After the winter break, final exam results were posted and Zhong Qi had topped the grade again. He scored five points higher than Zuo Xiang, who had dominated the rankings throughout their first year. Zhong Qi’s name stood proudly at the top.

“Zhong Qi, isn’t he the one who plays basketball? Their class is really strong. They won the basketball tournament before.”

“I never heard his grades were this good.”

“Yeah, hasn’t Zuo Xiang always been first?”

“Zuo Xiang is also in that class. Maybe Zhong Qi caught some of Zuo Xiang’s ‘study aura’ and suddenly got smart, haha.”

“Isn’t Lin Shiyu also in their class?”

“Are you talking about that guy who fights all the time and wears weird clothes?”

“Yeah, didn’t he get into a fight last semester and ended up with a limp? Zhong Qi seems to take good care of him, they’re always together.”

“Wow, he’s that kind-hearted?”

“That’s what you call targeted poverty alleviation…”

While they were chatting and waiting for food in the cafeteria, they turned around and saw the infamous Lin Shiyu standing behind them, expressionless.

Lin Shiyu was well-known at school. Some said he had a fetish for strange clothes, while others claimed he had bipolar disorder. Some even believed he fought recklessly because he had a gangster background, with all the boys in his class being his underlings.

Now, facing the real person, they were so scared they almost stood at attention.

“Who’s in poverty?” Lin Shiyu glared at them, his beautiful face clouded. “Who’s wearing weird clothes?”

“No, not you.”

“We’re just chatting for fun, haha.”

They laughed awkwardly, but Lin Shiyu frowned. “Do you know the person you’re talking about? Are you treating him like a celebrity?”

When Lin Shiyu got angry, he was terrifying, causing them to retreat in fear. At that moment, Gao Jie and Mao Silu appeared, grabbing Lin Shiyu from either side. “What’s wrong? No fighting.”

They forcibly dragged Lin Shiyu away, who was still fuming. “He’s naturally smart and worked hard to get first place. It has nothing to do with anyone else! If you keep gossiping behind his back–”

Gao Jie: “Calm down! Don’t get a headache!”

Mao Silu: “Let’s eat. Zhong Qi bought your favorite egg rolls!”

Another protagonist of the gossip, Zhong Qi, appeared with the egg rolls, gently pressing Lin Shiyu’s head and ruffling his hair. “What happened?”

He glanced at the group. “Did they bully you?”

Lin Shiyu calmed down after Zhong Qi’s arrival, reluctantly letting go of his anger and saying, “No.” He turned and left. Mao Silu and Gao Jie followed, chatting cheerfully. Zhong Qi, a step behind, gave the group a warning look with his dark, cold eyes.

“Congratulations, scholar.” Shen Ziyi respectfully offered Zhong Qi a piece of fried pork. “I won’t pray to the God of Literature anymore, I’ll just pray to you.”

Ruan Zhikai said, “With your poor grades in literature, not even the God of Literature can save you.”

“Ruan Zhikai, did you know you failed biology again? Look at our Brother Lin, he moved up five places in the exams. Now look at you!”

“If I had a top student like Zhong Qi pushing me every day, I’d excel too!”

Lin Shiyu said, “If you enjoy being forced to do homework every day, you can have it.”

Zhong Qi, standing nearby, said, “When have I not coaxed you into doing it?”

“If I get one question wrong, and you give me ten similar ones to do!”

“It’s to teach you to apply what you have learned to other situations, or you’ll keep losing marks on the same type of question. How will you do well in exams?”

“You know I take a long time to do homework, yet you keep pushing me to study–”

They argued but ended up eating together, with Zhong Qi putting spare ribs into Lin Shiyu’s bowl, telling him to grow taller, and not minding when he got kicked. After eating, Zhong Qi said he wanted to take Lin Shiyu to buy some study guides, so they left together.

The others watched them leave, stretching their necks to see their backs.

“Zhong Qi is really good to Shiyu,” Mao Silu said. “Thanks to Zhong Qi, Shiyu’s grades are gradually improving.”

The other three turned to look at him, making Mao Silu shiver. “What’s wrong?”

Gao Jie asked, “Are you really so clueless or are you just pretending?”

Ruan Zhikai added, “No doubt, he’s genuinely clueless.”

“What’s going on?”

Shen Ziyi dramatically held her chopsticks to her chest and recited, “That summer, amidst the crowd, he was the handsome earthly being, and he was the celestial beauty. Their fleeting encounter was unforgettable, and since then, heaven and earth were bound by fate—”

“Speak normally,” Ruan Zhikai interrupted.

Shen Ziyi threw down her chopsticks. “You can’t tell that those two are dating, you idiot?”

Mao Silu was shocked. “Zhong Qi and Shiyu are dating?!”

Ruan Zhikai quickly covered his mouth and signaled for him to lower his voice. Mao Silu’s worldview was completely overturned. “Can men date each other?”

“Of course, they can. Not only can they date, but they can also get married.”

“But I didn’t notice at all…”

“You’re just dense,” Shen Ziyi explained seriously. “Has Brother Qi ever liked a girl? No. Has he ever quarreled like this with anyone else? No. Has he ever teased anyone other than Lin Shiyu? No. Has he ever supervised anyone else’s studies like this? No. When Shiyu fell from the third floor, Qi ran to catch him. Would an ordinary friend run that fast?”

Mao Silu was completely bewildered and muttered, “It seems not.”

Shen Ziyi nodded gracefully, indicating he had finally understood. Gao Jie and Ruan Zhikai patted him sympathetically, urging him to accept the reality of his friends’ relationship and avoid becoming an unwitting third wheel.

“Beep,” went the payment scanner. Lin Shiyu watched as Zhong Qi bought an English grammar book and a biology problem-solving book and put them in a bag. Feeling utterly defeated, Lin Shiyu walked out of the bookstore with him.

“My brain is going to explode.”

Zhong Qi, perfectly composed, said, “My mom sent over a box of pecans the other day. I’ll crack them for you to eat when we get back.”

Lin Shiyu was curious. “Your mom is talking to you again?”

“She heard I got first place, and her mood seems to have improved.”

Still talking, they returned to their rented apartment. Their lunch break wasn’t long, but fortunately, the apartment was on campus. Zhong Qi didn’t want Lin Shiyu to nap on the classroom desk after lunch, so he brought him back to sleep every day.

Lin Shiyu lay on the bed, bored, flipping through the new study guides. Zhong Qi took the books, set them aside, and pulled the blanket over him. “Go to sleep, or you’ll be sleepy this afternoon.”

Lin Shiyu turned his back to Zhong Q. “You bought me so many books; just looking at them makes me sleepy.”

Zhong Qi pinched his cheek and gave him a quick kiss. “No pouting in broad daylight. Sleep.”

He lay down on the bed too, and Lin Shiyu, no longer restless, snuggled into his arms to nap as usual. During the day, they had heavy study loads, especially since Zhong Qi had to complete his own work and then help Lin Shiyu catch up. Though he never complained, he often fell asleep quickly once he lay down.

Occasionally, he had bad dreams, always of Lin Shiyu falling from a blinding light or walking away silently, growing more distant despite Zhong Qi’s shouts and pursuit. Only when he slept holding Lin Shiyu, feeling his warm, familiar presence and fresh scent, did the dreams settle.

Zhong Qi woke up uneasily, frowning. He didn’t see Lin Shiyu next to him. He got up and saw Lin Shiyu standing by the window, leaning out slightly, reaching his hand out as if to catch something.

Hearing movement, Lin Shiyu turned around, his face lit up with a bit of surprise. “Zhong Qi, look, it’s snowing.”

Zhong Qi walked over, wrapped his arm around Lin Shiyu’s waist, and pulled him back from the window slightly before looking outside. Though the coldest days had passed, snow had finally started falling in this northern city. The gentle snowflakes drifted down, forming small icicles on the windowsill.

When they arrived at the classroom, they saw many people leaning over the corridor railings, watching the snow. The snowfall was heavy, continuing throughout the afternoon. By the time the last class ended, a thin white layer had formed on the grass outside the school buildings.

Mao Silu and Ruan Zhikai played in the snow, while Lin Shiyu crouched by the edge, gathering a small snowball. Zhong Qi squatted beside him, watching. Lin Shiyu played for a while before looking at him.

When Zhong Qi looked quietly at the small snowball in Lin Shiyu’s hand, his profile seemed chiseled and calm. His once indifferent and lazy demeanor had subtly changed, now appearing more focused and composed.

Lin Shiyu couldn’t pinpoint the change in Zhong Qi. He called out, “Hey, what’s on your mind?”

Zhong Qi noticed Lin Shiyu’s hands turning red from the cold and cleaned the snow off them, answering, “What’s up?”

“Why do you keep being so quiet?” Lin Shiyu thought Zhong Qi’s mature act was quite convincing.

Zhong Qi smiled, clasping Lin Shiyu’s fingers and bringing them to his lips for a kiss. “What do you want me to say? That I really like you?”

Lin Shiyu quickly pulled his hand away, nervously looking around before giving Zhong Qi a playful punch and walking off.

Zhong Qi watched his back, then followed. When Lin Shiyu glanced back at him before looking away again, Zhong Qi naturally reached out to touch his ear, saying, “Let’s go.”

Lin Shiyu could tell that Zhong Qi wasn’t in a bad mood but seemed to be contemplating something important. He often used to see Zhong Qi lounging in his seat, playing with a pen or on his phone. Yet now, every time Lin Shiyu looked at Zhong Qi, Zhong Qi’s gaze was always on him.

It seemed as if he had always been watching him like this, as if looking at something very important or in the direction of some future moment.

This gaze made Lin Shiyu’s heart inexplicably race.

He wondered if what Zhong Qi was thinking about also had to do with him.

Over the weekend, Lin Shiyu stayed at home for a day. Lin Hui said she wanted to invite Zhong Qi over for dinner. Lin Shiyu was a bit surprised, but since his mom seemed natural and sincere, he told Zhong Qi with a bit of unease.

“My mom knows about us,” Lin Shiyu said to Zhong Qi over the phone. “She figured it out herself. We talked about it when I was in the hospital.”

Zhong Qi asked, “What did she say?”

“She said…whatever I like, she likes too.”

“Got it” Zhong Qi replied calmly. “I’ll come over soon.”

When Zhong Qi arrived, he carried a big bag of fruit and children’s milk and had a large pink Hello Kitty doll, saying it was a gift for Lin Wanyue. Lin Hui hurriedly took the items from him, repeatedly saying he was too polite.

“No need to be so polite,” Zhong Qi smiled politely. “Shiyu takes good care of me and always makes delicious food for me.”

Lin Shiyu took the doll and handed it to Lin Wanyue, thinking Zhong Qi was putting on an act, but let him continue.

Lin Hui had prepared a large meal, and during dinner, she asked about their studies. She listened to Lin Shiyu complain about Zhong Qi assigning him extra homework and making him get up early to memorize English words. Lin Hui laughed and gave Zhong Qi some food.

“Young Zhong studies hard himself and still takes the time to help Little Shiyu. It’s a lot of work,” she said, putting a big piece of rib in Zhong Qi’s bowl. “Our little Shiyu isn’t easy to teach.”

Lin Shiyu, feeling down because of his mom’s comments, said, “Mom, why are you saying that?”

Zhong Qi played along. “He just has a weak foundation. With some extra work, he’ll improve.”

They chatted about their studies, and Lin Hui asked, “Young Zhong, which university do you plan to apply to?”

Zhong Qi put down his chopsticks and answered, “I want to go to Beijing.”

Lin Shiyu was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond. Lin Hui didn’t notice his reaction and nodded. “With your grades, Little Zhong, you can definitely get into a good university.”

Zhong Qi didn’t continue eating. Instead, he said, “Auntie, I originally planned to talk to Shiyu about this, but since you invited me over, I thought I’d say it here.”

Lin Hui and Lin Shiyu, seeing him so serious, put down their chopsticks. Zhong Qi began calmly, “I want to study in Beijing to get a better education and meet more people. Auntie, to be honest, I didn’t have this thought before. I used to be lazy with no goals, spending my days playing on my phone during class, sleeping at home, not doing chores, not liking homework, and ignoring my parents. But after meeting Lin Shiyu, I didn’t want to be like that anymore.

“I don’t want to be useless and hold Lin Shiyu back. He’s very kind and wouldn’t easily abandon someone, but I can’t be a burden to him.”

Lin Shiyu stared at him in a daze, then looked at Lin Hui. Lin Hui’s eyes were a bit red, and she gently said, “You’re still young. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The future–”

“I know I’m still young and there’s not much I can do now, but you still let Shiyu stay with me because you love him and want to support his choice” Zhong Qi said seriously. “I hope you can trust me.”

“Of course, of course. How could you be useless? You’re a good kid, Zhong Qi,” Lin Hui said, a bit incoherent, just holding Zhong Qi’s hand and repeating, “You’re a good kid.”

After dinner, Lin Shiyu followed Zhong Qi back to school. Lin Shiyu was silent the whole way, only realizing they had reached the riverside when Zhong Qi stopped his bike.

In the evening, the sky was filled with brilliant sunset colors. The clear sky after the snow was reflected in the wide river, resembling the storm center in “Fish Island,” where the sky and water merged, and clouds drifted in the water.

Zhong Qi stopped his bike, and Lin Shiyu jumped down to stand beside him.

“Are you angry?” Zhong Qi asked.

Lin Shiyu was puzzled. “Angry about what?”

“I thought you’d be upset that I changed my mind and want to study out of town.”

“Why would I be?” Lin Shiyu said, “No matter where you go, I can visit you.”

He earnestly explained that he wasn’t upset, making Zhong Qi smile. Zhong Qi then sat on the bike’s rear seat, pulled Lin Shiyu close, and tilted his head up to look at him. “Then you won’t leave, right?”

“I never wanted to be far from you.” Zhong Qi held his hand and said, “but I want to be with you forever.”

Lin Shiyu, feeling Zhong Qi’s tight grip, was a bit lost. However, looking into Zhong Qi’s dark eyes, he suddenly understood what Zhong Qi meant.

‘I scared him,’ Lin Shiyu thought. His impulsiveness and rashness had brought the darkest part of his past to Zhong Qi in the most extreme way. He regretted his choices and had been trying to change his bad temper ever since, to avoid hurting himself or his little world.

“I won’t leave.” Lin Shiyu stood in front of Zhong Qi, the gentle afterglow of the sunset falling on them, casting long shadows. Lin Shiyu’s amber eyes were bright and clear, reflecting Zhong Qi’s figure. He said, “I will work hard to catch up with you.”

Lin Shiyu gathered his courage, held Zhong Qi’s face, and blushing, gently kissed his forehead, leaving a soft, warm mark.

“We can… pinky swear.” Lin Shiyu said softly, extending his pinky to touch Zhong Qi’s hand. “I keep my promises.”

Zhong Qi looked at him, slowly raised his hand, and hooked his pinky finger.

“Okay, pinky swear.”

They hooked their fingers together, leaving the mark of their promise in the gentle, brilliant light of the setting sun.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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