CH 64

Chapter 64 – Midnight Phone Call

The summer rain arrived as if on cue, accompanied by the roaring sound of thunder. The entire world was engulfed in the patter of raindrops.

When Wei Chen and Chen Li returned home, they were already drenched from head to toe. Despite Wei Chen’s anticipation of sudden summer thunderstorms and his precaution of carrying an umbrella, they still ended up completely soaked. Without an umbrella, they looked like a pair of drowned rats.

Upon arriving home, Wei Chen immediately prepared hot water for Chen Li, urging him to take a warm bath first. Then, he went to the kitchen to simmer ginger soup. Only after that did he enter the guest room’s bathroom. Chen Li had a weaker constitution, and being caught in the rain would easily lead to catching a cold.

Several minutes later, they emerged from the bathroom one after the other. Chen Li’s face was flushed and tender from the steam, and Wei Chen couldn’t help but keep his gaze fixed on it.

When Chen Li walked over to Wei Chen’s side, Wei Chen couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching Chen Li’s cheek, which felt smooth and tender. “Not bad, you’ve gained some flesh compared to before.”

Chen Li obediently allowed himself to be pinched, and he even enjoyed it a little.

Indeed, Chen Li had become much healthier since his regression and the first time Wei Chen saw him. He was no longer a bag of bones; he had gained a bit of weight. This was exactly what Wei Chen wanted to see. He even wished to make Chen Li a bit chubby, soft and huggable. He imagined it would be very comfortable to hold him in his arms.

Looking at Chen Li, who seemed oblivious and clueless, Wei Chen quickly pushed away the image of the speeding train from his mind. He changed his hand from pinching Chen Li’s cheek to ruffling his hair and said, “Quickly dry your hair, I’ve prepared a bowl of ginger soup for you to drink while it’s hot.”

Chen Li nodded and turned around, heading into the bedroom. When he emerged, he held a hairdryer in his hand. He looked at Wei Chen without saying a word.

“Do you want me to help you dry it?” Wei Chen asked knowingly.

Chen Li nodded.

“Does that mean you’re trying to please me?” Wei Chen pushed his luck a little.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Li walked up to Wei Chen’s side and tiptoed, gently placing a kiss on Wei Chen’s forehead. Then, he stared at Wei Chen with a blank expression.

Wei Chen got what he wanted, so he plugged in the hairdryer, and the humming sound of the dryer immediately filled the living room.

His slender fingertips weaved through Chen Li’s hair, which was thick and dense after just being washed. As it slowly dried, it became soft. Wei Chen found it difficult to remove his hand.

Once Chen Li’s hair felt completely dry, Wei Chen turned off the hairdryer. He was about to ask Chen Li to get up and drink ginger soup when he noticed that Chen Li had already fallen asleep.

Today, Chen Li had been playing at the amusement park all afternoon, and now he was really tired. In addition, Wei Chen’s hair-drying technique was so comfortable that Chen Li couldn’t help falling asleep.

Wei Chen didn’t have the heart to disturb Chen Li’s sleep, so he didn’t wake him up to drink the ginger soup. Instead, he carried Chen Li horizontally and prepared to take him back to the room to rest.

Chen Li had absolute trust in Wei Chen. Even when he was being lifted, he didn’t open his eyes warily. Instead, he snuggled against Wei Chen’s chest, found a comfortable position, and continued sleeping.

Gently, Wei Chen placed Chen Li on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and his gaze lingered on Chen Li’s smooth forehead, then moved down to his plump lips.

Chen Li’s lip color was pale, but his lips were full and well-shaped. There was even a lip bead in the center of his upper lip, accentuating the attractive lip shape. At that moment, Chen Li seemed to be dreaming about something, as he smacked his lips and extended his pink tongue to lick them.

Wei Chen’s gaze darkened, lingering on Chen Li’s lips for a long time before reluctantly leaving the room, his mouth dry and parched.

A cup of ginger soup sat on the living room table, now cooled down. Without hesitation, Wei Chen grabbed it and gulped it down.

Ginger soup was meant to warm and invigorate the body. Since Wei Chen’s body was already overheated, drinking a cup of ginger soup only fueled the fire, making him feel even hotter.

Unable to bear it, Wei Chen had no choice but to return to the bathroom and take a cold shower.

As a result of this sudden downpour, it was Wei Chen who woke up the next day feeling dizzy and congested with a cold, while Chen Li, who had a weak constitution, remained unaffected. He wasn’t sure if it was due to getting caught in the rain or taking the cold shower afterward.

However, that was the following morning’s matter. At this moment, Wei Chen had just finished taking a hot shower, suppressing the heat in his body. He picked up his phone and noticed several missed calls, all from the same person. Without intending to call back, he was about to lock his phone screen when it started vibrating again, the same person calling.

After hesitating for a while, Wei Chen decided to answer the call.

“Achen, Kangzi Bar, come over quickly.”

The call was from Wu Zikang. Even before Wei Chen brought the phone to his ear, Wu Zikang’s voice rang out.

“Sorry, I can’t make it,” Wei Chen declined.

“Achen, you’ve been so inconsiderate lately, you don’t answer calls, and you don’t come out when invited. Are you busy with something big?” Wu Zikang questioned. Along with his voice, the crazy electronic rock music from the bar could be heard through the phone.

Wei Chen’s head was throbbing from the music. He said, “I’ll hang up first,” and quickly tapped the red button on his phone, leaving only the busy tone for Wu Zikang.

“What’s wrong? Haven’t reached him yet?” Wu Zikang’s friend placed a hand on Wu Zikang’s shoulder, raising an eyebrow and asking with a smile.

“I reached him,” Wu Zikang frowned and said, “But he’s not coming.”

“He claims to be your friend, but every time you contact him, he’s busy and doesn’t come. Is that what friends do?” This person clearly enjoyed watching the excitement.

“What a guy!” Wu Zikang scoffed and patted his friend’s shoulder, saying, “If he doesn’t come, he doesn’t come. Do we need him, that face-paralyzed guy?”

“Alright, let’s go. Let’s continue drinking,” this person sensed Wu Zikang’s displeasure and pulled him into a private room, offering him a glass of red wine.

At that moment, the door of the private room opened, and Chen Qing walked in. The people in the room knew Chen Qing and were aware of his close relationship with the Chen family in the capital. They all stood up and welcomed Chen Qing to Wu Zikang’s seat.

Seeing that Wu Zikang was drinking alone, Chen Qing asked, “What’s wrong? Who upset Young Master Wu?”

Wu Zikang was preoccupied with his drink and remained silent.

Chen Qing turned his questioning gaze to Wu Zikang’s friend.

“It’s Wei Chen,” Wu Zikang’s friend said, “Zikang just called him several times, but Wei Chen didn’t answer. And when he finally answered, he refused Young Master Wu’s invitation. I think Young Master Wei looks down on us idlers now.”

“He’s not coming?” Chen Qing focused on the key point, pretending not to have heard the rest of what the person said.

“Yeah, he barely said a few words and then hung up on Young Master Wu,” which was the truth.

Chen Qing’s gaze became heavy, but he didn’t inquire further.

*

Despite the storm outside, once the windows were closed, the sound of wind and rain ceased to be audible.  The two people in the room were sleeping in each other’s arms. A double bed had more than half of the bed vacant, and the two people only occupied half of the bed.

In the deep silence of the night, it was the perfect time for a good night’s sleep.

However, the quiet room suddenly resonated with the sound of a vibrating phone, disturbing the peaceful slumber.

Wei Chen had a relatively light sleep and was quickly awakened by the buzzing sound of his phone. Wondering who would be calling him at such a late hour, he reached for the nightstand and picked up his phone, groggily opening his eyes. Once he saw the caller’s name on the screen, Wei Chen’s drowsiness vanished instantly.

Gently pushing Chen Li, who was curled up in his embrace, Wei Chen saw him smack his lips and then roll over, hugging the blanket tightly as he resumed sleeping.

Taking his phone, Wei Chen left the room, making sure not to disturb Chen Li. Then he answered the call.

It was still Wu Zikang on the other end of the line, but compared to before, he sounded tipsy, his words slurred. Even through the phone, one could sense the strong smell of alcohol emanating from him.

“Achen, A… Chen Qing is here with me… He’s drunk… Tomorrow… he still… has to go to class… Can you come… and take him back?” Wu Zikang spoke, and without waiting for Wei Chen’s response, he hung up the phone.

Holding his phone, Wei Chen’s gaze fell on the pouring rain outside the window. The surrounding neon lights flickered in the heavy rain, reflecting a faint glimmer in Wei Chen’s eyes as he pondered something.

*

Kangzi Bar.

After Wu Zikang hung up, all signs of drunkenness vanished. He turned his gaze to Chen Qing, seeking some answers.

Chen Qing was now sitting on the sofa in the private room, absentmindedly swaying the tall wine glass in his hand, showing no signs of being intoxicated.

“Aqing, are you sure Wei Chen will come?” Wu Zikang asked.

Chen Qing’s gaze fell into the liquid in his tall wine glass. The red wine, illuminated by the lights, cast a red and white glow on his face. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, “Who knows?”

No one said anything further in the private room. Time ticked away slowly, and Wu Zikang couldn’t understand why he felt anxious. He observed Chen Qing, who appeared calm all night, tightly gripping the stem of his wine glass, with veins faintly visible on his hand.

Chen Qing doesn’t seem as relaxed as he appears, Wu Zikang thought.

The antique clock on the wall ticked away, marking the passage of time. Every tick represented a second passing by, and half an hour had gone by with the ticking.

“I’ll call again to check,” Wu Zikang took out his phone. “He lives nearby, so why is he taking so long?”

As Wu Zikang uttered these words, a knock sounded at the door of the private room. Wu Zikang hurriedly went to open it. “Achen, you finally came. Aqing has to go to class tomorrow. If you don’t come, how will he go to class tomorrow?”