Plague (7): I want to kiss

Tan Xiao suddenly pinched his own arm hard, the skin feeling warm and delicate, with a bit of firmness, the muscles quite elastic.

Seeing the red mark left on his arm, Wen Yi asked in confusion, “Why are you pinching yourself?”

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but grin, revealing a set of quite neat and beautiful white teeth: “I was wondering if I’m dreaming.”

He pressed Wen Yi further: “Do you really think so? Are you really willing to be my boyfriend? Is it because you like me? Not out of gratitude?”

With a smile, he pressed down the corners of his mouth that couldn’t help but lift, and with a serious face, he said, “The quickened heartbeat caused by the suspension bridge effect doesn’t mean you like me. I hope you agree because you like me, not because I saved you from that guy and that’s why you want to be my boyfriend.”

Wen Yi said, “I am a doctor.”

Tan Xiao looked at him in confusion, “Huh?”

Of course, he knew that Wen Yi was a doctor; he called him Dr. Wen every day.

“I mean, I know what the suspension bridge effect is,” Wen Yi said, his expression a bit shy, but he honestly spoke her mind. “Actually, I was moved when you confessed the first time. I just rejected you out of rationality. You’re too young, and I was worried you were either joking with me or playing a daring game.”

But Tan Xiao’s later actions told him that he wasn’t. Although Tan Xiao was young, he was very good at taking care of people, considerate and gentle. In terms of dealing with people and the world, he might be more mature than this twenty-seven-year-old old man.

At first sight, he was struck by a sudden infatuation, and during their subsequent interactions, he was uncontrollably attracted. That day, Tan Xiao rushed up to protect him without hesitation, which made him completely fall for him.

Tan Xiao was now truly excited; he felt like there was a grand fireworks display in his mind: he knew it, with his handsome and charming looks, Dr. Wen couldn’t possibly be indifferent to him! It turned out they were both smitten at first sight, a perfect love where both were equally invested!

“Excuse me, could you please move aside? You’re blocking the way.”

The customers behind urged Tan Xiao. Although the supermarket was very large, there were particularly many people shopping today, and Tan Xiao, pushing a big shopping cart, was taking up a bit of space.

“Sorry,” Tan Xiao immediately pulled the shopping cart back.

“Ahem.”

Tan Xiao coughed modestly, “We’ve been out for quite a while. If there’s anything to discuss, let’s talk about it when we get back.”

The supermarket was too crowded, not a good place for romance. Better to wait until they got home, where they could talk about anything privately.

He went to the snack aisle and picked up some chocolate chips and other snacks, making sure to reach a total of 500 before taking Wen Yi to the checkout.

Passing the daily necessities section, he paused briefly and joked, “I think I saw the shower gel we use at home. Should we grab a bottle?”

Wen Yi’s cheeks had already cooled down, but his ears, which his hair couldn’t cover, were still flushed red: “Get a bottle.”

His eyes were smiling very gently. After speaking, Wen Yi no longer avoided his true feelings and no longer hesitated or refused. He actually really liked the feeling of Tan Xiao putting him in his heart. Even though the memories of Tan Xiao weren’t good, he remembered every word he had said.

When it was time to pay the bill, Wen Yi took the initiative to say, “Let me pay this time.”

He looked at Tan Xiao: “You paid for the watermelon, and you even treated me to a meal. Since we’re boyfriends, you can’t always be the one paying.”

Tan Xiao didn’t refuse and naturally made way for Wen Yi: “Then you go ahead.”

A give-and-take is necessary to build a deeper relationship. Tan Xiao didn’t intend to just live off Wen Yi, but he also didn’t have the kind of macho attitude that insisted on paying for everything himself. They were both men, so they should contribute equally.

Oh, he was still a student, while Wen Yi was a medical elite, earning much more than him. At this stage, it was okay for him to rely a bit on Wen Yi. Once he earned money in college, he would pay him back later.

He casually asked, “If the total exceeds 500, does your supermarket offer delivery services? Our Zihua Garden community is 1 km away from here.”

The cashier nodded, “Yes, if customers need it, our supermarket offers free delivery within 5 km for purchases over 500. We can deliver to the entrance of your community.”

She kept scanning the items taken out of the shopping cart while chatting and reported a number: “893.5.”

Wen Yi’s first reaction was that the price of the items was wrong; adding in the chocolates and snacks, it was still 149.7 short.

However, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the three small boxes on the checkout counter, and his face instantly turned red.

Just now, when he was checking out, it seemed like Tan Xiao casually grabbed a few small black boxes that looked like chewing gum from the shopping rack in front of the cashier. But even the most expensive chewing gum only costs ten coins a small box, while the ones labeled 49.9 coins each were contraceptives.

Since it was Tan Xiao’s first time having a partner, he wasn’t sure what size to use, so he grabbed a box of large, extra-large, and super-large. Even if he didn’t use them today, he might need them in a few days.

Wen Yi blushed and showed the payment code: “Scan the code.”

By the time they walked back home, the supermarket staff had already delivered the items to the community gate. Tan Xiao borrowed a small cart from the uncle at the security room and wheeled all the purchased items to Wen Yi’s home.

Tan Xiao glanced at the quilt and pillow that belonged to him in the bedroom. His original plan was to stay at Wen Yi’s house for one night, but now that they were in a relationship, he had finally taken the opportunity to move in. Why would he move back?

Besides, Wen Yi’s hand was inconvenient, so he originally needed his close care.

As for the rental house next door, Tan Xiao had signed a six-month contract before and had also paid a month’s rent in advance, so he didn’t plan to give it up. Living together, they would definitely buy more and more things, and the next door could be used as a temporary storage. If they needed to host friends, they could let them sleep next door.

Wen Yi helped him organize the things he bought, and in the end, only those three square boxes remained, labeled “ultra-thin,” “spiral” and “granules.” His busy hands suddenly came to a halt.

Tan Xiao naturally picked it up: “Let’s just put this in the drawer of the bedside table in the bedroom.”

Wen Yi noticed that he didn’t show any signs of shyness and suddenly realized something very important: they were together now. But he had never asked about Tan Xiao’s past romantic history. All he knew was that Tan Xiao was eighteen this year and preparing to go to college.

They had only met for seven days, and just got together, yet Tan Xiao was already thinking about that kind of thing. He seemed to be less innocent than he thought.

He had seen all kinds of people in the hospital. There were quite a few kids who had early romances before turning eighteen, and some who had become parents at the age of sixteen or seventeen because their parents didn’t care. Tan Xiao was so good-looking, and although he had just turned eighteen this year, it didn’t mean he hadn’t been in a relationship or… or slept with someone!

Just thinking about this possibility made Wen Yi’s heart feel like a kitchen full of spilled spices—sour, bitter, spicy, and mixed with all sorts of flavors.

The sweet moments that once solidified their relationship had turned into sour lemons. His tone inevitably carried a hint of bitterness: “You seem to be quite experienced. Am I your first love?”

Falling in love is really strange; it’s easy to lose one’s rationality. Emotions can be easily swayed by another person’s every move, every word. In the twenty-seven years before this, Wen Yi had never been so impulsive in such a short span of days.

But even though he had emotional entanglements with others, Wen Yi was unwilling to give up on his overly young boyfriend now.

His expression, demeanor, and voice were so obvious; even the dullest person could hear the bitterness in his words.

He knew he should comfort Wen Yi, but he couldn’t help but want to laugh: “Dr. Wen, are you jealous? If so, your jealousy is for nothing. I’m only eighteen this year, just finished the college entrance exam. High school was so busy with classes and exams every day. I barely had enough time to sleep, let alone date early. I only took that because I did well in biology class.”

He was a good student, okay? Although he was not the top student every time, he had consistently been in the top ten of his grade. Everyone in the key classes was so competitive; who had the time to waste on romance?

“This kind of question should be asked to Dr. Wen, right? You’re already twenty-seven this year, and at such a young age, you’ve become the chief physician at Huaxi Hospital and even have a PhD. With such excellent personal qualifications, you must have been in more than one relationship, right?”

Speaking of which, it was now Tan Xiao’s turn to feel jealous. People always have special feelings for their first love, and he hoped he was Wen Yi’s first love. But Dr. Wen was already twenty-seven years old; it was quite normal for someone his age to have dated others.

“I haven’t either.”

Wen Yi quickly denied it.

Tan Xiao actually believed him. After all, when he casually mentioned Dr. Wen to the fruit shop owner, the well-informed Aunt Zhao had told him that Wen Yi had always been single and had never dated anyone.

However, being single after starting work didn’t mean he wasn’t in a relationship during school: “Really? You’re not just trying to deceive me because I’m young and beautiful, are you?”

Seeing Tan Xiao’s serious face, Wen Yi hurriedly explained, “Really, I was always very busy. Studying medicine was even busier than your studies.”

He was in a youth class, starting an eight-year combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program at the age of fourteen. During his undergraduate years, he conducted research under the guidance of his mentor, later independently leading projects, and even skipped grades during university. With a singular focus on academics, after entering the hospital, he balanced both academic research and practical work; otherwise, it would have been impossible to attain the title of chief physician at the age of twenty-seven.

“This means that if you’re not busy, you must be dating someone else.”

It was clearly Wen Yi who brought up the topic, but now he was flustered by a few words from Tan Xiao. He had never felt so tongue-tied before.

“No.”

Before meeting Tan Xiao, he had never thought about establishing a romantic relationship with anyone.

He was like a clumsy rabbit, awkwardly laying bare his feelings to his young lover. Even though this would put him in a passive position in the relationship, when emotions ran high, he couldn’t care less: “I’ve only ever had romantic feelings for you. There was no one before you, and there won’t be anyone after you.”

Heaven granted Wen Yi exceptional medical talent, but also bestowed upon him a somewhat eccentric and quirky personality. Those who tried to pursue him quickly gave up due to his coldness and harsh choices.

Initially, Wen Yi did chose to reject, but he realized he didn’t want to let Tan Xiao give up like the others, so today he bravely took that step.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this topic anymore.”

Tan Xiao quickly stopped the conversation: “I believe you. I was just trying to tease you. Now I know, we are each other’s first love.”

He smiled brightly, “I’m very happy, especially happy!”

The young man spread his arms wide, forming a big heart shape, “So much happiness, so much happiness.”

His smile was highly infectious, and Wen Yi couldn’t help but smile foolishly along with him.

Tan Xiao stepped forward, “That thing was prepared thinking we might need it in the future, so I stocked up. If I had used it, why would I buy three different sizes?”

Wen Yi realized it too; he should have noticed such details. He was just so caught up in his own wild imaginations that he made such a mistake.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed things that don’t exist and speculated about you,” Wen Yi said, feeling a bit guilty. He knew that Tan Xiao was such a good person, definitely the type of good student. His earlier remarks sounded a bit malicious for a good student.

“It’s okay, I forgive you. Besides, Dr. Wen Yi looking jealous is quite cute.”

Tan Xiao was not someone who nitpicked over small matters, and besides, Dr. Wen was his boyfriend—who would be so petty with their boyfriend?

He suddenly hugged Wen Yi, feeling a surge of emotion. Dr. Wen’s waist was super slim, but since Wen Yi’s hand was injured, he wouldn’t act on his impulses.

“Dr. Wen, can I say I regret it?”

Wen Yi’s voice became tense: “What do you regret?”

Was the patience of young people really this bad? His eyes uncontrollably reddened, and a desire for destruction grew in his heart.

Not far away, the lights in the morgue of Huaxi Hospital exploded in a row.

Wen Yi restrained his urge for destruction; he wanted to fiercely tell Tan Xiao: Regret it? It’s too late to regret!

When Tan Xiao confessed for the first time, he kindly let him off. But he just had to provoke him repeatedly, confessing for the second time today.

He had already promised, so Tan Xiao could only be his boyfriend. If he wanted to break up just like that, it would be over his dead body. No, even if Tan Xiao died, he would  still be his.

“I regret saying that so casually and forgiving you just now. A hug isn’t enough.” Tan Xiao, taller than Wen Yi by a head, stood up straight and looked down at Wen Yi’s tightly pressed lips. “I think at least a kiss is necessary.”

Tan Xiao’s eyes sparkled with starlight, and his voice was alluring: “Doctor Wen… my dear boyfriend, your boyfriend wants to kiss you. Is that okay?”