During lunch, it was rare to see Lin Shiyu without Zhong Qi, so Gao Jie curiously asked, “Brother Shiyu, isn’t Brother Qi with you?”
Lin Shiyu, sitting in the shade under a tree and drinking milk, shook his leg unhappily and replied, “He went back to the classroom to study.”
Gao Jie was surprised. “Really? Since when did Brother Qi become so diligent, studying even at noon?”
“He’s been like this lately.” Reading, doing practice questions, and studying all day long. He didn’t play basketball with him anymore, and after meals, he didn’t hang out. Lin Shiyu felt embarrassed to slack off seeing Zhong Qi study so seriously, so he followed along, studying with him. On weekend nights, to make sure Zhong Qi went to bed early, Lin Shiyu had to sync his study schedule with Zhong Qi. If he stayed up with him, Zhong Qi would go to bed earlier.
Lin Shiyu was a bit reluctant but kept quiet, knowing that complaining would be unreasonable. He would never let anyone know he felt neglected because Zhong Qi was focused on studying. It was too childish.
After school, Mao Silu enthusiastically invited them to play basketball. Zhong Qi declined, but Lin Shiyu went. Sometimes he played basketball with Mao Silu and others, making Mao Silu very happy. He always insisted on being on Lin Shiyu’s team and taught him how to play, how to compete, and how to work as a team.
In the glorious and scorching sunset, they ran around on the court. Ruan Zhikai casually asked, “What happened to Brother Qi? Why is he suddenly studying all the time?”
Lin Shiyu replied, “Who knows.”
Mao Silu guessed, “Maybe he wants to be the top student. Brother Qi is so smart, he could easily get the top spot.”
Ruan Zhikai scoffed. “No way! With Zuo Xiang in first place, maybe getting the second spot is more believable.”
Lin Shiyu didn’t like hearing that. “Why not?”
“Zuo Xiang always leads by more than ten points. It’s not easy to surpass him.”
“He’s studying so hard, and staying up late. What if he does surpass him?”
Ruan Zhikai and Mao Silu stopped and stared at Lin Shiyu.
Ruan Zhikai asked, “How do you know he stays up late?”
Lin Shiyu immediately shut his mouth, wishing he could empty the water from his brain. Mao Silu, with an innocent look, asked, “Hey, Shiyu, do you live with Zhong Qi?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know–”
“I guessed!” Lin Shiyu angrily threw down this sentence, dropped the game, grabbed his bag, and ran off, leaving Mao Silu and Ruan Zhikai bewildered.
A month later, the mock exam results came out. Lin Shiyu, unusually nervous, waited for Zhong Qi outside his exam room. When Zhong Qi came out, Lin Shiyu asked, “How did it go?”
Zhong Qi casually strolled out, with a bag slung over his shoulder, looking like he was visiting a market. “Not bad. Let’s eat.”
Lin Shiyu felt uneasy, thinking that with Zhong Qi’s intelligence, he should at least be in the top ten if not second place, given how seriously he had been studying.
The exam results were released within a week. The Excel sheet was sent to the parents’ group. Lin Hui carefully scanned the list on her phone and, delighted, said, “Little Shiyu, you ranked 35th in the class!”
Lin Shiyu ran out of his room, followed by his sister Lin Wanyue. He checked the phone, scrolled up, and saw Zhong Qi’s name.
First place! Lin Shiyu’s heart skipped a beat. Zhong Qi scored 695 points, ranking first, with Zuo Xiang second at 693 points.
Lin Shiyu tried to contain his excitement, closed the class ranking sheet, and opened the grade ranking file from the group. Zhong Qi was still first, Zuo Xiang second, both far ahead of the third place by nearly ten points.
Lin Hui also saw Zhong Qi’s name and exclaimed, “Zhong Qi is first in the grade? He’s outstanding! Little Shiyu, you should spend more time with such friends; your grades have improved too. You need to learn from each other more…”
Lin Shiyu didn’t hear the rest. He ran back to his room, grabbed his phone, and sent a message to Zhong Qi.
“You got first place in the grade!”
Zhong Qi quickly replied, “Hmm, what’s the score?”
“695, didn’t you check it yourself?”
“I knew it. Come to school, sleep at my place tonight.”
Lin Shiyu was filled with thoughts about Zhong Qi really getting first place in the grade. Great! He knew Zhong Qi could do it. Without even thinking about why Zhong Qi suddenly invited him over for the night, he instinctively followed Zhong Qi’s instructions, went inside, and started packing a change of clothes.
Lin Wanyue saw her brother getting ready to leave and went over to rummage through his wardrobe. “Brother, wear something nice.”
Lin Wanyue was slowly learning new words and could now say more words and sentences. Lin Shiyu let her pick out clothes for him, and Lin Hui came in and asked, “Going to Little Zhong’s place again?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Shiyu put on the white short-sleeved shirt with colored patterns his sister had pulled out, slung on his bunny backpack, patted Lin Wanyue’s head, and ran out the door.
He made a special detour to the supermarket to buy Zhong Qi’s favorite beef bones and pork neck meat, vegetables, fruits, and a bag of fresh live crayfish. He packed everything into shopping bags and headed to school.
The summer in Wuhan was incredibly long and as hot as an oven, with the sun blazing in a cloudless sky, making the cicadas scream madly from the trees by the road. When Lin Shiyu arrived at Zhong Qi’s apartment building, he was drenched in sweat, his fair face flushed red from the heat.
Zhong Qi was startled when he opened the door, almost getting squeezed against the doorframe by Lin Shiyu’s large grocery bags. “You bought so many groceries?”
Lin Shiyu entered the kitchen and placed the groceries on the counter, replying with a simple “Hmm.”
Zhong Qi went to the bathroom, soaked a towel in cold water, wrung it out, and came back to press it against Lin Shiyu’s flushed face. “Why didn’t you call me to shop with you?.”
“It was on the way, so I bought them.” Lin Shiyu put on an apron. “You go out and wait for dinner.”
“Nothing you want to say to me?” Zhong Qi put the towel aside and casually played with Lin Shiyu’s damp hair. “Why didn’t you say ‘amazing’ this time?”
Lin Shiyu pushed him away: “…So childish.”
Zhong Qi didn’t tease him further, just ruffled his hair. “You did well this time too, didn’t waste my effort.”
With that, he got shooed out of the kitchen by Lin Shiyu.
Lin Shiyu busied himself in the kitchen for over an hour, cooking a large pot of fragrant beef bone vermicelli soup, fresh stir-fried shredded pork with water bamboo, and meticulously cleaned crayfish seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and broad bean paste, filling a large glass bowl with bright red, appetizing crayfish. He also made a bowl of cold edamame with minced garlic and chili, drizzled with hot oil, and the aroma of vinegar spread everywhere.
Zhong Qi stood by the table in a relaxed outfit of loose shorts and a t-shirt, his hair messy, watching the feast on the table. He took out his phone and snapped a photo.
After a moment of thought, he switched to video mode, introducing the dishes on the table: “My wife made this.”
Then he pulled the freshly apron-less Lin Shiyu over: “My wife.”
Lin Shiyu tried to turn away but was held back by Zhong Qi, the camera aimed at his face. “An interview: Why did you cook such a big meal?”
Lin Shiyu glared at him. “To eat.”
“This is too much, isn’t it?”
“Then don’t eat!”
Zhong Qi laughed, lightly kissed his forehead, and let him go to sit down for dinner.
Both of them had big appetites. They quickly devoured the large bowl of crayfish, each took half of the beef bones, and finished the soup, refilling it once.
Lin Shiyu’s phone kept vibrating while he was eating. Annoyed, he wiped his hands and picked up the phone to put it on silent, noticing messages from a group called “Class 7 Super Star,” so he opened it to take a look.
Zhong Qi: [Picture]
Mao Silu: [Wow, Zhong Qi, your mom’s cooking is amazing.]
Gao Jie: [ ？ How dare you! I haven’t eaten yet, delete it now!]
Shen Ziyi: [?? Who cooked for you, Brother Qi? What’s going on?!]
Ruan Zhikai: [If you’re in a relationship, leave the group.]
Mao Silu: [ ？]
Lin Shiyu turned off the phone. “Why did you post it in the group?”
Zhong Qi: “Showing off my love.”
Lin Shiyu almost blushed. Zhong Qi, amused, fed him a piece of beef bone, and kicked his leg under the table. “Hey, I studied so hard this month, don’t you think I deserve a reward?”
Lin Shiyu, chewing on the bone, thought, wasn’t this meal a reward? What else do you want?
Zhong Qi suddenly said, “Sing a song for me.”
Lin Shiyu was stunned, putting down the bone. “Why do you want me to sing?”
“I want to hear it.”
Lin Shiyu didn’t understand why Zhong Qi was making this request, but he didn’t refuse right away. Instead, he quietly chewed on the bone for a while and then whispered, “What do you want to hear?”
This meant he agreed.
This wasn’t easy. Zhong Qi mentally calculated it took almost a year to coax him into singing.
The afternoon sun was thick and heavy. The air conditioner was on in the bedroom, curtains half-closed to block the sunlight, casting a soft light in the cool room.
Lin Shiyu washed his face and hands, sat cross-legged on the bed, and frowned at his phone, reading the lyrics of “Let Me Love You.”
“Sing this?”
Zhong Qi sat opposite him, strumming his guitar strings. “Isn’t this the one you can sing?”
Lin Shiyu touched his nose. He knew it, but singing the whole song was different, and he had to look at the lyrics. Singing in front of Zhong Qi made him feel very awkward, but Zhong Qi was eager to accompany him with the guitar, so he couldn’t back out now.
“Why did you put your phone there?” Lin Shiyu looked at the phone lying flat on the table and asked.
“It’s rare to hear you sing, so I want to record it as a keepsake.” Zhong Qi replied naturally, trying out the intro of the song on his guitar. It sounded pretty good, so he asked, “Are you ready to sing?”
“…Hmm.”
“You sing,” Zhong Qi looked at Lin Shiyu, his gaze calm and deep. “I’ll follow your rhythm.”
Lin Shiyu opened the lyrics and cleared his throat.
I used to believe
I used to believe
We were burning on the edge of something beautiful
We would always swim in the wonderful feeling of love
Something beautiful
Believed that beauty would last forever
Selling a dream
Dreams were so beautiful that we didn’t know how to cherish them and didn’t understand what was enough
Smoke and mirrors keep us waiting on a miracle
Like looking at flowers through the mist, we still believed that miracles would stay for us
On a miracle
The miracle would be held in our hands.”
Lin Shiyu’s voice was pure and soft, carrying the lively, bright tail notes typical of a young person, lifting enchanting melodies. He sang with eyes lowered, his demeanor quiet, his long eyelashes delicate, and a faint light falling across his nose. His slim frame was clad in a white t-shirt, adorned with colorful flowers that reflected gently against his fair and smooth skin.
Don’t fall asleep
Don’t fall asleep.
At the wheel, we’ve got a million miles ahead of us
Even though we traveled day and night, we were still far from the future.
Miles ahead of us
The road ahead was still long.
The rich and melodious guitar music was like a small boat calmly navigating a lake, supporting the singing voice. Zhong Qi followed Lin Shiyu’s rhythm, plucking the strings of his guitar, occasionally looking at his face. He remembered long ago when Lin Shiyu had intruded into an empty classroom while he practiced the piano, and then left on his own accord.
At that time, he wondered what kind of music would emerge from those stubborn lips.
Now he knew. Lin Shiyu always managed to surprise him.
Don’t you give up, nah nah nah
You hadn’t made up your mind to let go yet.
I won’t give up, nah nah nah
Anyway, I definitely wouldn’t let go.
Let me love you
Just let me love you.
Let me love you
After the song ended, the atmosphere quieted down.
Lin Shiyu swallowed hard, looking at the translated lyrics on his phone. The last lyrics that repeated were fine when singing to his younger sister, but singing them to Zhong Qi made him feel strange.
It almost felt like he was confessing his love to Zhong Qi.
Lin Shiyu awkwardly set his phone aside. “Are you deliberately choosing–”
Before he could finish, a slow and overwhelming kiss silenced him.
Zhong Qi’s lips were warm, his breath enveloping deeply. Lin Shiyu’s fingertips trembled, and his back slowly relaxed. The air conditioner emitted a faint hum, creating a cool and quiet space, a world of its own.
The guitar lay across the chair, and the kiss deepened gradually, filled with possessiveness, invading Lin Shiyu’s mouth. Pressed into the bed, Lin Shiyu’s breath quickened with each kiss, accompanied by the moist sound of intimacy echoing in the room, quickly heating up their young bodies.
“Wait…” Lin Shiyu was pushed into the bed, his shorts pulled down, his face flushed. “In broad daylight, what’s gotten into you…?!”
Zhong Qi stood up straight, took off his shirt, revealing his strong and muscular physique. He chuckled at Lin Shiyu’s words, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “This isn’t being weird, it’s being passionate.”
He didn’t give Lin Shiyu a chance to refuse, pushing his hands on the bed, kissing his lips and throat with a force akin to biting. Lin Shiyu winced from the bite, curling his body to struggle, but Zhong Qi held him tightly by the waist. From the drawer of the nearby desk, he took out lubricant, opened it, and poured some on his hand, saying, “Don’t move around, or it might hurt.”
“Don’t… directly… cold… it hurts!”
Zhong Qi held down Lin Shiyu’s legs, his fingers spreading the cool liquid aggressively inside. Lin Shiyu trembled, his legs shaking from the pain and angrily picked up a pillow to throw at Zhong Qi’s head. “Be gentle!”
The pillow hit Zhong Qi’s head, causing him to tilt slightly, but he smirked. “You’re quite lively.”
His fingers forcefully spread open the fragile walls, penetrating deeply inside Lin Shiyu, who shuddered and gasped for breath. The room echoed with wet sounds, almost drowning out the restrained gasps.
When he finally pulled out his fingers, Lin Shiyu’s legs were so weak that he couldn’t move. Before he could recover, he was lifted from the bed and placed on the desk.
“Don’t… ah!”
The rigid object pressed into Lin Shiyu, causing him to panic, knocking over the phone and water bottle on the desk. Zhong Qi hugged the struggling Lin Shiyu, slowing down the insertion, holding him in his arms and whispering softly. Lin Shiyu gradually calmed down under his reassurance, breathing deeply against Zhong Qi’s neck.
The thrusts soon intensified, causing Lin Shiyu to moan and struggle. Zhong Qi opened his legs and hung them over his arms, almost folding the person in his arms, pushing deeper. Lin Shiyu’s abdomen spasmed violently from the thrusts, his whole body turning red. “Gentle… gentle…”
Zhong Qi leaned on the desk and continued thrusting vigorously. Lin Shiyu was overwhelmed by the intense stimulation, the desk slamming against the wall, textbooks and stationery falling off in the vigorous shaking. Lin Shiyu almost collapsed from the intense exercise. “Uh, oh! No…”
Zhong Qi held Lin Shiyu’s sweaty knees, leaning down to kiss the moist and reddened corners of his eyes and his trembling eyelashes. His lower body thrust forcefully, almost knocking Lin Shiyu off the desk. “Keep it down,” he said.
Lifting Lin Shiyu’s legs higher, he thrust forcefully into the deepest place, forcing a hoarse cry from Lin Shiyu, his insides convulsing and tightening. Zhong Qi suppressed a low gasp, gripping the back of Lin Shiyu’s neck harshly to press him into his embrace and intensify his thrusts. Lin Shiyu gasped for air several times, consciousness blanking out, his body gradually overwhelmed by the rough advances, a sharp and intense pleasure spreading rapidly through him like a virus. The places where they intertwined kept producing moist and slippery sounds.
Zhong Qi lifted Lin Shiyu’s chin. “Feeling good?”
Lin Shiyu bit down fiercely on his finger, leaving a deep tooth mark with his sharp teeth.
Rather than being upset, Zhong Qi chuckled, casually licking his finger and kissing Lin Shiyu’s sweaty cheek. “Still full of energy, huh?”
He picked up the fallen phone from the table and propped it next to the piled-up textbooks, then lifted Lin Shiyu around the waist and tossed him onto the bed.
“Stop…” Lin Shiyu pressed against Zhong Qi’s chest. “Take a break… Ah!”
Zhong Qi spread his legs apart and thrust forcefully again with the lubricant, causing Lin Shiyu to arch his back, almost losing his voice from Zhong Qi’s powerful thrust.
Leaning over, Zhong Qi touched Lin Shiyu’s wet and flushed face, thrusting into his body like a wild beast, his gaze locking onto Lin Shiyu like a young, strong wolf targeting its prey. “Feeling good now?”
Gasping for breath, Lin Shiyu managed to mutter, “Get lost.”
Roughly grabbing the tip of his arched and flowing body, Zhong Qi’s grip made Lin Shiyu shudder, almost crying out. Lin Shiyu blushed deeply and tried to bite him again, but Zhong Qi covered his mouth and exerted force from below, thrusting so hard that Lin Shiyu almost hit the corner of the bed. Lin Shiyu soon shivered and moaned on the verge of collapse, gasping with a trembling front and continuous flow of fluids.
Zhong Qi covered Lin Shiyu’s mouth with his large hand and whispered hoarsely near his ear, “Do you feel good now? Do you understand?”
“Mmm…”
“Do you remember it?”
With shattered eyes, Lin Shiyu was pressed down and overwhelmed under Zhong Qi. Finally, Zhong Qi let go of him. “Speak.”
Lin Shiyu gasped rapidly, his mind dizzy from the endless thrusts, managing to whisper intermittently, “Ah… feels… good…”
Suddenly, Zhong Qi squeezed his wrist and pressed it against Lin Shiyu’s head, the wrist bone making a crackling sound. Lin Shiyu’s spine tingled and went limp from the sudden intensified thrusts. Finally surrendering completely under this overwhelming assault, he nearly cried out in exhaustion. Zhong Qi took a deep breath, pressing against Lin Shiyu’s most sensitive point with every thrust. Lin Shiyu was almost driven insane, trembling and crying out in the near-uncontrollable frenzy of climax. Zhong Qi kissed away his tears and sweat as he pressed him into the bed. The room finally settled into a calm rhythm as their breathing slowed.
Edited by: Jaisland
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