Blinded chapter 33
Xie Li maintained the difficult position, lying by the bedside, and eventually fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already bright outside.
Sitting up, he realized that his left hand was still held by Chang Xiaojia. His right hand, after being in a fixed position for a long time, caused pain when he tried to move it. Nevertheless, he made a small movement with his right hand and gently pulled his left hand out of Chang Xiaojia’s grip.
Chang Xiaojia, with closed eyes, furrowed his brows uneasily.
At that moment, a nurse entered, removed the empty nutrient bottle, leaving the indwelling needle still in Chang Xiaojia’s hand.
Lowering his voice, Xie Li said to the nurse, “Can you please call Shi Hongqian for me?”
The nurse nodded and left the ward with the bottle.
After a while, Shi Hongqian walked in from outside. He looked like he had spent the night on the sofa, his suit crumpled and the collar open. He entered without saying a word, just looking at Xie Li.
In a low voice, Xie Li said, “Help me take off the handcuffs.”
Shi Hongqian calmly replied, “I don’t have the authority for that.”
Rubbing his forehead with his left hand, Xie Li said, “I need to use the bathroom.”
Shi Hongqian reiterated, “You wake Xiaojia up, and if he agrees, I’ll release you.”
Xie Li glared at him, then turned to face Chang Xiaojia, softly calling, “Xiaojia!”
Chang Xiaojia woke up. He turned towards Xie Li, slowly opened his eyes, looked at Xie Li for a while, and then brought his head closer, nuzzling against Xie Li’s neck.
Xie Li said, “Xiaojia, I need to use the bathroom. Let him release me.”
Chang Xiaojia moved away, saying, “No.”
Xie Li called out a bit sternly, “Xiaojia.”
Chang Xiaojia seemed to hesitate for a moment and then said, “I want to go too.”
Xie Li used his left hand to pat his hair, “Alright, let’s go.”
Only then did Shi Hongqian open the handcuffs on Xie Li’s wrists.
Xie Li stood up beside the bed, first moving his stiff body and then bending down to gently help Chang Xiaojia off the bed.
Shi Hongqian stood by and watched them.
Chang Xiaojia raised his hand, circled it around Xie Li’s neck, stared at his face for a while, and then leaned in to kiss his chin.
Xie Li, supporting him, walked into the bathroom of the ward, locking the door from the inside.
The bathroom was similar to a hotel bathroom, with a shower room and a flushing toilet. Next to the sink hung two new towels.
Before releasing the arm holding Chang Xiaojia, Xie Li asked, “Can you stand steady?”
Chang Xiaojia nodded.
Xie Li slowly placed him in front of the toilet, saying, “Go ahead, pee first.”
Chang Xiaojia replied, “No, you go first.”
Xie Li looked at him and unzipped his pants, aiming at the toilet to pee.
Chang Xiaojia rested his head on Xie Li’s arm, staring straight at him.
After holding back for a long time, Xie Li couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief once he was done.
When he pulled up his pants and turned around, he saw Chang Xiaojia still staring at him.
Xie Li felt his mind go blank. When he came to his senses, he had already kissed Chang Xiaojia’s lips.
He didn’t know what he was doing. His hands uncontrollably pulled down Chang Xiaojia’s pants.
Chang Xiaojia leaned over to embrace him, suddenly let out a soft moan, probably hitting the indwelling needle on his hand. However, when Xie Li asked about it, he didn’t say anything, just kissed Xie Li forcefully.
Xie Li lifted him and sat him on the sink, just as Shi Hongqian’s voice came from outside, “Mr. Chang.”
Then came Chang Guanshan’s low “Hmm.”
So, Xie Li stopped, looking at Chang Xiaojia, and said, “Your dad is here.”
Chang Xiaojia instantly frowned.
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Li lifted Chang Xiaojia off the sink, helping him put on his pants while saying, “Your dad wants to kill me.”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t seem very surprised. He just looked at Xie Li and, after a while, his eyes turned red, his chest heaving with anger.
Xie Li washed his hands, touched his face, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
With that, he turned and opened the bathroom door.
Chang Guanshan was sitting in a chair near the bed, wearing a soft knitted sweater over his shirt and glasses. He looked polite and cultured.
Seeing Xie Li, he was neither surprised nor angry, he just nodded and said, “You’re here.”
Xie Li didn’t question why Chang Guanshan wanted to kill him. He politely greeted, “Mr. Chang, hello.”
Chang Xiaojia followed behind Xie Li, tightly holding onto the hem of his clothes.
Xie Li turned to look at him and supported him back on the bed.
As Chang Xiaojia leaned against the soft bed, he suddenly said to Chang Guanshan, “I’ve decided to marry Xie Li.”
Xie Li glanced at him.
Chang Guanshan also looked at him, calmly saying, “Our country doesn’t have same-sex marriage laws, Xiaojia.”
Chang Xiaojia said, “Then we’ll get married abroad.”
Chang Guanshan reached out to touch his head and asked, “Have you eaten?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “I eat when Xie Li feeds me.”
Chang Guanshan said, “So, does that mean if Xie Li dies, you won’t eat anymore?”
Although Chang Xiaojia’s tone and expression were naive, Xie Li could sense the threat he directed at Chang Guanshan.
Chang Guanshan seemed to have noticed it too. He smiled and said to Chang Xiaojia, “It’s not good to be like this, Xiaojia. People live for themselves, and Xie Li can’t live for you.”
Chang Xiaojia stubbornly declared, “He has to live for me!”
Chang Guanshan didn’t argue further. He stood up and said to Xie Li, “Come with me for a moment.”
Chang Xiaojia immediately objected, “No.”
Chang Guanshan turned to look at him, lowered his voice, and called, “Xiaojia.”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t look at his dad.
Xie Li could see that Chang Xiaojia was afraid of Chang Guanshan, but at this moment, for his sake, he refused to compromise with Chang Guanshan. Seeing Chang Xiaojia’s face pale, his delicate fingers tightly clenching the palms, the pajamas trembling with each breath, Xie Li couldn’t bear it any longer. He said to Chang Guanshan, “Mr. Chang, let’s talk outside.”
Chang Guanshan hadn’t spoken yet, but Chang Xiaojia glared angrily at Xie Li.
Xie Li reached out to touch his face. “I’ll be back soon.”
Chang Guanshan instructed Shi Hongqian, “Hongqian, watch Xiaojia.”
Shi Hongqian replied, “Okay.”
Chang Xiaojia sat on the bed, his face still angry, staring at the two as they walked out one after another.
Xie Li wasn’t as nervous as Chang Xiaojia. He thought Chang Guanshan probably wouldn’t go so far as to be lawless, attacking him in the hospital. Moreover, even if Chang Guanshan did, Xie Li was confident he could restrain him, preventing himself from getting hurt.