TLLKTBD CH 27

Chapter 27: I Have a Spare Room—No Need for Xiao Qi to Sleep on the Couch.

Xu Yang, Lu Qian, and Jin Lang arrived almost at the same time, only to find the entrance of the residential complex packed with onlookers. The community consisted of three buildings, and at this moment, Building A was engulfed in flames, with the fire rapidly spreading toward Building B.

They had no idea which building Xiao Qi lived in or whether he had managed to escape. The only thing they could do was search frantically and call out for him in the chaos.

The scene was in utter disorder. Firefighters had set up a safety perimeter, but worried residents were desperately trying to break through, either searching for loved ones or attempting to salvage their belongings. Inside the cordoned-off area, soot-covered victims and injured residents who had been rescued from the blaze were being attended to by emergency personnel. Fire trucks arrived one after another, their piercing sirens cutting through the night and heightening the anxiety of the already panicked crowd.

As the three of them scrambled through the commotion, Jin Lang’s sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure sitting under the awning across the street. A medical worker was tending to his injuries.

“Xiao Qi-ge!” Jin Lang shouted and sprinted in that direction. Xu Yang and Lu Qian also spotted him and hurried after Jin Lang.

The seated figure stirred slightly, listening to the nurse beside him before nodding in response.

“Xiao Qi-ge!”
“Xiao Qi, are you okay?”

Jin Lang and Lu Qian anxiously bombarded him with questions, scanning him from head to toe.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches,” Qi Shaobai finally lifted his head. His face was blackened with soot, but he forced a grin, revealing a set of white teeth. “Why are you guys here?” He reached out and grabbed Jin Lang’s arm for support as he stood up.

“A few scratches? Your clothes are covered in blood!” Jin Lang exaggeratedly exclaimed as he grabbed at Qi Shaobai’s shirt.

Xu Yang, who had been silent until now, rushed forward in an instant and grabbed Qi Shaobai’s wrist to examine him.

“Hiss… be gentle,” Qi Shaobai winced, instinctively pulling back slightly.

Xu Yang eased his grip but didn’t let go. As he carefully inspected Qi Shaobai’s injuries, he noticed multiple scrapes on his arms and legs, bruises on his knees, burns on his palms forming small blisters, and a long gash on his upper arm that was still oozing blood. The bloodstains on his clothes were likely from this wound.

“I’m really fine,” Qi Shaobai hurried to explain. “The power went out, and the stairwell was pitch black—there was smoke everywhere, people panicking, and the fire felt like it was closing in. Everyone was shoving and squeezing past each other,” he scratched his head, embarrassed. “I got pushed around a bit and fell a few times. That’s all.”

Qi Shaobai lightly twisted his wrist and freed himself from Xu Yang’s grip.

Xu Yang’s expression darkened. He could almost picture the small-framed Qi Shaobai, helplessly being shoved around in the crowd. Given that his legs weren’t in the best condition, his balance wasn’t stable—who knew how many times he had fallen while running out? It wasn’t hard to imagine the ordeal he had gone through.

Just then, the nurse who had gone to fetch supplies returned. She skillfully cleaned the wound on Qi Shaobai’s arm and began bandaging it while explaining, “Luckily, the wound isn’t too deep. It just looks scary because it’s long. Once it’s wrapped up, it should heal in a few days. Make sure to keep it clean and avoid getting it wet. If it does get wet, change the dressing immediately. If the wound turns red, feels warm, or starts oozing pus, that means it’s infected—go to the hospital if that happens. Also, if you develop a fever, don’t ignore it.”

She then turned to the three men surrounding Qi Shaobai. “You’re his friends? I’ll leave him in your care. He’s fine, just a little shaken up.”

They all thanked her, and she waved them off before moving on to check on the next injured person.

Jin Lang was still inspecting Qi Shaobai, flipping him around to make sure he really wasn’t hurt anywhere else when Lu Qian suddenly asked in surprise, “Wait… what did you manage to bring out while running for your life?”

“I grabbed my bag! Luckily, I’ve always had the habit of keeping my essentials packed—wallet, ID, keys, all in there. I just threw it on my back and ran. I did drop my phone, though…”

“……”

Lu Qian was holding onto the end of a long, cylindrical object—about half a person in length, old and a little dirty. It had been lying on the ground next to Qi Shaobai’s backpack, but now Lu Qian was dangling it in the air.

“Oh!” Qi Shaobai’s eyes lit up as he quickly took it back. “This is A-She^[1]! I’ve slept with it since I was a kid. Good thing I managed to pull it out in time!” He shook the plush snake’s head, making it greet everyone.

Jin Lang looked at the grayish-green snake plush with its tiny red tongue sticking out and wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Xiao Qi-ge, seriously? The only thing you saved was a snake? What about your clothes? Your shoes?”

“……” Qi Shaobai froze for a second before realizing. “Shit, they all burned up! I—I only have these slippers left?”

He finally glanced down at himself, noticing how filthy he was, and immediately looked distressed.

“……” Lu Qian sighed. This guy was only just now processing everything? His reaction speed was way too slow.

“So what now?” Jin Lang asked. “Do you have a place to stay tonight? If not…”

He suddenly remembered Lu Qian’s rule—no bringing people home without permission. Hesitating, he glanced at Lu Qian, but the latter was still focused on Qi Shaobai and didn’t seem to notice his hesitation.

“I’ll just find a motel on my own. I’ll check online at an internet café later.”

It was already eleven at night. The entrance to the residential complex was still bustling with activity. The fire had been put out, and the fire trucks were gradually leaving one by one. People stood in small groups, murmuring among themselves. Some of the displaced residents had been picked up by family or friends, while others stood dazed on the roadside, sobbing helplessly. The entire place was damp and covered in grime, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of burnt debris.

Xu Yang glanced at the thin young man standing before him—a backpack at his feet, a stuffed fabric snake in his arms, his white T-shirt and black shorts stained with blood and soot, and a pair of worn-out slippers on his feet.

An unexpected wave of irritation surged within him.

This guy had nothing to change into, was covered in injuries, and was planning to stay in a motel alone? That would be incredibly inconvenient. Besides, this wasn’t a problem that could be solved in just a day or two. Qi Shaobai had lost his home, and it wouldn’t be easy to find a new place to rent immediately. If he went to a motel, he’d have to spend money, and it wouldn’t be a small amount. His family’s financial situation wasn’t great, and they depended on him to send money back every month. Now, on top of everything, something like this had to happen—it was just another headache.

Xu Yang frowned, his mind racing. Then, he suddenly realized—why was he even worrying about this? What did any of it have to do with him?

“Xiao Qi-ge, where’s your boyfriend? Have you told him?” Jin Lang suddenly had a stroke of inspiration and remembered that particular person.

“What boyfriend?” Xu Yang, who had been silent all night, suddenly spoke. He didn’t look at Qi Shaobai but instead fixed his gaze directly on Jin Lang.

“I mean, Xiao Qi-ge’s boyfr—”

Before Jin Lang could finish, Qi Shaobai interrupted him. “I told you, he’s not my boyfriend.” He shot Jin Lang a glare before lowering his head. “We’re not at that stage yet… I can’t just trouble him like this.”

“Why not? This is exactly the time to see if he’s really the one! A crisis like this is the perfect test. Plus, you’ll get to find out if you two can live together smoothly.” Jin Lang continued to advocate for the idea.

“That wouldn’t be right… We only met recently,” Qi Shaobai shook his head again.

Lu Qian finally spoke up. “How about this—why don’t you crash at my place for the night? The only thing is, there are no spare rooms. You’ll either have to share a bed with me or Jin Lang, or you can sleep on the couch.”

Hearing Lu Qian’s offer, Qi Shaobai instinctively glanced at Xu Yang, only to find that the latter was staring at him with a dark expression—his gaze practically screaming a warning: Just try sleeping in Lu Qian’s bed and see what happens.

Qi Shaobai lowered his head and let out a soft chuckle. He was just about to refuse when Jin Lang enthusiastically chimed in.

The moment Jin Lang heard Lu Qian invite Qi Shaobai over, he happily jumped in. “Yeah, yeah! Come stay with us! You can take my room—I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Qi Shaobai hesitated. Jin Lang’s enthusiasm made it hard for him to refuse outright. At the same time, he felt guilty about it. What kind of guest would kick the host out of their own bed and make them sleep in the living room? “I can’t make you sleep on the couch. I’ll sleep there instead.”

Then, he turned to Lu Qian. “Thanks, Qian-ge. I’ll have to trouble you guys tonight.”

Jin Lang, still excited, playfully threw an arm around Qi Shaobai’s shoulder. “No trouble at all! Actually, if you don’t mind, you can sleep with me. My bed’s huge—we can chat all night…”

Xu Yang’s frown deepened. He was annoyed.

“Why do you have to sleep together?” He slapped Jin Lang’s hand off Qi Shaobai’s arm. “I have a spare room. No need for Xiao Qi to sleep on the couch.”

His tone was sharp, leaving Qi Shaobai momentarily stunned, as if he didn’t quite understand what was happening. Seeing that Qi Shaobai wasn’t reacting, Xu Yang impatiently grabbed the backpack from the ground, turned around, and walked off with it.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Qi Shaobai stood there, dumbfounded, watching as his belongings were snatched away. He was too stunned to even move.

“Aren’t you coming? It’s late. If you don’t want to sleep, the rest of us still do,” Xu Yang grumbled without looking back. “I’m a boss, and now I even have to provide housing for my employees…”

“I—I never asked you to,” Qi Shaobai muttered softly, staring at Xu Yang’s retreating back, still hesitant to move.

Lu Qian chuckled and nudged him. “Go on. The Director still has a spare room for you. Or…” He deliberately raised his voice. “Would you rather squeeze into a bed with Jin Lang? Not sure if his bed can even fit the two of you.”

Xu Yang, realizing Qi Shaobai still hadn’t followed, stopped in his tracks. Hearing Lu Qian’s remark, he immediately turned back and glared at Qi Shaobai. “Are you coming or not?” His tone was fierce, almost menacing.

“I—I’m coming.” Qi Shaobai responded quickly, but his eyes were filled with a silent plea as he looked at Lu Qian, hoping he would step in and save him.

But…

“Go on,” Lu Qian said lightly.

Left with no choice, Qi Shaobai hugged A-She tightly and hurried after Xu Yang.

“Hey—” Jin Lang wanted to call out to him but instead turned to Lu Qian, confused. “Why did you really let Xiao Qi-ge go to Director Xu’s place? Didn’t you see how fierce he was? Xiao Qi-ge was practically scared to death.”

“Don’t worry. Xu Yang just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart,” Lu Qian reassured him. “He’ll take good care of Xiao Qi. Let’s head home.”

Only then did he remember—he had come here in Xu Yang’s car. That guy had actually just left him behind.

“Where’s your car?” Jin Lang was still looking around.

“…” Lu Qian cursed under his breath. Prioritizing love over friendship, huh? “We’ll call a cab.”

—

Meanwhile, Xu Yang felt like he had forgotten something, but before he could recall what it was, he sneezed—twice.

Qi Shaobai quickly pulled out two tissues and handed them over. “Take care.”

“Take care of yourself first!” Xu Yang snapped.

After dragging Qi Shaobai into his car, he started to regret it. He had no idea why he was acting like such a busybody, why he had suddenly taken on this troublesome burden.

What if Qi Shaobai misunderstood again and started clinging to him?

But Qi Shaobai had no intention of clinging to anyone for romance—he already had enough to worry about.

His current situation was a mess. He had lost his place to stay, and aside from a few important belongings in his backpack, everything else was gone—including his phone, which had likely been lost somewhere in the chaos. Now, he had somehow ended up in his boss’s car and would soon be staying at his place.

The worst part? He was the one who had his stuff taken away and was forced to go, yet Xu Yang was sitting there with a scowl, looking as if someone had held a gun to his head and made him do this, acting like he was the one being put out.

Qi Shaobai cautiously shifted, trying to make himself as small as possible to avoid provoking Xu Yang further.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he would get a new phone and start searching for a new place to stay.

Then, he wouldn’t have to keep walking on eggshells around people anymore.

He pressed a hand to his chest, silently giving himself a pep talk.

(To be continued…)