RA 11

When it neared two in the afternoon, inmates slowly streamed out of the library, heading towards the factory area for their afternoon labour.

No one noticed that there was one person who stayed seated opposite Jiang Chijing, neither reading a book nor intending to leave.

After all the inmates in the library left, Zheng Mingyi carried his chair to stand in front of Jiang Chijing’s office desk, meaningfully calling out, “Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Chijing huffily said, “Just sit out there.”

Zheng Mingyi said, “But I need to see the market trend.”

Exactly. The warden had actually allowed Zheng Mingyi computer access. Jiang Chijing had never seen a more preposterous thing.

There were several data trend lines on the screen, but it wasn’t convenient to change the direction of the monitor. Further, Jiang Chijing had to keep an eye on Zheng Mingyi to make sure that he didn’t misuse his computer access, thus could only agree to Zheng Mingyi sitting next to him.

From the time that Jiang Chijing started working here until today, no one had ever entered his office area, let alone touch his computer.

But now, two adult men were crammed in the tiny fan-shaped office area, and if Jiang Chijing wasn’t paying attention, his knees would bump into Zheng Mingyi’s.

They were too close. Outrageously close.

Before this, Jiang Chijing and Zheng Mingyi were always separated by an 8-metres-wide road. This road represented a safe distance, allowing Jiang Chijing to be completely at ease.

Now, don’t even start on safe distancing. Even the normal interpersonal distance in day-to-day social interactions couldn’t be preserved, wholly breaching into the range of intimacy. Only God knew how much Jiang Chijing wanted to drive Zheng Mingyi out of his office area.

“Officer Jiang, what is this?”

Zheng Mingyi’s voice disrupted Jiang Chijing’s thoughts. He followed Zheng Mingyi’s line of sight and glanced at the screen, only to find that the cursor was stopped above a software icon, which when opened, would bring up the surveillance video of the recreation room.

“It’s none of your business.”

Jiang Chijing hurriedly snatched the mouse back from Zheng Mingyi’s hands, his fingertips brushing Zheng Mingyi’s fingers and the back of his hand. They still carried the remnants of the scabs left behind from Zheng Mingyi’s fight a few days ago, rough to the touch.

“Other than pages relevant to stocks, you’re not allowed to touch anything else,” Jiang Chijing said.

“Got it.”

This time, it was Zheng Mingyi who took the mouse away from Jiang Chijing. His palm covered the back of Jiang Chijing’s hand, their complexions overlapping like oatmeal colliding against milk, looking inexplicably harmonious.

As if scalded by an iron, Jiang Chijing hastily drew his hand away. At this moment, he heard Zheng Mingyi speak again, “You can start reading the book now, Officer Jiang.”

The veins on Jiang Chijing’s temples bulged. “Aren’t you looking at the stock trends?”

Zheng Mingyi turned his head towards Jiang Chijing. “What does that have anything to do with me listening to you read?”

This was the first time that Jiang Chijing met Zheng Mingyi’s eyes from such close proximity. The bright light from outside the window illuminated his irises into a pale brown, the precise shade of what Jiang Chijing had seen through the monocular back when Zheng Mingyi was drinking water by the second-floor window.

Jiang Chijing uncomfortably averted his gaze. He irritably picked up and began to read Strawberry Planting Techniques aloud.

“As light-loving plants, dim lighting is inconducive to the growth of strawberries. Strawberries enjoy cooler climates. When strawberries are exposed to temperatures above 30°C and direct sunlight, appropriate measures need to be taken to provide shade…”

Once, twice, thrice.

Unable to stand it anymore, Jiang Chijing put down the book, looking at Zheng Mingyi. He said, “Can you keep your thighs closed?”

Their knees were always inadvertently bumping against each other. Zheng Mingyi didn’t seem to care much, but Jiang Chijing was completely incapable of concentrating—the image of Zheng Mingyi wearing shorts at home kept flashing in his mind.

Sometimes when Zheng Mingyi sat on the sofa cross-legged, the hem of his shorts would ride up to the root of his thighs, revealing the muscle lines of his toned legs.

“Why do I have to close them?”

But as Jiang Chijing expected, Zheng Mingyi didn’t listen to him, keeping his legs casually spread in a certain arc.

“Are you Mr. One Hundred Thousand Whys?” Jiang Chijing impatiently said, “If I tell you to close them then close them, you’re touching my knee.”

Zheng Mingyi’s gaze travelled down, pausing on their knees for a few seconds. He looked back at Jiang Chijing, perhaps deliberate, perhaps not, persisting with his questions. “What’s wrong with that?”

Jiang Chijing’s brows involuntarily furrowed, a certain premonition once again emerging in his mind.

“Of course it isn’t allowed.” Jiang Chijing said sternly, “I’m a prison officer, you’re an inmate.”

And right after he said this, Zheng Mingyi’s knee bumped against his again.

Jiang Chijing breathed in deeply, foul language already on the tip of the tongue—but at this time, Zheng Mingyi suddenly raised his hands, the action accompanied by his voice. “Don’t move.”

Before Jiang Chijing could react, Zheng Mingyi’s palm had already caressed his cheek, and his thumb gently grazed the corner of his eye.

“There’s an eyelash.” Zheng Mingyi didn’t stop for long, his hand withdrawing naturally after that. “You have very long eyelashes.”

His tone was as airy as if he was commenting on the good weather today, as normal as it could be. But eyelashes were not the weather, and not a conversational topic that people unfamiliar with each other could casually use.

What on earth was up with this man?

Jiang Chijing had met inmates who had unintentionally touched him, also inmates who had intentionally touched him. Either way, he could tell the difference at a glance.

Only Zheng Mingyi was completely inscrutable to him. It was difficult to tell if he was doing it on purpose; his eyes were crystal clear and without the slightest note of teasing. But if it wasn’t on purpose, his every action was impinging on Jiang Chijing’s comfort zone.

After moving his hand away, Zheng Mingyi acted as if nothing had happened and continued to watch the stock trends on the computer screen.

The mood for the previous topic they were on was lost. He looked at Zheng Mingyi for a while, in the end picking up the book again, and went back to reading the characteristics of strawberries.

Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress

Half an hour quickly passed. The warden agreed for Zheng Mingyi to stay in the library until two-thirty, which was right when the stock market closed for the day.

Zheng Mingyi used the library intercom to give the warden a few suggestions on what to buy and sell, then made to go to the factory area behind the admin block to participate in afternoon labour like the other prisoners.

“See you tomorrow, Officer Jiang.”

Zheng Mingyi got up and walked out of the library. As his figure was almost about to disappear beyond the doorway, Jiang Chijing couldn’t hold it in anymore, calling hold of him. “Zheng Mingyi.”

This time, Jiang Chijing didn’t use Zheng Mingyi’s inmate number.

Inclining his body back partially, Zheng Mingyi looked over at Jiang Chijing.

“Was there really an eyelash on my face just now?” Jiang Chijing asked.

Zheng Mingyi laughed softly. As if shedding all pretense, his eyes finally showed obvious playfulness. “Guess?”

With that, Zheng Mingyi followed the prison guard waiting at the door and left the library.

Jiang Chijing closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, barely containing his impulse to pound the surface of his desk.

That guy really did do it on purpose.

Some people had a tendency to review how they did after a facedown; if they didn’t put up a good fight, they would feel extremely peeved.

Jiang Chijing was feeling exactly this right now.

He hated that he hadn’t immediately seen through Zheng Mingyi’s intentions when it happened and let this guy get away with touching his face.

Just now when Zheng Mingyi reached out to him, what he should have done was catch his wrist and handcuff him.

No. Even before that, when Zheng Mingyi’s knees were knocking against his, he should have used his baton to deliver a solid whack.

The more Jiang Chijing thought about it, the more he fumed. He took out a cigarette pack from the drawer and went to the opposite infirmary.

The windows of the infirmary faced the factory area behind the admin block, differing from the library in that there was a small balcony on this side of the room where Jiang Chijing and Luo Hai often went to smoke.

“What’s up? You look ticked off.” Luo Hai lit both their cigarettes, softly exhaling a puff of smoke.

“Have you ever encountered an inmate who gives you a headache?” Jiang Chijing didn’t broach the topic of Zheng Mingyi straight-out, mainly because he felt it was too humiliating to have been fooled by an inmate.

“Sure I have,” Luo Hai said. “That kid Yu Guang is one right there.”

“Him?” Jiang Chijing coldly glanced at Luo Hai askew. “You’re obviously more than happy to have a headache over him.”

Luo Hai didn’t insist on the topic. He knew what type of person Jiang Chijing was; if Jiang Chijing didn’t want to spill, it was useless to ask anything more.

The two men tacitly looked at the flat-roofed building beneath, smoking in silence.

Just then, someone suddenly walked out of a greenhouse in the agricultural area. Jiang Chijing’s movements suddenly paused. He asked Luo Hai, “What do they plant in the greenhouse?”

The library windows faced the yard where inmates relaxed in their free time. Jiang Chijing could swiftly give an account of the interpersonal connections between the inmates, but he wasn’t familiar with the distribution of the factory area behind the office block.

“The one that Zheng Mingyi walked out of?” Luo Hai pointed with his chin. “That’s the greenhouse for planting strawberries.”

Jiang Chijing, “……”

Alright, fine. He actually was growing strawberries.

Zheng Mingyi was carrying a bucket in his hand, standing at the metre-high tap to fill it with water.

The sun was the fiercest at three in the afternoon, yet not a trace of annoyance could be seen on Zheng Mingyi’s face. He simply waited calmly for the bucket to fill up, occasionally wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with the linen gloves.

Indeed, Jiang Chijing was still more accustomed to observing Zheng Mingyi under such conditions.

With a safe distance between them, he could clearly follow each one of Zheng Mingyi’s movements, whereas Zheng Mingyi remained completely oblivious to his prying eyes.

This comfortable state caused Jiang Chijing’s imagination to slip away without him meaning to—if, right now, the faucet burst all of a sudden, and Zheng Mingyi’s entire body was drenched in water…

Come to think of it, it’s been quite a long time since he last saw Zheng Mingyi topless.

“Hey.”

The sound of snapping fingers cut into Jiang Chijing’s imagination. He turned his head over to see Luo Hai looking at him strangely.

“What is it?”

“I’ve called you three times,” Luo Hai said.

“Huh.”

Jiang Chijing glanced once more at Zheng Mingyi in the distance and saw that he had already filled his bucket and was now walking back to the greenhouse.

“What’s up with you?” Luo Hai asked. “I know you, you’re acting weird.”

Jiang Chijing didn’t answer him. It was just as Luo Hai said; he himself also knew that he wasn’t quite in the right mind.

“I invited another friend for our dinner on Friday,” Luo Hai said.

“Who?” asked Jiang Chijing.

“The lawyer that I said I would introduce to you.”

Jiang Chijing pursed his lips, reluctant for Luo Hai to matchmake him. But perhaps out of his guilty conscience, or perhaps because he didn’t want to be affected by Zheng Mingyi again, he fell silent for a moment before reluctantly agreeing in the end. “Okay.”