Chapter 22: Ears
Holding back tears felt like drowning. Shi An couldn’t swim, didn’t know how to breathe, but Zhong Yan didn’t mind, taking him into his arms as if performing artificial respiration.
The close contact carried a special power. Shi An was like a frightened canine, his chin resting against Zhong Yan’s Adam’s apple, his forehead rubbing against his shirt.
Tears spilled out, releasing all the sadness, grief, fear, and grievance onto his chest, soaking into the dry, pleasant-smelling cotton shirt.
Zhong Yan remained still, just holding him, letting him vent all his unstable emotions. When Shi An finally stopped crying, Zhong Yan led him to the bed and handed him a glass of water.
Shi An sniffled, stealing a glance at Zhong Yan.
The man had his back to him, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, then lifting it off with crossed arms, his movements fluid and natural.
The room was dark, but the red and white light from the shop sign across the street illuminated the man’s firm back and shoulders. Like a scene from a shonen manga, where the male lead makes a dashing entrance, a perfect shot for merchandise.
Shi An was thirsty. He gripped the cup, his heart racing. He muttered to himself, wondering what his chest and abs looked like.
Zhong Yan turned around after changing his clothes, holding the wet shirt, one hand resting on the bed, “Enjoying the view?”
“What view?” Shi An feigned ignorance.
He had already turned his head away before Zhong Yan turned around.
Zhong Yan tilted his head, “Peeking at me changing.”
“Who was peeking at you?” Shi An turned his head further away, “Conceited.”
“Dr. Shi, that’s not very nice.”
Zhong Yan grabbed his chin and turned his face forward. There was a full-length mirror where he had changed. Even with his back turned, Zhong Yan could see what was behind him.
Shi An: “…”
Damn, tricked.
“Can’t I even look?” Shi An tried to sound confident to cover his guilt, “Didn’t cost you anything.”
“Sure.” Zhong Yan made a move to unbutton his shirt, “Want to see the front? It’s free.”
“No need.” Shi An pretended to be nonchalant, “The back was already so-so, the front is probably the same.”
“Dr. Shi, has anyone ever told you,” Zhong Yan leaned closer, “Your ears turn red when you lie.”
Shi An: “…….”
He was so annoying!
Shi An escaped from his side, ignoring the topic, and grabbed the wet shirt, “I’ll wash it for you.”
“No need,” Zhong Yan took out a biohazard bag and put the shirt inside, “I’ll wash it when I get back.”
Shi An: “…You’ll just have me wash it when you get back.”
Zhong Yan also realized this and chuckled, “Seems like I’m taking advantage of you?”
“No.”
Saying he would wash it himself was Shi An taking advantage. He was just going to throw both their clothes in the washing machine, to save the 200 yuan housekeeping fee, naturally.
Zhong Yan handed him the bagged shirt, “Feeling better?”
Shi An held the shirt, “Yes, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Zhong Yan ruffled his head, “Add one lobster.”
Shi An pursed his lips, “Anniversary sale today, also free.”
“Dr. Shi is always so generous, aren’t you afraid I’ll take advantage of you?”
“At worst, I’ll just stop eating lobster.”
“What if I want more than just a free meal?”
Shi An didn’t understand, “What does this have to do with free meals?”
“Nothing.” Zhong Yan smoothed his hair, “Wait for me, I have a patient to hand over, I’ll take you home after.”
“I’ll go with you.” Shi An had nothing else to do anyway.
Zhong Yan turned on his phone, using the light, “Do you want them to see your red eyes or your red nose?”
Shi An turned off the screen and turned his face away, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Zhong Yan came out of the rest room and bumped into the young man who had come with Shi An. He was well-built, with the typical physique of an athlete.
Wang Duo cheerfully caught up, “Hello, Doctor, how is my friend?”
Wang Duo was wearing his basketball shoes again. His pants were still a little damp, and he was wearing Shi An’s jacket.
Shi An had left in such a hurry this afternoon, probably to see him.
“He’s fine.” Zhong Yan glanced at him, “I’ll get someone to bring you some dry clothes.”
“No need, no need.” Wang Duo didn’t expect the doctor to be so thoughtful. He wrapped the jacket tighter, “This is warm enough, don’t bother.”
Zhong Yan took Shi An’s jacket off Wang Duo’s shoulders, “It’s not warm anymore.”
Wang Duo: “…?”
Zhong Yan left with the jacket, “You don’t have to wait, Shi An is going home with me.”
On the way home, Shi An fell asleep in the car.
Zhong Yan slowed down and didn’t wake him up even when they arrived.
It was late autumn in Yang City, and the mornings and evenings were chilly. The heater was on in the car, but Shi An was only wearing thin clothes, clutching the shirt he had cried on.
Zhong Yan unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly leaned closer.
The warm air blew against his blond hair, the earring shimmered, his ears had returned to their normal color.
These ears turned red not only when he lied, but also when he was drunk, angry, shy, or crying.
And also when they were making love.
Naturally seductive.
The sleeping person woke up, Zhong Yan’s breath on his chin.
“Dr. Zhong, what are you doing!” Shi An rubbed his eyes, “Sticking your face so close, you scared me.”
Zhong Yan straightened up, his expression as calm as still water, “We’re here.”
Shi An yawned and looked out the window, “Why are we at my house?”
“It’s time to go home.”
Shi An also wanted to go home, but he had the morning shift tomorrow, and now that it was cold, waking up early was torture.
“You have the day off tomorrow,” Zhong Yan said, “Spend some time with your family.”
“Thank you, Dr. Zhong.” Shi An unbuckled his seatbelt, eager to jump out, then wondered if he should say something polite.
“I’ll pick you up the day after tomorrow morning,” Zhong Yan said, “Go on up.”
“Okay, thank you, Dr. Zhong.”
Shi An got out of the car and waved at the window, “Drive safe, text me when you get home.”
As the sports car disappeared from sight, Shi An was still processing his own “bold words.”
Asking his boss to personally pick him up for work, and asking him to text him when he got home, wasn’t he being a bit presumptuous?
But he left in such a hurry, he probably didn’t hear it?
Whatever, he’d deal with it later.
Shi An opened the door quietly, but he still woke up his mother.
“Why are you back?” Mother Shi took his backpack, “Didn’t you say next week?”
“Dr. Zhong gave me a day off.”
“Isn’t he very strict? Why did he suddenly give you a day off?”
“Who knows, maybe he had a change of heart.”
“Xiao An, are you still hiding things from your mother?”
With the news spreading like wildfire, Shi An knew he couldn’t hide it, but his mother didn’t ask on the phone, so he was in a bit of denial.
“I’m sorry, I was afraid you and Grandma would worry.”
“Going to such a dangerous place, how could I not worry?” Mother Shi walked over, “But I support you doing what you love. But you have to let me know next time, okay?”
Shi An nodded. In front of his mother, he would always be a child.
“You’ve lost weight,” Mother Shi said with a pang of sorrow.
“No, the food there was good, I even had extra meals.” Shi An suddenly remembered, “Does Grandma know?”
“She hasn’t seen the news, I was afraid she would worry, you tell her tomorrow yourself.”
Speak of the devil, Grandma came out, drawn by the noise.
Shi An hadn’t figured out how to explain yet, so he used his day off as an excuse and praised Zhong Yan profusely, genuinely and sincerely.
Grandma also praised him, “When you have time, invite your teacher over for dinner.”
“We’ll see,” Shi An said vaguely, yawning, “Mom, Grandma, I’m going to bed now, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
After saying good night to his family, Shi An took Zhong Yan’s shirt to the bathroom.
He took the shirt out of the laundry basket and decided to hand wash it. Although the shirt wasn’t dirty, he still scrubbed it carefully.
After showering, Shi An hung the shirt to dry and went back to bed.
He had left in such a hurry today that he didn’t ask how Wang Duo was doing.
He opened his phone, seven or eight unread messages.
Two were from Wang Duo, the rest were from [Zhong Yan].
Oh no!
The Big Devil actually texted him to say he got home safe. The last message was over an hour ago, should he reply or not?
What if he was asleep, wouldn’t it be bad to wake him up?
But he had sent so many messages, it would be impolite not to reply.
Shi An rolled around in his blankets three times and nervously typed in the chat box: “Are you asleep?”
Within half a minute, the phone rang.
“Not asleep,” Zhong Yan’s voice sounded like it had just come out of a freezer.
Crap! The Big Devil was angry.
Shi An shivered under his blanket, “Then… you should go to bed early?”
“Shi An, you’re getting bolder and bolder.” Zhong Yan’s threat seemed to be right behind him, “You left me hanging for one hour and sixteen minutes.”
“No, no, no, I was taking a shower.” Feeling that the excuse wasn’t strong enough, Shi An continued, “I also washed your shirt, very carefully, scrubbing it bit by bit, that’s why it took so long.”
Zhong Yan: “Hand washed?”
Shi An emphasized, “Purely hand washed.”
“Washed it while you were showering?”
Shi An agreed, “Guaranteed to be extra clean.”
Zhong Yan’s tone brightened, “Next time, reply to my message before washing my clothes.”
Shi An: “…….”
Shi An slept until noon, enjoying his day off at home, doing nothing but sleeping and being stuffed with delicious food.
Remembering that Zhong Yan was coming to pick him up in the morning, Shi An woke up naturally without hitting snooze.
At 7:10, he got into Zhong Yan’s car.
Shi An handed him the shirt first, then another bag, “Thank you, Dr. Zhong.”
Zhong Yan took it, “What is it?”
“Breakfast, steamed buns made by my grandma, they’re delicious.” Shi An pointed at the container inside, “There’s also soy milk, eggs, and homemade pickles. Eat them together, it’s heavenly.”
“Thank you.” Zhong Yan put the bag in the back seat and started the car.
They were lucky today, the roads were clear, and they arrived at the parking lot early.
Shi An stared at the unopened breakfast, “Aren’t you eating?”
If he didn’t eat it now, he wouldn’t have time at the department, “Skipping breakfast is unhealthy.”
“Eat,” Zhong Yan wiped his hands and opened the bag.
“Take your time, I’ll go ahead.”
Before Zhong Yan could respond, he had already run off.
Zhong Yan held the soy milk cup, his gaze fixed on the empty space outside the window.
So many people tried so hard to get close to him.
Only he, wanted to run away.
What are you hiding from?
