Axolotl Translations

Shangguan Yu was speechless.

He was too shocked to react, giving Zuo Zhou the perfect chance to seize his hand, lift it to his lips, and plant a gentle kiss on the back of it.

The warm, damp touch of his lips against Shangguan Yu’s cool skin sent a tremor through his entire body.

He tensed instinctively, trying to pull his hand away. But Zuo Zhou held on tightly, refusing to let go.

“Let me go!” Shangguan Yu snapped, his brows furrowing.

“Then stop being mad at me,” Zuo Zhou countered, shifting Shangguan Yu’s hand from his lips to rest against his cheek. “Or just hit me—get your anger out, and I’ll let go.”

“……”

Like hell Shangguan Yu was going to hit him. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t strike someone in the face.

But Zuo Zhou was determined to make him vent his frustration. Without hesitation, he took Shangguan Yu’s hand and smacked it against his own cheek—once, twice, hard enough to make a sound.

!!!

Shangguan Yu was horrified. He immediately grabbed at Zuo Zhou’s hands, struggling to free himself. But Zuo Zhou refused to let go, and before they knew it, they were tangled up in a clumsy, heated tussle.

They were sweating from the struggle when, suddenly, a small voice piped up beside them.

A little girl stood nearby, tilting her head as she nibbled on a grilled sausage. With a loud, accusing tone, she called out, “Big brother, why are you bullying him?”

“……”

“……”

Shangguan Yu and Zuo Zhou both froze, turning to look at the little girl standing outside the pavilion.

She pointed at Zuo Zhou with a stern expression. “You’re bad! You’re bullying him!”

Zuo Zhou blinked. “…I’m not! My face is all red from him hitting me. How am I the one bullying him?”

Shangguan Yu: ………………

Just then, an elderly woman came rushing over, panting as she grabbed the little girl’s hand. “Niuniu! I told you not to run so fast! Grandma can’t keep up with you!”

“Grandma,” the little girl piped up without hesitation, pointing at Shangguan Yu and Zuo Zhou as she tattled, “that big brother was bullying the one in the wheelchair! But when I called him out, he turned around and said he was the one being bullied!”

“……”

The grandmother looked at the two men apologetically. “I’m so sorry. Kids just say whatever comes to mind.”

“It’s fine.” Zuo Zhou chuckled. “My friend and I were just messing around. We weren’t really fighting.”

“Ah, I see, I see.”

With a knowing smile, the elderly woman nodded and led the little girl away, leaving Shangguan Yu and Zuo Zhou alone in the pavilion.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Shangguan Yu had already pulled his hand free from Zuo Zhou’s grasp. Annoyed, he maneuvered his wheelchair toward the pavilion’s exit, unwilling to look at Zuo Zhou any longer.

Zuo Zhou saw that he had gone too far—Shangguan Yu was genuinely angry this time. Panicked, he didn’t even bother gathering his things and immediately ran after him.

As he chased after him, he called out in a pitiful yet sly tone, “Brother Yu, wait for me! I won’t do it again, don’t be mad!”

Zuo Zhou kept coaxing him all the way home, and by the time they arrived, Shangguan Yu’s anger had mostly faded.

Once home, Zuo Zhou settled Shangguan Yu in, then rushed to the kitchen to start preparing something.

“Let’s go out again next time,” his voice floated from the kitchen. “Maybe somewhere farther, and we can stay overnight for a day or two. What do you think, Brother Yu?”

Watching Zuo Zhou bustle around, busying himself for his sake, Shangguan Yu suddenly felt an inexplicable warmth surge in his chest.

For the first time, he truly began to believe that Zuo Zhou did like him—the kind of liking Zuo Zhou had spoken about.

Realizing this, his heart skipped a beat. He steadied himself and replied as if it were no big deal, “Hmm, sounds good.”

“Yes!” Zuo Zhou poked his head out from the kitchen, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Then it’s settled! Next time we get a break, I’ll plan everything!”

“Mm.” Shangguan Yu nodded lightly, appearing calm and collected. But only he knew that the quiet surface of his heart had already been stirred—waves rippling endlessly, unable to return to stillness.

That night, Shangguan Yu went to take a shower.

Before stepping into the shower, he stopped by the sink, planning to wash yesterday’s underwear—he had been too lazy to wash it then—along with today’s.

But no matter how long he searched, Shangguan Yu couldn’t find his underwear where he had left it.

As he bent over, rummaging through the cabinets, Zuo Zhou suddenly appeared at the bathroom door, holding a fresh towel and a bottle of body wash.

“Brother Yu, what are you looking for?” he asked.

“Uh—” Shangguan Yu hesitated, feeling too embarrassed to say it outright. Instead, he tried to brush it off. “Nothing, I just…”

Zuo Zhou walked in, placed the items on the shelf, then crossed his arms and studied Shangguan Yu’s movements for a moment. Suddenly, he asked, “Brother Yu, are you looking for your underwear?”

“…!”

Shangguan Yu hadn’t expected Zuo Zhou to say it so openly. He felt a bit awkward, but to avoid making things even more uncomfortable, he forced himself to respond casually. “Yeah.”

To his surprise, Zuo Zhou replied nonchalantly, “Oh, those? I saw them lying around this afternoon while I was cleaning, so I went ahead and washed them for you.”

!!!

Shangguan Yu had been crouched under the sink, still searching. The moment he heard those words, he was so stunned that he forgot he was still under there—bam! His head smacked hard against the bottom of the sink.

“Hiss…” Shangguan Yu winced, sucking in a sharp breath.

The culprit, Zuo Zhou, still had no idea what had just happened. Alarmed by the loud thud, he immediately crouched down, grabbing Shangguan Yu’s arm and pulling him up.

“Brother Yu, are you okay?” Zuo Zhou asked, his voice full of concern. As he spoke, he reached up and gently rubbed the spot on Shangguan Yu’s head. “That was a loud noise—you scared me!”

A very much in-pain Shangguan Yu: …Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?!

“You—” Shangguan Yu clutched his head, looking at Zuo Zhou with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “Why the hell did you touch my… my underwear?!”

Zuo Zhou blinked, looking both puzzled and a little aggrieved. “I was cleaning the bathroom. I saw them lying around unwashed, so I just washed them along with mine.”

“…”

Shangguan Yu had a strong suspicion that Zuo Zhou did it on purpose. Touching his underwear, rubbing it around, washing it together with his own—what exactly was Zuo Zhou trying to pull?!

With a dark expression, Shangguan Yu said coldly, “Don’t touch my underwear again. I’ll wash them myself.”

“Oh.” Zuo Zhou responded quietly, but then, unwilling to back down, he muttered, “But Brother Yu, you left them there because you were too tired to wash them, right? If I see them, why can’t I help you out?”

“Xiao Zuo, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Shangguan Yu’s patience was wearing thin. “Get out!”

Instead of leaving, Zuo Zhou took two steps forward, squatted down neatly in front of him, and looked up with wide, pitiful eyes. “I’m sorry, Brother Yu. I was wrong. Please don’t be mad, okay?”

“…”

Shangguan Yu felt utterly helpless. He should be mad, but seeing this perfectly capable man kneeling at his feet, acting all meek, was such a dramatic contrast that his heart softened instantly.

“Get up. Just go,” he sighed, his tone noticeably gentler than before. “I’m taking a shower and going to bed. And from now on, don’t touch my stuff without asking.”

“Okay.” Zuo Zhou responded obediently, his voice soft and sweet. “I’ll head out then. Brother Yu, just call me if you need anything.”

With that, he placed a hand on Shangguan Yu’s knee for support, stood up, and turned to leave respectfully.

Shangguan Yu sat frozen in place, only allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief once he heard Zuo Zhou close his bedroom door.

Outside the room, after carefully shutting Shangguan Yu’s door, Zuo Zhou’s previously slumped shoulders suddenly relaxed, his expression shifted, and he let out a quiet breath.

Tilting his head slightly, he licked his lips, then casually strolled to the balcony. Reaching up, he took down a pair of black underwear hanging on the drying rack—Shangguan Yu’s.

The fabric was smooth between his long fingers, making his fair skin appear even paler in contrast.

It still felt a little damp. Zuo Zhou rubbed it between his fingertips for a while, then, as if testing it, lifted it to his cheek and pressed it against his skin.

“Hmm, still not completely dry.” This time, he murmured his conclusion quietly. “Needs a bit more time.”

Then, as if finishing some sacred ritual, he moved the underwear from his cheek to his lips, giving it the lightest of kisses before finally hanging it back up with a satisfied expression.

Following this “underwear incident,” Zuo Zhou behaved himself for a solid week—diligently running errands, acting impeccably obedient, and leaving no room for anyone to criticize him.

At first, Shangguan Yu still felt awkward and self-conscious. But as time passed, he gradually let go of that (admittedly self-imposed) embarrassment and resumed life as usual.

One evening in late December, just before New Year’s, Zuo Zhou returned from schooll, looking suspiciously secretive.

“I need to talk to you about something,” he said to Shangguan Yu, his tone full of mystery.

Shangguan Yu found his exaggerated theatrics amusing. “What is it?” he asked, smiling.

“Our school is organizing a trip to Yancheng for the National College Programming Competition on New Year’s Day. I’m the team leader, so I have to go. We won’t be back until the evening of the 3rd in the evening,” Zuo Zhou explained.

“Oh, I see. That sounds great—go for it!” Shangguan Yu said without hesitation.

Zuo Zhou pouted, clearly displeased.

“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Yu asked, puzzled.

Zuo Zhou shook his head without answering, but his sulky expression remained.

Shangguan Yu thought for a moment, then tried guessing. “Are you nervous about the competition?”

Zuo Zhou gave him a long, pitiful look. He knew that if he left it up to Shangguan Yu to guess, the man might think he had an upset stomach from lunch rather than figuring out the real issue. So, in the end, he had to spell it out himself.

“Not seeing you for five days is going to make me really sad.”

“…” Shangguan Yu hadn’t expected Zuo Zhou to be that direct. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

Watching his reaction, Zuo Zhou didn’t push further. Instead, he played it safe and asked, “Brother Yu, if I miss you while I’m away, can I call you?”

“…” Shangguan Yu thought to himself, You already call me all the time anyway.

“Sure,” he replied.

“Anytime?”

“Mm.”

“What about 10 PM? We’ll be busy during the day, so that’s probably the only time I’ll be free.”

Shangguan Yu usually went to bed around then, but since he didn’t have to wake up early, staying up a bit later wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Alright, I’ll just wait for your call before going to sleep,” he said.

Zuo Zhou’s eyes narrowed in a satisfied smile, a mischievous glint flashing in them.

“Great! So, Brother Yu, wait for my call every night, okay? Once we’re done talking, you can go to sleep. Don’t worry, I’ll try to call as early as possible.”

Shangguan Yu had a vague feeling that something was off about this arrangement, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Uh… okay, I guess.”

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