mean… I meant that Tan Xiaokang, the way he is…”

"Can you take off the towel?" Cheng Boyan said. “Otherwise, why don’t you just go out and steal landmines?”

“Oh, right,” Xiang Xi chuckled awkwardly and took off the towel, holding it in his hands. “Don’t take it to heart, brother, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Got it,” Cheng Boyan smiled. “Watch TV. If you're tired, go to sleep.”

“People are just different,” Xiang Xi leaned back on the sofa, looking at the towel in his hands. “Same situation — both into guys — but someone like Tan Xiaokang is just disgusting. If it’s you though, it doesn’t feel that way. Seems pretty normal.”

“Judging by appearances isn’t right,” Cheng Boyan remarked.

“Huh?” Xiang Xi blinked, then burst out laughing, lying on the couch and laughing nonstop. “Dr. Cheng! I never saw you as the narcissistic type! What I meant is that Tan Xiaokang is just really uncultured — he’s low-class no matter what he does. You’re different. You’re a good person. You don’t make people feel gross.”

“I was just summarizing your point,” Cheng Boyan took a sip of water from his cup.

“Fine, I admit it — I’m all about the looks. You’ve got a good-looking face, so you don’t gross me out,” Xiang Xi smacked his lips, then added, “Brother, are you drinking toothpaste? It smells mint.”

“Yep,” Cheng Boyan glanced at him. “I mixed toothpaste and body wash with some water. Want a sip?”

Xiang Xi laughed as he stood up and carried the towel into the bathroom. Cheng Boyan had assigned him a specific place to hang it, and he obediently hung it there.

Standing in the bathroom for a moment, he hesitated, then took the toothbrush out of the toothbrush cup and set it aside. He picked up the cup and walked out.

He wanted to drink water, but was too lazy to grab a glass. And if he used a glass, he’d have to wash it afterward. Might as well drink from this.

He walked to the water dispenser, toothbrush cup in hand, and was just about to fill it when Cheng Boyan clicked his tongue behind him. “What the hell are you holding?”

“Toothbrush cup,” Xiang Xi waved the plastic cup at him. “I’m drinking water.”

“…You don’t have a cup?” Cheng Boyan frowned, walking over and taking the toothbrush cup from his hand. “This thing’s really not sanitary for drinking.”

“I use it to brush my teeth though. Isn’t that even less sanitary?” Xiang Xi said.

“Exactly — it’s always damp, doesn’t breathe, perfect for breeding bacteria,” Cheng Boyan went into the kitchen and came back with a cup. “Use this.”

“Oh,” Xiang Xi took the cup and realized there really weren’t any cups by the sink — just a toothbrush rack. He filled the cup with water. “Brother, do you scoop water with your hands to brush your teeth? That’s so sad. Doesn’t it make you want to add your own dramatic sound effects? ‘Pity me~’”

Cheng Boyan frowned, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the sink. He turned on the faucet.

“Huh?” Xiang Xi stared in surprise at the water suddenly shooting upward. He leaned in and took a sip. “Damn… that’s fancy. The designer really knew their audience — perfect for clean freaks!”

“This has nothing to do with being a clean freak. At most, I just have certain hygiene habits,” Cheng Boyan turned off the tap. “I just wash my hands a lot — that’s what you can call obsessive.”

“And not letting anyone touch your bed? I touched it for like one second — the bacteria didn’t even have time to react and jump off me onto your bed,” Xiang Xi shook his head. “You went and changed the sheets right away. Seriously.”

Cheng Boyan ignored him and went to the balcony to pick a few mint leaves and rinse them. “Wanna try some? Toothpaste and body wash flavor.”

“Yeah!” Xiang Xi immediately handed over his cup.

Cheng Boyan dropped the mint leaves into his cup. “Soak them in hot water for two minutes and it’ll be drinkable.”

“Okay,” Xiang Xi ran off to fill the cup with hot water, then sat on the sofa staring into it. “Hey! It’s starting to turn green!”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan returned to his computer and resumed watching the news.

“Hey! I smell it!” Xiang Xi said again. “Smells great.”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan responded.

A few seconds passed, and Xiang Xi sighed again, “Hey, it’s really green now! Smells really nice!”

“…Mm.”

“Man, the color’s gorgeous, I—”

“Shut up.”

After finishing the cup of mint water, Xiang Xi sat on the sofa and started to feel sleepy. He checked the time — not even eleven yet.

Back in the day, he’d either be wandering the streets or sitting in an internet café at this hour. But after months in the hospital, his schedule had shifted. The TV went off at 10 p.m. every night, lights out too — he had no choice but to sleep, and he’d gotten used to it.

After a couple yawns, Cheng Boyan glanced at him. “If you’re sleepy, go to bed. Why are you dragging it out?”

“Alright, I’ll go to sleep,” Xiang Xi rubbed his eyes. “Good night, brother.”

“Good night,” Cheng Boyan said. “And if you go to the bathroom, remember to lift the toilet seat.”

“Why?” Xiang Xi asked.

“What do you mean why? What kind of question is that?” Cheng Boyan sighed.

“You afraid I’ll pee on the rim?” Xiang Xi thought for a moment. “You’re not even thirty yet, and you’re already this particular?”

“You going to bed or not?” Cheng Boyan tapped the mouse hard on the desk.

Xiang Xi bounced into the room and shut the door.

Lying on the bed, he immediately felt his body relax. The thick, soft, elastic mattress underneath him made every muscle in his body slowly loosen — it was like even his body got wider.

He’d never in his life slept on a bed this comfortable. The best bed he’d had before this was a hospital bed. The one he was lying on now — he figured no bed would ever beat it.

When he went to turn off the lights, he was just about to get up when he noticed a switch right next to the sofa bed. He reached over and pressed it — the lights went off.

“Damn… dude really knows how to live,” Xiang Xi pulled the blanket over himself. Even the guest sofa bed had its own light switch. Every detail in Cheng Boyan’s home surprised him.

Beyond that, he couldn’t help but feel deeply that people really live in different worlds. Between him and Cheng Boyan, the gap wasn’t just about status — it was about two completely different life paths from the very beginning.

“Life trajectory” — that was a fancy term, but Xiang Xi remembered it clearly. A fake-blind guy used to rant to him and say, “Xiao Zhan, Uncle Ping is your life trajectory. Look at him, and you’re looking at your future. That’s if you’re lucky.”

Every time Xiang Xi remembered that, a chill went down his spine. He didn’t want to turn out like Uncle Ping, even if that was considered “making it.” He had a fixation on a “normal person’s” life that went beyond anything found in the slums or among the people from Zhaojiayao.

Now that a path was finally laid out in front of him, he felt lost. He had no idea how to take that first step, couldn’t find the right posture to move forward.

He dozed off for a while, then half-asleep, realized he needed to pee — but didn’t want to move. The blanket was warm, the bed was soft, getting up just seemed like too much effort…

After tossing and turning for about ten minutes, Xiang Xi finally sat up. If he didn’t go now, he was gonna explode. He shuffled to the door in his slippers and opened it.

The lights in the living room were still on, the TV had been turned off, but the computer was still on. Cheng Boyan was slouched in his chair wearing big headphones, legs propped up on the table. He didn’t seem to notice Xiang Xi opening the door — didn’t move at all.

Xiang Xi walked over and took a look — his eyes were closed, and there was an open book on his lap.

It said something about orthopedics — Xiang Xi could read those characters; they were simple. After spending a few months in the orthopedic ward, he recognized them well and even learned how to write them. Most of the characters he knew, he’d learned that way.

He was just admiring how Cheng Boyan was still reading an orthopedics book this late at night — what a dedicated doctor — when his gaze shifted to the computer screen. He froze.

A video was playing. A chubby blonde woman was talking, holding a hairbrush. First, she leaned left and scraped at it, then leaned right and did the same.

Xiang Xi stood there at the table, completely forgetting about needing to pee. What the hell was this?

Wasn’t Cheng Boyan into guys…? He could still vividly remember the kind of stimulating clips he’d seen before — but now there was a woman swaying around on screen, and his brain couldn’t process it.

He decided to keep watching, in case something wild was about to happen.

But after two or three minutes, nothing changed. The woman just kept shifting back and forth, first with a hairbrush, now with a makeup case — taking out one item after another, talking to the camera, showing them off. She opened a powder compact and tapped it with her fingernail, picked up a lipstick, opened it, closed it…

Was she insane?

Just as he was feeling confused, Cheng Boyan’s leg moved, and he picked up the book.

Xiang Xi immediately felt like a thief caught in the act. He quickly backed away, planning to go back to his room and pretend he had just come out. However, he backed up too quickly, and his slippers got left behind.

He had to hop back to put on his slippers, and by the time he did, Cheng Boyan had already turned around.

“Hey!” Cheng Boyan hadn’t expected anyone to be in the room. He was startled, and shouted while steadying himself with his hand on the desk to avoid falling off his chair. “Are you trying to scare me to death?!”

“I was just about to go to the bathroom and lift the toilet seat to pee. How could I possibly scare anyone to death…” Xiang Xi finished putting on his slippers.

“Go ahead,” Cheng Boyan glanced at the time. “It’s already past midnight. It’s good you came out to scare me a little, or I would’ve just slept here in the chair.”

“Did you fall asleep?” Xiang Xi glanced at the screen and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, what are you watching?”

“Hm?” Cheng Boyan took off his headphones. “This? ASMR.”

“SM?” Xiang Xi felt like he didn’t completely understand but at least caught the important part.

“A! S! M! R!” Cheng Boyan repeated, “It has nothing to do with SM.”

“…Then what is it? I thought it was something dirty. I watched for a while, and it’s just a woman talking, picking at this and that.”

“Were you standing there for a while?” Cheng Boyan raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you going to the bathroom to lift the toilet seat?”

“Yeah... I was on my way, but I just happened to glance at it,” Xiang Xi rubbed his nose and rushed to the bathroom. “Forget it, I’m about to burst!”

When Xiang Xi came out of the bathroom, Cheng Boyan had already turned off the computer and was about to go to bed.

“Brother,” Xiang Xi stopped him. “That SM thing, what is it?”

Cheng Boyan grabbed his cup and spoke slowly, “It’s a spontaneous sexual arousal response.” (NT: instead of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)

“What? What kind of response?” Xiang Xi’s eyes went wide. “So watching that gives you an… arousal? You were asleep watching this!”

“You... can’t explain it to you,” Cheng Boyan sighed, “To put it simply, it’s a type of cranial orgasm.”

“A cranial what?” Xiang Xi was taken aback. Although he felt a bit awkward discussing this so bluntly with Cheng Boyan, his surprise outweighed the awkwardness. “And it’s still an orgasm…”

“These are two different things,” Cheng Boyan looked at him, seeing his astonished face, and decided to patiently explain. “It’s when you hear soft whispers or subtle sounds that create a comfortable, tingling sensation in the brain… Want me to turn it on and let you hear it? I use it mainly for relaxation.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Xiang Xi shook his head. “I’m so tired, I don’t have the energy for... orgasms.”

“Did I just waste my breath?” Cheng Boyan was feeling helpless.

Xiang Xi scratched his head. “So it’s just really relaxing and comfortable, not the... kind of orgasm you meant...?”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Then why is it called an orgasm?” Xiang Xi asked.

“You should just go to sleep,” Cheng Boyan gave up on explaining, turning toward the bathroom. “Good night.”

Xiang Xi felt that it wasn’t just the difference in life paths between him and Cheng Boyan that made them so different. They were completely from different worlds — no, twenty different worlds, with at least a hundred lives separating them.

Cheng Boyan was a very sophisticated person, even his understanding of orgasms was so refined that Xiang Xi couldn’t even understand it.

After lying in bed for about ten minutes, drifting in and out of sleep, Xiang Xi suddenly remembered he’d forgotten to ask: “Aren’t you into guys? Why is this thing you’re watching an orgasm thing with a woman…?”

The sleep was deep and sweet. The soft blanket and reassuring bed made Xiang Xi roll around in it for a while, savouring the comfort, before finally sitting up.

He picked up his broken phone from the bedside and glanced at the screen. “12:00? 2011?”

"Ugh..." He tossed his phone aside, feeling a bit dizzy as he walked out of the room.

The clock in the living room showed it was 6:30 AM. There were sounds coming from the kitchen, which meant Cheng Boyan was already up. Xiang Xi immediately felt a little embarrassed. He had planned to wake up early to make breakfast as a way to thank Cheng Boyan for letting him stay.

As he reached the kitchen door, he was about to greet Cheng Boyan when he noticed Cheng Boyan was holding a pan with one hand and a phone with the other: "That’s just a regular friend, what are you thinking?"

Xiang Xi stopped in his tracks. It sounded like Cheng Boyan might be talking about him. He took two steps back. He didn’t want to eavesdrop on Cheng Boyan's phone call, but if he was talking about him, he was a little curious to know, especially since he was staying here.

He moved back and forth a few times, then finally sat down on the sofa near the kitchen.

"If you want to have a boyfriend, your family won’t interfere," Cheng Boyan’s mom said on the phone, "I just hope you can be a bit more reliable, it’s like looking for a girlfriend. You can’t just mess around just because you can’t get married."

"I’m not messing around," Cheng Boyan chuckled, "I’m so busy, where would I find time to mess around?"

"Well, as long as you’re not messing around," his mom clicked her tongue, "You say that kid is just a regular friend, I won’t say much, but it just feels strange to me, I can’t imagine you having that kind of friend."

"Which kind?" Cheng Boyan placed water into the pan and put it on the stove, intending to cook some noodles. "He’s just a kid, needs discipline, but otherwise, he’s okay, not a bad person."

"How long is he going to stay?" Cheng Boyan’s mom asked, "I haven’t even told your dad about this, you’ve brought someone home and we don’t know much about him."

"He won’t stay long, he’s found a place and will move out soon," Cheng Boyan took two eggs out of the fridge. "Don’t worry, I’ve got this."

"Alright then, I won’t say more," his mom chuckled, "What are you having for breakfast? If you want, you can eat outside, I’m worried your friend won’t like what you make."

"We had lunch yesterday, he can handle it," Cheng Boyan replied, "I’ll make some noodles, shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll add the sausages I brought last time."

"Those sausages you made are all fat, and the salt is enough to kill a cow..." his mom grumbled. "Never mind, it’s not like you’re eating it every day. Go ahead and make it. I have to hang up, I’m busy today."

"Are you doing a program again?" Cheng Boyan laughed, "The spring health talk is over, now it’s time to discuss how to cool off in the summer, right..."

"Hang up, you talk too much," his mom said and ended the call.

"Brother," Xiang Xi poked his head through the kitchen door, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Cheng Boyan glanced back at him, "Did you sleep well? How was the bed?"

"It was comfortable," Xiang Xi nodded, laughing a little, "I even slept a bit chubbier..."

"Go wash up, I’ll make sausage noodles," Cheng Boyan threw some noodles into the pan. "There are vegetables in the fridge. If you’re not eating out, you can cook them yourself for lunch."

"I’m going out, I’ll eat outside," Xiang Xi scratched his head, "I’m going to look for a place and a job today... You put noodles in before the water even started boiling?"

"Can’t wait, the water will boil soon enough," Cheng Boyan stirred the noodles with chopsticks. "Go take bus 51 and ask around near the university. There are a lot of students renting there, and the rent is cheap."

"Okay," Xiang Xi went to the bathroom.

Today, or at the latest tomorrow, he had to find a place to live. Xiang Xi looked at himself in the mirror. Cheng Boyan hadn’t minded him staying, but Director Xu clearly seemed a bit worried about him staying here. Xiang Xi didn’t like that feeling—being watched and worried about.

Although, deep down, he knew he was probably someone people couldn’t trust easily. The marks left on him by Zhaojiayao and Ping Shu were deeply engraved on him, both faint and obvious.

He didn’t even know when those marks would ever fade away.

After washing up, Cheng Boyan’s noodles still weren’t ready. Since there was no need for him to help, Xiang Xi went back to his room and took out the roll of money from the small pocket of his backpack.

He unrolled it and counted the money. He clicked his tongue lightly—it wasn’t much.

Fengbo Zhuang was about to pay wages these days. Although he hadn’t worked there for long and had suddenly left, he still planned to go back for another visit. A few days’ worth of pay was still money.

“Xiang Xi, come out and eat noodles.” Cheng Boyan called from the living room.

“Coming—” Xiang Xi quickly jumped up from the bed and ran out, wanting to help with serving the noodles or something. But as soon as he jumped up, he felt dizzy and lost his balance, directly crashing his head into the door.

 

Translator : DarNan