You Are Deep in The Stars

The weather forecast had been right; the cold wave from the northeast was indeed very cold, especially at midnight.

Han Zhuo didn’t drive; he walked through the community garden and went straight out of the gate.

The security guard looked at the two people with some surprise and quickly stepped forward to ask, “Mr. Bai, where are you going? Do you need help?”

Bai Xi shook his head, forced a smile, and whispered, “Thank you, we are just going out to meet a friend.”

“It’s better to bring a coat; the weather is very cold,” the security guard hurriedly took a military coat from the guard room. When he came out again, Bai Xi’s back had disappeared around the corner of the street.

The street was very quiet, with almost no other sound except the whistling cold wind and rustling fallen leaves. Han Zhuo didn’t say where he was going, and Bai Xi didn’t ask. He just wrapped his coat tightly and followed silently behind. They walked through the streets, turned into alleys, passing dim street lights and Christmas decorations on shop windows, mobile breakfast carts covered with oilcloth, and finally entered an empty and silent park.

The cold wind was like a sharp blade, and his feet had long lost feeling. The thin pajamas couldn’t protect him from the cold. Bai Xi put his hands close to his mouth and breathed hot air to keep warm.

“Come here,” Han Zhuo called him.

Bai Xi walked forward. There was nothing there, only a few huge wall landscape lights.

Han Zhuo took his wrist and pressed his palm directly on the glass of the wall lamp without any warning.

Bai Xi was startled. The high temperature of over 200 degrees hit him instantly. He instinctively wanted to retract his hand, but Han Zhuo held it tightly, forcing him to endure the stinging and burning sensation like fine needles.

“This is a temperature you can fully accept,” Han Zhuo let go and ordered, “One hour.”

Under the stimulation of the bright light in front of him, Bai Xi couldn’t open his eyes at all; his palms burned, and his legs grew stiff and cold. It was a sharp contrast, and the temporary loss of vision also left him a little bewildered, but he stubbornly remained silent and continued to stand motionless.

Han Zhuo took off the tie around his neck and covered Bai Xi’s eyes to shield him from the bright light. Mrs. Daisy would never have dreamed that her meticulously dressed son with a serious demeanor would engage in such an odd activity at midnight using a tie.

An hour wasn’t short; at least for Bai Xi now, every passing second felt like a century. Han Zhuo was right; it was a temperature he could endure, but it was far from easy. In recent years, there had been numerous reports in the media about children being burned by landscape lights. Reporters conducted on-site experiments confirming that the surface temperature of the lights could fry steaks and eggs.

Initially, Bai Xi counted the seconds in his mind, but after just fifteen minutes, he had to focus on keeping the temperature of his palms as consistent as possible with the lamp wall. If it was too low, he risked burns; too high, and he couldn’t guarantee the fragile transparent material wouldn’t melt, leak electricity, or simply shatter.

The cold weather, heightened nerves, burning pain in his palms, body stiffness, and the deathly silence around them were all unbearable. Bai Xi bit his lower lip, feeling a swell of grievance and frustration. He could endure rigorous training, but he didn’t want it to start with his own anxieties and end with self-inflicted punishment.

Han Zhuo didn’t speak throughout. He sat on a nearby bench. It wasn’t until the hour hand of the watch moved slowly and the figure enveloped in bright light began to tremble that he stepped forward and reached out to support him.

Bai Xi’s head was drenched in sweat, his teeth clenched tightly, and his lips dry and cracked.

“Don’t open your eyes yet,” Han Zhuo said.

Bai Xi nodded dazedly, feeling himself being lifted by Han Zhuo, then slipping into unconsciousness. The only thing he remembered was someone mentioning Xinghai Road in a dream.

“Aren’t you going to the hospital?” the taxi driver confirmed, “Your friend seems very ill.”

“It’s alright, just head to Xinghai Road,” Han Zhuo wrapped his cold legs and said, “Please turn up the air conditioner, thank you.”

The taxi driver agreed, accelerating like a race car to get the two to their destination, afraid something might happen to the seemingly half-dead passenger in the back seat.

.

Even though he was placed back on a warm, soft bed, Bai Xi remained unconscious. He frowned and groaned, feeling the pain in his palms returning.

Han Zhuo was helping him deal with the burns. Despite his resilience, after enduring prolonged exposure to high temperatures and a moment of unconsciousness, Bai Xi still had blisters on his palms. The current situation looked somewhat tragic.

“Hiss…” He drew in a sharp breath.

“Don’t move,” Han Zhuo carefully applied ointment to the wounds and wrapped them with clean bandages. “Avoid getting them wet for a while.”

Bai Xi withdrew his hand and replied in a muffled voice, “Okay.”

“Don’t want me to stay?” Han Zhuo asked gently.

Bai Xi lifted his head and looked at him expressionlessly.

Han Zhuo smiled faintly and used his thumb to wipe away the moisture under Bai Xi’s eyelashes. His voice softened, “Men aren’t supposed to cry.”

“I’m going to sleep,” Bai Xi turned his head and asked softly, “What time are we getting up tomorrow?”

“You can sleep in as long as you like,” Han Zhuo stood up, “We’ll discuss tonight’s events later.”

Bai Xi wrapped himself in a blanket and laid down with his back to the door.

Han Zhuo helped him turn off the light, plunging the room into darkness once more.