TCWSITD – Chapter 35.3

Chapter 35.3 – Applying Medicine For Him

If a person doesn’t restrain themselves and indulges in their wild thoughts, they truly can become someone even they themselves cannot recognize.

Just like in his dream yesterday.

Shen Ju felt too embarrassed to face Lin Jiang and spent half an hour upstairs psyching himself up. Only after bundling himself tightly did he dare to go downstairs.

When he got downstairs, Lin Jiang wasn’t there.

Shen Ju let out a long sigh of relief. He turned on his computer and absentmindedly logged into his account.

As he typed the last digit of his password, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Lin Jiang?”

Song Zhixu casually replied, “Probably in the office. I think he mentioned going out for a while…”

Shen Ju barely registered the words, his mind consumed by that dream.

Although it was perverse, he had to admit—the dream had felt good.

His nose started to itch, and when he reached up to scratch—

—it was blood.

Shen Ju used half a pack of tissues to stop the bleeding.

Song Zhixu teased him, “Why’s your temper so short at such a young age? What’s got you thinking so hard?”

Shen Ju threw the rest of the tissue pack at him. “I’m off to get some medicine. Help me ask for leave, will you?”

Song Zhixu took the playful jab with mock innocence. “Alright, alright. Who are you trying to scare with that early-morning anger anyway?”

Shen Ju went downstairs and bought a box of San Huang Pian[mfn]San Huang Pian, also known as Three Yellows Tablets, is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula used to clear heat, detoxify the body, and reduce inflammation.[/mfn] tablets, then sat alone outside the convenience store with a bottle of mineral water, hoping to cool down.

The locust trees lining the street had passed their blooming season, their petals now scattered and swept away by street cleaners, leaving only lonely green leaves behind.

Shen Ju felt like one of those leaves—unnoticed, ready to fall with the next gust of wind.

He popped two pills into his mouth and swallowed them with the water.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so he took two more.

Just as the pills dissolved on his tongue, a familiar van pulled up by the curb. His hand froze mid-drink.

Lin Jiang hurried downstairs, glancing anxiously left and right. The woman stepped out of the car, immediately throwing herself into his arms.

She had a beautiful figure, tall and slender. She enthusiastically kissed Lin Jiang’s cheek.

Lin Jiang seemed worried about being seen. He held her helplessly while pulling her sunhat down to cover her face completely.

He leaned in as if saying something to her, his expression unbearably tender. After coaxing her for a while, he gently pushed her back into the car and climbed in after her.

Everything in that dream was fake.

Only that woman was real.

The medicine dissolved bitterly on his tongue, tingling with numbness. Shen Ju felt like a fool—only in dreams did he dare to claim what wasn’t his.

His body grew cold, and the faceless monsters began tormenting him again.

Shen Ju downed the rest of the water in one gulp, crushed the bottle, and tossed it into the trash. He pretended nothing had happened and returned to wait for the elevator downstairs.

The wait dragged on endlessly. Did the two in the car feel the same way?

A venomous snake seemed to coil in his chest, its poison spreading. Just as the white haze threatened to swallow him whole, Lin Jiang’s voice suddenly came from behind.

“Shen Ju?”

The faceless monsters vanished instantly, the white haze receding.

Shen Ju turned to look at Lin Jiang and suddenly felt inexplicably happy—they hadn’t stayed in the car for long after all.

“Captain…”

His voice caught in his throat.

He noticed a streak of lipstick smudged across Lin Jiang’s clean face, a flash of vivid color that shouldn’t be there. The sharp scent of that woman’s perfume lingered heavily on him.

Shen Ju nearly lost his composure.

The elevator dinged open. Lin Jiang stepped in first, then glanced back at him. What are you standing there for?”

Shen Ju followed him inside, the cramped space giving him a slight ringing in his ears. Lin Jiang said something, but he didn’t catch it clearly.

Suddenly, he turned to face Lin Jiang, his throat clogged with words he wanted to say. Instead, he muttered, “You… have something on your face.”

Lin Jiang wiped at it twice but only smeared it further. His head became more dizzy instead.

Shen Ju reached out to help, rubbing a little too hard. He hated the traces of that woman left on Lin Jiang, whether it was lipstick or perfume.

It felt like a blatant claim of possession, loud and impossible to miss.

Just a girlfriend, nothing more. Even marriage could end in divorce. It wasn’t like she could have Lin Jiang forever…

The elevator dinged open.

Sanity returned in an instant.

Shen Ju awkwardly withdrew his hand and quickly turned away, striding back to his seat.

Lin Jiang, who had called his name twice without a response: “?”

What’s up with this kid? I talked to him for ages, and not a single word in reply.

When Lin Jiang reached his seat, Shen Ju was already logged into the game. Watching him for a moment, Lin Jiang thought he looked completely lost, playing like a total mess.

After a disastrous tower dive that handed the enemy AD a triple kill…

The support threw a fit: [How do you not keep up? What rank did you even climb from?]

The jungler started spitting venom: [AD, are you dumb? Screw you, just get lost!]

The old Shen Ju would’ve fought back until the other side surrendered, but this time, he stayed silent. Instead, he flashed to dodge CC, dashed in, and unleashed a barrage of precise attacks, securing a 1v2 double kill.

In the final team fight, he dominated even harder, wiping the enemy team and silencing his teammates.

Lin Jiang watched the entire session with a satisfied nod.

He wasn’t wrong—Shen Ju was definitely the kind of player who thrived under pressure, unlocking even more potential the tougher the challenge.

But…

Why was he rubbing his hands again?

After a grueling day of training, everyone was worn out. Recently, Lin Jiang had cranked up their regimen, pushing them to the very limits of their stamina.

At times like these, Song Zhixu couldn’t help but envy Shen Ju. “What the hell did you eat growing up? After a full day of training, you still have energy for ranked games?”

Shen Ju glanced at him but didn’t respond.

Song Zhixu didn’t bother pressing further. He watched as A’Deng, done with training, headed off to rest, then glanced back at Shen Ju, still grinding away.

Although exhausted, he gritted his teeth and sat back down.

He might’ve lost to Shen Ju in talent, but he refused to lose in effort—it was the only thing he had left.

The two of them kept at it until 2 AM, and Shen Ju finally showed signs of wanting to leave.

Song Zhixu breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his phone, only to see a barrage of messages from his stepmother. No matter how sentimental the earlier parts were, they all boiled down to one thing in the end: asking for money.

The messages had been sent at 10 PM, but he hadn’t seen them and thus hadn’t replied.

Before 11 PM, his father had also sent a string of messages, saying how hard his stepmother had it and so on.

Song Zhixu didn’t know how to respond. He typed out a long reply, only to slowly delete it in the end.

Suddenly, he felt utterly exhausted.

Was there really no one in this world who cared whether he lived or died?

His footsteps unconsciously stopped outside Lin Jiang’s door. The light inside was still on. Peering through the window, he caught sight of Lin Jiang wearing glasses beneath the soft lamplight, the lenses softening his features.

Even when Lin Jiang wasn’t smiling, he was captivating.

Song Zhixu couldn’t help but marvel.

He leaned against the window, wanting to chat with Lin Jiang, when he heard him ask, “Has Shen Ju come up yet? Tell him to come to my room after he showers.”

The smile on his face slowly faded. Song Zhixu nodded dejectedly, withdrew his hand from the window, and returned to his room.

After showering, Shen Ju obediently came to Lin Jiang’s room to apply the medicine.

Lin Jiang followed the usual routine.

Shen Ju was well-behaved at first, but then suddenly grabbed Lin Jiang’s hand, flipped it over, and pressed it firmly onto the table.

Lin Jiang was taken aback, unsure what this meant.

Then he heard Shen Ju ask, “Captain, can I ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“How often do you see your girlfriend these days?”

Lin Jiang opened his mouth, intending to explain, but decided it wasn’t necessary. “Depends on my mood.”

He lowered his head, turned Shen Ju’s hand back over, and continued applying the ointment.

Shen Ju watched his hand, then couldn’t resist holding it again. “Captain, since you’re so busy and don’t have time for her, does she get upset with you?”

“Ouch—”

Lin Jiang pressed down harder on his hand, his tone carrying a warning. “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask.”

Shen Ju quieted down, but his obedience lasted less than half a minute before he started probing again. “Captain, what do you do when you meet her? Do you kiss her?”

The hand applying the ointment suddenly stilled, and the atmosphere grew somewhat charged.

Lin Jiang looked up at him uncertainly. “Why are you asking these things?”

Shen Ju stared back without blinking. “Curious.”

“Stop being curious.”

Lin Jiang had no idea what strange thoughts were running through his mind these days and admonished him, “If you’re curious, go find yourself a girlfriend.”

Shen Ju gripped his hand again, his gaze uncertain. “Captain, can I ask you one more question?”

“No.”

“Really the last one.”

“Fine.”

“Have you ever… done it with them?”

With a clatter, the entire medicine box was knocked over. Even someone as composed as Lin Jiang turned bright red at the question. “W-what kind of nonsense are you asking?”

Shen Ju bent down to pick up the things on the floor and accidentally touched Lin Jiang’s hand. The other person pulled back like he was shocked.

The ointment was tightly clenched in his palm, his heart feeling cold.

“Captain.”

“Get out.”

“…”

Shen Ju’s eyes lingered on the shadow cast on the floor, a flicker of sadness creeping into his chest.

He clutched the ointment, watching as Lin Jiang coldly packed up the medicine box, clearly unwilling to speak to him any further.

Silently, Shen Ju placed the ointment on the table and prepared to leave.

Lin Jiang suddenly called out to him again, “In this line of work, you’ll face plenty of temptations,” he warned softly. “But Shen Ju, don’t ruin your future. Unless you find someone you truly care about, no matter how curious you are, don’t give in to temptation.”

Shen Ju froze.

Could it be that Lin Jiang thought he…

He couldn’t help but laugh. “It won’t happen, Captain.”

He had already met someone he liked. He only wanted to try things with that person.

Returning to his room, his mood suddenly brightened. Lying on the bed, he thought of a phrase that would surely make Lin Jiang blush. Deep down, he was certain Lin Jiang had no experience in that regard.

After all, if Lin Jiang hadn’t been with anyone before, how could he really know whether he preferred men or women?

Maybe it was all just experimenting, without any real feelings involved.

And if Lin Jiang had feelings for someone, he wouldn’t act like that. Although Shen Ju had never seen it, he was absolutely certain.

With these thoughts, Shen Ju tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

A sour voice came from the bunk above. “What does Lin Jiang make you go to his room for every day? Private tutoring?”

Shen Ju turned on his side. “Do you think I need tutoring?”

Song Zhixu scoffed dismissively before settling in contentedly. “Definitely lecturing you. Who told you to be so unruly all the time?”

Shen Ju couldn’t be bothered to explain.

What he and Song Zhixu care about now are completely different things.

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