The dormitory wasn’t far from the construction site. The headquarters also arranged a room for He Xian here, and it was his first time staying overnight in this area.
With him wasted, Lin Sitao struggled to open the door with his key several times before succeeding. He Xian then straight away sat down in the foyer to change his shoes.
Lin Sitao stood outside the door, leaned over, and put the key on the shoe rack.
He Xian called out to him, “Come in and have a drink of water.”
Lin Sitao hesitated for a moment but then went in. He followed He Xian’s example, took off his shoes, and put on slippers. Then he stood in the living room. He Xian turned on all the lights, turned on the air conditioning, looked around, and first glanced at the bathroom, then the room.
The place was not spacious, but it was clean and tidy and well-equipped with a washing machine and kitchen utensils.
After He Xian finished his tour, he noticed that Lin Sitao was still standing in the living room.
“Sit down,” he said. He opened the refrigerator and took out a large bottle of fruit juice drink, which was entirely in English on the packaging.
Lin Sitao didn’t sit on the sofa but walked over to a chair by the dining table and sat down.
Just as he did so, He Xian poured him a glass of juice and placed it on the table.
“They really thought of everything,” He Xian continued as he rummaged through the refrigerator. “Are you hungry? There’s bread, cake, ham, eggs, hot sauce, ketchup…”
He took out everything and sliced a large amount of ham. He made a big, ugly platter of sandwiches by simply placing the ham between slices of bread without cutting them proportionally. He then warmly entertained the little kid in front of him.
“I was just drinking earlier, and now I’m starving to death,” he said as he grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Take whatever you like to eat,” he offered as he pushed the box of ice cream and cake in front of Lin Sitao.
Lin Sitao also grabbed a slice of ham sandwich and took a small bite.
He Xian looked at him and sighed, “No matter how I look at you, you’re still very young!”
“Mmm,” Lin Sitao’s voice sounded as if he didn’t want to disturb anyone. “I often get called baby-face by others, and I look younger than I actually am.”
He didn’t know what to say next.
Moreover, he didn’t know how the conversation shifted to him. Having said that, there was an issue that was even more terrifying before him, he had just prevented Director He from committing suicide!
But Mr. He didn’t say a word of thanks (he wasn’t expecting Mr. He to thank him), didn’t mention a word about what happened on the bridge, and went home as if nothing had happened. He talked and ate like a normal person. It was as if the whole scene on the bridge was just a figment of his imagination or a misunderstanding.
Lin Sitao really began to feel confused. Perhaps Director He was really just drunk.
“Are you from J city? Which part of J city?” asked He Xian, while mixing beer with fruit juice.
“Fangjiang District,” replied Lin Sitao.
He Xian was stunned: “But that’s downtown.”
Few children from the urban area went to work, they usually work at construction sites.
Furthermore, Fangjiang District was not far from his grandfather’s old house.
“Do you know about Fangjiang’s No.7 High School?” he asked Lin Sitao.
Lin Sitao finally smiled, and when he smiled, he looked very cute.
“I am actually studying at No.7 High School. Director He, are you familiar with J City?” Lin Sitao asked while still smiling.
He Xian nodded, “No.7 High School is my mother’s alma mater.”
Lin Sitao said, “No.7 High School used to be an all-girls school and produced many famous alumnae. After it became a co-ed school, it was not as good as before. Now, it’s just an ordinary school. However, the scenery near the school is still nice. Even the prestigious high schools nearby don’t have the kind of picturesque old buildings that our school has.”
After he finished speaking, he felt a little embarrassed – with Director He’s knowledge and experience, he probably didn’t need him to introduce these things.
However, He Xian seemed to be listening very carefully and with great interest.
After Lin Sitao finished talking, He Xian’s gaze was still fixed on his forehead.
He just stared straight at him without looking away.
After a few seconds, Lin Sitao finally realized that He Xian was just lost in thought and not really looking at him.
“Director He?” he called out softly.
He Xian then snapped out of his thoughts and said, “Ah! Ah! Did I fall asleep? I think I dozed off for a moment just now.”
Lin Sitao finally became certain that He Xian was quite drunk.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Lin Sitao stood up and prepared to leave.
He Xian said, “It’s too late now, you can stay here tonight.” He emphasized this while looking straight into Lin Sitao’s eyes. His hair was slightly messy, not as neatly combed as it was in the morning, making him look more like a college student.
The only college student that Lin Sitao knew was his landlord’s son. He spent his holidays playing games in internet cafes and his landlord complained that he only came home to eat, sleep, and ask for money.
Lin Sitao had thought to himself that if he ever went to college, he would never become like that kind of college student.
To Lin Sitao, He Xian was the kind of college student he had always imagined. He must have graduated from a prestigious university like Oxford or Cambridge at a young age, which enabled him to command the scene with ease and achieve the position of a director.
“I still have something to ask you, so you’ll stay here tonight,” He Xian said resolutely, staring at him.
Just as Lin Sitao was hesitating, a flash of white light illuminated the window, followed by a thunderous roar – the thunderstorm had finally arrived in the high of the night.
Lin Sitao suddenly felt dizzy. Outside the window – with the thunderstorm coming in deep into the night – the rain poured down like a waterfall. It was as if someone had already made the decision for his troubled heart.
He was extremely nervous.
And yet, the weather seemed to have put him at ease. He relaxed his body, finally revealing a nearly smiling expression. “It’s dangerous outside in this weather. Rest here for a bit,” he said.
He Xian went to the room and found a few bathrobes, then threw one to Lin Sitao.
He told Lin Sitao to take a shower first.
Lin Sitao was very obedient. He had always been a good listener since his childhood, and his grandmother used to say he was like a dog.
But obeying a stranger like this was a first for him. Lin Sitao was already confused. He had never encountered anyone like He Xian, nor had he ever abruptly entered someone else’s room like this.
As he stood under the showerhead, undressed, Lin Sitao felt like a feverish patient about to break out in shivers, but he was not afraid. After all, he was still a 17- or 18-year-old young man, and most of the time, he was blindly optimistic.
He turned the knob of the showerhead, but no water came out. He tried a few more times, but still no luck. Thirty seconds, one minute suddenly became very long, and Lin Sitao was afraid that He Xian would impatiently push open the bathroom door and ask him if he didn’t know how to use the shower.
Fortunately, it remained quiet outside the door.
He kept trying in different directions, and just at the last desperate second, water sprayed out from the showerhead. Lin Sitao had never been so grateful for not giving up before – he avoided the embarrassment of having to ask for help from He Xian.
After a quick shower, Lin Sitao put on the pajamas. The pajamas were loose and were apparently prepared based on He Xian’s body size. They were too big for Lin Sitao. He wiped the fog from the mirror and looked at himself nervously, only seeing a small shadow.
He first straightened out his pajamas, tucking his shirt into his pants before realizing it would be better to leave it out. Then he tried to push his thick hair back as much as possible, exposing his entire forehead. Without the hair covering it, his face didn’t look as childish, but he didn’t understand the significance of these actions.
He finally walked out of the bathroom calmly. He Xian was lying on the sofa and was sound asleep, light snores coming from him. Despite being drunk and sleeping soundly, he still appeared unbelievably elegant and handsome. Lin Sitao stood three steps away from him, staring at him for a few seconds before softly calling out, “Director He.”
Still no response from He Xian, who continued to snore softly on the couch while the TV blared in the background, playing a lively talent show with people either sobbing or laughing. Lin Sitao spoke even more softly this time, “Director He.”
At that moment, Lin Sitao seemed to have turned the tables. He finally mustered the courage to walk up to He Xian and gently pressed his shoulder. “Director He, it’s time to take a shower. After the shower, you should go to bed and sleep.”
At last, He Xian slowly opened his eyes, which were red, and was quietly staring at Lin Sitao as if he didn’t recognize him for a moment.
“Okay…” after a pause of two or three seconds, He Xian replied in a hoarse voice.
After taking a shower, He Xian handed Lin Sitao a blanket. The sofa in the room could be transformed into a bed by pulling it down. Lin Sitao laid out the blanket and prepared to go to bed. But He Xian also covered himself with a blanket and sat on the other sofa, gazing at him thoughtfully.
“Are you not going to sleep?” asked Lin Sitao.
He Qian did not answer, but instead asked, “You haven’t graduated from high school yet, have you?”
Lin Sitao made a sound of “Hmm”.
If he just wanted to earn some pocket money for fun during the summer, there were many other places to choose from. There were numerous temporary jobs in the commercial district that only required a few hours of work and were much easier. A 17-18-year-old student working on a construction site usually has only one reason – their family’s financial situation.
“Even if No. 7 High School is now no longer a renowned high school, there should still be quite a few students who take the college entrance examination and go to university every year, right?” He Xian mentioned casually.
Lin Sitao defended his alma mater by saying, “This year, there were five students who were admitted to prominent universities.”
He Xian gently asked, “What are your plans for after the summer vacation?”
Lin Sitao blinked and answered, “I want to start working as soon as possible. I should start working early. They say that as long as you are willing to work hard on a construction site, you can earn a decent amount of money.”
“Who said that?”
“Master Chen and my landlord,” replied Lin Sitao.
He Xian said, “You should go to school.”
The boy fell silent. He Xian felt a twinge of regret. He didn’t know this person and what he had been through. There were too many unfortunate families in the world, and many children have to consider their livelihoods at an early age. Finishing high school was a luxury for them.
He Xian turned off the bright ceiling light and left only a dim desk lamp. The subtle music from the TV harmonized perfectly with it, creating a warm protective shield. It isolated them from the storm outside like a safe haven.
“Go to sleep,” he said.
