Evening Stars Chapter 5
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 5
Xu Nanheng was fully conscious. He held onto Fang Zhiyou's arm, wanting to stand on his own, but Fang Shiyou didn't let go. He kept him wrapped in support as he said, “Don't move. Take it slow. The altitude here is a little higher than in Lhasa.”
His heart was pounding, and he struggled to draw a full breath.
Fang Shiyou observed him closely, his palm moving in a steadying rhythm along Xu Nanheng's back to guide him. “When you sat up just now, you moved too quickly. You're experiencing some mild altitude sickness. It’s okay. Just breathe normally, don't rush it.”
For mild altitude sickness, oxygen wasn't necessary. Fang Shiyou didn't want him to rely on it at the first sign of discomfort. That wasn't a long-term solution. Fang Shiyou was a little taller than him, by about three or four centimeters.
“How are you feeling?” Fang Shiyou lowered his head to look at him.
“Ah?” Xu Nanheng was already feeling better. “I…… I'm okay. Is it normal for my heart to be beating this fast?”
Fang Shiyou studied him and said, “That's how altitude sickness is. It makes your heart race. Sit in the car for a bit. Wait here, I'll go back and grab two oxygen tanks.”
“There's no need,” Xu Nanheng said. “I didn't even use oxygen when we crossed the Kunlun Pass from Golmud to Lhasa.”
Fang Shiyou firmly held his arm and guided him back into the car, looking at him with complete seriousness. “Teacher Xu, listen to the doctor. Whether you use them or not, you should keep them on hand.”
“It's not that I don't want to listen. I just feel bad about you running around like this so early in the morning……”
“It's no trouble,” Fang Shiyou cut him off. “Wait here.”
With that, he left. Xu Nanheng adjusted the seat upright and leaned against it. He wasn't ungrateful. He knew well enough to listen to a doctor. For example, when his dad's doctor told him, ‘You'd better quit smoking and drinking’ after a checkup, it was more effective than his mother's years of nagging.
In this world, you could ignore anyone else, but you must listen to a doctor.
Xu Nanheng pressed a hand to his chest. Strangely, his heart rate had slowed down after Dr. Fang left. He raised his wrist to check the time, only to find the screen black. Luckily, his Apple Watch was out of battery. Otherwise, back in Fang Shiyou's arms, it would have been buzzing nonstop. That would have been truly embarrassing.
The walk from the hospital to the school was no more than twelve or thirteen minutes round trip. Through the windshield, he saw Fang Shiyou approaching with a bag. He opened the car door, set the bag in the back seat, and said, “Two disposable oxygen tanks. And I brought you an egg and scallion crepe from the cafeteria. Eat something to settle your stomach.”
He had also brought a small oximeter. After checking Xu Nanheng's blood oxygen level and finding no issue, he finally relaxed.
“Thanks, Dr. Fang.” Xu Nanheng stepped out of the car. “I'll go upstairs to wash up first.”
“Don't take the stairs. You just had altitude sickness. Climbing stairs here isn't the same as on the plains.” Fang Shiyou pointed toward the other side of the teaching building. “There's a tap over there.”
Fortunately, he hadn't finished moving his luggage the day before, so his toiletry bag was still in the trunk. After a quick wash, Xu Nanheng tried taking a deep breath and felt much better.
When he walked back to the car, Fang Shiyou had put on sunglasses and turned his head, catching Xu Nanheng's gaze.
Under his unbuttoned plaid shirt was a plain black T-shirt. He was also wearing dark jeans and sneakers. Honestly, it was your typical programmer attire. But with Dr. Fang's sharp looks and well-proportioned build, it somehow looked effortlessly good on him.
Xu Nanheng coughed lightly to shift his focus.
“I'll drive,” Fang Shiyou said.
“Alright, get in. The keys are inside.” Xu Nanheng went to the passenger seat, took his sunglasses out of the glove box, and put them on too.
It wasn't for show. Daylight at high altitude was genuinely blinding.
Xu Nanheng's sunglasses were from a high-end luxury brand, a gift from his mother. Coming from a family that had been in business for three generations, and having mingled in the elite circles of Beijing's wealthy wives, she had developed a discerning eye for quality. Naturally, she made certain her son's appearance was always affluent and stylish.
Fang Shiyou stared at him for a moment. Xu Nanheng asked in confusion, “What is it, Dr. Fang?”
“You look handsome,” Fang Shiyou said frankly.
Xu Nanheng smiled a bit. “My mom bought them. She's good at picking accessories like this.”
“I mean you're handsome,” Fang Shiyou clarified.
“……Th-thanks,” Xu Nanheng said.
“Why don't you eat first before we leave?” Fang Shiyou asked, unsure if he minded eating in the car.
Xu Nanheng let out an “oh,” remembering the crepe in the back seat. He reached for it and said, “It's fine, I'll just hold it.”
The crepe was wrapped in oiled paper. Fang Shiyou sighed, unbuckled his seatbelt, and took off his shirt. Xu Nanheng froze. “Are you hot?”
“No.” Fang Shiyou gave the shirt a shake and spread it across his lap. “Use this to catch anything.”
So he was using his shirt as a napkin. Xu Nanheng was genuinely surprised this time. “No, no, that's not necessary. I'm twenty-five. I'm not going to spill an egg and scallion crepe all over myself.”
Fang Shiyou buckled his seatbelt again and looked at him. They were facing each other, but with sunglasses in the way, their gazes couldn't meet. Only their expressions showed.
Maybe because his eyes were hidden, the doctor's smile carried a roguish hint. “It's not that I don't trust you, Teacher Xu. Just remember the road conditions you drove on yesterday coming from the county.”
Oh. Xu Nanheng remembered. The bumpy mountain road had almost shaken his brains into a smoothie.
“Still, you can't use your shirt for this.” Xu Nanheng tried to hand it back.
“It's fine,” Fang Shiyou said as he shifted gears and started the car. “The hospital has a washing machine. The school doesn't.”
“……” Xu Nanheng fell silent.
As they drove from the village toward the county, Xu Nanheng felt as though he were a bird struggling to fly with a particularly heavy mouse in its claws, lurching up and down, up and down.
Fang Shiyou drove steadily. He must have been worried Xu Nanheng would get carsick, so he kept the speed slow. After more than three hours, they finally reached the county town.
Next to the bus station in the county was a market. After getting out, Xu Nanheng stood by a trash bin and gave Fang Shiyou's shirt a few hard shakes. In truth, not much of the crepe had fallen onto it, but it was still someone else's shirt.
Fang Shiyou took the shirt back and put it on again, still left open at the chest. The two of them were about the same build. Xu Nanheng, a young master raised in Beijing, had tender, fair skin, while Dr. Fang, even after years in Tibet, hadn't tanned much. Walking side by side through the market, the two drew plenty of attention.
Since there were many buses heading to Shannan, and the station was close to the market, Fang Shiyou saw no need to hurry. He first took Xu Nanheng to buy beddings. The two tall men had to duck slightly when entering the shop.
The shopkeeper's wife looked them over with a smile, finding them very pleasing to the eye. She asked what they needed and what size bed they preferred. Xu Nanheng had no idea. Stumped by the question, he could only turn to Dr. Fang.
Dr. Fang answered, “A one-point-five-meter-wide bed.”
She then asked what kind of cotton. Xu Nanheng didn't know that either and looked to him again.
“Regular cotton is fine. We'll take three, plus two sets of duvet covers and sheets, and a pair of down pillows.”
Once everything was chosen, the shopkeeper's son helped carry everything to the car and stuffed it into the trunk. Xu Nanheng thought the shopping was over. He was about to climb in when Fang Shiyou called out to him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Teacher Xu, you're leaving already?”
“We've got what we came for, so aren't we going?” Xu Nanheng said, hand on the car door.
Fang Shiyou lowered his head, smiling helplessly. “You still need to buy a power strip, a heater, a humidifier, a small electric cooker, and a hair dryer……”
“……Ah.” Xu Nanheng let out a confused monosyllable.
Fang Shiyou said, “I'm not finished. You'll need laundry detergent, soap, and shampoo, right?”
“Yes.”
“And instant noodles, snacks, instant coffee, you'll want those too, won't you?”
“Yes.”
At last, Teacher Xu had to face the painful truth that he really might be Young Master Xu. Especially once the car could no longer hold anything and even the roof was strapped full of bags, he once again turned a pleading look toward Dr. Fang.
For some reason, he just felt that Dr. Fang would have a solution.
And Fang Shiyou did. Standing at the market entrance, he scratched his head, sunglasses hooked on his collar, brows furrowed in thought. After a moment he said, “Alright. You stay here in the county for a bit. I'll go to Shannan and drive my pickup back.”
“I can drive you there,” Xu Nanheng said.
“No need. Why go through all that trouble? It's easy for me to just take the bus there and back.”
Xu Nanheng didn't insist and just nodded in agreement. The bus station was right next to the market. Fang Shiyou waved, saying he was off, and walked a short distance before turning back. Xu Nanheng hadn't gotten into the car yet. He was leaning against the door, searching on his phone for nearby food.
Looking up, he saw Dr. Fang jogging back. Xu Nanheng smiled and asked, “Did you forget something?”
“No.” Fang Shiyou stopped, slightly out of breath, and pulled out his phone. “Let's add each other on WeChat, so I don't lose track of you later.”
“Oh, right.” Xu Nanheng nodded, realizing he had forgotten again.
Teacher Xu's profile picture was of his family's tabby, perched on the roof tiles of a siheyuan, a shot he had taken while standing on a stool.
Dr. Fang's was a Tibetan antelope he had once photographed in Hoh Xil, the animal looking straight into his lens at the perfect moment.
“I'm going now,” Fang Shiyou said.
“Go ahead.” Xu Nanheng pocketed his phone.