AFMWDX Chapter 21

TL: Hua

Chapter 21: Hint

Yu Qingtang came out after his shower to drink some water. Passing the living room, Xu Baizhang was watching the evening news.

The other person never missed any of his programs. If he couldn’t watch the live broadcast, he would search for the replay later.

Yu Qingtang never participated in these moments. Watching himself on TV felt very strange. He tried several times, but all ended in failure.

Today, he didn’t avoid it. Holding his cup, he sat down next to Xu Baizhang. “Seeing me during the day, seeing me again at night, and then seeing me on TV—don’t you get tired of it?”

Yu Qingtang didn’t have the habit of blow-drying his hair, and the towel rub was perfunctory. His hair ends were semi-dry, water clung to his earlobes and the front of his neck, and he smelled of fruity shower gel.

The leather sofa had a smooth texture. Yu Qingtang sat on this side, his body leaning toward the indentation. He was only wearing a bathrobe, loosely tied with a V-neck that looked as if it could slip open with a gust of wind.

Yu Qingtang casually edged his knee closer to the leg wearing trousers.

Xu Baizhang handed him the remote. “You choose.”

Yu Qingtang switched to a French film from the 1990s. The black-and-white 4K restored quality wasn’t as clear as a color version, but it lent a hazy beauty to the romance film.

The French are always romantic. Even when life is at stake and on the line, they are willing to leave a lingering, poignant kiss amidst the chaos of war.

The so-called French kiss is the entanglement of lips and tongue, the exchange of breath, and the call of saliva—a heart-stirring wave concerning love.

Yu Qingtang’s eyes were fixed on the TV as he scratched an itch on his knee.

His wrist was grasped, and his palm was lifted off his leg.

Xu Baizhang peered through the scratches at the red, jujube-like ring. “A mosquito bite?”

“Yeah, in the studio today. It was so itchy I almost caused a broadcast accident.”

Xu Baizhang let go of his hand and stood up. When he returned, he carried a jar of unlabelled ointment.

Yu Qingtang: “For itching?”

“Yes.” Xu Baizhang handed him the ointment. “Want to try it?”

Yu Qingtang held the cup with his left hand and propped himself up with his right hand behind him. “You help me.”

Xu Baizhang lifted his calf, placing his foot on the sofa. The ointment was one he had personally prepared, dark green, with a scent that mixed Isatis root with grass jelly.

The mischievous mosquitoes had only targeted Yu Qingtang’s right leg, biting him seven or eight times, scattered from the ankle to the knee.

Light red, irregular circles.

Xu Baizhang rotated his index finger to collect the medicine, rubbing the paste until it melted before working it into his leg. The pressure was light but enough to blanch the red areas.

The dark green marks had irregular edges and were rubbed onto the white skin, making the legs look “dirty” and as if they had been bullied, even though this “bullying” could instantly relieve the itching.

Xu Baizhang withdrew his hand and continued searching around his calf. “Anywhere else?”

Yu Qingtang’s knee moved slightly, and the red mark stained with dark green shifted its direction. He gripped the ceramic cup tightly, and his voice held a trace of ambiguous invitation, like the lack of oxygen after excessive kissing, like the gasp after making love.

“On my thigh… too.”

The two pieces of fabric were easily lifted, resting obediently at the sides of his waist.

One of Yu Qingtang’s legs was propped on the sofa, and the other was on the ground, wearing a slipper. His toes were secretly curling, tensed white from nervousness.

The closer he got to the intimate areas, the more pronounced the scent of shower gel became. The problem was that the last red bump was bitten at the base of his thigh.

Afraid of being discovered by Xu Baizhang, Yu Qingtang tried countless times to close his legs, but just before they met, his knee was pressed and pushed in the opposite direction.

Xu Baizhang scooped up the ointment again and reached directly towards the intimate area.

The skin between his thigh and underwear was tense and stiff, and veins popped out from the muscle. The thumb, like a suction cup, massaged and pulled at the sensitive area.

Yu Qingtang suspected he was a biological experiment, injected with a biological agent, lying naked before a doctor, undergoing his pharmacological inspection.

The physical reaction was uncontrollable, but his mind remained clear.

Only the doctor sat there, composed and impeccably dressed, using his fingers to press inch by inch into his flesh.

The bite marks stopped itching, but the after-effect was an itch spreading all over his body.

Xu Baizhang released his hand and wiped the dark green from his fingertips. “Where else is itchy?”

Yu Qingtang met his gaze. “Baizhang, I’m so thirsty.”

The hem of the robe was patiently adjusted. The empty cup was pulled from his hand, and when it came back, Yu Qingtang had a full cup of warm water, and there was also a cup of herbal tea on the coffee table.

The smell of medicine wafted over; its bitterness could calm his emotions. Yu Qingtang took a sip of water, put down his porcelain cup, and said, “I’ll go cut some fruit.”

The orange slipped under the knife tip. Yu Qingtang just wanted to mock himself.

He was a grown man. Why was he using such a juvenile method? All that effort, embarrassing himself, and not even getting a response.

Boring. Childish.

The knife tip scraped his finger, and a sharp pain attacked him.

An opaque bead of blood squeezed out of the one-centimeter-long cut, one, two, finally merging into a single droplet.

The red color was frustrating. The round shape felt like sharp claws scratching the wound.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Baizhang rushed over when he heard the sound.

“Nothing, I accidentally cut my hand.” Yu Qingtang held his hand under the faucet.

“Don’t rinse it; it’s prone to infection.”

Yu Qingtang withdrew his hand and looked around. “Kitchen paper will do…!”

His finger was taken, and the proximal end was pinched. The continuous overflow of blood stained half of his fingertip red.

Then, it was enveloped by damp warmth.

Yu Qingtang felt as if he were bound, with sensation only in his finger.

The black-and-white movie was playing in the living room. Yu Qingtang couldn’t see the screen from his position, but he knew the plot well. In a moment of deep passion, the male lead pressed his lover against the door and kissed her. They undressed each other to express their love. When only their underwear remained, their legs crossed, the lingering intimacy shifted to the sofa, and finally, they tumbled onto the edge of the bed covered in white feathers.

Yu Qingtang appreciated the romance of the French but disliked the sounds they made during lovemaking. If it were him, he wouldn’t pant like that, nor would he cry out in that manner.

The tip of the tongue lifted the skin, and the wet heat seeped into his finger. So soft, yet so forceful; so reckless, yet so effortless.

The movie was still playing, broadcasting various sounds of breathing, panting, and the rocking of the mattress.

Yu Qingtang’s thoughts converged on his finger; the blood could not return, being greedily sought after.

Like the butt of a cigarette held by an addict, like the suckling of a newborn, like the protagonist carried onto the mattress and pressed beneath a lover.

“Hiss… Mmm!”

The cut caused a stinging sensation from the tongue’s slanted scrape. Yu Qingtang trembled in pain, which brought Xu Baizhang’s reason back.

The bloodlust in the man’s eyes vanished. He was still pinching his finger, and annoyance was evident. “Sorry.”

Yu Qingtang wasn’t angry, but he complained, “You hurt me.”

“I’ll be careful next time.”

This “next time” was quite peculiar.

Yu Qingtang pulled himself back from the strange atmosphere, trying to salvage the situation. “Can saliva really sterilize and disinfect?”

“The bactericidal components in saliva are mainly lysozyme and immunoglobulin. They can act as an immune barrier, but the actual effect is minimal.” Xu Baizhang retrieved the antiseptic tools and simply treated his wound. The cotton swab was dipped in hydrogen peroxide. It didn’t hurt, but it was very cold.

“If it can’t, why did you lick it?”

Yu Qingtang didn’t insist on an answer, and clearly the other person didn’t intend to give one.

Before leaving the kitchen, Xu Baizhang not only disinfected his finger but also sliced oranges for him.

Yu Qingtang put the orange segments in his mouth, looking at his fingertip that he had sucked until it was white, as if Xu Baizhang’s tongue was still on it.

On the television, the protagonists embraced and fell asleep after their pleasure. On the coffee table were two empty matching couple’s cups.

He pretended not to understand the hint but drank all the water in his cup.

Who was really thirsty?