Qin Zui stared at Jiang Chu for a moment, then reached for his bag in the backseat.
“What are you grabbing that for? Leave it.” Jiang Chu pushed open the door and got out. “I’m not kicking you out.”
Qin Zui frowned but got out and followed him.
Jiang Chu pointed at a barbershop nearby. “Taking you for a haircut. Then you can just shower when we get home.”
Qin Zui racked his brain and still didn’t see this coming. He stood there in silence for a moment, then reached up and ruffled his own hair. He didn’t object, letting Jiang Chu lead him inside, where the barber shaved that mop of his down to a tidy buzz cut.
Jiang Chu was very satisfied. Qin Zui looked a lot more alert now. His features were really good. The lines of his eyes and mouth were sharp and strong. This was how he should be, all of it out in the open. It had some edge.
The barber was a familiar face. As he took the money, he grinned and asked Jiang Chu, “Who’s this? You want a trim while you’re here?”
“My little brother.” Jiang Chu didn’t hide it. The word “brother” rolled off his tongue easily. He even glanced at his own head in the mirror. “Mine’s fine for now. I’ll come back in a bit.”
“Brother’s pretty tall.” The owner grabbed a piece of candy from the counter and tossed it to Qin Zui. “Little handsome guy. Come to me whenever you need a cut.”
The candy landed right on Qin Zui’s chest. He caught it reflexively. He didn’t say anything, just gave the barber a very faint quirk of his lips.
Back in the car, Jiang Chu glanced at Qin Zui. Then he glanced again.
“What are you looking at?” Qin Zui was staring out the window. He suddenly asked.
“So you can smile.” Jiang Chu turned the wheel to enter the residential complex, saying it in that supremely bored way of his. “Looks pretty good when you do, doesn’t it? Let’s see another one?”
Qin Zui ignored him, just kept quietly memorizing the route, his fingertips tracing lightly on his thigh.
This cheap half-brother had only said two sentences since they’d met. But Jiang Chu was starting to get used to his habit of occasionally blurting something out of the blue.
“Building 1, Unit 2, Apartment 403. After you go through the main gate, turn left immediately. There’s a shopping mall right across from the complex exit. The supermarket is on B1.” Jiang Chu pulled into the underground parking garage, talking randomly, nonchalantly briefing Qin Zui. “This is our parking spot. Grab your bag. Elevator’s right over there.”
Qin Zui looked around the garage, then followed Jiang Chu inside.
They were the only ones in the elevator. Jiang Chu watched Qin Zui’s reflection in the metallic elevator doors. Face to face, it hadn’t registered, but seeing him from this third-person angle, he realized Qin Zui was pretty tall.
Jiang Chu himself was 1.82 meters. Qin Zui was only 17 and already nearly as tall.
At the apartment door, Jiang Chu slid the key into the lock and gave Qin Zui a heads-up. “The place is a bit of a mess.”
Qin Zui didn’t react. Jiang Chu saying he was bringing someone home to stay like this meant he definitely lived alone. A single guy living alone, no telling what state the place would be in.
When the door swung open, Jiang Chu hadn’t been modest at all.
Qin Zui stood at the entrance, looking in. The small area connecting the entryway to the living room was already trashed. Half a sock was sticking out from under the sofa. In the corner of the floor, there was even a… bowl.
Jiang Chu rummaged in the shoe cabinet for a bit, pulled out a pair of slippers for Qin Zui, and led him on a tour of the rooms. As he walked, he scooped up an armful of clothes and pants.
“…Kitchen. Study. Balcony. Bathroom.” Jiang Chu pushed open the bathroom door. “Body wash. Shampoo. Shower. Hot water on the left, cold on the right.”
“Got a towel?” he asked after the tour, pointing at the rack over the sink. “You can put your toothbrush, cup, and towel here.”
“Mm.” Qin Zui acknowledged and went to pull things out of his giant bag.
“You go ahead and shower first. Throw your dirty clothes straight into the washing machine.” Jiang Chu picked up the vacuum cleaner and headed for the second bedroom. “This’ll be your room from now on.”
Qin Zui looked at the other bedroom nearby, its door slightly ajar. That should be Jiang Chu’s own room.
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Jiang Chu was humming as he pushed the vacuum cleaner back and forth, trying to remember the last time he’d seriously cleaned the place.
He usually just woke up and went straight to the company. He ate all three meals out most of the time. If he did eat at home, it would be takeout. He’d shower, play some games or watch a movie, then collapse into bed. His daily range was just a few steps.
This second bedroom had all the furnishings, like a model showroom. Except for the occasional time Da Ben or some other buddy got too drunk and crashed here for the night, Jiang Chu had never even slept in it.
And now, its first real official use was for this “brother” with whom he shared neither father nor mother.
Jiang Chu did a quick once-over with the vacuum, then went to grab a set of sheets and a duvet cover to put on for Qin Zui.
Halfway through putting the cover on, he froze suddenly, remembering something of moderate importance.
—That masturbation cup Da Ben had given him earlier… He’d left it in the bathroom.
Jiang Chu stood by the bed, gripping the corner of the duvet, trying to remember exactly where he’d left it. Was it in the cabinet with the hairdryer? Or on the window shelf? He racked his brain and came up blank.
He dropped the duvet, sat on the edge of the bed, and silently cursed under his breath.
Fuck.
If that got seen, it would be pretty awkward.
If it had been Jiang Liantian who saw it, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But he didn’t know Qin Zui at all. The kid was a minor. It wasn’t really appropriate.
Would a minor even know what those things were?
Especially one from a small county?
Jiang Chu’s train of thought involuntarily derailed. He started trying to remember if he himself had known what a masturbation cup looked like back in high school.
Qin Zui had a nice, long shower. He shook his head dry, then, following Jiang Chu’s instructions, threw his clothes into the washing machine.
After tossing them in, he paused with his hand on the lid. Then he took his underwear back out.
He didn’t know where Jiang Chu kept the laundry powder or soap. He stood in front of the washing machine, scanning the area, then opened the cabinet door mounted above it.
He took one look.
Then he closed it again.
Jiang Chu finished putting on the sheets and duvet cover, tidied up his own room a bit as well, and ordered two cold drinks on his phone.
Da Ben called him, asking if he was still coming in today. Those jerks from the building materials company were pushing for the schedule again.
“Not coming. Tell them if they want my work, they wait. Or they can find someone else and pay overtime. I’ll send it over tomorrow.” Jiang Chu went to the balcony to light a cigarette.
“That guy just keeps ordering from you and then doesn’t want to wait,” Da Ben griped. “Fuck, even ordering a hooker takes some prep time.”
“Get lost.” Jiang Chu chuckled. “Just handle it. I can’t free up any time today anyway.”
“So you picked up that little brother?” Da Ben loved getting involved in his family drama. “How is he? You two getting along?”
“Mm.” Jiang Chu heard the bathroom door open. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Gotta go.”
He hung up, pocketed his phone, and walked back into the living room, where he was immediately met with the sight of Qin Zui’s bare, smooth back.
You couldn’t tell through that grimy t-shirt he’d been wearing. But now that the clothes were off, he had some definition.
He wasn’t super buff or anything, just a normal teenager. But the lines of his shoulders, back, and waist were broad and relaxed, taut with muscle. Jiang Chu wondered what Qin Zui normally did besides go to school to have muscles like that.
“The drinks aren’t here yet. If you want water, there’s a cup by the water cooler.” Jiang Chu said, but his mind was already racing, wanting to sneak into the bathroom to find that damn masturbation cup.
Seeing Qin Zui with his head down, not moving, he asked, “What are you staring at?”
Qin Zui turned his head to look at him. Fresh out of the shower, he was clean from head to toe, radiating a crisp freshness. He pointed with his chin towards the corner of the wall, holding his washed underwear.
“Your underwear…” Jiang Chu’s attention was first caught by the pair Qin Zui was currently wearing. “How does it have holes in it?”
Qin Zui stared back at him blankly for a second, then looked down at his own underwear and tugged at the waistband.
“Hey, don’t snap it.” Jiang Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. He thought about it for a second and couldn’t help but want to laugh anyway. He went and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts for Qin Zui. “When it cools down tonight, we’ll go to the mall and get you a couple of pairs. We’ll get whatever else you need then.”
Only after dealing with the underwear situation did he look at the clump in the corner of the wall.
“That’s my cat.” Jiang Chu bent down, picked up Zhou Teng’s water bowl from the corner, and refilled it. “He’s shy. Doesn’t bite.”
Qin Zui didn’t seem to like or dislike it. He and Zhou Teng stared at each other from their different heights and sizes, one bigger one smaller. After a moment, he asked Jiang Chu, “What’s its name?”
“Zhou Teng.” Jiang Chu said. “Because he looks like Jay Chou and Shen Teng.”
Qin Zui stared at him for a long time. He didn’t say anything. Then he bent down, scratched his back vigorously a couple of times, and went to the balcony to hang his underwear.
Jiang Chu remembered a few more details he needed to explain. Things like where the light switches were, and the remotes for the AC, TV, and curtains.
He explained it all to Qin Zui, and with ulterior motives, also showed him where Zhou Teng’s cat food cans were, how much to pour, and how to scoop the litter box.
Qin Zui didn’t say a word. Whatever Jiang Chu said, he just mentally noted it.
When it was all over, he took his giant bag to the bedroom and started putting his clothes away in the wardrobe.
Jiang Chu took a shower too. When he came out, he leaned against the doorframe and watched for a while, mentally tallying up all the crappy stuff Qin Zui was wearing. He’d have to take him out to buy a whole new wardrobe from the inside out.
“I’m taking a nap.” Jiang Chu checked the time and said to Qin Zui. “Do whatever you want. If you get tired, sleep. If you get hungry, order some delivery. If you’re not hungry, just wait until I wake up.”
Without waiting to see if Qin Zui even acknowledged him, he went straight back to his room.
He’d pulled two all-nighters in the last two days to finish a project, and hadn’t gotten a proper nap at the office during lunch either. Jiang Chu slept straight through until seven in the evening.
Half-awake, half-asleep, he’d been thinking about how all his spare cash and cards were just lying on the table in the entryway. If Qin Zui was a thief, he could grab some stuff and leave while he was sleeping. If he did, well, let him go. He’d tried his best today anyway.
He’d gone to sleep with a bit of caution. When he opened his eyes again, seeing the sliver of light coming from under the door, hearing the sounds of Qin Zui walking around and doing who-knows-what in the living room… Jiang Chu wouldn’t say he was happy about it, but a certain feeling of stability settled in.
He stretched, opened the door, and walked out. “You hungry?”
Qin Zui was squatting in the corner, feeding the cat. When he heard Jiang Chu, he scratched his shoulder and started to stand up.
The moment he moved, Jiang Chu suddenly took two quick steps forward and pressed a hand flat against his back.
Qin Zui flinched like he’d been stung, jerking upright in one swift motion. He whipped his head around to stare at Jiang Chu. “Don’t touch me.”
As soon as he said it, even he seemed to realize his tone was too harsh. He pressed his lips together, reining in the sharpness in his eyes, and added, “I’m itchy.”
Jiang Chu ignored him. He grabbed Qin Zui’s shoulder and pulled him around, then ran his hand over Qin Zui’s shoulder blade again.
“You…” Qin Zui frowned and tried to push him away.
“No wonder you’re itchy. You’re having an allergic reaction and you can’t even feel it?” Jiang Chu let go, turned on his heel, and went back to his room to get dressed. He tossed a shirt at Qin Zui too. “Put that on. We’re going to the hospital.”
