WHI – Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Wen Lan turned and squinted at Lin Ting for a moment, then smiled and casually tossed the towel in his hand onto the TV cabinet. He then threw the remote control he was holding towards Lin Ting. “Catch.”

Just as Lin Ting grabbed the thrown remote, a pair of hands appeared in front of him, blocking his vision.

“Close your eyes.”

Wen Lan said this with a laugh he was clearly trying to suppress.

Lin Ting immediately closed his eyes.

“Okay.”

In less than a minute, Lin Ting heard Wen Lan speak. He then opened one eye a slit, confirmed Wen Lan was fully dressed, and let out a sigh of relief before opening both eyes.

“What movie should we watch?” Wen Lan asked, sitting on the other side of the bed.

“Hey, weren’t you scared, kid?” Lin Ting pressed his hand onto the middle of the mattress and turned to stare at Wen Lan. “Are you trying to trick me, or do you actually want someone to watch a movie with?”

Wen Lan sighed. “I’m not a child. If I’m scared, do I hide in the closet and cry all night, afraid to come out?”

He paused before continuing, “I am scared, though. Stay with me, okay, bro.”

By the end of his sentence, Wen Lan had turned his head, his expression shifting from helplessness to a fawning smile.

Before Lin Ting could recover from the word “bro” – he almost blurted out, “I’m not your brother!” – he managed to swallow the words before they left his throat.

Fine, let him call him whatever he wanted.

Lin Ting grabbed a pillow, placed it behind his waist, and leaned against the headboard in a comfortable position. “I’m not picky about movies. You pick whatever you like.”

The next second, Lin Ting saw Wen Lan lean in towards him from his side.

Dude, no, what’s wrong with you? I’m really not gay!

Wen Lan still carried that incense-like sandalwood scent, as if it had permeated him. At first, Lin Ting had suspected he was secretly wearing perfume.

The scent of sandalwood mixed with the fragrance of freshly used shower gel wafted towards him. Wen Lan’s damp hair brushed against Lin Ting’s nose.

His hair looked quite stiff, but it was actually quite soft.

Lin Ting, what are you thinking? Stop it!

Wen Lan’s neck was quite slender, and the curve leading to his collarbone was beautiful. Lin Ting had noticed it when he’d bitten him before.

Lin Ting, get a grip, for goodness’ sake…

He heard the sound of his own throat bobbing. Before he could think of saying something righteous and firm, Wen Lan pulled back, holding the remote control.

Damn it, it was just the remote. Lin Ting, you’re such an idiot.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Lan asked, looking confused. “Are you… not feeling well?”

“It’s nothing, I just haven’t watched a movie in a long time,” Lin Ting said.

Lin Ting, Lin Ting, what a lame excuse. Where’s your famed eloquence?

Wen Lan turned on a movie that resembled an American family-friendly savior flick. Lin Ting didn’t pay much attention. The special effects were good, and the plot… even though he hadn’t watched it, these kinds of movies were all pretty much the same.

“I have a twin brother,” Wen Lan said, turning down the movie’s volume. “His name is Wen Yan, Y-A-N, like rock.”

Lin Ting, who had been zoning out, immediately focused when he heard this. “Mm, go on.”

“It’s all in the past now, almost eight years ago,” Wen Lan said with a wry smile. “When I was little, I loved swimming. I was wild and my grades were terrible. My brother was different from me; he had good grades and was obedient. My parents liked him more, but my brother doted on me.”

“Actually, there’s no such thing as older or younger with twins, but he always felt like the older brother and had to let me have my way. He took the blame for me a few times when my parents scolded us, though my parents knew what kind of kids we were.” Wen Lan’s face showed a smile, as if veiled by mist, as if recalling something happy.

“On my 10th birthday, I think the driver was busy, I don’t remember. Anyway, that day, my brother walked home with me. You know, it gets boring taking a car home every day.”

Lin Ting suppressed the urge to say ‘I don’t know.’ “Mm.”

“I was probably too excited. On the way, I was discussing what presents I might get and hoping my parents would come home early. Then we passed an artificial lake.”

Wen Lan’s voice started to choke up at this point. Lin Ting watched him bury his face in his hands.

“You…” Lin Ting felt that if he didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t have to. There was no reason to rip open a scab on a wound again.

“It’s okay,” Wen Lan interrupted him and continued. “After autumn started, I hadn’t swum for a long time. My parents always thought swimming wasn’t a proper activity and didn’t really support it, so I could only do it in the summer. But you know, it wasn’t that cold that day, and I saw plenty of old men swimming even when it was colder. I finally had a chance without my parents or the driver controlling me, so I got an idea.”

“You went into the lake?”

“Yes.” Wen Lan’s eyes, gazing past the TV screen, looked into the distant depths.

“My brother kept advising me, saying it was too cold and dangerous. I told him it was fine and even laughed at him for being a coward… I underestimated the temperature and overestimated my own abilities. That memory is a bit chaotic. It seems like my leg was caught by something first. I couldn’t break free and then I got a cramp. In the end, my brother jumped in and pushed me to the shore. After I stopped choking on water and tried to pull him, he had already disappeared.”

“I remember there were a lot of people gathered around. They jumped in one after another like dumplings. I wanted to jump in too, but an aunt stopped me. But it took so long for so many people to bring my brother ashore. When I was calling for help, my brother found me and grabbed me so quickly, but it took so long for so many people.”

“I think about it every day and every night, I should have gone in to find him. No matter how many people there were, I knew my brother best. If I had gone in to find him, it would have been faster.”

“My brother was brought up and immediately sent to the ICU. The doctor said it was too late… too late! Do you know what ‘too late’ means? It means if it had been a few minutes earlier, no, a few seconds earlier, things might have been different.”

“I regret more than once, what if I had broken free from the bystanders’ obstruction? What if I had listened and not gone into the water? But no matter how many times I woke up, this event still happened. It’s branded on me. It can’t become a dream, and my brother can’t come back.”

Wen Lan fell into a long silence. Lin Ting suddenly remembered their earlier conversation about birthdays.

“So that’s why your birthday…”

“Mm, yes. For my family, my birthday is Wen Yan’s death anniversary, so they haven’t mentioned it since I was 10. But Song Mi and the others don’t know about this and drag me to celebrate every year…”

“Then…” Lin Ting remembered their previous agreement to celebrate his birthday together, but he didn’t know how to bring it up. “Never mind.”

Wen Lan glanced at him and smiled. “Are you afraid I won’t celebrate my birthday with you anymore? It’s okay. I think birthdays should still be celebrated. My brother was also only 10 when he passed away; he would have wanted to celebrate his birthday too. And…”

“And what?” Lin Ting looked at him too.

“And I want you to celebrate it with me.” Wen Lan’s eyes were moist at this moment, his gaze flowing, making Lin Ting a little stunned.

“Okay, I’ll celebrate with you. Then… if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” Lin Ting felt he couldn’t stay any longer and started to get off the bed.

“Wait.”

The Red String on Lin Ting’s hand was hooked by a warm finger, as if mixed with a wine called ‘Wen Lan,’ injected into his veins from his wrist, flowing to his limbs.

He lowered his head to look at his wrist, then followed that arm up to Wen Lan.

“After that time, I started to be afraid of water. I couldn’t swim, and I couldn’t even take a bath. My fear isn’t fake. Stay with me tonight, okay?” Wen Lan’s eyes were like entwined vines, tightly holding Lin Ting.

“…Okay.” Lin Ting heard himself utter a word that surprised him immensely.

He said he would stay, but neither of them knew what to do. Lin Ting took out his phone and unlocked it when he suddenly remembered Wen Lan’s phone.

“Is your phone still not working?” Lin Ting asked.

Wen Lan, who was listlessly flipping through the TV channels, took the phone from the bedside table and tried again. “Still not working. It’s probably broken.”

“Oh.” Lin Ting felt it would be too awkward to just play on his phone by himself – although it was awkward not to be playing on his phone either. “Do… do you still want to watch a movie?”

“Do you want to watch one?” Wen Lan put down the remote and turned his head to ask.

“…We can. I’m staying with you tonight, aren’t I?”

Wen Lan suddenly burst into laughter. “You’re lying. You weren’t watching it at all just now.”

Damn it, Lin Ting, are you that bad at controlling your expressions?

Were you exposed so easily?

Before Lin Ting could say anything to explain, Wen Lan let out a big yawn.

“I’m a bit sleepy. Should we sleep?” Wen Lan said.

It’s good that he’s sleepy! One blink and it’ll be tomorrow!

“Let’s sleep.” Lin Ting turned off the light and pulled up the covers, lying down almost before Wen Lan could react.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard a faint chuckle from Wen Lan, which was then covered by a yawn.

Lin Ting closed his eyes, feeling the television light being switched off, and the person beside him moved.

“Aren’t you going to give me some of the blanket?” Lin Ting’s back shoulder was poked.

The bed in the business hotel was really a bit small. Lin Ting had to be careful to maintain a distance between them while ensuring they both had enough blanket, which meant he couldn’t lie on his side with his back to Wen Lan.

Lin Ting turned over, facing the ceiling – this way used the least blanket.

Wen Lan didn’t say anything more. Lin Ting stared at the bright white ceiling, closed his eyes, then opened them again, and after repeating this several times, he finally accepted the fact that he couldn’t sleep. So, he decided to chat with him, perhaps reviewing some material for the upcoming monthly exam, and maybe he would fall asleep.

“Wen…” As soon as Lin Ting opened his mouth, he heard the breathing beside him become steady and deep.

…This person falls asleep so quickly.

Never mind. Isn’t today about accompanying him? Might as well see it through. As long as he’s asleep, it’s fine.

Lin Ting carefully turned to his side, looking at the person in front of him, who was like a hedgehog, with sharp spines all around on the outside, but not as strong as he appeared on the inside.

Although the lights were off, the curtains were still open, and there was a bit of autumn night breeze.

Wind? Damn it, Wen Lan, did you not close the window after smoking?

Wait, when he was changing earlier, didn’t he not close the curtains?

Tsk.

Lin Ting felt a bit cold from the sudden gust of wind. After waiting for a while longer and seeing that Wen Lan was indeed fast asleep, he cautiously shifted his body, preparing to get up and close the window. However, as soon as he lifted half his upper body, a hand landed on his arm.

Wen Lan turned over, facing him in his sleep.

The hand, which not long ago had punched him in the face, long and beautiful yet with a few minor scratches, was now loosely gripping his arm.

Lin Ting stopped moving, sighed after a few seconds.

The weather wasn’t that cold, so let the wind blow.

Lin Ting gazed at Wen Lan’s nose, which was only a few centimeters away from his own. Wen Lan’s nose bridge was high, and the tip was neither too round nor too pointed, just right. A fine dew of sweat was now beading on it.

He must be a bit hot, Lin Ting thought, he himself was starting to feel warm.

It was deep autumn, and the window was even forgotten to be closed, but Lin Ting was beginning to feel a warmth. This feeling wasn’t very comfortable. He had an intuition that even if he opened the window wider now, this warmth wouldn’t dissipate.

It wasn’t the heat in the air, but as if he had a fever, burning from the inside out, making the air feel stuffy and humid.

Lin Ting was sure he had a fever. That’s why his head felt heavy and a bit dizzy.

His nose… Wen Lan’s nose was beautiful.

Lin Ting reached out a finger and gently wiped away the fine sweat on Wen Lan’s nose.

His movement was very light. Wen Lan only frowned slightly before becoming still. Lin Ting’s heart was in his throat. He watched the person in front of him quickly relax his brow, let out a short “Mm,” and then fell silent again.

Lin Ting’s heart, which had suddenly risen with anxiety about almost waking the person in front of him and then quickly settled, began to pound again because of that brief, ambiguous sound. He had never felt such a strong heartbeat.

His palms were sweating, and his nose was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and a hot, dry air.

This wasn’t the first time Wen Lan had fallen asleep in front of him, but it was the first time he had slept so soundly, so defenselessly.

The night wind outside blew open a corner of the curtains. Moonlight shone on a corner of the bedside that was originally out of reach. Wen Lan’s sculpted profile looked mysterious and alluring under the soft white light.

“Ge,” Wen Lan murmured in his sleep, his voice low but indistinct.

It was as if a string had been pulled taut between Lin Ting’s ears, and it vibrated with this sleepy murmur. The world suddenly lost its sound, leaving only the ringing in his ears, and his mind became a jumbled mess.

He leaned forward slightly, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips onto Wen Lan’s nose.