Chapter 60: A Hug of Suggestive Invite (1/2)
Translator: Claire.KK
The winter in the south was humid and cold, which was torturing. The bone-chilling coldness would just seep through no matter how many layers you wore.
Zhishu had a sneeze while getting off the car. Ziyu touched Zhishu’s hands; his fingertips were ice-cold.
”Let's go inside, I'll turn on the dehumidifier and get you a hot-water bag to warm up your limbs.” Ziyu naturally took Zhishu's right hand and put it into his pocket.
Zhishu leaned close to Ziyu. ”Has the temperature dropped again these days? When we were in the car, I vaguely heard that the drizzle is going to last for the next few days from the weather forecast.” He said in a slightly hoarse voice.
Ziyu took the keys out with another hand and said gently, ”It's just the way winter is here. You have become more vulnerable to the coldness.”
Zhishu flattened his lips and stopped talking anymore. He changed his shoes, went straight into the bedroom, and turned on the lights.
When Ziyu came into the bedroom after getting everything settled out there, Zhishu already finished his shower. He had a loose coral velvet bathrobe on him, cuddling a cushion yawning leisurely.
”Come on, time to sleep. It's been a tiring day for you.” Ziyu leaned over, touched Zhishu's forehead with the back of his hand. His body temperature was fine. ”You ate nothing today. Wanna have something?”
”No.” Zhishu shook his head.
Ziyu sat next to him on the bed, heated his hands up by rubbing to warm Zhishu's hands. His palms were warm and dry.
”Nothing? Not feeling well anywhere? Something wrong with your stomach?” Ziyu put one hand on Zhishu's belly after warming his hands up and massaged expertly.
Zhishu felt much better but forced himself to stay awake. Something seemed to be on his mind.
”What?” Ziyu noticed something as he was always on the alert. ”You gotta tell me if you aren't feeling well.”
Rapid blinks of Zhishu's semi-closed eyes told the evasiveness in them. ”Shouldn't you go to sleep now?”
Ziyu was certain that something wasn't quite right but he didn't have the heart to push for more. He just turned off the lamp and lay in bed next to him. ”Go to sleep, I'll keep you company.”
There was only absolute quietness in the dark except the rhythmic sound of light breaths. The two of them neither felt like sleeping nor had a topic to talk about.
Ziyu didn't try to hug Zhishu. Outside in the kitchen, crystal sugar was melting on low heat with haws in it, Ziyu didn't want to startle Zhishu in his arms later when he had to get up to turn off the fire. He backed on to Zhishu. It was a sign of nervousness, which was unusual, because they were sleeping together like a normal couple just days ago.
In the beginning, Ziyu thought the blurry intimacy was just his misjudgment or he was sexually repressed for too long until someone hugged him from behind, when the doctor's mind instantaneously cleared up.