My Deskmate Chapter 61
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 61
The next day, Wen Xiao slept in until nine, possibly because the cold medicine he'd taken the night before worked too well. He didn’t even dream.
In the living room, his grandmother was sitting on the sofa, wearing her reading glasses as she knitted a sweater. Hearing the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor, she turned her head and greeted him, "Xiaoxiao, you’re up? Does your throat still hurt? Come here, say something and let Grandma hear."
Wen Xiao shuffled across the room in his slippers, running a hand through his messy, bedhead hair. "Ahhh—"
His grandmother chuckled. "Your voice is still hoarse. I left your medicine on the table. Keep taking it today. There’s some pork congee simmering in the pot — have some. And check if I turned the heat off, will you? I set it to low to keep it warm but wasn’t sure when you’d wake up."
Seated at the dining table with a bowl of congee, the fragrant aroma sparked his appetite. Across from him, his grandmother’s sweater had already taken shape, more than halfway finished. After wolfing down half the bowl, Wen Xiao paused, fiddling with the porcelain spoon. "I need to head out this afternoon."
His grandmother didn’t look up, her knitting needles continuing their rhythmic motion. She didn’t ask where he was going, merely asked, "Do you have enough pocket money? If not, I can give you more."
"No need. I’m just meeting my deskmate to work on some homework."
When he arrived and knocked on the door, it didn’t take long before the sound of sluggish footsteps approached from inside. The door opened, and as soon as Wen Xiao stepped in, Chi Ye clung to him like a koala, and even took the opportunity to kiss his neck.
Chi Ye was lanky and lean. His hand landed right on the obvious hip bone. Wen Xiao didn’t move, merely lowered his voice to ask, "Were you sleeping just now?"
Chi Ye’s breath warmed Wen Xiao’s neck as he lazily replied, "Mm, I slept for two hours. Had so many dreams. I think you were in one of them. But it’s a pity I can’t remember a thing now that I’m awake."
"What’s a pity?"
"That I forgot what you looked like in my dream," Chi Ye replied. After lounging against Wen Xiao for a while longer, he finally straightened up, wrapped one arm around Wen Xiao’s waist, and reached out with the other to close the door.
With his bag slung over one shoulder, Wen Xiao followed Chi Ye into the apartment and asked, "Have you eaten lunch yet?"
"Yeah. I dropped Yaya off at her math tutor’s place this morning. The teacher ended up pulling me into a half-hour conversation about elementary school math learning strategies. Yaya really likes her. She says she’s super pretty and very gentle."
"And then?"
"Then I came back, had a bowl of beef noodles at that noodle shop downstairs, and knocked out as soon as I got home. I stayed up most of the night last night," Chi Ye explained, recounting his morning in order. He couldn’t help but smile slightly. It had been so long since anyone had cared enough to ask about his daily life. Whether it was meals, errands, or anything else, he was always the one looking out for others. No one ever checked in on him.
The feeling of being so thoroughly and attentively cared for was almost too good to be true.
Wen Xiao, claiming Chi Ye’s desk, took out the homework he’d brought along. The bedroom window was open, letting in the late-spring breeze, which made the curtains sway gently. After a moment, Wen Xiao stood and adjusted the curtains.
The room was neat and tidy, except for the gray bedding on the bed, which was messily strewn about. In the quiet, even the ticking of the clock’s second hand was audible.
But the silence didn’t last for long. It was soon broken.
Chi Ye wrapped his arms around Wen Xiao’s waist from behind. "You’re so skinny. There’s no meat at all."
It was the weekend, so there was no need to wear school uniforms. Wen Xiao had on a simple black T-shirt paired with low-rise jeans. The jeans sat just low enough that a single touch revealed the sharp curve of his slender waist.
Wen Xiao shot him a glance and said hoarsely, "It tickles. Let go."
Instead of letting go, Chi Ye tightened his hold and leaned in to press a kiss to Wen Xiao’s neck. He teased, "How about here? Does this tickle?"
His voice was low and light, a tone meant to stir.
Wen Xiao’s already husky voice tightened slightly. "It does."
That single word hit Chi Ye like a spark to dry tinder. He lowered his gaze, his eyes drifting down Wen Xiao’s loose collar. The pale, elegant curve of his collarbones came into view, stirring something in Chi Ye that he couldn’t suppress.
Acting on impulse, he scooped Wen Xiao up and pressed him down onto the bed, capturing his lips in a deep kiss.
The world seemed to spin as Wen Xiao found himself flat against the thin bedding. He came to his senses quickly and pressed against Chi Ye’s shoulders. "You’re heavy."
At those words, Chi Ye smirked, grabbed Wen Xiao’s slim waist, and flipped them over in one fluid motion, putting Wen Xiao on top. At the same time, his hand slid from Wen Xiao’s lower back to the nape of his neck, pressing down and melding their lips together again.
By the time the kiss deepened, Wen Xiao felt as though all the air had been stolen from his lungs. His head spun, and his fingers lost their strength. Eyes half-lidded, he finally managed to gasp out disjointed words. "Enough... Chi Ye!"
The name came out harshly, but the breathlessness behind it drained its force, making it sound softer, almost like a plea.
Chi Ye didn’t relent, his lips still brushing against Wen Xiao’s, and the hand pressed to the back of his neck didn’t move, clearly indicating he wasn’t ready to stop.
If Wen Xiao truly wanted to struggle, he probably could have pushed Chi Ye off. But in that moment, he didn’t make a move. Instead, he let out a faint sound. "Stop kissing me... gege."
It was as though the world had suddenly hit pause. Chi Ye froze, his lips lingering near Wen Xiao’s as his hand gently caressed the back of his neck, soothing him like a restless kitten. His voice was low as he spoke, "What did you just call me? Say it again."
Wen Xiao finally managed to take a full breath. "Chi-ge."
"Damn it, Xiaoxiao, what did you just call me?"
Wen Xiao refused to acknowledge it, firmly calling out again, "Chi-ge."
His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and his pale skin made the deep hues of his brows and eyes stand out even more. His hasty breathing added a fragile touch to his normally composed demeanor.
Just as Chi Ye was about to kiss him again, Wen Xiao swiftly restrained his movements. Afterward, he stood up from the bed, adjusting his disheveled collar.
His lower lip was bitten red, and his eyes still shimmered with lingering moisture. Noticing Chi Ye staring at him, he instinctively wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Get up."
The two of them sat down at the desk.
Wen Xiao focused on the questions in front of him while Chi Ye rested his head on one hand, watching him. After a while, Chi Ye asked, "Have you lost weight?"
Without pausing his pen, Wen Xiao replied, "No. I weighed myself yesterday. It’s the same."
Chi Ye reached out with his free hand, gently pinching Wen Xiao’s earlobe. "Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?"
He understood Wen Xiao’s way of thinking, but it still unsettled him. Although he couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly he was afraid of, maybe it was... the fear of growing distant after too much time apart. Or perhaps it was the emptiness and unfamiliarity that might fill the space left in between.
Wen Xiao’s pen halted briefly as he thought about it. Why hadn’t he told him? Perhaps it was because he didn’t want Chi Ye to worry or be distracted. There was already too much for him to handle, too much weighing on his shoulders. He finally replied, "It wasn’t serious. There was no need to mention it."
Chi Ye was quiet for a few seconds. "But I still want to know."
After a few breaths, Wen Xiao responded softly, "Next time, I’ll definitely tell you."
Chi Ye rarely had time to relax, but that day, aside from taking two phone calls, he spent the rest of the time quietly sitting beside Wen Xiao, watching him work through the problems.
Both of their phones buzzed with a notification at the same time. Wen Xiao didn’t move, so Chi Ye picked up his phone, unlocked it, and opened their class group chat. The messages were coming in sporadically, but one immediately caught Chi Ye’s eye.
Zhao Yiyang: "Xiao-ge — no, God Xiao’s achievements have even reached my friends at City No. 1 High. They said their math test was the same as ours this time. It was so hard that the whole school was wailing — highest score in the grade was only 139. When they heard about Xiao Shen’s performance, they almost knelt down in awe!"
Xu Rui: "I overheard Old Xu in the office bragging about Wen Xiao. Not only was he boasting to the teachers from other classes, but he even went out to chat with the security guard at the gate about him!"
The screen was soon flooded with rows of laughter and a barrage of memes.
Chi Ye held the phone, his curiosity piqued. "God Xiao, what did you score in math this time? The class group chat is buzzing about you."
Wen Xiao gave a brief summary. "Monthly exam, math: 140. The teacher initially missed 10 points when grading. Old Xu caught the mistake and added them back."
Chi Ye understood immediately.
He was well-aware of Wen Xiao’s habits. If he was confident with a question, he wouldn’t bother reviewing it again. The same went for exam papers. If he could solve every question on the test, he wouldn’t waste time going over it a second time. His deskmate probably noticed the 10-point error but didn’t think it was worth the extra effort since it didn’t affect the final ranking.
After all, exams weren’t about rankings or scores. Their purpose was to identify which questions you could solve and which ones you couldn’t. As long as you had that clarity, nothing else mattered.
Meanwhile, the group chat discussion continued.
Xu Rui: "When the scores first came out, I overheard one of the top students in Class 2 boasting about being only twenty points behind or so. Then, bam! Wen Xiao gets those ten extra points added. If I were that guy, I’d be freaking out. Like, how many more points do you have hidden up your sleeve? Can you just release them all at once?"
Li Wencheng: "God Xiao isn’t someone you can just surpass whenever you feel like it!"
Zhao Yiyang: "Damn, this feels like something straight out of a face-slapping scene in a power fantasy novel! Hahaha!"
Chi Ye couldn’t help but feel a little proud as he read through the messages. On a whim, he replied to the group, "God Xiao pulled an all-nighter the night before and didn’t even review."
As soon as the message was sent, the group chat fell into a stunned silence that lasted over ten seconds.
Shangguan Yu: "Wen Xiao, if you’ve been kidnapped, blink twice!"
Xu Rui: "Who are you? Hand over Wen Xiao right now! Or else Cheng Xiaoning won’t let this slide!"
It was only then that Chi Ye realized — damn, he had forgotten he was using Wen Xiao’s phone.
Zhao Yiyang: "If this is Chi-ge using Wen Xiao’s account, press 1. If it’s not, press 2."
The chat exploded into another wave of laughter.
Chi Ye calmly typed a "1," then leaned over to Wen Xiao with the phone. "The group’s saying if you’ve been kidnapped, blink twice."
Wen Xiao put down his pen, turned silently toward Chi Ye, and, without hesitation, blinked twice.
Chi Ye froze for a moment. When they first met, he had always felt that his deskmate had a prickly personality. Now he realized just how soft those prickles could be, and how deeply the faint scratches they left on his heart could ache.