Chapter 33

Back in middle school, either the biology teacher or the geography teacher once said: The secret to invasion is testing boundaries.

No matter how closed off the ecosystem, no matter how exclusive the environment, as long as a single invasive species manages to stick around shamelessly, it’s practically already a success.

When Qin Zui said “Hold it a little longer,” he wasn’t thinking that deeply.

It wasn’t just so he could get another look down Jiang Chu’s loose shorts. He really just wanted Jiang Chu to stay close to him for a while.

It felt good.

But after he said it, and Jiang Chu actually did let him keep his leg propped up there, that old quote started playing in his head.

People were pretty much the same.

One successful test, and you naturally start pushing the boundaries a little further the next time.

He wondered where Jiang Chu’s boundaries were when it came to people getting close to him.

With a personality this easygoing and easy to get along with, he probably didn’t have any clear boundaries either.

Qin Zui also wondered if Jiang Chu was like this with everyone, or if he made some distinctions based on things other than gender—distinctions that were person-specific.

As Qin Zui’s thoughts drifted aimlessly while staring at the TV, Jiang Chu didn’t really seem to mind the request. It wasn’t like he was doing anything else. Qin Zui’s casted leg wasn’t actually too heavy to hold. Holding it for a while was fine.

Beyond the indifferent attitude, Jiang Chu also felt a strange urge to laugh.

Qin Zui’s “Hold it a little longer” reminded him of the time he first brought Zhou Teng home.

A scrappy little alley cat, ugly as sin. At first, it wouldn’t let him touch it. It would squeeze into some corner and not come out for a whole day.

It took forever before it finally let its guard down around him, let him pet it, let him squeeze it. Jiang Chu didn’t really like touching it either. All that fur meant changing his clothes every time.

But he enjoyed the process of Zhou Teng going from not accepting him to seeking him out.

It gave him a warm, satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

Kind of like Qin Zui actively asking to stay a little longer.

It might just be because when people are injured or sick, they get a little psychologically fragile.

But compared to the beginning, when Qin Zui first came to stay, and they nearly got into a fight just from Jiang Chu touching his back…

Thinking about it, what kind of strays was he bringing home every day?

“Is this the Qin Zui way of asking for a hug?” Jiang Chu rubbed Qin Zui’s knee the same way he’d rub Zhou Teng’s head. “Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Qin Zui instantly vetoed the term “asking for a hug.” “No, it’s not.”

After saying “no,” he felt the need to reiterate: “It’s just comfortable.”

“Oh.” Jiang Chu smiled and made a little pecking motion with his fingers, tapping them lightly on Qin Zui’s calf.

Qin Zui stared at him like he was crazy as he did it a couple of times. A very faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and he said to Jiang Chu, “You should sleep in my bed tonight.”

“Why?” Jiang Chu asked.

“You slept in mine,” Qin Zui said.

“Taking my nest, huh? Just because you slept there, I can’t anymore?” Jiang Chu didn’t get the logic.

Qin Zui sighed. “I didn’t shower. I rolled around in your bed all afternoon with this cast on my leg. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“If you’d just woken up sooner and not told me about it, I wouldn’t have known,” Jiang Chu said, unconcerned.

It was strange. He definitely felt like hospitals were dirty, but only when it came to himself. Qin Zui sleeping in his bed once wasn’t enough to make him want to throw out the whole mattress.

“Or are you saying my bed is just more comfortable?” He thought about it and asked Qin Zui.

Were the mattress pad and sheets he’d put on Qin Zui’s bed not soft enough?

Qin Zui couldn’t exactly say he went there to smell Jiang Chu’s scent. That would make him sound like a pervert.

In the end, the pointless discussion ended pointlessly. They each slept in their own beds. No one bothered anyone.

On the fifth day of Qin Zui convalescing at home, Gao Xia called and said he wanted to come by for a visit. He’d bring the homework from the past few days.

“Just you?” Qin Zui was slowly simmering a pot of soup in the kitchen. He twisted his neck to sniff his own shoulder.

“What do you think?” Gao Xia sounded amused. “There’s no way Lu Yao is passing this up. And Du Miaomiao too.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop her?” Qin Zui sounded annoyed.

“Talk to your conscience, man,” Gao Xia protested. “You think I can stop that girl? You’ve been trying for almost a whole semester, and she still won’t give up. She just likes you. What can you do?”

Before Qin Zui could respond, he added, “Besides, they’re coming to ‘visit’ you. It’s not like I can say, ‘You guys are a problem. Qin Zui gets a headache just looking at you. I’ll just go by myself.’ That would be really harsh.”

“No need. I’ll be back in class in a couple of days anyway,” Qin Zui said.

“Honestly, the main point is we just don’t want to go to class,” Gao Xia admitted. “Visiting you is secondary. We just want a good excuse to blow off school.”

“Tomorrow then. I’ll straighten things up.” Since Gao Xia had put it that way, Qin Zui didn’t keep refusing. He held the phone between his shoulder and ear, lifted the lid of the pot, and skimmed off the foam. “Don’t tell me you’re coming tonight.”

“You gonna take a shower?” Gao Xia chuckled. “You must be pretty ripe by now!”

“I’m hanging up.” Qin Zui didn’t feel like talking to him anymore.

A shower was a must. If not a full shower, then at least a hair wash. He needed to wipe himself down.

Two days ago, Qin Zui had wanted to wrap his leg in plastic wrap and take a quick rinse. Jiang Chu hadn’t agreed. He was afraid Qin Zui would slip and fall flat on his face in the bathroom. That would be the best-case scenario. Worst case, he’d land on his injured foot and mess up the joint even more.

Qin Zui turned off the stove and went to study the bathroom. He found a small plastic stool, put it inside, and then went back to the kitchen to grab the roll of plastic wrap.

Jiang Chu got home carrying a bag of cooked food. The moment he opened the door, the whole place was filled with the rich aroma of bone broth.

Then he heard the sound of water running in the bathroom.

Shit?

Zhou Teng was lying by the bathroom door. When he saw Jiang Chu coming, he rolled over, showing his belly, but before his fat body could even twist all the way around, Jiang Chu used his ankle to shove him aside.

“Qin Zui? What the hell are you doing?” Jiang Chu yanked open the bathroom door and yelled.

Qin Zui was sitting on the plastic stool with his back to the door, his injured leg propped up on another small stool. He was sitting with his legs apart, trying to wash his groin area, and was completely startled by Jiang Chu’s sudden outburst. He twisted his head around and glared at him. “Close the door.”

“…Oh.” Jiang Chu was stunned. He’d thought Qin Zui was standing up and taking a reckless shower. But instead, he saw a taut, tight back, glistening under the warm yellow light of the bathroom heater. Water droplets were sliding down the line of his spine, all the way down to the firm curve of his ass.

It was actually kind of sexy.

“There’s water on your cast. Did you wrap the plastic wrap tight enough?” Even though he knew he should turn around and leave at this point, Jiang Chu hesitated, still worried. He had to come in and check.

“You…” Qin Zui didn’t have time to shoo him out, so he quickly covered his leg with a towel.

Jiang Chu grabbed a dry towel and dabbed the water off the plastic wrap. He carefully felt it, then asked Qin Zui, “How long have you been in here?”

“Not long.” Qin Zui took a shallow breath and lifted his wrist to push Jiang Chu’s hand away.

“So you…” Jiang Chu’s gaze unconsciously swept over the towel covering Qin Zui’s lap. He paused for a second, then quickly looked away. “Need any help?”

“No,” Qin Zui said immediately. “Get out.”

“Oh.” Jiang Chu put the bottle of body wash within his reach, then turned and walked to the bathroom door. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “What are you trying to hide? I already saw everything anyway.”

Qin Zui’s back stiffened. He looked down.

Jiang Chu couldn’t stop laughing at his reaction. He was still chuckling as he walked out.

Once Qin Zui had finished his sponge bath and changed his clothes, he came out to find that Jiang Chu had already ladled out the soup and arranged the dishes on the table.

“Feel better?” Jiang Chu handed him a pair of chopsticks.

“Mm.” Qin Zui hummed in acknowledgment. He sat down at the table and said, “Gao Xia and the others are coming over tomorrow to bring my homework.”

“Is that why you took a shower?” Jiang Chu glanced at his phone. “What time? I’ve got work tomorrow.”

“Just go to work,” Qin Zui said, not planning to let them stay long. “They should be gone by the time you get back.”

“I’ll order delivery for you guys tomorrow, then.” Jiang Chu looked around the apartment. He’d have to do some cleaning later. With Qin Zui’s limited mobility, the place had gotten a bit messy.

“Old Du called me a few days ago. Asked about your foot. I said it was nothing serious. He sent two red packets and told me to buy you some food.” Remembering Du Miaomiao made Jiang Chu recall this.

Qin Zui gave another “mm.”

“Has Liang Xiaojia contacted you at all lately?” Jiang Chu suddenly asked.

“Hasn’t called much.” Qin Zui looked at him. “Why?”

“No reason. Just thinking about your friends made him pop into my head.” Jiang Chu wasn’t very hungry. Tang Cai had ordered afternoon tea at the office. He picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and chewed it slowly. “So did you… reject him?”

Ever since Liang Xiaojia’s sudden visit, Qin Zui had never really talked to Jiang Chu about their relationship. Which was fine. Jiang Chu hadn’t asked about it.

But it wasn’t hard to guess.

Liang Xiaojia knew about Qin Zui’s orientation. Before he came, they were calling each other every day and messaging constantly on WeChat. After he left, the contact dwindled. Either he gave up, or he was rejected.

Qin Zui didn’t argue or confirm it. He just met Jiang Chu’s gaze as he sipped his soup.

“Hey, I’m just curious. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Jiang Chu felt a little uncomfortable under his stare, like he was prying.

It wasn’t that Qin Zui didn’t want to talk about it. He just thought there wasn’t anything to say.

“When you’re around me, how do you see me?” he asked Jiang Chu.

“Me?” The question was suddenly turned on him, catching Jiang Chu off guard. His mind went blank for a second before a mess of disjointed thoughts surfaced. “As a little brother. What else?”

“That’s how I felt about Liang Xiaojia too.” Qin Zui lowered his eyelids and took another sip of soup.

“Oh.” Jiang Chu nodded.

“So whatever he felt was his business. From my side, I just didn’t have any feelings for him,” Qin Zui said. “And since I didn’t have any feelings, naturally, I wasn’t going to give him a response.”

Ever since Jiang Chu had that reaction while watching a movie and gotten curious, he’d been spending his spare time not just Googling “dislocation” for kicks. He’d also been browsing for information about homosexuality.

And honestly? It was a mess.

It wasn’t like in the movies. All those forums and message boards were just a jumble of people looking for hookups. He never saw any mention of love.

He didn’t know if Qin Zui had ever hooked up with anyone. The few times Jiang Chu had brought up the topic, Qin Zui had always changed the subject.

For a teenager whose libido seemed ready to go at any moment, it made Jiang Chu think a lot of things.

But hearing Qin Zui say this now, knowing he had a clear attitude and didn’t seem like the type to fool around just for kicks or something, put Jiang Chu more at ease.

“So how did you figure it out about yourself then? Tell me about it.” Jiang Chu was persistent about getting an answer to this question.

Qin Zui finished the last of his soup, tossed a winter jujube into his mouth, and leaned back in his chair, staring at Jiang Chu. He chewed slowly, absently.

“What are you looking at? Can you just tell me already?” Jiang Chu grabbed a jujube for himself too.

“I asked you to try it, but you wouldn’t.” Qin Zui finished the jujube, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth just to hold it. He stood up and shuffled back toward his room. “Guess.”