True or False - Chapter 13

Shen Hengxi carried the first-aid kit into the living room.

Finally, this medical kit was finding some actual use. When he first bought his supplies, he figured that since he was living alone, the kit would just be a decorative ornament. He never expected it wouldn’t be used on himself, but rather for a bit of neighborly helpfulness.

The light cast a hazy glow over the room. Chu Xi-ang sat on the chair, motionless. A cup of water appeared before him, the slight sound of it hitting the table bringing him back to his senses.

“Drink some water.” Shen Hengxi pushed the cup toward him and added, “Sit still and don’t move.”

Chu Xi-ang opened his mouth but said nothing. His eyes fell on the water cup; just as he was about to reach out with his right hand to touch it, his wrist was caught.

“Use your left hand. Don’t you know your arm is bleeding again?” Shen Hengxi hooked a chair from nearby and sat right next to him.

In this cold November weather, the boy was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Shen Hengxi frowned as he rolled up the sleeve; the wound, which was almost healed, was now soaked in blood. The bleeding wouldn’t stop with even the slightest touch.

Shen Hengxi pressed his lips tight, a surge of inexplicable anger trapped in his chest. Chu Xi-ang watched his expression cautiously before finally speaking: “Brother… did you hear the noise?”

No one answered him.

He continued, his eyes fixed on his arm. “Of course you did. These houses aren’t soundproof at all; you can hear everything when someone fights.” He let out a small laugh and poked Shen Hengxi’s arm with his finger. “Brother, stop being angry.”

At those words, Shen Hengxi finally let out a short laugh, though his hands didn’t stop working. “What would I be angry about?”

Chu Xi-ang slumped his shoulders slightly. “Brother…”

Shen Hengxi still refused to look up or respond.

“Brother… Brother… Brother…”

The repetitive “Brother” finally made Shen Hengxi smile. He shot Chu Xi-ang a glance, his chin lifting slightly. “Turn around.”

“Oh.” Chu Xi-ang turned his body, propped his hands on the chair, and silently lowered his head.

“Drink the water.” Shen Hengxi handed him the cup and used a cotton swab to treat the small, scattered scratches on the boy’s back.

As the scent of the antiseptic drifted over, Chu Xi-ang spoke again. “Brother, did you hear us fighting?”

“Mhm.”

Chu Xi-ang fell silent. He felt a phantom chill on the back of his neck and couldn’t help but want to reach up and scratch it, but he was stopped by the person behind him. “What are you moving your arm for?”

He sighed, looked at his already bandaged right arm, and said softly, “Brother, sorry for the trouble.”

The anger that had finally been suppressed was stirred up again. Shen Hengxi’s pressure with the cotton swab grew a bit heavier; hearing the kid catch his breath in pain, he immediately softened his touch. “You could give a healthy person a stroke with your attitude.”

Chu Xi-ang didn’t reply to that. After a while, he asked, “Brother, do you want to know?”

“Do you want to tell me?” Shen Hengxi put away the medical kit. When he walked back over, he saw the kid had returned to his usual self, head down and focused on his homework.

“Brother, let me use your place to do some homework for a bit.” Chu Xi-ang looked up and crinkled his eyes at Shen Hengxi.

The healing power of a seventeen-year-old isn’t about silent recovery; it’s about burying everything deep in the heart, waiting for a certain moment to let it all explode before self-healing.

Shen Hengxi stared at the boy’s back for a long moment, then went into his room to take a shower.

When he finished his shower and came out, he found Chu Xi-ang slumped over the table. He raised an eyebrow, walked over, and hooked the back of the boy’s collar. “Are you nearsighted? Why are you sitting so close?”

The person sitting there didn’t respond, only slowly turned his head. “Brother…”

Shen Hengxi was stunned for a moment.

The way Chu Xi-ang called him “Brother” had a tone he’d never heard before too soft, too sweet, and it tugged at his heartstrings. He leaned in to look closer; under the light, the flush on the kid’s face was obvious.

Shen Hengxi’s heart relaxed, but he found it hilarious. “You couldn’t smell that much alcohol? You still leaned in for a taste?”

The alcohol was something he’d bought over the past couple of days; when the mood struck him in the evening, he’d pour a glass. He never expected the kid to actually drink it.

“I smelled it. I just wanted to try it.” Another soft, high-pitched tone, the ending of the word trailing off.

Shen Hengxi sat next to him, unable to resist reaching out to ruffle the ends of his hair. He didn’t think much of it; he just felt that since the kid spent all day with a stiff, serious face, it was rare to see this side of him.

“Is your homework finished?” he asked.

Chu Xi-ang’s head felt a bit dizzy. He nodded. “It’s finished.”

With a playful intent in his heart, Shen Hengxi propped up his head and squinted at him. “Is the wine good?”

The kid stared blankly for a long time before finally shaking his head. “It’s too sharp. It burns when I swallow it.”

Shen Hengxi laughed at his serious description. “How much did you drink?”

Chu Xi-ang thought about it. “Two glasses.”

“Oho.” Shen Hengxi sat up straighter, his eyes glancing at the glass. “You’ve quite the talent. Drinking two glasses from this size… impressive.”

Chu Xi-ang didn’t speak. He rested his arms on the table, intending to pillow his head on them. Before his head could land, a large hand was placed on his forehead.

“Tsk.” Shen Hengxi was genuinely a bit annoyed now; the furrow between his brows felt painful. “How many times have I told you? You have an injury on your arm don’t treat it like nothing all day long.”

Chu Xi-ang let his arms drop down and rested his chin on the table, blinking as he looked forward. “Brother.”

“I’m here,” Shen Hengxi replied.

“My father ran away with a woman.” He said this very slowly, but those few words told the whole story.

Chu Xi-ang’s chin hurt, but he didn’t move. “Actually, I knew he was going to leave. That night, before my mother came back, I heard a noise in the room. When I walked over, I found him trying to break into the safe—it was full of the savings my mother had kept all these years.”

“So, I hit him that night too. He didn’t get the money, so he kept cursing at me, but I was happy. I knew he was leaving, and I was happy.” Chu Xi-ang turned his head, his profile resting on the table as the cold surface chilled him inch by inch. “Brother, was I wrong?”

Their gazes met, neither backing down. Shen Hengxi reached out and patted the boy’s head. “No.”

“No?” Chu Xi-ang murmured, the words popping out one by one: “They say adults don’t talk about right or wrong, only about their true intentions.”

“Where did you learn that?” Shen Hengxi asked.

Chu Xi-ang sat up and leaned against the back of the chair. “I forgot. I just remember that sentence. Brother, just treat it as if I’ve had too much to drink today and want to chat with you a bit longer.”

Shen Hengxi kept squinting at him, saying nothing, letting the boy continue.

“These past few days, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Have you figured it out yet?”

When he said that, Shen Hengxi was certain the kid was drunk, but he didn’t speak  he just listened quietly.

“This place.” Chu Xi-ang looked around the room. “This place is a mountain weighing people down. Prejudice, favoritism, family ties they’re all part of it. If you don’t walk out, the mountain only gets heavier. Did I say that before?”

Without waiting for Shen Hengxi to speak, he lowered his head and touched his right arm. “I hope you overcome it and walk out, Brother, just as I hope for myself. My mother never asked about this arm, and she never went to the hospital with me. This scar was just meant to be here.”

His words were a jumble of thoughts. Shen Hengxi’s hand, reaching for the wine, paused. With a sharp exhale, he poured himself a glass. “Little Brother Ang’s lecture is quite correct.”

Chu Xi-ang wasn’t in a clear state of mind, so he couldn’t even refute the teasing. “Brother, I’m serious.”

“Mhm, you talk, I’m listening,” Shen Hengxi humored him.

Seemingly afraid the man would think he was joking, Chu Xi-ang grabbed the hem of Shen Hengxi’s shirt. “Brother, I don’t know how to tell you, but people in this world carry emotions. No matter which kind, you have to carry them and move forward. You never know what will happen first in this world. Since that’s the case, no matter what it is, just keep moving forward.”

Shen Hengxi took a sip of wine, his eyes moving slowly from the hand clutching his shirt to Chu Xi-ang’s face. He knew this kid could read people and guess their thoughts; he knew that better than anyone.

Shen Hengxi sighed and smiled. “Thanks, Xiao Ang. I understand.”

That night, he sat quietly and listened to Chu Xi-ang talk about his past and his present, but the boy never mentioned the future. As he spoke, his voice grew lower and lower. Shen Hengxi leaned forward, reached out his hand to support the boy’s head as it tilted to the side, and felt the weight in his palm. He looked down silently at Chu Xi-ang, then lifted him up and carried him into the guest bedroom.

The kid was obedient when he was drunk, though he talked a bit more  and every word hit Shen Hengxi right in the heart.

Thinking of this, Shen Hengxi flicked the boy’s forehead with his finger.

Chu Xi-ang was woken up the next day by Shen Hengxi. When he sat up, he was still in a daze; seeing Shen Hengxi standing by the bed, his eyes widened.

“Forgot?” Shen Hengxi hadn’t quite woken up himself, but he remembered the kid had school. He’d finally managed to wake him, only to see this look on his face.

Chu Xi-ang blinked and shook his head. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“If you haven’t forgotten, then go to school. I’ve put all your toiletries by the sink; go on.” Shen Hengxi began walking toward his own room, then stopped and said to Chu Xi-ang, “If you want to come over tonight, just knock on the door.”

Hearing the sound of the bedroom door closing, Chu Xi-ang scrambled out of bed. He was internally cursing himself for drinking  that little bit of truth had just come tumbling out.

While he was washing up, Shen Hengxi walked back out and leaned against the doorframe to watch him. In just one night, the kid didn’t even dare look him in the eye. Shen Hengxi arched an eyebrow with a smile. “Quite the character.”

Chu Xi-ang listened in silence.

“There’s breakfast on the table. Eat something warm before you go to school, otherwise you’ll feel miserable.” Shen Hengxi helped him open the breakfast containers.

Chu Xi-ang walked over and sat down, only to see the man move a chair to sit opposite him, propping up his chin with one hand and watching him. Pushing a bun toward him, Chu Xi-ang’s voice was very weak. “Brother, are you eating?”

“No.” Shen Hengxi didn’t look away; he kept watching him just like that.

Chu Xi-ang took a bite of the bun. After three seconds, he straightened his back. “Brother, I won’t drink again.”

Shen Hengxi let out a laugh. The serious face he’d put on earlier vanished. The sound of his fingers tapping on the table synchronized with the rhythm of Chu Xi-ang’s heartbeat.

“I’m not talking to you about drinking. You can drink whenever you want in the future, just not now. Also, keep an eye on your right arm  don’t move it around.”

Chu Xi-ang nodded. “I hear you, Brother.”

“That’s it. Go to school after you eat. Do you usually walk there by yourself?” Shen Hengxi let out a yawn.

“Yes. Brother, don’t worry about me; you go to sleep. If I come by tonight, leave the door unlocked for me.” Chu Xi-ang’s eyes crinkled as he looked up.

Shen Hengxi reached out and ruffled the ends of the boy’s hair. “Alright.”