“A fire in Zhaojiayao?” Cheng Boyan froze for a moment and turned to stare at the TV.

“Near Zhaojiayao, around the old alley area, not far from Dawali. There are empty houses there,” Xiang Xi grabbed his arm tightly and wouldn’t let go, his voice trembling, “It’s Mantou! It must be Mantou! He’s the one who did it!”

“Don’t panic yet,” Cheng Boyan patted his arm, “Let me check the news.”

“I already did!” Xiang Xi shouted, “I saw it! Zhaojiayao! Right by Dawali! That’s Uncle Ping’s territory! Such a huge fire!”

Startled by his shouting, Cheng Boyan quickly hugged him and kept patting his back. “Okay, okay, I get it. Don’t panic.”

“Only one person was burned,” Xiang Xi continued in a rapid stream, “Just one person—who was it? Was it Mantou, Uncle Ping, or Erpan… They were sent to the hospital… could it be your hospital…?”

“I know, I know,” Cheng Boyan rubbed his back firmly, “I’ll go to the hospital right away. If it’s not ours, I’ll ask my classmates whether it’s theirs. Don’t worry—I’ll help you find out. I promise.”

There wasn’t any more information in the news. It only said the fire was quite large and burned down three connected old buildings. But since they were all unoccupied old houses, it didn’t cause major losses, nor were there more casualties.

As for who the injured person was, and whether it was the arsonist, the news didn’t say—only that they would continue to follow up.

Xiang Xi sat by the table, head lowered, eating the breakfast Cheng Boyan had brought back. He didn’t speak anymore, nor did he look at the TV. Cheng Boyan thought the dim sum from this place was pretty good, but with this incident stirring things up, he had completely lost his appetite and couldn’t taste anything—after a couple of bites, he couldn’t eat anymore.

“I’ll take you,” Cheng Boyan stood up, “I’ll—”

“No need,” Xiang Xi actually ate quite a lot. After finishing his portion, he even ate everything Cheng Boyan hadn’t finished. He wiped his mouth, quickly packed the containers into a bag, “It’s not on your way. I’ll wait for the bus at the entrance.”

Cheng Boyan looked at him and didn’t say anything more.

Cheng Boyan drove Xiang Xi to the bus stop. As Xiang Xi got out, Cheng Boyan grabbed his arm. “Xiang Xi.”

“Hm?” Xiang Xi turned back.

“Wait for my call. Don’t run around.”

“Mm,” Xiang Xi nodded, “Don’t worry, I won’t act recklessly.”

“Go on.” Cheng Boyan smiled.

Xiang Xi walked to the platform. Cheng Boyan’s car stayed in place for a while before slowly driving away. Xiang Xi sighed softly and leaned against the billboard.

If this had been a few months ago, upon hearing news like this, he would probably have rushed to Zhaojiayao without a second thought—just like the time he ran to that illegal workshop.

But today, he didn’t. Waves of panic and fear surged in his heart, yet he had no intention of going to see.

Aside from not daring to approach Zhaojiayao rashly, he knew clearly that this was no small matter. If it really had something to do with Mantou, going there would definitely get him into trouble—and wouldn’t help Mantou in the slightest.

Although it felt a bit helpless, the only thing he could do was wait for Cheng Boyan’s call.

When he got to the supermarket, the timing was just right. After opening the store, Yu Baoquan arrived on his small electric scooter.

“Morning!” Yu Baoquan waved at him.

“Morning.” Xiang Xi smiled.

After sweeping the entrance together, Zhang Xin and He Xiaoru arrived. Zhang Xin greeted them and went inside to change clothes. He Xiaoru greeted Yu Baoquan, but when she saw Xiang Xi, she lowered her head and hurried into the store.

The smile Xiang Xi had just forced out faded away. Yu Baoquan patted his shoulder. “You were too straightforward when you rejected her that day. She’ll probably need some time to recover.”

“I didn’t want to beat around the bush,” Xiang Xi said. “If I circled around and caused more misunderstandings, it would be even harder to explain clearly.”

Yu Baoquan chuckled.

There weren’t many customers in the morning. While arranging the shelves, Zhang Xin chatted with He Xiaoru: “You could even see the firelight from my place. It took quite a long time to put it out.”

“Good thing no one lived there,” He Xiaoru said.

“Are you talking about last night’s fire?” Xiang Xi was about to mop the floor, but stopped when he heard them. Zhang Xin didn’t live in Zhaojiayao, but it was in that direction.

“Yeah, you heard about it too, right?” Zhang Xin said. “So scary. I heard the police showed up later. I found that strange—why would a fire need the police?”

“The police?” Xiang Xi froze.

“Yeah,” Zhang Xin nodded. “I heard people talking about it while having breakfast this morning. Not sure if the fire was so big they needed police assistance?”

Xiang Xi said nothing. His heart kept sinking.

He felt he could more or less confirm that this was Mantou’s doing, but he couldn’t understand why Mantou would set fire to the old houses. Those places had already been uninhabited since their childhood—only a few rooms still had ‘chickens’ (NT: slang for prostitutes), and all the buildings were unsafe.

What was the point of Mantou burning down those houses?

Why not burn Uncle Ping’s or Erpan’s places?

But… when he thought about Mantou burning their houses… he felt a chill run down his spine. That wouldn’t just be arson—it would be murder.

Although Xiang Xi loathed Uncle Ping and Erpan to the extreme, even though he had almost been killed by Uncle Ping and dumped in the wilderness, he had never once thought of killing Uncle Ping and Erpan—those figures that lingered like ghosts and occupied the darkest corner of his heart.

He didn’t know whether it was because he lacked courage, or because his hatred wasn’t deep enough.

He spent the entire morning turning this over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the less he understood; the less he understood, the more he wanted to think it through; the more he dwelled on it, the more suffocated he felt.

At lunchtime, when orders were being placed, he didn’t order anything. He didn’t want to eat. Instead, he went to squat in the small alley behind the supermarket.

He didn’t smoke much anymore. Although Cheng Boyan hadn’t strictly forbidden him from smoking, he had told him not to, so Xiang Xi had mostly stopped.

But now, he still took out a cigarette pack, lit one, and held it in his mouth.

As the smoke drifted in front of his eyes, his mind finally began to empty a little.

Cheng Boyan’s call came just before the break ended. Xiang Xi was still squatting by the back door, phone already in his hand. The moment it rang, he picked up. “Hello?”

“That person is in our hospital…” Cheng Boyan’s voice came through.

“Is it Mantou?!” Xiang Xi shot to his feet.

“Not sure yet. I couldn’t get a name,” Cheng Boyan said. He was probably in the restroom—there was the sound of flushing. “And there are police guarding the place, so I can’t ask too much about the details.”

“Police?” The moment Xiang Xi heard those words, his legs went weak and he leaned against the wall.

“I’ll ask again this afternoon,” Cheng Boyan said. “After I get off work, I’ll come find you.”

“Don’t ask anymore,” Xiang Xi bit his lip. “If something really is going on, asking too much will make the police suspicious of you. Don’t ask.”

“I know how to ask,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile. “Don’t go out tonight. Wait for me.”

“Mm.” Xiang Xi responded.

After the stadium event ended, business at the supermarket returned to normal. There weren’t as many people as before, but Xiang Xi spent the entire afternoon pacing back and forth inside the store. He didn’t want to stay still—whenever he stopped, anxiety would surge up.

“Hey,” Yu Baoquan was leaning by the cashier, playing on his phone and chatting with Zhang Xin. Suddenly he slapped the counter. “Did you guys see the news? They’re saying there were suspected drugs in that burned building?”

“What?” Zhang Xin immediately leaned in.

The moment Xiang Xi heard this, it felt like he’d been struck by a whip. He froze for a second, then rushed to the counter and snatched Yu Baoquan’s phone. “Let me see.”

He stared at the screen. There were several photos of the fire, but he couldn’t recognize a single word of the text. He was already slow at reading, and now that he was anxious, the words in front of him became completely incomprehensible.

“It’s still just a rumour,” Yu Baoquan said. “But it sounds pretty real. Let’s see if the evening news reports it.”

“I think it sounds real,” Zhang Xin said. “Maybe that’s why the police showed up?”

Drugs?

Xiang Xi handed the phone back and plopped down onto the cashier counter.

“Hey,” Zhang Xin nudged him, “where are you sitting? If you’re tired, go sit in the break room.”

Xiang Xi stood up straight but didn’t go. He slowly walked to the middle of the shelves.

This was still just an unconfirmed rumour, but Xiang Xi suddenly believed it—it had to be true.

During his last days in Dawali, Erpan had constantly brought people to Uncle Ping’s place—people who weren’t part of Uncle Ping’s usual circle, but rather those involved in “serious business”.

Xiang Xi wasn’t sure if this was exactly what they were doing, but he remembered that Lao Si—the one who once had him buy food—had underlings selling drugs in bars, according to Mantou.

A chill spread from his fingertips through his entire body.

Mantou had really risked his life to do something huge.

After getting off work in the afternoon, Xiang Xi helped the night shift colleagues check inventory and returned to the small room.

At this hour, he should’ve eaten something, but he wasn’t hungry. From morning until now, he hadn’t even had a sip of water, yet he felt nothing—no thirst, no hunger.

From his heart to his head, everything felt heavy and blocked.

The air conditioner was on in the room, but he still felt suffocated. After taking a deep breath for barely two seconds, it felt blocked again.

He turned on the TV and waited for the 8:30 local news. Sitting on the bed, he remained in a daze until after eight. Then his phone rang—it was Cheng Boyan.

“You off work?” Xiang Xi answered. After more than two hours without speaking, his voice sounded dry and strange.

“Yeah, I’m already at the entrance of your supermarket,” Cheng Boyan said. “Are you coming out, or should I come in?”

“You… come in,” Xiang Xi didn’t want to miss the news. “Park your car, I’ll come out and bring you in.”

Cheng Boyan parked by the roadside. As he got out, Xiang Xi came out from the small alley beside the supermarket and waved at him.

He took a bag from the car, crossed the street, and handed it to Xiang Xi. “Not sure if you’ll like it.”

“What is it?” Xiang Xi looked inside. There were two large cups from a milk tea shop—one with syrup-covered fruit chunks, and one grass jelly dessert, both still cold.

“I figured you didn’t eat properly,” Cheng Boyan reached out and squeezed the back of his neck. “These are cold—refreshing. When you’re in a bad mood, something sweet helps.”

Xiang Xi lowered his head, holding the cups, and led him through the back door into the small room. He didn’t say a word, but the suffocating feeling in his chest eased quite a bit from the coolness in his hands.

“Did you see the news on your phone,” Xiang Xi asked after sitting down, poking at the fruit with a small spoon. After a couple of bites, it tasted good. “They said there were… drugs. I’m waiting for the news broadcast.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Cheng Boyan sat beside him, arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see what the news says.”

“That person in the hospital…” Xiang Xi asked quietly while eating. But after starting, he suddenly didn’t quite dare to continue. Part of him hoped it was Mantou, and part of him hoped it wasn’t.

“A young man, around twenty,” Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi’s hand paused. A cube of mango slipped from his spoon before reaching his mouth and fell onto his clothes. “It’s Mantou. It has to be Mantou.”

“Not confirmed yet,” Cheng Boyan picked up the mango from his clothes, staring at it for a while, unsure where to throw it. “But the injuries aren’t serious. The burn area isn’t large—mostly external injuries.”

“External injuries?” Xiang Xi frowned, then glanced at the mango in his hand. “Just throw it on the floor—the trash can’s outside.”

Cheng Boyan stood up to throw it away.

As soon as he stood, Xiang Xi also stood, pressing close to his side. Cheng Boyan froze for a moment, then smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The two walked side by side to the door, opened it, stepped out, and threw away the mango.

Then they stepped back inside together, closed the door, turned, and returned to sit side by side on the bed.

The TV commercials ended, and the news music started playing. Xiang Xi suddenly sat up straight, nearly crushing the cup in his hand.

“Careful, don’t spill it,” Cheng Boyan took the cup and scooped a spoonful of mango. “You want mango, right?”

“Mm.” Xiang Xi stared at the TV.

Cheng Boyan held the spoon to his mouth, and Xiang Xi opened his mouth and ate the mango.

The headline was indeed the fire. As the anchor was going through the opening lines, Cheng Boyan immediately noticed the text at the bottom of the screen.

Drug-making tools were discovered at the Zhaojiayao fire scene; it is suspected to be a drug manufacturing site.

The scene immediately cut to the fire site. A reporter stood in front of a half-collapsed house, holding a microphone.

Xiang Xi figured he didn’t have time to read the text, but he could still understand what was being said.

He stared at the screen without moving, his hands trembling slightly the whole time. Even Cheng Boyan, whose arm was still around his shoulders, could feel his entire body shaking.

“Xiang Xi.” After the news segment ended, Cheng Boyan tightened his arm slightly and called him softly.

“Did you hear that?” Xiang Xi said, his eyes still fixed on the TV.

“I heard it.” Cheng Boyan replied.

“This was done by Mantou,” Xiang Xi pointed at the screen. “They just said the arson suspect has regained consciousness, and the police are conducting further investigation.”

“Mm, I heard it.” Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi didn’t speak again. He leaned back and lay down directly on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After a long time, he finally said, “I thought he was going to burn Erpan to death.”

“If he had really burned him to death, that would’ve been trouble,” Cheng Boyan said, scooping a spoonful of fruit and holding it to his mouth. “Papaya?”

“Does this count as Mantou being smart?” Xiang Xi opened his mouth and took the papaya, chewing a couple of times before suddenly laughing. He laughed for quite a while before saying, “These things belong to Uncle Ping—he’s forced him straight into a dead end.”

“You knew Uncle Ping was doing this?” Cheng Boyan looked at him.

“No,” Xiang Xi’s smile faded. “I’m just guessing. Before I left, Lao Si’s group kept coming over, hanging around Uncle Ping’s place every single day.”

“If that’s the case,” Cheng Boyan thought for a moment, “Mantou chose the safest way to protect himself. Whether he reported it or tried to burn Uncle Ping directly, he could’ve been retaliated against. By burning their site down like this… at least now he’ll be properly protected.”

“Yeah,” Xiang Xi raised an eyebrow. “Pretty smart.”

Cheng Boyan didn’t respond. He held the cup of fruit, lost in thought, absentmindedly poking at it with the spoon. Xiang Xi kept watching him.

Mantou wouldn’t die. Mantou was safe now. If this matter was really connected to Uncle Ping, then Uncle Ping definitely wouldn’t escape—he would certainly be arrested…

Although this still left Xiang Xi feeling a bit unsettled, overall it could be considered a good thing. The only uncertainty was what would happen to Mantou—prison? How many years?

But Cheng Boyan seemed distracted and uneasy, which Xiang Xi couldn’t understand. Cheng Boyan wouldn’t be like this because of Mantou—only because of him.

But why?

When Cheng Boyan absentmindedly scooped a spoonful of syrup into his mouth, Xiang Xi finally nudged his arm. “What’s wrong with you?”

Under normal circumstances, eating from someone else’s spoon—especially something they had already eaten—was something Cheng Boyan would absolutely never do.

“Hm?” Cheng Boyan looked at him.

“You just ate my saliva.” Xiang Xi said.

Cheng Boyan froze for a moment, then put the spoon back into the cup and handed it to him. “You keep eating.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Xiang Xi asked again, taking the cup.

“Xiang Xi,” Cheng Boyan frowned, “quit your job at the supermarket.”

“What?” Xiang Xi froze, propping himself up with his arms. “What did you say? Quit?”

“Mm,” Cheng Boyan was still frowning. “Move in with me.”

“What?” Xiang Xi was even more shocked. He didn’t understand what Cheng Boyan meant, nor why he would say this at this moment.

Live together?

“The site has been burned—sooner or later it’ll be exposed,” Cheng Boyan looked at him. “As long as Uncle Ping and Erpan have no holes in their brains, they must have run away last night. The police only said they’re continuing the investigation—they didn’t say any suspects were caught. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You mean Uncle Ping might…” Xiang Xi said quietly.

“If he doesn’t know Mantou did it, and tries to figure out who did,” Cheng Boyan said slowly, “he’d probably only conclude it was either you or Mantou, right? Whether it’s his enemies or his associates, anyone doing this wouldn’t end well.”

“Yeah,” Xiang Xi understood. “Mantou’s in the hospital now. If he wants revenge… he can only come after me?”

“I’m not certain. It’s just a possibility,” Cheng Boyan stood up. “People like him—when pushed to that point—are capable of anything.”

Xiang Xi suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

“But…” Xiang Xi still hesitated. Even though he knew that even if Uncle Ping and Erpan were busy fleeing, their subordinates might still come after him, he still couldn’t bring himself to give up his current job and the new life he had just started so easily.

“Even if Mantou found you that day because he had been following you before, he still managed to find you. It wouldn’t be hard for others to find you either,” Cheng Boyan paced around the room. “We can’t take that risk.”

“But my job…” Xiang Xi was still reluctant.

“You can find another one. In two or three months, after you finish learning tea, you can work at a tea house. That’s not a problem,” Cheng Boyan walked up to him and bent down to look at him. “Right now, I want you to stay at my place. If you go out, I go with you. Stay where I can see you.”

Xiang Xi opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.

“Got it?” Cheng Boyan kept looking at him.

“I get it,” Xiang Xi said. “But… I’m afraid…”

“Afraid of causing me trouble?” Cheng Boyan smiled. “Back when you were half-dead and grabbed onto my car saying ‘ge, save me,’ when you had nowhere to go and I took you home, I was already tangled up with trouble. Saying this now is a bit late.”

Xiang Xi didn’t respond. He got up onto his knees on the bed and hugged Cheng Boyan.

“Alright, rise—no need to be so formal,” Cheng Boyan hugged him back, gently rocking him.

(NT: CBY uses 平身 (rise) jokingly. This word is only used for formal contexts, eg. an emperor saying to his kneeling subjects ‘you may rise’.)

“If I rise, I won’t be able to hug you.” Xiang Xi smiled.

“Stop overthinking,” Cheng Boyan patted his butt. “I’ll call Song Yi now.”

“…I feel kind of bad for him.” Xiang Xi sighed softly and patted Cheng Boyan’s butt as well.

 

Translator : DarNan