TLDMDTBS Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The home that Gu Xiuyi referred to was not the villa that Ji Ruan was familiar with, but the apartment he stayed in most often. The interior style was the same as the villa, minimalistic and featuring cold tones, with no unnecessary decorations.

As Ji Ruan stepped through the door and barely had time to glance around the living room, he suddenly covered his mouth and sneezed several times.

Gu Xiuyi placed a pair of slippers in front of him, pushing his shoulder forward, “Change into these, and go take a hot shower immediately.”

The slippers were large, likely Gu Xiuyi’s size. When Ji Ruan slipped them on, they were loose and, as Gu Xiuyi gave him a push, he stumbled two steps before being grasped tightly.

Gu Xiuyi held Ji Ruan against him, noticing that the little one’s shoulders were not only thin but his waist was also just a small sliver. Through the damp fabric, he even had the illusion that he could feel Ji Ruan’s waist indentation.

Gu Xiuyi was momentarily stunned, his brows slowly furrowing, “You can’t walk steadily, huh…”

Ji Ruan couldn’t wear his slippers…

In Gu Xiuyi’s embrace, Ji Ruan felt like a small animal instinctively seeking warmth, and he leaned closer to Gu Xiuyi, who was warm.

He did not push Gu Xiuyi away and sniffled as he said, “It’s fine, I can wear these.”

“Not this,” Gu Xiuyi half-carried Ji Ruan into the living room, wrapping a long towel around his body. “The size isn’t right, it’s easy to fall while showering.”

Ji Ruan paused, understanding the reasoning. However, if he didn’t wear slippers, the possibility of slipping on the wet bathroom tiles seemed even higher.

The living room was furnished with an exquisite fabric sofa, with a visibly soft throw blanket on it. Ji Ruan, wet from head to toe, did not want to ruin anything, so he found a chair to sit on and carefully examined the slippers on his feet.

Gu Xiuyi returned from the bathroom with a small towel and walked directly to Ji Ruan to dry his hair. Ji Ruan was suddenly covered in the towel, feeling dizzy.

He patted Gu Xiuyi’s hand and pulled at his arm to stop him.

Gu Xiuyi pulled out a few messy strands of hair from the white towel, his eyes bright, but his lip color paled, looking somewhat unwell.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Xiuyi leaned closer, “Are you feeling unwell?”

The messy hair shook its head, the disarray of the hair tips bouncing slightly, “I just plan to wash with these slippers… I just looked, there’s a bit of non-slip design underneath…”

When Ji Ruan spoke without the cochlear implant, he resembled a newborn animal, saying half a sentence and then biting his lip, extending his “antennas” tentatively, his voice trailing off uncertainly.

He was reluctant to let Gu Xiuyi dry his hair, but Gu Xiuyi didn’t insist, gently rubbing the tips of Ji Ruan’s hair behind his right ear before putting on the cochlear implant.

Perhaps everything suddenly became clear, Ji Ruan’s shoulders trembled, and Gu Xiuyi’s palm on his collarbone felt the tiny tremors, as if a butterfly was fluttering its wings.

“Then just wash like this,” Gu Xiuyi retracted his hand, subtly rubbing his fingertips together. “Take it slow, and don’t lock the door.”

Ji Ruan was adjusting his cochlear implant when he abruptly lifted his eyes, “Not lock the door?!”

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

Seeing the sudden vigilance in Ji Ruan’s eyes, Gu Xiuyi felt complicated inside: “As long as you don’t fall, I absolutely won’t come in.”

His tone was calm, his expression composed. The shirt he wore had accidentally come unbuttoned at the top after hugging Ji Ruan, and he stood half a meter away from Ji Ruan, looking very much like a virtuous gentleman.

Ji Ruan and he made eye contact for two seconds, seeing only the absence of desire in each other’s eyes. He immediately felt a bit guilty for overreacting and cleared his throat awkwardly, “Okay, I won’t lock the door. Thank you.”

Gu Xiuyi smiled gently, tousling Ji Ruan’s messy hair, “You’re welcome. Wear my clothes for now. I also have new underwear.”

“Underwear?!” Ji Ruan’s eyes widened, almost overreacting again.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Xiuyi appeared genuinely confused, revealing his puzzlement about how intimate an item it could be.

Ji Ruan rubbed his nose, embarrassed, “That’s… not suitable…”

Gu Xiuyi slipped his hands into his pockets, a slight sweat forming on his palms, but his expression remained unchanged: “In special circumstances, we can make do. Don’t worry, I won’t assign any special meaning to you wearing my underwear, you don’t need to mind.”

“What are you saying?” Ji Ruan looked up, his eyes full of shyness and embarrassment, “I’m not talking about that… I… ugh…”

He lowered his head again, only daring to look at his own toes, “I’m saying… the size, the size isn’t suitable…”

What a joke, Gu Xiuyi was the protagonist of a classic tragic romance, how could the size even compare to an ordinary person! Ji Ruan had no intention of humiliating himself.

Gu Xiuyi froze.

Like being struck by a thunderbolt, he fought to suppress the urge to step back.

Fortunately, Ji Ruan was looking down; otherwise, he would have seen Gu Xiuyi’s uncontrollable expression.

Gu Xiuyi placed one hand on his hip, squeezing his brow in frustration; he had indeed been careless.

It turned out that his thoughts were too adult, and he wasn’t on the same wavelength as Ji Ruan, who was just eighteen years old and undoubtedly hadn’t even opened his heart yet. He couldn’t possibly think of anything else; his mind was only filled with masculinity and dignity.

The authoritative Gu Xiuyi’s mind crashed at that moment, staring blankly at the messy hair on Ji Ruan’s head for a long time.

After a while, he took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and lifted Ji Ruan’s chin to make him look up, emptying out a pointless comfort: “Don’t be too sad, you’re still growing.”

Messy hair frowned, and a nonchalant smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: “Thanks…”

Gu Xiuyi also knew his emotional intelligence dropped into the East African Great Rift with that statement, so he chose not to discuss growing issues with the young man any further, casually saying, “You don’t have to wear mine, but how will you change clothes?”

Ji Ruan already had a countermeasure: “You have a hairdryer at home, right?”

Gu Xiuyi pressed his lips together: “Of course.”

“Then that works,” Ji Ruan sneezed again, rubbing his nose, “I’ll just wash my underwear while I shower, I’ll dry them after I finish, they’re really thin, they’ll dry quickly.”

Gu Xiuyi raised an eyebrow; that was indeed a good way.

Ji Ruan’s nose had become red from rubbing, and Gu Xiuyi touched his neck to check his body temperature; it was low.

“Alright,” Gu Xiuyi said, no longer speaking unnecessarily, “Go wash up quickly. I’ll put your clothes at the bathroom door.”

Ji Ruan was indeed cold to the point of shivering now, taking off his external cochlear implant and following Gu Xiuyi into the bathroom.

Gu Xiuyi found a shirt he hadn’t worn much and placed it on the small stool by the door. The sound of water echoed inside, and as the frosted glass door gradually fogged up, Gu Xiuyi suddenly realized his throat felt dry.

He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of mineral water, but recalling that Ji Ruan would need to drink hot water to take cold medicine after his shower, he put the bottle back and boiled a kettle of water.

When Ji Ruan finished his shower, the scorching hot water Gu Xiuyi had prepared had cooled down just enough to drink. He grasped the cup handle and turned his head at the sound.

Outside the bathroom, steam filled the air, and with the opening of the door, a puff of white vapor rushed out. Ji Ruan walked out dressed in his shirt, a dry towel draped over his shoulder, and water still dripping.

He gently dodged his feet on the absorbent mat at the entrance, hurrying to the living room to grab the hairdryer on the coffee table.

Gu Xiuyi’s shirt fit perfectly on Ji Ruan, covering his thighs just right. The bright light in the living room illuminated his long, straight, slender legs, which were so white they almost blended in with the pale carpet, yet more lustrous, exuding an almost sacred soft glow.

His skin was pale, and even his knees, ankles, and toes were pink.

Gu Xiuyi held his breath, turning his gaze away from him.

Such attire on Ji Ruan would be unbecoming in the eyes of any man!

But given the circumstances, it could be considered justifiable. Gu Xiuyi took a sip of water, trying to calm his thoughts through rational analysis.

Firstly, Ji Ruan’s clothes were wet, he had to wear his; this shirt was chosen by Gu Xiuyi himself for Ji Ruan, so he couldn’t blame Ji Ruan for looking good.

Secondly, Ji Ruan had just taken a shower, and he forgot to provide slippers, resulting in Ji Ruan coming out barefoot, which made him see his pink toes. He couldn’t blame Ji Ruan for that either.

Lastly, Ji Ruan wasn’t wearing pants… why wasn’t Ji Ruan wearing pants?

He clearly put a pair of sweatpants on the sofa!

As if to confirm this point, Gu Xiuyi glanced over at the sofa, and sure enough, the gray sweatpants were lying there nice and intact.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but notice Ji Ruan’s shrinking legs beneath the shirt.

Gu Xiuyi felt a headache coming; perhaps Ji Ruan didn’t think there was anything wrong and was completely focused on the hairdryer and the underwear in his hand, desperately wanting to dry them.

Wait a second…

The sip of water he just drank suddenly caught in his throat.

Ji Ruan wasn’t wearing… anything below…

This thought exploded in Gu Xiuyi’s mind like a thunderclap, sending sparks flying and rendering him momentarily unable to think.

“Cough—!”

Gu Xiuyi choked abruptly on the half-gone mouthful of water.

Ji Ruan couldn’t put on his external cochlear implant after showering, and the surrounding sounds faded into a blur, even Gu Xiuyi’s abrupt coughing sounded minuscule in his ears.

He turned back, his eyes only catching a glimpse of Gu Xiuyi’s gently heaving shoulders behind the sink.

Ji Ruan frowned, hesitating on whether to show concern.

“Um…” Ji Ruan tentatively called out, afraid Gu Xiuyi would suddenly turn around, so he subtly hid his underwear behind his body and raised his voice a little: “Did you catch a cold too?—”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt wrong; without his external cochlear implant, his quiet voice sounded no different from an ordinary person’s, but once he raised his volume, he couldn’t control his tone.

He could barely hear himself, but he could sense that this sentence had come out very bizarrely, twisting and turning like a folk song.

Ji Ruan anxiously pressed his fingertips against his lips, averting his gaze to continue drying the underwear, not wanting to speak any further. If worse comes to worst, he could just make Gu Xiuyi a glass of cold medicine later.

Gu Xiuyi took longer than expected to shower, while Ji Ruan leisurely dried his hair and put on the sweatpants, bagging his wet clothes and preparing two cups of cold medicine. Finally, the sound of water gradually ceased.

After a long day of fussing, Ji Ruan leaned against the sofa, feeling a bit drowsy.

When Gu Xiuyi finished showering and came out, he had completely regained his composure and returned to his usual impassive expression.

On the coffee table, two cups of cold medicine exuded steam, and Ji Ruan lay flopped on the sofa, clutching a cushion, looking like he had fallen asleep.

He had already changed into Gu Xiuyi’s gray sweatpants, and the buttons of the shirt were fastened at the very top.

Gu Xiuyi sighed in relief; this was a good child.

He lifted Ji Ruan’s bangs and touched his forehead, finding it to be normal, with no fever.

Gu Xiuyi’s hand was large enough to cover Ji Ruan’s eyes halfway, and as Ji Ruan opened his eyes, his eyelashes fluttered. The lightest touch under Gu Xiuyi’s hand felt like a butterfly kissing its fingertip.

Gu Xiuyi’s fingertips trembled slightly, and he discreetly pulled back his hand.

Ji Ruan had just almost fallen asleep and now felt a bit dizzy, not noticing the unusualness behind Gu Xiuyi’s calm expression. He rubbed his eyes, “I made you a cup of cold medicine too, so drink up.”

Gu Xiuyi could probably guess that Ji Ruan misinterpreted his earlier cough as a symptom of a cold. He picked up the glass and thought for a moment before saying, “Thank you, but I’m not catching a cold.”

However, Ji Ruan seemed to think he was just being stubborn and softly hummed, “I’m not sick either, but it could be prevented.”

“…” Gu Xiuyi glanced at Ji Ruan’s red nose and pale lips and sighed, “I hope you don’t get sick.”

After all, it was Ji Ruan who made the medicine himself, so Gu Xiuyi put on a strong front and gulped it down in one go. Ji Ruan, on the other hand, cradled his cup, dazed, taking small sips.

He always took forever to eat anything.

Ji Ruan snapped out of it for a moment and suddenly raised his head from the steam rising from the cup, “So the French snails went into the soup?”

“Mm.” Gu Xiuyi turned on the television, casually changing channels, waiting for Ji Ruan to finish his medicine so he could wash the cup.

He unlocked his phone and handed it to Ji Ruan: “Order takeout.”

Ji Ruan was indeed hungry and did not hesitate, taking the phone and skillfully opening the takeout app, scrolling up and down. He asked, “How about rice noodles?”

Rarely did he not have trouble with choices, indicating he truly wanted rice noodles.

Gu Xiuyi nodded, “Sure.”

Ji Ruan moved his fingers to add it to the cart: “I want the mixed three flavors, how about you?”

Gu Xiuyi had never been enthusiastic about food and picked up Ji Ruan’s cup as he walked to the sink: “Same as you.”

Outside, the rain had lessened, and the deliveries were not delayed. Ji Ruan was lucky to have received hot rice noodles just before he felt faint from hunger.

In the center of the living room, a soft carpet was laid out, and Ji Ruan and Gu Xiuyi sat on the floor, watching TV as they slurped on noodles.

Ji Ruan actually liked this feeling a lot; outside there were sounds of rain, but the indoor lighting was bright and warm, with the fragrance of steaming food wafting through. It felt… a bit like home.

With a mouthful of rice noodles down, his entire stomach felt warm, and Ji Ruan contentedly squinted his eyes, covering his mouth to say to Gu Xiuyi, “Actually, I don’t think French snails are tastier than this.”

In truth, when Gu Xiuyi asked Ji Ruan to accompany him for Western cuisine, it wasn’t really about the French snails.

He looked at Ji Ruan’s rosy lips, his gaze softening: “Mm, I think so too.”

The television was showing a sports channel Gu Xiuyi had randomly switched to, broadcasting the ten-meter diving competition, as athletes flipped elegantly from high up and submerged into the water, surfacing gracefully like mermaids.

Gu Xiuyi unconsciously thought of Ji Ruan.

Ji Ruan wrapped in a deep blue blanket, resting on a light blue pillow, his eyes shone brightly, and with his dimples hidden, he seemed to be the prettiest little mermaid.

“Cough cough—” Two coughs snapped Gu Xiuyi back to reality.

He turned his head, imagining the little mermaid covering her chest and coughing, her small face flushed and crumpled as she reached out for a napkin on the table.

But she couldn’t reach it, making her face turn even redder, her hair all spiked up.

“…”

Gu Xiuyi instantly felt the gap between ideals and reality.

He pulled out two tissues and pulled Ji Ruan closer, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ruan took the napkin, casually wiped his face, and then began to cough uncontrollably.

Gu Xiuyi had now learned how to pat someone on the back, at least making it past the beginner stage, as he gently rubbed Ji Ruan’s back.

During the gaps in Ji Ruan’s coughing, he pointed at the soup and then poked his own neck, signaling that the soup choked him!

Gu Xiuyi chuckled, once again marveling at Ji Ruan’s delicate and fragile throat.

Ji Ruan was actually not choking that badly this time; at least he wasn’t coughing to the point of chest pain, but his throat tickled, making it hard to stop.

He leaned against Gu Xiuyi, coughing intermittently for a while, until he finally stopped, laying back on the sofa with his head spinning.

Gu Xiuyi looked at him, his eyes wide and vacant, feeling both helpless and amused. He propped his hand beside Ji Ruan’s head, lightly tapping at his delicate Adam’s apple, somewhat exasperated, “If you can choke on the mixed three flavors, what’s the use of your tiny throat?”

Ji Ruan coughed in irritation, and just as things calmed down, the person next to him had the audacity to tease him.

He pulled Gu Xiuyi’s hand away, casually touching his neck, his voice light and airy: “Isn’t being pretty useful?”

Gu Xiuyi’s hand propped up beside Ji Ruan froze.

He truly noticed Ji Ruan’s appearance at this moment.

The collar of his shirt was open, his hair messy, lying back on the sofa with his neck bent into an alluring curve. Sweaty skin looked even more delicate, his face smeared with natural tears, with eyelashes clumped together, yet his gaze was loose and unfocused.

It was strange, yet undeniably beautiful.

Like a spring in the moonlight flowing with rose petals, this kind of beauty was light, spreading, and flowing.

Ji Ruan closed his eyes, feeling a little better, and once the dizziness faded, he steadied himself and made his way to the bathroom. While his vision was blurred with tears, he couldn’t see clearly and could only wash his face.

It wasn’t until he heard the bathroom door close that Gu Xiuyi retracted his tingling hand.

The athletes on the television continued to dive, submerge, and resurface.

Yet Gu Xiuyi suddenly realized that the real-life mermaid could be even more stunning than he had imagined.

·

Later, the rain stopped, and the entrance of Jing Da was strictly controlled. Gu Xiuyi didn’t let Ji Ruan stay at home, collecting his belongings before sending him back.

Perhaps because of the heavy rain, there were particularly few students at the school gate. The streets were spacious and quiet, with a damp scent in the air.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t let Ji Ruan get out of the car right away; he popped open the trunk to retrieve something.

Ji Ruan was just in front of the mirror trying to flatten his fluffy hair when the car door opened. Gu Xiuyi stepped inside, bringing with him the wet air, holding an umbrella and a jar of candies.

The smaller jar was filled with the same red wrappers as the first one, only slightly smaller, but still filled with cherry-flavored candy.

Ji Ruan immediately recognized it as the only cherry-flavored candy.

“Take it back and eat,” Gu Xiuyi handed both items to him.

Ji Ruan took the candy jar, spinning it around to examine it. Under the streetlight’s reflection, it emitted a brilliant ruby hue, resembling magical candy from a fairy tale.

“Thank you,” his little dimples peeked out: “Actually, before I went out, I counted them, wondering if there would be any missing cherry-flavored ones, but there weren’t.”

He blinked, always eager to express his joy: “I was kind of sad at that moment, so now you give me this, it’ll make me happy many times over.”

Gu Xiuyi felt his heart skip a beat, and unlike the previous tumult of emotions, this time it felt like a gentle stream smoothing him out.

“Have you tried this flavor?” Ji Ruan asked again.

Gu Xiuyi shook his head while gripping the steering wheel: “No.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Ruan opened the jar and grabbed a few pieces, placing them in Gu Xiuyi’s palm: “Then you must try it; it’s really delicious.”

After he finished speaking, he opened the car door and stepped out, holding bags of clothes, the umbrella, and the candy jar, unable to wave goodbye, so he bent over to smile at Gu Xiuyi through the car window: “Bye!”

It wasn’t until Ji Ruan’s figure disappeared into the overlapping tree shadows that Gu Xiuyi relaxed his grip on the steering wheel and leaned back in his seat, letting out a long breath.

·

Back at the dorm, as soon as Ji Ruan’s roommates saw his outfit had changed, they all started teasing him.

Leading the charge was Han Xiaolin, folding his arms: “Oh, boyfriend’s shirt.”

Qin Shan followed closely: “Whoa, boyfriend’s pants.”

Li Yu wrapped up the comments: “Ah, boyfriend’s candy.”

Ji Ruan was utterly exasperated by their antics, putting down his bag as he sat on the chair: “Shut up, you guys. Come and have some candy; I think this flavor is particularly good.”

After all, it was someone else’s husband giving it, so the three of them didn’t feel right asking for more and took just one piece symbolically.

Li Yu examined the bright cherry-flavored candy, wistfully saying, “Is this what pure love is like?”

Qin Shan saw through it all: “They’re legal partners, and with the clothes changed, still pure love?”

·

When Gu Xiuyi finished washing up and climbed into bed, he noticed the little cherry icon on his phone screen light up. He smiled slightly and opened the message.

[image.jpg]

Still the familiar red candy wrapper.

[My roommates actually said it’s not tasty and that it’s very sour, but I think it’s sweet and sour!]

Gu Xiuyi chuckled, about to reply when another message popped up.

[Did you eat it?]

Gu Xiuyi paused, glancing at the bedside table where three shiny candies lay quietly; he indeed hadn’t touched them yet.

Seeing that the other side was typing but had not replied, Ji Ruan probably guessed something.

[You really haven’t eaten it!]

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t see Ji Ruan’s face but felt strangely that Ji Ruan was acting a bit spoiled.

He no longer hesitated, unwrapped a piece and popped it into his mouth. The strong sour flavor instantly overwhelmed his taste buds, causing Gu Xiuyi to frown deeply.

Ji Ruan’s roommates were not wrong; it was indeed very sour.

In fact, when Gu Xiuyi specially bought this flavor of candy, he already knew why cherry flavor was rare on the market—many customers had complained that it didn’t taste good and wasn’t sweet enough; the less it sold, the less it was produced.

But Ji Ruan seemed to truly love it; perhaps it was just the child’s unique taste.

As Ji Ruan finished his glass of milk, he received a reply, which was also a picture.

The red candy wrapper was flattened out neatly in the palm of his hand, and Gu Xiuyi’s hand was quite large, making the candy wrapper seem especially tiny.

[I’ve tried it now, it’s very sweet.]