Blinded chapter 6
Xie Li was someone who didn’t like to procrastinate or be wishy-washy when it came to doing things. When faced with a problem, he would make decisions quickly and, once decided, he would act with a firm attitude.
These days, he hadn’t been resting well, but tonight, the moment he entered Chang Xiaojia’s cell, his emotions experienced a brief relaxation.
By the time he finished making his bed, it was almost lights-out time. He lay down, turned to face the wall, and quickly closed his eyes to sleep.
However, this nap didn’t last long. Xie Li felt someone climbing onto his bed, and he instantly woke up.
Even in the darkened cell after lights-out, it wasn’t entirely pitch black. The floodlights on the playground and the surrounding walls were still on, casting a continuous stream of light into the room through the window without curtains. The entire room was illuminated, making it almost possible to see the face of the person on the bed.
Naturally, the one climbing onto his bed at this time and place wouldn’t be someone else. Xie Li opened his eyes and looked at the wall, maintaining a side-lying posture without moving until Chang Xiaojia reached out from behind and embraced his waist.
Chang Xiaojia’s hand was soft and fluffy, slipping under Xie Li’s prison uniform and lightly pressing against his firm abdominal muscles, slightly cool.
In fact, Xie Li noticed that Chang Xiaojia’s body temperature was slightly lower than his own, making him think of the rumors about Chang Xiaojia’s poor health since childhood.
Chang Xiaojia whispered in Xie Li’s ear, “Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Xie Li remained silent, and he heard that the entire cell was still silent. No one had started snoring yet; everyone was probably lying on their beds, motionless, listening to the movement on their side.
Chang Xiaojia, without getting an answer, didn’t rush. He played a game of climbing with his fingers on Xie Li’s lower abdomen, crawling slowly until he reached his chest, where he pinched a small spot.
Xie Li couldn’t help but grab his hand, turning over to face him. He said, “What should I thank you for?”
Chang Xiaojia smiled ambiguously and whispered softly, “If it weren’t for me, you might have gone to Dai Hao’s cell now.”
Xie Li didn’t speak.
The bed was a single bed, and two men lay facing each other, naturally very close.
Chang Xiaojia’s shallow breathing was in front of Xie Li, and Xie Li’s line of sight was almost entirely occupied by his pair of eyes.
“You’ve been a bit crazy these past few days,” Chang Xiaojia said.
Xie Li asked him, “Why?”
Chang Xiaojia asked, “Why provoke Dai Hao?”
Xie Li’s tone was calm. “He provoked me.”
Chang Xiaojia sneered, and he took his hand back from Xie Li, wanting to touch Xie Li’s face again.
As a result, Xie Li once again held his hand, and with the other hand, he grabbed Chang Xiaojia’s neck. “Don’t touch me!”
Chang Xiaojia looked at him.
Xie Li coldly said, “I’ve had enough of all of you!”
Chang Xiaojia coughed, “What’s with the aggression? Let go of me.”
Xie Li finally let go of him.
Chang Xiaojia raised his hand to touch his neck, asking Xie Li, “So what do you want to do?”
It didn’t matter what Xie Li wanted to do; the reality was in front of him, and he had already made a choice. He suddenly raised one hand, covering Chang Xiaojia’s mouth, and with the other hand, he reached into Chang Xiaojia’s loosely tied trousers.
Chang Xiaojia gasped lightly, once again being muffled by Xie Li’s hand.
Xie Li grasped Chang Xiaojia, looking at him with a fierce gaze.
After a while, Chang Xiaojia stopped struggling. He started to tear up, and his breathing became heavier, unable to breathe out. You could only hear his heavy nasal breath, and his body trembled slightly.
Xie Li covered Chang Xiaojia’s mouth to muffle any sounds, but their actions still produced noticeable noise in the quiet environment. It was likely that other inmates in the cell could clearly hear.
Chang Xiaojia’s body grew softer over time. He bent his knees, and his legs, devoid of strength, parted. Sweat formed on his forehead, and his damp hair became soft.
Xie Li looked into Chang Xiaojia’s watery eyes.
Chang Xiaojia also looked at him, his gaze unfocused but surprisingly gentle. Eventually, Chang Xiaojia’s Adam’s apple moved, his legs tensed, and all the sounds were stifled by Xie Li’s palm, turning into ambiguous nasal tones. He tried to get closer to Xie Li, resting his forehead on Xie Li’s shoulder, and closed his eyes.
Xie Li paused his actions, and after a while, he wiped the slippery and sticky fluid from his hands onto Chang Xiaojia’s legs. Then, he withdrew his hand from his pants and released his mouth.
Chang Xiaojia’s breathing hadn’t completely settled, and his eyes were moist and lifeless as he looked at Xie Li. His voice trembled when he spoke, “Didn’t you tell me to get lost?”
Xie Li’s tone was calm. “Don’t order me.”
Chang Xiaojia looked at him with a curious expression, then moved closer, lips almost touching his, and said hoarsely, “Aren’t you pretending anymore?”
Xie Li felt a slight stir in his heart, but his tone remained unchanged as he asked, “Pretending what?”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t answer. He just earnestly looked at Xie Li’s expression. After a long time, he suddenly sat up.
Xie Li saw Chang Xiaojia sitting at the edge of the bed. His slender figure drooped, and he fumbled on the ground for his slippers for a while. Eventually, he found them and walked quietly to the sink near the window. Water sounds could be heard.
After a while, Chang Xiaojia returned to the bed. Xie Li thought he might go back to his bunk, but he lay down on Xie Li’s bed, carrying a faint scent of cool water. He reached out, embracing Xie Li’s waist.
Xie Li asked him, “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered by the guards?”
Every cell had surveillance cameras. Before lights-out, the guards would count the number of people, but after lights-out, they might not always pay attention to each cell’s activity. Nevertheless, being discovered not on one’s own bed during the night was a serious infraction, and the score was related to the length of the sentence.
Chang Xiaojia answered in a light tone, “I’m not afraid.”
Xie Li felt a bit uncomfortable. The two of them squeezed onto the small bed, and he found it warm, especially since it was Chang Xiaojia. He was already exhausted, and it became difficult for him to fall asleep again.
After lying quietly in bed for a while, he asked Chang Xiaojia, “Don’t you want to sleep?”
Chang Xiaojia replied, “I have insomnia.” After a while, he added, “I have insomnia every day.”
Xie Li didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
Chang Xiaojia held him tighter and said, “Pat my back.”
Xie Li glanced at him. One arm stretched under his neck, the other arm around his body, holding him close, Xie Li gently patted his back while stroking his hair.
Chang Xiaojia pressed his face against Xie Li’s chest, his voice becoming light, “My mom used to coax me to sleep like this when I was a child.”
Xie Li said in a cold voice, “I’m not your mom.”
Chang Xiaojia said, “Of course, you’re not. Your chest is hard.”
Xie Li didn’t respond, but one hand continued to pat his back slowly.
They didn’t speak anymore, and the cell quieted down. After a while, Xie Li started hearing the snores of the other people gradually. There was a moment when he felt completely empty, not knowing where he was or what he was doing.
Later, Xie Li heard Chang Xiaojia’s breathing become slow and deep. He stopped his movements, and first, he looked down to see that Chang Xiaojia hadn’t woken up. Then, he let go of Chang Xiaojia, allowing him to lie flat on the bed.
Chang Xiaojia remained sound asleep.
Xie Li couldn’t carry Chang Xiaojia to the upper bunk, so he carefully got out of bed and climbed onto the upper bunk to sleep.
As soon as he lay down, he smelled the shower gel that Chang Xiaojia had used on the bed, a very light floral fragrance. He turned on his side, reaching under the pillow, but found nothing. He then reached under the bed sheet and mattress, still finding nothing.
Xie Li was truly exhausted. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.
The next morning, all the inmates in the cell looked at Xie Li with ambiguous eyes. Perhaps due to Chang Xiaojia, no one dared to say anything to him.
Xie Li pretended not to see anything.
When it was time for breakfast, sitting across from Chang Xiaojia again, inmates from the entire cell block periodically glanced over in surprise.
When Hu Minxin sat down with his tray, he also seemed uncertain. He glanced at Xie Li, then lowered his head to focus on peeling a boiled egg. The person sitting next to him, from the same cell, whispered, “They say Xie Li is done for this time. Yet, he’s with Chang Xiaojia again. I wonder how Dai Hao will react when he returns.”
Another person sitting across from them said, “Do you think Dai Hao will fall out with Chang Xiaojia?”
No one else spoke.
Hu Minxin also kept quiet, pretending to be indifferent as he let out a casual hum.
Author’s note:
A reader reminded me that I made a mistake in Chang Xiaojia’s sentence, so after considering it, I decided to compromise and change it to one year.