The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 17

Shen Jixue was very beautiful. Although using the word “beautiful” to describe a boy might not be entirely appropriate, Chen Xian couldn’t think of a more fitting word. 

He had an overly innocent face. Whenever he was sulking, he would purse his thin lips and look so pitiful, making people easily melt.

Chen Xian’s gaze involuntarily scanned Shen Jixue. The newly changed short sleeves were snow-white, almost transparent when wet, clinging tightly to Shen Jixue’s abdomen, outlining his figure clearly.

After waiting for a while without hearing Chen Xian’s response, Shen Jixue wasn’t sure where exactly Chen Xian was. He called out Chen Xian’s name again, “Chen Xian?”

“Huh?” Chen Xian responded in confusion. When he looked at Shen Jixue’s innocent face, he suddenly withdrew his gaze, feeling a strange sensation rising in his chest. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what was odd about it.

Upon hearing Chen Xian’s voice, Shen Jixue reached out his hands toward him. Seeing him struggling, Chen Xian hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward and holding his hand.

“Why don’t you go inside and rest?” Chen Xian glanced at the malfunctioning fan. There were only two fans in the house, and one was in Shen Jixue’s room. He would have to make do with sleeping tonight, despite the heat.

Shen Jixue refused, his bony hand tightly holding onto Chen Xian’s, “I’ll wait for you to finish showering.”

Shen Jixue seemed a bit cold. On such a hot day, after just taking a shower, his hand wasn’t warm. He held onto Chen Xian with a firm grip, seemingly lacking a sense of security.

Well, he could wait for a while. It wouldn’t hurt to wait.

Chen Xian settled Shen Jixue on the sofa and poured a glass of cold water. “You sit here and wait. Do you want me to turn on the TV for you to listen to while you wait?”

Shen Jixue shook his head, pushing away Chen Xian’s hand. “No need, you go take your shower.”

Chen Xian didn’t insist, placing Shen Jixue’s hand on the cup’s position. “The water is here.” Then he went into the bathroom to take a shower.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Shen Jixue took off his slippers and sat on the sofa. He curled up his legs, resting his chin on his knees. The room was eerily quiet, and he held his breath to listen for Chen Xian’s movements, confirming that Chen Xian was indeed there with him.

A slight noise came from the bathroom, probably Chen Xian taking off his clothes, the sound of fabric rubbing against skin. Shen Jixue’s throat felt itchy from listening, and he took a deep breath, his breathing surprisingly loud in his ears.

After a brief silence, the sound of water came from the bathroom, loud enough to drown out other noises. This made Shen Jixue somewhat anxious, as he couldn’t catch any trace of Chen Xian amidst the water’s noise.

He tried to picture Chen Xian’s features in his mind, attempting to match the image of the man he had in his memory with Chen Xian. He had very vivid fantasies about Chen Xian, a reserved, honest, kind, and timid man. Despite having such detailed imaginations, he still couldn’t picture Chen Xian’s appearance.

A strange sense of anxiety suddenly rose within him. Shen Jixue didn’t know how to alleviate this sudden restlessness. He rubbed his forehead against his knees, feeling his temples burning, his blood rushing to his face.

As the sound of water abruptly stopped, his accelerated breathing also calmed down. After his heartbeat stabilized, he looked in the direction of the bathroom.

As the door opened, Chen Xian brushed back his wet hair. Then he saw Shen Jixue sitting on the sofa with slightly flushed cheeks. Shen Jixue’s eyes seemed absent-minded, and Chen Xian thought he might be sleepy.

“I told you not to wait for me, go to sleep first.”

Shen Jixue insisted, “I’ll wait for you.”

Now that the weather was hot, after Shen Jixue’s hair was almost dried by the electric fan, Chen Xian couldn’t argue with him and could only take the hairdryer to quickly dry his own hair halfway.

“Alright, go back to your room and sleep.” Chen Xian led him back to the room and gently reminded him, “We’re in the room now, go to sleep.”

Shen Jixue didn’t want to let go; he felt at ease only holding Chen Xian’s hand. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask Chen Xian to stay. After all, he wasn’t a three-year-old child.

The two stood their ground for a while. Shen Jixue remained silent and didn’t let go of Chen Xian’s hand. Gradually, Chen Xian realized what Shen Jixue intended.

“Alright then, I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep.”

Feeling Shen Jixue loosen his grip slightly, probably considering this, Chen Xian sat on the edge of the bed, using actions to assure Shen Jixue that he wasn’t leaving.

Even when Shen Jixue lay down in bed, he didn’t release Chen Xian’s hand. Chen Xian’s body temperature was high, and having just taken a shower, he started sweating after holding hands for a while.

The person in bed wasn’t very settled, not completely asleep. Chen Xian’s arm was sore; he propped it up and carefully tried to change position, but the person with closed eyes suddenly spoke.

“Chen Xian, the other fan is broken.”

Chen Xian was stunned for a moment, then responded after a brief pause, “Hmm, I’ll see if I can fix it tomorrow. If not, I’ll have to buy a new one.”

The electric fan at home was bought back when they just got married and had been used for several years. It practically ran non-stop during the summers, so it breaking down was somewhat expected.

“What will you do tonight then?” The weather was very hot now, the air heavy. Breathing felt suffocating without a fan; the night without one would definitely be difficult to endure.

Chen Xian hadn’t expected Shen Jixue to be concerned about him. While speaking, he finally managed to move his arm, relieving the numb sensation.

“I won’t feel hot once I’m asleep. Don’t worry about me; go to sleep quickly.”

Shen Jixue fell silent for a while. Chen Xian thought he had fallen asleep, but the next moment, Shen Jixue moved over a bit. “Sleep next to me.”

Chen Xian stared at the imprint on the bedsheet, distracted. “Huh?”

He hadn’t expected Shen Jixue to be willing to lie down with him. At first, Shen Jixue was like a hedgehog, untouchable by anyone. In order to get closer to him, Chen Xian had been pricked by this little hedgehog many times. It was only after gaining his trust that Shen Jixue was willing to have physical contact. Now, Shen Jixue was willing to give up half of the bed voluntarily, which truly surprised Chen Xian.

“You…”

As if afraid Chen Xian wouldn’t agree, Shen Jixue squeezed Chen Xian’s hand harder and shifted a bit more to the side. “Sleep here.”

Seeing Shen Jixue almost falling off the other side of the bed, Chen Xian quickly held him down. “Don’t move to the side anymore, or you’ll fall off.”

It was a double bed, and sleeping together wouldn’t be cramped. Chen Xian was also worried that Shen Jixue might have some issues tonight.

He sighed inwardly and compromised, “Alright, just lie down and don’t toss around. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Jixue clearly hesitated. When Chen Xian pulled his arm back, Shen Jixue followed the movement forward.

From when Chen Xian got up to turn off the light at the door, Shen Jixue kept facing in Chen Xian’s direction. Seeing his hopeful yet hesitant look, Chen Xian couldn’t bear it despite himself. Even though Shen Jixue couldn’t see, before turning off the light, Chen Xian still reminded him.

“The light’s off now.”

As the light went out, darkness enveloped Chen Xian’s sight. He could vaguely see the blurry outlines in the room. He climbed onto the bed in the dark and lay down.

He knew Shen Jixue was still kneeling beside him. He patted the spot beside him. “Lie down.”

Hearing this, Shen Jixue groped on the bed with both hands. Finally managing to climb onto Chen Xian’s arm by touch, he carefully felt Chen Xian’s arm from top to bottom before slowly lying down.

Even after he lay down, he didn’t let go of Chen Xian’s arm. Those delicate hands moved down Chen Xian’s arm until firmly grasping his hand, unwilling to let go.

This kid…

Chen Xian smiled wryly. No one had ever clung to him like this before. Initially uncomfortable, he had grown accustomed to it. He didn’t rush to free his hand from Shen Jixue’s grip, planning to wait until he fell asleep.

In the quiet night, every sound was amplified many times over. Insignificant noises like the ticking of a clock during the day became especially clear at night, ticking away, not helping with sleep but making one more awake.

Chen Xian maintained the same position, his body half-stiff. Beside him, Shen Jixue was silent, breathing steadily. Was he asleep?

Thinking so, Chen Xian was about to stretch out his hand and turn over when the hand holding his suddenly moved.

Not asleep yet?

Just as he was about to speak to Shen Jixue, who was sleeping soundly, Shen Jixue suddenly sat up, blocking Chen Xian’s view with his silhouette. He stared at the blurry figure of Shen Jixue in front of him, puzzled.

What was he doing?

Just when Chen Xian was puzzled, Shen Jixue moved closer to him, leaned down, and with hands that hadn’t done much labor, he reached out, touching the air for a moment before touching his abdomen.

The sound of Chen Xian’s steady heartbeat echoed in his ears. Shen Jixue couldn’t sleep. His mind was in a mess. He seemed to have thought about a lot of things, but he couldn’t make sense of them.

Since Chen Xian started taking a shower, he had been paying attention to his every move, wanting to know what Chen Xian was up to. He was afraid, so he wanted to hold onto Chen Xian’s hand tightly. He wanted to know more about the man who had always helped him—what Chen Xian’s nose, eyes, every inch of his skin was like, all made him curious.

This great curiosity kept Shen Jixue awake, his heartbeat accelerating inexplicably. His breathing also became heavy, as if something heavy was pressing on his chest. After the man beside him breathed steadily, he finally couldn’t suppress his eagerness and sat up.

Shen Jixue swallowed nervously, holding his breath to listen to Chen Xian’s breathing. The room was quiet; Chen Xian’s breathing was shallow, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

Asleep…

For Shen Jixue, the sleeping Chen Xian also held a great allure. His head was dizzy, and his hands moved uncontrollably to touch Chen Xian.