In Love With An Idiot

Chapter 11

The following day, while Jian Suiying was resting at home, he received a call from Li Xuan. He stared at the caller ID for a long while, amused by how quickly news travelled in the information age.

 

Sure enough, Li Xuan had already heard about the previous night's incident. He was calling specifically to apologise on his younger brother's behalf. Jian Suiying imagined Li Yu must have received quite a lecture that day.

 

Naturally, Jian Suiying behaved with great magnanimity. He said it had mainly been his own fault: he was too domineering and hadn't considered that young people had their own opinions. Li Yu was intelligent, and he would listen more humbly to his suggestions in future. He offered such a string of gracious remarks that Li Xuan became even more embarrassed and insisted he would make Li Yu apologise personally.

 

Jian Suiying hastily protested that there was no need. Li Yu was very proud, so Li Xuan really shouldn't force him. The more he protested, the more Li Xuan insisted. Eventually, Jian Suiying reluctantly agreed.

 

He could jump up and down until he was blue in the face and still never make Li Yu apologise of his own accord. Yet Li Xuan could achieve it with a single telephone call. Being an older brother certainly had its advantages, Jian Suiying thought with satisfaction. His depressed mood of the previous day improved considerably. Now he could simply wait for Li Yu to come and apologise at his door.

 

Unlike every previous occasion, this time Li Yu had been the first to insult him and the first to resort to violence. Jian Suiying felt perfectly entitled to an apology. Young Master Jian conveniently forgot that whenever he had instigated trouble or thrown the first punch, it had never occurred to him to apologise afterwards.

 

Jian Suiying expected Li Yu to come during working hours, but to his surprise he came straight to his home. Nor did he knock and enter like a guest. The bastard simply used a key to unlock the door and walked in.

 

Jian Suiying was lying on the sofa reading. Hearing a key turn in the lock caught him so completely off guard that he leapt up, grabbed a handy golf club from the corner and headed towards the entrance, ready to see which unfortunate burglar had dared break into his home.

 

Then he saw Li Yu's pale, delicate face and froze.

 

Only then did he remember that Li Yu had a key. Jian Suiying had given it to him himself, and after they separated he'd forgotten to ask for it back.

 

Li Yu's eyelids drooped as he gave him a thoroughly indifferent glance.

 

Jian Suiying thought, Is that any way to come and apologise? Immediately displeased, he sneered, “Didn't you see the enormous doorbell outside? Who gave you permission to stroll into my home whenever you please?”

 

Li Yu remained at the entrance. He set the pile of gifts he was carrying on the floor, apparently with no intention of coming inside, and laughed coldly.

 

“With weather this lovely, I thought you'd be out on a date with one of your little lovers. I'm only here to deliver the things my father asked me to bring. I'll leave them and go.”

 

Jian Suiying grew furious. “Who wants your bloody presents? Your brother told you to come and apologise to me. Is this how you apologise?”

 

Li Yu glared at him. “The fact I've come at all gives you a way to save face. Don't push your luck.”

 

Jian Suiying snorted. “If you had any backbone, you wouldn't have come. Now you're here, you're still putting on those bloody airs. Aren't you embarrassed?”

 

That struck Li Yu exactly where it hurt, leaving him grinding his teeth with anger. Ever since the night before last, he'd been fighting a constant urge to give Jian Suiying a vicious beating. The man thoroughly disgusted him. His so-called affection was appallingly cheap.

 

Li Yu didn't know how to resolve what he was feeling. He had believed Jian Suiying genuinely liked him, but apparently that wasn't the case.

 

When he'd seen Jian Suiying approach with his arm around that young man's waist, he'd felt as though lightning had struck him. His head had buzzed and, for a moment, his body had stopped obeying him. He couldn't process the sight in front of him.

 

From the time they met, Jian Suiying had never concealed his attraction to him. It had never occurred to Li Yu that Jian Suiying might behave exactly the same way towards any number of other people.

 

He had heard rumours about Jian Suiying's private life before. Yet the man's attentiveness and relentless pursuit over the past year had given him the illusion that Jian Suiying was particularly devoted to him. He felt he'd been made a fool of, and he couldn't help feeling furious.

 

Someone whose private life was such a mess, whose words and actions were so completely at odds, didn't deserve anyone's sincere affection.

 

At that moment, Li Yu realised Jian Suiying had always been the same scumbag who bullied the weak and did despicable things to his own younger brother. The person who had changed was Li Yu himself. And he found it even harder to accept that he had begun to think a little better of a man like Jian Suiying.

 

When he'd awakened that day and discovered he'd missed his important competition, he'd suddenly remembered, with absolute clarity, why he'd begun learning boxing in the first place. He'd seen the small, pitiful Suilin bullied to tears by his own older brother and sworn that one day he would beat that damned brother to the ground.

 

That was the attitude he'd held towards Jian Suiying since childhood. The confused, frenzied six months in between had been one enormous mistake.

 

Seeing that Li Yu remained silent, Jian Suiying folded his arms, raised his chin arrogantly and demanded, “Well, apologise. What did your father and brother send you here to do?”

 

Li Yu gave him a cold look, stepped quickly back outside and slammed the door shut.

 

Jian Suiying stared for a moment, then hurriedly opened the door to chase him. But running into the corridor barefoot would be far too undignified. He could only hold the door and shout, “Li Yu, you bastard! Aren't you afraid I'll complain to your brother?”

 

Li Yu didn't answer. He stood waiting for the lift.

 

“Li Yu, get back here!” Jian Suiying shoved his feet into slippers and ran outside.

 

The lift doors opened with a ding. Li Yu was about to step inside when Jian Suiying rushed forwards, grabbed his collar and dragged him back.

 

Li Yu seized his hand and prepared to twist his arm again. But Jian Suiying had fallen victim to that move several times already and was ready for it. He slipped nimbly beneath Li Yu's arm, clamped a hand around his throat and forced him against the wall.

 

Li Yu retaliated by grabbing Jian Suiying's throat.

 

They glared furiously at one another, their faces growing red from lack of oxygen. Neither would let go first. When they were both almost suffocating, they finally released each other at practically the same moment and gulped down several enormous breaths.

 

Li Yu shoved him aside and tried to enter the lift, but at that very moment the doors closed again with another ding.

 

Jian Suiying darted forwards and stood blocking the lift.

 

Li Yu gritted his teeth. “What the hell do you want?”

 

“Make me something to eat,” Jian Suiying blurted out.

 

Li Yu stared at him in astonishment.

 

Jian Suiying looked a little embarrassed. “Those noodles you used to make will do… I'll count that as your apology.”

 

Li Yu gave a derisive chuckle. “So you can tip them over me again afterwards?”

 

That reminded Jian Suiying of their last night together in the flat. If Li Yu regarded having that bowl of noodles dumped over him as a humiliation…

 

Jian Suiying snapped, “What the fuck have you got to complain about? Do you think you've treated me fairly?”

 

Li Yu's expression also became slightly unnatural. But seeing the hurt that Jian Suiying couldn't quite conceal beneath his anger stirred something strange inside him.

 

Jian Suiying barked, “If you don't want to, forget it. Tomorrow I'll take that pile of things back to your house and return them to your father in person.”

 

Li Yu's expression changed. “Fine. I'll cook for you.”

 

The corner of Jian Suiying's mouth curled into a smile, and he turned back towards the flat.

 

Li Yu really did follow him inside. He took off his shoes with familiar ease, set his key on the shoe cupboard and slipped into the pair of slippers he'd always worn when he visited before. Every movement flowed naturally, as though he'd continued coming and going from this home without interruption.

 

Jian Suiying sat at the dining table, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Li Yu enter the kitchen. Li Yu took what he needed from the fridge and cupboards and set to work efficiently.

 

Li Yu's hair had grown a little longer, the ends brushing his collar. Jian Suiying wondered how long it had been since he'd had it cut. He hadn't had his own hair cut in quite some time either. Before, they could have gone for haircuts together quite naturally. Though certainly not to Vince's place.

 

Then again, if Li Yu had been no different from the lovers who had come and gone before him, Jian Suiying wouldn't have liked him so much.

 

As he watched Li Yu silently working with his back to him, an indescribable sadness gradually spread through Jian Suiying's heart.

 

From secondary school onwards, Li Yu had rented a place outside school and lived alone. He was highly capable of taking care of himself. Compared with him, a pampered young master like Jian Suiying, who was accustomed to having everything done for him, was practically helpless.

 

That was why Jian Suiying particularly liked it when Li Yu cooked for him. It wasn't only that the food tasted good. He loved the clean, efficient, domestic way Li Yu moved around the kitchen. He loved having Li Yu set a bowl in front of him and say, “Stop playing games. It'll get cold.”

 

Even though it had only happened a few times, those memories were enough for him to savour for ages.

 

After a while, Li Yu turned and brought over a steaming bowl of noodles. The noodles were thin and white, garnished with several bright green lettuce leaves, thin slices of bacon and a golden fried egg resting on top.

 

Jian Suiying stared at the noodles for a moment. He picked up his chopsticks, prodded the egg yolk, then put the chopsticks down again.

 

Li Yu was drying his hands when he saw Jian Suiying raise his head. Their eyes met.

 

There was confusion and helplessness in Jian Suiying's gaze. Li Yu felt his heart tremble. He could hardly imagine Jian Suiying looking so much like someone vulnerable or weak.

 

Leaning back in his chair, Jian Suiying looked at him. “You're leaving?”

 

Li Yu didn't speak. His throat felt as though something were lodged in it.

 

Jian Suiying's expression returned to normal, and he gave a crooked smile. “All right, I accept your apology. Go back and report to your brother.”

 

He lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks and began winding a few strands of noodles around them, slowly turning them again and again.

 

Li Yu threw the paper towel into the bin and turned towards the entrance to put on his shoes.

 

“Hey.” Jian Suiying turned around. “I can clear a week starting on the sixth of next month. Book four flights to Beihai: me, you and the two people from the feed company.”

 

Li Yu put on his shoes without turning back. “All right.”

 

Then he stood up and instinctively picked up the key from the shoe cupboard. The moment he realised what he'd done, he froze. Jian Suiying's gaze also settled on his hand.

 

Slowly, Li Yu released the key, set it firmly back on the cupboard, opened the door and left.

 

Jian Suiying sighed, switched on the television and listened to the noisy variety show as he ate every last noodle, vegetable and drop of soup in the bowl.

 

Summer had come around once more. Beijing quickly became oppressively hot and humid. Jian Suiying didn't mind the cold much, but he hated the heat. Every day, he moved from his home to the garage and then from the garage to another air-conditioned room.

 

Li Yu booked the flights. Jian Suiying hadn't yet told him about his plan to go on to Hainan after Beihai, afraid Li Yu would refuse to accompany him.

 

There were four people travelling this time: Jian Suiying, Li Yu and the two people in charge of the feed project, a friend's brother-in-law and his wife. The woman was the company's legal representative. Apparently both husband and wife had graduated from a very famous American university, worked overseas for several years and returned to China to start a business. Through various connections, they'd eventually been introduced to Jian Suiying.

 

Jian Suiying had heard long ago that both held doctorates. Their technical expertise and knowledge were excellent, and the product genuinely had merit, but neither had much business sense.

 

He'd met them several times and found they really were academics. They had tremendous confidence in their product but wildly unrealistic expectations for its future. Although he thought the project was promising, he hadn't wanted to invest his own money. For one thing, they controlled the technology, leaving him in a passive, risky position. For another, they would be difficult partners to work with. It would be better for him to supply the land and for them to contribute their technology in exchange for shares.

 

Securing the land depended on using the project's emerging environmental biotechnology to obtain government support. The essential factor was Jian Suiying's ability to negotiate and arrange everything. With Li Xuan's help, matters were now about eighty per cent settled. Jian Suiying was taking the couple along this time.

 

When the four arrived in Beihai on the sixth, Li Xuan once again sent a driver to collect them.

 

The moment Jian Suiying stepped into the guesthouse, he was overwhelmed by memories and couldn't help glancing at Li Yu. Li Yu also looked rather uncomfortable.

 

Thinking about their relationship, it had gone from extreme hostility back then, to an intimacy almost like that of lovers, and finally to nothing at all. Yet little more than half a year had passed. In that short time, both their feelings had changed enormously.

 

Li Yu was assigned the room next to his.

 

Li Xuan was free that evening, so he treated them to dinner at the guesthouse. They arranged to inspect the land together the following day.

 

The next day, Li Xuan took them to see the site. They spent more than half the day walking around it, leaving Jian Suiying dizzy and overheated from the sun.

 

After they returned, Jian Suiying spoke with the couple and asked them to revise their documents according to the land's actual conditions. They needed to complete the revisions quickly and send them to Li Xuan so that he would be fully prepared to persuade the others at the meeting.

 

Once the business in Beihai was finished, he sent the couple back to Beijing. Then he took out two plane tickets and handed them to Li Yu.

 

Li Yu saw his own name printed on one and frowned. “Sanya?”

 

“That's right. There's that condominium hotel we're developing in the bay area. Come and have a look at it with me this time.”

 

Li Yu replied, “I can't miss that much university.”

 

Jian Suiying scoffed. “What's the big deal about missing classes? Come with me to a construction site and you'll learn more than you would in a year at university.”

 

Li Yu hesitated for a few seconds. “When would we be back?”

 

“We'll only stay two days. We'll fly back to Beijing on the morning of the third.”

 

“All right, then.”

 

Their journey to Hainan went anything but smoothly. Heavy rain delayed their flight for two and a half hours, leaving Jian Suiying's backside aching from sitting around the airport. When they finally took off, the rain prevented them from landing at Sanya, forcing the plane to circle overhead for another forty-odd minutes. By the time it landed safely, everyone in the cabin was exhausted, not just Jian Suiying.

 

Because they'd been travelling for days and hadn't paid much attention to the news, neither man knew until they arrived that a typhoon had been passing through the region. Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan had all been affected.

 

They didn't think too much of it at first. By the time they reached Sanya after nine that evening, the rain had eased considerably. After the rain, Sanya was wonderfully cool without being cold. Every breath carried fresh, moist air that felt exceptionally pleasant.

 

The staff at the temporary Sanya office had booked them into a five-star hotel on Sanya Bay. They arranged to take them to the construction site after lunch the next day.

 

Jian Suiying had originally thought that somewhere with mountains and sea would be perfect for making some progress with Li Yu. He'd even planned to take him out for a good meal on arrival, then perhaps enjoy a hot spring together—something romantic, whatever they could manage.

 

But their flight had been delayed by more than four hours altogether, and dinner had consisted of aeroplane food. By the time they arrived, his whole body ached with exhaustion. All his romantic ideas evaporated. He showered, fell into bed and was asleep almost immediately.

 

Jian Suiying didn't wake until after nine the following morning. He ordered breakfast to his room and ate on the balcony while enjoying the sea breeze.

 

Not long after he finished, the slightly overcast sky suddenly opened up again. He'd been planning to go downstairs for a swim, but the weather had other ideas.

 

The light rain gradually became a torrential downpour. Wind battered the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows so violently that they rattled. Jian Suiying sat on the sofa furthest from them, worried the glass might actually break apart.

 

He watched the hours pass without the slightest sign of the rain easing. Thinking of their plans for the afternoon, he doubted they would be able to go ahead.

 

At lunchtime, one of the men who'd received them the previous day called. He was waiting in the hotel restaurant and asked them to come down to eat.

 

Jian Suiying dressed and went downstairs. Three staff members from the local office had arrived, and Li Yu was already sitting upright at the table, talking to them.

 

They stood respectfully to greet Jian Suiying as he approached.

 

All three had clearly been caught in the rain to some extent. Sitting down, Jian Suiying sighed.

 

“What the hell is wrong with this weather? It's driving me mad.”

 

One of them replied, “There's nothing we can do. This is typhoon and rainy season in Hainan. Though the locals say it started at least half a month earlier than usual this year. You've picked an unlucky time to visit, President Jian.”

 

“When's it going to stop? If it keeps raining like this, the construction site must have shut down too.”

 

“They stopped for half a day yesterday, and they'll have to stop again today.”

 

“We're leaving the day after tomorrow. If it rains the whole time, how are we supposed to inspect the site? We'll have come for nothing.”

 

One of the men reassured him. “Don't worry yet, President Jian. As long as the typhoon doesn't come through over the next couple of days, we can still go even in heavy rain. Even if the workers aren't operating, we can look around and check the progress. It won't be especially convenient, but it's only a little over an hour's drive. We can manage.”

 

“Mm.” Jian Suiying nodded and looked worriedly out at the violent wind and driving rain. He had no confidence that the trip would achieve its purpose.

 

They ate lunch leisurely and continued chatting at the table for almost another hour. The rain eased slightly, but conditions still weren't suitable for travelling.

 

The staff asked Jian Suiying to decide whether they should follow the original plan or postpone the visit until the next day.

 

Unable to make up his mind, Jian Suiying turned to Li Yu. “What do you think? Shall we go today or see what the weather's like tomorrow?”

 

Li Yu glanced out of the window. When he turned back, he discovered everyone, including Jian Suiying, was watching him.

 

He frowned slightly. “How about tomorrow? The weather might improve. Even if it doesn't, it probably can't be much worse than today.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement.

 

Jian Suiying thought Li Yu had a point, so they decided to go the following day. One way or another, they needed to visit the site before their flight the morning after that; otherwise, the journey really would have been a waste.

 

Jian Suiying spent another idle day in the hotel. Li Yu was only staying next door, yet he couldn't even muster the enthusiasm to knock and invite him downstairs for a hot spring or a cup of tea.

 

He'd only be refused anyway. Why invite another humiliation?

 

Although he'd once sworn with great determination that he would conquer Li Yu completely, their long period of mutual hostility had worn away most of his hopes and fantasies. He could now barely even remember the little tenderness there had once been between them.

 

Sometimes, when he thought about it carefully, he no longer knew what he was holding on for.

 

Whether Li Yu was in his life or not, the days passed much the same way. There was an unfulfilled longing in his heart, but it didn't stop him enjoying himself. Nobody could have everything they wanted, could they?

 

Then Jian Suiying thought again: hadn't he got most of what he wanted throughout his life? Why was Li Yu the one person he couldn't manage? It made no sense.

 

Rationally, Jian Suiying felt he ought to stop wasting time on Li Yu. Why make himself suffer? Emotionally, however, he couldn't prevent the urge to get close to him. He was simply too unwilling to admit defeat.

 

Before dinner, Jian Suiying changed into swimming trunks, put on the hotel's bathrobe and headed to the indoor pool for some exercise. He planned to eat afterwards.

 

They were effectively trapped in the hotel. Although the rain outside wasn't especially heavy at that moment, the weather hardly inspired anyone to venture out.

 

Perhaps because of the weather, the hotel had remarkably few guests over those days. When Jian Suiying reached the pool, only a handful of people were swimming: two families and a couple. He was the only person there alone.

 

Well, who would come all the way to Sanya for a holiday on their own?

 

Jian Suiying tossed his bathrobe onto a lounger and jumped into the deep end.

 

He swam one length and back using front crawl, then lay on his back, closed his eyes and allowed himself to float with the movement of the water. With his ears submerged, the surrounding sounds grew distant. The world became wonderfully quiet, as though he could hear nothing except his own heartbeat.

 

Suddenly, he sensed the water moving beside him. Then someone slapped lightly against his stomach. The hand had barely brushed across him, with almost no force, but it still startled him into standing up.

 

Immediately afterwards, he heard a man scolding, “That's rude!”

 

Jian Suiying wiped his face and opened his eyes. In front of him was a little boy of two or three, supported in the water by a pale-yellow duck-shaped swimming ring. The child was giggling at him.

 

Beside the boy was a refined, respectable-looking man, presumably his father. He gently patted the child's back. “Apologise to the uncle.”

 

The little boy continued to giggle, apparently fond of laughing. “Sorry, Uncle.” Then he tilted his head and asked, “Why don't you sink?”

 

Jian Suiying couldn't very well argue with a small child, so he told the father, “It's all right.”

 

The father smiled apologetically. “He insisted on coming over to see why you weren't sinking. I didn't know how to explain it in a way he'd understand.”

 

The boy kept staring eagerly at him and repeated, “Why don't you fall down?”

 

In more than twenty years of life, Jian Suiying had spent almost no time around young children. He had no experience with them, didn't know how to entertain them and had no interest in trying. He simply told the truth.

 

“Buoyancy.”

 

“What's buoyancy?” the child promptly asked.

 

Jian Suiying blinked and looked towards the father.

 

The father was smiling too. He told the boy, “Why do you have so many questions? You'll understand when you're older.”

 

Jian Suiying gave a dry laugh and wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible.

 

Unexpectedly, the father was very sociable and started complaining about the terrible weather, how his wife had caught a cold and how their perfectly good holiday had been ruined.

 

Meanwhile, the child came closer and insisted on climbing onto Jian Suiying's shoulders, crying, “I want to not sink too!”

 

Jian Suiying was thoroughly irritated, but he couldn't exactly throw the child away.

 

The father looked terribly embarrassed and repeatedly pulled the boy back, only for the child to insist on coming over again.

 

Eventually Jian Suiying resigned himself to it. He picked the child up and let him hang onto his arm. Sure enough, the boy settled down.

 

Jian Suiying stood in the water chatting idly with the father to pass the time.

 

Li Yu had tried calling Jian Suiying and knocking on his door, but couldn't find him. He had no choice but to search the hotel on foot. Eventually, a staff member remembered seeing Jian Suiying and told him he'd gone to the swimming pool.

 

Li Yu went straight there.

 

The indoor pool wasn't particularly large, and the whole place was visible from the entrance. As it was now dinnertime, almost everyone had left. Only Jian Suiying and the father and son remained, and Li Yu spotted them immediately.

 

He saw Jian Suiying standing shoulder to shoulder with a fair-skinned, handsome, respectable-looking man. They were talking and laughing, while a small boy clung to Jian Suiying's body.

 

Li Yu had never experienced anything quite like it. There was no gradual build-up; his anger exploded almost instantly, as though someone had lit the fuse of a bomb.

 

In his eyes, Jian Suiying was exactly this sort of frivolous, promiscuous person, incapable of going anywhere without flirting with someone to relieve his boredom.

 

And someone like that still had the nerve to keep declaring that he liked Li Yu! He wanted to beat Jian Suiying viciously, crack open his skull and see just how many filthy thoughts were rattling around inside it.

 

Li Yu could scarcely bear to look at him. Every additional glance made him tremble with rage.

 

He slowly approached the pool's edge. Hearing him, all three people in the water turned around. Jian Suiying first noticed a pair of hotel slippers, then looked up to see Li Yu standing over him with a terrifyingly dark expression. His gaze was as cold and sharp as an icy blade.

 

The boy was sensitive enough to be frightened and hid against his father's chest. The father sensed the hostility between the two men and realised at once that there was bad blood between them. He glanced awkwardly at Jian Suiying.

 

Jian Suiying instinctively took a step backwards. Li Yu looked as though he might kick him in the head at any moment.

 

Li Yu said coldly, “They're waiting for you to eat.”

 

“Oh…” Jian Suiying checked the clock on the wall and realised it was already after six. He hadn't brought his watch or phone downstairs and hadn't felt hungry. Without noticing, he'd spent ages chatting.

 

The child's father hurriedly said, “Oh, it's that late already? I'd better go up too. We can chat again another time.”

 

Jian Suiying nodded and exchanged a perfunctory farewell. “All right. See you.”

 

The father and son climbed out. The man wrapped his child in a bathrobe, picked him up and left.

 

Jian Suiying climbed out too, watching Li Yu warily. “What's wrong with you? Who's upset you this time?”

 

For a moment, Li Yu genuinely wanted to kill him. He suppressed the dark, vicious jealousy rapidly swelling inside him and sneered.

 

“Jian Suiying, does your whole body start aching if you go one day without someone to sleep with?”

 

Jian Suiying frowned. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why are you making these snide remarks?” He glared at Li Yu, picked up his bathrobe and put it on.

 

Li Yu was ordinarily nothing like this. He wasn't someone who went looking for arguments or filled every sentence with barbs. But now he felt unable to control his mouth. The words he'd been wanting to say simply burst out.

 

“With a sex life as indiscriminate as yours, you'll catch some disease sooner or later.”

 

“Fuck!” Jian Suiying swore. “Are you putting a curse on me?”

 

Li Yu's expression was vicious. “Am I wrong? Isn't that exactly how you behave?”

 

Jian Suiying was so furious that his heart seemed to twist painfully in his chest.

 

Li Yu was obviously trying to pick a fight. Jian Suiying genuinely didn't know what he'd done to provoke him this time. He'd been doing his utmost not to bother Li Yu, thinking that as long as he left him alone, surely their relationship couldn't deteriorate any further. Apparently he'd underestimated him.

 

Li Yu didn't want to be with him. Fine, he'd accepted that. He couldn't exactly lock the man up. But did Li Yu have to insult him like this, even wishing disease upon him?

 

Jian Suiying didn't even have the strength to lash out as he ordinarily would. He felt too miserable and exhausted to fight. His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Li Yu.

 

“I'll sleep with whoever the fuck I want! It's not as though I'm going to infect you. What business is it of yours?”

 

The words ‘I'll sleep with whoever I want’ drove Li Yu close to exploding. A painful tightness in his chest only fuelled his mounting fury, and he clenched his fists tightly.

 

Jian Suiying felt as though an enormous hammer had struck him squarely in the chest, almost knocking the breath out of him. He turned and delivered a flying kick straight into Li Yu's stomach.

 

Perhaps his grief and anger lent him extraordinary strength. The kick was fast, powerful and accurate. Li Yu didn't manage to dodge at all and was sent directly into the swimming pool.

 

Standing at the edge, Jian Suiying roared, “Fuck you, Li Yu!”

 

Neither of them went to dinner that night. Jian Suiying shut himself in his hotel room and smoked one cigarette after another. No matter how rough and thick-skinned he was, he couldn't withstand being repeatedly hurt like this by someone he cared for.

 

His heart wasn't made of steel.

 

He really had to admire Li Yu. The bastard could put him down however he pleased, and somehow every method struck him directly where it hurt. The world didn't need many people like that. One Li Yu was quite enough; any more and Jian Suiying would eventually be tormented to death.

 

After smoking two whole packets, he told himself that the stupid bastard Li Yu could get the hell out of his life.

 

Jian Suiying didn't sleep a wink that night. The next morning, dark circles shadowed his eyes and he looked so unwell that every subordinate who saw him asked after his health.

 

Li Yu wasn't in good shape either. His complexion was grey and drawn.

 

They exchanged one glance, then treated each other as though the other didn't exist.

 

Heaven finally seemed to show them a little mercy. At noon on the day before their departure, the sky cleared. Not daring to waste time, the group set off for the construction site in two cars.

 

The journey was fairly smooth, with only occasional drizzle, and they arrived in a little over an hour. Because of the typhoon, work had been suspended for several days. The temporary cabins were too dangerous for anyone to stay in during the storm.

 

With the weather slightly improved, a few workers had come in to do jobs indoors. On a project of this size, every day without work meant another day's losses. Whenever the weather allowed it, work had to continue.

 

The foreman found some safety helmets for the visitors, but most were waterlogged, filthy, damp and foul-smelling. Nobody wanted to put one on.

 

Jian Suiying could only regret choosing such a dreadful season for his inspection. Yet he had no wish to make another special journey here. He simply wanted to learn everything necessary so the visit would have some value, instead of wasting his time and leaving him full of anger.

 

The foreman led them around, explaining things as they inspected the work. Jian Suiying paid close attention, asking questions from time to time. After looking around outside, they went into one of the buildings. The scaffolding beside it swayed alarmingly in the wind.

 

Although Jian Suiying and Li Yu were currently locked in a hostile stalemate, they were equally serious about work. Whenever Jian Suiying gave the foreman instructions, Li Yu recorded them in his capacity as assistant.

 

There were six or seven people in the group. Some wandered off to inspect other floors, but Li Yu stayed with Jian Suiying the whole time. The foreman and a representative from the Sanya office accompanied them too.

 

About halfway through the inspection, one of the Sanya staff received a call. After standing to one side murmuring acknowledgements for a long while, he hung up and hurried over.

 

“President Jian.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Director Yang somehow heard that you're in Sanya. He's insisting on inviting you to dinner.”

 

“Huh? How did he find out?”

 

“We don't know either. Because this trip was arranged in such a hurry, we thought you wouldn't be seeing anyone. But now he's found out…”

 

“If he's already called, I can't refuse to meet him. He helped us quite a bit back then.” Jian Suiying sighed softly and checked the time. “I'll have to head back now, then, or I won't make it.”

 

“Yes, President Jian. The rain isn't too heavy at the moment, so you'd better leave quickly.”

 

“But I haven't even seen half the site.” Jian Suiying shook his head and looked up at the rough concrete ceiling. This trip really had been a waste of time, an obstacle to his work and an endless source of frustration.

 

The man glanced at his watch, looking troubled. “Then, President Jian, what would you prefer…?”

 

Jian Suiying couldn't decide. If he didn't go, he'd offend someone whose goodwill mattered. If he went, he'd waste the inspection.

 

At that point, Li Yu spoke. “You go back. I'll stay here.”

 

Jian Suiying looked at him and realised it was the only sensible option.

 

“Take plenty of photographs and video. If there's anything you don't understand, ask the foreman.”

 

Li Yu nodded and turned his face away.

 

Jian Suiying couldn't be bothered worrying about his attitude. He gave the foreman a few more instructions, then hurried off with the local office employee.

 

The wind and rain grew noticeably stronger on the return journey. The windscreen wipers thrashed back and forth like mad, barely keeping up with the water hammering against the glass.

 

Listening to the radio, they discovered that the typhoon was making landfall earlier than expected and would continue throughout the night.

 

At first, the office employee drove. Later, however, they discussed the conditions and agreed to swap drivers whenever they reached a petrol station. Driving in such violent weather demanded intense concentration and was extremely dangerous. Even fifteen minutes at the wheel felt more exhausting than an hour in normal conditions.

 

The journey that should have taken one hour took them two and a half.

 

They not only missed the appointed dinner time; nobody was willing to venture out in such dangerous weather merely to host a meal. The dinner was therefore cancelled while they were still on the road.

 

Jian Suiying was relieved he'd left the site early. At least the first half-hour of his drive hadn't been so difficult. The other car had departed an hour later and would probably have a much harder journey, returning extremely late.

 

By the time he reached the hotel, Jian Suiying was utterly exhausted. He'd spent the whole day travelling, only to be battered by wind and rain. He ate a little, rested, then accidentally fell asleep. When he woke, it was already after nine.

 

After two hours' sleep, however, he felt considerably more alert. With nothing else to do in the hotel, he decided to ask Li Yu to copy the photographs and videos for him so he could look through them himself.

 

He dialled Li Yu's room, but the telephone rang for ages without an answer. Reluctantly, Jian Suiying went to knock on his door. He banged repeatedly, yet nobody responded.

 

Could Li Yu be showering? Jian Suiying pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully, but couldn't hear any running water.

 

Then it occurred to him to check the gap beneath the door. There was no light on inside.

 

Surely the bastard hadn't fallen into such a deep sleep already?

 

Jian Suiying banged on the door for another long while. Still nothing.

 

Perhaps Li Yu wasn't in his room after all.

 

He returned to his own room and began calling Li Yu's mobile. To his surprise, that went unanswered too. He couldn't imagine where the man might have gone at this hour. Swimming? A hot spring? The gym? Wasn't he tired?

 

The harder Li Yu became to find, the more determined Jian Suiying was to find him.

 

He kept calling the mobile. After three or four attempts, just as he was growing bored and preparing to give up, someone finally answered.

 

The moment the call connected, Jian Suiying heard the roaring, howling wind on the other end. It was unmistakably the sound of someone exposed to the storm, certainly not indoors.

 

His heart tightened immediately.

 

“Hello? Li Yu? Li Yu! Are you outside? What are you doing out there in this weather?”

 

For a long time, there was no voice. Perhaps someone was speaking, but the wind was so loud that it drowned out everything.

 

Jian Suiying grew frantic, shouting desperately into the phone.

 

“Li Yu! Li Yu! Can you hear me? Where are you?”

 

At last, a weak voice reached him through the noise.

 

“I… don't know…”

 

Jian Suiying's heart dropped.

 

He rapidly ran through the possibilities. The most likely explanation was that their car had been in an accident. But if something had happened, why hadn't anyone told him? Had everyone in the car been injured, leaving nobody able to contact him?

 

Jian Suiying felt he could hardly breathe. He had never been afraid of much in his life, but he was terrified that this might be the last time he ever heard Li Yu's voice.

 

He forced himself to remain calm and asked in a trembling voice, “Li Yu, have you been in a car accident? How badly are you hurt? Do you know where you are?”

 

Li Yu was silent for a long while.

 

Jian Suiying rushed out of his room, ran to the room of the man who had driven back with him and pounded on the door. The man was probably asleep. A startled response came from inside, followed by a clatter as he hurried to open it.

 

Jian Suiying looked as though he might devour someone alive.

 

“Something's happened to them!”

 

The man stared blankly. “What? Who? What's happened?”

 

“Li Yu! Something's happened to their car!” Jian Suiying roared.

 

The man looked astonished. “Li Yu? But President Jian, they've all come back.”

 

Now it was Jian Suiying's turn to be stunned.

 

“What did you say?” He turned his attention back to the phone. “Hello? Li Yu, talk to me. Hold on.”

 

The man looked panicked. “They really have come back! I just had tea with Xiao Zhou before going to bed.” He rushed back into his room, picked up his mobile and called Xiao Zhou. “Hello? Come over here, quickly!”

 

Jian Suiying couldn't begin to describe what he felt. He had no idea what was happening.

 

Li Yu seemed a little more alert now and spoke in broken phrases.

 

“I… I think I'm still at the construction site… Something hit me… and I passed out… Then I woke up…”

 

Xiao Zhou hurried over. After the three men compared what they knew, they realised everyone had returned except Li Yu. He had been left behind.

 

Xiao Zhou looked ready to cry. “We didn't see him when we left. We all thought he was coming back in your car!”

 

Jian Suiying felt dizzy, as though his soul had been pulled straight out of his body. His anxiety was indescribable. The other two men paced frantically. Nobody dared imagine how badly things might turn out when someone with a head injury had been abandoned at a construction site without shelter in the middle of a typhoon.

 

“Maybe we should call the police, or an ambulance.”

 

“It wouldn't help. They'd probably have to wait until the typhoon passes. It's dangerous for anyone to go out right now.”

 

Jian Suiying asked, “Is there anyone still at the site?”

 

The man shook his head. “In weather like this? Impossible.”

 

Jian Suiying gritted his teeth. “Give me your car keys.”

 

Xiao Zhou stared at him. “President Jian, what are you going to do?”

 

“I'm going back to find him.”

 

Both men almost blurted out, Have you gone mad? Instead, they hurried to stop him.

 

“President Jian, no! Absolutely not. You haven't lived in the south, so you don't understand how dangerous it is to travel during a typhoon. Even if you're surrounded by the metal of a car—even a tank… Well, a tank might be all right. But definitely not a car. One tree falls on you and both you and the vehicle are finished!”

 

Jian Suiying ignored them completely and began searching the man's room for his keys. He kept the mobile call connected, repeatedly asking, “Li Yu, how serious is your injury? How much blood have you lost? Can you move?”

 

Li Yu answered faintly, “I'm all right… just a little cold…”

 

Jian Suiying snatched the keys off the table and headed for the door.

 

The two men grabbed him together.

 

“President Jian, you absolutely cannot go! Whatever you say, we can't let you. If something happens, who'll take responsibility?”

 

“I will!” Jian Suiying shoved past them. “I'll take responsibility for your car too. Don't tell anyone about this. I'll be fine.”

 

“It's not the car I'm worried about… President Jian!”

 

The two men followed him, arguing themselves hoarse as they tried to dissuade him. Jian Suiying behaved as though he couldn't hear a word. Looking outwardly calm, he pulled two spare duvets from a cupboard. Both were sealed in sturdy, rigid plastic bags. He took one duvet out and began stuffing clothes, towels and drinking water into the empty bag. Then he quickly called reception and instructed them to prepare a first-aid kit and some ready-to-eat food immediately. He was coming down to collect them.

 

Neither man could stop him.

 

Jian Suiying's face was expressionless. He looked grave but exceptionally composed. Only he knew just how frightened he was.

 

When he'd been a child and his father had hung him up and beaten him, he hadn't been afraid. Nor had he been afraid when a swarm of bees chased and stung him, or when his company encountered serious financial difficulties.

 

He'd always believed those were obstacles he could endure and overcome.

 

But now he was genuinely terrified. Life and death weren't things a person could necessarily change through hard work or ability. They were governed by fate, not human will. He couldn't bear to imagine what he would do if something truly happened to Li Yu.

 

He had brought a young man barely in his twenties to this place. Li Yu's father and brother had trusted him and placed Li Yu in his care. If Li Yu was in danger, Jian Suiying had an undeniable responsibility to rescue him. And besides—besides, it was Li Yu.

 

It was the Li Yu who occupied his every thought.

 

Jian Suiying prepared everything with astonishing speed. He collected the supplies from reception and headed straight for the underground car park.

 

By the time he arrived, several company employees had heard what was happening and rushed there to stop him.

 

Jian Suiying jumped quickly into the vehicle, stamped on the accelerator and shot out of the car park.

 

His call with Li Yu had remained connected the entire time. Only once he was in the car did he have the chance to speak properly. He repeated over and over, “Li Yu, don't go to sleep. Wait for me. I'll be there soon. Just wait for me.”

 

He wanted to keep talking to Li Yu throughout the journey. He didn't know how seriously injured Li Yu was, and perhaps Li Yu didn't know either. He had simply watched too many films and always worried that if an injured person fell asleep, they might never wake up.

 

Unfortunately, before long Li Yu's phone ran out of battery. A long, empty tone sounded at the other end of the line.

 

Jian Suiying grew even more frantic, wishing he could simply fly there. But sixty kilometres still separated them, and in weather like this those sixty kilometres would be several times harder to cover than usual.

 

Anyone who had never driven during a typhoon could scarcely imagine how terrifying the journey was. Even an SUV weighing more than two tonnes was little more than a toy at the mercy of the weather. Whenever he took a bend, Jian Suiying felt as though the vehicle might be blown off the road.

 

The rain and mist were so dense that the wipers could barely keep up. The windscreen continually fogged over, and for a stretch of more than ten seconds he could hardly see anything. He had no choice but to turn on the air conditioning to clear the glass. The condensation disappeared, but the temperature inside the car plummeted, leaving him shivering.

 

He didn't see a single moving vehicle along the way. Nobody else was reckless enough to drive during a typhoon. Looking at the uprooted trees beside the road and the rubbish, large and small, flying through the air, he felt for a moment as though he'd stumbled into the end of the world.

 

He knew he mustn't drive too fast, yet once on the motorway his speed briefly exceeded eighty kilometres an hour. At that point, the normally heavy steering wheel began to feel worryingly unreliable.

 

It wasn't that he felt no fear. He valued his life and worried that the car might skid, sending both vehicle and driver flying. But his desperation to reach the site overwhelmed every fear and concern.

 

Even driving as quickly as he dared, the journey took two hours. By the time Jian Suiying finally reached the construction site safely, he was practically frantic with anxiety.

 

Once there, he faced another problem. Construction materials lay scattered everywhere. He drove as far into the site as possible, but the nearest place he could park was still fifty or sixty metres from the building.

 

Under normal circumstances, he could have run that distance in seconds. Now, however, the wind was raging. Sheets of metal, stones, sand, mud and anything else the storm could lift were flying wildly through the air.

 

Jian Suiying had never seen anything like it. Looking through the window, he realised those few dozen metres might be even more dangerous than the sixty kilometres he'd just driven. At least he'd had the protection of the car during the journey.

 

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He hesitated for half a minute, knowing he couldn't remain there. The typhoon was supposed to continue all night; he couldn't wait until it passed.

 

He pulled the thick duvet and the bags of food, medicine and water from the back seat to the front. Then, looking at the terrifying scene outside, he gritted his teeth and kicked the car door open.

 

A violent gust struck immediately, tearing the door wide as though it were a flimsy sheet of metal. It slammed with a tremendous bang, and Jian Suiying heard the hinges strain and twist. Another few minutes of that and the entire door might be torn off.

 

He had no time to worry about it. He lifted one large bag onto each shoulder, using them to shield his head and neck, then summoned his courage and ran towards the building.

 

But the force of the typhoon was far beyond anything he'd imagined. He hadn't taken two steps before an enormous gust hit him. A fully grown man weighing more than seventy-five kilograms, he was blown off his feet like a piece of paper and flung to the ground. Nature's overwhelming strength was simply beyond human resistance.

 

The impact left him dizzy, his face splattered with muddy water. He had no time to feel disgusted. Both bags had slipped from his hands and were already beginning to blow away.

 

He scrambled up and threw himself onto them, pinning one beneath each hand. In those few seconds, the rain soaked him completely through.

 

Clutching the bags, he repeatedly tried to stand but couldn't manage it. Even kneeling, he was buffeted from side to side. If he had been alone, perhaps he could have walked across, but keeping hold of two large bags made the task practically impossible.

 

After crawling and scrambling forwards for about ten metres, Jian Suiying accepted that standing was out of the question. Crawling was safer. He simply dragged the bags towards the building on his hands and knees.

 

Young Master Jian, who had grown up pampered and surrounded by luxury, now lay on the filthy, muddy construction ground, inching forwards until he finally crawled into the building.

 

Of every hardship Jian Suiying had suffered in his life, today would undoubtedly rank first.

 

Conditions improved considerably inside. At least there were walls to block the wind. Jian Suiying lay on the floor gasping for breath. His muscles ached, his calves cramped, and for a long while he couldn't move.

 

After resting for about a minute, he forced himself upright and began shouting Li Yu's name. But his voice couldn't carry; every cry was swallowed by the howling wind.

 

He had no choice but to search floor by floor, calling as he went.

 

Each floor of the hotel he was developing covered more than three thousand square metres. Now it was almost completely dark, like a ghost town. Finding one potentially injured, unconscious person would be harder than finding a mouse that could squeak and move.

 

Carrying two bags weighing roughly five kilograms together, Jian Suiying ran through the building, shouting until his legs barely felt like his own. Never in his life had he endured suffering like this. And the psychological burden was even worse than the physical exhaustion, filling him with wave after wave of panic.

 

If something happened to Li Yu, how could he ever answer to the Li family? How could he answer to himself?

 

After searching two floors, he finally found Li Yu on the third.

 

In the faint moonlight, he saw him sitting against a wall in a corner, his head lowered.

 

“Li Yu!” Jian Suiying shouted, running over.

 

This time Li Yu heard him and slowly raised his head.

 

Jian Suiying's knees weakened, and he dropped half to the floor in front of him, reaching out to touch his face.

 

It was still warm. Jian Suiying released a long breath of relief.

 

“Li Yu…”

 

“You came?” Li Yu whispered.

 

“Mm.” Jian Suiying wiped the muddy water from his face. “You're still talking. That means you're not about to die, right?”

 

Li Yu raised his chin and looked at him. “You really came…”

 

Jian Suiying suspected he'd suffered a head injury. He quickly used his mobile as a light and took the first-aid kit from the bag.

 

He fumbled for ages to open it, then discovered a small torch inside. When he switched it on, he found that although its beam was narrow, it was remarkably bright. For two people trapped in darkness, the light was a tremendous comfort.

 

He handed the torch to Li Yu. “Hold this up. Let me look at your head. Where did you get hit?”

 

Li Yu slowly raised the torch, but stopped when the beam illuminated Jian Suiying.

 

He had known Jian Suiying for more than a year and had never seen him in such a state. The man was always immaculate and dazzlingly confident, with perfectly arranged hair and trousers without a crease. He wouldn't even leave home if he thought his clothes didn't match.

 

Li Yu could scarcely believe this man with his face covered in mud, his exhausted expression and clothes filthier and more ragged than old cleaning cloths was really Jian Suiying.

 

His head still throbbed with a hot, splitting pain. Outside, the storm raged with thunder and lightning. The hours of endless isolation and darkness had left him feeling helpless for the first time.

 

When Jian Suiying told him to wait, he'd held out no hope of seeing him before morning. Especially after the phone connection broke and he was left alone again, he'd known he would have to endure the long night by himself.

 

Yet Jian Suiying really had come.

 

He'd travelled through the fierce typhoon and torrential rain, faced unimaginable danger and, just as he'd promised, arrived beside him and touched his face with an ice-cold hand.

 

At that moment, Li Yu felt that hand was incredibly warm.

 

Jian Suiying frowned at him. “What are you staring at me for? Hold the torch up. Let me see what happened to your head. What the hell hit you?”

 

He gripped Li Yu's wrist and moved the light behind his head, trying to distinguish blood from rainwater in his hair.

 

Li Yu didn't speak. He only shook his head.

 

Jian Suiying carefully parted the bloodied hair and found a cut about four or five centimetres long. It didn't look especially deep, though he couldn't be certain. Since Li Yu was conscious, able to speak and capable of moving, he hoped there was nothing seriously wrong and finally felt a little more at ease.

 

As he poured alcohol onto some cotton wool, he sighed. “Usually you can go without a safety helmet and nothing happens. The one time you don't wear one, you get hurt. And why were you wandering around instead of staying with the foreman? Everyone else came back and left you behind. They all thought you'd returned already. If I hadn't noticed so soon…”

 

Jian Suiying didn't really know how to treat a wound. As far as common sense told him, he ought to disinfect it first. Without thinking too much, he pressed the alcohol-soaked cotton directly against the cut.

 

Li Yu wasn't prepared for it. He cried out in pain and pulled his head forwards.

 

Jian Suiying startled too. “Oh, that hurts, does it? Well… put up with it. Nobody can take the pain for you.”

 

He wiped the wound a couple more times. Applying alcohol directly to a cut that long was bound to hurt, and Li Yu grimaced sharply.

 

Jian Suiying became a little hesitant and couldn't resist a couple of barbed remarks. “You're a grown man. Can't you be a bit less delicate? So it hurts a little. You should've been more careful.”

 

Li Yu leaned forwards and slowly rested his head, soft and heavy, against Jian Suiying's shoulder.

 

Ever since he'd known Li Yu, Jian Suiying had never experienced such a gentle gesture from him. It stunned him so thoroughly that he stopped moving for a long moment.

 

People said illness made a person vulnerable and obedient. Apparently it was true. Would Li Yu ever voluntarily rest his head on Jian Suiying's shoulder if he hadn't had a hole knocked in his skull?

 

Jian Suiying's manner softened unconsciously. Stroking Li Yu's back, he comforted him quietly. “There, be good. Just bear with it. The wound could get infected if we don't disinfect it. It'll be over soon.”

 

Li Yu said nothing and remained motionless against him.

 

Jian Suiying quickly and rather mercilessly cleaned around the wound. Most of the blood had already clotted, and he wasn't skilled enough to treat it properly. Once he thought he'd done enough, he bandaged Li Yu's head.

 

Then he dropped heavily onto the floor and spent a long while catching his breath before taking out the food and drink.

 

“Here, have some water, then eat something.”

 

He unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and held it to Li Yu's lips. Li Yu tilted his head back and drank a couple of mouthfuls.

 

Jian Suiying opened a packet of biscuits and put one into his mouth. Li Yu really was thirsty and hungry, so he obediently chewed and swallowed.

 

While Li Yu ate, Jian Suiying used some mineral water to wash his face. So much mud was plastered across his skin that, for the first time, he felt as though his face couldn't breathe.

 

After washing, he took the clothes from the bag and offered them to Li Yu. “Get changed.”

 

Li Yu's clothes were damp, and continuing to wear them could make him ill. He accepted the fresh clothes, then looked at Jian Suiying's own outfit, so filthy its original colour was impossible to tell.

 

“Did you bring any clothes for yourself?”

 

Jian Suiying looked down at himself and simply pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside. “I'm not wearing these any more.”

 

Then he took off his wet trousers too.

 

As he bent to remove them, the torch in Li Yu's hand shifted, illuminating blood running down Jian Suiying's arm.

 

Li Yu grabbed his arm. “What happened to you?”

 

Jian Suiying froze, examined his arm and moved it experimentally. “Fuck… that hurts a bit…”

 

He turned his head, trying to see his own back, but couldn't.

 

Li Yu told him to turn around. Two long cuts ran from his back towards his arm. Neither was particularly deep, but they were so long that they covered more than half his back. It was impossible to tell what had caused them.

 

Li Yu caught his breath. “Your back is bleeding.”

 

“I felt quite a few things hitting me on the way here. But honestly, if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed the pain. You'd have been better off not telling me. Ah… now it hurts.”

 

Jian Suiying shrugged, wondering why he hadn't felt anything earlier. Perhaps because the sticky, filthy clothes clinging to his body had already been so uncomfortable, he'd simply stopped registering any additional discomfort.

 

Li Yu's fingers trembled slightly as he touched the skin around the cuts. “Give me the first-aid kit.”

 

Jian Suiying sat with his back towards him and pushed the kit across.

 

The moment Li Yu began applying alcohol to the wounds, Jian Suiying regretted mocking him earlier. It hurt like hell, as though his skin were catching fire. Still, he could endure it. He clenched his teeth and remained silent while Li Yu cleaned the wounds and wrapped them in gauze.

 

When he finished, Li Yu told him to put on the dry clothes. Jian Suiying refused.

 

“You wear them. You're more seriously injured. I'm not going to fight you for them right now.”

 

In the end, Li Yu couldn't persuade him otherwise and had to put on the only set of dry clothes.

 

Jian Suiying pulled the large double duvet, more than two metres long, from its bag. The rigid plastic had been excellent quality. Despite everything he'd dragged it through, it hadn't torn. Thankfully so; without the duvet, the next several hours would have been unbearably difficult.

 

He spread it on a dry patch beside Li Yu and called to him. “Come and lie down here. It'll be warmer.”

 

Li Yu slowly lay on the duvet. At that moment, simply having somewhere a little warmer to rest felt like an extraordinary luxury.

 

Jian Suiying lay on his side beside him and touched his head. “Get some sleep. When the wind dies down tomorrow, we'll call an ambulance.”

 

Li Yu placed the torch above their heads. The light became dim and hazy, but they could still see each other's faces and expressions.

 

He hesitated, opened his mouth and finally said, “I really didn't think you'd come.”

 

Jian Suiying chuckled. “If you didn't make me so angry, maybe I'd have come even sooner.”

 

Li Yu blinked and fixed Jian Suiying with a deep, impenetrable gaze, as though drawing him entirely into his own world.

 

They were lying extremely close together. As they stared at one another, the atmosphere became charged with intimacy.

 

Jian Suiying spoke hoarsely. “Looking at me like that… are you particularly moved?”

 

Li Yu pressed his lips together without speaking, continuing to watch him motionlessly.

 

As though drawn by some invisible force, Jian Suiying moved involuntarily closer to Li Yu until their bodies gradually touched.

 

Li Yu neither moved away nor resisted. Their warm breaths brushed against each other's faces.

 

Jian Suiying gave him a gentle, fleeting kiss, then gazed at him in silence.