PD Chapter 18: Seeking Shelter (Part 1)

Kicked out of his house, He Linzhou sat with his legs crossed on the sofa in the lobby of a five-star hotel, waiting for nearly half an hour. Finally, Cheng Hao walked out from the internal elevator on one side of the lobby, smiling as he approached, “Why didn’t you call in advance if you were coming over? You’ve been waiting for a while, huh?”

“Left my phone at home.” He Linzhou slumped bonelessly on the sofa, yawning as he shamelessly bossed around his childhood buddy. “Quick, get me a room. I’m dead tired.”

“Uh, Linzhou…” Cheng Hao looked troubled. “My dad just called me…”

After being turned away by his friends a few times, He Linzhou clicked his tongue in irritation. “What, even you’re pulling this?”

“You know how it is. Don’t be fooled by everyone calling me ‘Young Master Cheng.’ It’s all just talk. I’m pretty much just a gofer for my dad. If he doesn’t give the green light, even if I got you a room, they wouldn’t let you stay.”

“Fine, fine.” He Linzhou reached out his hand. “Give me your house keys. I’ll crash at your place for a few days.”

“Uh…”

“What’s with that hesitation?”

Cheng Hao looked embarrassed. “It’s just…with everything going on, it’s not really convenient for you to stay at my place…”

He Linzhou glared at him for a long moment, then retracted his hand, gritting his teeth. “Wow, Hao’er, you’re something else.”

Usually, sitting at the clinic didn’t feel so exhausting, but Wen Zhixu had only been away for less than a week, and already Wen Xunchuan, left to manage the clinic alone, was working from dawn till dusk without even a spare moment to take a sip of water. By the end of each day, he felt like he was about to fall apart.

Finally, it was time to clock out. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, pulling out his phone, which had been buzzing with messages from friends, predictably urging him to come out and have some fun.

He replied: I’m not coming. You guys have fun.

A response came back quickly: How long has it been since you came out? Got a girlfriend? Going straight?

Wen Xunchuan replied: Babysitting.

After sending the message, he put his phone on silent, changed out of his work clothes, and left the hospital.

Usually, when he was home alone, he wouldn’t bother cooking, unlike Wen Zhixu, who’d make nutritious meals for Chun Mei just for fun. After feeding his beloved fur daughter almost a whole week’s worth of dog food and canned meat, he felt a bit guilty. So, on his way home, he purposely took a detour to a century-old restaurant and packed two servings of seafood porridge, planning to give Chun Mei a little treat.

Carrying dinner for himself and Chun Mei, he stepped out of the elevator. He cleared his throat a couple of times, but the hallway was still pitch black—the property management had repeatedly assured him last night that they’d fix the lights today, but it remained dark.

He sighed, thinking he’d have to buy a lightbulb to replace it later. Feeling his way down the hall toward his apartment, he took his phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight.

As the light from his phone illuminated the darkness, he lifted his gaze, and his eyes fell on a deathly pale face under the beam. A chill ran down his spine, and an “Oh, crap!” got stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor going down, and he instinctively took a step back.

The owner of the face cursed before he could, “Damn it!”

The person was leaning against his door, raising a hand to shield his face. “Stop pointing that broken flashlight at me! You’re blinding me!”

Hearing the voice, Wen Xunchuan finally recognized who it was. Yet he didn’t turn off the light; instead, he took a few deliberate steps closer, shining the beam right in the other’s face.

The image of He Linzhou’s face—dark red, blue, and green like a color palette—from a few days ago, when he’d tried to cause trouble at the restaurant only to end up outing himself, was still fresh in Wen Xunchuan’s memory. Seeing him here at his doorstep so unexpectedly almost made Wen Xunchuan laugh.

Clearing his throat, he suppressed the smile.

“Oh, I was wondering who it was.” He raised an eyebrow, walking closer with a mischievous smirk, mocking, “Wife.”

“…” He Linzhou couldn’t mistake the sarcasm, but with nowhere else to go, he could only swallow his pride.

Squinting his eyes slightly, he dodged the blinding light aimed right at his face, raised his hand in greeting to Wen Xunchuan, then tilted his head, flashing a nauseatingly fake smile to match his equally nauseating tone.

“Hey, husband, mind letting me stay?”

Wen Xunchuan hadn’t expected him to actually say that, and suddenly felt a tingle down his spine.

Honestly, if he hadn’t held on to that last bit of rationality, he would’ve dumped the porridge on He Linzhou’s head right then and there.