UCTOOT CH32

The medicinal soup spilled a lot.

After wiping the corner of his mouth, Shi Shu dozed off, slumped over the side of the bed.

His memories were a jumble. Shi Shu recalled a time he had a fever in his dorm. No one paid him any mind. His body alternated between cold and hot, his insides felt like they were on fire, and it was as if a knife was scraping his heart, liver, lungs, and stomach, again and again. He was covered in a cold sweat he could not stop.

He finally could not bear it anymore, and when his roommate returned, he was taken to the hospital. He was put on an IV drip and only recovered after a few days. During those days, he had no appetite for anything, his mouth was dry, and his head felt heavy. After he got better, he stepped on the scale and found he had lost a lot of weight.

The Xie Wuci before him was now going through this ordeal.

“Xie Wuci, you’re as strong as an ox. You’ll definitely be fine.”

Shi Shu turned his head to the side. The dim light shone on the youth’s handsome, fair face, outlining his distinct jawline. Just like that, Shi Shu fell asleep.

The next morning, Shi Shu was startled awake by shouts from outside the door. He propped up his splitting head and walked into the courtyard. It was the advisors from the Prince’s Mansion. The one shouting was Zeng Xingxiu.

“Is Brother Xie feeling any better?”

Shi Shu replied, “He’s still unconscious. Is something the matter?”

“There’s been progress in the investigation. Although we knew early on that there were two sets of account books, we’ve had no results since the dyehouse was completely massacred and burned to the ground. Both witnesses and evidence were lost.”

Zeng Xingxiu held the hand of a small child, about five or six years old, whose face was blank and who did not make a sound. “Fortunately, the miasma in Shuhong City has subsided these past few days. A family, grateful for the help, finally told us about a child who escaped that night. We’ve now found this child.”

“So it’s about Xie Wuci’s official business,” Shi Shu said. “You want to see him? He’s lying down right now, unable to care for himself.”

Zeng Xingxiu was sweating profusely. “We must. We finally have a lead, but this child is mute. No matter how we coax or hit him, he won’t speak. We need to ask Brother Xie how to handle this.”

When Shi Shu heard the words “or hit,” he lowered his head and looked at the child seriously.

His face was covered in scratches from fingernails, but he was dressed neatly. It was clear that both carrot and stick had failed. Since it was official business, Shi Shu could not stop them. Zeng Xingxiu and the advisors had already entered the house together.

“Counselor Xie! Brother Xie—”

Xie Wuci was propped up by a pillow, his blood-stained hand hanging over the side of the heated brick bed as he slept deeply. For some reason, Shi Shu could say a hundred words in his ear with no reaction, but upon hearing the words “Counselor Xie,” his eyelids suddenly twitched.

It was like a sharp sword humming as it scented blood.

Shi Shu thought to himself, “Oh good, he can wake up,” and stood to the side as Zeng Xingxiu called out, “Counselor Xie.”

The eyeballs under Xie Wuci’s lids were bloodshot and murky. Like a trapped beast opening its eyes, there was confusion at first, which gradually cleared.

“What is it?”

Zeng Xingxiu repeated the situation. “I’m afraid Feng Lu knows we’ve been investigating in secret. Last night, a group of eunuchs from the Fengming Si entered the city in the rain. They immediately went to the dyehouse, seeming very afraid of what we might find.”

Xie Wuci said, “Hide this child first. His eyes are vacant; he’s likely been frightened out of his wits from witnessing the dyehouse massacre. Don’t scare him any further.”

“That’s fine, but no one knows about this child yet. Where would be a suitable place to hide him?”

Xie Wuci stared at the child. The child glanced at him, then his eyes moved away like a dead person’s. Xie Wuci’s voice was hoarse. “Find Lin Yangchun. First, have him determine if the muteness is real or feigned. Lin Yangchun has a fiery temperament; he’ll be able to protect his patient well.”

“Indeed. Brother Xie, you should rest and recover slowly.” Having received his orders, Zeng Xingxiu left.

“…Alright, alright.”

Seeing the men leave, Shi Shu circled the bed, unable to help but click his tongue. “Xie Wuci, you can actually wake up? I thought you were completely out when you slept. Others call you and you answer, so why is it that when I call you so many times, you completely ignore me?”

Shi Shu grumbled, “You made me worry for so long. I stayed up late last night before sleeping. Are you trying to ignore me?”

After speaking, he placed a hand on Xie Wuci’s back, trying to help him lie down, but his hand was suddenly grabbed. The pad of his finger brushed against the wound, bringing a wave of itchiness.

Xie Wuci looked down at the bite mark on his finger, then looked up. Those crimson, murky eyes stared unblinkingly, as if they could see right through a person’s heart.

“…”

Shi Shu said, “I was just joking with you.”

Xie Wuci said, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Xie Wuci’s voice was raspy, as if covered by a thick film. After speaking, he fell back onto the bed, as if he had never woken up. His eyes shut tightly, and he instantly fell into a deep sleep.

“…Asleep again?”

Indeed, Xie Wuci must be feeling really unwell.

He had probably just forced himself to sit up for a moment to work briefly. The next time Zeng Xingxiu and his group came, he would have to stop them from entering. Shi Shu gathered the handkerchiefs and square towels, throwing them into a basin of boiling water as he thought.

In the afternoon, Lin Yangchun came to check on Xie Wuci. Behind him, a child held onto the corner of his clothes, stumbling along.

Shi Shu said, “So soon, we meet again.”

“You’ve seen him?” Lin Yangchun said with disdain. “Let’s call him Fuling. This morning, he was eating poria fungus like candy; I couldn’t stop him. How was Xie Wuci this morning?”

Shi Shu said, “Someone came to see him on official business. He woke up once.”

Lin Yangchun sneered, “Oh, wonderful. Startled from his deathbed. Next time the King of Hell comes calling, he might as well just go with him.”

“…”

It was time to help Xie Wuci into the tub of hot water. Shi Shu sat on the edge of the bed and put his arms around his shoulders. “Bro, it’s time for your medicinal bath again. If you can’t wake up, then don’t. Just shift your weight toward me.”

He was unconscious, no longer powerful. Shi Shu helped him off the bed. His mass of black hair cascaded down his back, and the loose cloth shirt was soaked with sweat. His breath was hot, and his body pressed tightly against Shi Shu’s, his face a deathly bluish-white.

Behind the screen, Shi Shu stripped off all of Xie Wuci’s clothes, leaving only a pair of underpants. Shi Shu hesitated. “I’ll take them off once you’re in. It’s not good for a grown man to be naked from the waist down. What if Doctor Lin sees? You’d die of social embarrassment.”

As he was lowered into the water, Shi Shu’s hand also went in, fumbling for the strip of cloth around Xie Wuci’s waist.

“Tsk, why are his legs so long?”

Shi Shu tossed the wet pants into a basin and turned his head, only to find the little boy staring at him, his eyes dark. There were two dots of realgar on his nose to ward off miasma. He seemed to have low intelligence.

Shi Shu asked, “What are you looking at?”

“…”

Shi Shu, being naturally friendly, said, “This big brother is sick, so I’m taking care of him, helping him with his medicinal bath. Are you standing here watching because you’re curious?”

The child did not speak.

Shi Shu said, “You should be careful not to get sick like this big brother. There’s an apple on the table. Take it and go play!”

After Doctor Lin finished with the medicine, the child also left quickly.

Hot water swirled, and steam filled the space behind the screen.

When a faint blush appeared on Xie Wuci’s skin, Shi Shu patted his shoulder. “Alright, bro. Time to go lie down on the bed.”

Shi Shu had never taken care of someone to this extent, dressing and feeding them. A person had completely lost the ability to care for himself and entrusted everything to you. The usually distant and imposing Xie Wuci was now, in his delirium, someone he could touch at will.

Xie Wuci could not be formidable, could not be arrogant. Those eyes that looked at people like they were dogs were shut tight. His mind was closed off, like a life-sized male mannequin in a doll shop. One could pinch his face, his jaw, squeeze his neck, touch his hard abs, invading the private space of his personality and self-esteem.

He could be manipulated in any way.

Shi Shu glanced at him, then inexplicably looked away, his gaze burning.

Why did Xie Wuci always give him these erotic associations? Muscles, bones, the male physique. He had seen so much from his time in athletics and had never cared, but Xie Wuci inexplicably caught his eye. He had once read a yandere novel where there was a thrill in controlling another’s body. Body parts also had symbolic meaning; some madmen would even fall in love with a handsome sculpture.

“Normally, you’d resist if I touched you, but you can’t resist now, can you? Fortunately, I don’t really want to touch you.”

Shi Shu muttered to himself as he pulled Xie Wuci out of the water. He was conscious enough to lean his weight on Shi Shu, making it less strenuous. Seeing his lower body emerge from the water, Shi Shu quickly wrapped a towel around him.

The medicinal soup was brown and left stains. Shi Shu brought a basin of clean water and a cloth to wipe his neck and body. The cloth was damp and warm. The heat passed through his palm as he wiped, inch by inch, from Xie Wuci’s Adam’s apple down to his full chest, and then further down to his powerful waist.

Perhaps because of the illness, Xie Wuci carried the bloody scent of battle.

“I feel like I’m taking care of a child now. But you don’t need to thank me. It’s enough if you can just wake up.”

With the cloth covering his hand, Shi Shu stared at this “male mannequin.” “The lower half needs to be wiped too, or you’ll get a rash.”

“Xie Wuci, you’re actually conscious, aren’t you? You trust me quite a bit, huh. Hehe, letting me do everything.”

“Did you ever think that if I were gay, you’d be in danger?!”

Shi Shu’s hand went to wipe under the cloth at his waist. His scalp tingled. The anterior superior iliac spine protruded slightly, and the warm abdomen was chiseled, rising and falling gently with each breath. This was Xie Wuci’s warmth.

“No, no, no, no, no, no—I can’t take it. Do I really have to wipe it? Honestly, I’m not mentally prepared to wipe another man’s lower half…” Shi Shu’s scalp was about to explode, his handsome face slightly contorted.

This was not just an invasion of Xie Wuci’s personal space, but also a mental assault on himself!

Shi Shu folded the cloth twice to make it thicker, pulled down the towel, and, steeling himself, covered Xie Wuci to wipe away the sweat.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh—”

The dense, lush forest… Shi Shu’s right hand suddenly went limp, as if the bones had been removed. He tried his best to act nonchalant and not to look, his hand trembling as he applied more force.

His back went numb, his pupils dilated. Shi Shu felt like he was having an allergic reaction.

Wait, Xie Wuci, you don’t have much body hair. Why is it so thick here?

The more he tried not to care, the clearer the sensation became. It was about the size of his palm. He brushed past it quickly, but he still felt it.

Shi Shu’s entire right arm was ruined. “I’m going to die. It’s unclean. I should chop it off.”

Since he had already touched it, and he was already there, Shi Shu decided to just go for it and reach between his legs. He had to get Xie Wuci clean today.

“Ngh…”

Unexpectedly, Shi Shu suddenly heard a soft gasp. He looked up. Xie Wuci had, at some point, opened his blood-red eyes. His dark eyebrows were pressed low over his eyes, his gaze murky and obscure as his turbid vision fell on him.

Shi Shu snatched his hand back, scared out of his wits. “Ahhhhhhh, Xie Wuci, you’re awake? I—”

“I-I-I didn’t do anything! You had mugwort juice on you, so I was helping you wipe it clean. Doctor Lin said the area between the legs needs to be wiped too, or you’ll get a rash. I just helped you wipe your leg a bit, I didn’t mean anything else!”

The youth’s handsome face went white with fear. “Xie Wuci, was I too rough? Did I actually wipe you awake? I wasn’t sexually harassing you, I really didn’t mean to touch you between your legs, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t get a clear touch, and I didn’t look at you, please don’t mind, ahhhh—”

Xie Wuci closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He seemed to be in great pain and turned his head to the side.

The tendons in his neck twisted, his Adam’s apple rolled, and the veins pulsed. A thin, crystalline layer of sweat coated his collarbones, and his muscles contracted and spasmed with force.

“………………”

Anyone who knew would know he was in great pain. Anyone who did not might think he was doing something else.

Shi Shu swallowed and picked up clothes to put on him. “You’ve had your medicinal bath and you’re all wiped clean. Put on your clothes.”

Xie Wuci’s lips were white. He did not speak, looking withered. His pair of dark brown eyes were as deep as a well, as dark as dead ashes. Sickness comes like a landslide and goes like reeling silk. When a person is sick, their complexion really does change significantly.

Shi Shu asked, “Bro, are you in a lot of pain?”

Xie Wuci closed his eyes and breathed softly.

For a moment, Shi Shu really wanted to touch him, but the thought quickly dissipated. He picked up the medicinal soup. “It’s just cooled down. Since you’re awake, why don’t you drink it? Drink it and then go back to sleep? Please don’t mind, I really didn’t mean to touch you just now.”

“I don’t mind. you can touch it again.”

Pain assaulted him again. Xie Wuci’s gaze was like that of a wounded wolf, his brow furrowed, fiercer than usual.

“…”

Shi Shu’s scalp tingled under his stare. Xie Wuci’s current gaze was not the weak look of someone who was injured. It was the sharp glare of an eagle, the backward glance of a wolf—a survival instinct, a fierceness that would bite down on a bone, shatter it, and suck out the marrow for nourishment.

Xie Wuci had a strong life force; he would never submit.

Shi Shu brought a spoonful of medicine to his lips. “Bro, open your mouth.”

But for some reason, Xie Wuci also had fleeting moments of emotion that Shi Shu could not grasp. He only felt that the man who was never melancholic could be melancholic for a second.

Especially after getting sick, his eyes would occasionally flash with a detached look, but only for a very, very brief second.

Xie Wuci pursed his lips, his face like stagnant water as he stared at the bowl of medicine, disinterest written all over it.

Shi Shu said, “I know you’re in a lot of pain right now and don’t want to drink medicine. But you have to. Go on, drink it.”

It was then that Shi Shu realized how hopelessly straight and clumsy with words he was, repeating the same two phrases over and over. “Drink it. Go on, drink. Drink.”

Xie Wuci, however, was like a princess who needed to be steeped in tenderness and sweet words. “Say a few nice words.”

Shi Shu said, “Uh.”

“Go on and drink, handsome. Hey handsome, do me the honor of taking a sip.”

Xie Wuci asked, “Is there a girl you like?”

Shi Shu said, “No.”

“If you did like one, what would you call her?”

“Wifey?”

“Change it.”

Shi Shu: “Honey?”

“Call me baby.”

Something instantly clicked in Shi Shu’s mind, and he almost dropped the bowl. “Ah, you really have to hear that name?”

Xie Wuci’s lips were pale. “I want to hear it.”

“…Are you a little deprived of love? Are you feeling unwell from being sick?” Shi Shu laughed, his smile bright and sunny. “Okay. Baby. Baby, baby, baby. Come on, have a drink.”

Why was there no psychological burden? Because his roommate occasionally called him baby too. Although Shi Shu always found it incomprehensible, sometimes straight guys were just gay-like.

Shi Shu would say it once, and Xie Wuci would take a sip. It was an inexplicably strange scene.

Shi Shu said, “Baby, it’s almost finished.”

Xie Wuci drank the medicine from the spoon.

Shi Shu started to feel that this was a bit ambiguous. No, this was very ambiguous.

Only then did Shi Shu realize that Xie Wuci’s gaze had been stuck on his face the whole time. That fierce, defiant aura had also vanished. He was just watching him, lips pressed tight, and in its place was a flowing calmness.

It was strange. It made Shi Shu feel awkward all of a sudden. He stood up. “I’ll take the bowl away.”

“I’m going to sleep. It hurts a bit,” Xie Wuci also said.

When Shi Shu returned, Xie Wuci had pulled the quilt up. The collar of his shirt was loosely wrinkled, and a white cloth covered his proper brows and eyes, giving him the sickly, fragile appearance of someone with a broken, noble spirit.

Xie Wuci was too fond of lying. Fake smiles, fake words. Sometimes he seemed very calm and breezy, but at other times, he felt a bit gloomy.

Shi Shu could not figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

In the evening, a sudden downpour began. In the midst of the chaotic rain, several eunuchs stood in the courtyard.

Under the pretext of visiting, these eunuchs wanted to see Xie Wuci but were stopped by Shi Shu, who said he was infected with the miasma and was recuperating, so it was inconvenient to see guests.

“Inconvenient to see guests? Hmm, when did he get infected? How come we heard that just a few days ago he was still in the city making inquiries, investigating the people’s rebellion in Shuhong Prefecture, and also looking into the case of the dyehouse massacre?” The man sneered. “The Prince’s Mansion has long arms. How did they reach all the way to Huainan Road?”

Shi Shu said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s been helping to drive out the miasma at the infirmary. We came with the doctor.”

“Quite the stubborn mouth. Since we’ve spoken openly, you should know your place. If this case is to be investigated, it should be the Fengming Si who investigates it. It has nothing to do with you. If you overstep your bounds again, we’ll have to ask you to come with us for a trip.”

The eunuchs pinched their noses and said no more. They flicked their sleeves in the wind and rain and departed like harbingers of death.

“…Have Xie Wuci and that group of advisors been targeted?”

Shi Shu thought about it carefully. He cooked some congee and steamed buns, let them cool slightly, then went inside to the bedside. “Simple and clean, one dish and one congee. Xie Wuci, time to eat.”

Xie Wuci had a piece of gauze in his mouth. Doctor Lin had come today and said that at the rate he was clenching his jaw, he would probably shatter his teeth, so he told Shi Shu to put something in his mouth.

Xie Wuci was not lucid. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but his body temperature was frighteningly high.

“I don’t know how long it will take for this illness of yours to get better. Each day feels like a year. And now eunuchs from the capital have come…”

Shi Shu took out the gauze from his mouth, which was wet with saliva, and set it aside. He tore the steamed bun into small shreds. Shi Shu placed them at his lips, but they were spat out. He put the congee to his lips, and it immediately trickled out. He had to place a cloth underneath to keep the bed from getting dirty.

Shi Shu said, “Eat something… Your forehead is even hotter. The fever hasn’t gotten worse, has it?”

Xie Wuci was like a bronze wall. Shi Shu could not pry open his jaw. It was too hard to get leverage from below the bed, so Shi Shu simply climbed onto the bed, straddling him with his legs apart, pressing down the corners of the quilt, and stuffing the torn bun into his mouth.

He patted his face. “Hey, Xie Wuci.”

Xie Wuci was too stubborn; he could not get anything down.

He seemed to be having a nightmare, an oppressive and wild aura emanating from him. Shi Shu pried open his lips. Half a medicinal pill was on his tongue, and his jaw was chattering.

Shi Shu had seen this kind of frenzied state many times while at the infirmary. High fever caused neurological disorders in the brain, which could lead to mental problems. There had been people who hurt others, choked people’s necks, and went on a rampage.

“What sins have you committed, Xie Wuci… You can get through this. You’re so strong, you’re amazing. You can definitely get through this.”

Shi Shu soaked a clean cloth in water and put it in his mouth. Xie Wuci seemed extremely thirsty and his eyes suddenly flew open.

Shi Shu was originally straddling the quilt when, suddenly, his body was flipped over. A sharp pain shot through Shi Shu’s palm. He propped himself up, about to spring up, but he rolled to the other side of the bed. Immediately, a hand slammed down next to his neck, and Xie Wuci’s shadow fell over him.

Outside the window, a storm raged with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

His vision shifted, everything became a blur. Shi Shu lay by the window, feeling utterly surprised. His mouth was blocked by Xie Wuci.

“What are you doing?!”

Xie Wuci did not seem to be conscious as he kissed his neck.

When that rough tongue licked him, his whole body went numb, and a wave of wet, hot shivers washed over him.

Support me on Ko-fi