My Deskmate Chapter 81
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 81
A youth's emotions were as green as they were fiery. It was hard to tell who bit whose lip harder. Wen Xiao's palm rested against Chi Ye's nape, now slick with a thin layer of sweat.
Chi Ye pressed against the corner of Wen Xiao’s moist lips and murmured, "Xiaoxiao, how long has it been since you cut your nails?"
Wen Xiao’s usually cool gaze was hazy. He leaned against the wall, taking a while to piece together his scattered thoughts. "What?"
Chi Ye repeated the question patiently.
It was only then that Wen Xiao noticed the faint marks his nails had left on the back of Chi Ye’s neck. "Does it hurt?"
Chi Ye smirked. "Doesn’t hurt. It tickles. If you like, you can scratch me a little more with those claws of yours."
Wen Xiao didn’t bother to comment on the word claws. Instead, he steadied his breathing, bent down, and picked up the black backpack lying by his feet. Without another word, he turned and walked inside.
Hands in his pockets, Chi Ye strolled lazily after him. "What time did you get up this morning? It’s already two in the afternoon. Have you had lunch yet?"
Traveling from Qingzhou took about six hours without traffic.
Wen Xiao didn’t look back and replied curtly, "Seven."
Chi Ye thought about the contents of the fridge, factoring in the time. "Egg noodles or fried rice, which one do you feel like eating?"
"Fried rice."
He opened his black backpack and casually straightened the clothes inside, but the sounds coming from outside kept distracting him. Unable to settle his mind, he stepped out of the bedroom. Leaning against the kitchen doorway for a moment, he couldn’t resist and crossed the room in two quick strides, wrapping his arms around Chi Ye’s waist from behind.
Chi Ye, despite appearing thin in a way typical of his age, had firm muscles in his waist. Wen Xiao rested his chin on Chi Ye’s shoulder, glancing at him from the side. On an impulse, he leaned closer and lightly nipped at Chi Ye’s earlobe.
"Stop it," Chi Ye said, his voice steady as he poured eggs into the oiled pan, carefully keeping his hand from trembling. "Tsk. Who’s the clingy one now?"
Wen Xiao knew Chi Ye was still thinking about the text he’d sent during their late-night gaming session. With his eyes half-lowered, Wen Xiao fixed his gaze on Chi Ye’s deft, slender fingers and replied casually, "You. You’re the clingy one."
"It’s obviously you."
"No, it’s you."
This kind of trivial, utterly pointless banter made Chi Ye feel as though Wen Xiao had somehow dragged him back to kindergarten. Letting Wen Xiao’s fingers interlace around his waist, Chi Ye walked around the kitchen dragging the large human pendant. "Why didn’t you eat on the train? Not hungry?"
"The food was awful."
Chi Ye raised an eyebrow. "And mine’s any better?"
Wen Xiao didn’t hesitate to give praise. "Everything you make is good."
He certainly had every right to say that. Not only had Wen Xiao tried Chi Ye’s egg noodles, but back when they barely knew each other, he’d also tasted the mushroom and pork soup, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and mashed potatoes Chi Ye made.
Chi Ye laughed. "Deskmate, I suspect this is a trap. You’re just flattering me to get me to cook for you forever."
Wen Xiao shrugged. "Compared to the boxed meals on the high-speed train, you can be more confident." He added, "And if I didn’t compliment you, won’t you cook for me?"
Chi Ye grasped the hand that was still resting on his waist and kissed the scar on his knuckles. He didn’t answer but instead asked, "What do you think?"
After they finished eating, Chi Ye noticed Wen Xiao’s half-lidded eyes, a clear sign of exhaustion. He glanced at the time. "Do you want to take a nap?"
Maybe it was because the college entrance exams were finally over, but Wen Xiao, who used to stay up studying until two or three in the morning, get up before 7, and still manage to take a couple of short naps during the day, found it harder to feel alert now. Despite getting five hours of sleep the night before, he felt utterly drained.
The curtains were drawn, and when Chi Ye lay down beside him, Wen Xiao leaned over and shut his eyes.
As the room dimmed, Chi Ye glanced at the person lying next to him on the pillow, suddenly feeling surreal.
Chi Ye woke up from the heat. He opened his eyes and saw Wen Xiao lying on his side, his brow slightly furrowed in discomfort. The weather had warmed up, and both of them had worked up a sweat. Chi Ye was about to get up to grab the remote control and turn on the air conditioner, but as soon as he moved, he realized something.
Lying back down beside Wen Xiao, Chi Ye pulled the thin blanket over them both, covering his hand as well.
Half-asleep, Wen Xiao felt the heat and vaguely remembered the time when they were in high school and had just finished playing basketball. Chi Ye had leaned over and grasped his wrist. The warmth from his palm seemed almost enough to burn him.
The sweat on his back met the cool breeze. The coolness spread over his spine, mingling with the lingering heat. Unable to hold back, he murmured softly, "Chi-ge..."
Chi Ye’s gaze darkened slightly, but he remained composed, his voice steady as he replied, "Chi-ge is here."
Wen Xiao’s fingers, which had been resting on the blanket, suddenly curled into a tight fist. He wasn’t sure what he had dreamed of, but he called out again, his voice shaky, "Chi-ge..." This time, there was a hint of a sob in his tone.
Chi Ye coaxed him gently, "Chi-ge is here, always."
Seeing Wen Xiao unconsciously bite his lower lip, his eyes beginning to glisten with tears, Chi Ye spoke again, his voice softer and more coaxing. "Xiaoxiao, call me again. Call me gege."
Wen Xiao’s lashes fluttered, his usually cool features softening. Slowly, he released his tight grip on his lip and, in the haze of his dreamlike state, hoarsely called out, "Gege."
It was like a feather brushing against Chi Ye’s heart.
Chi Ye cursed under his breath and leaned in, gently kissing the tear that had escaped from the corner of Wen Xiao’s eye. He murmured softly to soothe him, "Good boy, don’t be afraid. Just sleep."
The dream stretched on, long and disorienting. The coolness in the air faded, and Wen Xiao became aware of his sweat-soaked t-shirt, his limbs heavy and weak.
On a midsummer afternoon, the curtains fluttered as the wind occasionally swept through, allowing harsh beams of sunlight to filter through in scattered patches. Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, Chi Ye held Wen Xiao’s wrist and leaned in close, his breath warm against his ear. "Xiaoxiao, here."
Under the bathroom faucet, Wen Xiao rinsed the sweat and stickiness off his hands. He glanced at the mirror, then lowered his head and splashed a handful of cold water on his face. Water dripped down his jawline, wetting his collar. Feeling sticky all over, he simply closed the door and took a shower.
When he returned to the bedroom, Chi Ye had already gotten out of bed and was changing his clothes.
Wen Xiao found a black short-sleeve hoodie from his bag and put it on. As he turned around, he noticed Chi Ye had silently appeared behind him, his hand instinctively resting on the back of Wen Xiao’s neck.
Wen Xiao glanced at him. "Did you wash your hands?"
Chi Ye immediately withdrew his hand, stepping closer to Wen Xiao and sniffing him. "Did you shower?"
"Mm."
"Wait for me. I’ll take a quick cold shower too. By the way, Zhao Yiyang’s ranting in the WeChat group. Take a look at what he’s saying."
Once Chi Ye left, Wen Xiao adjusted his hoodie with one hand and picked up his phone to open WeChat.
In the group chat, Zhao Yiyang was indeed making a scene. "Anyone want to go out and have some fun?" The message had been sent almost twenty times.
Xu Rui: "Master, are you crazy? Or did your phone develop a sentience and start copying and pasting this nonsense?"
Shangguan Yu: "I think it’s the person who’s gone crazy."
Zhao Yiyang: "Brothers, only ten days left until the results come out! Let’s make the most of this time and have some fun! Otherwise, in ten days, I’ll be waiting for you all to regret it!"
Zhao Yiyang: "Is Chi-ge coming?"
Wen Xiao stood by the bathroom door, holding his phone. The door wasn't fully closed, and he glanced inside before quickly averting his gaze. Through the sound of running water, he called out to Chi Ye, "Zhao Yiyang’s asking if you want to go out together."
Chi Ye didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he asked, "Do you want to go? If you do, we’ll go together."
When Zhao Yiyang and the others saw Wen Xiao, they were all surprised.
"Damn, I was just telling Shangguan Yu how great it would be if Wen Xiao was here. And now, did I just unlock some skill, or is it telepathy? Did Wen Xiao hear my call?"
After Zhao Yiyang finished speaking, Chi Ye said, "What does it have to do with you that Wen Xiao is in Mingnan?" He placed his arm casually over Wen Xiao’s shoulder. "It's all because I’m back now, understand?"
He might as well just say, He’s mine. Don’t talk to me about telepathy.
Zhao Yiyang rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed by Chi Ye’s territorial behavior. He didn’t like that kind of clique-building, but upon seeing Wen Xiao, he perked up again. "Wen Xiao, what do you want to eat today? You order anything, it’s on me!"
Xu Rui joined in. "Next time, I’ll treat. And the time after that, Shangguan Yu will. We’ll make sure it’s all sorted! Wen Xiao, you’ve got to eat at least three meals before you leave!"
Shu Guangyu: "Six meals, nine meals, I’m fine with that."
Although they hadn’t seen each other for a year, the three of them had often pulled Wen Xiao into study sessions over WeChat, so there was no awkwardness between them. By the time the sky began to darken, they were gathered around a table outside a barbecue restaurant. Zhao Yiyang waved his hand dramatically, his voice full of enthusiasm. "Boss, bring us the menu!"
The boss handed each of them a menu and then asked, "What drinks would you like? We’re doing a special today — buy five beers, get one free. Very good deal."
Xu Rui instinctively started to refuse, but then paused and reconsidered. "The college exams are over, and we’re all adults now. Boss, bring us ten cans. Make them cold!"
"Alright!" The boss turned and went back into the restaurant. Not long after, he returned with the beers.
After they ordered the food, Zhao Yiyang suddenly remembered, "I think it was the second semester of second year, after the midterms, we went out for barbecue. Wen Xiao — I don’t know what happened — ended up drinking most of a bottle of white liquor and got drunk. But we couldn’t tell if he was really drunk or not. In the end, it was Chi-ge who came and took him home!"
Chi Ye had a sharp memory. He especially remembered everything about Wen Xiao. He recalled that the reason Wen Xiao drank so much that day was because he missed his parents.
On the way home, he had asked Wen Xiao why he didn’t want his parents to attend the parent-teacher meeting. Wen Xiao had answered, "Because Chi Ye would be sad."
All the little details were hidden in the folds of memory, and one day, when they were brought back to the surface, Chi Ye suddenly realized that, in the eighteen years before meeting Wen Xiao, the days had been short and the nights long, but after meeting this person, every bit of it was filled with light.