My Deskmate Chapter 20 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 20.1
Feng Wanli was fully awake from the alcohol now. Fearing that Chi Ye might take another swing at him, he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran out. He fled so fast that he didn't even dare to shout, "You little brat, just you wait!"
Chi Ye had crossed paths with this man a few times and could easily tell that he was weak-willed. When faced with someone fiercer and less afraid of trouble, he would shrink back in fear. Plus, with a wife and kids waiting at home, the most he’d do after this encounter was mutter a few curses under his breath. There would be no lasting consequences.
Wen Xiao knew that Chi Ye must have thought this through beforehand, so he just gave him a subtle nudge of help from the sidelines.
Once the man was gone, Chi Ye calmly set the overturned plastic stool back in place and began carefully picking up the broken glass. Only then did he turn to Wen Xiao, who was standing beside him. "Hero, how about some barbecue?"
Wen Xiao had no appetite for the skewers. "Too greasy."
Chi Ye didn’t even look at the menu to tally up the cost — he had the prices memorized. He scanned the QR code on the table to pay, adding an extra twenty as compensation for emotional distress. After slipping his phone back into his pocket, he asked, "Hungry? Let me treat you to something else."
Wen Xiao didn’t refuse. "Sure, let’s go."
Stepping away from the barbecue stall, Chi Ye looked down both sides of the road and realized that finding something other than barbecue at this late hour would be difficult. He asked Wen Xiao again, "Hero, is there anything you feel like eating?"
Wen Xiao, standing side by side with him on the curb, replied, "Nothing in particular, beauty."
The word "beauty" shot through Chi Ye like a shock, rattling him. Without thinking, he kicked him playfully and grinned, "Get lost, you grandpa next door!"
His kick was precise, but he controlled the force so well that it barely brushed Wen Xiao’s calf, like a light nudge.
Seeing that Wen Xiao didn’t even flinch, Chi Ye chuckled again. “You know I wouldn’t use force, right?”
“Mm.” Wen Xiao replied, his tone flat and indifferent.
Chi Ye wasn’t sure if he had imagined it, but for a brief moment, it seemed like a hint of a smile flickered in Wen Xiao’s eyes. Of course, it could have just been the neon lights around them flashing in his gaze.
After running through the nearby stores in his mind, Chi Ye gave up. “Jiuzhang Road is too far off. How about I cook something for you instead?”
The two of them turned down a narrow street and made their way to Chi Ye’s shop.
With a swift motion, Chi Ye pulled the rolling shutter halfway up, then dusted off his hands and bent down to switch on the lights.
The warm glow of the lights spread through the space. There was a plant standing by the door that Wen Xiao had seen before. It had been lush and green, but now it looked a little wilted, shedding leaves.
Chi Ye noticed him looking at the plant and grinned. “That’s Yaya’s little tree. After Arbor Day, she insisted on watering it a lot. She used the small watering can the school gave her and watered it over and over for half an hour. I couldn't stop her. I estimate this tree’s days are numbered.”
“It’s spring. Maybe it can still struggle to survive.”
Chi Ye was doubtful. “Let’s hope so.”
As they walked further inside, Wen Xiao noticed the shop’s layout had changed since the last time he was here. There seemed to be new stock, and the display had been rearranged. The shop was spacious, and at the far end, a wall had been opened up with a door. Normally, a curtain covered it, but now there was a small kitchen set up inside.
Chi Ye: "What do you want to eat?"
Wen Xiao felt a bit drained, his head heavy and foggy. When Chi Ye asked, he replied, "I’ll eat whatever you make, as long as there’s no green pepper."
Chi Ye opened the fridge and glanced inside before suggesting, "How about a hotpot?"
Wen Xiao had no objections.
The hotpot was simple. Chi Ye set the broth simmering on the stove, then washed and chopped the vegetables from the fridge, portioning them for the two of them. He also set out two plates of sliced meat. After that, he pulled out two small bowls from the cupboard and prepared dipping sauces. He then directed Wen Xiao, "The folding table’s by the wall outside, could you set it up?"
"Mm." Wen Xiao unfolded the table and placed it in the center, then went to the kitchen to grab bowls and chopsticks. Chi Ye plugged in the induction stove, placed the hotpot on top, and soon, the fragrant steam began to fill the room.
Neither of them touched the greens. Each took a plate of meat and added it all into the hotpot.
Chi Ye: "Want to drink?"
Wen Xiao: "Beer, cold."
Chi Ye pulled two cans of beer from the cooler, one for each of them, and placed them on the table. His long fingers slipped under the pull-tab, and with a soft "pop," he opened the can. He waited until the fizz settled before taking a sip.
The sliced meat quickly turned white in the boiling broth. Wen Xiao picked up a piece and took a bite. "It tastes good."
Chi Ye didn’t hesitate to agree. "I think so too."
He picked up a slice of meat for himself, dipping it in the sauce. "Back in the summer of my third year of middle school, I was still at the level where I could burn scrambled eggs."
Wen Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What happened later?"
Chi Ye usually didn’t talk about these things. He didn’t want pity, nor did he want to be the subject of anyone’s gossip. But perhaps because of the mood or perhaps because he was sitting across from Wen Xiao, he continued.
"Later, my mom was hospitalized, and Yaya hadn’t even started primary school yet. Every morning, I’d get up and make breakfast for her. It was always scrambled eggs. Even though they were terrible, they were the only thing I knew how to make.
"After breakfast, I’d take her to kindergarten. We were usually the last ones to arrive. Can you imagine how hard it was to comb a little girl’s hair? It would take me half an hour just to braid one. Two braids? That took an hour."
Wen Xiao nodded. "What about now?"
Chi Ye spread his hands out. "Five minutes, both sides."
In the few seconds that Chi Ye paused to set down his chopsticks, Wen Xiao took the last piece of meat from the pot and added it to his bowl. Under Chi Ye’s watchful gaze, he ate it.
Through the white mist rising from the pot, Chi Ye smiled faintly, feeling that at this moment, his deskmate seemed more vibrant than ever.
To put it more bluntly, he became much more charismatic.
After finishing the meat, Chi Ye poured all the vegetables into the pot. While waiting for the broth to heat up, he held a beer can with two fingers, swirling the liquid, and tapped it gently against Wen Xiao’s.
Wen Xiao’s face looked slightly rosier than usual, though it might have been due to the lighting. Even his lips had a bit more color, and his double eyelids didn’t look as cold as usual.
The first to cook was the lettuce. Wen Xiao picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, but it was too hot. Only after sipping on the cold beer did he manage to swallow.
He looked up at Chi Ye. His chopsticks were still in hand, but his gaze was focused on the phone in his left hand. His fingers moved quickly over the screen, likely replying to messages.
For a brief moment, the steaming hotpot and the laid-back posture of the boy sitting across from him made the unfamiliar city and its streets less strange, filling Wen Xiao’s eyes with warmth and color.
When Chi Ye set his phone on the table, he noticed Wen Xiao had zoned out. He waved his hand in front of him. "Is the hotpot so delicious you’ve gotten lost in it?"
Wen Xiao snapped back to the present. "Mm."
The vegetables in the pot were fully cooked. The two of them didn’t speak, their attention focused on their own bowls. When there were no more leaves to fish out of the broth, Wen Xiao stood up to wash the dishes — an unspoken understanding between them from the very first meal. One cooked, the other cleaned.
Chi Ye thought this was indeed his deskmate's consistent style, clear and distinct, neither owing anything to the other.
After folding the table and pushing it against the wall, Chi Ye’s phone rang. The person he’d been texting finally realized that trying to explain things through WeChat wasn’t getting through, so they called to settle the price.
Chi Ye glanced toward the kitchen, where the sound of running water could be heard. He pressed the answer button on his phone, then bent down and walked out through the partially opened rolling shutter.
When Wen Xiao finished washing the dishes and came out, he didn’t see Chi Ye. Only the sound of conversation drifted in from outside, intermittent and unclear. Wen Xiao, feeling lightheaded, made his way to the nearby corner sofa and sat down.
When Chi Ye finished his call and came back in, he saw Wen Xiao fast asleep against the shop’s old springless sofa.
Although Wen Xiao was thin, he was tall, with long legs. The sofa, which was usually only big enough for Yaya to curl up on while reading picture books, was clearly too small for him.
Chi Ye walked over, intending to wake him up and tell him to go home if he was going to sleep. After all, they lived nearby. If he really slept here, he would definitely have a sore back and stiff legs tomorrow.
But as he got closer, he realized something was wrong. Wen Xiao’s breathing was shallow, and the area beneath his eyes, along his cheekbones, was flushed. Chi Ye put a hand on his forehead and was shocked. He was burning up.
With a fever this high, he had still helped him at the barbecue stall, and then followed him all the way back to the shop.
And he’d even had a can of cold beer.
Chi Ye crouched down to wake him up, but no matter how many times he called, there was no response. Whether he was too deep in sleep or had passed out from the fever, Chi Ye wasn’t sure.
Chi Ye was a bit at a loss.
He straightened up and looked down at the figure slumped in the sofa. Wen Xiao’s eyes were tightly closed, his lashes fluttering with each shallow breath, his skin flushed with a sickly red hue.
It was very different from his usual indifferent aura. Now, he looked... pitiful.
It seemed like he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a long time.
Chi Ye stood there for a moment, then remembered that there were some fever-reducing patches left over from when Yaya had a cold and fever.
He found a packet, tore it open, and stuck one of the patches onto Wen Xiao’s forehead. Since it was for children, it didn’t cover his entire forehead and looked a bit ridiculous. Chi Ye glanced around, then decided to stick two on his forehead and, with practiced hands, placed one on either side of Wen Xiao’s neck.
When he felt it was enough, he finally stopped.
There was no way he was leaving now. Chi Ye lowered the rolling shutter slightly, making the room warmer. He then grabbed a stool and sat down near Wen Xiao.
With nothing else to do, Chi Ye took advantage of Wen Xiao’s deep sleep and grabbed a pen. On one of the fever patches on his forehead, he wrote his name in a flourish. After finishing, he capped the pen, feeling pleased. Although it had been a long time since he’d done any homework, his handwriting hadn’t suffered.
Feeling a bit guilty, Chi Ye tossed the pen aside, then took out his phone to watch a movie on silent.
Halfway through the movie, he glanced over at Wen Xiao and saw that he hadn’t woken up. His sleeping position hadn’t changed. Worried that Wen Xiao’s fever might worsen, Chi Ye reached out to feel his forehead. Feeling that it wasn't as hot as before, he finally felt relieved.
He remembered the joke from earlier and chuckled to himself. My deskmate is so fragile.
Thinking about at it now, that description didn’t seem off at all.