Blinded chapter 10

Xie Li woke up and found that one side of his face was still slightly swollen. Chang Xiaojia’s slap had been quite heavy.

Chang Xiaojia’s condition was even worse. Xie Li suspected that he hadn’t slept for another night. He looked dim and absent-minded.

Since waking up in the morning, Chang Xiaojia hadn’t said a word to Xie Li, treating him as if he didn’t exist. However, at this time, Gao Yuan and the others were still in solitary confinement, and suddenly Chang Xiaojia began to act alone.

Xie Li thought it was fortunate that Dai Hao’s group was also in solitary confinement; otherwise, with Chang Xiaojia’s current state, no one in the cell block would want to provoke him for no reason.

In the morning, while queuing for breakfast in the cafeteria, Xie Li stood behind Chang Xiaojia. Chang Xiaojia, swaying all over, spilled the porridge and fresh pickles all over himself when he turned around, accidentally bumping into Xie Li.

The metallic clatter of the plate and bowl hitting the ground echoed, and the prison guards shouted, asking Chang Xiaojia to clean up the mess immediately.

Chang Xiaojia, covered in porridge, looked at Xie Li coldly, then squatted down to pick up the plate.

Xie Li was about to help him when the guards yelled at the people behind to hurry up and get their breakfast without delay. Xie Li had to walk past Chang Xiaojia and go to the counter to get his food.

After finishing breakfast, they had collective labor. There was no time for Chang Xiaojia to go back and change clothes, so he could only wipe himself quickly with tissue, leaving large stains on his prison uniform.

During the factory labor, Chang Xiaojia could still smell the pickles on his clothes mixed with the sweat of the men in the workshop. It made him feel nauseous, coupled with the lack of sleep, he felt dizzy and heavy-headed all the time.

However, whenever he relaxed his work a little, the guards would come over and warn him.

Xie Li noticed that that day, the guards were particularly strict with Chang Xiaojia, probably as a punishment for his involvement in the fight with Dai Hao.

During lunchtime, Chang Xiaojia sat down at the table with his tray, not even picking up his chopsticks. He pushed the tray aside and lay his head on the table.

Xie Li, holding his tray, looked at him and then sat down across from him.

Chang Xiaojia remained motionless.

Xie Li asked, “Feeling unwell?”

Chang Xiaojia still ignored him.

Xie Li said, “I’ll call the guard to take you to the hospital.”

Chang Xiaojia slowly lifted his head, looked at Xie Li gloomily, pulled the tray towards himself, and started eating with his head down.

Xie Li suddenly regretted having a quarrel with him last night, not because he cared about Chang Xiaojia but because he needed to bring him back to complete the mission.

After finishing lunch, Chang Xiaojia changed into a new set of clothes when he returned to the cell, looking slightly better.

Due to a large-scale fight in the cell block, the afternoon outdoor time was temporarily canceled. Instead, the inmates received legal education, watching legal education videos in the small meeting rooms on each floor.

Chang Xiaojia sat in the corner where he usually watched the evening news every night. Xie Li walked over and sat down beside him. As soon as he sat down, Chang Xiaojia spoke in a cold tone, “Move away!”

Xie Li silently told himself that no matter how temperamental Chang Xiaojia was or how harsh his words were, this time he had to endure it. So, he sat there silently, looking towards the direction of the television.

A prison guard stood at the door.

Seeing that Xie Li refused to move, Chang Xiaojia shifted to the side, avoiding any physical contact with him.

At that moment, Xie Li suddenly found Chang Xiaojia’s childish behavior amusing. So, he shifted his body a bit closer to Chang Xiaojia.

Then he saw Chang Xiaojia moving even farther away, and his arm was already pressed against the wall.

Xie Li pushed him a little harder.

Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia raised his hand and weakly shouted, “Guard!”

The guard at the door remained motionless, lifting his chin towards Chang Xiaojia, indicating that he could speak.

Chang Xiaojia pointed at Xie Li and said, “He’s been squeezing me and pushed me against the wall.”

Xie Li kept a poker face, looking straight ahead.

The guard’s expression didn’t change, and he looked at Chang Xiaojia with cold eyes, saying, “3312, do you think this is kindergarten?”

A stifled laughter filled the room.

Chang Xiaojia tightened his pale lips, and his cheeks puffed slightly on both sides.

That day, all the guards in the entire prison had coordinated, deliberately making things difficult for Chang Xiaojia. Then the guard at the door pointed his baton at Chang Xiaojia and said, “If you can’t sit properly, stand and watch.”

Chang Xiaojia didn’t move.

The guard raised his voice, “3312!”

Chang Xiaojia faced the guard.

The guard shouted loudly, “Stand up!”

Chang Xiaojia stood up slowly.

The guard then pointed to the wall, “Go stand over there!”

Before leaving his seat, Chang Xiaojia cast a fierce glance at Xie Li, then walked over and stood against the wall, staring blankly at the television.

It wasn’t until the evening news was over, and the two inmates in the same cell went to the bathhouse for a shower, that Xie Li had the chance to exchange a few words alone with Chang Xiaojia.

Chang Xiaojia climbed down from his upper bunk, holding the ladder, preparing to tidy up and go for a shower later. When he was halfway down, Xie Li reached out and grabbed his foot.

“Let go!” Chang Xiaojia raised his foot to kick him.

Xie Li held onto the top of his foot, and his fingers happened to scratch the sole of Chang Xiaojia’s foot. Chang Xiaojia’s body swayed, and as he lost balance, he quickly reached out to grab the ladder. However, Xie Li reached out and caught him, placing him on his own bed.

Chang Xiaojia lifted his foot again, intending to kick Xie Li.

This time, Xie Li firmly grabbed both of his ankles and pulled them apart, spreading his legs wide. Chang Xiaojia couldn’t control his body from tilting backward and quickly used his hands to support himself on the bed, unintentionally assuming a very ambiguous posture.

Chang Xiaojia’s feet couldn’t move Xie Li, so he turned around, grabbed a pillow from Xie Li’s bed, and smashed it toward his face. In the process, he lost balance, falling onto the bed with a slight tilt.

Xie Li stood between Chang Xiaojia’s legs, bent down, circled his hands around Chang Xiaojia’s armpits, lifted him, turned in a different direction, and sat him on the bed. Chang Xiaojia straddled Xie Li, staring blankly at him.

Trying to break free, Chang Xiaojia struggled. As his efforts were futile, he raised his hand again, intending to slap Xie Li.

This time, Xie Li caught his hand, and his voice became devoid of emotion, “Try hitting me again.”

Chang Xiaojia glared at him with a sinister look.

Xie Li took a deep breath, composed himself, brought Chang Xiaojia’s hand to his lips and kissed it. Then, he embraced him tightly, placed one hand on the back of his neck, and whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry.”

Chang Xiaojia’s voice sounded a bit hoarse as he spoke, “I told you, if you don’t kill me, I will make you pay.”

Xie Li fell silent for a moment and said, “Then go ahead and kill me.” After saying this, he lifted his head, grabbed Chang Xiaojia’s hand, and pressed it against his own neck. “You can strangle me here. Choke me.”

Chang Xiaojia looked perplexed.

Xie Li, without much emotion, added, “It’s better than hanging me up. Otherwise, I’ll be hanging by the bed, watching you all night.”

Chang Xiaojia abruptly pulled back his hand.

Xie Li stubbornly grabbed his hand again and pressed it against his neck. “Keep choking until you feel no pulse here, then release.”

Chang Xiaojia forcefully retracted his hand.

This time, Xie Li didn’t insist further. He looked at Chang Xiaojia and said, “Xiaojia, I already apologized.”

Chang Xiaojia’s face had an unhealthy, pale hue. He stared at Xie Li’s face in a daze, as if his thoughts were unclear.

Xie Li used his index and middle fingers to gently rub Chang Xiaojia’s ears, his thumb caressing his cheek, and asked, “Did you not sleep last night as well?”

Chang Xiaojia suddenly trembled, lowering his head to mumble something softly.

Because the voice was too low, Xie Li couldn’t hear clearly, so he gently uttered, “Hmm?”

Chang Xiaojia repeated, “It was too dark. I dare not close my eyes.” His voice was soft and timid, conveying a sense of confusion and panic.

Xie Li paused for a moment, feeling an indescribable emotion surging within. He, himself, wasn’t sure what kind of feeling it was. He bent down, tilting his head to look at Chang Xiaojia’s face, and said, “How about tonight, let me hold you to sleep.”

Chang Xiaojia didn’t look at him.

Xie Li used his fingers to pinch Chang Xiaojia’s lower jaw, forcing him to make eye contact, and said, “Answer me, do you want me to hold you while you sleep?”

Chang Xiaojia, with drooping eyelids, looked at him for a moment and said, “Okay.”

Xie Li hugged him tightly and said, “Alright.”