Blinded chapter 22
Xie Li walked down from the second floor, carrying Chang Xiaojia on his back. When they reached the first-floor, they saw Chang Xin coming in from outside.
Chang Xin stopped in his tracks when he saw them.
Xie Li also stopped, feeling Chang Xiaojia’s hands still tightly clutching his shoulders, indicating no intention of letting go. Therefore, he didn’t put Chang Xiaojia down.
Chang Xin calmly said, “Let’s have dinner together tonight.”
Xie Li heard Chang Xiaojia whisper in his ear, “No,” with a tone that wasn’t harsh but had a firm attitude.
Chang Xin looked at him.
Chang Xiaojia, with his arms around Xie Li, buried his face in Xie Li’s shoulder and said softly, “Xie Li, I’m hungry.”
Xie Li looked at Chang Xin and said with a slightly more stern tone, “we are actually on our way out to lunch.”
Chang Xin’s gaze turned cold.
Xie Li, reluctant to have a confrontation with Chang Xin, began to consider that if Chang Xin insisted that Chang Xiaojia couldn’t leave, should he resort to force for Chang Xiaojia’s sake.
But before he could reach a conclusion, he saw Chang Xin reach out to Chang Xiaojia. Xie Li’s body reacted faster than his brain, blocking the hand that Chang Xin extended toward Chang Xiaojia’s face.
Chang Xin withdrew his right hand that Xie Li had pushed away, sizing him up.
Chang Xiaojia raised his head and said, “I told you he’s my bodyguard. Without my consent, he won’t let anyone touch me.”
Chang Xin chuckled at this revelation. He said to Chang Xiaojia, “Why are you so nervous? I won’t do anything to you. It’s a good thing that he’s loyal to you.”
After saying this, he added with an expression which was hard to discern if it was concern or pretense, “I just heard you were sick and wanted to see if your fever has gone down.”
Chang Xiaojia softly said, “I’m fine now. I want to go to Sheng Ji for congee.”
Chang Xin, still smiling gently, said, “Go ahead. I’ll check on you tonight.”
Chang Xiaojia neither agreed nor disagreed, only urging Xie Li to leave by clinging to his back and saying, “Let’s go.”
Chang Xin didn’t block their way anymore. As Xie Li carried Chang Xiaojia out, Chang Xin said to him, “Take care of him.”
Xie Li glanced back at him and nodded.
Coming out of the small building, Chang Xiaojia had Xie Li carry him all the way to the garage. He chose a sports car, got off Xie Li’s back, and sat in the passenger seat.
Xie Li sat in the driver’s seat and asked, “Are we going to have dinner with your brother tonight?”
Chang Xiaojia shook his head. His face and lips were still pale, and he rolled down the car window, saying, “Ignore him.”
Unfamiliar with the roads of Harbor City, Xie Li took out his phone to navigate to Sheng Ji, deliberately avoiding the one he visited in the morning and choosing an old restaurant in the city center.
Chang Xiaojia didn’t pay much attention. He lazily sat in the car, slouching with his legs curled up.
Exiting from the Chang residence, they drove along a long stretch of road along the lake. Xie Li also rolled down the car window, enjoying the breeze from the lake while driving the sports car. It was a different feeling.
Leaving Qing Shui Lake, they entered the expressway into the city, and then, following the navigation, Xie Li drove Chang Xiaojia’s conspicuous bright yellow car through the streets and alleys of Harbor City.
Chang Xiaojia blew the wind for a while before closing the car window and dozing off. When he woke up, the car had already entered the narrow streets of the old city, and the speed slowed noticeably.
Xie Li had been watching the colorful old signs on the roadside. Finally, he found Sheng Ji and parked the car in a roadside space.
When Chang Xiaojia got out of the car, he said, “This is the one I used to come to when I was a kid.”
Xie Li followed Chang Xiaojia into Sheng Ji’s entrance. Since it was the afternoon, there weren’t many customers in the restaurant. He asked Chang Xiaojia to sit in a seat against the wall and inquired, “The usual?”
This time, Chang Xiaojia said, “I want preserved egg and lean pork congee.”
Xie Li nodded, went to the cashier to place the order, and then stood at the window holding the order slip, waiting. He brought the preserved egg and lean pork congee and the steamed dumplings to the table in front of Chang Xiaojia.
With one hand supporting his face, Chang Xiaojia stared directly at Xie Li.
Sitting across from him, Xie Li picked up the bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee, stirred it with a spoon and said, “It’s a bit hot. How about having a dumpling first?”
Chang Xiaojia glanced at the dumplings and asked, “Is it hot?”
Xie Li picked up the chopsticks, split one dumpling in half, and then picked up only half to feed Chang Xiaojia, saying, “It’s not hot now. Here.”
Chang Xiaojia lowered his gaze, stretched his head forward, opened his crimson and dry lips, and took half of the dumpling into his mouth, chewing slowly.
At a nearby table, two middle-aged women who had been chatting noisily suddenly stopped talking when they saw them.
Xie Li kept his eyes on Chang Xiaojia, suddenly remembering the days they sat face to face eating at the Fish Island Prison.
Before Chang Xiaojia could finish eating half of the dumpling, Xie Li picked up another one and intended to feed him again.
This time, Chang Xiaojia turned his head slightly, looking displeased as he gazed at Xie Li. He swallowed what was in his mouth before saying, “What’s the rush?”
Xie Li didn’t know what he was thinking. He just liked watching Chang Xiaojia eat, the way his cheeks puffed up when the food was stuffed into his mouth. So, he said, “I want to fill your mouth.”
Chang Xiaojia widened his eyes, staring at him. After a while, his pale cheeks turned slightly red, and he snorted coldly.
Putting down the chopsticks, Xie Li picked up the bowl of congee again and asked, “Do you want to drink it yourself, or should I feed you?”
Chang Xiaojia reached out with one hand.
Xie Li handed him the bowl, and Chang Xiaojia placed it on the table. He lowered his head, scooped up some congee with a spoon, and began to drink it.
Chang Xiaojia drank very slowly. Later, when Xie Li went to smoke a cigarette and returned, Chang Xiaojia hadn’t finished yet.
As soon as Xie Li sat down, Chang Xiaojia’s phone on the table suddenly rang. Xie Li glanced at it, and the incoming call displayed Chang Xin’s name.
Chang Xiaojia stared at the phone screen, and took a while before picking up the call.
Xie Li didn’t know what Chang Xin said, but Chang Xiaojia just responded with a tired and weak “Mm” as an answer.
After hanging up, Chang Xiaojia still said to Xie Li, “Let’s just ignore him.”