The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 50

After Chen Xian finished washing the dishes, they both took showers one after another. Shen Jixue looked even more disheveled this time. He didn’t even have decent luggage; he was wearing Chen Xian’s clothes for change.

“This tracksuit is too big on me, I haven’t worn it much. It fits you perfectly,” Chen Xian said as he helped Shen Jixue dry his hair. Footsteps came from the living room.

Sitting on a small stool, Shen Jixue turned subconsciously, “What’s that sound?”

When Chen Xian went out to see, he saw Wu Bie staggering into the guest room. He chuckled, “I guess he wasn’t comfortable sleeping on the couch, so he ran into the room himself. Let him be.”

With their hair now dry, Chen Xian yawned. He wasn’t drunk but was feeling very sleepy. “Let’s go, let’s go to bed.”

Even after freshening up, lying beside Chen Xian, Shen Jixue could still smell the faint scent of alcohol on him, mixed with the fragrance of soap, not unpleasant.

Chen Xian fell asleep quickly. Shen Jixue heard his steady breathing. After a while, he reached out to touch Chen Xian.

Under the influence of alcohol, Chen Xian felt warmer than usual. His presence made Shen Jixue’s heart beat faster.

If he had been uncertain before, unwilling to admit why he repeatedly wanted to get close to Chen Xian, now he had an answer: he liked Chen Xian.

Although he had never liked anyone before, now he was certain of his feelings for Chen Xian. It wasn’t gratitude or admiration; it was simply liking him.

Liking Chen Xian meant wanting to touch him at all times, wishing to shield him from meeting Jiang Ying, and considering his well-being in everything.

Shen Jixue’s heart beat with calm emotions; he didn’t feel frantic at all. He even felt that falling for Chen Xian was a natural thing.

“Chen Xian?”

He softly called his name, but Chen Xian slept deeply, not responding at all. Shen Jixue leaned closer; his nose brushed against Chen Xian’s cool earlobe.

The scent of alcohol entered Shen Jixue’s lungs with each breath, making him feel intoxicated even with just a whiff. His heart pounded like a drum, and his blood rushed faster through his veins.

He held his breath until he felt dizzy, his head swollen and his eyes reddened. Acting on instinct, he moved closer and kissed Chen Xian’s earlobe firmly.

After the kiss, he didn’t hurry to lie back down; he stayed propped up on his arms, motionless, quietly listening to Chen Xian. Chen Xian didn’t wake, just made a brief sigh.

Shen Jixue’s heart raced; he was conflicted. He feared Chen Xian waking up, discovering his odd behavior, possibly despising him. Yet, he couldn’t bear to conceal this restless heart.

After a while, he gradually calmed down. He rubbed his damp fingertips together, feeling tired. Without wanting to get up, he drifted off to sleep in a daze.

That night, Shen Jixue dreamt continuously, all about Chen Xian. He could reach out and touch him; it felt so real he questioned if it was a dream.

Chen Xian had developed a biological clock early on the ship. When he woke up, it was just turning light outside. Through the window, the sky was gray-white, and noises from the morning market drifted up from downstairs.

Having not rested well in the disaster area recently, Chen Xian had finally slept soundly after having a bit of alcohol the night before. Sitting up, he ran his hand through his messy hair. As he put it down, he touched a soft body. Turning his head, he saw Shen Jixue lying beside him, head buried, lying on his side.

Just from looking at Shen Jixue’s sleeping posture, Chen Xian could tell he lacked security. His head was buried deep, his whole body curled up. With those long arms and legs, wasn’t it uncomfortable to sleep like that?

Chen Xian was about to suggest Shen Jixue find a more comfortable position when he noticed something on Shen Jixue’s pants. There were traces of dried liquid on the sheet, pressed into wrinkles.

Chen Xian’s hand, initially reaching out, withdrew. They were both men; this was quite normal. Besides, Shen Jixue was at that age, just like he had been.

Even so, Chen Xian felt awkward. Perhaps it was because Shen Jixue’s face was so delicate and pretty that such commonplace matters felt somewhat inappropriate when they involved him. The thought of Shen Jixue doing such things gave him a sense of shame, like peeking at a little girl bathing.

Now that the weather was cooler, Chen Xian covered Shen Jixue with a blanket before getting out of bed. As he left the room, he couldn’t help but glance back. The faint light illuminated Shen Jixue, lying quietly like a little quail, making him lose focus.

Clearing his throat lightly, shaking his head, trying to shake off those inexplicable feelings, he went straight into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face. The drowsiness faded away, and his mind cleared up a bit.

After washing up, he took down a towel from the rack. As he wiped his face, he turned slightly and noticed a red mark on his neck below his ear.

“How did this happen?” he leaned closer to the mirror, trying to inspect it carefully. He touched and rubbed it several times; it wasn’t itchy or painful, not like a bug bite.

“What are you doing?” Just as Chen Xian was pondering how the red mark had appeared, Wu Bie, still sleepy, squeezed into the bathroom. Annoyed by Chen Xian blocking his way, he shoved past and started peeing after unzipping his pants.

“It’s red here; I thought it was a bug bite, but it doesn’t look like it,” Chen Xian muttered, not bothering to argue. “Since you’re up, go change. After washing your face, let’s go to the bank.”

Wu Bie nearly burst from holding in his pee, sighing with relief after he finished. Once he put on his pants and reached the sink to wash his hands, he squinted at the mark on Chen Xian’s neck.

“Kissed by someone,” Wu Bie blurted out, “Are you sneaking around behind my back, messing around with some woman in the middle of the night?”

After saying this, Wu Bie woke up fully, thinking, could it be Jiang Ying? Didn’t Shen Jixue say Jiang Ying came back looking for Chen Xian?

Chen Xian pushed Wu Bie aside. “Nonsense, you’ve had too much to drink and haven’t sobered up, right?”

Yeah, it couldn’t be Jiang Ying. Jiang Ying, that woman, went off to have a child with another man. It couldn’t be Jiang Ying… Wu Bie’s mind buzzed suddenly. Something flashed in his mind. It couldn’t be Shen Jixue, could it?

He knew that Shen Jixue was up to no good! Was he messing around with Chen Xian?

“Are you alright?” Wu Bie grabbed Chen Xian’s arm and scrutinized him, as if afraid that Shen Jixue might have taken advantage of him and left him high and dry.

Chen Xian was confused by his actions, “Are you okay? It’s early morning. Are you out of your mind? Maybe I just got bit by a bug.”

That line about being kissed was originally a joke, but once he thought of Shen Jixue, Wu Bie couldn’t help but think of love bites.

“It really was a kiss,” Wu Bie insisted, “Did you… last night…”

He didn’t know how to say it, his words becoming incoherent. He felt ashamed of himself, but he didn’t expect Shen Jixue to be even more shameless.

“Damn it, what the hell, Chen Xian, I told you… to watch out for Shen Jixue, that guy. Do you think he’s some innocent bunny? He’s a big bad wolf. He pretends to be pitiful to you, and then you won’t even know when he’s sold you!”

What does this have to do with Shen Jixue? Why bring up Shen Jixue?

“What does this have to do with him? You just have a prejudice against him. Don’t be like this to him. Xiao Shen is sensitive, even if you don’t say it, he can feel it.”

Wu Bie’s hands gestured helplessly in the air. Seeing Chen Xian in this brainwashed state, he felt that if he didn’t warn him, he would fall flat on his face with Shen Jixue sooner or later.

“Do you still pity him? Pity yourself instead,” Wu Bie lamented, “Do you know…”

He was embarrassed to continue, not knowing how to say it.

Chen Xian looked at him seriously, as if waiting for him to continue, wanting to see how he would frame Shen Jixue.

“That Shen Jixue… Do you know the way he looks at you… I don’t see any woman being as affectionate…”

Chen Xian paused, then found it amusing, “He can’t see at all, you’re just making up nonsense.”

“It’s terrifying that he can’t see. Even so, he’s still… disgusting…”

Chen Xian was confused by what he said, “What are you trying to say?”

“I mean… I mean, Shen Jixue is up to something, he’s got issues!” Wu Bie peeked around towards the bedroom, making sure Shen Jixue hadn’t woken up, then continued in a hushed voice, “He definitely has eyes for you!”

After Wu Bie finished speaking, Chen Xian’s brain briefly froze. He remembered Shen Jixue’s appearance in the morning, remembered how he had touched him while he was asleep.

But… it was just Shen Jixue’s curiosity, wasn’t it? Shen Jixue couldn’t see, so naturally he was curious about everything around him. That’s normal…

Why was Wu Bie exaggerating like this? Shen Jixue having eyes for him, Chen Xian absentmindedly touched the location of the love bite, “How could it be? Xiao Shen is just a kid.”

Wu Bie was on the verge of losing his temper, “You think of him as a kid? What kind of 20-year-old kid is he? He’s taller than you when he stands up. You’re so clueless. What’s wrong with him? If he likes men, he must be sick.”

Wu Bie’s neck was thick with emotion. Chen Xian still seemed skeptical, “If you don’t believe me, pay attention yourself. See if he tries anything when you’re asleep.”

Chen Xian wanted to avoid Wu Bie’s theories. He casually hung the towel on the rack and left the bathroom without looking back.