My Deskmate Chapter 55 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 55.1
After dialing the number for the fourth time, a series of monotonous beeps was followed by a sudden different sound. Wen Xiao suddenly gripped the phone tightly, his breath catching slightly. "Chi Ye?"
His voice was taut, as though it might snap at any moment.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Chi Ye said, repeating the words twice, with a hint of coaxing in his tone. Only when he was sure Wen Xiao had calmed down did he continue, "Sorry, my mom was being resuscitated just now. I didn’t notice the time."
Wen Xiao leaned against the metallic pillar of the bus stop sign, his breathing returning to normal. After hearing Chi Ye's words, he finally asked, "What's the situation now?"
"A few days ago, her condition improved, and she was transferred out of the intensive care unit. The caregiver said she was more awake than usual, sometimes even able to say a few words. But just now, the hospital called me. Her indicators suddenly dropped, and they had to start resuscitation." Chi Ye’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. "I rushed to the hospital and just signed a few papers."
The shadows of the roadside trees obscured the light from the streetlights. Wen Xiao asked, "Do you want me to come over?"
There was a pause, lasting several seconds, before Chi Ye finally answered, "Yes."
Wen Xiao hailed a taxi, then called his grandmother before getting out of the car and heading inside the hospital.
The hospital was eerily quiet, the air thick with the scent of disinfectant. Wen Xiao was not unfamiliar with the hospital, but each time he had visited, he had always gone straight to the psychiatric center. He had never ventured to the inpatient department.
There was no one else in the elevator. The cold white light reflected off the metal, giving people a strange chilling sensation. He pressed the button for the twenty-seventh floor, then glanced at the floor directory next to it. The twenty-seventh floor was home to the oncology department.
As he stepped out of the elevator, the nurse at the station saw his school uniform and said, "You're the family member of the patient in bed 31, right? He's over there." She pointed in the direction.
Wen Xiao nodded in thanks and followed the direction she indicated. He walked to the end of the hall, turned right, and from a distance, he spotted a figure sitting on a blue plastic chair along the side of the corridor.
Chi Ye's usually loose back was straight at this moment. Opposite him, outside the window was the thick night. Sitting on the chair, he was like a frozen sculpture, exuding an air of quiet resilience.
Wen Xiao deliberately made his footsteps louder, breaking the stillness.
Chi Ye looked up at him, but didn't move, not until Wen Xiao sat down beside him. Only then did he speak, "Was there traffic on the way?" He gave a small, tired smile. "I’m an idiot. Of course there wouldn’t be traffic at this hour."
Wen Xiao took off his black backpack and placed it on the chair next to him. He answered seriously, "I took a taxi. There was no traffic. Did you eat dinner? Are you hungry?"
Chi Ye paused, as if processing the question. "I think I forgot about dinner in the rush. I’m probably past the point of hunger. I don’t really feel it."
Without commenting on whether that was a good thing or not, Wen Xiao opened his backpack, took out a carton of milk, a loaf of bread, a sandwich, and a fruit salad. "Just make do with a little something?"
"So generous?" Chi Ye took each item, noticing the label on the transparent plastic box. "Did you get this from the fruit shop behind the bus station on Jiuzhang Road?"
Wen Xiao nodded. "Yeah, that shop stays open until eleven, but there weren’t many types of bread left, so I just picked the largest one."
Chi Ye knew that the person in front of him wasn’t good at showing “concern” and often came across as taciturn and cold because of it. But stuffing a bunch of food and four cans of cola into his backpack and carrying it to the hospital was clumsy and cute.
A few minutes ago, Chi Ye calculated that if he had said he’d already eaten dinner or that he wasn’t hungry, Wen Xiao probably wouldn’t have taken out any food, nor would he have even mentioned it.
The hands of the clock moved unnaturally slow. Occasionally, the murmur of nurses and doctors could be heard, but their words were indistinct, fading away due to the distance. Every now and then, the elevator's "ding" would echo, signaling that it had stopped at another floor.
Chi Ye stretched his long legs and asked Wen Xiao, "Do you have a lot of homework today? Are you done?"
"I still have three test papers left. Everything else was finished at school."
"Do you want to do some questions now?"
Wen Xiao shook his head. "No, I can't concentrate."
Hearing this, Chi Ye remembered. "When I was in situations like this — waiting outside for news, waiting for the results of a resuscitation — I would sometimes wonder if I should play a mobile game, or do some exercises, like solving problems, memorizing words, or reciting classical texts, just to distract myself. Time moves so slowly, so slowly that even breathing feels difficult. But later, I realized... in those moments, I couldn't do anything else."
Wen Xiao nodded. "I feel the same."
He didn't say much, but Chi Ye could roughly guess that he probably had similar feelings during the time when something happened to his family.
Thinking of this, Chi Ye reached out and took Wen Xiao’s hand, holding it firmly.
Wen Xiao looked at him, his eyes filled with confusion. But Chi Ye didn’t explain. He just kept holding on without letting go.
By just past three in the morning, Wen Xiao couldn’t stay awake any longer. He leaned against Chi Ye’s shoulder and drifted into a drowsy sleep. His skin was pale, made even paler by the cold hospital lighting, and his long eyelashes fluttered with every breath.
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening broke the silence. Wen Xiao, who hadn’t quite fallen asleep, opened his eyes and glanced at Chi Ye.
Chi Ye stood up as a weary doctor and nurse came out from the room. One of them told him the result, "She’s been saved. We’re transferring her to the ICU."
In that moment, Chi Ye’s previously rigid, steel-like posture finally relaxed, though only slightly. His fist, which had been clenched without him realizing it, loosened, leaving clear marks from his nails on his palm.
It wasn’t until the mobile bed was wheeled into the ICU and the family was no longer allowed to enter that Chi Ye finally stopped in his tracks.
Wen Xiao followed him, suddenly realizing: every time before this, had Chi Ye always been like this — signing papers alone, sitting in the cold, empty corridor, enduring the long wait for a result, one that could be either a reason to cry or a reason to smile?
Stepping forward, Wen Xiao moved beside Chi Ye and gently grasped his wrist.
Feeling Wen Xiao’s touch, Chi Ye’s voice came out hoarse and low, the pain in his throat evident. "My mom... she used to be very beautiful, very pretty."
"Mm, I can tell. You look a lot like her."
"You think so too?" In the brief span of a few seconds, Chi Ye quickly regained his composure. He reached out and took Wen Xiao’s hand, then confidently walked toward the elevator. "My mom had a beautiful nose. I inherited it."
Chi Ye had exceptionally well-defined bone structure. His nose was sharp and straight, with no excess flesh around it, the overall lines clean and simple. Coupled with his firm, well-defined jawline, his profile held a sculptural beauty.
Noticing that Wen Xiao was studying him intently, Chi Ye smirked. "What, suddenly realized how handsome your Chi-ge is?"
Wen Xiao nodded. "I noticed it a long time ago."
Chi Ye, caught off guard by Wen Xiao’s serious tone, felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "Well, in that case, you’re not losing out."
After a visit to the doctor’s office, they emerged to find the wind and rain swirling outside. The neon lights along the street were glistening with moisture.
The red lights of the "Inpatient Department" sign reflected in the puddles on the ground, and when a leaf fell into the water, ripples spread out across the surface.
On the steps, Chi Ye brushed his fingers lightly against the corner of Wen Xiao’s eye. "Are you tired?"
"A little earlier, but not anymore. How about you?"
"My body clock is all messed up, so I don’t feel tired. I’ll catch up on sleep when I get a chance, maybe three hours will be enough." Chi Ye took another step forward, palm open to gauge the rain. "It’s almost stopped. Let’s head back."
Wen Xiao tugged on the strap of his black backpack, and just as he was about to descend the steps, he felt the weight on his shoulder lighten. Chi Ye had reached over and taken the bag from him.
Hanging the bag, which contained two bottles of cola, over his own shoulder, Chi Ye wrapped an arm around Wen Xiao’s slim shoulder. He quickly leaned in and kissed the side of his head. "Let’s go."
They hadn’t waited long by the roadside when an empty taxi pulled up. They got in, and Chi Ye gave the driver the destination. "Please take us to Jiuzhang Road."
As the taxi started moving, Chi Ye leaned slightly toward Wen Xiao and whispered, "Want to sleep for a bit? If you can, take ten more minutes."
Wen Xiao didn’t refuse. He tilted his upper body, resting his head on Chi Ye’s shoulder, and closed his eyes.
Chi Ye didn’t know why but, feeling the weight on his right shoulder, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. The light streaming in from the window couldn’t reach their corner, so he quietly took Wen Xiao’s hand, their fingers interlacing, holding on tightly.
He had never been one to expose his weaknesses or pain to others. But if it was Wen Xiao—
Wen Xiao was the only exception.
The car pulled over to the curb, and the driver switched on the front light. Chi Ye handed over the fare, then gently placed his palm over Wen Xiao’s eyes to shield him from the light. "We’ve arrived. Time to get out."
After a couple of seconds, Wen Xiao’s eyelashes brushed against his palm, the soft touch making Chi Ye’s fingertips tremble with a brief, tickling sensation.