SYU 14. Disrupting Calcium Absorption

When Chen Xiucheng casually claimed he had twisted his ankle, it turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

By the time Wu Jinshan returned to the dorm with a large bag of breakfast, the room was already filled with few unfamiliar people. Chen Xiucheng was surrounded in the middle. Wu Jinshan could not see him at first and only caught a few indistinct snippets of conversation.

“What’s going on? What happened?” He set the breakfast bag on the desk, pushed through the crowd, and squeezed inside.

Chen Xiucheng was wearing shorts with only a bath towel draped over his shoulders. His hair was dripping wet, clearly fresh out of the shower. When he saw Wu Jinshan walk in, he immediately scowled and pointed at his left foot.

“This is all your fault.”

Wu Jinshan looked down. Chen Xiucheng’s left foot, resting awkwardly on a slipper, was swollen at the ankle.

“What happened? You slipped in the bathroom?”

As he spoke, everyone in the room turned to glance at Wu Jinshan, including the guy crouching to examine Chen Xiucheng, Song He.

Since Wu Jinshan and Chen Xiucheng often fought and bickered, the others were used to the occasional bumps and bruises. No one probed too deeply. Only Song He looked up and kept staring straight at Wu Jinshan.

Wu Jinshan had no idea what the stare was about and glared back. It was not until Zhuang Ming returned with an ice pack and a wheelchair that both men finally shifted their focus back to the injured ankle.

“The bone’s probably fine. Looks like a ligament strain. Ice it first. Go to the infirmary for a checkup after class,” Song He said. He was two years above them and had just run into Zhuang Ming downstairs, who brought him up for help. No one knew how or when he got acquainted with Chen Xiucheng, but the moment he heard about the injury, he came along.

Chen Xiucheng had always known a lot of people. In Wu Jinshan’s eyes, he flitted about like a social butterfly. Wu Jinshan stared intently as Song He grabbed Chen Xiucheng’s calf, ran his fingers over his foot, and gently pressed along the joint that it had Chen Xiucheng gasping and groaning.

The more Wu Jinshan watched, the more annoyed he felt. Before Song He could finish his instructions, he spoke up and cut everyone off.

“All right, that’s enough. It’s fine now. You all can leave. I’ll take him to class.”

Most of the people who had come were from the neighboring dorms. Some came for the drama, others chimed in with advice, and some just came to chat. A bunch of them helped lift Chen Xiucheng into the wheelchair, as if lending a hand made them feel they had contributed something useful.

Wu Jinshan recognized a few faces but could not remember a single name. Yet somehow, it felt like everyone in the world knew Chen Xiucheng.

A few classmates tried to linger to remind him to go to the infirmary. Before they could finish their sentences, they were rushed out the door one after another.

“You’re still here? Don’t you have class?” Wu Jinshan barked, eyes turning red with frustration as he yelled at Zhuang Ming, who remained standing at the door.

Zhuang Ming looked genuinely wronged. This was his own dorm room. “My class is at nine…”

“Then go review at the library!” Wu Jinshan shoved a few breakfast items into Zhuang Ming’s arms and slammed the door shut.

The world finally quieted down.

Wu Jinshan hated crowded spaces, hated noisy environments, and hated seeing people swarm around Chen Xiucheng.

He carried the remaining breakfast over to Chen Xiucheng’s desk, placed the containers down one by one, opened the lids, and grumbled under his breath, “Eat something.”

Chen Xiucheng was focused on his phone, typing away as he blindly reached for a bun and began nibbling on it.

Wu Jinshan did not sit down to eat with him. Instead, he circled around behind Chen Xiucheng, picked up the bath towel, and started drying his hair. Then he grabbed a clean shirt and helped him put it on.

Chen Xiucheng’s bare chest had dried considerably by now. It was pale and smooth, with two light brown nipples like little jujubes. It no longer looked like it had when Wu Jinshan first returned, when it was still steaming hot, dripping wet, fragrant with soap, the mix of water and body fluids overwhelming his senses.

Wu Jinshan clenched his fists. He could not understand how Chen Xiucheng could be so careless, walking around shirtless in front of so many people. He used to think Chen Xiucheng only acted this way with him, but later realized he was like this with everyone.

“No Coke?” Chen Xiucheng rustled through the plastic bag and shouted.

“No soda in the morning.” Wu Jinshan pulled out a bottle of milk, opened it, and handed it over.

“No soda in the morning? What, am I supposed to chug it at midnight in a nightclub?”

“I didn’t mean that…” Wu Jinshan pressed his lips together. “I mean… maybe just cut down a little.”

Chen Xiucheng wanted to talk back, but his mouth was full. He had to drink some milk and swallow before he could speak, but Wu Jinshan gave in first.

“Fine, fine, I’ll get you a Coke later.”

It was rare for Wu Jinshan not to argue or talk back, and even rarer for him to go along with what Chen Xiucheng said. That made Chen Xiucheng smug with satisfaction. Moments like this were too rare to waste. He had to push his luck. Besides, after being pinned down in a public bathroom that morning, he had every right to hold Wu Jinshan morally hostage.

“My foot hurts. I can’t walk. This is completely your fault,” Chen Xiucheng said, putting on airs and pointing at his red, swollen ankle.

His twisted ankle had something to do with his sore legs and ass, but the real reason was his mom’s phone call.

Wu Jinshan had only just gone out to buy breakfast. Chen Xiucheng had just finished his shower and was about to step out when his phone, left on the sink, suddenly rang. Startled, he rushed out to answer it, but the moment he picked up, his mom started yelling at him. In his panic, he slipped and fell hard to the floor.

By the time he was done with the call and hobbled out on his swollen foot, his mom started blowing up his phone with texts. The scolding was still about that fight in the cafeteria.

This was all Wu Jinshan’s fault.

“My class ends at eleven-thirty. You need to come pick me up and take me to the infirmary.” That was not enough, so Chen Xiucheng added more conditions. “Not just this once. You have to escort me to and from class every time. I can’t walk to the cafeteria, so you have to get my meals.”

“I want soda. It’s hot, so I also want milk tea and ice cream cones. I’ll need snacks for evening study. You’d better prepare fruit gummies and spicy corn chips.”

To his surprise, Wu Jinshan did not object. He nodded at everything. This six-foot-two guy sat across from Chen Xiucheng with his head lowered and hands resting on his knees like an obedient Alaskan Malamute getting a lecture.

But when eleven-thirty came around, Wu Jinshan was late.

His classes were held on the far side of campus. To reach Chen Xiucheng’s classroom, he had to cross nearly half the campus.

By the time he arrived, Chen Xiucheng was already gone. After asking a few classmates who had not yet left, he learned that Lin Lu had taken him to the infirmary.

Figuring there was no point rushing over now, Wu Jinshan first went to the cafeteria and packed two meals to bring back to the dorm. Then he strolled leisurely toward the infirmary, stopping along the way to grab a bottle of cold Coke from the vending machine at the entrance.

Just as he arrived, Chen Xiucheng was being wheeled out after his checkup. His ankle was now wrapped in a thick bandage, looking even more swollen than before.

The moment Wu Jinshan saw Lin Lu, his brow furrowed again. He gave no room for discussion and, invoking the privilege of a closest roommate, forcefully grabbed the wheelchair handles from Lin Lu and made off with Chen Xiucheng like he was stealing a bride. He charged straight out of the building, speeding along for over ten meters with the force of a runaway tricycle. The ride was so bumpy that Chen Xiucheng started to feel physically ill.

“Stop! Stop! Don’t run anymore! My foot hurts! It hurts, damn it!”

Wu Jinshan slow down, panting as he walked a few steps before suddenly leaning down and whispering into Chen Xiucheng’s ear, “Your ass doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“All of it hurts!” Chen Xiucheng slapped his thigh. He had not even gotten around to settling the score with Wu Jinshan, yet here the bastard was, bringing it up himself.

“Then maybe I should make your ass hurt a little more. That way, your foot won’t feel so bad.” Wu Jinshan suddenly grinned, the kind of grin that spelled trouble. He leaned close, his voice gleeful and wicked. “Sex makes the brain release dopamine. You might stop noticing the pain.”

“Thanks a lot!” Chen Xiucheng growled, pounding the armrest of the wheelchair until it rattled. “Ever consider I could just take a painkiller instead?”

“Fine. I’ll take you back to the dorm first, then go to the pharmacy and get you some meds.” Wu Jinshan finally relaxed. He even started to whistle cheerfully.

He was beginning to realize that his emotional switch seemed to be wired to Chen Xiucheng. As long as he could get this guy all red in the face, riled up and jumping around, his own mood instantly improved.

He pulled out the Coke he had just bought, popped the cap, and started drinking it.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of bubbles that Chen Xiucheng reacted. “Hey! That’s my Coke!” He stretched out his arm, trying to grab it, but it was out of reach. That was when he remembered he couldn’t stand.

Wu Jinshan easily dodged the grab, lifted the bottle in front of him, and downed half of it right before Chen Xiucheng’s eyes. With a straight face, he said, “I’m helping you by taking on half the risk. Too much sugar can interfere with calcium absorption.”

“Oh, so now you’re applying everything you learn in class to me?” Watching half his Coke disappear just like that, Chen Xiucheng felt the pain in his foot, his heart, and his ass all spike at once. Even his skull nearly split from sheer rage.

They passed the Coke back and forth, taking turns drinking from it. Chen Xiucheng only managed a few sips before Wu Jinshan took it again. It wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him, but there was nothing he could do.

In the end, maybe Wu Jinshan’s conscience finally kicked in. He figured it was too cruel to bully an injured patient like this, so he handed back the last third of the Coke.

Chen Xiucheng took it and chugged deeply. As he tilted the bottle, his eyes caught the glint of sunlight reflecting off the lip of the bottle, making the threads shimmer brightly.

He licked the corner of his lips, then froze.

Wait, had Wu Jinshan just drunk from this side? He quickly wiped the moisture from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Far from quenching his thirst, the cold Coke only seemed to heat him up.

He shoved the half-empty bottle into Wu Jinshan’s arms, and muttered through clenched teeth, “I’m done… I don’t want it anymore. Might interfere with calcium absorption.”