"Okay, then wait for me! Don't push yourself!" Shi Lu said hurriedly. "Remember, don't exert too much force on the arm on the side where you had surgery!"
"I know! You're so long-winded." Le Xi laughed.
"Tsk tsk..." Shi Lu frowned as he looked at the person sleeping soundly on the bed and said to Le Xi, "He seems like a very well-mannered kid, how come he's like this when he's drunk?" Not to mention Le Xi couldn't handle it, even a big and burly man like Shi Lu found it quite a headache. One minute he would get up and snuggle up to Le Xi's lap and act cute, the next he would curse someone for being heartless, and then he would grab Shi Lu's hand and ask for a drink. It took most of the night before he finally quieted down.
Lexi sat down on the sofa, rubbing her forehead wearily. "If I had known he was so troublesome, I would never have let him drink alcohol."
"That's all your fault! You've known him for so long, how could you not know his alcohol tolerance and behavior when he's drunk?" Shi Lu sat down next to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders from behind, letting him find a comfortable position to lean against him. His soft, dark hair was a bit long, brushing against his neck and tickling him slightly. A TV presenter was enthusiastically talking about something, and the audience below was laughing hysterically, but the two curled up on the sofa seemed completely oblivious, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility. Shi Lu took Le Xi's fingers and played with them, admiring the full, rounded nails and slender fingers, which were like works of art. Even the calluses on his fingers captivated him.
"This is from when I was little and writing," Le Xi said softly, looking at the thin callus on her middle finger. "Back then, I wrote with so much force, each stroke leaving marks on several pages. My brother scolded me for it, but I couldn't change. I kept writing until calluses appeared on my fingers. I remember being quite ignorant back then. The teacher told us to use pencils, but I saw my brother using a fountain pen and thought it looked so cool, so I begged him for one. But I was too young and didn't know how to use it, so I broke the pen and spilled ink all over my notebook. I got a severe scolding from the teacher. It was only after Aunt Lan pleaded on my behalf that I was spared punishment."
“It was similar to my childhood, we were both naughty kids.” Shi Lu rested his chin on Le Xi’s head, closed his eyes and fell into memories. “When my dad was still alive, he often beat me. My mom was very busy, with so many students in her class, she couldn’t take care of me. So when I was little, I was always jealous of my older brothers and sisters, feeling that they had taken my mom away, so I always liked to go against them.”
“Me too. Because my brother went abroad later, I always felt like he didn’t want me anymore, so I would do some really outrageous things to make him worry. But later on, it was like the boy in the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’. I did too much, and people got tired of it. Besides, he was already busy and couldn’t take care of many things…” Le Xi sighed, “I really feel like I’m sorry for him.”
"Lexi, what exactly happened between you and your brother?" Shi Lu asked tentatively and cautiously. "Every time your brother is mentioned, you always look very sad. And during the time you were sick and in a coma, you would sometimes unconsciously call out for your brother. What happened? Can't it be resolved?"
"Really? Are you... very sad?" She thought she could hide it well, but the sadness seemed to be deep in her bones, and it was so easily seen through.
"Lexi, don't do this..." Shi Lu gripped Lexi's shoulders tightly, pulling him even closer. "Don't do this anymore. If you're in too much pain, please let me share it, okay?"
Redemption
The next day was the military training review drill. Le Xi stayed at the hotel overnight to take care of Zi Jie, who vomited twice, leaving vomit all over the floor and sheets. While Le Xi was cleaning, Zi Jie sprawled out on the bed, taking up the entire bed. So Le Xi and Shi Lu had to make do on the sofa, barely managing to get some sleep until after 3 a.m. Early the next morning, Le Xi remembered the drill and hurriedly took a taxi home to change clothes, ready to run to school. But Shi Lu grabbed him, saying his blood pressure was low and he wouldn't be able to manage without breakfast. So he was dragged to a noodle shop and made to eat a bowl of beef noodles before running to the field, almost being late.
When they arrived at the playground, everyone had already lined up. Le Xi was missing from the square formation, making it look rather awkward. Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhang, was frowning and making a phone call when Le Xi ran over. His phone rang in his pocket. Ms. Zhang looked up and saw Le Xi running towards them, panting. She quickly grabbed him and scolded, "Stop running! Slow down! Why are you so late? Everyone's waiting for you! Get back in line!"
Le Xi bowed and apologized to the instructors and teachers as she quickly joined the ranks. As she caught her breath, she saw Shi Lu leisurely strolling onto the steps of the playground, arms crossed and a relaxed expression on his face. The guy blended in with the students; tall and strong, his attire was truly appalling… He was clearly a teacher, yet he had absolutely no sense of style. Crop jeans and a cotton T-shirt—a typical student look. He then raised his arms and waved at her, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, before throwing her a flirtatious wink and grinning lewdly. Le Xi was exasperated and rolled her eyes at him: she'd definitely have to give him a proper makeover after military training. This guy had absolutely no taste, no sense of responsibility as a university teacher whatsoever.
"What's so great about it..."
"Even the teacher is so biased towards him..."
"Pretentious, disgusting..."
Whispers from within the ranks reached Le Xi's ears intermittently. Le Xi smiled and ignored them. He had heard far too many rumors during military training. Xingzhi Academy was a gathering place for a large group of pampered young ladies and spoiled brats. These young masters and ladies, who had never experienced hardship or grievance, had always been quite critical of the instructors' special treatment of Le Xi, and sometimes some even deliberately isolated him. However, Le Xi usually just laughed it off: if he took it all to heart, wouldn't he exhaust himself? Besides, there's a saying, "Walk your own path and let others talk." As long as he was true to himself, why care what others said? Caring too much would only make him more heartbroken and sad. Just like with Qi Hui's matter…
"Have you forgotten that we're having a drill today?" Pan Ge, standing behind Le Xi, whispered as the instructor turned around.
"Ah? I... I have a friend who came from City C. We were a little late yesterday..." Le Xi said softly.
"Oh, no wonder. Teacher Zhang was almost going crazy just now. The old lady's frantic state was quite funny."
"Hehe..." Le Xi chuckled, about to say something, but Pan Ge gently nudged him with his finger, saying, "Stop talking, it's starting soon!" Le Xi turned to look towards the podium. The rousing athletes' march had stopped, and school leaders were giving speeches. They went on and on about carrying forward traditions and the importance of hard work and simplicity, and surprisingly, there were intermittent applause from below. Le Xi curled his lip in disapproval and shifted his gaze elsewhere: Hmm, I wonder which section Shi Lu is sitting in? That kid, maybe some people will think he's an imposter teacher!
With a quick glance, Shi Lu was already lost in the crowd, surrounded by his fellow students who had come to watch. As her gaze swept across the crowd, Le Xi suddenly realized something and turned her head in a daze, looking towards a certain spot. There seemed to be a very familiar figure there.
"Hey! What are you looking at! It's our turn!" Pang nudged Lexi, signaling him to concentrate. But Lexi's gaze was fixed anxiously in that direction, oblivious to the people around him and the sounds around him.
Brother, is that you?
Is that you?
Is it really you?
Are you there?
Is it there?!
"Yao Lexi!" Someone shoved Lexi and yelled at him, "What are you looking at?! It's our turn to go on stage! Don't hold us back, okay?!"
Le Xi snapped back to reality, his shoulder aching from the impact. He bowed his head in apology, trying to compose himself. But he found that no matter what he did, his body was trembling uncontrollably. His thoughts, too, were completely out of control, flooded with all sorts of sounds.
Baby, I love you so much.
Baby, how could you leave me?
Lele, you're going to be our family's child from now on. You should get along well with your brother Xiaohui!
Lele, Auntie is dying. You, promise Auntie, live on. Xiaohui, please help me, take good care of him. In this world, besides you and him, we have no other family.
Lele...
Lele...
...
Lexi didn't know how he completed the formation drill; he was just unconsciously following everyone's steps, his eyes fixed on the throng of people in the audience. He tried several times to convince himself that what he had just experienced was just a hallucination, but his brain seemed to be an independent entity separated from his body, beyond his control. Even after the drill was completed and the audience was dismissed, Lexi still couldn't calm down.
"Damn it, look at the way he acts! Does he think he's so great?"
"Our class's failure to get a ranking is all his fault!"
...
The various complaints around her, the disdainful glances, and the endless stream of hypothetical thoughts swirling in her mind made Lexi feel as if she were falling into an abyss. She felt incredibly cold, even her breath felt icy and devoid of warmth. That feeling of being surrounded by people yet feeling exceptionally alone was like being imprisoned in an empty, dark, and silent house, wanting to escape but having nowhere to go.
There was nowhere to escape.
A pair of hands gently grasped Lexi's cold fingers. Lexi looked up and met Shilu's concerned gaze in surprise.
"What's wrong? Everyone's gone, what are you doing standing here?" Shi Lu smoothed Le Xi's messy hair, which was soaked with cold sweat, and looked at him nervously.
Le Xi looked around and saw that only a few people remained on the vast playground. She realized she had lost her composure to this extent. She sighed softly and returned Shi Lu's smile.
She wanted to say something, but then her vision went black. After the dizzying sensation subsided, Lexi sighed and fell into Shilu's arms, feeling incredibly peaceful: she realized that she had already been redeemed.
lovers
That person once said that your smile is like the one I love. So when he was ravaging me, he would gently cup Lexi's face and say in a tender voice, "Come on, smile. Don't cry. In front of me, you can only smile, understand?"
The expression on her face and her voice were utterly gentle, yet the rhythm of her body was so violent, so desperately and cruelly penetrating, lifting Le Xi high and then forcefully withdrawing, as if to declare her possession of this body in this way. But the souls of the two bodies had already been detached, drifting in the air, coldly watching this farce.
Blood slowly stained the sheets, but it couldn't compare to the sight of himself, already riddled with wounds, being presented bloodied and gruesome on the altar.
Lexi always remembered that night after receiving the money, she rushed to the hospital only to find a lifeless corpse lying quietly on the bed, its face covered with a white sheet.
For a long time afterward, my memories were shattered into pieces.
Aunt Lan, with her haggard face and tear-streaked cheeks, intermittently tried to persuade Lexi to leave that person.
Aunt Lan said everything will be alright.
Lexi sat before the glass of the coffee shop, the city shrouded in mist and rain outside. He expressionlessly ran his finger along the fogged glass, seemingly devoid of grief. He couldn't even understand why Aunt Lan had so many tears. Tragedy and comedy unfolded constantly in this city, and the expressionless faces of the people coming and going each carried their own stories. Where could he find a place to belong?
Everything will be alright, but Grandma and Mom, who left me alone in this cold world, can never come back. My brother, who lives thousands of miles away, can never go back to the way things were.
Later, upon receiving the suicide note by mail, Lexi rushed there, wanting to prevent the tragedy from happening, only to find blood everywhere when she pushed open the door...
Then came the piles of all sorts of pills and sharp razor blades that had been accumulating for half a year, and the blood gushing from his wrists...
After lying in the hospital for a month, that person said to Lexi, who had just walked the path to the underworld, "Look, you tried so hard to die, but you were saved time and time again. So things aren't as bad as you imagine. One day you'll realize how worthless it all was." They've left, but they're still watching from heaven. So, you should live on strongly.
For a long time afterward, that person never came again. Le Xi often found herself lost in thought in the small apartment that person had bought for her. At night, she would curl up on the sofa watching TV, but even with the volume turned up high, the surroundings were utterly silent. Occasionally, news of Qi Hui's revitalized company would appear on TV, accompanied by a tall, handsome man. When a reporter interviewed him, that man's voice brought a knowing smile to Le Xi's face. Qi Hui explained the embarrassing murder as an accident, quelled the rumors, revitalized the company, and expanded its business… but he never came to see her.
When that person came again, he had drunk a lot of alcohol. He hugged Lexi and cried like a child. Even though she had seen and experienced death, Lexi still felt a deep pain in her heart, a profound sorrow and loneliness, like an ant trapped in a glass bottle, unable to find a way out. That person said he was dead. In his suicide note, he said, "I love you, but I couldn't face the pressure from my family and society. There's no more chance. Never again."
In fact, lovers are not necessarily destined to be together in the end!
When Le Xi opened his eyes in the middle of the night, he found himself lying in Shi Lu's bedroom. Unsurprisingly, he saw Shi Lu fast asleep beside the bed. Turning his head, he saw Zi Jie curled up at his feet, smacking his lips in sleep. He smiled, removed the ice pack from Shi Lu's forehead, and patted him. Shi Lu groggily looked up, paused, then suddenly lunged at him, his eyes wide: "Awake? You scared me to death today! You weren't feeling well and didn't say anything! You had a fever of 39 degrees, did you even know?"
Shi Lu's loud voice startled Zi Jie, who was sleeping next to him. Zi Jie jumped up, knelt down in front of Le Xi, and looked at him anxiously: "Awake? Really awake! If you hadn't woken up, I would have become a sinner for all eternity! You, on the other hand, are lying in bed without any fear of anything. You have no idea that he has almost cursed me to death!" After saying that, she pouted and glanced at Shi Lu.
"Isn't it all better now?" Le Xi grinned, revealing a big smile. He was sore all over after sleeping for most of the day and struggled to sit up, but he was too weak to do so. Shi Lu took two steps forward, put his arm under him and gently helped him sit up, then took a pillow and put it behind his back, and carefully wrapped him in a blanket.
"Are you feeling better? Is it uncomfortable sitting like this? Do you want to add another pillow?" Shi Lu asked in a series of questions.
"It's alright." Le Xi smiled at him, leaning against the headboard and trying hard not to look at Zi Jie's mischievous expression.
"Have something to eat? You've sweated so much, you might not be able to keep up if you don't eat," Shi Lu said softly.
"Okay. I am indeed a bit hungry." Le Xi nodded, watching him turn and leave. Before she could even catch her breath, Zi Jie grabbed her cheek and forced her to look into those eyes so close to hers: "Tell me, how far have things progressed between you two?!"
"What do you mean, 'which step'? What are you talking about!" Lexi pushed his hand away and rubbed the spot where he had been pinched.
"Hmph! That's a classic case of protesting too much! How could they be so gentle and considerate if there hadn't been a deeper relationship?!"
"You think everyone's like you? Don't talk nonsense. Me and him..."
"How about him?"
"...Why should I tell you?"
"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely! Quick, tell me the truth!" Zijie jumped up and reached out to tickle her. Lexi laughed and dodged, but unfortunately, she was too weak and Zijie pressed her onto the bed and took advantage of her. She couldn't help but giggle.
Shi Lu sat beside Le Xi with a bowl of warm porridge, feeding him spoonful by spoonful. Le Xi wanted to do it himself, but Shi Lu said he was sick and weak, and insisted on feeding him.
The porridge was a sweet and delicious eight-treasure porridge. Shi Lu said that his mother had originally prepared a lot of delicious food to entertain Le Xi, Zi Jie, and Yan Shuang, but considering that Le Xi had a fever and could not eat greasy food, she cooked another pot of porridge and specially kept it warm on a low flame for Le Xi to drink after she woke up.
Zijie still had a headache from the previous drinking, and Shilu's tender care for Lexi like a dutiful wife made his headache worse, so he simply crawled onto the sofa in the living room to sleep.
"Want some more?" Shi Lu looked at Le Xi expectantly.
"I'm not eating anymore." Le Xi shook her head, turning her head away in a coquettish manner. Shi Lu looked at the half-eaten bowl of porridge left and sighed, "Is it not tasty?"
"No, it's delicious! But I can't eat it! I'm a patient!" Lexi argued.
"What would taste good? Hmm?" Shi Lu put down her bowl, grinned, and moved closer to him. The handsome man in front of her exuded a faint, sweet aroma of eight-treasure porridge. She really wanted to devour him in one bite.
"Hmm, I think the best taste is... um... mmm... mmm..." Le Xi was still considering the question of what tasted best, but the other person stuck to him like a leech, gently taking his lips in their mouth and savoring them, sucking and lingering with lingering pleasure. As they kissed, their breathing gradually became heavier, and their hands began to wander restlessly.
"No...this is still your home..." Lexi said, holding Shilu's hand, her breath coming in gasps.
"Don't worry, they're all asleep." Shi Lu slipped onto the bed, hugged Le Xi to his chest, and reached down.
"Mmm...you...mmm..." Le Xi twisted her body, her mind slowly being taken over by the gentle caresses, her panting turning into low moans.
"Be good, leave everything to me," Shi Lu said gently.
Lexi closed his eyes, his consciousness gradually filled with a feeling of pleasure. Trembling, he gripped Shilu's hand tightly as he embraced him. Slowly, it was as if a flash of lightning streaked across his vision, followed by a pure white expanse as if he were floating on clouds. He let out a soft moan, convulsing as he released himself into ecstatic pleasure in Shilu's arms.
That's fine too.