That Friday, Zhong Qi’s dad came to school to find him and drove him away.

 Gao Jie, watching enviously, and sighed. “Our Brother Qi’s family is really rich. A Lexus SUV, wow.”

Ruan Zhikai added, “His dad runs a company, and his mom is a senior manager in a state-owned enterprise. Of course, they’re rich.”

Lin Shiyu walked beside them, sipping strawberry milk, without speaking. Many in their class had grown taller, especially the few around him, including Zhong Qi. They were practically becoming the four tallest peaks in Class Seven. Lin Shiyu always had to look up when talking to them, which annoyed him, making him drink more milk, though it didn’t seem to help much.

After getting home, Lin Shiyu, as usual, took care of his sister. Since getting her guitar, Lin Wanyue has almost daily practiced her beloved instrument. Sometimes Zhong Qi would come over to teach her. Lin Wanyue learned the guitar faster than anything else, surprising their mother Lin Hui, who thought several times about sending her daughter to a professional guitar teacher.

Yet who would teach a child with Down Syndrome?

Zhong Qi had similar thoughts and even asked around at the studio he used to frequent. While everyone there could teach instruments, none knew how to teach a child with Down Syndrome, so the idea was abandoned.

Lin Shiyu was more nonchalant about it, saying, “I’ll find a way to make more money in the future. If we pay enough, we can find a teacher.”

Zhong Qi asked him, “What job do you want to do in the future?”

“I don’t know, whatever makes money.”

Lin Shiyu had no grand life goals. He knew he wasn’t smart, had a bad temper, and just wanted a job that could support his family after graduation. If necessary, he would take multiple jobs, respectability didn’t matter at all.

Lost in thought, Lin Shiyu rested his head on his desk, distracted from his homework. He had the bad habit of daydreaming when studying. Whenever Zhong Qi saw this, he would pull him back to focus, making him finish his homework obediently before letting him go.

Lin Shiyu scratched his head, concentrated on finishing his homework, helped his mom tidy the house, took a shower, and then got into bed.

With a soft “beep,” Lin Shiyu opened his phone and sent Zhong Qi a message: [Still busy?]

To his surprise, Zhong Qi replied quickly: [Feeding the fish.]

Lin Shiyu was speechless for a moment, then exited the chat and logged into Fish Island. Upon logging in, he received a home invite from Rise. He clicked on it, entering the familiar seaside at dusk, with the sound of waves.

Rise, perched on a stone gate, leaped down, landing in front of Rain, and raised a small hand.

[Rise wants to trade with you]

Rise offered a box, which Lin Shiyu thought was some loot from a dungeon, so he accepted and opened it. Inside was a set of clothes, which he immediately wore without thinking.

Rain was now dressed in a red mage outfit, with a shiny cape and a cute tall hat. Lin Shiyu tilted his head, looking at it for a while. Since starting the game, he had played many dungeons with Zhong Qi but had never seen such a good-looking complete outfit drop. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Rise flash and don a matching outfit, only in blue.

They connected via voice chat, and Lin Shiyu asked, “Where did these clothes come from?”

Zhong Qi’s calm voice came through. “They are new event skins. I bought two sets. With enough top-ups, you get this as a bonus.”

Rise pulled out a broomstick, wobbling as he mounted it, kicking off and flying around Rain in circles.

Rise hovered in front of Rain. “Hop on, your boyfriend will take you for a ride.”

Lin Shiyu didn’t particularly want to fly with his boyfriend. Checking the event screen, he saw the outfit cost 688 yuan each, totaling over 1300 for both!

“Do you have money to burn?” Lin Shiyu wanted to find and scold the game developers. “Spending so much on fake clothes! You even bought two!”

Rise, lazily circling on the broomstick, replied, “I wanted us to wear couple outfits.”

Lin Shiyu was left speechless by this and couldn’t argue back. The interface showed an invitation from Rise to join on the broomstick, and with a resigned sigh, he accepted.

They flew around in the storm center, their avatars riding the broomstick, circling the radiant, serene evening seascape.

Lin Shiyu couldn’t hold back and asked, “What did your dad need you for?”

Zhong Qi replied through the headset, “He gave me some pocket money and told me to study hard. He wants me to work at his company in the future and not to go to my mom.”

He revealed everything in one sentence, leaving Lin Shiyu a bit confused. He nestled in the blankets, pondering for a while, then finally understood a bit. “Does your mom want you to work at a state-owned enterprise in the future too?”

Zhong Qi seemed to chuckle softly, his voice low and light. “You’re smart.”

Zhong Qi never took the initiative to talk about his family with Lin Shiyu. It was only when Lin Shiyu overheard his phone conversations and asked did he briefly mention it, seeming completely unconcerned.

Lin Shiyu knew that although Zhong Qi appeared indifferent on the surface, he was actually very headstrong and liked everything to go his way. Did he really hope his parents would split up?

No child would like that. Even Lin Shiyu himself had never gotten used to his broken family. If he could have tolerated that person longer, no one would want to be incomplete.

Lin Shiyu watched their avatars fly in circles in the game, the quiet headset making the repetitive flight feel somewhat eerie.

Suddenly, Lin Shiyu asked, “Are you at school?”

“Yes.”

Just one word, but Lin Shiyu could hear the usual coldness in Zhong Qi’s voice, tinged with a bit of weariness.

He didn’t say anything more, knowing Zhong Qi probably hadn’t started his homework yet and had likely been playing games since he got home. When in a bad mood, Zhong Qi wouldn’t do anything productive, turning from a cool guy into a reclusive child, either staring at his phone silently or hugging Lin Shiyu without a word.

Lin Shiyu told him to hurry up and do his homework, then take a shower. He then logged out of the game, sat up in bed, and began changing clothes.

After changing, he stood in the room, thinking hard. He grabbed his school bag, stuffed in a random notebook, and headed out. Lin Hui had just finished her shower and saw him about to leave. “Where are you going so late?”

Lin Shiyu used the excuse he had just thought of. “I took Zhong Qi’s notebook by mistake. I’m going to return it.”

He spoke the lie with a bit of a stutter, but Lin Hui didn’t doubt him and told him to hurry up and return it. Lin Shiyu smoothly left the house, running as soon as he exited the residential area, and flagged down a taxi at the roadside. Sitting in the car, he felt his heart beating a bit fast.

Zhong Qi, disinterestedly finishing his homework, took a shower, changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and flopped onto the sofa without even drying his hair. He sent Lin Shiyu a message: [Get online, let’s fly again.]

Lin Shiyu replied: [Fly your head.]

Zhong Qi laughed. Teasing Lin Shiyu had become one of his greatest joys. Just as he was about to tease him more, Lin Shiyu sent another message: [Come downstairs.]

Zhong Qi’s casual demeanor immediately sharpened. He flipped off the sofa, already walking towards the entryway, typing: [What for?] 

He grabbed his keys, put on his slippers, and headed downstairs.

[Just come down, no questions] Lin Shiyu replied, standing under the old, dim street light outside the school’s staff building. The night was quiet, the school serene. Holding a bag, Lin Shiyu felt inexplicably nervous.

The door clicked open, and Lin Shiyu looked up to see Zhong Qi coming out. They walked towards each other from a distance.

Zhong Qi, freshly showered and still carrying the scent of soap, smelled familiar to Lin Shiyu but made him feel shy. He handed the bag to Zhong Qi without looking at him. “I bought you some fruit. I noticed your fridge was empty.”

Zhong Qi took the bag and pinched Lin Shiyu’s chin to make him look at him. “You came just to bring me fruit?”

Lin Shiyu’s cheeks puffed up from the pinch, and he mumbled an unclear “mm,” trying to brush it off.

Zhong Qi couldn’t help but laugh, his fingers gently brushing Lin Shiyu’s lips before leaning down to kiss him.

Under the dim streetlight, with no one around, the remnants of the summer night faded in the bright, clear starlight. Zhong Qi’s lips were warm and moist, more tender than many times before, each kiss making Lin Shiyu’s heart race uncontrollably.

Zhong Qi pulled back, his voice a bit hoarse. “You’re not coming up?”

Lin Shiyu licked his lips and whispered, “No.”

“It’s late.”

“My homework is still at home,” Lin Shiyu said, glaring at Zhong Qi. “I’m leaving.”

Zhong Qi had no choice but to walk him out of the school. The streets were empty, and they walked side by side. Lin Shiyu reminded him to eat the fresh fruit soon and not wait for him to come over on the weekend to cut it for him. Zhong Qi responded casually, walking him to the bus stop.

At night, there were few taxis near the school. They waited for a bus. Zhong Qi watched Lin Shiyu get on and find a seat, waved at him, and then turned back towards the school.

After a while, Lin Shiyu’s message came: [Go to bed early, don’t play games too late.]

Zhong Qi replied: [Okay.]

[Don’t worry too much about your parents. You can’t control it anyway.]

Zhong Qi smiled. Lin Shiyu was terrible at hiding his feelings. He ran all the way over at night, claiming it was just to deliver fruit. He didn’t know how to comfort people, though his kisses were really soft. His words were straightforward, which Zhong Qi found endearing.

He thought he had found a treasure. An adorable, little-known treasure.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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