OHD Chapter 40: Home

Chapter 40: Home

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

From the first to the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Kai and his family spent time at his grandparents’ house. There were a lot of relatives at his hometown, so they visited one family after another, spending quite a bit of time.

Zhou Kai only knew and often saw a few people, so sometimes he just sat there, listening to the elders talk about him. It was boring and awkward, but he couldn’t leave.

Every time, Zhou Kai would think of He Ye, wondering if He Ye was still working or taking a break. When he thought about it too much, he would send He Ye a message. However, he would always hold back and only send one message, afraid that too many notifications would distract He Ye and cause him to get hurt or scolded by his boss.

On the morning of the fourth day, Zhou Kai’s grandmother packed him a bunch of homemade snacks. Zhou Kai tucked them into his bag, waved goodbye to his grandparents, and left.

When he got home, Zhou Kai helped his mom clean the house. By around three in the afternoon, he just couldn’t sit still anymore. He couldn’t get into the TV or his phone.

Zhou Kai’s mom noticed that he was distracted. After looking at him a few times, she said, “Xiao Kai, if you’re bored at home, just go out for a walk. Find some friends to hang out with.”

Zhou Kai’s mind sparked. He glanced at his dad, who was watching TV seriously without reacting, and said, “Mom, can I take some of Grandma’s food to my friend Cheng?”

His mom didn’t object and stood up to grab a bag for him to put the snacks in.

Zhou Kai’s dad, seeing this, finally spoke up, saying to Zhou Kai, “School starts on the eighth, right? Play for two more days, then start reviewing, focus a bit. Don’t get too lazy.”

Zhou Kai responded, “Got it.”

Zhou Kai’s mom saw that he didn’t seem resistant, smiled, and handed him the large bag of food. Zhou Kai took it, put on his jacket, and left the house.

After bringing the last few tiles upstairs, He Ye took off his gloves and stuffed them in his pocket. He patted his hands together and walked toward the foreman.

The foreman was on the phone with the brick supplier, gesturing for He Ye to wait and have some tea.

He Ye stood by without touching the tea cup, taking out his phone from his pocket to check it. He had expected to get a message from Zhou Kai at this time a few days ago, but today, there was nothing.

He Ye stared at their previous chat history, hesitating to scroll, since there were pictures that he didn’t want anyone to see.

He clicked the input box, then tapped elsewhere, holding back for a moment before he couldn’t resist. He typed a message and sent it.

He asked Zhou Kai what he was doing.

After sending the message, He Ye was about to exit the app, but saw the words “The other party is typing…” pop up.

He Ye immediately turned toward the door when a new message appeared.

Zhou Kai was standing under the bus stop shelter diagonally across the street. When he saw He Ye, he quickly ran out, wearing a thin jacket with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his arms. He stood in the cold wind, his hair instantly messed up, and he raised his arm to wave at He Ye, shouting, “I’m waiting for you! It’s cold outside, hurry and go inside!”

The passing vehicles honked, but the sound was scattered by the wind.

He Ye couldn’t hear it, but seeing Zhou Kai standing there warmed his heart. He glanced at the building and then turned back to Zhou Kai, holding his phone to his mouth to record a voice message. “Hide from the wind and wait for me for a while. Once I’m done, I’ll tell the foreman, and I’ll be able to leave.”

Zhou Kai watched him and immediately held his phone up to his face, waiting for the message. After hearing it, he smiled and replied, “Okay!”

He Ye stared at Zhou Kai for a moment, then, hearing the foreman call him, turned and walked back.

Zhou Kai watched him go inside, pursed his lips, lowered his head, and kicked a small stone on the ground, sniffing to hold back the soreness in his nose.

It wasn’t long before He Ye came back out. He had changed out of his dusty thin jacket, pulled a thick coat from his bag, and rode his bike across the crosswalk, stopping in front of Zhou Kai, who had walked part of the way toward him.

On the busy main road, it was hard to do anything. Zhou Kai looked at He Ye, and He Ye looked at him, their gazes locked.

After a while, He Ye couldn’t hold back. He reached out and rubbed his freshly washed hand across Zhou Kai’s face, asking, “When did you come back?”

Zhou Kai’s eyes followed He Ye’s hand, and once it returned to the bike handlebars, he looked up at He Ye, smiling as he answered, “I left at 10 in the morning, got here around noon. Helped Mom clean up the house, checked on the little black one, and before I knew it, it was afternoon.”

It wasn’t the first time He Ye had heard those three words. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Little black one?”

Zhou Kai blinked, his face reddening as he stammered, “A pet snake I have… uh, the one I sent you the video of…”

He Ye’s mind immediately flashed to that short but tantalizing video, and he smirked, his gaze growing intense and direct as he locked eyes with Zhou Kai.

Zhou Kai stared back, and found himself blushing, his ears burning.

A scooter honked, and He Ye pulled Zhou Kai, prompting him to take a step forward. Turning around, Zhou Kai saw the scooter pass by, now free from the obstruction. As he looked back, he saw He Ye’s hand still holding his arm, and his heart felt sweet.

He looked at He Ye’s eyes, nose, and lips, scanning them before asking, “Where are we going now?”

He Ye, affected by Zhou Kai’s gaze, felt a heat rise in his body. He quickly loosened his grip on Zhou Kai’s arm and cleared his throat. “I need to take a shower; I’m covered in dust.”

Zhou Kai licked his lips, moistening his dry lips before muttering a low “Mhm.”

He Ye watched him and added, “Once I’m done showering, we’ll go eat.”

This time, Zhou Kai didn’t speak. His eyes wandered around, then narrowed as he tilted his chin, glaring at He Ye.

He Ye couldn’t hold back and laughed, but his gaze became sharp, as if he were going to devour Zhou Kai with his eyes.

The moment Zhou Kai saw that look, a shiver ran down his spine. He quickly clenched his teeth, refusing to lose the momentum. When the traffic light turned green, he walked next to He Ye, nudging him with his shoulder, and whispered in He Ye’s ear, “Let’s see how long you can hold out…”

The words “stinky snake egg” echoed in He Ye’s ears, and he felt the bike dip.

Zhou Kai had climbed onto the back seat, grabbing onto He Ye’s clothes, his feet already positioned.

He Ye gripped the handlebars and turned his head, stunned for a moment. After processing the meaning, he burst into laughter.

“Fuck!”

He turned the bike around, pedaled hard, and continued laughing, the bike swaying along with him.

Zhou Kai, watching him, quickly tapped his foot on the ground to steady himself, clenching his fist and lightly punching He Ye’s shoulder, asking, “You okay? What are you laughing for?”

Trying to stifle his laughter, He Ye wiped the laughter-induced tears from his nose. With fewer pedestrians around, he sped up the bike.

Okay?

Soon enough, Zhou Kai would find out just how “okay” He Ye was.