Chapter 04

Liang Xiao was not joking when he said he was fainting from the needle; at least at this moment, Ye Ji’an felt a bit ashamed due to his earlier doubts.

“Are you okay?” he asked, standing to the side.

“I don’t know.” Liang Xiao’s tone dropped, his face pale, almost staring at the nurse’s hand holding the cotton swab through the window. The alcohol had been applied properly, and the veins in his elbow were clearly visible under the pressure of the rubber band. Ye Ji’an could see that this guy was trembling slightly.

This was quite unusual. Even when the General Manager came in aggressively to reprimand the department, Liang Xiao had never been this nervous. On the contrary, he would occasionally stand up to exchange a few words, ensuring that the General Manager was left speechless, and he managed to reduce the unreasonable overtime assigned. Ye Ji’an had once admired him for that. At this moment, as a “frequent visitor” to this hospital, and as an older brother and a newly made friend, he did not want to see this usually arrogant and enthusiastic young man so conflicted, making the nurse hesitant to proceed.

“Why don’t you try not to stare at it? Shift your focus to something else,” Ye Ji’an suggested, “like me.”

Liang Xiao immediately turned his face as if he had found a savior. “Is that okay?” His gaze had already darted over before his words.

“Just don’t laugh,” Ye Ji’an replied calmly, meeting his eyes while keeping an eye on the nurse pressing on the vein. He thought to himself, hurry up, there are several vials to fill, and then he thought, maybe chatting would be better, but what was there to talk about? Work? Was he a devil?

Liang Xiao seemed to have a lot to say. “By the way, Senior,” his complexion had recovered a bit, “I actually—”

The needle went in.

The conversation was interrupted.

Because Liang Xiao had immediately turned his head away. The struggle happened in that instant, with little noise but effective, and a bit of blood oozed out. The little nurse on the other side of the glass was startled, holding the “culprit” needle and unable to move, while the other party stared unblinkingly at the scene of the accident.

“Sorry,” after staring for two seconds, Liang Xiao stood up. He tried to articulate his words clearly, perhaps a bit too much, “It’s a reflex; I always do this.”

“Take it easy,” Ye Ji’an pressed an alcohol cotton on his needle site and pulled him toward an empty examination bed, firmly pressing his shoulder down to sit. “Feeling dizzy?”

“Not really.” Liang Xiao tilted his head back, the sleeves of his maroon pullover rolled up high, all bunched up on his upper arms, almost reaching his shoulders. To Ye Ji’an, it seemed oddly childlike.

“Don’t worry, Senior, I don’t need to drink sugar water.” He said something quite childish.

Ye Ji’an smiled. He wasn’t particularly anxious; watching the line for blood draws slowly grow, he felt it was fine. At worst, he would just wait in line later. After all, he had no pressing work today, and the other person had specifically come to exchange a “secret” with him, so there was even less reason to rush. Compared to getting home early to sleep in a daze, Ye Ji’an thought this moment was much more precious.

As for the fainting from needles, Ye Ji’an categorized it as a physiological reaction rather than something associated with “courage,” so there was no need to overcome it. Overcoming instincts was extremely painful; who didn’t have some strange fears? For example, he himself was afraid of cats, the kind of fear that made his scalp tingle and his skin crawl at the sight of one. It was even worse when he was a child; he couldn’t explain why and couldn’t persuade his parents not to buy that little kitten as a birthday gift for his younger brother.

But he really hoped someone would understand him. Throughout his entire adolescence, he had been waiting for someone to come and believe in him.

Of course, now living alone and freely, with hardly any stray cats in the neighborhood, there was no need to reminisce. “What were you going to say just now? You actually—” Ye Ji’an prompted.

Casual conversation proved useful; Liang Xiao’s face regained some color, his lips moving quickly, making them appear particularly red. “I actually have RH-negative blood, the so-called ‘panda blood.'”

Ye Ji’an was taken aback for a moment, then rubbed his face. “What a coincidence.”

Liang Xiao squinted. “You have it too?”

“Yeah,” Ye Ji’an sat down beside him, “In Chinese, we usually just call it ‘panda blood.’ I’m still AB type, so if anything happens, the national blood bank can send me a blood pack.”

“Ah? No need for that.” Liang Xiao seemed confident.

“You have a living one next to you,” he added, worried that his meaning wasn’t clear, and hurriedly supplemented, “It will update the fresh blood bank.”

Ye Ji’an chuckled; it was surprising that such a low-probability event actually happened to him. “You’re also AB?”

“Yeah! I should know you, Senior.” Liang Xiao looked very happy, a sudden burst of joy. He even stood up and ran outside to queue. Ye Ji’an grabbed his down jacket and hurriedly followed, only to see him full of determination, resolutely wanting to prove his professionalism as a “blood bank,” not just some coward afraid of needles.

Ye Ji’an maintained an encouraging attitude, occasionally chatting about reports and holidays to lighten the mood, but in his heart, he thought that even if he were to run into some trouble one day, he wouldn’t let this kid come and donate blood—indeed, he was seriously contemplating such a joking matter, yet he clearly understood it was just a joke. He was someone who thought about dying every day, and colleagues didn’t need to go that far, not even friends. Ye Ji’an considered himself a person with boundaries.

Liang Xiao’s determination lasted until they reached the blood draw window. Ye Ji’an stood behind him, and he sat down again. This time, a middle-aged woman who looked quite experienced was at the window.

“You’re all grown up; keep calm and take it easy.” Her hands were quite strong as she tied the rubber band, leaving red marks on her white arms.

Ye Ji’an gestured for her not to move the needle yet and patted Liang Xiao’s shoulder. He asked, “How about… I cover your eyes? Will that make you more nervous or more relaxed?”

“I want to try.” Liang Xiao voluntarily closed his eyes.

Imagine a pitch-black void in front of him, with a sharp needle that could come down on his arm at any moment—how could he feel at ease? Ye Ji’an increasingly felt he was doing something foolish. But with Liang Xiao covering his eyes, he actually calmed down. Ye Ji’an felt the tickle of his fluttering eyelashes on his palm and noticed his not-so-easy breathing, along with the sweat on his forehead. But aside from that, nothing else happened; the needle smoothly entered the vein, successfully drawing out vials of deep red blood.

Until he stood up, Liang Xiao didn’t say a word, his expression somewhat indifferent and strange.

“How do you feel?” Ye Ji’an asked. No matter what, a major hurdle had been crossed; now it was his turn. He submitted the form, and the blue disinfectant mat was replaced with a new one. He sat on the round stool that Liang Xiao had vacated.

“I want to watch you get pricked, Senior.” Liang Xiao stood beside him.

“This isn’t a matter of minutes.” Ye Ji’an chuckled. Indeed, he quickly drew four vials of blood, and the remaining procedures were all done efficiently. Liang Xiao obediently followed him, weaving through the crowded health check building. As for the items that required revealing tattoos, Ye Ji’an had long since lost any shyness, while Liang Xiao would actively avoid them for some unknown reason. They agreed to pick up the report together after it was ready, and they didn’t even nibble on any bread. By the time they left the hospital, it was already mealtime.

Walking on the sidewalk, Ye Ji’an suddenly recalled that earlier, during the blood draw, this person had been staring at his arm, so focused that it seemed almost obsessive, even appearing gloomy.

Do people who faint at needles not like to watch others get pricked? He couldn’t figure it out. However, at this moment, as Ye Ji’an glanced at this energetic colleague again, he saw the wind clearing the air, and the scattered sunlight dancing on that young face, making him feel that perhaps that impression was just an illusion.

Liang Xiao even asked him, “Can I call you ‘Ge’?”

“Or ‘Senior’ is fine too,” he replied eagerly, “Just occasionally when we’re not working. It feels very close.”

“Sure, call me however you like,” Ye Ji’an tucked his face into the high collar of his sweater. “I have a younger brother at home; although he wasn’t very willing to call me that before, I’m used to being an older brother.”

Liang Xiao looked puzzled. “Not willing to call?”

Ye Ji’an chuckled, just keeping his head down as he led him onto the pedestrian overpass, pointing to a cluster of reddish-brown high-rise buildings not far away. “My home is over there, the third building.”

Liang Xiao was excited, looking carefully. “Is the lighting good? What floor?”

“Nineteen. The sunlight is great most of the time, and the view is pretty good.”

“Oh, that’s quite a distance to work.”

“Get up early; the subway is very convenient,” Ye Ji’an breathed warm air into his hands. “The first train won’t have you queuing outside the station.”

Liang Xiao nodded seriously, and the two chatted casually as they walked into the neighborhood. When they reached the entrance of Ye Ji’an’s home, he had already planned what to make for lunch. He had bought the ingredients the night before, preparing to show off his cooking skills and make a good meal for this picky young colleague. Unexpectedly, Liang Xiao suddenly stopped and said with great seriousness, “Senior, I’ve disturbed you today.”

Ye Ji’an was taken aback. “Huh?”

Liang Xiao looked as if it were only natural. “I sent you home, and now I need to go back too. I just want to try the subway you mentioned.”

“Not coming up? Want to have a meal before you go?”

“No, thanks,” Liang Xiao shook his head. “I didn’t prepare anything today; it wouldn’t be polite. I’ll find a time to visit formally.”

Ye Ji’an felt his expression must have been quite strange. He unconsciously touched the corner of his mouth. “…Alright, bye, be careful on the way.”

Liang Xiao nodded, smiling as he walked away with his hands in his pockets. Ye Ji’an watched his back, feeling it was light and even a bit carefree. After taking a few steps, he turned back, striding with purpose. “Rest early today, Ge!”

After saying that, he spun around and left.

Ye Ji’an returned home in a daze, boiling a bowl of noodles for himself. Indeed, he had no interest in cooking properly when he was alone. Young people these days have such strange brains, he thought.

The days after the New Year’s Day holiday were certainly devilishly busy. Not long after, on a day off following twelve consecutive days of overtime, late at night, Ye Ji’an finally had time to return home. He tossed his bag onto the sofa, not even bothering to take off his shoes, and before he fell asleep, he was still thinking about one thing: the vegetables in the fridge had wilted, and he still hadn’t managed to finish them.

However, when he woke up, a series of doorbell rings startled him. He couldn’t remember ordering anything online that would be delivered to his home. The sky was bright, and in a daze, he stumbled to the door, leaning against the doorframe. When he looked up, he saw Liang Xiao’s bright, energetic eyes.

He was holding several paper bags, his expression beaming from his eyebrows to the corners of his lips.

“Formal visit,” he said, “Senior, we will be neighbors from now on.”