Sunset Boulevard Chapter 14: The Strange Bed

Translated by Zellyfish of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: kai

 

Zhang Jue looked at Chen Boqiao with little emotions in his heart.

Theoretically, he should be sad right now. However, perhaps because Zhang Jue had imagined different versions of Chen Boqiao getting married or engaged so many times and never had unrealistic fantasies of Chen Boqiao liking him, so Chen Boqiao saying that he wanted to be with someone he likes could not hurt Zhang Jue that much.

Of course, Zhang Jue still felt some difficulty in wishing Chen Boqiao the best of luck in looking for his significant other. He looked at Chen Boqiao in silence for a short while, stood up, and went to the bathroom to dry his hair.

Turning off the hairdryer, Zhang Jue heard some weird noise outside. He walked out and saw Chen Boqiao sitting on a chair by the curtain with a remote control in his hand. He was testing out the bed in the hotel with great interest.

Seeing Zhang Jue, Chen Boqiao was not awkward at all as he shared with him, “Did you know that the bed in the room can move after inserting a coin?”

Zhang Jue went over to look at the remote control in Chen Boqiao’s hand. There were many buttons on the remote control, but the labels were all in Thai, so Zhang Jue couldn’t understand anything.

“What’s this?” Zhang Jue was a little curious and pressed the button at the center of the remote control in Chen Boqiao’s hand, the only button in a different color.

The original movements of the bed stopped. After two seconds of silence, it suddenly began to vibrate intensively, with some indecent sounds coming out.

Zhang Jue was taken aback, and Chen Boqiao was also dumbfounded.

After he processed what was happening, Zhang Jue wanted to turn off the bed, but Chen Boqiao took the remote control away and didn’t let Zhang Jue touch it. He laughed and said, “Zhang Jue, I can’t believe you’re the kinky type.”

“No,” Zhang Jue pleaded, “I can’t read Thai, so I just chose the one with a different color.” Seeing Chen Boqiao’s uncontrollable laughter, Zhang Jue asked again, “Stop laughing, turn it off. I want to sleep for a while.”

He was so tired that he just wanted to lie down, but the bed was shaking so hard that he didn’t even want to get close.

Zhang Jue found that the power cord of the bed was connected to the socket under the bedside table, so he wanted to walk over and unplug it, but Chen Boqiao stopped him.

“I just put in the coin.” Chen Boqiao said slowly, clasping Zhang Jue’s wrist.

Zhang Jue did not know what to do, he didn’t understand whether it was because the sex bed was too interesting, or because the amount of money required to start the thing was too high, that Chen Boqiao needed to hold him so hard. Just as Zhang Jue was about to speak, Chen Boqiao’s blue-screen mobile phone vibrated. Chen Boqiao took a look and turned off the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Boqiao released Zhang Jue and answered the phone.

In order to prevent Chen Boqiao from continuing to mess around after hanging up the phone, Zhang Jue went to the bed and unplugged the power.

“Zhang Jue?” Chen Boqiao called him from behind.

Zhang Jue looked back at him, and Chen Boqiao asked, “Pei Shu said that your medicine could not be found. Is it produced in the New Independent State? The Asian League does not have the sales license for it, and it is not sold on the black market either.”

“Well,” Zhang Jue nodded, “It’s quite hard to find.”

The medicine Zhang Jue used was a medicine specially designed for the military needs of the NIS and was not for sale.

Chen Boqiao heard Pei Shu say a few more words, put his mobile phone on the small coffee table and turned on the speaker, “Just talk about it.”

A voice that Zhang Jue didn’t like came out of the speaker.

Pei Shu asked on the other end, “I asked around, this medicine is a sedative inhibitor compound, would it work if the sedative and inhibitor were injected separately?”

Zhang Jue shook his head at Chen Boqiao, “No, I tried it before. I have an allergic reaction every time I inject them separately.”

“Using just the inhibitor is effective, and I’m not allergic,” Zhang Jue added, “but it hurts too much.”

Chen Boqiao looked at Zhang Jue and frowned for some reason, and said, “If it hurts then nevermind, we’ll try something else.”

Pei Shu was quiet for a moment, and asked, “Was that Zhang Jue speaking just now?”

No one answered Pei Shu. Chen Boqiao picked up the phone from the table and turned the speaker off, and said to Pei Shu, “Keep looking for substitutes.”

After that, he hung up the phone.

Zhang Jue looked at Chen Boqiao, and said hesitantly, “There’s no need to look for substitutes, I’m not too confident about using medicine I haven’t used before.”

Zhang Jue was in excruciating pain when he first went into heat. Back then he lived alone and did not dare to go out while vulnerable, so he bought over-the-counter self-injection inhibitors online.

About ten minutes after administering the injection, Zhang Jue felt that his heat had been successfully suppressed. However,  immediately afterward, he began to suffer from flares of pain throughout his body, and taking painkillers could not relieve them. In the evening, the maid came to cook dinner and found Zhang Jue unconscious in his room, and notified his parents. After he was sent to the doctor, a comprehensive examination was done and they found out that he had another gland.

Before settling on his current medication, Zhang Jue had tried many other types and had experienced many different pains that he didn’t want to remember, so he didn’t want to try again.

Chen Boqiao nodded, and then asked Zhang Jue, “How long would it be until your next heat?”

“It’s irregular.”

Maybe it was because there were two glands in his body. His heat only lasted for a short time, and the time interval varied. But during the heat, due to the influence of the pheromone from the other gland, he would also have a worse time than others.

“If you don’t want to use the inhibitor, it’s okay,” Chen Boqiao assured Zhang Jue gently, “we’ll think of another way.”

Zhang Jue said yes, and found that the screen of the mobile phone placed on the bedside table was lit. Ai Jiaxi was calling him. He picked it up.

Ai Jiaxi complained on the other end of the phone, “Why didn’t you pick up just now?”

Zhang couldn’t tell the truth to Ai Jiaxi, so he vaguely replied, “Something was happening just now.”

“When are you leaving Bangkok? I’m leaving tomorrow,” Ai Jiaxi said, “I want to see you.”

Ai Jiaxi was coquettish and whined, insisting on meeting Zhang Jue.

And since Zhang Jue had long been accustomed to Ai Jiaxi, in the end, he couldn’t refuse his request. When he agreed, Ai Jiaxi was finally content.

Zhang Jue put the phone aside and saw Chen Boqiao looking at him.

“Are there arrangements for the evening?” Chen Boqiao asked casually.

Zhang Jue said with a “Yeah” and told the truth. He and Ai Jiaxi will be meeting near the hotel the other omega was staying in, at a small cafe opened by Harrison.

Chen Boqiao didn’t speak. After observing his reaction, Zhang Jue hesitated and asked Chen Boqiao, “Do you want to come?”

Zhang Jue was actually not sure if the question was necessary, because he was the kind of person who was not good at guessing the thoughts and feelings of other people.

Back when he was in school, he always felt that he killed the atmosphere wherever he went. When he talked, everyone else wouldn’t  know what to say, except when Chen Boqiao was with them.

But Zhang Jue was very patient and not afraid of being rejected, so when he was not sure about Chen Boqiao’s wishes, Zhang Jue would always ask.

Chen Boqiao watched Zhang Jue for a while and said he would go.

Since Chen Boqiao also wanted to go, Zhang Jue had no time to sleep. He and Chen Boqiao returned to the safe house first and applied the disguise on for him.

While standing and sticking the bionic leather to Chen Boqiao, Zhang Jue’s waist was so sore that he leaned down inadvertently, getting close to Chen Boqiao, and there was a moment when Zhang Jue’s lips almost touched Chen Boqiao’s forehead. He stretched out his hand to support himself off Chen Boqiao’ shoulder, and didn’t accidentally kiss him.

Chen Boqiao didn’t seem to be offended by the proximity, and he placed a hand on Zhang Jue’s waist and told him to sit and rest for a while.

Because of his health condition, Zhang Jue moved slower than usual. It wasn’t until six o’clock that everything was done properly. He drove the two of them to the small cafe.

Zhang Jue called Harrison in advance to ask him to reserve a private room for the meeting with Ai Jiaxi. When he arrived at the coffee shop, Ai Jiaxi had been waiting for a while.

As soon as the waiter opened the door, Ai Jiaxi started shouting from inside, “Zhang Jue! You’re late again!”

Ai Jiaxi wore a light-colored T-shirt, and his hair was a bit longer than the last time they met. His eyes were big and he was petite, he was wearing the ear studs Zhang Jue gave to him on his birthday and his hands were on his chin.

He watched Zhang Jue come in, stretched out his wrist to Zhang Jue, showing a bracelet made of flowers he bought from somewhere, and ordered Zhang Jue triumphantly, “Hurry up and praise it!”

However, seeing Chen Boqiao entering from behind Zhang Jue, Ai Jiaxi immediately fell silent and watched curiously with wide eyes. After they had settled down and ordered a simple meal, when there was no one else in the room, Ai Jiaxi asked tentatively, “Major Chen?”

“Chen Boqiao.” Chen Boqiao introduced himself and extended his hand to Ai Jiaxi.

“Hello,” Ai Jiaxi quickly reached out and shook Chen Boqiao’s hand, “I am Ai Jiaxi.”

Zhang jue sat opposite Ai Jiaxi, which may have made him unhappy, so he whispered, “A-jue, sit next to me.”

Zhang Jue glanced at Chen Boqiao reflexively. Chen Boqiao did not say anything, so Zhang Jue went over.

As soon as he sat down, Ai Jiaxi leaned forward and asked, “A-Jue, did you bring enough medication?”

“…Hmm.” Zhang Jue said noncommittally.

“You’ve talked to him about the differentiation agent, right?” Ai Jiaxi asked relentlessly, then looked up and asked Chen Boqiao innocently, “Major Chen will definitely help A-jue, right?”

Zhang Jue felt like he was about to have a headache, but Chen Boqiao seemed to be doing well under the rapid attacks of Ai Jiaxi. He said to Ai Jiaxi, “Of course.”

Not long after, their meal was delivered.

Ai Jiaxi’s large grilled seafood platter arrived first. He leaned against Zhang Jue and said coyly, “A-Jue, help me.”

Ai Jiaxi had a fishbone stuck in his throat when he was a child, and it nearly cost a surgery. Despite that, he still liked to eat fish, so his family members would pick the fishbone out for him. He didn’t know how to peel a shrimp, the sharp parts of the shrimp always ended up cutting his hands. Zhang Jue had been accustomed to taking care of him, preparing all his food for him, and putting it on his plate.

Zhang Jue had little appetite, so he barely moved his chopsticks the whole meal.

Perhaps because Chen Boqiao was present, Ai Jiaxi didn’t dare to speak much. For some reason Chen Boqiao didn’t speak much either, and the three of them ate in silence.

Ai Jiaxi was in a good mood whenever he was full. He leaned on Zhang Jue’s shoulder, looked at his watch, and said to Zhang Jue, “The mango smoothie shop on the other side of the street is about to open. I’m going to buy it. Do you want some?”

Zhang Jue and Chen Boqiao were not interested. Ai Jiaxi said that they had no taste, and while clinging on Zhang Jue’s neck, said, “That store only takes cash, I didn’t bring any.”

Then he put a hand in front of Zhang Jue cutely.

Zhang Jue took out his wallet amused, and asked Ai Jiaxi, “When do you ever bring cash?”

He drew a few banknotes and placed them in Ai Jiaxi’s hand. Ai Jiaxi hugged Zhang Jue and took off happily.

After Ai Jiaxi closed the door, Chen Boqiao spoke his name.

Zhang Jue raised his eyes to look at him and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Chen Boqiao smiled and said to him, “So you are this patient with everyone.”

Zhang Jue originally wanted to say that it was because Chen Boqiao would never see him losing his temper. But he felt that such a clarification was unnecessary, so he didn’t say anything, dropped his head to close his wallet, and put it away.

But perhaps because the pocket on the side of the wallet was a little loose. When Zhang Jue closed the purse, the small plastic bag hidden in the pocket fell out.

Zhang Jue’s heart tightened, and as soon as he was about to pick it up, Chen Boqiao quickly reached out and picked it up for him. Zhang Jue’s heart jumped erratically. He stood up and wanted to get the plastic bag back, but since Chen Boqiao was intent on not letting him get it, he couldn’t even touch it.

He watched Chen Boqiao lean back a little and carefully observe the contents of the plastic bag.

There was nothing valuable in the plastic bag. It was the broken tracker Zhang Jue had washed with water and wiped clean.

Chen Boqiao saw what was in the bag, and his face was a little surprised. He paused, and asked Zhang Jue, “You really kept it with you?”

Zhang Jue did not answer and Chen Boqiao was also quiet for a while. Then Zhang Jue broke the silence. “Just give it back.”

 He reached out to grab it again, but Chen Boqiao still didn’t give it to him. Zhang Jue couldn’t understand. He just wanted to secretly keep this one thing, and yet Chen Boqiao would expose the matter over and over again and embarrass him.

“Don’t keep this one,” Chen Boqiao said gently, “It’s unlucky. What do you want? I will give it to you as a gift.”

Seeing that Zhang Jue was quiet, Chen Boqiao added, “Anything you want.”

“What do you want, Zhang Jue?” He coaxed Zhang Jue.

Zhang Jue looked at Chen Boqiao, and after a while, he said in a very small voice, “I want something that I can keep for a long time.” After that, Zhang Jue felt that his answer was very poor, and then said to Chen Boqiao despairingly “Just give it back, stop caring about me.”

Zhang Jue lowered his head. After waiting for a moment, he felt Chen Boqiao reach out, and then his hand was held. Chen Boqiao put the plastic bag in his palm.

“Zhang Jue,” Chen Boqiao said, “You’re such an idiot.”

Zhang Jue closed his palms and did not answer. He put the plastic bag away.

“Okay, now I’ve given it back,” Chen Boqiao said to him, “you can get me a shrimp too.”