My Deskmate Chapter 58 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 58.2
At one point, a nurse came in to check on Yaya. She asked, “Where’s your brother?”
As she spoke, she sneaked a glance toward the chair by the bed.
Seated there was a handsome young man wearing the uniform of Mingnan Affiliated High School. To be able to attend that school, his grades must have been excellent. His striking eyes had a refined double-lidded shape, and his expression was cool and composed. His long legs were stretched out, his elbows resting on his knees, and he was intently focused on his phone. Compared to the boy who had been here earlier, his presence felt entirely different.
Yaya tilted her head back and said, “My gege went home. But this is also my gege. He’s staying with me at the hospital.”
The nurse praised her warmly. “Both of your gege are very good-looking.”
Yaya nodded proudly. “That's right! That’s why I’m really good-looking too!” Her little pigtails bobbed enthusiastically with the motion.
The nurse laughed. “That’s right, you’re a beautiful little girl!”
After the nurse left, Yaya coughed a few times, took a sip of the water Wen Xiao handed her, and thanked him before asking, “Cola-gege, who do you think is better-looking — me or my gege?”
Without hesitation, Wen Xiao replied, “Your gege.” Only after the words left his mouth did he realize he probably should have considered Yaya’s feelings.
Just as he began to worry that she might cry, Yaya’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! I think my gege is more good-looking too!”
Wen Xiao paused for a moment before countering, “Then, between your gege and me, who’s more good-looking?”
Yaya eagerly raised her hand. “Cola-gege is better-looking! My gege said so.”
Wen Xiao blinked, surprised. “Your gege said that?”
“Yep! He said that even though Cola-gege doesn’t smile much, when you do smile, it’s the best!” Yaya coughed a few more times, her energy visibly waning.
Wen Xiao tugged the blanket up over her. “Want to sleep?”
“Okay.” Yaya rubbed her eyes and lay down, clutching the edge of the blanket. After a moment of hesitation, she murmured, “Thank you, Cola-gege, for taking care of me.”
Wen Xiao tucked the corners of her blanket snugly. “You’re welcome.”
Once Yaya closed her eyes, Wen Xiao used the remote to turn off the television. The room fell into silence. Picking up his phone, he resumed organizing the spreadsheet, occasionally glancing over to check on Yaya.
Outside, the neon lights flickered and glowed.
When Chi Ye woke, the first thing that met his eyes was the flashing neon outside the window. After a brief nap, his limbs felt heavy with fatigue. The previous night’s all-nighter left his eyes stinging and his head weighed down. Pressing his palm against his temple, he rubbed at his aching forehead before getting out of bed. He grabbed a random T-shirt to throw on but hesitated.
Thinking of Wen Xiao at the hospital, Chi Ye tossed the T-shirt aside, opened his wardrobe, and chose a pair of jeans and a light gray hoodie instead.
Just as he was about to leave, Uncle Zhang called. “Hey, Chi Ye, you free tomorrow? Let’s grab a meal together.”
Chi Ye politely declined.
“Ah, look at my memory. Tomorrow’s Friday, right? You’ve got school. But listen, kid, don’t think school’s the only way to make it in life. Take me, for example. I dropped out after six months of high school, worked as a bricklayer and in construction, tried everything. Learned bit by bit, climbed step by step. Now, I’m not filthy rich or anything, but I’ve got a house, food on the table, and my family’s taken care of. That’s what matters.”
Slipping on his shoes and closing the door behind him, Chi Ye started down the stairs. The motion-sensor lights flickered on with each step. He replied casually, “That makes sense. But my mom wants me to work hard and get into a good university.”
Although Wen Xiao had told him to get to the hospital by two in the morning, Chi Ye arrived at one. The empty corridors of the hospital stretched ahead of him. When he reached the room, he instinctively lightened his steps.
Wen Xiao was leaning against the chair back, holding a pen, and dozing off. His eyelashes fluttered, clearly struggling against sleep.
Chi Ye approached quietly, ensuring Yaya was sound asleep before turning his back to the door. Leaning down, he lightly bit Wen Xiao’s pale lower lip.
Wen Xiao’s reaction was instant, like a reflex. His fist shot out halfway but froze mid-swing, as if his subconscious recognized the culprit. The force drained entirely from his motion.
One moment, Wen Xiao seemed like a snow leopard ready to pounce. The next, he was as docile as a cat.
His lashes trembled slightly before his eyes opened, landing on Chi Ye. “You’re here?” Under the hospital’s sterile lights, his complexion appeared pale. He tilted his head to ease the stiffness from his awkward sleeping position. “My neck hurts a little.”
Chi Ye reached out and massaged his neck a few times. “You’re too skinny.”
Wen Xiao glanced at him. “So are you.” His gaze shifted to Chi Ye’s bloodshot eyes. “How long did you sleep after you got home?”
“Four hours, I think. Hit the pillow and passed out. Didn’t even check the time.” Chi Ye’s hand wandered, sliding from the back of Wen Xiao’s neck to his Adam’s apple. He brushed his thumb over it in a slow, teasing motion. “Heading back now?”
Those three words came out in a low, husky voice. His gaze dropped, fixed on the spot where his thumb caressed Wen Xiao’s throat.
Hos Adam’s apple was already a sensitive area, and Chi Ye’s deliberate touch only made it worse. Wen Xiao’s breathing hitched for a moment. He grabbed Chi Ye’s wrist and steadied his voice. “Yaya’s IV is done for the day. Her fever’s dropped by one degree. The nurse said she needs plenty of sleep, and if anything happens, we should ring the call bell.”
Chi Ye was listening when, out of nowhere, Wen Xiao leaned against his shoulder. Feeling the familiar warmth pressed against him, Chi Ye lowered his head, kissed Wen Xiao’s hair, and chuckled softly. “What’s this? Don’t want to leave me?”
Wen Xiao shook his head but didn’t reply.
If he had to put it into words, the answer might have been... worry? Or maybe reluctance? None of the words felt quite right.
He exhaled lightly, resting against Chi Ye’s firm shoulder. In a soft voice, he said, “I’ll come back after my exam tomorrow.”
Chi Ye gave a light pat to the slender curve of Wen Xiao’s waist. “Alright.”
The next day, the classroom was far from quiet. Instead of revising, most students were buzzing with chatter.
The moment Wen Xiao walked in, Xu Rui’s eyes lit up. “Wen Xiao, get over here!”
As soon as Wen Xiao approached, Xu Rui could barely contain himself and spilled the news. “Hahaha, a legendary moment just went down. Someone arrived at school early and rushed to the office to ask a question. But guess what? The moment they pushed the door open, they saw the grade director — the balding one — leading a group of middle-aged male teachers in a weight-loss workout! And that's not all, the highlight is that Old Xu was providing the musical accompaniment on the erhu! Oh my god, hahaha, that's just too much! The erhu is really being put through the ringer!”
Zhao Yiyang: “It’s all over the school forum. People are saying it was staged to help us relax before exams. Even one of the art students drew a sketch of it. It’s hilarious!”
Xu Rui laughed a little longer before suddenly remembering something. “Oh, right! Speaking of the forum, everyone’s also talking about Chi-ge. He didn’t show up for the exam yesterday, and they’re wondering if he’ll be here today.”
Wen Xiao set his bag down calmly. “He has something going on at home. He’s not coming today either.”
Zhao Yiyang glanced at Wen Xiao, noting his vague tone. When Xu Rui opened his mouth to ask more, Zhao Yiyang cut him off quickly. “Come to think of it, it’s been ages since I last saw Chi-ge. When he finally comes back, I need to take a good, long look. I’m starting to forget what he looks like.”
Xu Rui wasn’t having it. “Bullshit, Zhao Yiyang! You really expect us to believe you don’t remember what Chi-ge looks like?”
Zhao Yiyang: “It’s called exaggeration, ever heard of it? No wonder you lose so many points on reading comprehension in Chinese.”
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Contains: All 84 chapters, 1 extra, and summary.