CH 65

Chapter 65 – Wei Chen Has a Cold

Wu Zikang had just finished speaking when the door opened, but the person who entered was not Wei Chen. It was someone Wu Zikang had never seen before, older in age, and wore a serious expression with a pair of glasses.

“Excuse me, is Chen Qing here?” the person asked Wu Zikang.

“Who are you?” Wu Zikang wondered why it wasn’t Wei Chen who came.

“I am a teacher from B University. Someone informed me that Chen Qing got drunk in this bar and asked me to come and take him to school,” the person pushed his glasses up on his nose and explained.

Wu Zikang was taken aback. “Who told you that?”

“It was Wei Chen,” the person replied. “So, is Chen Qing here now?”

Wu Zikang already had an answer in his mind, but hearing it firsthand still surprised him. Regardless of how busy Wei Chen was, whenever Wu Zikang called him about Chen Qing, Wei Chen would drop everything and rush over, no matter how important his own matters were or whether Chen Qing’s situation was urgent. But this time, Wei Chen not only didn’t come, but he sent someone unrelated to take Chen Qing away.

Wu Zikang felt anger building up inside him and took out his phone to call Wei Chen.

“Bang!”

A loud noise echoed in the private room as Chen Qing slammed the tall wine glass in his hand onto the floor. The red liquid and shattered glass splattered across the ground. Chen Qing’s face turned pale, and his trembling hands hung on both sides of his body, his eyes tinged with a faint hint of bloodshot.

Wu Zikang stared at Chen Qing in disbelief, holding his phone, but ultimately didn’t make the call to Wei Chen.

“Chen Qing, you’re not drunk?” The person who came to pick up Chen Qing could tell from his appearance that he wasn’t actually drunk. But why did Wei Chen call him and ask him to pick up Chen Qing for school?

Chen Qing glanced at his teacher, his anger growing stronger. He forcefully kicked the table, causing the various drinks on it to wobble and some to fall onto the floor, creating a noisy mess.

“Aqing, you…” Wu Zikang wanted to say a few comforting words to Chen Qing, but when he met Chen Qing’s gaze, he didn’t know what to say anymore.

Chen Qing himself didn’t know why he was so angry. Logically, he knew there was no need to be angry, but an uncontrollable rage surged within him, reaching its breaking point.

After a while, Chen Qing managed to suppress the anger in his heart and walked up to the teacher. “Aren’t we supposed to go back?”

The eyes behind the glasses narrowed, and the B University teacher said, “Although you’re already an adult, I hope you would avoid such places as much as possible.” As he spoke, a look of disdain appeared on his face, directed at the vibrant nightlife downstairs.

“Shut up!” Chen Qing was already in a bad mood, and this person kept blabbering near him, igniting his anger once again. He vented directly at the teacher, “If you can’t stand it, feel free to tell my dad. Don’t babble nonsense in front of me.” He didn’t know that this teacher had received favors from his father, which was why he was monitoring him.

Leaving the noisy bar, the sound of rain mixed with thunder poured down. Chen Qing didn’t bother with an umbrella and walked into the rain curtain. Today, he couldn’t even understand himself.

The teacher shook his head and stood in a spot outside the bar where the rain couldn’t reach, waiting for Chen Qing.

Chen Qing was suddenly drenched by the rain, the icy cold water beating against his body. It finally awakened his mind, which had been consumed by anger. The sense of disappointment, buried beneath his anger, became even clearer.

Inside the bar’s private room, Wu Zikang felt that something was off.

Wei Chen was acting strange, and so was Chen Qing.

Ever since Wei Chen returned from Shanghai to Beijing, everything had been off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was wrong.

Wu Zikang remained dazed for a while before finally dialing Wei Chen’s number.

This time, Wei Chen picked up quickly, his voice still cold and indifferent.

“Achen, why didn’t you come to pick up Chen Qing just now? How could you leave him with a stranger? Aren’t you afraid something might happen to him?” As soon as the call connected, Wu Zikang started reprimanding Wei Chen.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before Wei Chen’s voice came through. “He is my uncle’s classmate.”

He didn’t explain why he didn’t come personally, just stating that the person who picked up Chen Qing wasn’t a stranger and wouldn’t harm him.

“I don’t care who that person is. I’m asking why you didn’t come to pick up Chen Qing yourself?” Wu Zikang was acting a bit stubborn now.

Wei Chen didn’t hesitate. “He is not my responsibility.”

“What do you mean he’s not your responsibility, Achen? I don’t like the way you’re speaking.” The feeling of something being off in Wu Zikang’s heart became more apparent. “Achen, what’s been going on with you lately? It’s becoming harder and harder to get along with you. I feel exhausted like this!”

“Is that so?” Wei Chen’s voice remained icy. “I’m hanging up if there’s nothing else.”

“Wei Chen, is there something wrong with you lately!” Wu Zikang was annoyed, but this time, he received a busy tone in response. Wei Chen had actually hung up the phone.

“Something’s wrong!” Wu Zikang threw his phone onto the sofa, feeling furious.

It felt like having a pet that used to obediently respond to his calls, only to one day stop listening. Not only was he angry, but he also felt stifled.

*

“Heh.”

Wei Chen placed his phone on the table and let out a light laugh. It was unclear whether he was mocking his foolishness in his past life or mocking Wu Zikang and Chen Qing.

Wei Chen couldn’t remember how many nights he had abandoned Chen Li in his past life, only because of Chen Qing’s matter. Now, thinking back, he realized how incredibly foolish he had been at that time, allowing those two people to play him like a puppet.

The night grew darker, but Wei Chen had lost all desire to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, scenes from his past life would flash in his mind, dripping with blood.

Ever since he shared a bed with Chen Li, he hadn’t had any nightmares about his past life. But today, when he was awake, this nightmare came out to torture him again.

A slightly cool hand touched Wei Chen’s forehead. Wei Chen looked up from the painful memories of his past life and realized that Chen Li had already woken up and was standing in front of him, staring blankly.

“Did I wake you up?” Wei Chen asked softly, his voice hoarse.

Chen Li shook his head and silently asked Wei Chen with his eyes why he didn’t go to sleep.

“I just received a phone call. Now let’s go to sleep,” Wei Chen said, gripping the hand on his forehead tightly. It felt cold, and his gaze immediately became focused. “Did you kick the blanket again?”

Chen Li lowered his head, not responding.

Wei Chen warmed Chen Li’s hand in his own and led him back to the room. “Go to sleep and don’t kick the blanket again.”

Although it was summer, the air conditioner was on during the night. Without a thin blanket, it was inevitable to catch a cold.

Chen Li obediently lay back on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and looked at Wei Chen, waiting for Wei Chen to sleep as well.

Wei Chen took the remote control for the air conditioner and turned it up before lying down.

As soon as he lay down, Chen Li rolled into Wei Chen’s embrace. His hands and feet immediately occupied the positions on Wei Chen’s body, and then he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Wei Chen’s expression softened as he held Chen Li and unknowingly fell asleep too.

In the latter half of the night, the rain gradually subsided, and the thunder and lightning faded away. When the sky brightened, the rain had stopped.

After a night of heavy rain, the whole world felt refreshed. The leaves in the park became denser, with rainwater lingering on their tips, reflecting golden light under the morning sun.

A new day began, but Wei Chen had caught a cold.

Usually, Wei Chen woke up earlier than Chen Li, but today, due to the cold, Chen Li woke up, while Wei Chen was still groggily lying in bed.

Chen Li didn’t disturb Wei Chen as he got up, entered the bathroom to wash up and change clothes. By the time he finished taking care of himself, Wei Chen was still lying in bed.

Chen Li walked to the bedside, not making a sound, just quietly watching Wei Chen.

Before long, Wei Chen woke up, but he felt heavy-headed and light-footed. His nose felt like it had cotton stuffed inside, making it difficult to breathe, and his whole body felt weak and sore.

“Good morning,” Wei Chen sat up on the bed, his voice initially hoarse, filled with nasal sounds.

Chen Li approached Wei Chen, wanting to check on his condition. He sensed that something was off.

“Li Li, don’t come near me,” Wei Chen leaned back slightly and said, “I caught a cold, so I don’t want to infect you.”

Ignoring Wei Chen’s words, Chen Li approached him and used his own forehead to measure the temperature on Wei Chen’s forehead.

As Chen Li got closer and closer, Wei Chen’s already confused mind became even more muddled. He stared at Chen Li’s lips, which were within reach, and couldn’t help but swallow.

Chen Li didn’t notice Wei Chen’s strange behavior and felt that the temperature on his forehead was not too high. With relief, Chen Li stepped back.

Wei Chen regained his senses, feeling somewhat helpless. “It’s just a minor cold, no fever.” With that, he got up from the bed. He wasn’t weak enough to be defeated by a minor cold.

Chen Li was genuinely worried about Wei Chen. Throughout the morning, Chen Li followed Wei Chen like a shadow. When Wei Chen wanted to brush his teeth, Chen Li squeezed the toothpaste and prepared the water. When Wei Chen washed his face, Chen Li handed him a dry towel. He took care of Wei Chen meticulously, just as Wei Chen had taken care of him.

There were medicines at home, and after Wei Chen ate some bread to fill his stomach, he brewed a pack of cold medicine and drank it. Probably due to catching a chill, the ginger soup from yesterday was not finished, so Wei Chen reheated it in a pot.

In the meantime, Chen Li insisted on heating the ginger soup, but Wei Chen didn’t allow it. Chen Li had never dealt with cooking before, and Wei Chen was worried that he might hurt himself.

After taking the cold medicine and drinking the ginger soup, Wei Chen felt a little drowsy. Under Chen Li’s concerned gaze, he lay back on the bed and drifted off to sleep once again.

When Wei Chen woke up again, it was already noon. Chen Li was sitting by the bed, reading a book, and it seemed that he hadn’t left during Wei Chen’s sleep.

A warm feeling gathered in Wei Chen’s heart, and his expression softened.

Chen Li noticed that Wei Chen was awake, put down the book, and once again pressed his forehead against Wei Chen’s forehead. He felt that their temperatures were similar.

“I’m feeling better now, no need to worry,” Wei Chen got up from the bed, realizing that his physical condition had indeed improved since the morning. His nose was no longer stuffy, the headache had subsided, and his vision was clear. It was indeed the state of recovering from a cold.