Reservoir Dogs chapter 123
I Missed You So Much
After the class ended, many students surged to the podium. No new lecturer had ever received so much affection from students.
Xiao Zhou moved from the last row to the front row, waiting. Looking at the sea of black heads in front of him, he always knew that if Jiang Chengyuan wanted to be liked, it would be easy. Seeing it for himself, he felt both happy and inexplicably sour.
After waiting for a long time, feeling like the people above were endless, Xiao Zhou was somewhat tired. Perhaps the emotional ups and downs of the class had exhausted him. He looked at Jiang Chengyuan and felt his eyes grow sore, so he quietly rested his head on the desk.
He fell asleep unknowingly. When he woke up, Jiang Chengyuan was standing right in front of him, looking at him.
Xiao Zhou blinked.
Jiang Chengyuan gently patted his head, smiling slightly. “What’s wrong, Liang? Waiting for the lecturer?”
Xiao Zhou didn’t speak, just stared blankly at him, as if in a trance. As he stared, tears uncontrollably streamed down his face, something he didn’t even realize.
Jiang Chengyuan bent down and used his sleeve to wipe his tears. “Why are you crying?”
Tears trickled down to his lips, and Xiao Zhou licked them away before reaching out to grab Jiang Chengyuan’s hand, pressing it against his cheek. “I missed you so much.”
Jiang Chengyuan’s hand stiffened for a moment but then gradually relaxed, allowing Xiao Zhou to hold it as he gently ran his fingers through Xiao Zhou’s hair. “I missed you too.”
“Why did you leave?”
“Didn’t Ji Yang explain it to you?”
“But you never contacted me.”
“I was afraid that if I heard your voice, I wouldn’t be able to stay away, and all I would want to do is come back.” Jiang Chengyuan said softly. He didn’t need to reach out and touch him, as long as he knew Xiao Zhou was safe and sound in a specific place, everything would become clear and bearable.
“I didn’t dare turn off my phone, afraid that Ji Yang wouldn’t be able to find me… though he never tried.” Xiao Zhou whispered, “I wanted to hear your voice but couldn’t reach you. I wanted to write you a letter but had no address to send it to. I couldn’t find you anywhere; only Ji Yang told me you were alive. I really missed you.” He repeated, then lifted his hand to cover his mouth, biting into the flesh of his hand to stifle the sobs threatening to escape.
Jiang Chengyuan couldn’t bear to say anything more. Anything he said would be wrong because this was all his fault to begin with.
He slowly embraced Xiao Zhou, pausing for a long moment before saying, “I regret it deeply.” He regretted that he had let him go back then.
Xiao Zhou trembled, knowing this was something Jiang Chengyuan had never said before.
They left the teaching building one after the other, with Xiao Zhou lagging slightly behind. It was then that he noticed Jiang Chengyuan was walking naturally again, though with a slight limp. Recalling the lecture earlier, Xiao Zhou realized that Jiang Chengyuan had been standing behind the podium the whole time, sometimes showing signs of strain. But this was already astonishing.
Noticing Xiao Zhou’s gaze, Jiang Chengyuan stopped and turned slightly, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Zhou hurried forward to catch up, feeling an overwhelming joy in his heart, and grabbed Jiang Chengyuan’s hand. “Is your leg better?”
Jiang Chengyuan smiled slightly. “Yes.”
Jiang Chengyuan had just returned from abroad and hadn’t found a place to stay yet, so the school rented him a small apartment temporarily as a staff dormitory, located not far from the campus.
Xiao Zhou walked with Jiang Chengyuan to the apartment. It was just recently moved into, with only the most basic furniture, a simple décor, and almost no extra decorations. The three-bedroom apartment was incomparable to what he used to have, with unopened luggage scattered around. Jiang Chengyuan’s belongings were notably sparse.
“Time was tight, so I haven’t had a chance to organize much; it’s a bit messy.” Jiang Chengyuan handed Xiao Zhou a pair of slippers, then went to the fridge to grab two cans of cold beer, handing one to him.
Xiao Zhou took the beer and looked around the empty living room before sitting down on the sofa.
Jiang Chengyuan pulled the tab on his beer, tilting his head back to take a sip. The cold liquid soothed the relentless summer heat and the persistent pain in his body. The numbing effect of alcohol was minimal for him now, but it was better than nothing.
Xiao Zhou held the beer can in his palm, feeling the bone-chilling coldness seeping through his skin.
He tilted his head up, finally taking the opportunity to closely observe Jiang Chengyuan. He had lost a lot of weight, looking almost slender and frail. His simple shirt and trousers accentuated his already elegant and refined aura, diminishing the intimidating sharpness he once had. His neatly groomed short hair framed his well-defined features, his skin paler than before, with a faint bluish tint at his neck, where light blue veins could be seen.
After walking under the scorching heat, he still looked as cold as a piece of white jade, except for the darkness in his eyes.
Xiao Zhou stared at him blankly until Jiang Chengyuan approached, taking the untouched beer can from his hand. Then he waved his hand in front of Xiao Zhou’s face, “How did you become so silly after not seeing me for a year?”
Xiao Zhou snapped back to reality, his eyes darting around before settling on Jiang Chengyuan’s face again. He grabbed Jiang Chengyuan’s arm, pulling him down and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I just want to look at you.”
Jiang Chengyuan smiled, slipping his arm under Xiao Zhou’s armpit to lift him into an embrace. But his right leg wasn’t cooperating; he had overexerted himself today. The sudden added weight caused him to stumble back a few steps, but he managed to steady himself.
Xiao Zhou was startled, quickly wrapping his arms around Jiang Chengyuan’s waist to prevent him from falling backward.
Jiang Chengyuan steadied himself, then sighed softly, his face pressed against Xiao Zhou’s hair as he inhaled gently. “How pathetic, I can’t even hold you anymore.”
Xiao Zhou felt a pang of sadness, but more than that, a gentle sense of pity. Pity? The thought was so new it startled him. But why not?
He lifted his head and sought out Jiang Chengyuan’s lips again, their mouths meeting as their tongues danced like fish, entwining in a soft, tender kiss with light nibbles and suction, a kiss full of tenderness and intimacy.
Kissing, they made their way to the bedroom. The small single bed creaked under their combined weight.
Jiang Chengyuan propped himself up, gazing intently at the person beneath him.
Handsome eyebrows, long and flexible limbs, the sounds Xiao Zhou made were eager and excited, his young, healthy body curving with desire, exuding a vibrant, intoxicating energy. There was nothing more heart-stirring than this—the person he had thought of day and night through foreign lands and illness was now laid bare beneath him.
Because they weren’t fully prepared, they didn’t go all the way, just indulging in some intimate release.
Afterwards, as they leaned against each other, Xiao Zhou suddenly slipped out of Jiang Chengyuan’s arms, turned on the light, and knelt on the mattress, pulling away the thin blanket covering them.
Their naked bodies were completely exposed. Jiang Chengyuan was startled at first, but after a moment, he managed to calm down.
Xiao Zhou placed his hand on Jiang Chengyuan’s right leg, where scars still remained. In fact, thanks to good rehabilitation, it was only slightly thinner than the left leg and hadn’t deformed in any strange way. However, the marks left by the countless screws and plates that had been removed were still as hideous as a centipede.
“It didn’t heal well in prison, it was misaligned. So, they had to break it again and let it heal a second time. It took some time,” Jiang Chengyuan explained.
Xiao Zhou frowned, looking as if he was heartbroken, a look that Jiang Chengyuan didn’t particularly enjoy seeing.
“The surgery was fine; it’s quite flexible now.” Jiang Chengyuan mischievously pushed his foot into Xiao Zhou’s abdomen, wiggling his toes like he was tickling him.
Xiao Zhou shrank back, then giggled twice, hugged his leg, and climbed back to his side from the foot of the bed. “You won’t leave again, will you?”
Jiang Chengyuan stretched out his arm, pulled him back into his embrace, and sighed contentedly, “I won’t, I don’t want to go anywhere anymore.”