Chapter 51#

Chapter 51 Side Story — Twenty-Six

In the early morning, the sun rose from the east, and a ray of sunlight penetrated the mist and shone into the room. Pei Hao opened his eyes with some difficulty, paused for a few seconds, and some scenes from last night gradually emerged in his mind. His head still hurt. He sat up and rubbed his temples, looking at the empty half of the bed and falling into deep thought.

Was it another dream he had yesterday? Were those endless love words just a monologue with no audience?

Pei Hao dragged his heavy head out of bed, walked to the window and opened the curtains. The city was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, and the air was damp.

“Bang!”

At this time, the sound of something breaking came from outside. Pei Hao followed the sound.

Mo Xi was squatting in the kitchen picking up broken glass. Hearing Pei Hao’s footsteps, he looked up and shrugged embarrassedly: “Hey, sorry I broke a bowl.”

He woke up relatively early this morning, thinking he could make porridge for Pei Hao to nourish his stomach. Unexpectedly, with a flustered wave of his sleeve, he knocked a bowl to the ground.

Pei Hao frowned, walked over and tried to pull Mo Xi’s hand away: “Don’t touch those fragments with your hands.”

Especially those tiny fragments, which could cut your hand if you weren’t careful.

“It’s okay,” Mo Xi said softly while picking them up, “There are no particularly small fragments.”

Just as he was speaking, he picked up another large fragment. Accidentally, his index finger touched the sharpest point, and with a quick swipe, it bled.

Mo Xi: “…”

Seeing a trace of red on Mo Xi’s index finger, Pei Hao hurriedly grabbed his hand, put it in his mouth without saying a word, and sucked lightly a few times. Mo Xi subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back, but was held down by Pei Hao and couldn’t move.

The wet and hot touch came from the fingertips, and the tingling warmth spread slowly from the palm to the whole body like ants.

This was a sucking without lust, but Mo Xi’s heart experienced chaos. Until Pei Hao let go of his hand, he didn’t dare to turn his head to take a look.

If he met Pei Hao’s affectionate eyes again, he would probably sink willingly and couldn’t extricate himself.

“Be careful next time,” Pei Hao was focused on the wound and didn’t notice the subtle emotional changes in Mo Xi, “Why use your hands when there is a broom?”

“Mm,” Mo Xi took advantage of the gap when Pei Hao was speaking to pull his hand back, his cheeks slightly hot. He turned his face away and didn’t look at Pei Hao, lowering his eyes and saying, “Made porridge, drink it.”

“Put this on first.” Pei Hao said while taking a band-aid and carefully wrapping it for Mo Xi.

The porridge was ordinary millet porridge, but it was special. Because Mo Xi could accurately grasp the heat every time, it wouldn’t be too thin or too thick, and the taste and texture were just right.

The porridge was like the person. Even if he searched every corner of the world, Pei Hao could never find another person who suited his taste so well.

The air after the rain was exceptionally fresh. Mo Xi opened a small crack in the window, and fresh air poured in.

While drinking porridge, he instructed Pei Hao: “Remember to go to the hospital to check your stomach this afternoon. Do you remember vomiting blood last night?”

He knew Pei Hao’s temperament very well. If he didn’t remind him, Pei Hao would definitely not take the initiative to see a doctor.

“Ah?” Pei Hao looked at him with some surprise, “I thought I was dreaming…”

“Really vomited blood…” Mo Xi glanced at him with hatred for iron not becoming steel, but the words of admonition were very gentle when they reached his lips, “Drink less in the future.”

“Oh.” Pei Hao dragged his chin with one hand and was thinking about something. Suddenly he grinned and asked Mo Xi intently, “Then was your reaction yesterday considered jealousy?”

Mo Xi looked away extremely unnaturally, knocked on the table, and pretended to be angry: “Eat quickly! No time to see my sister later.”

“Mm, you are right.” Pei Hao nodded several times with calm eyes, but couldn’t stop smiling. He found a definite answer in Mo Xi’s evasive eyes—everything that happened yesterday was true!

It was like a sudden beautiful firework blooming in his heart, rising and colorful, too beautiful to be true. After laughing, there was a brief loss of mind. Although the fireworks were beautiful, they were only fleeting, unable to be caught or kept.

Pei Hao took out his phone and took a screenshot as if possessed.

Mo Xi was drinking porridge and only heard a “click”, and then Pei Hao put the phone back.

“What are you doing?” Mo Xi was puzzled.

“Screenshot,” Pei Hao fed a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, the soft millet taste melting in his mouth, and said without thinking, “Want to keep this moment.”

The mist in the city had all dispersed now, and a lot of bright sunlight poured into the room, dazzling.

A new photo was added to Pei Hao’s phone album. The screensaver was a Q-version self-portrait of Mo Xi, and the time on it stayed forever at 8:23 am on November 3, 2018.

In the days to come, he also encountered some annoying things, but as long as he took out this screenshot that looked like it was saved by pressing the wrong button, Pei Hao’s heart was warm.

After a heavy rain last night, more than half of the leaves on both sides of the road fell, leaving many bare branches. Mo Xi’s flight was at 1 pm. After breakfast, he simply packed his luggage and went to the hospital to see Mo Zi.

Mo Zi could already get out of bed and move around. She pulled Mo Xi to chat in a small garden downstairs in the hospital. As soon as she opened her mouth, she asked three questions that Mo Xi couldn’t answer at all:

What is the situation between you and Pei Hao now?

Do you still like Pei Hao or not?

What are your plans for the future?

Mo Xi was stunned by the questions. Mo Zi looked at her brother who knew nothing, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. Honestly speaking, she liked Pei Hao, but she also knew that Mo Xi wouldn’t dump someone for no reason.

Because of the rain last night, the stone benches in the garden were still wet. The two walked around the garden a few times. Mo Zi found a bamboo rattan chair in the shed to sit down, swaying gently, looking at the sky thoughtfully: “Actually, I also broke up with your brother-in-law.”

“Oh?” Mo Xi didn’t know about this part.

“When we first got together, I always felt that he had no career ambition and played games at home every day, so we broke up after being together for half a year,” Mo Zi put her right hand on the chair frame, tapping up and down alternately with her index and middle fingers, sighing softly, “One day he knelt in front of me crying and begging me, and I softened. Later he really didn’t play games much. Look at the time from my pregnancy to giving birth, he was busy before and after, more attentive than me.”

Mo Zi thought for a moment and said: “I mean, not everyone can be perfect. Maybe flaws are the norm of life. Some people deserve a second chance. We all like Pei Hao quite a bit, but the decision is yours. If you think what he did before is unforgivable, then cut it off cleanly early and don’t waste time; if you think there is still room for maneuver, then give each other a chance.”

“Mm.” Mo Xi nodded seemingly understanding but not quite, staring at a small butterfly flapping its wings on a flower in front, without saying anything more.

Mo Zi knew Mo Xi was still hesitating, so she didn’t ask further. The two stayed quietly in the garden for a while, watching the small butterfly fly from one flower to another, spilling the dew on the flowers. When the time came, Mo Xi helped Mo Zi back to the ward. Before leaving, the siblings instructed each other tacitly.

Xiao Jun drove Mo Xi and Pei Hao to the airport entrance. When leaving, he turned his head to look at the two walking towards the airport talking and laughing, feeling inexplicably that the scene was very warm.

Before knowing Mo Zi, he was actually somewhat repulsed by homosexuality, especially male homosexuality. But Mo Zi said her own brother was gay, so he contacted Mo Xi and Pei Hao with an attitude of trying to understand.

What really changed his view was on the day of Mo Zi’s mother’s funeral. It suddenly rained heavily halfway. Everyone didn’t bring enough umbrellas. Xiao Jun kept holding the umbrella for Mo Zi. Mo Zi’s feet got a little wet, while he was soaked all over. Pei Hao was supporting the crying Mo Xi behind. Xiao Jun turned around and found that Pei Hao was doing the same thing as him.

Two men soaked by rain exchanged glances for the first time and nodded to each other.

The rain was still pouring down from their heads. Xiao Jun suddenly realized that gay men were no different from him, a straight man. They would laugh, cry, and protect the people they loved.

Everyone is living flesh and blood, no one is nobler than anyone else. Sexual orientation is not the standard to define a person’s good or bad, the soul is.

The sky was very blue today. Xiao Jun hummed a tune and drove away from the airport, silently saying Good Luck to Pei Hao in his heart.

There were many people in the airport. It took Mo Xi half an hour to complete the check-in procedures. He walked to the queue entrance of the security check, turned to look at Pei Hao, and smiled faintly: “Then I’m leaving. Thank you for your care these days.”

Pei Hao felt empty in his heart. Obviously Mo Xi was still in front of him, but the longing had already begun to grow uncontrollably. He gently raised his hand to smooth Mo Xi’s bangs that were messed up because of walking too fast, and said wistfully: “Take good care of yourself when you go back. Remember to find me if you need any help.”

Mo Xi was slightly stunned. He knew Pei Hao was not speaking polite words. After a moment of pause, he responded: “Mm.”

“Then can I…” Pei Hao pulled Mo Xi’s sleeve with one hand, lowered his head and asked in a low voice, “Can I go to the US to find you in the future?”

There was a young couple saying goodbye nearby. The girl was crying softly in the boy’s arms. Mo Xi looked towards the sound, and a wonderful feeling surged in his heart, as if he and Pei Hao were also a couple saying goodbye, and now Pei Hao was acting coquettishly while holding him.

“Don’t…” The cruel words got stuck in his throat. Mo Xi was afraid of seeing Pei Hao’s pitiful look again, so finally he just rubbed his nose and said: “Up to you.”

Many people dragged luggage back and forth in the airport. The announcer was broadcasting flight information in several languages. In the crowded crowd, Pei Hao stepped forward and hugged Mo Xi, not caring even if several people nearby cast strange glances.

“Then I will really go find you,” Pei Hao hugged the person tightly, buried his nose in Mo Xi’s side neck and took a deep breath, his eyes full of reluctance: “I have already started to miss you.”

“Please have your boarding pass ready!” At this time, an airport staff member’s voice came over. A bunch of people pushed their luggage over. Mo Xi pushed Pei Hao away, walked quickly into the queue, and waved to him: “Leaving, bye bye!”

“Bye!” Pei Hao watched Mo Xi enter the security check entrance, and then left feeling lost.

And Mo Xi in the airport didn’t retreat completely. After passing the security check, he took out a safety amulet from his bag and held it in his hand, rubbing it carefully.

Yesterday in the temple, he also prayed for an amulet for Pei Hao, but he never took it out. Mo Xi looked down at the thing in his hand. A golden bag with four big characters “Peace and Health” embroidered with red thread in the center. It was really a very tacky color scheme and a very ugly shape, not matching Pei Hao at all.

Forget it, he won’t like this kind of thing. And why did I pray for this kind of thing for him on a whim?

Thinking so, Mo Xi put the thing back into his pocket.