Jiang Ye took out a sheet of stationery and silently wrote down a passage. There was so much he wanted to say, so much that he had meant to tell the other man in person, only to be interrupted.
He wanted to explain what he had said on the Ferris wheel, and that the late-night snack he had brought him earlier had not been an attempt to get his vote...
Just as he was about to continue, the aroma drifting to his nose brought him back to his senses. He turned toward the paper bag casually set aside and stared at it for a long time.
Forget it... he hadn't taken the fried noodles, either.
A moment later, he crossed out the last sentence, then thought that wasn't right either. He tore up the flawed sheet and stuffed the pieces into his pocket, took off his glasses and set them to one side of the desk, then began writing again.
[Ah... I don't know why, but Lawyer Jiang looks a little lonely from behind.]
[I'm curious what he wrote and why he tore it up.]
[I want to know too.]
[Lawyer Jiang took the paper bag away... what does that mean?]
[I think I get it. Lawyer Jiang gave Xiao He the bag, but Xiao He put it on the desk when he came in and forgot to take it. Then Lawyer Jiang came in and saw it... did he think Xiao He didn't want it...? Damn, that hurts a little.]
[Ah... I feel a little bad for Old Jiang, sob...]
Jiang Ye went into the kitchen and put the still-warm fried noodles in the refrigerator.
Couldn't waste food... he'd save it for breakfast tomorrow.
There was still plenty of time.
Wen He was a little bewildered when he was pulled into a room filled with a scent both familiar and unfamiliar, but the sharp pain in his wrist brought him back to his senses.
He tried to pull his hand free, only for the other man to tighten his grip.
"That hurts a little..."
Helpless, he could only look at him and speak timidly.
The pressure on his wrist eased.
The other man seemed to have just showered... his hair was still wet.
Ji Chi stood there watching the innocent, bewildered Wen He. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. It felt as though a part of his heart had caved in, leaving him hollow and uncomfortable. He opened the door and let him out.
Watching the door gently close, Wen He could only think that he was being rather inexplicable...
Rubbing his reddened wrist bone with his palm, he slowly walked into his own room.
Remembering those few damp clumps of hair stuck together on the young man's head, Wen He felt he ought to remind him.
This wasn't the first time Ji Chi hadn't bothered to blow-dry his hair... he hadn't dried it last time either. He would get a headache like that.
He took out his phone. Their chat was still where it had left off last night.
Ah... he seemed to have forgotten to reply...
He He He: Going to sleep.
He He He: (Bear spinning) sticker.
He He He: Dry your hair before bed, or you'll get a headache.
He He He: (Friendly reminder) sticker.
Still no response... he must be busy.
Putting down his phone, Wen He hugged his tablet and started scrolling through videos.
In the room on the other side, Ji Chi looked at the messages on his phone, a little spark of delight rising in him.
His messages were like an anti-irritant, clearing every last trace of agitation from Ji Chi's room.
"So you do have a conscience..."
Humming, he walked on tiptoe into the bathroom and began drying his hair.
Even when Wen He was groggy before bed, he still hadn't received another message from him. He mumbled to himself.
"Don't even know, um, if he ate... dried his hair... not eating hair really... hurts..."
Ji Chi lay on his bed in a wonderful mood. His damp hair was now fluffy, the few red strands threaded through the black looking even brighter.
Little Wooden Head: (Friendly reminder) sticker.
--23:47--
J: (zzz) sticker.
How did that not count as caring about him?
He thought everything Quan Chongnian had said was wrong. Sure enough, good buddies were often bad influences. They were no help at crucial moments and only undermined morale.
J: (Bomb) (Bomb) (Bomb) (Bomb)
Q: ?
J: Screw you.
Q: ?
Q: I'll wait for you to come begging.
On the other side of the screen, Quan Chongnian was so angry that he hurled his phone into his bedding, then lay on his stomach and went to sleep.
Ji Chi didn't think the day would ever come when he needed to ask him for help. He played on his phone for a while, then fell peacefully asleep.
Wen He's plan to get up early and see a doctor fell through.
He opened his slightly bleary eyes. He hadn't dreamed...
Did that mean stopping the medication was working?
It seemed the medication's side effects really had been too strong.
After washing up, he went downstairs to find food as usual.
Wen He had already formed this habit, not just at the house, but back at home too.
Going downstairs after waking early to buy two buns from a street stall had become his daily routine. He could skip other meals, but he had to have breakfast. It felt strange if he didn't... as though he hadn't eaten all day.
He had thought the ground floor would be empty as before, but this time there seemed to be someone else in the living room...?
The man wore a suit, his hair slicked back with wax. From behind, he looked very solidly built and capable.
The morning livestream had quietly begun when this mysterious man entered the house.
Xie Zhengci had arrived that morning, but had yet to run into anyone. For one thing, it wasn't convenient to go straight upstairs; everyone might still be asleep.
For another, he didn't yet know where his room was.
Several small gift boxes sat on the gray plush sofa beside him. He had arrived two days later than the other guests and might already be at a disadvantage.
But he still couldn't leave out the customary gifts.
Soon, light footsteps came from the stairs. Xie Zhengci turned his head. Wen He stood bewildered at the foot of the stairs in pale blue elephant pajamas, his hair fluffy and disheveled.
He looked less like a little elephant than a lost lamb.
Xie Zhengci stood, fastened the second button of his suit jacket, and approached to greet him first.
"Hello, Wen He. I'm Xie Zhengci."
Wen He came back to his senses and stared blankly at the hand held out to him, and the face that had appeared so many times in his dreams.
"Hello..."
His hand, still warm from his bedding after waking, clasped the other man's. Wen He collected himself, and the two walked to the living room together.
"They might still be asleep..."
The young man looked both dazed and docile, very much like a wooden bird sculpture he had once seen at an exhibition.
But he wasn't merchandise. Unfortunately, some people couldn't see that.
Watching him sit back down, Wen He felt somewhat at a loss. He wasn't good at socializing, but leaving him here alone didn't seem very nice.
So he could only silently pray that Lawyer Jiang would hurry back and talk to him.
Wen He withdrew the foot he had been stepping toward the dining room and set it down toward the living room. Rustling came from the entryway.
He knew Lawyer Jiang was back...
In that case, he wouldn't need to go to the dining room.
Lawyer Jiang thought little of the extra person in the living room. He knew he was probably the house's final guest.
The one the production team had said would arrive a few days late.
He went over to greet him, and the two soon struck up a conversation.
Wen He quietly selected ingredients in the kitchen to make breakfast.
Jiang Ye glanced toward Wen He. Seeing that he was about to make breakfast, he hurriedly stopped him.
"Xiao He, there's a serving of pasta with tomato meat sauce in the dining room. I made too much this morning... so I saved you some. Would you like it?"
Jiang Ye's voice caught Wen He's attention. He really hadn't noticed the plate of noodles already on the dining table.
Was this Lawyer Jiang's gift to thank him for voting for him yesterday?
"Thank you, Lawyer Jiang..."