ITOTIABSAM | Landlord Tenant | 38
Xie Ye's face is so small.
Looking at his left hand, Gu Cong couldn't help but think that even though half the night had passed, his palm still seemed to retain the subtle sensation of being brushed by the young man's eyelashes.
The mornings in the hospital always came especially early. Just as the sun was rising, the various wards gradually became active. The nurse helped remove the needles in the early morning. Xie Ye was still asleep at the moment. Gu Cong took the opportunity to wash his face and used hot water to clean the towels and basin he bought from the supermarket last night.
There was a particularly large mirror in the shared bathroom, and the hospital room's bathroom also had one. Although Gu Cong didn't know exactly what issues the other person had, his intuition told him it was better not to let Xie Ye see these things.
Drip, drip.
With a blink of his eyes, the faucet that wasn't closed tightly brought Gu Cong back to reality. Remembering that there was a meeting at school this afternoon, he sent a WeChat message to his dorm group: "I'm in the hospital and can't leave. Please remember to ask for a leave for me."
For senior students without early morning classes, this time was indeed a bit too early. It took a while before someone replied.
【Second: Hospital? What happened to you? Do you want me to come over and take a look?】
Gu Cong, who returned to the bedside, replied, "It's not me, it's my landlord. He fell ill."
【Second: Landlord?】
【Second: The snail girl?】
【Second: It's only been a few days, right? It feels like you haven't had peace since moving out. Don't blame me for being nosy. Does your landlord not have any family? Is he trying to stick to you?】
【Second: Anyway, your family isn't short of money. You can just return the deposit and rent a quieter place.】
Gu Cong was momentarily stunned.
Indeed, in the eyes of outsiders, his decision to move out probably seemed quite unreasonable. Not only did it fail to provide a quiet environment for studying, but it also attracted a lot of "troubles."
However, from beginning to end, Gu Cong himself hadn't even considered the option of "moving out."
Not even once.
He knew very well that he wasn't a saintly and altruistic person. Despite appearing outgoing and sociable, he maintained a certain distance from everyone. If the landlord wasn't Xie Ye, would he still "interfere" so much?
The answer is negative.
Gu Cong couldn't quite articulate what he was thinking. He only knew that, upon knocking on the apartment door and seeing Xie Ye wearing bunny slippers, he couldn't help but feel an instinctive closeness to him and an infinite curiosity.
He wanted to understand Xie Ye.
Especially after seeing him lying alone in the colorful fragments, stained with blood.
"Let's talk about it later," understanding that his roommate was considering things from his perspective, Gu Cong replied, moving his fingers, "He's a good person."
If Xie Ye were to hear this, he might burst into laughter.
But at this moment, all he could do was lie quietly in bed and sleep.
It wasn't until the nurse came to change the dressing that Xie Ye vigilantly opened his eyes, and his slightly fierce phoenix eyes startled her.
"Maybe he had a nightmare," Gu Cong awkwardly chuckled, trying to cover up, "He was fine last night."
1101: That's because he fainted last night.
Upon waking up, Xie Ye, with a bitter taste in his mouth, couldn't help but want to freshen up. Unexpectedly, as soon as he made a move, Gu Cong reached out and pressed him back onto the bed. "I'll do it."
Xie Ye: ??
Without giving him a chance to ask or refuse, right after saying that, Gu Cong pulled out an empty basin from under the bed and left the room.
The moment the warm towel covered his cheeks, Xie Ye couldn't help but suspect that his stomach wasn’t injured but on the head.
"You're still receiving the infusion, moving around is inconvenient." Xie Ye, whose skin seemed delicate from being indoors for a long time.
Gu Gong carefully avoided the slender red scar on the young man's left cheek, his fingers taut as if handling a fragile piece of tofu, afraid of hurting him. "Are you hungry? What kind of breakfast do you want?"
After the ordeal from last night, Xie Ye's sense of touch and taste had returned to dullness. With 1101's reminder, he learned about the cut on his face and instinctively reached up to touch it.
Gu Cong was startled and quickly reached out to stop him. "Don't touch it. It's shallow, the doctor said it won't leave a scar."
"It's okay; you still look good now, just like before."
The sudden praise left Xie Ye a bit confused, but soon he realized that all the strange behaviors of Gu Cong this morning were to avoid him seeing a mirror, from seeing his own face.
— It’s comparable to the treatment of the disfigured female lead in a melodramatic idol drama.
1101 instantly burst into laughter, "Female lead? Hmm, suits you well."
Xie Ye: "Shut up."
"I wasn’t really worried about this face," due to the emotional stress from last night, the truth lost its persuasiveness. Seeing Gu Cong's skeptical expression, Xie Ye raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to help me in the bathroom as well?"
Here it comes again.
The softness he displayed when quietly looking at him last night seemed like a beautiful illusion, and now, with a bit of recovered energy, he became provocative. Gu Cong stopped and threw the towel back into the basin, saying, "Well, it's not impossible."
The girl in the next bed suddenly coughed and covered her mouth, grabbing her phone and hiding under the blanket.
1101 gave a precise comment, "Full of gay vibes."
This level of intimacy was far beyond that of a landlord and tenant or even ordinary friends, reaching its peak when Gu Cong personally fed Xie Ye during breakfast.
To avoid attracting attention from others, Gu Cong deliberately chose packaged food for feeding, just like the first time with the custard bun. He pinched it and then casually rested his fingertips on it.
However, Xie Ye ate less than usual.
Thinking that the other person might not have an appetite due to feeling unwell, Gu Cong didn't insist. After making sure the young man's condition was stable enough, he quickly went home to get some toiletries, clothes, and even squeezed in two reference books and exercise books into his backpack.
"I will stay here to keep you company."
Seeing that the other person hadn't mentioned contacting family members after waking up, Gu Cong had a rough idea in his mind but didn't reveal it.
He took things out of the bag one by one, categorizing and placing them neatly in the small cabinet next to the hospital bed. "Although I entered your room, I promise I didn't touch anything other than the wardrobe, towels, and toothbrush."
— Of course, pulling aside the curtains casually couldn't be considered as meddling.
After not being at home for a few days, without airing it out, the house might end up growing mushrooms by the time he returns.
The only strange thing was that there were many wide and oversized sportswear and hoodies in Xie Ye's wardrobe. The styles were drastically different from the neatly hung shirts, and the sizes were more than enough for the current Xie Ye, even fitting two of himself.
On both sides of the wardrobe doors and even behind the clothes, you could see several mirrors seemingly attached, complemented by the dim light in the master bedroom. At first glance, numerous gloomy reflections of himself were visible, giving it a somewhat eerie feeling.
Gu Cong was quick-witted, and his emotional intelligence was above the normal line. He completely avoided mentioning the fact that he was startled. He stood up and took out the last box of strawberries, which he had deliberately cushioned with clothes around it.
"Newly bought, want to taste?" He offered.
The black-haired young man shook his head.
Waving the box, Gu Cong emphasized, "I brought back these strawberries with great care."
Xie Ye still shook his head.
Something was wrong, right? Usually, even if he had no appetite, he could still eat one or two of these sour, sweet, and juicy fruits. Despite washing half of them in the bathroom, Gu Cong pulled over a chair, sat on Xie Ye's bed, and started eating one after another.
If there was something evidently similar between the two worlds' Gu Congs, it was probably their enjoyment of food. Regardless of the taste of the food, even if it was hard to describe, it could still stimulate one's appetite.
Lacking the ability to eat, 1101 could only buy a bag of virtual melon seeds with a sense of grievance. "He's a bit like a dog."
Shouldn't this be the time to find ways to coax the host into opening his mouth? What about cutting a strawberry into a little rabbit shape? Yet here he was, happily eating strawberries himself.
Unfortunately, Gu Cong couldn't hear its inner complaints. He remained calm and composed. When he reached for the last strawberry, wet with droplets, his sleeve was suddenly grabbed.
With slightly pursed red lips, the black-haired young man stared at him, not saying a word, but Gu Cong read, "I want it." from it.
Suppressing the triumphant look between his eyebrows, Gu Cong pretended not to understand the young man's intention. He playfully hooked his arm and was about to eat the strawberry.
Subconsciously, the fingertips that held onto his sleeve tightened.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore," seizing the opportunity, Gu Cong knew that pushing it further could truly irritate the cat. He cleared his throat, forced a tight-lipped smile, and switched the strawberry to his right hand. "Go ahead, eat."
The girl in the adjacent bed felt like she had also eaten enough.
Although both Xie Ye and Gu Cong were handsome, their appearances were completely different. Looking at them, one wouldn't think they were brothers, let alone blood-related.
Due to their overly open attitudes, the older people in the other two beds might not have noticed anything, but as a candy-loving girl, the radar in her mind started beeping.
‘Are they in a relationship? They must be a couple, right? What kind of lovey-dovey behavior is this?’
Of course, if they were in the ambiguous period before confessing, that would be entertaining as well.
However, her joy lasted only three days. The fair-skinned young man beside her was discharged from the hospital. Before leaving, he personally made the bed neat and clean, without a single wrinkle. It looked as if no one had ever stayed there. The nurse who came later to tidy up was visibly confused.
Walking in the sunlight after a long time, Xie Ye squinted uncomfortably. "Umbrella."
Holding bags of various sizes, Gu Cong asked, "Huh?"
They stared at each other down for awhile, looking at the youth confidently hiding in the shadow, he helplessly surrendered, "Fine, you watch the luggage, I'll go to the supermarket."
Most pedestrians near the hospital seemed busy and had no energy to pay attention to others. If it were his alternate self, he would probably like this environment because no one would focus on him.
Being plump can also be handsome, beautiful, and cute.
His insecure alternative self was not able to do it
It's often said that childhood shadows take a lifetime to heal, and adolescence is probably similar. People tend to differentiate between categories during middle and high school based on various standards, and one of those standards is usually body shape. For example, girls who develop early or those who appear at first glance as "chubby" in a crowd.
Those who are different may face exclusion and bullying. Every time they are given school uniforms, class uniform, or sports uniform is worn, whispered or mocking laughter will ring in their ears at their ill-fitting sizes that will never fit, becoming indelible shadows.
As long as there are people around, such jokes won't stop.
— It's precisely because of realizing this, that his alternative self became more and more reclusive.
While these thoughts might be somewhat extreme, Xie Ye could understand. Having experienced so much malice, it's instinctual to be wary of the world.
Having parents who were too busy working and often not seen for ten days or half a month, there was no closeness with his alternate self.
Always suppressing himself with nowhere to pour out his feelings, it was only when he entered the virtual streamer industry and gained popularity that he felt so happy, even gaining the courage to like someone.
Unfortunately, all of this was still ruined.
Ruined by the inexplicable "Bad luck."
"What are you thinking about so seriously?" He waved his hand in front of the young man's eyes, Gu Cong, who had crossed the road, smoothly handed the floral umbrella hidden behind him to Xie Ye.
In the sharp gaze of the other person, he calmly explained, "There was nothing else, just this."
"Just make do with it."
"Um?"
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