Chapter 33: N. Companionship and Healing

Jing Ming got off the elevator and returned to his car before Ning Yixiao finally answered the phone.

“Where are you?” Jing Ming asked aggressively.

Ning Yixiao’s voice sounded listless. “Hotel.”

“A hotel? You’re not living in your own house and you’re running off to stay at a hotel? Did you lose your mind?” Jing Ming started the car and left the apartment parking lot. “Did you let your ex-boyfriend move in?”

“How did you know?” Ning Yixiao frowned.

“I saw it! Still trying to hide it from me? I’ve been curious—you’re a perfectly fine, handsome guy, and yet you act like you’ve been drugged, pining away day and night even after getting dumped. After seeing him today, I finally understood why…”

Jing Ming had a stomach full of complaints he wanted to vent, but he was cut off by Ning Yixiao.

“How is he?”

Taken aback by the question, Jing Ming forgot what he was about to say and answered subconsciously, “He looks okay, just a bit too thin. His mental state also isn’t…”

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something was wrong. “Wait, no. Tell me, which part of your brain is malfunctioning? He dumped you, you let him move into your house, and then you run off to live in a hotel. You’re like this, and you’re still worried about him? Man, I really… I don’t understand… Yes, he’s very beautiful, I admit that, but you broke up! Did you forget that?”

The word “breakup” made Ning Yixiao silent for a moment. When he spoke again, he missed the point entirely. “I didn’t like him just because of his face.”

Jing Ming laughed in anger. “You’d better not have. But you can really say that? Are you blind? You’re looking at that face and saying you don’t like his face.”

“I’m going to do an exclusive interview tomorrow. I’ll tell everyone that our founder looks sharp and capable, but is actually a shallow aesthetic-lover with a ‘love-brain.'”

“Suit yourself,” Ning Yixiao prepared to hang up. “I have work to do.”

“Don’t hang up! Where are you staying? I’m coming to find you.” Jing Ming turned the steering wheel. “Hey, why don’t you stay at my place? I’m alone anyway. With your germophobia, won’t you be miserable in a hotel?”

“Your house doesn’t seem any cleaner than a hotel,” Ning Yixiao said bluntly.

“You!” Jing Ming almost cursed but held back. “Fine, I can’t be bothered with you. I was going to bring you some wine, but I’m an idiot for even trying.”

Ning Yixiao finally let out a laugh. “At least your self-awareness is clear.”

“You’re a bigger idiot than me.” His phone buzzed; Jing Ming saw the address Ning Yixiao sent. “It’s so close. I’m heading over.”

The housekeeper, Kofi, called, so Ning Yixiao ended the call with Jing Ming while continuing to work and listening to her report.

Most of her report covered daily routines—whether Su Hui ate, if he took his medication on time, and whether his psychosomatic symptoms during his depressive episode had improved or worsened.

“Don’t look at him for too long,” Ning Yixiao reminded her. “During his depressive episodes, he often feels self-loathing. If he’s being watched, he feels very uncomfortable.”

“Yes, I understand.” Kofi hesitated, her tone uncertain. “There’s one thing… I don’t know if I should say it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Ever since Eddy moved in, he has stayed at home. He hasn’t gone out once and almost never leaves his room. This morning, when I wanted to wake him to take his medicine, I found him sleeping on the floor.”

Ning Yixiao’s hands, typing on the keyboard, paused.

“Why sleep on the floor? Have you communicated with him?”

Kofi said, “I’ve tried, but he isn’t very cooperative. He barely speaks at home and is very lethargic. When he wakes up, he just sits on the floor staring into space. In my experience, someone with this kind of avoidant behavior might feel insecure in a strange environment, or it could be PTSD. To know exactly what’s going on, we’ll need to observe for a few more days.”

PTSD.

Ning Yixiao didn’t understand. The old Su Hui wouldn’t have avoided resting on a bed—why did he change like this?

He sat for a while. Carl walked over from another room in the suite to show him the electronic design file, noticing Ning Yixiao seemed distracted.

“What’s wrong?” Carl sensed something. “Shaw, are you very tired?”

Ning Yixiao snapped back to reality. He went through the design drawings, marked the parts he found problematic, gave some feedback, and handed the tablet back to Carl.

“I’ll head over there first, then.”

“Carl.”

Carl turned around. “Yes?”

“When you helped Su Hui move, did you go into his bedroom?” Ning Yixiao asked. “Was there a bed in the bedroom?”

Carl stood there, thinking back. “Now that you mention it, there wasn’t. He seemed to be sleeping on the floor, on something like a tatami mat.”

Ning Yixiao paused and nodded. “Understood. Go ahead and get back to work.”

Carl didn’t understand why he asked that, but he didn’t dwell on it. He added, “Then… when are we going back to San Francisco?”

Ning Yixiao didn’t answer. Carl didn’t linger; he closed the door as he left.

In Ning Yixiao’s memory, Su Hui had always been a bit pampered. It wasn’t a derogatory term; he actually liked the way Su Hui showed his softness at times—it was cute, and it reminded Ning Yixiao that he was lucky to have him.

Su Hui wasn’t used to sleeping on hard wooden beds. When they first moved in together, many mornings Su Hui would whisper that his back ached and ask him to rub it. Later, they went to a furniture store, and at Ning Yixiao’s insistence, they bought a discount mattress—very soft.

Although Su Hui felt guilty about the money at the time and refused, for that first week, he slept so well that he would always oversleep. No matter how Ning Yixiao tried to wake him, he wouldn’t stir, until Ning Yixiao used a more “vicious” method to force him awake. Eventually, Su Hui broke that habit.

Ning Yixiao had always resisted thinking about the past, but memories didn’t obey him. He resisted knowing what had happened to Su Hui over these six years even more, so he avoided it whenever he could. He was afraid of learning things he didn’t want to know, afraid of hearing that Su Hui had met someone better.

This was the first time Ning Yixiao truly wanted to know what had happened during their time apart.

Why was the current Su Hui only willing to sleep on the floor?

The sky grew darker.

Through the gaps in the white blinds, the night spread out like turbid seawater.

Su Hui leaned against the bed frame, sitting barefoot on the floor, silent. He imagined himself as a silkworm hiding in a cocoon—only this cocoon was larger and more luxurious, but it was indeed safe.

He was living in a place where Ning Yixiao had lived, and he couldn’t help but think of him, of their past and their present, feeling a strange sense of displacement. But as soon as he thought of Ning Yixiao’s impending marriage, Su Hui forced himself to stop. The moral weight was so suffocating that he couldn’t think about anything related to Ning Yixiao anymore.

Kofi knocked on the door for the third time, bringing food.

To help her complete her task, Su Hui ate a little and swallowed the medicine she offered.

“Go rest,” he said calmly.

Kofi knew he needed space, so she didn’t linger and left after nodding.

Su Hui suddenly wanted to smoke. During his depressive episodes, his addiction was always intense; sometimes a pack only lasted two days. It was basically his meal. But he had no energy now and didn’t want to go downstairs to buy any.

Even if there were a convenience store, the cigarettes would surely be too expensive, and he couldn’t afford them.

Just as he was imagining the display cabinet full of cigarettes in the convenience store downstairs, the doorbell rang again. This time, Su Hui didn’t plan on getting up to answer. After meeting such a strange person earlier, the confusion left in his mind was already too much.

…

The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but it had already stained the sky in mottled orange light, its warmth preceding its heat. At the first light of dawn, it spilled equally into every corner of the city. Whether it was the towering skyscrapers or the slightly dilapidated old apartment complex, everything was slowly waking up.

Outside the window, sunlight nimbly bypassed the aged, greenish glass of the bedroom, only to be barred from disturbing the dreamer by the thick blackout curtains one of the hosts had specially installed.

Ning Yixiao, having finished cooking, quietly returned to the bedroom from the kitchen. As the door creaked open, light squeezed through the gaps, gently illuminating Su Hui’s quiet sleeping face.

Ning Yixiao checked the time; it was time for Su Hui to wake up.

He walked to the bedside, bent down, and stared gently at Su Hui for a few seconds. Finding no signs of stirring, he reached out and touched Su Hui’s slightly flushed cheek. “Xiao Hui. Xiao Hui, time to wake up.” Perhaps because the expensive mattress was too soft, or because Su Hui had been too exhausted last night, he didn’t hear Ning Yixiao and continued to sleep soundly.

Ning Yixiao wanted to let him sleep, but Su Hui had to go teach children how to paint this morning. He had pleaded last night not to let him oversleep again—if he woke up too late, he would definitely be filled with regret.

Ning Yixiao had no choice but to call his name while reaching out to pull the duvet.

Su Hui felt the disturbance in his sleep, grumbled irritably, and rolled over to face away from Ning Yixiao, trying to pull the cover over his head and burrow into the soft bedding like an ostrich.

But Ning Yixiao held onto the other end of the blanket. In the struggle, Su Hui’s straight, fair legs and half of his rounded buttocks—covered only by his underwear—were exposed. On his inner thighs and buttocks, faint dark red marks were visible.

Su Hui had gained some weight since being with Ning Yixiao; his once thin frame had been nourished until he was fuller and more beautiful. Like a snow lotus on the snowy peaks of the Nine Domains, he had blossomed under the sun and rain, his beauty reserved only for the sincere and fated mountaineer to admire.

Ning Yixiao was almost amused, forcing himself to remain composed as he pulled Su Hui’s arm and tugged him flat.

This time, Su Hui didn’t struggle, obediently following Ning Yixiao’s movements, only using the quilt to cover half his face to block out the light.

Ning Yixiao looked at him helplessly, pulling the quilt down, leaning close to his ear, and whispering, “You little lazybones. Are you getting up? If you don’t get up, I’m not going to be polite.”

Su Hui remained indifferent to the threat, continuing to play the “sleep-is-supreme” ostrich.

Ning Yixiao straightened up, surveying the marks he had left on Su Hui’s body last night. His gaze fell to the underwear he had put on him, and the memory of Su Hui kneeling between his legs, obedient and devoted, made his throat tighten.

With a thought, he washed his hands in the bathroom and returned to the bedroom.

Ning Yixiao reached out and rubbed Su Hui’s waist where the finger marks remained. His hand slid back, hooked the waistband of the underwear, and pulled it down along the crack, revealing the rounded, fleshy buttocks. The front of the underwear was pulled taut against Su Hui’s morning erection, outlining a small mound.

Su Hui groaned in discomfort. Ning Yixiao ignored it. One hand rubbed Su Hui’s buttocks in a seductive manner, while the other slid along the contour of the underwear, rubbing firmly in circles.

The organ under the underwear grew larger. Ning Yixiao pulled the underwear down completely. Kneeling on the carpet by the bed, he pulled Su Hui’s legs toward him and placed them on his shoulders. Before his cold, deep face was Su Hui’s erect organ.

Like a high-minded painting of a lady being stained by an outsider, Ning Yixiao wore a cold, ascetic expression, but his mouth drew close to Su Hui’s glans. The clear dew from the urethral opening left warm, ambiguous marks on his lips.

Ning Yixiao opened his mouth and took Su Hui’s organ inside, his free hand slowly kneading the scrotum beneath. Su Hui’s organ wasn’t too large, and it possessed a similar translucence to its owner. Ning Yixiao easily took him deep, distracted, remembering Su Hui’s state from last night.

Su Hui’s face was beautiful enough to leave anyone stunned, not to mention how that lovely, aloof face had been filled with lust. His red, swollen mouth was wide open, his agile, tender tongue licking the veins on the shaft. His cheeks were slightly hollowed from the effort, yet he seemed not to feel the pain, swallowing down deep. Those eyes, usually so pure and soft, looked up—hooks that bored into Ning Yixiao’s gaze as if asking if he was satisfied with the hospitality. Who knew where he’d learned it? Shy yet bold, pure yet depraved. It hooked Ning Yixiao so much that he didn’t last long, letting out a stifled groan as he came in Su Hui’s mouth.

Ning Yixiao thought about it, one hand stroking Su Hui’s penis while the other slid across the perineum to the anus. After yesterday’s usage, it was still a bit red and swollen. Ning Yixiao felt a pang of heartache, so he didn’t enter, just rubbed gently outside. His mouth continued to hold Su Hui’s organ, the tip of his tongue licking the sensitive coronal groove.

Su Hui was slowly awakened by the stimulation, and in his daze, he pressed against the head resting before him. When he became clearer, he released Ning Yixiao’s hair, gripped the bedding beside him, and twisted his waist to the movements of the person in front of him, letting out low, shallow gasps and moans.

He had always been direct and bold in these matters, and Ning Yixiao loved his honesty to the extreme.

The penis in his mouth grew larger, pulsing more frequently. Ning Yixiao felt Su Hui’s urge to ejaculate. He raised his head and moved in front of Su Hui.

He pressed one hand against the urethral opening, leaned over, and said, “Taste your own flavor.”

Lips and teeth tangled, water glistening between them. Su Hui was forced to open his mouth, letting Ning Yixiao’s tongue wander deeper. Perhaps the mattress was too soft, making Su Hui feel as if he were in a sweet, surreal dream. He reached out and hugged Ning Yixiao’s neck, as if wanting to hold onto this phantom-like reality. As if the moment he let go, everything would turn into mist again.

After the kiss, Su Hui looked at Ning Yixiao, exposing a bit of provocation, and said, “Not bad.”

Ning Yixiao leaned in to bite his lip lightly, the hand holding the organ speeding up. Just as Su Hui’s waist arched to ejaculate, he pressed down on the urethral opening again. Like a cruel executioner, he severed the erupting desire.

Su Hui looked at him in confusion, reaching out to pull at Ning Yixiao’s hands, but was countered. “Let me come,” Su Hui said.

“Will you oversleep again?” Ning Yixiao asked, pretending to be cold.

Su Hui was already wide awake, watching the ascetic-looking Ning Yixiao kneeling between his legs, his hand gripping his organ. The intense contrast made him hiss; the desire to vent was even stronger. His organ was engorged and red, pulsing violently in the hand that held it captive.

Su Hui had no choice but to babble, “I won’t. I absolutely won’t oversleep again.”

“Remember what you said, or next time it won’t be this simple.” Ning Yixiao kept his face cold, but the shallow curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed his pleasant mood.

He released the opening and switched to rapid stroking. Su Hui’s long-suppressed desire finally found release, falling in bursts onto Ning Yixiao’s hand and his own abdomen.

Ning Yixiao wiped him clean with a tissue, pulled him off the bed, kissed his face, and said, “Little lazy cat, go take a bath. Come eat once you’re done, or you’ll be late.”

Su Hui nodded dumbly, his waist and legs soft, walking toward the bathroom with the mottled marks of last night’s indulgence.

He heard Kofi open the door, but she still called for him.

“Eddy, could you come here? Shaw said not to open the door for just anyone.”

Su Hui thought for a moment and stood up, walking to the entrance with slow movements. He glanced at the video monitor; it was that guy in the floral shirt and white coat again.

He was only wearing a shirt, wrapped in a knit cardigan, feeling a bit cold. The doorbell kept ringing. Su Hui lowered his eyes and unwillingly opened the door.

“Hi!”

Standing outside wasn’t just him, but a large black Doberman. Its muscles were beautiful, and it wore a small black harness, looking very much like a police dog.

Su Hui was stunned, standing in place. “You…”

The other party started the conversation quite familiarly and didn’t seem as strange as he had been that morning. “I’m Jing Ming—’Jing’ as in scenery, ‘Ming’ as in tomorrow. Or you can call me Luka.”

His Mandarin was smooth, but compared to his vulgarity that morning, it still had a slight foreign accent.

“Oh, right, his name is Xue Gao (‘Snow Cream’), he’s a two-year-old Doberman.” Jing Ming held the leash in one hand and stroked the dog’s head with the other, trying to soothe him. “Xue Gao, don’t get excited.”

He looked at Su Hui and explained, “He’s a bit of a guard dog, might be a little ferocious, don’t be afraid…”

Before he could finish, Xue Gao wagged his tail and rushed to Su Hui’s side. Even Jing Ming couldn’t hold him back, startled. Unexpectedly, he simply pounced on Su Hui, sniffing him frantically, and reached out with both front paws as if wanting a hug.

Su Hui was also stunned, not knowing what to do, half-hugging Xue Gao, eyes wide open, looking at Jing Ming.

Jing Ming was speechless.

“Heartless dog, just like its owner,” he muttered to himself, then turned to Su Hui with a smile. “He… he’s usually quite fierce and very guarded against strangers. Maybe he finds you very kind. That’s good; saves me the trouble of teaching you how to get used to him.”

“Teach me?” Su Hui didn’t understand.

“It’s like this.” Jing Ming started spinning a tall tale. “This is Ning Yixiao’s dog, right? He used to keep him here. I don’t know why, but for the past two days, he said he had to stay at my place, but he doesn’t seem to get used to my house. He’s been drooping every day, not eating well, not sleeping well. The vet said he couldn’t adapt to the new environment and needs to come back home.”

Su Hui blinked and looked down at Xue Gao, seeing his “puppy dog eyes” that were sincere and moist, looking very homesick.

“Ning Yixiao said you’re living here now, so could you help me take care of him?”

Jing Ming saw that he basically believed it and felt more confident. “He’s very easy to raise. You basically don’t have to worry about him; he’s professionally trained and very smart. Just pour him some food, and walk him in the park downstairs every morning and night. He’ll handle the rest.”

“Oh, right. He has a small issue with his leg. It looks a bit weird when he walks, a slight limp, but that’s normal; he’s been like that since he was little.”

Jing Ming spoke fast. It took Su Hui a moment to react. He had zero resistance toward animals, especially large dogs, and felt pity for Xue Gao, so he quickly accepted.

“Then… could you leave me some notes?”

As Su Hui spoke, he realized he hadn’t asked Jing Ming to come in. He didn’t have any “owner” mindset, believing he was just staying here temporarily.

“Do you want to come in?” Su Hui opened the door wider. “Do you want to drink something?”

Jing Ming waved his hand carelessly. “No need. The note is just to keep him company—nothing else. He eats everything; he loves boiled chicken breast. Make sure to take him down for walks; if he doesn’t go down to bounce around, he’ll be very uncomfortable.”

Su Hui nodded. “I understand. Then… he…”

Jing Ming tilted his head. “What?”

Su Hui didn’t know how to phrase it, eyes half-lowered. “Will he miss his owner?”

“Let him miss him then.” Jing Ming laughed heartily. “What else can we do?”

As he spoke, Jing Ming squatted down and patted Xue Gao’s head. “Poor Xue Gao, your owner doesn’t want you anymore.”

He had intended it as a joke, but Su Hui actually spoke up to refute him, his voice very small.

“No.” Su Hui was unsure of himself, but still said to Xue Gao, “He didn’t abandon you.”

Jing Ming smiled and looked up at him. “So, you mean Ning Yixiao will come back to live here?”

Su Hui froze, pursed his lips, and stayed silent.

“Alright, I have to go. I have an appointment to go clubbing.” Jing Ming checked his watch, shoved the leash into Su Hui’s hand, and said goodbye to Xue Gao. “Stay with your new dad, Godfather is leaving now.”

He was a whirlwind of a person—arriving in a hurry, leaving in a hurry. Within a few sentences, he was gone, and he closed the door behind him. The house became instantly quiet. Su Hui looked down at Xue Gao, and Xue Gao looked up at him, both silent.

He squatted down and stroked Xue Gao’s short fur, from his neck to his back, then his face and forehead.

“Xue Gao, you’re so handsome, how did you get such a cute name?”

Su Hui tilted his head. Xue Gao stepped forward and burrowed into his arms, leaving Su Hui between laughter and tears, forced to extend his arms to hug him.

“Your owner didn’t abandon you.” Su Hui stroked Xue Gao’s forehead. “You know? Once you’re doing a little better, he’ll take you to the new home.”

Xue Gao’s ears stood high. Despite his intimidating appearance, his short tail wagged happily the whole time. He seemed to like him and even tried to lick his face. Because of this, Su Hui felt a bit of pleasure spreading through his cold, stiff body.

“Are you hungry?” Leading Xue Gao, he walked through the house for the first time for the sake of his dinner, only then realizing how big the place was. Paintings he liked hung in the upstairs hallway. Su Hui stood and looked at them for a moment, but didn’t linger.

He found the dog food in the upstairs storage room, and thinking of Jing Ming’s words, planned to go back downstairs to cook chicken for Xue Gao.

He turned on the stove in the kitchen, boiled the water, and crouched down, stroking Xue Gao as he gulped down his food.

“Slow down, are you that hungry?”

He straightened the little clothes Xue Gao was wearing and suddenly noticed a tiny QR code printed on the black harness.

Su Hui thought there might be care instructions for the dog inside. He didn’t trust himself; he wasn’t healthy enough, and it was his first time truly taking care of an animal on his own—he was terrified of making mistakes.

So he took out his phone, scanned the code, and a website appeared before him.

Flipping down, he saw Xue Gao’s quite handsome ID photo, an electronic card marked with a number. To the right of his name, there were two words written.

[Healing/Therapy Dog.]

__

Author’s Note:

Doberman: The suit-wearing thug of the dog world, a big hunk.

Jing Ming: Why did you start liking him so fast? This isn’t scientific! It took me a month of you chasing me to bite me before we got close!

Xue Gao: Because I spend every day sniffing his little cat plushie behind my dad’s back (finally found something living). What are you compared to that?

Jing Ming: I trusted the wrong one.