CH 21.2

It wasn’t until Jiang Wang drove onto the highway that he finally relaxed, feeling like he had escaped from the clutches of evil with Teacher Ji.

They could have arrived home at three o’clock in the afternoon and had dinner together, but now it was already evening, and they would probably not arrive until late at night.

There were many sections of the national highway without street lights, drivers could only rely on their car’s headlights to guide the way, which made driving very troublesome.

The radio constantly chattered about today’s news, and there was the sound of wind whistling outside the window. The world suddenly turned into a monotonous straight line.

Jiang Wang noticed that Ji Linqiu hadn’t made a sound the whole way, worried that he was in a bad mood, so he comforted him.

“My parents passed away early. In fact, I envy you a little bit. After all, you can still accompany yours.” The man tried not to poke into any sensitive topics. “But… don’t sacrifice the rest of your life for a few nice words from others.”

“Even if you get married, they will still gossip about you. Even if you have a child later on, they will still comment on whether the child’s grades are good or not.”

Ji Linqiu hummed a sound of agreement softly.

Jiang Wang liked seeing him leaning against the car window in a daze, but this posture revealed his slender neck, making him look particularly fragile.

“It’s good to have high standards. Don’t worry. I’ll find a few suitable people for you later, and you can get to know them and see how you get along.”

“No need.”

“Jiang Wang,” Ji Linqiu looked into the dark distance, his voice calm, “I’m gay.”

Jiang Wang was initially stunned, but then he smiled, “So what? It’s just a small thing.”

He didn’t expect it to be like this.

Jiang Wang received a lot of clients in his previous life and had met many gay people.

He would not show any avoidance, even if those women or men flirted in front of him and talked to each other with affectionate tones, it was as natural as any married couple.

He couldn’t be bothered to think why some people would like someone of the same gender, but there was still a subtle resistance in his heart.

He just never thought one would be just around him.

In such a far-off place, the teacher who he valued and respected was gay.

For a moment, he wanted to advise Ji Linqiu to be more open-minded, but quickly realized that it was a very arrogant thought.

——It’s like saying a man chooses to be with the same sex only because he couldn’t get along with women.

To the point where saying things like “It’s okay, I don’t discriminate” or “Are you afraid of women?”, would become a mockery of unknown color.

After thinking about it, in the end, he said very cautiously and in a euphemistic tone.

“Still, pay attention to safety.”

Ji Linqiu understood what he was talking about, but just shook his head and laughed.

“No need to worry.”

“I am a man, but can’t get close to women.”

“I am a gay man, but I dislike men touching me.”

“After thinking about it, maybe I am nothing at all, and I shouldn’t have existed from the beginning.”

Jiang Wang’s gaze froze, realizing that what Ji Linqiu had said before about never being in a relationship at all meant that he had never had intimate contact with men and women. 

“No…” He slowed down, and finally turned his head to look at Ji Linqiu: “You don’t have to force yourself like this.”

“In fact, if I dare to tell any parent that I am gay, I can say goodbye to my job, and even the landlord won’t rent a house to me.”

When Ji Linqiu mentioned this, there was a kind of detained calmness, as if he was not talking about himself at all.

“Have you… ever experienced anything bad?”

“No,” he said slowly: “It’s just that whenever I am touched by other men, my mind immediately reminds me that I’m gay.”

“And this thought alone was enough to make me disgusted with myself.”

“I’ve been to Qing Bar, and I’ve met some similar people there.”

“Some people hide cautiously, even forcing themselves to marry and sleep with women.”

“Some people directly choose to have fun and indulge in pleasure. On their way to f**k and be f**ked every day, with an endless supply of condoms in their bags.”

When Ji Linqiu said this, he was quite arrogant and self-abandoned. It was probably because he had been suppressed by his family so severely in the past few days that he was willing to speak out at the risk of losing Jiang Wang, his friend.

“I’m not like anyone else.”

“I’m like a lost goose, the kind that flies south every winter. Jiang Wang, you have seen it before right?”

“But I’m lost, confused. Flying north without knowing where to go, and unable to return south at all.”

“Jiang Wang, I am that goose.”

Jiang Wang turned his head to look at him again and slowly stepped on the brakes to park the car, his voice soft and low.

“Teacher Ji, would you feel disgusted if I touched you too?”

In fact, he had almost touched him when they first met, but Ji Linqiu avoided it.

Xingxing was asleep at the teacher’s house that day. When he accompanied Ji Linqiu home, his wet hair got stained with some wall dust so he wanted to help brush it off.

But he didn’t expect it to be like this.

Jiang Wang deliberately skipped over this memory and proposed again as if he had never tried it before.

“Maybe you’re just thinking too much, things aren’t that complicated.”

Ji Linqiu lowered his gaze in silence and nodded slightly after a while.

“I will touch your shoulder,“ the man said gently, “Don’t be afraid, I will wait for you to relax before putting my entire palm on it.”

Ji Linqiu had already held his breath, obediently nodding again.

But his body had already begun to tremble slightly.

Jiang Wang moved slowly, reaching out his hand under Ji Linqui’s gaze, approaching his shoulder little by little.

Then he felt Ji Linqiu’s body trembling even more intensely.

“Relax,” he chuckled. “It’s not the end of the world. We still have to go to work tomorrow.”

“I’ve put my hand down.”

His palm was dry and warm, resting on his shoulder like a gentle animal sleeping, diffusing warmth from the center of contact.

Jiang Wang silently counted to five, before slowly moving his hand away.

Ji Linqiu took a deep breath.

“I was being melodramatic,” he joked at himself. “That’s right, I’m usually patted on the shoulder by my superiors, and some people even like to hug.”

The car started to move slowly, and Jiang Wang turned the radio sound up as if nothing had happened just now.

“Do you know what I’m thinking?”

“I don’t know.“ Ji Linqiu’s defense mechanism hasn’t been lifted yet, and he lowered his eyes and said, “When most people hear about homosexuality, their first reaction would be about AIDS and messing around.”

“Well, that’s not what I was thinking,” Jiang Wang yawned. “I’m thinking, hey, I’m finally equal to you.”

“Equal?”Ji Linqiu didn’t expect him to use this word.

“I used to look up to you all the time, feeling that you know everything and don’t seem to have any weaknesses.” Jiang Wang laughed, feeling very childish: “Before, when I saw you taking care of Xingwang too much, I felt like both me and the child had a lot of flaws, and you were perfect.”

“It turns out that Teacher Ji can also be embarrassed by his family that he can’t speak, and he can’t wait to go on blind dates eighty times a day.”

“Oh, I suddenly feel we got a lot closer.”

Ji Linqiu couldn’t help laughing.

“Look at you, enjoying my misfortune.”

Jiang Wang did not want him to be sad, so he changed the subject casually.

“By the way, I bought a new house.”

“A house?”

“Yeah, I picked up bargains and copied low prices[1] and got a small single-family villa with a yard.” He became cheerful again, leaving all the negative thoughts behind, “I want to dig a small pond to raise koi later, or build a swing for Peng Xingwang.”

Ji Linqiu listened intently, correcting his overly imaginative fantasies from time to time.

While chatting happily, Peng Xingwang called.

“Hey— Brother—”

“You’re not asleep yet,” Jiang Wang had gotten used to this kid popping up anytime for a chat: “Are you having fun at summer camp?”

“Today we chased after rabbits!! I almost caught one!!”

Jiang Wang faintly felt that something was wrong, so he explained that he was still driving, and asked Ji Linqiu to talk to the child.

The child didn’t expect that he could chat with his dearest Teacher Ji, the sweetness of his voice immediately jumped up ten points.

“Teacher Ji! I miss you so much! I made a super awesome gift for you, wait for me to bring it back to you in a few days!”

As soon as Ji Linqiu heard Peng Xingwang’s voice, he relaxed unconsciously, and joy appeared on the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

“Don’t climb trees, be careful not to break your arm.”

“But there are squirrels up there!! I really want to touch the squirrels!!”

They chatted on speakerphone for more than ten minutes, and Jiang Wang listened to them while driving, occasionally inserting a few words.

In the end, the child reluctantly hung up the phone, saying that the teachers in the camp were urging him to go back to sleep.

“Actually, I sneaked out to call you! Remember to think of me tomorrow too!”

Both men had no choice but to agree.

As they drove back home, it seemed very warm in the car, and the stars in the sky were shining brightly.

TL NOTE:

The development we were all waiting for (๑•̀ㅂ•́)ง✧