The stark white walls of the hospital room and the stench of rubbing alcohol always made Wu Suo Wei nauseous. The beeping sound of the machines hooked up to his comatose mother did not help either. He had plenty of nightmares where that beeping sound would suddenly stop, and he would lose everything he held dear.
But he never let his grandparents know about his fears and anxiety. Journaling helped sometimes, but only skating and running truly helped him clear his head. Wu Suo Wei hated bringing his old grandparents here. He felt horrible every time their hopeful eyes would turn dim after visiting Dr. Gu Wei.
Wu Suo Wei held his mother's hand. It was soft and cold. Her hair had lost its sheen, and she looked peaceful, but so still that it was difficult for him to accept that this was, in fact, his mother. His mother was always hyperactive. She never stayed still, always full of life and vitality. Now, her face had lost its natural rosiness. It was as if she was taking a very long nap. She used to be the one who would push Wei to pursue his skating dreams.
Dr. Gu Wei flipped through the chart, the sound of the paper unusually loud in the quiet ward. He adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, looking from the unconscious woman hooked up to the ventilator to the weary family standing before him.
"The latest MRI scans show no significant changes from last month," Dr. Gu said gently, his professional mask firmly in place. "Her brain activity remains minimal. To be honest, at this stage, the chances of her waking up are... slimming."
The grandmother stifled a sob, leaning heavily against her husband. Wu Suo Wei stood rigid, his hands clenched deep in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the steady line of the heart monitor.
"Doctor Gu," Wu Suo Wei started, his voice steady but strained. "Are her vitals stable?"
"Her physical body is remarkably resilient, Xiaowei," Dr. Gu replied, using the boy's nickname to soften the blow. "Her heart is strong, and her lungs are functioning well with the ventilator's help. But the mind... that is where the battle is lost."
He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the toxicology report tucked at the back of the file. He decided to test the waters carefully.
"We've stabilized the immediate trauma from the crash. However, looking back at her admission report... we noticed high levels of her prescription medication in her system from the night of the accident. A double dose of her antipsychotics."
The grandfather looked up sharply, his eyes widening. "Antipsychotics? She was just taking pills for her anxiety nerves. She told us she was getting better."
Dr. Gu watched Wu Suo Wei's reaction closely. The boy didn't look surprised. He only looked pained. He bit his lip, looking away.
"The interaction between the high dosage and her driving... it likely contributed to the severity of the crash," Dr. Gu said carefully, avoiding the word suicide. "It complicates her neurological recovery."
He paused, letting the heavy implication hang in the air before moving to the practical reality.
"Given that it has been six months with no reactivity, we need to discuss long-term care options. The hospital expenses are accumulating, and the ICU environment is not designed for long-term vegetative states. There are specialised hospices on the outskirts that provide palliative care. It might be more peaceful for her, and less of a financial strain on you three."
"No! Bu xing! (No way!)" Wu Suo Wei said immediately. The refusal was sharp, cutting through the sterile air.
"Xiaowei, listen to the doctor," his grandfather whispered, looking defeated. "Maybe... maybe it is too much for us."
"No, Laoye. We are not moving her to a hospice. That's where people go to wait for death," Wu Suo Wei stepped forward, blocking the view of his mother as if physically shielding her from the suggestion. "She is staying here. The noodle shop is doing well. I am working part-time. We can manage the bills. We have the savings from the farmhouse sale. She is not leaving this hospital. The rest is paid by her insurance, right?"
Dr. Gu Wei sighed, closing the file. He admired the boy's stubbornness, even if it was fighting a losing battle. It was difficult for a son to deal with such things about his own mother.
"Very well," Dr. Gu nodded. "We will keep her here for another observation cycle. Her heart is strong enough to keep going for now."
He paused. "But Wu Suo Wei, we will need to have a private conversation about her medication history later. There are... patterns in the toxicology report that we cannot ignore forever. If we want to understand her condition, I need the full truth."
"Thank you, Doctor Gu, for everything," Wu Suo Wei said in a low tone.
Dr. Gu gave a polite nod to the grandparents and turned to leave. As he walked away, he made a mental note to investigate further about Miss Wu Ling.
Wu Suo Wei quietly read aloud his journal, which addressed his mom. He would recap his college days and all the latest gossip. Sometimes he could read and narrate for hours to his mother. He did not want her to feel left behind.
After the hospital visit, his grandparents were exhausted to their bones, so Wu Suo Wei decided to prep the kitchen for group orders. Very few noodle shops in downtown were open after midnight. He cut the vegetables in swift motions. It was his way to get rid of the anxiety that clawed at his heart. He neatly arranged all the ingredients and rolled the dough for dumplings.
"Xiaowei, go rest, please. We will handle the rest. You have regionals coming up, right?" Grandma Wu straightened her apron to get started in the humble kitchen of the tiny restaurant.
"Yes, but I have time. Okay, now tell me how to help you with the noodles." Wu Suo Wei hugged his Laolao as if to gain invisible energy to keep going a little bit longer.
After half an hour, his grandfather joined him to cut the noodle strands and arrange them in equal portions to boil. He always hid his sadness behind his cheerful smile and insane dad jokes. But deep down, Wei knew how much he missed his precious daughter. He was inconsolable after the accident for days. But for Wu Suo Wei's sake, both of them held it all together with a sliver of hope that their daughter Wu Ling would wake up from the coma.
That night, Wu Suo Wei had to deliver eight group orders to different locations.
Ma, don't worry, I will take care of everything, and I will work hard to pay your bills. I am strong, and I won't back down, no matter what. I am Wu Suo Wei, fearless, now!
He navigated through many traffic routes, climbed multiple flights of stairs, and delivered food to hungry high school students, lazy couples, party animals, and unemployed drunks. He met all kinds of people in a single night. In a weird way, he felt he was not the only one who was going through a miserable time. Everyone had their own set of baggage.
The last order pinged. He checked his phone, followed the navigation map, and drove his second-hand scooter. After ten minutes, he found himself at the same metal gates of The Serpentine. Chi Cheng ordered shrimp noodles, broth, and soup dumplings.
He slowly walked in with hyper-awareness this time. It was eerily quiet, and he could hear crickets chirping. This building is so spooky, he thought.
He climbed upstairs and rang the doorbell.
After a beat, the door creaked open. Dressed in all black with his shirt half open, Chi Cheng looked at Wu Suo Wei.
"Here's your order, sir. That'll be 185 Yuan." Wu Suo Wei handed over the bag of food to Chi Cheng. His hair was still wet from his shower. Chi Cheng grabbed the bag and placed it on his coffee table. He grabbed his phone from the table and paid Wu Suo Wei 200 Yuan online.
Wu Suo Wei checked his phone. "Thank you for the tip. Enjoy!"
"Need water? You look sweaty."
"Oh, thank you, uhh... that'll be nice."
Chi Cheng casually grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge and passed it on to Wu Suo Wei. He took a gulp and quenched his thirst. He noticed the living room looked different this time. The bachelor pad was way more neat and organized. There were bookshelves and mood lighting. He noticed the wall above the couch had beautiful shots of the sun and moon above the sea.
"So, you live alone here?"
"Hmm, I do."
"Sorry about the last time I was here. It's just that guy Wen Chao has a knack to piss me off."
"No, don't worry. It was funny as hell."
"Ah, I should go..."
A hiss came from Chi Cheng's leg, and Wu Suo Wei noticed a snake trying to climb up Chi Cheng's pant leg.
"Whoa!! Who is this little guy?"
Wu Suo Wei's eyes widened. It was a peculiar snake, pale, almost porcelain-white, with striking yellowish-gold patterns running down its back and ruby-red eyes.
"Xiao Cu Bao, don't be naughty." Chi Cheng casually grabbed the snake, and it draped itself around his wrist.
"Little Vinegar? That suits him, cute!" Wu Suo Wei inspected the snake closer. "You keep pet snakes? That is so cool. How many do you have?"
"Yes, I have a special room for them."
"Oh really? Yes, I am curious now. They need special tanks, right? Like a vivarium?"
"I had a small rat snake named 'Lucky' on our farm. He ate up all the rats that ate our produce. We kept him in our garden shed, and immediately for a whole year our farm flourished, and we made a profit from our corn sales. But he died unfortunately after eating a poisoned mouse. My family mourned him for a whole week."
"Sorry. Do you want to see them?" Chi Cheng invited this sensitive boy inside his home.
Wu Suo Wei was completely enthralled by the eccentric decor of Chi Cheng's house.
"How did you get this one? This one looks uniquely different, isn't it?" Xiao Cu Bao slowly curled itself around Chi Cheng's wrist.
"I had rescued its mother, but she did not survive. But she left her baby, er-bao (Second treasure)," Chi Cheng answered.
He did not, in fact, divulge that his ex-boyfriend Wang Shuo first noticed the mother snake near the bushes of the riverbed in Hunan and pushed Chi Cheng to catch it.
They entered the dark room with warm lighting. The walls were covered completely with different glass tanks, each of which housed a different type of snake.
"Wow!! Niu bi! (Awesome!) You should charge 50 yuan per person to see them!"
Wu Suo Wei laughed as he marveled at the different types of snakes cared for meticulously by Chi Cheng.
"You really like snakes, huh?" Chi Cheng sat down on the small couch and took out his smoke and lighter.
"I learned a lot about them because my grandpa loves animals. He used to read the encyclopedia to me every day, and he and I worked part-time at a local zoo back home."
"I noticed your accent is different, Wu Suo Wei. Is that your real name?" Chi Cheng inquired.
Wu Suo Wei was gazing through different snake tanks and replied with a half smile, turning back to Chi Cheng. "I changed my name before moving from Harbin."
Wu Suo Wei felt a little intimidated by this Chi Cheng's aura. Silent but almost deadly. He turned his attention back to a particular Green Tree Viper in a smaller tank on a separate shelf.
"Oh?? Did you rescue this recently?" Wu Suo Wei fished out his phone and scrolled through his gallery, and found the picture he had taken near that dry pine tree.
Chi Cheng abandoned his cigarette and moved closer to the shelf.
"It's a Green Tree Viper. It is recovering from an infection. He was in a bad condition inside an old pine tree."
"I was right! See, I found it first there! It is the same snake!" Wu Suo Wei smiled widely. He recalled the guilt he felt for not helping the snake immediately when he descended the mountain. But thankfully, this snake expert rescued it.
"Thank you for bringing it along with you. I wanted to help it myself, but I could not." Wu Suo Wei could not stop smiling at the cute green snake.
Chi Cheng suddenly felt electrocuted with a spark of a feeling he could not name just yet. It was familiar but totally new.
"Have you named it yet?"
"No, you can name it."
"Really? Okay... let me think." Wu Suo Wei frowned and thought for a bit too seriously. His expression looked funny, and Chi Cheng smirked at this junior who was undeniably cute.
"How about Xiao Song Guo? Xiao Cu Bao and Xiao Song Guo (The Vinegar Bun & The Pine Cone)—sounds like a chaotic but adorable duo!"
Wu Suo Wei's face was completely lit up as if all the dreariness he carried from the morning vanished at that moment. For Wu Suo Wei, it was not just a snake being rescued, but as if the universe finally worked secretly to fulfill a hidden wish. Something finally felt positive. He still stood a chance to believe in the good and the miracles.
"Xiao Song Guo? Okay, it's final then."
"You don't mind if I take a quick video of Xiao Song Guo, right? I will show it to my Laoye..."
Chi Cheng nodded silently as he observed the guy in front him squat uncomfortably to get the right angle to shoot the video.
A message pinged on Wu Suo Wei's phone.
"Xiaowei, it's getting late. You okay?"
He replied frantically, checked the time, and left the room. He grabbed his thermal delivery bag.
"Please give us a review on the app. Enjoy your food."
Chi Cheng sniffed the takeout bag. "This smells really good."
Wu Suo Wei instantly lit up. "Of course. My Laolao and I make these noodles by ourselves. They're famous back in Harbin. You should visit our Downtown noodle shop sometime. I'll even give you a 5% discount."
Chi Cheng snickered and raised his brow. "Only five per cent?"
Wu Suo Wei shrugged and said, "Grandma sets the rules. Friends and family 15% discount. Loyal customers 5%. You're not technically a friend, so..."
Chi Cheng moved closer to Wu Suo Wei. He lowered his head a bit to meet Wei's eyes, a little amused, a little challenged.
"So what does it take to qualify?" He teased with his low, seductive tone.
A chill went down Wu Suo Wei's spine. He composed himself so as not to back down from this tall, intimidating guy with the most intense gaze.
Maybe rich guys in Beijing just normally talk like this, I guess, Wei thought to himself.
Wu Suo Wei shrugged, being playful again. "Consistency. Maybe if you bring Xiao Cu Bao and Xiao Song Guo with you, my grandfather is an animal enthusiast, so he will offer you free food."
"Okay, I guess I will see you around, Wu Suo Wei."
Wei nodded and left hurriedly. Once he was downstairs, he realized his hands were sweaty. He took a deep breath and walked slowly towards his humble scooter.
This Chi Cheng. No wonder he is the golden duo of the campus. He is no ordinary nepo kid, I guess. Mighty impressive. More respectable than that asshole Wen Chao.
He hummed a little tune, put on his helmet, and drove away from the building.
The irony was that while Wu Suo Wei had pure thoughts after this meeting, Chi Cheng had equally impure thoughts about Wu Suo Wei.
Chi Cheng unpacked his takeout and devoured his food. Well, the food tasted really good, but something else lifted his usual gloomy mood today. His mind was made up. He would get this troublesome, snow prince, lean-bodied junior with the bubble butt underneath him.
He was simply attracted to Wu Suo Wei, and there was no denying it after tonight. He realized Wu Suo Wei was dangerously close to his ideal type.
He would seduce Wu Suo Wei. The only question was how. Chi Cheng wondered for a while as Xiao Cu Bao moved around in his tank, eating his feed. So, he texted Chengyu to meet up tomorrow. Maybe for the first time in a long time, he was truly intrigued by another guy like this.