Reservoir Dogs chapter 73
Comfort
“Actually, I went to find you in the hotel earlier, but they said you left. I thought I wouldn’t see you.” Jiang Wenxing approached him, his expression gentle, unlike the earlier aggression.
The two walked side by side along the road. Jiang Wenxing asked, “How long has it been since we last met?”
Xiao Zhou thought for a moment, “Five years.”
Jiang Wenxing hesitated before saying, “After your incident, I went abroad and couldn’t come to see you.”
Xiao Zhou shook his head, “It’s fine, there wasn’t much to see anyway.”
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No.”
Jiang Wenxing sighed softly, “How are you doing now?”
“Pretty good.”
“Is there anything I can do for you now?”
Xiao Zhou stopped and looked at him with some amusement, “You don’t need to be so cautious. I’m not made of glass; a harsh word won’t break me.”
Jiang Wenxing’s gaze was focused. “So, we’re still friends, right?”
Xiao Zhou raised his hand and patted his shoulder, jokingly saying, “Of course. I’ve already invested five years; I don’t want to lose my only friend too. That would be too high a price to pay.”
Jiang Wenxing let out a sigh of relief, finally relaxing a bit. “I was really afraid you’d blame me.”
Xiao Zhou was a little puzzled. “Why would I blame you?”
Jiang Wenxing paused. “Because I was there at the time, but I didn’t stop you. What happened later, I bear some responsibility too.”
Xiao Zhou said, “Actually, you did try to stop me. It was my own reckless behavior. How could I blame you?”
Jiang Wenxing, with his hands in his pockets, looked at him, his expression both nostalgic and a bit lonely. “So much has happened, yet you haven’t changed. You’re still the same as before. When we were kids in the courtyard, whenever someone’s candy got snatched or they got bullied, they’d come crying to you.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhou’s hand trembled slightly. He clenched it to hide his reaction, as if an unhealed wound had been pried open a bit. “Are you talking about what just happened?”
Jiang Wenxing nodded. “The police just now, you called them, right?” He started walking forward again. “You’ve become much more thoughtful than before. If it were back then, I’d have to follow behind and clean up your mess.”
Xiao Zhou took a deep breath and then smiled bitterly. “I’m quite a handful, aren’t I? I don’t regret rushing in, but I regret choosing the wrong way. Looking back now, there were clearly better solutions, but I chose the dumbest ones.”
Jiang Wenxing said, “I used to advise you, don’t get involved in unrelated matters. Some people aren’t worth helping. You can barely take care of yourself, so why bother meddling? Like today, if I hadn’t shown up, you’d have been dragged down too.”
Xiao Zhou was silent for a moment before changing the topic. “What’s happened to Wenhao now? Last time I saw him, he was still young and didn’t even speak loudly.”
Jiang Wenxing rubbed his brow in frustration. “Rebellious phase, I guess. He doesn’t like studying and hangs out aimlessly every day.” He waved his hand. “Let’s not talk about unpleasant things.”
They walked under the shadows cast by the plane trees by the roadside. “So, how did the hotel matter get resolved later?”
Xiao Zhou shrugged. “They deducted it from my salary, about half of it.”
“Then you might as well quit. What’s the point of a job like that?”
Xiao Zhou shook his head. “Jobs are hard to find nowadays. Besides, I advanced my salary, so I have to finish this month.”
“Advanced salary? Is your budget that tight?”
Xiao Zhou said, “It’s manageable. I just have some expenses.”
“If that’s the case, my family’s construction company is short of people. If you’re interested, you can come help me. I know you have the capability.”
Xiao Zhou shook his head. “You’re overestimating me. It’s been so long, I won’t be of much help. I’ll just cause more trouble if I go.”
“No problem,” Jiang Wenxing said. “You can come and learn. Don’t you want to do something you like?”
His words hit the mark, and Xiao Zhou paused, feeling a restless urge inside him but unable to utter the word ‘no’.
After parting ways with Jiang Wenxing, Xiao Zhou returned to Jialin Jingyuan.
Standing at the door, he was about to enter when he caught a whiff of alcohol on himself, all from the broken bottles earlier. The smell was unbearable, and he didn’t want to bring it inside.
He took off his T-shirt at the door, draped it over his arm, and walked in shirtless.
Inside, it was pitch black, suggesting Jiang Chengyuan hadn’t returned yet. Xiao Zhou bent down to change his shoes and fumbled to turn on the light. As the light flickered on, he turned to see Jiang Chengyuan sitting on the sofa.
Although sitting, he was more like half-leaning against the back of the sofa, almost asleep. He opened his eyes at the sound, squinting at the sudden light. Seeing Xiao Zhou’s bare torso, his gaze visibly paused.
In the light, Jiang Chengyuan’s fingers were long and pale, his posture like a bloodless sculpture.
Xiao Zhou’s breath caught. He slowly walked over, knelt in front of him, and took his hand, holding it in his palm. “Why didn’t you turn on the light?”
As his hand was pulled down, revealing a pair of deep, dark eyes, the liveliness returned. Jiang Chengyuan looked at him and said, “You’re late today.”
Xiao Zhou felt a stir inside, unsure if this ‘late’ meant what he thought. “Were you waiting for me?”
Jiang Chengyuan didn’t answer, only twirling Xiao Zhou’s hair with his fingers, smoothing out the strands dampened by the alcohol. “What happened to your clothes?”
Xiao Zhou replied, “They got soaked with alcohol. They smell bad, so I took them off.”
Jiang Chengyuan nodded. “It’s fine inside the house, but don’t take them off outside.” His grip tightened on Xiao Zhou’s palm. “No matter how dirty, don’t.”
Xiao Zhou couldn’t help but laugh. He could sense Jiang Chengyuan’s displeasure, but it was merely because he had taken off his shirt. This childish yet intense reaction was so unlike Jiang Chengyuan.
Jiang Chengyuan pulled him up to sit on the sofa, saying, “Sit here. I’ll get some medicine.”
Xiao Zhou was puzzled. “Medicine for what?”
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at his arm. “You didn’t even notice you got hurt? What kind of nerves do you have?”
Xiao Zhou looked at his arm. There was a slight bruise, probably from the scuffle with the drunkard earlier. But it was so minor that it didn’t even bleed.
Jiang Chengyuan rummaged through the TV cabinet, unfamiliar with the placement of items in the house. In the end, it was Xiao Zhou who told him where to find the medical kit. Following the instructions, he located a bottle of medicated oil specifically for treating bruises and injuries.
Xiao Zhou sat on the sofa as Jiang Chengyuan took his arm and placed it on his thigh. He poured the oil into his palm, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then applied it to the bruised area, massaging the arm.
The medicated oil warmed the skin as it was massaged in, making the applied area feel hot.
Jiang Chengyuan lowered his eyes, focusing with a serious expression. His long, curled eyelashes cast shadows like small fans, his nose stood straight, and his brow bones resembled mountains, making him incredibly handsome, flawless even. Xiao Zhou felt even more special being treated with such attention by him.
Xiao Zhou got lost in the moment, “Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?”
Jiang Chengyuan had applied the oil everywhere, wiped his hands with a wet tissue, and put the bottle back. “The incident at the restaurant? I noticed the marks on your hand from the hot oil splashes.” He lightly touched the blister, his gaze darkening. “I don’t like seeing this, but if you want to keep doing it, it’s up to you.”
His voice held a hint of helplessness. Xiao Zhou leaned in to hug him, feeling his heart race at his words, speaking softly, “I ran into an old classmate today and remembered some old things.”
Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Jiang Chengyuan stiffened momentarily before placing his hand on Xiao Zhou’s back, gently stroking it. “Were the memories pleasant or sad?”
Xiao Zhou rested his face on Jiang Chengyuan’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “They were sad, but now I feel a bit better.”
“If they make you sad, then don’t think about them,” Jiang Chengyuan said.
“I know I shouldn’t, but sometimes it’s hard to control,” Xiao Zhou replied, his voice not too sorrowful, just a bit suppressed. Seeing familiar people inevitably made him wonder about different possibilities—what if those things hadn’t happened? They wouldn’t be standing face-to-face with a chasm between them.
Jiang Chengyuan tightened his embrace. “Want something sweet?”
Xiao Zhou blinked.
Jiang Chengyuan continued, “There’s ice cream in the fridge, both strawberry and chocolate.”
Xiao Zhou knew this was his indirect way of comforting him. Smiling, he nodded, and Jiang Chengyuan let go to get it.
Xiao Zhou ate the ice cream on the sofa while Jiang Chengyuan held him. It was almost midnight, and they picked a comedy movie to watch. Jiang Chengyuan seemed very tired; halfway through, while the characters on the screen continued their antics, he had already fallen asleep leaning on Xiao Zhou.
Not wanting to wake him, Xiao Zhou carefully set the ice cream aside and muted the TV. With the blue-green light from the TV flickering, he gently shifted out of Jiang Chengyuan’s embrace, repositioning him to lie down with his head on his lap. Watching Jiang Chengyuan’s closed eyes and soft breathing, Xiao Zhou leaned down and kissed his pale lips.
In the dim room, everything was slow and peaceful. He began to think about what kind of gift he should prepare for Jiang Chengyuan with his advance salary.