I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: “Senior, do you know anything about sexual addiction…?”

“Senior?” Qi Xu stared blankly at the completely unexpected person in front of him. “Why are you here?”

Jiang Ying-shen’s hand was still loosely supporting Qi Xu’s waist. He lowered his gaze, scanning Qi Xu’s face, thinking that he should be the one asking that question.

“I live here,” he replied.

Qi Xu blinked, recalling the information he had the system look up when he was preparing to move out. The question slipped out: “Don’t you live in the neighborhood near Minghai Lane?”

Jiang Ying-shen glanced at Qi Xu, finding it strange that Qi Xu knew about his residence in Minghai Lane. However, considering Ning Zhao had likely investigated his family background thoroughly, it made sense for Qi Xu to know.

“The lease there expired. I just moved here recently,” Jiang Ying-shen explained calmly.

In fact, he had only moved in a few days ago. His previous place was closer to Old Meng and the rent was cheap, but since his elderly relative had been having health issues lately, he decided to move to a larger apartment so they could live together. This old neighborhood was close to the university and also near where Qi Xu lived, making it convenient for him to keep his promise to Ning Zhao.

“Why are you here?” Jiang Ying-shen asked back, glancing at the smooth-furred Golden Retriever at their feet.

Qi Xu pursed his lips and said vaguely, “Um… a friend of mine lives here too.” He didn’t dare tell the truth because he was worried Jiang Ying-shen would tell his sister about his part-time job as an assistant.

Jiang Ying-shen nodded, his gaze passing over Qi Xu’s hand hanging at his side. Belatedly realizing he was still holding “evidence,” Qi Xu took a step toward the dog.

As the arm loosely supporting him fell away, Jiang Ying-shen glanced at his empty hand and silently withdrew it.

Qi Xu half-squatted, stuffing the meat patties into the Golden Retriever’s mouth all at once, attempting to destroy the “corpses.” But the silly dog turned rebellious again; not only did it refuse to eat the forced food, but it also trotted over to Jiang Ying-shen’s leg with the patty in its mouth. Its big fluffy tail wagged fawningly, thumping against Jiang Ying-shen’s leg as it nudged the man’s hand with its nose.

Jiang Ying-shen didn’t quite understand what it wanted and looked toward Qi Xu. Qi Xu didn’t understand the thoughts of the dog he’d been friends with for exactly one day either. After a few seconds of silence, “What” nudged Jiang Ying-shen’s hand again.

Looking at the patty the dog was holding but not swallowing, Jiang Ying-shen tentatively opened his palm. The Golden Retriever immediately spat the object into his hand.

The patty, originally too abstract to recognize, had been carried by Qi Xu for a long time and then held in a dog’s mouth; it was now hideously ugly and covered in Golden Retriever drool.

Jiang Ying-shen: “…” Qi Xu: “…” What: “Woof! Woof!”

Jiang Ying-shen was speechless, staring expressionlessly at his palm. Qi Xu, on the other hand, frowned—a rare sight. Disregarding the exposure of his ugly creation, Qi Xu only felt that the well-proportioned, slender hand had been “tainted.” He hurriedly swiped the patty away and pulled out a wet wipe to clean Jiang Ying-shen’s hand.

“I’m so sorry, he seems to be a bit too friendly with strangers,” Qi Xu said, grasping Jiang Ying-shen’s hand and wiping it carefully.

The wet wipe was soft and cold, but Qi Xu’s palm was very warm. Jiang Ying-shen stared at Qi Xu’s long, downcast eyelashes and involuntarily curled his fingertips.

While Qi Xu appeared to be seriously wiping the hand, his fingers were actually sneakily taking liberties. As he finally let go, he “accidentally” brushed against the back of Jiang Ying-shen’s hand.

Hehe, daily quota achieved.

Jiang Ying-shen, gradually feeling the small movements: “…”

Watching Qi Xu calmly put away the wet wipe, Jiang Ying-shen was reminded of the “stereotypical habits” he had collected in his notes about the boy. Unaware that his little schemes had been seen through, Qi Xu asked politely, “Is your family member feeling better?”

Jiang Ying-shen withdrew his gaze. “They should be discharged next week.”

Qi Xu had asked his sister before and knew Jiang Ying-shen’s relative was being treated at Renhui Hospital. He was quite confident in his family’s medical expertise. Knowing the protagonist’s family was safe, he felt relieved.

At this moment, “What,” neglected for a while, pushed between them again, sniffing one then the other. Qi Xu looked at the dog and suddenly remembered he had left someone else waiting outside.

“!”

“Senior, my friend is still waiting for me. I have to go if there’s nothing else.”

Although Qi Xu was reluctant to lose this chance for contact, he was technically on the clock, and the person waiting was another “protagonist.”

Jiang Ying-shen nodded. He had come back to change clothes and was preparing to return to the hospital. But just as Qi Xu turned to leave, Jiang Ying-shen called him back.

“Take this, and throw that wet wipe away.”

Qi Xu blinked at the small box of old-fashioned jujube paste cakes being handed to him.

“The elderly relative at home wanted some, so I bought a bit extra,” Jiang Ying-shen explained. He had promised Qi Xu a gift the next time they met; since this encounter was sudden, he hadn’t prepared anything else.

“Can I have it?”

Jiang Ying-shen nodded. “I’ll go buy more later.”

Qi Xu cheered up, his eyes curving into crescents as he took the box. Jiang Ying-shen’s gaze fell on those bright eyes; it took him a moment to snap out of it and look away. His diverted gaze happened to pass over Qi Xu’s collar, and his attention was caught by the sterile bandage on his collarbone.

Jiang Ying-shen frowned, staring at it. “What happened to your neck?”

Qi Xu had heard this question just a few hours ago. He instinctively covered it with his hand, his eyes shifting. “Ah… a bug bite.”

Jiang Ying-shen stared at his guilty expression, pursed his lips, but said nothing more. Seeing that he didn’t intend to press the matter, Qi Xu breathed a sigh of relief, then thought of the real culprit.

“Senior, do you know much about sexual addiction?”

Jiang Ying-shen thought he had misheard and froze for a moment.

“I mean, I have a friend… um, he has some issues in that area.”

Observing Qi Xu’s hesitant and embarrassed expression, Jiang Ying-shen confirmed he hadn’t misheard. His gaze toward Qi Xu became scrutinizing. As everyone knows, “I have a friend” usually means “me.” Jiang Ying-shen was worried that Qi Xu might have other complications besides auditory and visual hallucinations.

Seeing Jiang Ying-shen’s suddenly grave expression, Qi Xu became nervous: “Can this illness be treated?”

“Compulsive sexual behavior disorder can be distinguished by neurological or psychological factors. If it’s psychological, it might be comorbid with depression, anxiety, OCD, or PTSD. A professional diagnosis is needed. While the causes are complex, most cases can be controlled through effective treatment,” Jiang Ying-shen explained patiently.

Qi Xu gripped the cakes, only gathering that the illness seemed very troublesome.

“Oh,” Qi Xu opened his mouth. “Then, does Senior have any experts in this field to recommend?”

“…” Jiang Ying-shen was silent for a few seconds before finally pulling a business card from his bag. “This is my teacher’s card. If needed, you can try contacting him.”

Qi Xu took the card and thanked him. After lingering a bit longer on the topic of “sexual addiction,” Qi Xu really had to head back.

Unexpectedly, “What” began acting up again, clinging to Jiang Ying-shen and refusing to leave. Although the dog was friendly with everyone, it hadn’t acted this way with Qi Xu. It was almost as if it had mistaken Jiang Ying-shen for another owner. Finally, Qi Xu had to drag the dog away. On the way out, the dog remained reluctant, frequently looking back.

Qi Xu laughed. “If your owner knew about this, he’d be heartbroken.”

…

On the other side, whether the owner was heartbroken or not was unknown, but his patience was definitely running out.

When Qi Xu returned with the dog, he saw Chi Hui surrounded by several children. They were huddled together, whispering about the “poor man” sitting alone in a wheelchair wearing a hat and mask.

“This uncle is so pitiful, it looks like his family abandoned him.” “Is it because he’s sick?” “It must be because he’s naughty. My mommy says naughty kids get given to the Big Bad Wolf.” “Shh, be quiet, Uncle will be sad if he hears you.”

“…” Chi Hui, sitting in the wheelchair, heard every word of the “not-so-quiet” conversation. His temple throbbed, and he couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the missing person and dog. He checked his phone again; the message he sent hadn’t been replied to.

Winter days are short. It was only 5:00 PM, but the sky was already growing dark. Looking at the little brats in front of him, Chi Hui tapped his wheelchair and lowered his voice to scare them: “If you don’t go home this late, watch out for the Big Bad Wolf catching you.”

The children immediately scattered.

Chi Hui watched their retreating backs, a slight curl at the corner of his mouth. However, in the next moment, a memory from his childhood involuntarily surfaced. He was about the same age back then. During a season when dandelions filled the fields, he had been adopted by a childless couple. But in the winter of that same year, he was returned to the orphanage.

Because the wife had finally gotten pregnant.

It was also a snowy day. He had sat alone at the orphanage gate, hoping the couple would change their minds and take him back. It wasn’t that he had deep feelings for those temporary parents, but the feeling of being abandoned again was painful. In the end, it was the director who carried him back inside.

The last thing the couple told him was: “We’re sorry, but there is no such thing as pure, unconditional love in this world. We look forward to having a child of our own blood.”

Chi Hui couldn’t remember the details of the months he spent with them. The only thing he had learned from them was likely that sentence.

All love comes with an agenda.

Thinking of this, Chi Hui lowered his eyes and let out a self-deprecating scoff.

On the other side, the returning Qi Xu had seen everything and blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected Chi Hui to be someone who joked with children.

He approached from behind with “What.” The dazed man didn’t notice their arrival. Staring at Chi Hui’s back, for some reason, Qi Xu felt the man looked a bit lonely.

Qi Xu paused, felt around in his pocket, and finally fished out a single candy. Without hesitation, he reached over Chi Hui’s shoulder and held the last piece of candy out in front of him.

A fair hand suddenly appeared, slender fingertips holding a colorful candy. Chi Hui was momentarily stunned. After a long while, he blinked and slowly looked up.

Qi Xu leaned on the wheelchair handle, bending down to look back at him. His beautiful eyes were curved, filled with flickering light. Even though it wasn’t dark yet, Chi Hui felt for a moment like he was looking at the starry sky.

The “starry sky” blinked twice and said with a smile:

“Hi. I’m here to take this little kid home.”