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Chapter 125: Have you ever liked anyone?
Huo Niansheng tossed the towel onto the back of the chair, opened the door, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Wengang stood outside like a ghost, looking solemn—he said he had tinnitus.
Huo Niansheng paused for a moment, then looked towards his ear and asked, ‘What’s going on?’
Chen Wengang suddenly reached out to him and hugged him.
Huo Niansheng didn’t move at first, but then Chen Wengang pressed his face against his chest.
With no one else in the living room, and Chen Wengang having just taken a shower, he still carried the scent of lemon shower gel, which Huo Niansheng could smell in his hair. From this angle, Huo Niansheng could see the scar on the side of his forehead when he lowered his head slightly.
Slowly, he raised his hand, patted Chen Wengang’s back, and lifted his face.
Chen Wengang made a desperate attempt to reach his lips.
It started with a tentative kiss, as he braced himself for rejection, but Huo Niansheng embraced him and responded.
So, inexplicably, the two of them were on the bed again. Chen Wengang was pressed into the pillow by Huo Niansheng. The other party kissed him with some subtle care. He put his arm around Huo Niansheng’s neck, feeling a little guilty at first, and then a lot of emptiness.
Just before that door opened, he hadn’t figured out why he sought out Huo Niansheng, or what he could possibly do with him.
The door opened, and Huo Niansheng looked at him with a smile in his peach-blossom eyes. He took a step forward, impulsively making a decision.
When one doesn’t know what to do, they instinctively seek comfort from their kind, which is also instinctual, not rational. Huo Niansheng couldn’t even explain what he was thinking. What he was doing now was undoubtedly irrational, but he was aware of that.
The sound of their breathing filled their ears. He held one of Chen Wengang’s hands, its thin, frail wrist hiding blue veins beneath the skin.
But he couldn’t care about anything else.
By late night, the room fell silent. Chen Wengang lay on the bedside, resting his chin on his hands, staring at the clock on the bedside table.
The long hand moved forward tick by tick, tick-tock, and soon his eyes grew heavy, his spirit somewhat languid.
Huo Niansheng pulled the bedsheet, leaning closer, his fingers tracing along the ridge of his back towards the shoulder blades.
In the angle of the wall lamp’s light, Chen Wengang’s back had several new scars that had healed. He didn’t even realize it himself, and he involuntarily shuddered. But Huo Niansheng still touched him, asking, “How did you get these?”
Chen Wengang turned his head back and saw them. “From fighting with someone.”
There was a moment of silence behind him, and then Huo Niansheng used his thumb and forefinger to measure his body.
As for when Chen Wengang had the chance to fight with someone and create what seemed like cigarette burns, he didn’t ask further.
Instead, he smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Seeing an old flame today put you in a bad mood?’”
Chen Wengang reached out, swept the box on the bedside back into the open drawer, and closed it.
He didn’t answer the question but instead turned his head and asked Huo Niansheng, “Do you have a girlfriend now?”
“No.”
“Boyfriend?”
“No. I haven’t even had casual flings. What are you worried about? Once bitten by a snake, you fear a rope for ten years?”
“…Hmm.”
“Then what were you up to just now? Why didn’t you think to ask?” Huo Niansheng chuckled, leaning close to his ear. “Oh, you come to me when you’re not feeling well, then suddenly remember these things after, what do you take me for?”
Chen Wengang was tongue-tied, unable to respond. He shifted position slightly, sitting up a bit and turning his body sideways. Huo Niansheng followed suit, teasing with his mouth but also reaching out an arm to pull him closer, his arm resting behind his head as if embracing him.
There was such a natural warmth in his movements that Chen Wengang didn’t dare to move for a while and just watched what happened.
He wasn’t even sure if this playboy treated everyone he slept with with such grace.
It was strange; they were originally distant acquaintances, and if not for various accidents, Chen Wengang might never have imagined that he would be taken in by Huo Niansheng and live here for so long. In the past, he always had a frivolous impression of Huo Niansheng. Nevertheless, he couldn’t have imagined that one day they would end up in bed together.
It goes to show, that life is unpredictable, fate is unpredictable, and now that it’s happened, there’s nothing particularly special about it.
After a while, Chen Wengang suddenly asked, ‘Have you ever liked someone?’
Huo Niansheng replied, “Not anymore. What about you?”
“I have, but now I hate him.”
Huo Niansheng listened quietly as he poured out his feelings.
“I should hate Zheng Yucheng—I feel like there are many reasons to hate him, but when I try to count them, it’s not so clear. He was the young master, he was kind to me when we were kids, and the Zheng family raised me. So I thought, okay, let’s just avoid each other for the rest of our lives and bury all the grudges, and it seemed like not much had happened after all. I had stopped thinking about it until I saw him today, and suddenly felt like the second half of my life is still too long. The better our relationship was in the past, the more incomprehensible it is now. I don’t want to see him anymore, but even catching a glimpse is painful.”
Huo Niansheng listened attentively. “So what are you going to do? Hire someone to take care of him?”
Unable to hold back, Chen Wengang said, “Why not just lend me some money so I can disappear?”
Huo Niansheng laughed, “Will you pay me back later? How much do you owe? Can you pay it off?”
Chen Wengang also smiled, “You probably don’t need this bit, right? When I start a new life, I’ll slowly pay you back.”
Of course, Huo Niansheng didn’t agree. He embraced Chen Wengang, and they leaned against the bedhead, seeming like a couple in the dim light.
Chen Wengang was really tired, and feeling drowsy. He no longer constantly wondered why Huo Niansheng had helped him. Occasionally, he would jokingly probe, but Huo Niansheng never truly answered the question, indicating he didn’t want to explain.
Both knew Chen Wengang had nothing, so helping him was an unprofitable endeavor.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Chen Wengang felt a warm breath near his ear.
Huo Niansheng was kissing him gently, his lips touching the scarred right ear. This side of his ear had also suffered damage, being corroded by strong acid, losing its original shape, leaving behind hard scars and hyperplasia.
Chen Wengang was immediately awakened, his reaction not too intense but not entirely accustomed either. “I won’t disturb your rest anymore.”
After saying goodnight, Chen Wengang lifted the covers and got out of bed, bidding Huo Niansheng farewell, ending their night together, no longer sharing the same bed.
Huo Niansheng remained leaning against the bedside, not saying much, watching as Chen Wengang left the room.
Chen Wengang returned to the guest bedroom, got into his own bed, and lay down. After a few minutes, the door suddenly opened again. Huo Niansheng entered uninvited, his gaze sweeping around the room, seemingly searching for something, before finally reaching out and taking the cigarettes and lighter.
He said to Chen Wengang, “I’ve advised you before, but you didn’t listen. Wounds don’t heal easily, so quit smoking.”
Afterward, Huo Niansheng did indeed take charge of Chen Wengang, having the caretaker watch over him, ensuring he didn’t smoke anymore and didn’t indulge in alcohol recklessly.
When they went out for Western meals, they would have a little wine as an accompaniment, with Chen Wengang not objecting much to the low alcohol content.
As for their physical relationship, after the first time, the second time seemed natural, or at least much easier. About half a month later, one evening, when Huo Niansheng returned late, he found his way to Chen Wengang’s bedroom.
There were a few more instances like that, but they still slept in separate rooms, not crossing that line.
It was a matter of space and psychological distinction. For Chen Wengang, the guest bedroom he had been living in could be considered his room in terms of ownership, but the master bedroom still belonged to the master of the house. His movements within the apartment were very clear—his own room, the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the balcony. Unless they were making love, he wouldn’t intrude into Huo Niansheng’s space.
When Huo Niansheng wasn’t home, Chen Wengang became a person with nothing to do.
He had plenty of time to spare, and Huo Niansheng didn’t restrict him. He could do whatever he wanted, whether it was reading, watching movies, playing games, or taking care of plants, cultivating himself, or contemplating life and planning for the future. In any case, his life should have been filled with meaningful activities. But for some reason, he couldn’t muster any interest in anything and just went through the motions every day.
The TV was on all day, from the morning news to the eight o’clock dramas, and then to the midnight variety show replays. Mrs. Meng thought Chen Wengang was always watching TV and sometimes came over to nag him about not straining his eyes too much. In reality, he just left the screen on, skipping frame by frame.
Especially on nights when Huo Niansheng wasn’t home and Mrs. Meng had left, leaving the house empty, the TV stayed on all night.
Chen Wengang would bring the blanket out and sleep on the sofa in the living room. He turned the TV volume very low. The hosts and guests on the midnight program moved their lips, the camera switched back and forth, and they kept talking, bursting into exaggerated laughter, but all the voices were suppressed very low, becoming background white noise aiding sleep. After the program ended, it would turn into a long “gg”.
Once, in the middle of the night, the door suddenly creaked, and somehow, Huo Niansheng had come back unexpectedly, walking in on this scene.
He paused, tiptoeing, thinking Chen Wengang had fallen asleep while watching TV, and came to find the remote to turn it off.
In the changing light, Chen Wengang’s half-face flickered. Then he sat up from the sofa, looking clear-minded, and asked Huo Niansheng how he came, whether he had any social engagements nearby, and if he needed some honey water.
Huo Niansheng asked, “You weren’t asleep?”
Chen Wengang said, “I was asleep.”
In this state, every day from morning until night felt long. But once it endured, time seemed to fly by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was almost the Lunar New Year, and Chen Wengang spent this spring festival in the hospital.
Mrs. Meng skillfully packed up the things he needed for his hospital stay. Over the past few months, going back and forth to the hospital has become routine—sometimes for check-ups, and sometimes for follow-up appointments. This time, he was hospitalized for ear reconstruction surgery.
Compared to Chen Wengang himself, Huo Niansheng had not given up hope regarding his physical disabilities. He even consulted many experts, flying in from all over the country, attempting to fix Chen Wengang’s imperfections, still trying to salvage this flawed product.
With such a medical lineup, the surgery was bound to be successful. However, the process inevitably involved pain and required the patient’s endurance.
On New Year’s Eve, Mrs. Meng took the day off, and Chen Wengang sent the caregiver away as well. This was a day for family reunions, and even seriously ill patients, as long as they weren’t in the intensive care unit and unable to move, would try their best to go home for the New Year.
Chen Wengang left the ward, wandering around the building. From the first floor to the sixth floor, it was deserted, devoid of any festive atmosphere.
He chatted with the nurses at the nursing station for a while, gathering around a tablet with them and watching the variety show programs.
Then he returned to the ward. When he was about to go to bed, Chen Wengang noticed many missed calls on his phone.
This phone number was obtained later, was known to a few people, and all the missed calls were from one person.
He called back Huo Niansheng, hearing him ask on the other end, “Why didn’t you answer the phone? Where did you go?”
Chen Wengang recounted all the activities of the evening, interrupted once in between when someone called Huo Niansheng’s name. Huo Niansheng seemed to have changed locations before continuing the call with Chen Wengang. At the other end, he lightly laughed and said, “Why does it sound so boring?”
Chen Wengang casually replied, “It is a bit boring.”
Unexpectedly, Huo Niansheng said, “I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”
Chen Wengang was taken aback. “You don’t have to. Aren’t you spending the New Year at home?”
Huo Niansheng said, “It’s okay, it’s boring anyway. I might as well come to see you. You go to sleep first; I’ll be there in the morning.”
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