My Deskmate Chapter 59 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 59.1
Wen Xiao had stayed in the hospital for two days. The weather had been gloomy the entire time, with only a ray of sunset breaking through the clouds as evening approached. He drew open the blue curtains, letting the sunlight pour into the room.
Yaya propped her face up with both hands. "Cola-gege, what do you think my gege is doing right now?"
Her hair had been done by Wen Xiao, though his skills were far from impressive. It was messy, and the pigtails he'd braided were crooked. Yet, she was blissfully happy, even admiring herself in the mirror several times and gently stroking her hair whenever she thought about it, as if cherishing the moment.
"He's working," Wen Xiao replied, sitting back in the chair by her bedside. "And your math homework still isn't finished. Tomorrow's Monday."
Yaya's illness had come on suddenly, but her body was resilient, and she was recovering just as quickly. The doctor had come by during rounds, saying they would continue observing her, but if everything went well, she could be discharged Monday morning.
Yaya furrowed her small brows, letting out a worried sigh. "Cola-gege, I’m sick... why do I still have to do math homework when I'm sick? Math homework is so hard. What if my condition gets worse after I finish it?"
She looked at Wen Xiao with hopeful eyes.
Wen Xiao handed the pencil to Yaya. "I promise, it won't make you worse."
Realizing there was no room for negotiation, Yaya reluctantly took the pencil in her tiny fingers. "Alright, I'll do my homework. But can I see my gege first?"
Instead of agreeing immediately, Wen Xiao opened WeChat and made a video call to Chi Ye, but no one answered until the call ended automatically.
She poked at her notebook with the pencil, disappointment washing over her. "My gege is definitely being ordered around by that Uncle Zhang again. He's so busy, I haven't seen him in so long..."
Wen Xiao glanced at the WeChat conversation. Their conversation had stopped at around 3 AM this morning — that was when Chi Ye had finished his work and sent a message saying he was downstairs in the hospital building. After coming up, they'd pushed the two beds in the ward together and played games side by side. But less than ten minutes into the game, Chi Ye had fallen asleep with the phone loosely held in his hand.
Wen Xiao was a light sleeper, and though Chi Ye didn't make much noise getting up, he still woke up. He grabbed his phone and glanced at the time: six o'clock. It was still dark outside.
Judging by the sounds, Chi Ye had gone to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face to wake himself up. Before leaving, he had gently bent down to adjust the thin blanket over Wen Xiao’s shoulders.
In that moment, Wen Xiao vaguely imagined countless hard, sharp stones constantly falling on Chi Ye's shoulders. Even if he was bruised and bleeding, he would just clench his jaw and endure it silently.
His back remained as straight as a steel rod.
After Chi Ye left, Wen Xiao lay back in the chair, staring at the silently closed door of the ward. A heavy feeling settled in his heart. Finally, he pulled the blanket tighter and closed his eyes.
Later that night, just past midnight, Chi Ye arrived at the hospital room. Seeing Wen Xiao checking Yaya's math, he casually grabbed an apple, peeling it as he asked, "So, Teacher Xiao Wen, how’s it going? Is it starting to feel like you’re on the verge of being driven crazy?"
Chi Ye had just washed his hands, and there were crystal-clear water droplets on his skin that hadn't been dried. The knuckles of his fingers, used to hold the apple, were evenly proportioned and strong. Wen Xiao gave him a lingering look before answering, "She’s made progress compared to yesterday."
In the hospital bed, Yaya’s eyes lit up. "Really? Really?!" Her smile bloomed like a flower, impossible to hide.
Chi Ye didn’t try to undermine the situation, but inwardly he couldn’t help but marvel at how poor Yaya’s math skills were. He was well aware of her dismal level, and yet his deskmate still seriously defended the little girl’s spirit.
After tossing the fruit peel into the trash, Chi Ye cut a slice and held it up to Wen Xiao’s mouth.
Wen Xiao’s attention was fixed on the arithmetic problems in front of him. Without even looking, he simply opened his mouth.
The sight of Wen Xiao’s complete trust made Chi Ye’s heart itch but he forced it down. Instead, he cut another piece of fruit and handed it to Yaya. "Finish this, and no sneaky tossing it in the trash when I’m not looking."
Yaya hadn’t seen Chi Ye for a while. She was excited to see him. She obediently took the fruit, smiling as she promised, "Don’t worry, I’ll eat it all!"
Chi Ye habitually touched her forehead to make sure she didn’t have a fever. Satisfied, he asked, "Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s so late."
With the fruit in her mouth, Yaya’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster. She spoke in a muffled voice, "I haven’t seen you for two days. Cola-gege said you came last night, but you left really early in the morning. I was worried that if I fell asleep, I’d miss you again."
A slight pang of regret tugged at Chi Ye’s heart. He gently pinched Yaya’s cheek and said, "Your Cola-gege hasn’t slept well these past two nights. Tonight, he’ll stay here with you. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take care of your discharge, and then you can go home."
Upon hearing this, Yaya’s face lit up with joy. "Finally, I can go home!" But then her expression drooped as she added, "Does that mean I’ll have to go back to school?"
Chi Ye’s tone softened. "Yes, yes. Student Yaya still remembers her glorious identity as an elementary schooler."
Yaya murmured quietly, "Actually... I really like being in the hospital."
Chi Ye accompanied Wen Xiao downstairs.
It was late, and when the elevator doors opened, it was empty. Only the silver metal interior was illuminated by the cold lights.
Wen Xiao pressed the button for the first floor, and the orange numbers began to change. Chi Ye stood beside him, their shoulders brushing.
Just as Wen Xiao habitually adjusted the strap of his black backpack, he suddenly noticed that his hand, which had been hanging by his side, was being held. His palm was lightly scratched by the other’s fingers.
It was very itchy.
In the confined space, neither of them looked at the other, but in the quiet, Wen Xiao instinctively tightened his grip on Chi Ye’s fingers, silently telling him not to move.
Chi Ye’s fingers were held tightly, yet the corner of his mouth curled into a smile, his eyes lazily fixed on the elevator doors.
"Ding." The elevator doors opened. Wen Xiao instinctively went to release his hand, but Chi Ye stopped him, his smile bright and a little childish, as if he had found something precious.
Their hands were about the same size. Chi Ye intertwined his fingers with Wen Xiao's. The fit was perfect.
The path outside was empty, save for the sound of the wind and the chirping of insects. Chi Ye, as usual, began telling Wen Xiao about his day, mentioning things Wen Xiao hadn’t heard of before. Whenever he asked, Chi Ye would pause and explain.
As they passed the flowerbed, Chi Ye suddenly remembered. "Oh, right. I went to collect a debt today... but it didn’t go well."
Wen Xiao turned to look at him. "Collect a debt?"
"Yes, I went to collect a debt. A man had ordered a batch of goods from me, not much — around five thousand. He promised to pay yesterday and even signed a receipt. But yesterday, he disappeared without a trace. I called, but he didn’t answer. I went to find him, but couldn’t catch him. Today, I finally found him, but he had no money to give me."
Chi Ye was not the type to let others walk all over him, and Wen Xiao could hear the unease in his voice. "What happened to him?"
"He said his daughter was in the hospital and the medical expenses were piling up. He’d lost money on his last business deal, and the cash he had left was only enough to cover a few days at the hospital. He begged me to give him a few more days to pay. He promised he wouldn’t default, but right now, he couldn’t risk parting with any money. He was afraid that if he lost even a little, it might put his daughter’s life at greater risk." Chi Ye lowered his gaze. "I don’t know what came over me, but I agreed to wait a few more days to collect. I’m strapped for cash too, but... for now, I don’t don't need that money to save someone's life right now, so a few more days won't matter."
Wen Xiao understood the worry underlying Chi Ye’s words. He didn’t say anything else, just offering, "If he tries to scam you, I’ll go with you to confront him."
"Wrap him up in a sack and give him a beating?" Chi Ye’s long-held tension suddenly eased, and he chuckled. "Heh, that’s not a bad idea."
Although they joked, Chi Ye felt a sense of reassurance settle in his heart.
He had always been used to making decisions on his own. The habit came from years of having no one to help him make decisions or discuss what the next move should be.
But now, he had Wen Xiao.
They walked together all the way to the hospital entrance. Behind them, the outpatient building had already closed, leaving only the emergency room lit up.
They stopped under a streetlight. Under the warm light, the cold aura that surrounded Wen Xiao seemed to soften. He paused and said, "Get a good night’s sleep. I bought some bread, milk, and juice. It’s in the cupboard. If you’re hungry, you can have them as a late-night snack."
Chi Ye nodded. "Alright, I’ll make sure to finish them."
The sound of tires rolling over the road echoed in the distance, gradually growing louder before fading away again. Wen Xiao watched the person standing opposite him, wanting to say, Don’t overwork yourself. But then he thought it might be pointless. Sometimes it was better left unsaid.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he still spoke. "Don’t overwork yourself."
Chi Ye reached out and gently tugged at Wen Xiao's soft earlobe, his voice lowering. "Worried about me?"
Wen Xiao lifted his gaze and met his eyes, responding with a question of his own, "What else?"
Two words. Chi Ye savored the meaning — If it was not concern for him, what else could it be? If he was not worried about him, then about whom was he worried?
In Wen Xiao's clear eyes, Chi Ye caught his own reflection. The next moment, Chi Ye suddenly pulled Wen Xiao into his arms, his lips pressing gently against his ear. "Thank you."
Wen Xiao felt the tightness of Chi Ye’s embrace, so firm it almost hurt but he didn’t resist. "Thank me for what?"
Chi Ye didn’t answer, only kissed the shell of his ear and smiled.