Chapter 7

Before he could finish speaking, a rumble of thunder suddenly sounded outside.

Xin Chun seemed startled. Touching his chest, he said, "The rain's getting heavier, Owen."

Owen paused. "I'll go check whether the windows are shut tight."

Chapter 7

Xin Chun had sprained his ankle, and his hand was inconvenient to use as well, so Owen had been helping him wash his hair lately. As for bathing, Xin Chun merely rinsed himself off casually.

Owen applied medicine to the wound on his palm, but Xin Chun said he could handle his ankle himself.

Xin Chun drew back his foot, his cheeks flushing. The fair top of his foot arched slightly, his toes curling into the carpet, while the calves exposed beneath his shorts were long and slender.

"I can do it myself, Owen. I can't keep troubling you. Go take a shower first."

"Alright. Call me if you need help." Owen rose to his feet.

Xin Chun nodded.

By the time Owen came out after showering, Xin Chun had already medicated his ankle. The gauze had been removed, and the colored medicinal liquid stained his skin, the brown stark against the white. The air was also filled with the scent of traditional Chinese medicine.

Xin Chun's expression remained calm. "The swelling in my ankle has gone down a lot. It'll be completely healed in a few days."

There was no need to apply ointment anymore; the medicinal liquid alone would do.

Xin Chun took out that book of Y-language poetry and asked, "Can we read two more poems tonight?"

"Of course."

The body that had just been bathed still seemed wrapped in dampness. Owen's hair hung loose, and his eyes resembled lustrous gemstones. His voice was deep and magnetic, and Xin Chun once again drifted into a deep sleep amid that rhythmic cadence.

Soon after, Owen closed the book as well, turned off the light, and wished him good night.

The next day, it was still raining, though the rain had eased somewhat. The two went to the company together.

When Li Ze saw them, he could not help sighing to Ivy, "The boss and Mr. Xin have such a great relationship. They've been coming together these past few days. I even saw the boss applying medicine to Mr. Xin's hand."

Ivy said, "And you didn't think anything was off about that?"

Li Ze let out a puzzled sound and scratched his head. "What's off?"

Ivy said, "Straight men are beyond saving."

The rain fell on and off for three days. On the morning of the final day Owen was staying over, Xin Chun unilaterally declared that his "sprained ankle" had recovered.

He woke up early and went to the kitchen to simmer mushroom soup.

He had truly had his fill of soup these past few days and did not want to see it again for quite some time, but he had promised Owen, so he had to follow through.

When Owen got up, Xin Chun happened to be carrying out the soup. "You're awake. Hurry up and wash up, then come drink some soup. I made mushroom soup. Try it and see how it tastes."

Yet Owen did not turn around immediately. He raised his hand. "Did you tie this?"

A dark green handkerchief was tied around his wrist. It was the first one Owen had used to wipe the mud from Xin Chun's face.

"Yes. I found blood on the other handkerchief, and it wouldn't wash out. I'll figure out how to clean it, then return it to you, Owen." Xin Chun smiled at him, his eyes curving.

Owen said, "You tied it beautifully."

It was like an accessory.

He could not say it aloud, but when he saw it the moment he woke up, his heart seemed to stir. He could not help imagining Xin Chun holding his hand as he wrapped and arranged the handkerchief.

This was a little surprise Xin Chun had left for Owen in the morning.

After the injuries to his ankle and hand healed, Xin Chun threw himself back into his busy work.

One evening, one of Xin Chun's university friends sent him a message.

Ke Hang: [Chun'er—just "Chun"—they said in the group chat that there's going to be a class reunion. You blocked it again, didn't you? Everyone's tagging you, the class monitor. Want to join the group and say something?]

Xin Chun frowned, with no intention whatsoever of joining the group. He directly refused: [No. Have the deputy class monitor organize it. I don't want to attend the reunion.]

It was too annoying.

Ke Hang: [Alright. I'll make up an excuse for you in the group later. Honestly, it's fine not to go to these reunions. It's all just people comparing themselves to each other. Boring.]

Wasn't that true? Xin Chun had gone in his previous life, and it had been terribly dull.

Besides, he had very few friends from university, few enough to count on one hand. Other than Ke Hang, who had been in the same class as him, his remaining friends had all been from other classes. His relationship with his classmates had been ordinary.

Ke Hang: [Besides, I saw someone in the group wants to invite senior Shao Kang to dinner too. They really want to stir up trouble and watch a show. It's good that you're not going—don't give them what they want.]

Shao Kang...

Xin Chun glanced at the name, not particularly concerned. [Yeah. Ignore them. If I don't go, there won't be anything entertaining to watch.]

[OK, I'll go into the group and shut them down first. Talk later.]

[Alright.]

But generally speaking, plans could never keep up with changes.

This season was ideal for medicinal herbs to grow, but the next day, when Xin Chun checked on the herbs, Li Ze suddenly ran over to say that a machine had broken down.

The machine was expensive and was specifically used to extract medicinal herb essences. Repair costs would run into the tens of thousands, but a small place like Jingu Town had no manufacturers capable of repairing it.

"I'll take a look," Xin Chun said.

When he arrived, Owen was there as well, inspecting the machine's parts. He had already dismantled part of it.

Ivy said, "The boss knows a bit about machine repair."

Of course Xin Chun knew that. And Ivy was being modest—Owen was extremely skilled with his hands.

But after Owen finished inspecting it, he looked up and said, "This machine needs quite a few replacement parts. We might as well replace it with a new one. This model is outdated too."

Li Ze said, "But boss, only B City sells this kind of specialized equipment."

"Although we can place an order by phone through the official website, B City is too far from Jingu Town. Manufacturers generally won't arrange delivery."

They would have to contact air freight logistics.

Owen wiped his hands. "I'll make a trip to B City myself. Xin Chun will come with me on a business trip. Some medicinal materials have arrived in B City, and I need you to identify them."

"Mm." Xin Chun froze for a moment, then nodded.

B City was the city where he had attended university. Naturally, the class reunion would be there too. Hopefully, he would not run into them.

*

The plane landed in B City. After leaving the airport, Xin Chun spotted his friend and raised a hand in greeting. "Ke Hang."