OS - 22

Yanci’s entire body weight was almost completely on Zhou Yu. Before she arrived, Yanci had washed his face with cold water. The faucet was still running, and the water overflowing from the sink dripped onto the floor, making it very slippery underfoot.

Zhou Yu stumbled back a few steps, her back hitting the wall before she could barely stand firm.

His burning breath fell on her neck, and even the water dripping from his chin was hot. Zhou Yu had seen him drunk before, but it was never like this.

“Okay, we’ll go home right now.”

Zhou Yu picked up Yanci’s black baseball cap and put it on his head, then slightly pulled the brim down to cover his flushed face.

In just a few minutes, Zhou Yu was already drenched in sweat. She could feel that Yanci always wanted to hide behind her. In front of the corridor, two people were smoking by the window, laughing and saying something.

“That woman has wanted to sleep with Yanci for a long time. Today, she probably tampered with the drinks, but she didn’t keep an eye on him and is looking for him everywhere upstairs and downstairs.”

“At that hot-blooded age, who needs that stuff? A few casual kisses and touches are enough to make him hard, alright?”

“But he has to be interested. He never even gives her a second glance. Taking off her clothes won’t make him feel anything. She’s been craving him for too long and just wants to sleep with him first.”

“That’s really messed up, to do something like that.”

“I heard that woman was often criticized by Yanci’s parents when she was studying in the city.”

“So she’s been holding a grudge and plotting this for a long time, how unethical.”

The two were talking when they heard movement behind them. They looked back and Yanci was too easy to recognize; even with half his face covered, those familiar with him would immediately know who he was. Zhou Yu’s school uniform was also very noticeable.

The corridor lighting was dim. Yanci was dressed all in black, so he wasn’t particularly obvious, but when he moved, one could still make out the outline of the fabric stretched by his body.

The man lighting a cigarette with a lighter said, “Hey, go out the back door.”

Zhou Yu nodded gratefully, helping Yanci turn out of the corridor. The two men walked in the opposite direction from them. When they encountered someone looking for him in the lobby, both said they hadn’t seen him.

The air outside was cool, but it was no help to Yanci.

The journey home was agonizing, and being home was even more so.

She leaned against the door, panting, her sweat-soaked wisps of hair clinging to her cheeks. Her pink lips parted and closed, saying something he couldn’t hear at all.

Alcohol made his blood boil. The boy didn’t understand desire; all longing was the most direct reaction. Simple physical contact, like her supporting his arm, was no longer enough to soothe the restlessness in his body. He still wanted her to kiss him, to touch him.

He almost uttered the three words, “Help me,” which carried a humble plea.

The orange cat jumped onto the flower stand, knocking over a flowerpot. The jarring sound made Yanci briefly sober up. His crimson eyes stared intently at Zhou Yu. He withdrew his hand from her wrist, and with the last shred of sanity, locked himself in the bathroom.

One hand rested on the door, the other reached down.

He didn’t understand many techniques, but he knew how to make himself comfortable.

However, the alcohol dulled his nerves, reducing his sensitivity. That maddening heat still ran rampant through his body, his blood vessels felt like they were about to burst, forcing his detached shell to crack open, revealing a vulnerable yet irritable side.

Chaotic crashing sounds came from the bathroom. Zhou Yu had been there before and knew that various sizes of glass bottles were neatly arranged on the shelf. Those skincare products were his mother’s遗物 (relics), and he hadn’t thrown a single one away.

The commotion inside seemed to be more than just those glass bottles shattering on the floor; there was the sound of a mirror being smashed, and other things.

“Yanci,” Zhou Yu was very worried. She hesitated for a moment then went over and gently knocked on the door. “Are you in a lot of pain? Maybe you should go to the hospital...”

“Yanci?”

“Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

Through the door, no matter what she said, the person inside gave no response, only urgently shouting for her not to go out when she mentioned looking for Dr. Wang.

After an unknown period, the sound of the shower running came out.

Zhou Yu sighed in relief and quickly went to the kitchen to boil water.

She understood Yanci. He wouldn’t want anyone else to see him in such a vulnerable state. Even after he finished washing and returned to his room, she just left the boiled hot water in the living room to cool.

After cleaning up the shattered glass on the floor, she remembered to check the time. It was already nine o’clock, and she quickly sent a message back to Teacher Li.

Zhou Yu stood at his room door. “Yanci, did you cut your hand?”

There was a wad of blood-stained tissues in the trash can.

“Is the cut deep? Is it still bleeding?”

“I have some band-aids here, I’ll leave them on the coffee table for you.”

Inside the room, Yanci had the air conditioning set very low. He was completely muffled in his blanket, only one ear, uncovered by his hair, was visible. The flush that showed through his cool, pale skin looked like blood.

He heard Zhou Yu still talking, “Remember to go to school early tomorrow morning. Teacher Li is very concerned about you. He’ll be very disappointed if you don’t return to school.”