Thirsty Skin - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Thirst

By the time Mr. Zhang and Secretary Wei finished their conversation, Zhu Chizhou had not returned yet.

Lin Wan called him while standing up and walking out. When he reached the elevator, Zhu Chizhou came running over from the bathroom.

There were still drops of water on his face, which looked wet and shiny under the incandescent light in the corridor, obviously he had just washed. The black hair on his forehead was also soaked by the water and hung down randomly, with a few strands blocking his eyes.

Lin Wan wanted to help him tidy up his hair, but he didn’t reach out his hand and just looked at him.

【Why did you suddenly go wash your face?】

“I feel a little hot,” Zhu Chizhou brushed his hair back hastily and asked Lin Wan, “Has Mr. Zhang come down?”

“Well,” Lin Wan turned away and said expressionlessly, “Let’s go to the first floor and meet him.”

【Wet hair is so sexy, I want to touch it. 】

Zhu Chizhou’s heartbeat, which had just calmed down, started beating again.

After coming out of the government building, Zhang Hengyan took them back to the hotel for a short meeting, explaining the details of Lin Wan’s stay and negotiation and cooperation with Xinrong Development. Then, he told them that he had something else to do and had to go back to Shenhai early tomorrow morning.

In the evening, Wei Minghui hosted a banquet for Zhang Hengyan. Lin Wan and Zhu Chizhou accompanied them and they couldn’t help but drink some wine.

It ended at around eight o’clock, and Zhang Hengyan was going back to the hotel to rest, while Lin Wan and Zhu Chizhou went back to their rooms to change out of formal clothes and go out to prepare for their second gathering.

The second gathering was arranged by Lin Wan’s high school classmates, Tang Qinghe and Xu Liang, and the location was a dark door bar with a great atmosphere in the city center.

Zhu Chizhou changed into an Italian denim shirt. The slightly draped fabric was very textured, making him look broad-shouldered, tall and handsome.

Lin Wan was wearing a white knitted short-sleeved shirt and beige Naples pants that showed off her slim waist. He looked elegant and frail.

It was still a bit chilly at night. Zhu Chizhou wanted to remind Lin Wan to put on more clothes, but he paused before closing the door and said, “Wait a minute.”

He returned to the room and put on a khaki hunting jacket so that he could take it off and give it to Lin Wan in case the other felt cold.

After getting dressed, Zhu Chizhou said, “Let’s go.”

Lin Wan stood by the door waiting for him, his eyes fixed on his collar, which had two buttons undone, and he answered slowly, “Well, let’s go.”

【This coat is my least favorite style. It is hard to hold up without muscles. Wearing it doesn’t make him look like he’s going hunting. Instead, it makes him look like a rabbit shot by a hunter. But he looks very, very good in it! 】

Zhu Chizhou: …

Lin Wan had already turned and walked away. It was impossible for him to go back to the room to change. He could only silently remember in his heart that Lin Wan didn’t like to wear this style of coat.

The last time Zhu Chizhou came to Chengdu, he had met Xu Liang and Tang Qinghe. This time when they came, Xu Liang directly called Zhu Chizhou to make an appointment for a drink.

Just now, Lin Wan was still discussing something with Mr. Zhang, and Zhu Chizhou had already finalized the time and place with them.

Lin Wan got into the taxi called by Zhu Chizhou and heard Zhu Chizhou telling the driver in a not-so-standard dialect which way to go. He was in a daze for a moment and thought that he was being taken by Zhu Chizhou to meet his high school classmate.

But this feeling is particularly reassuring, as if he doesn’t have to think about anything and could just follow Zhu Chizhou.

But, the other person is obviously much younger than him. –

This secret bar is hidden in a bookstore.

The owner is a science fiction fan. The bookstore in front sells science fiction books, science fiction magazines, and science fiction comics. One had to push one of the bookshelves to find the entrance to the bar.

The decoration inside the bar is also sci-fi themed. There are three floors, each of which is a classic scene from a different sci-fi movie. With different menus, you can experience special cocktails and meals with the corresponding theme on each floor.

The first floor is The Matrix, the second floor is Blade Runner, and the third floor is Star Wars.

They chose a seat on the second floor because Zhu Chizhou liked the movie “Blade Runner” very much.

At the dinner just now, both Lin Wan and Zhu Chizhou didn’t eat much. Drinking strong liquor on an empty stomach made them feel stomach discomfort, so they sat down and ordered food.

Zhu Chizhou took photos on every floor, including cocktails and food, and collected nine photos to send to Ji Xun: 【I think you too will fall in love with this place. 】

The interstellar beef tower has a rich texture, the electronic lamb chops are tender and juicy, and the phantom mashed potatoes are silky smooth. Lin Wan loved them all and drank a few more glasses. When he walked out of the bar, he unfortunately found that he seemed to have eaten too much.

Seeing that it was still early, Lin Wan suggested that everyone walk along the commercial street for a while before calling a taxi.

After going out, the night wind blew Lin Wan’s hair. Zhu Chizhou asked Lin Wan if he was cold. When he asked, he had already grabbed the collar of his clothes and was ready to take it off.

Who knew that Lin Wan said without hesitation: “I’m not cold at all.”

【Although I really want to wear his clothes, I’d better forget looking at that style. 】

Zhu Chizhou: “…”

Do you have to be so picky?

Xu Liang said, “Don’t worry about him. He never wears other people’s clothes. When he was in high school, the temperature suddenly dropped sharply. He came to school with only a short-sleeved shirt. We gave him clothes but he refused to wear them. He endured it for a week.”

Lin Wan was not at all upset when his weakness was exposed, and said calmly, “I’m really not cold.”

Zhu Chizhou’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Could it be that he had only worn my clothes?’

Just as he was thinking about it, his phone rang. It was Ji Xun who called him after seeing the message.

Ji Xun announced loudly on the other end of the phone: “I’ll go tomorrow! Wait for me!”

Zhu Chizhou smiled: “Okay, what time will you arrive?”

When it comes to playing, Ji Xun is very efficient. He was already checking the flight tickets: “I’ll arrive at 4 pm tomorrow.”

Zhu Chizhou: “Okay, I’ll receive you tomorrow night.”

Lin Wan heard it and asked him, “Who’s coming?”

“Ji Xun, my friend, you’ve met him,” Zhu Chizhou reminded him, “the one who was with me in the swimming pool last time.”

Lin Wan remembered it, and also remembered the scene of himself holding Zhu Chizhou in the water. He was a little embarrassed: “…Oh.”

Zhu Chizhou invited everyone: “My friend is coming over tomorrow, I’ll host him.”

Tang Qinghe apologized: “I can’t do it tomorrow. I have to go on a business trip early tomorrow morning.”

Lin Wan said, “I can’t either. Xinrong Development has arranged a dinner party tomorrow night to welcome us.” After saying that, he was afraid that Zhu Chizhou would be embarrassed, so he added, “If your friend comes, you can go and accompany him. I can go alone.”

Xu Liang had known Lin Wan for more than ten years and knew him too well, so he was very surprised and said to Zhu Chizhou, “Look how much your Mr. Lin loves you. This is the first time I’ve seen him be so tolerant of others. He didn’t even bother to attend the welcoming party of a partner.”

Zhu Chizhou was in a good mood after hearing this, and turned to look at Lin Wan. Under the street light, Lin Wan’s profile was so beautiful that it seemed unreal. He did not refute, but smiled helplessly.

A few people walked along the commercial street to the end, and outside was a busy road. Xu Liang and Tang Qinghe stood at the intersection and hailed a taxi.

This place is not far from the hotel, and it only took another half an hour to walk there. Lin Wan asked Zhu Chizhou if they could walk back, and Zhu Chizhou agreed.

There are wide green areas on the sidewalks on both sides of the highway, and there are trails in the green areas for citizens to take a walk and exercise.

The trail was hidden under the shade of trees, with a dim garden light on every fifty meters. There were not many people there, so it was quite quiet. They walked slowly along the trail towards the hotel.

Zhu Chizhou chatted with Lin Wan: “Did you grow up in Chengdu?”

“Yes,” Lin Wan said, “I was born here, lived here, and left only after finishing high school.”

Zhu Chizhou calculated in his mind that Lin Wan was six years older than him. Lin Wan was in his third year of high school, while he was still in the sixth grade of elementary school.

If they had met ten years ago, he might have followed Lin Wan around and called him “big brother”.

Now Zhu Chizhou didn’t want to call Lin Wan brother at all. He really wanted to hear Lin Wan call him brother.

Ever since that day when he heard Lin Wan call him “Brother Chizhou” in his heart, he has been thinking about this matter.

Zhu Chizhou asked: “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No,” Lin Wan said, “I am an only child, but I have a very close cousin who I grew up with.”

Zhu Chizhou: “What a coincidence, I also have a cousin who I am very close to.”

Lin Wan smiled.

Zhu Chizhou asked: “Is your cousin still in Rong City?”

“No, she went to study in France and stayed there.”

Zhu Chizhou nodded. He remembered that Mr. Zhang said that Lin Wan graduated from Peking University. “Have you been studying in China?”

“Yes, I can’t leave the elderly at home, so I have to come back often to visit them, so I just don’t go out.”

Zhu Chizhou thought Lin Wan was quite filial, so he turned around and looked at Lin Wan. He heard Lin Wan say in his heart: 【And my disease cannot be cured, only domestic hospitals can prescribe medicine.】

Zhu Chizhou was stunned. What kind of disease couldn’t be cured?

He was concerned and worried. He wanted to find out more but couldn’t find a reason to ask. He could only continue chatting with Lin Wan with a suspenseful heart. “I used to be the same. I went back to China several times a month.”

Lin Wan smiled at Zhu Chizhou and said, “My family doesn’t have a private jet.”

Zhu Chizhou said, “It’s mainly because I’m not used to the food. It’s too torturous.”

“That’s right,” Lin Wan turned his head back and stared at the winding path. “I’ve been in Shenhai for a while and I’ve wanted to come back to eat.”

Zhu Chizhou was concerned about his illness, so he chatted with him about the delicacies of the motherland for a while, and then began to fabricate his own childhood memories: “I am allergic to mangoes. When I was a child, I accidentally ate mangoes and had to go to the hospital for emergency treatment.”

Lin Wan was shocked: “Was it that serious?”

“Well,” the light was too dim to hide the unnatural look on Zhu Chizhou’s face. He asked in a serious tone, “Do you have any abnormal condition like this? Allergies, diseases, etc?”

After asking the question, he was so nervous that he didn’t dare to breathe. He felt that he was too stiff. He held it in for a long time, but the ball he threw out was a straight ball without any turns.

Lin Wan said, “No.”

【I have dermatophyte syndrome, but it’s hard to talk about it. 】

What? What syndrome? ? ? dermatophyte syndrome? ? ?

Zhu Chizhou slowly stopped and stood there, staring blankly at Lin Wan walking forward alone. Lin Wan took a few steps and turned back to look at him: “What’s wrong?”

“Oh,” Zhu Chizhou followed and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lin Wan, “It’s okay.”

Later they talked about some work matters. Zhu Chizhou was restless and didn’t say much. Lin Wan thought he didn’t want to chat and kept silent.

The two walked in silence. When they were almost at the hotel, Zhu Chizhou heard Lin Wan thinking:

【When I ask the waiter to bring ice cubes later, I should do it quietly so he doesn’t see you again. 】

【I feel like I’m going to get sick again. 】

【It would be nice if he could hold me while sleeping.】

【It is much more useful than ice cubes】

Zhu Chizhou’s heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally dropped completely, as if he had stepped on empty air in an unexpected place.

What Lin Wan was talking about in his mind just now was the thirst.

Zhu Chizhou searched through his own knowledge reserves all the way.

The rapid breathing, flushed skin, trembling body, longing for a hug, longing to be touched…

The ice bath was a means of relief, as was his clothes, his arms, his body.

No wonder he always heard Lin Wan’s inner voice saying that he wanted to hug him, touch him, and sleep with him, but Lin Wan had never said in his heart that he liked him.

He was just being too sentimental.

Lin Wan wanted his hug and touch, wanted to wear his clothes, and wanted to sleep with him, because of dermatophytosis, not because Lin Wan liked him.