Chapter 65: Carnivore ·4

Qiu Lu was scribbling away at his homework when a faint burnt, bitter smell wafted in out of nowhere.

His pen paused mid-stroke as he wondered if something was scorching in the kitchen.

Qiu Junwei pushed the door open, carrying a bowl of steaming-hot medicine.

“I boiled your medicine for you,” Qiu Junwei said. “Drink it while it’s hot. It’ll cure whatever’s wrong with you.”

Qiu Lu blinked in surprise as his father sat down across from him and set the bowl right next to his workbook.

He hadn’t even seen a doctor, let alone gotten any kind of checkup.

“Dad… is this traditional medicine?”

Qiu Junwei waved it off. “It’s all good stuff. Just drink it already.”

Any more questions, and he’d get annoyed.

Qiu Lu went quiet for a couple of seconds. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll finish this practice set and then drink it.”

He’d already spotted the murky black broth flecked with unidentifiable bits. It reeked of bitterness and sourness—not something you’d get from any legit clinic.

The teen even chuckled to himself, struck by a strangely upbeat mindset.

…Surviving to seventeen was proof of his tough constitution, anyway.

Qiu Junwei showed no sign of leaving. Stubbornly, he insisted, “I’ll watch you drink it.”

His hand brushed the spoon.

“Do it first, then homework. Hurry up—I slaved over this for three hours.”

Qiu Lu kept smiling at him.

There was something uniquely docile and boyish about the teen, like a feral kitten playing up its cuteness and harmlessness just to stay safe.

“Dad,” he said softly, “…do you not trust me anymore?”

“Have I done something wrong lately?”

Qiu Junwei opened his mouth, but for the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint any recent misdeeds.

Qiu Lu gently took his father’s hand, his touch soft in a way that almost seemed girlish.

“Dad, you made this yourself. I promise I’ll drink every last drop.”

“I’ll wash the bowl and put it away after. You go rest.”

Qiu Junwei pulled his hand back awkwardly and finally stood.

“Don’t study too late. Do your eye exercises before bed.”

“Got it, Dad.”

Only after the door had been shut for a good while—until the muffled drone of the TV drifted in from the living room—did Qiu Lu’s face go blank. He shoved open the window and dumped the entire bowl out.

Then, acting like nothing had happened, he deliberately left the residue-smeared porcelain bowl in plain sight.

Fifteen minutes later, Qiu Junwei poked his head in again to check.

“Eat the dregs too.”

“Okay.”

“Vitamins today?”

“Not yet.”

Right in front of him, Qiu Lu yanked open the drawer and pulled out a row of little vitamin bottles.

B2, B6, C, D3, K—two-fifty a pop, hundred tablets each.

He shook out a few from each bottle and swallowed them down with warm water.

Qiu Junwei nodded, pleased.

“Don’t chew the dregs,” he instructed. “Original broth makes original food. Next time you take medicine, steep the dregs in hot water again and drink it all.”

Qiu Lu murmured his assent.

Sunday was still crammed full of tutoring sessions.

The education bureau cracked down hard, but around any high school, there were always folks hawking extra classes in every nook and cranny.

Parents and students swapped tips like spies trading intel, all hush-hush with their friends.

“Word is Old Feng’s kid’s in a competition prep class?”

“There’s this teacher from Beishi Normal University—total pro. Regular students can’t buy their way in.”

“Hey, a bunch of classmates are tutoring in that neighborhood—you know the one.”

Qiu Lu slipped into the cramped classroom, hit by the stale, musty air.

He pulled out his chemistry reference book and rummaged for an old practice test.

The other students were half-asleep, yawning their heads off as the tutor bustled in with a stack of papers.

“Let’s start with a quick quiz,” the tutor announced. “It’ll be over before you—”

Someone knocked on the door twice.

“Ji Yuxiao?” The tutor glanced over. “Who’re you looking for?”

Everyone knew the guy—from junior high gold medals to senior-year competitions, every teacher loved him.

“Looking for Qiu Lu,” Ji Yuxiao said with a polite smile. “There’s an English provincial comp coming up. One of the school teachers wants to talk to him about it. I’m here to help him get a pass.”

Qiu Lu shot to his feet on instinct, and the tutor waved them off. “Go on, then. I’ll save you the handouts.”

The two grabbed their backpacks and left the rundown apartment building. “Teacher Zhai’s working Sundays too?” Qiu Lu asked.

“Nothing to do with her.” Ji Yuxiao flagged down a cab. “I’m busting you out of class.”

They headed toward the East District and wound up at the City Library.

It was smack in the New District—like stepping from the eighties straight into the modern tech age.

Qiu Lu wasn’t used to this kind of thing. A bit shyly, he asked, “So… what now?”

“Whatever you want.” Ji Yuxiao shrugged. “Read comics, do homework, mess around on your phone, zone out. If the library’s lame, we can hit up a shady internet cafe.”

Qiu Lu saw him pull out three novels and rubbed his brow.

“The sofa here’s so soft,” he murmured. “Brother Yuxiao, I’m gonna catch a nap.”

Ji Yuxiao shifted over a bit, giving him room to stretch out fully.

Sunlight slanted through the windows like a weightless warm blanket.

Draped in his school jacket, Qiu Lu’s tense shoulders finally relaxed, his yawn sounding like a sigh.

Slender fingertips brushed across his forehead.

“No pillow—must be uncomfortable, huh?”

“Lie on my lap.”

Qiu Lu was already half-dreaming, mumbling vague agreement as he groped his way into Ji Yuxiao’s arms and promptly passed out cold.

Ji Yuxiao spent the entire morning perfectly still, reading his novels.

Every now and then he’d take a sip of juice, gaze out the window, and watch birds flit and dance through the sky.

He didn’t have any real reason for whisking Qiu Lu away like this.

He was just purely, deliberately leading him astray.

Ji Yuxiao reflected coolly that maybe, deep down, he was just rotten to the core.

Even if the risks were unpredictable. Even if Qiu Lu had never asked for any of it.

He woke from that one good sleep just in time to head home without raising eyebrows.

Ji Yuxiao’s phone stayed silent the whole time—no one had noticed a thing, and the tutor clearly had no bandwidth to double-check something so minor.

When Qiu Lu stirred awake, a healthy flush finally colored his cheeks, his energy nearly topped off.

He took a few steps, then sneaked a glance up at Ji Yuxiao’s profile.

The young man was lean and sharp-edged. Top of his class and all, but he always came off as wild and fiercely independent.

His lips were pale, his jawline crisp and handsome, his posture straight and unyielding as bamboo.

“Hm?” Ji Yuxiao glanced his way.

Qiu Lu still had that blissed-out, well-rested look about him.

“You seem really great.”

Ji Yuxiao said nothing, his gaze drifting elsewhere.

They hadn’t gone far before the young man unconsciously turned his head.

There was a grilled fish joint nearby.

Aquariums lined the front, oxygen tubes bubbling away in the clear glass as dozens of fish swam lazily back and forth.

Silver carp, bream, crucian carp, grass carp.

Dark gray ones, deep blue-green ones—all of them with plump white bellies, perfectly shaped and pretty.

Qiu Lu stared intently at the fish, oblivious to Ji Yuxiao silently watching him.

A server hustled over, waving a menu and calling out.

“Grilled fish on the cheap! Couple’s set just 78 yuan!”

“Lychee flavor, tomato, weird sour soup—pairs great with tofu skin, kelp, glass noodles, all delicious!”

Qiu Lu said, “No thanks, we’re just passing by.”

“Let’s eat here,” Ji Yuxiao said. “I want fish.”

Qiu Lu knew exactly what he was up to and steadied his backpack for him. “Bro, you know I’ll just sit there next to you watching.”

“Try it once.” Ji Yuxiao met his eyes. “One bite of fish. Spit it out if it’s no good.”

He knew full well he was relentlessly tempting him to break his rules.

But damn it, that’s exactly what he wanted to do.

Qiu Lu’s expression softened for a split second, his mouth opening to reply—then Ji Yuxiao’s phone rang.

“Hey, Yuxiao! It’s your Uncle Qiu.”

“…Mm.”

“Nobody picked up the home line. If you see Little Lu, tell him me and his mom won’t be back till afternoon. Have him drink his medicine while it’s hot when he gets home.”

“Okay.”

The call ended. Ji Yuxiao looked at Qiu Lu. “C’mon, let’s head home.”

Qiu Lu blinked, half-expecting him to keep pushing.

But it was like the whole conversation had never happened. Ji Yuxiao just strode onward briskly, never mentioning fish again.

Qiu Lu fell into step beside him on instinct, his eyes drifting back to the roadside diners’ tables.

A cool autumn breeze blew, but everyone was sweating from the spice as they dug in.

Fish simmered and tumbled in vats of different sauces, each one bursting with its own tantalizing aroma.

Peppers teasing out fiery heat, tomatoes soaking in tangy richness, lychees lending a crisp sweetness.

The fish skin curled like flower buds around tender white flesh—you could practically imagine how thick and succulent it’d be with one bite.

But Ji Yuxiao walked too fast, not giving him even a few extra seconds to look.

That hidden craving was stoked by the wordless temptation, and with Qiu Lu’s innocent mind, he never clocked the quiet malice of the instigator.

He just figured Brother Yuxiao must be in a rush to get home, that’s why he was walking so quick.

Ji Yuxiao kept his back to him as he walked, but he saw everything.

The pursed lips and furrowed brow. The gaze that lingered too long. The unconscious bob of his throat.

By the time they climbed back into the car, Qiu Lu’s eyes were downcast, nowhere near as lively as right after his nap.

Ji Yuxiao fiddled with his phone and didn’t say a word.

The young man must have felt the chill, because he spoke up softly. “Brother Yuxiao, are you mad at me?”

“Nope,” Ji Yuxiao said offhandedly. “Grilled fish tastes like crap anyway. Waste of money.”

For once, Qiu Lu felt like pushing back.

It smelled amazing. He’d caught the scent himself.

He was on the verge of blurting it out, but then it struck him how ridiculous it would sound.

He’d never even tasted meat growing up—on what grounds could he argue with his brother about which fish was tastier?

By the time they got back to the neighborhood, Ji Yuxiao didn’t head upstairs. Instead, he waved his phone at Qiu Lu, clearly with no intention of going up together.

“Head on back. I’m off to the net cafe with some friends.”

Qiu Lu stood frozen at the foot of the stairs, his heart lurching as if yanked by an invisible string.

Part of him wanted to ask outright: Have you made new friends? Why have I never heard about them?

Brother Yuxiao, haven’t you always asked if I wanted to tag along, no matter where you were going?

The teenager stared at him, a mix of resentment and possessiveness simmering unclearly within.

Before Qiu Lu could get another word out, Ji Yuxiao tossed out a casual “Bye” and turned to leave.

Qiu Lu stayed rooted at the stairwell, making no move to follow.

Yet somehow, he felt as if a fishing line were hooked to his brother, tugging relentlessly at his throat.

Brother Yuxiao was already out of sight.

He lingered there a moment longer before letting out a low hum.