Xia Liu Yi used his weakened right hand to loop his tie around the pipe rack beside the window. Clenching the end of the tie between his teeth, he used it in place of his right hand for support and climbed another level. At last, his left hand reached the windowsill. With great effort, he hauled half his body up and let out a heavy gasp. Then he forced his right hand to claw and tug at the window until it finally slid open. With one last push of both legs, he heaved his entire upper body inside.
The window was a little narrow, and he got stuck there, wriggling and struggling for quite some time before finally tumbling into the room. His face and hair were covered in dust, his clothes filthy, and the sweat dripping down his forehead had mixed with grime, stinging his eyes and blurring his vision. He wiped his face awkwardly, got to his feet, and strained to see through the darkness.
In the faint moonlight, he saw a pair of wide-open eyes—He Chu San was propped against the headboard, hugging a large pillow, his entire body seemingly frozen as he stared blankly at him.
Xia Liu Yi strode forward, wanting to hug him but not daring to, as though He Chu San were a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch. Standing helplessly beside the bed, he looked at He Chu San’s pale, gaunt face and opened his mouth, but the tears came first.
“I knew it,” he choked out. He rubbed his dirty palms hard against his own clothes before finally reaching out to gently touch He Chu San’s face. “I knew it…”
He had known it. It wasn’t that things were merely “inconvenient” on He Chu San’s side, nor that his injuries were “not serious.” He had simply been afraid that if Xia Liu Yi saw how weak and haggard he had become, Xia Liu Yi would blame himself even more and hurt even more.
He Chu San tossed the pillow aside and, with difficulty, wrapped his arms around him. Only then did Xia Liu Yi dare to draw closer, carefully returning the embrace and burying his face in He Chu San’s shoulder as he desperately suppressed his sobs. He Chu San stroked his hair, but he too could not keep the choke from his voice and spoke incoherently. “Y-you… don’t cry, I’m fine… You… how did you get here… I’m fine… I…”
Xia Liu Yi suddenly released him, cupped his face in both hands, and spoke urgently in a trembling voice. “Listen to me, A’San. I brought a car, I brought a private doctor, and I arranged a boat for tonight. Come with me. We’ll leave right now.”
He Chu San stared at him in surprise. “Leave… Where?”
“Anywhere! I was stupid, I’m an asshole! I don’t want revenge anymore. I don’t want anything! Come with me, all right?”
“What about Dad?”
“We’ll bring Dad, Mom, and Xin Xin. We’ll all leave together. We’ll leave Hong Kong and go abroad.”
He Chu San stared blankly at him and could not help continuing the thought. “We’ll buy a big house and all live together. On weekends, we’ll drive to a lake, build a big wooden cabin in the forest, and raise a big dog…”
Xia Liu Yi nodded furiously, his eyes full of pleading and hope. “Yes. Yes, yes…”
He Chu San smiled through his tears. Moonlight spilled in through the window and cast a faint glow over Xia Liu Yi’s figure. Last night’s dream and tonight’s reality strangely intertwined, as though layer after layer of mist beneath the moon had been swept away. Two parallel lines that should never have crossed, two completely different worlds, two souls breaking free of the constraints of their bodies—entwining, merging, their hearts perfectly aligned.
At that moment, He Chu San felt an incomparable peace settle over his heart. Smiling, he wiped the moisture from the corner of Xia Liu Yi’s eye, leaned forward, and gently kissed his trembling lips.
“Silly Brother Liu Yi.”
Because of these words of yours, what do mountains of blades or seas of fire matter?
Still smiling, he caressed Xia Liu Yi’s face. “I’m not leaving. Someday, I promise you, we will live like that. But not now.”
Xia Liu Yi gripped his hand, opening his mouth in grief and helplessness but unable to say anything. He knew what he had said was foolish. He knew He Chu San would not leave with him, yet he had still frantically prepared everything and clung to that tiny sliver of hope enough to ask. These past few days, he had been so frightened and anxious that again and again he had hovered on the verge of losing control and breaking down. Countless times, he had wanted to bring men and guns, storm the place, and simply snatch He Chu San back from Master Qiao by force. He did not want He Chu San to remain in this dangerous hellhole for even one more second.
Seeing how worried and pitiful he looked, He Chu San could not resist kissing him again. “If you feel sorry for me, then take good care of yourself and stop making me worry. Look at the state you’re in. You look like a filthy big tabby cat. How many days has it been since you washed your face or shaved? You’ve been smoking again, haven’t you? Have you been eating properly?”
Me? What do I look like? Xia Liu Yi stared blankly before finally realizing. He hurriedly wiped the grime from his face, then quickly wiped He Chu San’s hand too.
“The bathroom is right beside the door. Go wash up, then come back and talk to me properly,” He Chu San said gently.
Xia Liu Yi did not even realize he was being coaxed like a cat. Dazed and obedient, he walked toward the bathroom. The light and sound of running water alerted the bodyguards outside, and one called through the door, “Mr. He?”
“It’s fine. I’m just washing up. No need to come in,” He Chu San replied.
…
There was a shower in the bathroom. Xia Liu Yi looked at himself in the mirror—clothes ragged, hair disheveled, looking like an absolute wreck—and thought of how many germs he might have brought in to He Chu San while he was recovering. He silently slapped himself across the face. Then he simply stripped and washed himself thoroughly from head to toe, carefully rinsed his mouth and shaved, and only when he felt he could not possibly be any cleaner did he walk out naked, turn his back to He Chu San, and search the wardrobe beside the hospital bed for something to wear.
As he rummaged through it, he suddenly felt He Chu San’s cool palm stroke the crisscrossing old scars on his back. He stopped moving and obediently stood still, letting He Chu San touch them.
“Do these scars still hurt?” He Chu San asked softly.
Xia Liu Yi shook his head. “No.”
“Were these from when you saved Azure Dragon?” He Chu San was referring to the incident in Xia Liu Yi’s youth when he had fought more than forty men alone with twin blades to rescue Azure Dragon from an alley, earning the name “Black Children’s Day.”
“Yes.”
“Wounds you get for someone you love don’t hurt,” He Chu San said quietly.
Xia Liu Yi knew he was not being jealous of Azure Dragon. He was talking about himself. He was trying to comfort him. Unable to resist, Xia Liu Yi turned around and gently lifted He Chu San’s hospital gown, wanting to look at his wound, but He Chu San pressed his hand down.
“Don’t look. There are tubes in it. It’s ugly,” He Chu San said. When Xia Liu Yi still tried to insist, He Chu San sighed. “Be good. Go put on that blue robe.”
Xia Liu Yi looked at his pale face and released his hand. Right now, he was completely obedient to He Chu San.
He put on the robe. It was brand-new, with the tag still attached. He Chu San made him turn around again, carefully removed the tag, then dried his hair for him as well. Xia Liu Yi wanted to do it himself, but He Chu San refused to let him.
When he was done, He Chu San happily looked him up and down. Boss Xia might still be haggard, but after cleaning himself up he was once again handsome, long-legged, and strikingly dashing, leaving the Boss’s wife very satisfied. “That’s more like it. Even if the sky falls, you still need to eat properly, sleep properly, and keep yourself clean. Don’t make me worry, understand?”
Xia Liu Yi nodded obediently.
He Chu San had finally managed to tame this fierce, stubborn wildcat completely. Delighted, he planted a kiss on Xia Liu Yi’s handsome face like stamping his personal seal. “Go turn off the lights. Get into bed.”
Xia Liu Yi switched off the lights. He Chu San shifted slightly to one side to make room for him. In the darkness, Xia Liu Yi carefully gathered him into his arms and buried his face against the back of his neck, rubbing against him for a long time without speaking. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but right now all he wanted was to hold He Chu San a little longer. Just a little longer.
He Chu San said nothing either, resting quietly in his arms with his eyes half-closed. Xia Liu Yi thought he had fallen asleep and gently tucked the blanket around him. He Chu San seemed to suddenly awaken from a state of complete relaxation, opened his eyes, turned to look at him, and smiled.
“I keep feeling like I’m still dreaming,” he said as he stroked Xia Liu Yi’s hand. “You really came. I’ve been dreaming about you every day.”
Leave a Reply