Chapter 73: Illness

The two’s gazes met in the air, and the air froze for a moment.

“Gather! Gather!”

A sharp whistle sounded at the entrance of the dormitory building. Cheng Ye let go, his hand that had shaken hands clenched into a fist. He patted Jiang Shi with his other hand. “Go on, I’ll come see you when I have time.”

The military training life officially began.

This year’s batch was unlucky. The next ten or so days were all sunny, with temperatures as high as over thirty degrees.

After that day, Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye never met again. It was mainly because they were busy and tired. Eating was like going to war. There was no time to even make a phone call, let alone meet.

Jiang Shi was so tired every day that he didn’t even want to move a finger when he got back to the dormitory. The flesh he had gained from being fed by Cheng Ye for so many days was gone again. Compared to the people around him who were a shade darker, his skin was still white, just a little red.

The food in the cafeteria was comparable to pig slop. Even if Jiang Shi was tired and hungry, he still couldn’t bring himself to eat those unpalatable dishes.

He ate little, and his body would definitely have problems.

With his immunity lowered, the first thing to appear was allergies. Large patches of red spread across his arms. Jiang Shi didn’t tell Cheng Ye and went to the school doctor to get some medicine. At first, it could be suppressed, but later, the medicine didn’t work.

He could only secretly scratch himself in his blanket every night.

Until one scorching afternoon, he collapsed while standing at attention.

When he woke up again, he was lying in the school hospital, with an IV drip in his hand. A doctor in a white coat stood in front of him. Seeing him awake, the doctor turned and handed him a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi water.

“You’re awake. Drink this.”

Jiang Shi took it, first lowered his head to smell it, and frowned in disgust. He asked the doctor, “Who sent me here?”

“Your classmates. Seeing that there was nothing serious, I had them go back.”

“It’s not that I’m saying, young man, if you can’t hold on, just say so. If you need to take leave, just take leave. Why do you have to force yourself to hold on?”

Jiang Shi didn’t speak. He sat up on the bed and drank the medicine with a wrinkled nose. He squeezed the bottle, his hands itchy, and couldn’t help but rub them.

The doctor said, “Don’t scratch. It’ll only get itchier the more you scratch.”

The taste in his mouth was too strong. Jiang Shi coughed a few times. “Am I having an allergic reaction again?”

“Allergic reaction?” The doctor changed his IV bottle. “This is much more serious than a normal allergic reaction. Do you know about allergic urticaria?”

As he spoke, he bent down and lifted Jiang Shi’s sleeve, gently scraping his white arm with his fingertip. Almost instantly, a layer of pale white patches appeared on his arm.

“See? The more you scratch, the more patches there will be. That’s what you call a living hell.”

Jiang Shi was stunned. “How could this be? I didn’t have it before…”

“This thing isn’t really a disease. It’s caused by low immunity. You haven’t been eating or sleeping well during this time, and your constitution is relatively weak, so you got this. This can’t be cured either. If it’s itchy, I can prescribe some medicine to stop it. As for the rest, you can only rely on slowly recuperating when you go back.”

Jiang Shi was silent for a while. “Okay, I understand.”

“With your condition, you’re no longer suitable to continue training. I’ll write you a medical certificate for your counselor.”

The doctor had Jiang Shi take some anti-allergy medicine. Seeing the weariness in his eyes, he pulled the curtain and let him have a good sleep.

Unlike the noise in the dormitory, it was very quiet in the infirmary. Only the clock hanging on the wall was ticking.

Jiang Shi turned over, reached out, and realized his phone was under his pillow in the dormitory.

He clenched the corner of the blanket, closed his eyes. It was a hot day, but a thin layer of cold sweat had broken out on his forehead.

Since the military training began, Jiang Shi hadn’t been sleeping well. There were too many people in the dormitory. Not to mention snoring and grinding teeth, many boys were not clean to begin with, and they were even less likely to clean up when they were tired. His bed was in the innermost corner. When it got hot, all the smells would be trapped, and the taste was naturally not good.

Not being able to sleep or eat well, his immunity naturally declined over time.

But this kind of thing couldn’t be blamed on others. If anyone was to blame, it could only be him for being difficult to serve.

Jiang Shi didn’t tell anyone until he was admitted to the hospital today.

In fact, he wanted to borrow the school doctor’s phone to call Cheng Ye, but he gave up on the idea. He tilted his head against the pillow and fell into a daze.

He was woken up by the noise. The daytime training was over, and the students went to eat. The sunset slipped in from the windowsill, and the ground was mottled with orange and yellow.

Zuo Hui lifted the curtain and came in. He was relieved to see him awake. “You scared me to death during the day. How are you feeling now?”

“I…” As soon as Jiang Shi opened his mouth, his voice was extremely hoarse. Zuo Hui quickly poured him a glass of water.

The IV drip in his hand had been removed at some point, leaving a patch of purple and blue on the back of his hand. Jiang Shi sat and drank half a glass of water before speaking. “Did you send me here?”

“And a few other boys from our class,” Zuo Hui sat on a chair and opened the bag in his hand. “The food in the cafeteria can’t even be described as pig slop anymore. It’s just slop. I know you’re not used to it. This is what the girls in our class put together for you.”

In the bag was a small bag of wrinkled snacks, with bread, chocolate, and a few bags of spicy strips.

Zuo Hui handed the bag to Jiang Shi. “This is the last of our rations. Eat it sparingly.”

Jiang Shi was a little stunned as he held the snacks that had clearly been hidden for who knows how long. “Why did they give it to me?”

“I don’t know either…” Zuo Hui’s eyes turned sour and he let out a curse.

You have to know, the military training was more than halfway through, and snacks were more precious than gold. He had done a lot of work in the class, and he had also given a lot of sweet talk. Jiang Shi didn’t like to talk and was dismissive of people. As a result, when he got sick, they gave him so much for free.

“They said to take good care of your body. They were afraid you would be embarrassed, so they didn’t come to see you.”

Jiang Shi didn’t understand where their kindness came from, but it didn’t stop him from being moved by this kindness. “Thank them for me.”

Zuo Hui had come in a hurry and hadn’t even had time to eat dinner. Seeing that Jiang Shi was fine, he was much relieved. He told him a few things and then went to the cafeteria to fight for pig slop.

The school doctor came in. He didn’t say anything when he saw the snacks on his knee. He put the medicine on the cabinet next to him. “Remember to take your medicine tonight.”

Jiang Shi tore open a bag of bread.

He had just taken the first bite when the curtain was lifted again.

He looked up, and Wang Zekai stood at the door, smiling at him.

“Jiang Shi, you really scared me when you fainted this morning. It looks like you’ve recovered pretty well now, right?”

The bread in Jiang Shi’s mouth immediately lost its fragrance. “What are you doing here?”

“Why so cold? I came to see you out of kindness…”

Wang Zekai walked in, sat in the seat Zuo Hui had just occupied, and opened the thermos he was carrying. Immediately, an enticing aroma filled the small bedside.

“I know you’re sick and can’t eat greasy and meaty food, so I specially brought you some pork ribs,” he said, stirring it with a spoon and scooping up a small piece of rib. The taste was a world apart from the one in the cafeteria.

Jiang Shi lowered his eyes and didn’t look at him. He took a bite of the bread in his hand. “Take your things and go. I don’t want them.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Wang Zekai shook his head and looked at him. “You’re still throwing a tantrum like this, Jiang Shi? I’m not asking you to do anything. I’m just bringing you food. You don’t want it for free?”

Jiang Shi didn’t speak, his attitude very clear.

The smile on Wang Zekai’s face immediately faded. He threw the spoon into the thermos, and the small rib fell, splashing water.

He dragged his chair closer to Jiang Shi, his gaze like a venomous snake. “I noticed you from the beginning of school, Jiang Shi. You’re one of us, right?”

His words were inexplicable. Jiang Shi looked at him.

Wang Zekai said, “I can’t be wrong. You’re like me, you’re gay, right? I saw a hickey on your back that day. Who left it? Your boyfriend? Or a one-night stand?”

Being told this so directly, Jiang Shi’s face turned pale, his fingers unconsciously clenching. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand?” Wang Zekai laughed. “Still playing dumb with me? Who’s your boyfriend? It’s not that big oaf who made your bed in the dormitory that day, is it? As expected of someone from a poor place like Lin Cheng. The people you find are also crude…”

“Have you said enough?” Jiang Shi interrupted him. “What’s my sexual orientation got to do with you? Who I find has what to do with you? You’re so interested in other people’s privacy. Didn’t your parents teach you how to write the word ‘discretion’?”

Being given the cold shoulder one after another, Wang Zekai’s face was not very good-looking either. But looking at Jiang Shi’s face, he felt that a little anger was nothing.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to break you up. Looking at you, you haven’t been with anyone else, have you? You haven’t experienced it, so you think it’s love. But what kind of love is there between two men? Everyone has to get married and have children in the end.”

“Our circle is very open…” he moved closer to Jiang Shi. “Jiang Shi, you’re very good-looking. You’re the best-looking person I’ve ever seen.”

His tone carried a hint of obsession. “I’m not asking you to break up. I’ve investigated. Your family is not very rich. Sleep with me for one night, and I’ll give you this much. Anyway, we’re both men, we won’t get pregnant, and your boyfriend won’t know…”

Jiang Shi didn’t know when he had turned over and gotten up. His fingers grabbed Wang Zekai’s hair, his gaze sharp as he looked at him.

He was still sick, and his lips were very pale, but his back was straight like a sharp sword. His fingers were long and slender, but the force was great. He pulled Wang Zekai’s head up, meeting his cold gaze.

“Go on, what do you want to do with me?”

Wang Zekai’s eyes filled with physiological tears from the pain. He tilted his head back and gasped for breath. “Jiang Shi, I’m telling the truth. You’re so beautiful, you’ll be coveted by someone sooner or later. So you might as well be with me. I’m very gentle and will be good to you.”

The evening glow fell on Jiang Shi’s beautiful to the point of cold and alluring features. He twitched the corners of his mouth and mercilessly slammed Wang Zekai’s head against the iron bed frame.

With a bang, Wang Zekai curled up in pain. He didn’t expect Jiang Shi to actually dare to hit him. It took him a few seconds to react and touch his forehead. It wasn’t bleeding, but a large bump had formed.

Jiang Shi let go. “I’m warning you, this is the first and last time. If your mouth is unclean again, I’ll pull out your teeth.”

Wang Zekai was at best just an embroidered pillow. After his family got a little money, he forgot his own surname. He saw that Jiang Shi was thin and weak, and with that face that was more beautiful than a girl’s, he naturally wouldn’t have thought that he would hit people. At most, he would just curse a few times.

A beauty’s insults, at certain times, would only make a man’s adrenaline soar.

But hitting was different…

Outside, the clamor of the students gradually weakened. When Wang Zekai came, he knew that the doctor had already gone to eat.

These few days, Jiang Shi had lost a lot of weight. His body under his clothes was empty. If one ignored the strength with which he had just grabbed his hair, he looked thin and weak at this moment.

Wang Zekai got up. “I spit on you. What’s with the pretense of being noble? You’ve just graduated from high school and you’ve already been fucked. What are you pretending to be a virgin for?”

“If you’re with me, I’ll give you a hundred thousand. Anyway, I’ll get tired of you after two days. In the end, you’re the one who benefits.”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi’s movements were very fast. He seemed to have learned before. Wang Zekai didn’t even see how he moved clearly. The next moment, he was thrown to the floor.

With a clang, Wang Zekai was hit so hard his eyes turned black. When he moved again, he didn’t know what was being squeezed, and he curled up in pain.

Jiang Shi was holding a hard steel pen in his hand, the tip of which was hovering over Wang Zekai’s eyeball.

His pale fingertips pressed on the pen cap, his tone the same as before, his voice not loud, his tone a little cold.

“Do you think I dare to poke it down?”

Wang Zekai froze and dared not move.

Jiang Shi sneered. “What’s it got to do with you what I am? Just because you’re a bitch doesn’t mean I have to be a bitch with you. Those who only think with their lower half are called animals, not people. The idea that everyone has to get married and have children in the future is just bullshit. It’s not enough to harm men, you also have to harm girls for a lifetime. I feel disgusted for you just hearing you say it.”

“And…” his pen tip dropped a little. “I’m not kidding you. If I hear anything from your mouth again, I’ll really pull out your teeth.”

He let go, his brows as if they were pressed with frost. “Get out.”

Wang Zekai scrambled out of the infirmary. At the door, he held onto the door frame and looked back. “You just wait!”

Jiang Shi sat on the bed, closed the pen cap, and without even looking up, said, “Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

…

When the person was far away, Jiang Shi’s tense back slowly relaxed.

He held the steel pen in his hand, his fingertips rubbing into a damp red, then began to tremble uncontrollably, the amplitude a little large. The steel pen clattered to the ground.

The pen cap cracked, and the nib inside broke out, splashing a pool of black ink on the ground.

Jiang Shi squatted down to pick it up. The moment his fingers touched the steel pen, a wave of nausea that was hard to resist washed over him.

He threw the steel pen into the trash can and ran to the bathroom.

He hadn’t eaten much to begin with, so he couldn’t vomit anything out.

Jiang Shi squatted on the ground for a long time before he stood up and pressed the flush button. His face was as pale as paper, and his fingers were still spasming unnaturally. He tremblingly turned on the faucet to wash his hands.

The sound of the doctor opening the door came from outside. “Classmate, are you still here?”

Jiang Shi opened his mouth, his voice a little hoarse. He lowered his head and washed his face with cold water before he recovered. “I’m in the bathroom.”

He opened the door with a wet face. The doctor walked around the ink stain on the floor and looked around. “Strange, how did a pool of ink get on the floor?”

Jiang Shi stood in front of the trash can. “My classmate came to see me just now and accidentally dropped a pen, which leaked. I’ll clean it up later.”

The doctor didn’t care. He put the packed food he was holding on the cabinet next to him. “How can you be full just by eating those few snacks? I brought you some food. It’s from the cafeteria for the instructors and teachers, different from what the students eat.”

Jiang Shi glanced at it. They were all light dishes.

“Thank you, doctor. Also…” he paused and said, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

His face looked frighteningly pale. The doctor felt a little pity for him. “Originally, there are only a few beds here for important classmates to rest. But there’s no one now. If you want to sleep, then sleep. But remember to tell your counselor.”

“I know, thank you.”

After eating and taking medicine, the effects of the medicine kicked in. Jiang Shi leaned against the pillow and fell into a daze.

He was woken up by the ringing of the lights-out bell.

Jiang Shi didn’t sleep well. His dreams were intermittent, all things he was very unwilling to recall.

He opened his eyes in a daze, and the first thing he saw was a black silhouette sitting by his bed.

His hand was faster than his brain. He subconsciously swung at the figure.

Before he could touch it, his hand was caught and then pulled into a dry embrace.

Jiang Shi stiffened, his shoulders relaxing, his strength slackening. The words that came out of his mouth carried a complaint that he himself didn’t realize. “Cheng Ye, what are you doing? Sitting by the bed in the middle of the night without making a sound. Isn’t that scary?”

The black shadow didn’t speak.

The infirmary had uninterrupted power, and the doctor didn’t sleep here. Currently, only Jiang Shi was here.

He reached out and pressed the switch next to him, and the suddenly lit light dispelled the darkness in the room.

Cheng Ye didn’t know how long he had been sitting by the bed. His skin was a little darker than the last time he saw him. He smelled strongly of sweat, and his clothes were stained with a lot of mud. Even his face had a few smudges.

Seeing Jiang Shi awake, he didn’t speak either. He let go of him and took off his dirty jacket.

Jiang Shi had slept for a few hours, and his face didn’t look as pale as before. He looked at Cheng Ye like this and got angry. “You don’t say a word. Who are you putting on a long face for?”

“Say?” Cheng Ye laughed. “What do you want me to say? If Zuo Hui hadn’t messaged me, would I have had to wait until the end of the military training to find out?”

Jiang Shi choked.

His momentum immediately weakened by half. “What’s the point of telling you? You can’t do anything about it. It would only add to your worries.”

“So you hid it? I only deserved to know after you were admitted to the hospital?”

Jiang Shi said, “Cheng Ye, why are you so fierce?”

Cheng Ye was so angry he laughed. “Little young master, you say I’m so fierce? Why weren’t you afraid I would be fierce when you did those things?”

Jiang Shi was in the wrong, but he didn’t admit it. He simply turned his back and pulled the blanket over his head.

Cheng Ye said, “Jiang Shi, turn around and look at me.”

Jiang Shi wouldn’t move.

Cheng Ye stood up, pulled the chair away, and directly bent down to lift his blanket. Jiang Shi held onto the blanket and wouldn’t let him pull it. So he went to grab his feet. As soon as he touched them, those feet kicked up without a care.

He didn’t hold back his strength, and it hurt when it landed on his thigh.

Cheng Ye frowned, held his ankle, his strength increasing. Jiang Shi even cursed him, “I see you don’t care about me at all. I’m already like this, and you don’t even ask how I am. You just come and ask why I lied to you.”

“I did lie to you. So what if I lied to you? If you have the guts, hit me.”

“Jiang Shi.”

Jiang Shi stopped moving, his head tilted, not speaking.

A sigh came from behind. “My little young master, can you be a little reasonable? You lied to me first, and I haven’t said anything yet, but you’re the one who got angry first. When I heard the news, I didn’t even attend the evening training and climbed over the wall to come here.”

Jiang Shi tilted his head slightly and secretly glanced at him. He didn’t know what Cheng Ye had been training for today. His clothes and pants were all muddy. Only the short-sleeved shirt inside was a little cleaner.

He pulled his feet out of his hands and hid them under the blanket, then curled himself up. “It’s true. It’s useless to tell you. It would only make you worry for nothing. I thought it would be over after a few days, but I didn’t expect…”

Cheng Ye watched as he wrapped himself up like a cocoon. Although his face had turned a little red from cursing just now, it couldn’t hide the pale, sickly look. His chin was sharp, and even his curses lacked strength.

They hadn’t seen each other for just over ten days, and in the blink of an eye, he had become like this. Cheng Ye felt a pain in his heart like being stabbed by a needle.

He picked up the thermos next to him, reached out and opened the lid. It was not a discussion with Jiang Shi, but a notification.

“Jiang Shi, last time.”

Jiang Shi pouted in defiance, then was stuffed with a piece of soft, stewed yam.

He swallowed it in two mouthfuls and asked Cheng Ye, “Where did you get the food?”

“I have my ways. Tell me what you want to eat in the future.”

Cheng Ye knew the cafeteria food was bad. He had wanted to feed him from a small stove before, but Jiang Shi never replied to his messages. Now, everything had an explanation.

They hadn’t seen each other for several days. He carefully looked at the expression on his face and casually said, “You were very skilled at hitting people just now. Did something happen?”

Jiang Shi’s chewing stopped for a moment. “What could have happened? You sat on the edge of the bed without making a sound. Who else would I hit but you?”

Cheng Ye laughed and didn’t speak.

After eating, Cheng Ye stood by and cleaned up. Jiang Shi lay in the blanket and watched him clean up. It was very quiet around. The only brightly lit infirmary was like a separate, isolated world.

After watching for a while, Jiang Shi spoke abruptly. “Cheng Ye, are you going back?”

Cheng Ye asked him, “Do you want me to go back?”

Jiang Shi said, “I don’t want to.”

Cheng Ye’s hand holding the lid paused, then he lowered his eyes and closed the lid. “Okay, I’ll stay with you. I’ll leave at dawn.”

Jiang Shi hadn’t slept well these past few days. As soon as he relaxed, fatigue washed over him like a tide. He took the initiative to make half the bed for Cheng Ye. “Do you want to come up with me?”

“No, I haven’t showered. I’m all muddy. I’ll just sit on the chair.”

Cheng Ye went to the bathroom to wash his face. When he came out, Jiang Shi was still looking at him with eager eyes. He walked over and sat on the chair, extended his hand, his voice gentle in the night. “Young master, do you want to hold my hand to sleep?”

Jiang Shi hesitated for a while, but still reached out and held it. He held Cheng Ye’s thick knuckles loosely. “Why don’t you go back after I fall asleep? It’s not good to sit on a chair all night.”

“It’s okay,” Cheng Ye said. “I’m thick-skinned. It’s nothing to sit for a night.”

He lowered his head and kissed Jiang Shi’s eyelids. “I’m here, sleep.”

Jiang Shi’s eyelids, which he had been struggling to keep open, finally closed.

Cheng Ye watched him fall asleep like this. When he was finally sound asleep, he gently tucked his hand into the blanket.

He patrolled the narrow room. Everything was normal. The floor had just been mopped not long ago, and the smell of disinfectant had not completely dissipated. The trash can was full, and he didn’t see anything unusual.

Cheng Ye squatted down and picked up a broken pen cap from under the bed.

He took the trash can to the bathroom and took out a pen without an ink cartridge from inside.

The one he had given to Jiang Shi.