SAYE

“Wanna fuck?” Gu Fei suddenly spoke up.
Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3

　　Besides the fact that he was not very good at consoling other people, Jiang Cheng thought that he was not very good at caring for other people either.

　　Perhaps it was the unusual way of caring demonstrated by his adopted parents throughout his childhood. To him, any affection that came from them felt more like demands, a kind of gracious and logical expectation.

　　He did not know if it was because of that, or if it was Li Baoguo’s genes in his blood, but ultimately, he was not exactly an expert wielder of these ‘caring’ skills. Even Pan Zhi, his rock-solid best friend, the person he considered as the only close friend, had never received much from Jiang Cheng in terms of sympathetic care when he got sick or injured in the past. Jiang Cheng’s consolations would always sound a little stiff. More than a few times Pan Zhi had said, “It’s probably better if you don’t ask. With how awkward you’re acting, people might think we have some kind of unspeakable history between us.”

　　But since meeting Gu Fei, a lot of things were different now.

　　He learned to care for another person, to have his heart ache for another person to such an extent, with an affection he expressed earnestly, straight from his heart, without any awkwardness or stiffness… 

　　Ah, so this is the power of love. Tsktsktsk.

　　Jiang Cheng looked down at Gu Fei, who was asleep and leaning against him, and kissed him on the top of his head.

　　Gu Fei’s hair was quite stiff. After he shaved it into a buzzcut, it felt scratchy whenever he kissed it. But he kissed it again after the first time and, if he was not worried about waking Gu Fei, he would even take a bite.

　　Gu Fei was the first person who made his heart ache so much that it trembled. When sick, Gu Fei did not have the usual air possessed by the Supremo Gu of the Steel Works. The way he lay in Jiang Cheng’s arms quietly with his eyes closed, made him look just like a bullied cat.

　　A cat that was also a little wet.

　　If it was Pan Zhi sitting there drenched head to toe in sweat, he would get beaten up for just coming near Jiang Cheng, let alone be held in his arms.

　　… Though of course, Pan Zhi was his bro after all, not his lover.

　　Oyoo, lover.

　　Jiang Cheng tutted quietly to himself. What is this cheesy flowery vibe. Lover eh.

　　Perhaps he was not quiet enough. Gu Fei’s head moved a little, accompanied by a small moan.

　　“What is it?” Jiang Cheng asked.

　　“Am I supposed to take medicine?” Gu Fei mumbled.

　　“Ah, yes!” Jiang Cheng only just then remembered that he did not give Gu Fei the fever medication. He frantically reached out a hand for the medicine.

　　However, the medicine was on the coffee table; he could not reach it. To get it, he would have to let go of Gu Fei, who was at the moment leaning on him. If he moved away, then Gu Fei the sick kitty would have to hold himself up… But really, he just didn’t want to let go.

　　After maybe a second of hesitation, Jiang Cheng reached out his foot, and with his toes, picked up the little paper bag containing the two fever pills from the coffee table.

　　“Oh fuck,” Gu Fei turned away and said weakly. “I’m not eating that.”

　　“So fussy,” Jiang Cheng took the paper bag from his foot. “The medicine is wrapped up inside. And besides, it’s not like I stepped on dog shit with my foot.”

　　“Ah…” Gu Fei sighed. “Then are you gonna fetch the glass with your foot too?”

　　“Crap.” Jiang Cheng looked at the water glass that was even further than the medicine, and after a long deliberation, reached out with his foot again.

　　“Cheng-ge, please wake up.” Said Gu Fei.

　　Jiang Cheng did not answer as he hooked his foot on the edge of the coffee table and yanked it hard toward the sofa. After dragging the fairly hefty coffee table to within arms reach, he pulled it with his hand and brought it right up to the sofa.

　　“Here, take your medicine.” He picked up the glass of water and placed one of the tablets in Gu Fei’s mouth.

　　“Great wisdom comes from the lazy person huh.” Gu Fei took a few sips from the straw and washed down the pill.

　　“It’s not laziness,” Jiang Cheng said. “I just didn’t want to let go.”

　　Adhering to the principle of not letting go, Jiang Cheng subsequently used his foot to pick up the thermometer, a piece of candy, and the TV remote.

　　It was not until Gu Fei wanted to drink water and there was none left in the glass, that he finally let out a sigh. The hot water thermos was on a table next to the TV. He would be able to reach it only if he took off his left leg and connected it to his right.

　　“Hold yourself up for a second,” Jiang Cheng kicked away the coffee table. “I’ll get you some water.”
　　“I’ll take a shower later and go lie down on the bed.” Gu Fei said.

　　“Shower?” Jiang Cheng looked at him. “You’re running a fever, what do you mean shower? At least wait until the fever goes down.”

　　“I can’t go on living like this without a shower,” Gu Fei said. “I’m covered in sweat.”

　　Jiang Cheng did not have a lot of experience taking care of a sick person. After all, Gu Fei’s fever was not caused by something like a cold, so he really could not tell what he had to watch out for. Therefore he was a little lost between the only folk remedy he knew of “sweating it out”, and Gu Fei’s proclamation of “can’t go on living like this without a shower”.

　　“I’m an overachiever when it comes to general knowledge of life,” Gu Fei said. “You flunkie.”

　　Jiang Cheng thought he had a point, so he did not continue to hold Gu Fei back, and let him go take a shower.

　　“And don’t cover me up either, I’m not feeling any chills right now.” After his shower, Gu Fei laid down on the bed, spreading himself out languidly, and closed his eyes. “As long as you hold me.”

　　“Okay.” Jiang Cheng gave him a thin towel blanket.

　　He then dashed to the bathroom and took a shower, before dashing back to the bedroom and checking Gu Fei’s temperature again.

　　“It’s 38 degrees now,” Jiang Cheng turned off the lights and laid down beside Gu Fei, wrapping his arms around him. “That means it’s going down, right?”

　　“Mhm.” Gu Fei answered. “If the fever’s still there, I’ll feel cold.”

　　“Ayy…” Jiang Cheng sighed. “I was thinking just now, I’m going away to school, so what will you do when you get sick and I’m not around to take care of you… But to be honest, even when I’m here I’m only adding to the trouble, right.”

　　“How are you adding to the trouble,” Gu Fei smiled. “If you’re not here today, when I get a fever, I’ll just pour a glass of water and sleep straight through it until the fever’s gone.”

　　“Wait, no,” Jiang Cheng said after thinking about it some more. “You won’t get sick again. You only had a fever this time because of me.”

　　“I’m going to say it one last time,” Gu Fei said while stroking Jiang Cheng’s hand. “If you say something like this again, I’ll…”

　　“You’ll what?” Jiang Cheng asked.

　　“I… I’ll think about it first, I haven’t decided yet.” Gu Fei smiled. “I just don’t like it when you say things like that.”

　　“Mhm, I won’t say it anymore.” Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.

　　Neither of them spoke again, but Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Fei did not fall asleep, he could tell by the sound of his breathing that he was still awake.

　　This silence was different from their usual comfortable silence. Jiang Cheng did not even need to ask, he knew it was because of what he said earlier: “I’m going away to school”.

　　They had never discussed this issue amongst the two of them before; the only time it was mentioned was probably when he asked Gu Fei about what happens “after”.

　　They would have to separate very soon, it was a reality that they were both avoiding. There had been no discussions, not even regarding which school Jiang Cheng wanted to go to.

　　Jiang Cheng had always thought that even if they were apart, it would not be that big of a deal. They still had phones and video calls… But now that the departure date was drawing nearer by the day, and the excuse of “can’t have any distractive thoughts during studying” can no longer be applied, he finally realized how scared he had been about this day.

　　As Gu Fei fell asleep, his breathing gradually slowed. Jiang Cheng grabbed his phone and set a vibrating alarm.

　　He figured that once he let himself fully relax, he might not be able to get up the next morning. And yet he must get up early to prepare breakfast for Gu Fei.

　　For a long time, Jiang Cheng had been waking up every morning to food that was already there. Even if Gu Fei had not fallen sick, he would still want Gu Fei to experience this pig-like life.

　　“Good night.” He leaned close to Gu Fei’s ear and said softly, then kissed the tip of it.

　　It was a chaotic night.

　　For someone who had gone quite some time without having any dreams, Jiang Cheng thought his dreams that night could amount to forty whole episodes, if he had remembered them all. Although, by the time he was woken up by his vibrating phone, he could only remember the highlights reel.

　　The highlights were taken up by scenes of the exams: a forgotten pencil here and an eraser that turned into a block of wood there, or else his answer card was ripped…

　　He had never been that nervous about the exams, but turned out all his nerves were collected right here.

　　Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei beside him. Still asleep.

　　Very good. Jiang Cheng sat up very carefully. Gu Fei was lying prone on the pillow, still in deep sleep. Fever really was something that took a lot out of a person. Jiang Cheng reached out a hand to feel for Gu Fei’s forehead, but after a moment of hesitation, drew his hand back again.

　　He got up and checked Gu Fei’s temperature with the thermometer: 37 degrees.
　　Much better. It might not be back to normal, but at least it had decreased by quite a bit, and was not so scary anymore.

　　Breakfast, breakfast.

　　Jiang Cheng ran to the washroom with tiny hopping steps, then after washing up, hopped his way out the door.

　　He did not know why he was hopping, but ever since he was very young, he thought that it felt like he was practicing his qinggong every time he walked with a hop, as if his steps would be lighter when he walked that way.

　　When he came back with breakfast, Gu Fei was still flopped against the pillow in the exact same position.

　　Jiang Cheng glanced at the time, it was still early. There was no reason to wake Gu Fei now. If he wanted to sleep, he could sleep for the whole day.

　　Jiang Cheng grabbed a chair, sat down on it backwards, and watched Gu Fei.

　　He no longer needed to open his eyes everyday to thoughts of studying. This life that was so idle that it was almost ridiculous was incredibly blessed.

　　He could just sit here and spend the whole day staring at Gu Fei.

　　Gu Fei’s face could withstand it too. Even with half of it buried in the pillow, it was still mesmerizing, especially on a day like today when he had his eyes closed, and a trace of fatigue still mixed in with his relaxed state…

　　And as soon as he recalled Gu Fei’s husky, slightly whiny “hold” from the day before, Jiang Cheng wanted to charge over and jump him right this very instant.

　　Sexy.

　　Just, incredibly sexy.

　　“Wanna fuck?” Gu Fei suddenly spoke up.

　　Jiang Cheng jumped. He sprang up from his seat on the chair and almost toppled over onto the floor.

　　Gu Fei’s eyes were still closed. He did not even change position.

　　Jiang Cheng thought that perhaps he was too thirsty, to the point where he was hearing things. He stared at Gu Fei for a few seconds, before quietly asking, “Gu Fei?”

　　“I’m asking, do you want to fuck?” Gu Fei opened one eye and curled up a corner of his lips. “Been sitting here staring for at least 20 minutes, haven’t you?”

　　“The fuck?” Jiang Cheng stood up. “You were awake this whole time?”

　　“Your phone has such a strong motor for vibration,” Gu Fei propped himself up on his forearms and, still hugging the pillow, rubbed his eyes. “It shook me awake as soon as it went off.”

　　Jiang Cheng stared at him without a word. Not because of the fact that he still managed to wake Gu Fei up despite being so careful, but because… Gu Fei’s pose at this moment.

　　With the upper half of his prone body propped up by his elbows, every line and every curve, from his shoulder to his lower back to his ass, was sheer temptation.

　　Jiang Cheng walked to the bedside, all the while keeping his eyes glued to Gu Fei’s lower back. To prevent himself from sounding too thirsty, he tried to forcibly clear his mind by asking, “Why pretend to be asleep when you’re already awake?”

　　“I wasn’t pretending. I was just a little tired and didn’t wanna move. I thought I’d lie here and chill for a bit.” Gu Fei turned his face to look at Jiang Cheng.

　　The word “tired” instantly snapped Jiang Cheng back to reality. Gu Fei’s fever was not entirely gone, and because he was burning up the whole night, he must still be very tired right now.

　　Jiang Cheng, you can’t have inappropriate thoughts about a sick person!

　　“Then you should… snooze for a little longer.” Jiang Cheng said with difficulty. “I…”

　　“You really don’t want it?” Gu Fei put his head down and leaned his forehead against the pillow. “Before I change my mind from all your dawdling…”

　　The contours of Gu Fei’s shoulders that became immediately defined when he bowed his head blended perfectly with his scapula. The way Gu Fei looked at that moment, Jiang Cheng felt that if he could stop himself from jumping on Gu Fei right this second, he should probably bid farewell to sex forever.

　　He yanked off his shirt with a single fluid motion, jumped onto the bed and pressed himself onto Gu Fei’s back, before biting down on his nape.

　　“Mnnhg…” Gu Fei moaned in a very low voice, but it was unclear if it was from being crushed or from the bite.

　　Bewitching.

　　That’s probably what the word is supposed to mean.

　　Jiang Cheng held Gu Fei as he sprinkled kisses and bites all over, letting his hands roam free over Gu Fei’s body. He felt acutely Gu Fei’s elevated temperature as he brushed his hands over the smooth and taut skin. It burned him until he could hear his own panting grow heavier with every breath.
　　All of his salacious thoughts toward Gu Fei had been locked up deep inside for the last several months. When left untouched, it was like a seed in hibernation, its existence practically undetectable.

　　But as soon as it was exposed to the sun and rain, it would suddenly grow like mad.

　　Those memories of Gu Fei’s body which were locked away along with his lust: the scent, so familiar that it was intoxicating; the voice, of which only one little whisper was enough to land upon his most sensitive nerve ending; the touch that would send sparks flying even with the most fleeting contact…

　　In this moment, those feelings swiftly proliferated, like branches unfurling throughout his body and over his skin, rapidly engulfing the entirety of his being.

　　Perhaps he had gone too long without this kind of intimate contact, perhaps it was that he had just been released from an immense pressure, or perhaps it was the impending departure awaiting them in the not-so-distant future. Jiang Cheng felt an especially strong urge to crush Gu Fei bit by bit into his own body, eager to be enveloped by his warmth.

　　He did not even know how he managed to leave Gu Fei’s side, to lunge at the bedside table, pull open the drawer, and take out the necessary supplies with speed comparable to lightning; nor did he know how he jumped back to bed and returned to battle with the force of thunder.

　　Eight hundred rounds was an aspiration, but to carry out one solid round was an achievable goal worthy to be meticulously realized.

　　The mingled sounds of heavy panting and moans gradually died down in the room, and Jiang Cheng laid on Gu Fei with his eyes closed. He took a minute to catch his breath, before turning and planting another bite on Gu Fei’s neck, and propped himself up. He watched as a bead of sweat fell from the tip of his nose onto Gu Fei’s chest.

　　“Do you feel any discomfort at all?” Jiang Cheng touched Gu Fei’s forehead with his hand, but since he himself felt hot all over at the moment, he could not for the life of him make out the temperature of Gu Fei’s forehead.

　　“Nope.” Gu Fei smiled.

　　“Will you get a cold from all this sweat?” Jiang Cheng frowned and brushed his hand over Gu Fei’s skin again. “Hurry and go take a hot shower.”

　　“Worry about yourself first,” Gu Fei stroked Jiang Cheng’s belly with his finger. “You look like you just ran five kilometers.”

　　“Come on,” Jiang Cheng smiled and got up from the bed. “Let’s go shower.”

　　“Mhm,” Gu Fei followed him out of bed and said as he walked out the door. “Grab some clothes for me.”

　　“Turn the temperature higher.” Jiang Cheng called after him as he pulled open the closet door. Gu Fei seemed alright; not like a patient who had just been taken advantage of.

　　As Jiang Cheng walked out of the bedroom with a change of clothes for the two of them, he glanced up and saw the curtains in the living room, open with a foot-wide gap.

　　“The fuck?” He froze on the spot, then quickly lowered the clothes in his hands to cover the key spot, then between the options of charging into the bathroom or running back to the bedroom, he decided in a flash on the bathroom. After all, turning around would expose his butt.

　　When he ran into the bathroom, Gu Fei had already turned on the shower head, and was standing under it with one hand against the wall. He cracked up when he saw Jiang Cheng run in, “The curtains were open.”

　　“You saw it and didn’t tell me?” Jiang Cheng glared at him.

　　“I didn’t get a chance to, I just ran in here with my hands covering little Feifei.” Gu Fei laughed and said. “It’s not a very big opening anyways, and no one’s windows are on the other side, it’s fine.”

　　“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Jiang Cheng set their clothes on the rack and pressed himself up against Gu Fei’s back under the water.

　　“No.” Gu Fei turned around and leaned against him, resting his chin on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

　　“I know you did it on purpose even if you won’t admit it.” Jiang Cheng tutted. “You haven’t even fully recovered, and still you’re so troublesome.” 

　　Gu Fei smiled without a word.

　　It was not at all convenient to take a shower while huddled together with another person, but Gu Fei continued to hang onto him, maybe out of fatigue, or maybe because Gu Fei just wanted to be pampered. Rather than push Gu Fei away, Jiang Cheng spent a lot of effort to wash both of them, all the while holding Gu Fei in his arms.

　　After breakfast, Gu Fei laid back down on the bed. Perhaps because he worked out a sweat earlier, his temperature had dropped to 36.8 degrees at this point. Jiang Cheng was much relieved as he laid down on the bed with him.

　　“Let’s get a little more sleep,” Jiang Cheng said. “Nothing else to do anyway.”

　　“Mhm.” Gu Fei rolled over and put his arms around Jiang Cheng.

　　Even though Jiang Cheng did not feel very sleepy, he still fell asleep almost instantly after closing his eyes.

　　Until the buzzing of an incoming call woke them up.

　　“Who’s calling?” Gu Fei asked, the muddle of sleep still thick in his voice.

　　“Dunno,” Jiang Cheng was also still in a daze. He felt around under the pillow for a while, but even after the phone stopped vibrating he still could not find it. “They hung up.”

　　“Are they calling you to go to the farewell dinner?” Gu Fei said.

　　“That’s in the evening,” Jiang Cheng finally found his phone and looked out the window. It was pretty dark outside, similar to when they woke up that morning. “Is it about to rain or… the hell?”
　　He was absolutely bewildered when he saw the time on his phone, “It’s six o’clock?”

　　Gu Fei lifted his head in surprise, “What?”

　　The call was from Lao-Xu. Everyone had already gathered for the farewell dinner and had arrived at the hotel. Other than Yi Jing, they were the only ones missing.

　　“I overslept,” Jiang Cheng felt apologetic. “Sorry about that, Xu-zong, I’ll head over right away.”

　　“Can you get in touch with Gu Fei?” Lao-Xu asked. “I called him but his phone’s off… I know he never liked to participate in these group activities, but this is the last time, we’re just going to have one last meal together. I hope that he will come.”

　　“I…” Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei beside him. “I’ll contact him, we’ll go together.”

　　After hanging up, he touched Gu Fei’s forehead—it felt like an acceptable temperature. “Lao-Xu’s afraid that you’re not going to dinner.”

　　“Going,” Gu Fei rubbed his face. “It’s the last time, after all.”

　　Lao-Xu and Lao-Lu had reserved a conference room on the second floor of the hotel, and had ordered several tables. When Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei arrived, the roomful of people were in the middle of heated shouts and laughter.

　　“They’re here, they’re here!” Someone yelled upon seeing them.

　　“I knew they would come together.” Said one of the girls with a laugh.

　　“Over here!” Wang Xu was sitting at the table furthest in. He stood up and waved at them. “I saved seats for you! Come here!”

　　“Where’s Yi Jing?” Gu Fei sat down and asked quietly.

　　“Not coming, I called her already.” Wang Xu sighed. “Lao-Xu and Lao-Lu both tried calling; she wouldn’t come, and now even her phone’s off.”

　　“Never mind, anyone would feel terrible if it happened to them.” Gu Fei said.

　　“Mhm,” Wang Xu poured tea for both of them, and then poured them two glasses of beer. “It’s fine if she doesn’t wanna come, or if she repeats the exams next year, or whatever else. She’s still got me.”

　　Jiang Cheng shot him a glance and smiled.

　　“Don’t you doubt me, Jiang Cheng.” Wang Xu glared at him. “When I’ve set my sights on someone, I will keep them company.”

　　“I believe you.” Jiang Cheng nodded.

　　“On this point, you two should take a lesson from me.” Wang Xu looked at him with a resolute expression.

　　“If anyone hears you, I will make sure to give you a makeover so that not even Yi Jing will recognize you.” Said Gu Fei.

　　“I was being quiet!” Wang Xu lowered his voice reluctantly. “Can you have a little more faith in me?”

　　“Nope.” Gu Fei answered.

　　“… Damn it.” Wang Xu picked up his cup grumpily and took a big gulp of tea.

　　“Students! Students!” From across the table, Lao-Xu stood up from his seat, holding a glass of beer. “I have something to say.”

　　Everyone’s voices dropped, but there was still a low buzzing in the room.

　　“Among the whole lot of you, some had listened to me go on for three years, and some for two, but most of you don’t like to hear it. Today is the last time.” Lao-Xu tapped his chopsticks against the glass. “So today, you all listen to me properly.”

　　Everyone quieted down and looked toward him.

　　“The University Entrance Exam is over, and so is your high school life.” Lao-Xu said. “Regardless of how you spent these last three years, when you look back on it in the future, this is the period of youth that belonged to you…”

　　Lao-Xu paused and took a drink from his glass, “After this summer break, some of you will leave this place and go to school in another city, and some of you will stay here, maybe for school and maybe for work. It will probably be very difficult for us to gather with such a complete headcount in the future. And so, today!”

　　Jiang Cheng looked at the shimmering tears in Lao-Xu’s eyes, and felt a little emotional.

　　“And so today!” Lao-Xu raised his glass over his head. “If we want to cry, or laugh, or have a little drink, go ahead and do it. No matter what your paths are in the future, I am proud of all of you, because you’ve brought me many pleasant surprises. Of course, a lot of troubles too. But these are all precious memories, and should not be forgotten no matter how much time has passed…”

　　With that, Lao-Xu tipped his head back and downed the rest of his glass, before booming out, “Class-8, class-8! Dark horse at the gate!”

　　“Class-8, class-8! Dark horse at the gate!” Everyone raised their glasses and echoed the line, until all their voices melded into one.