KMYB | Chapter 22

Zhou Zeqi pinched the spoon in his right hand and bent it completely in two.

He looked at Xi Shui, let out a breath, his eyes dark as ink. "Yes, I'm yours."

Xi Shui sat down in satisfaction and started eating.

"Then what do we do with all this?" Xi Shui looked at the mountain of snacks and worried.

He couldn't eat that much by himself either.

If he took it home, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist, and would end up eating it all in one go.

He had never been to the sports institute before, and had no idea the alumni there were actually this enthusiastic!

Zhou Zeqi fed rice into his mouth. "If you want to eat it, eat it. If you don't, toss it."

"But it's such a waste." Xi Shui frowned.

"Or, you could eat it all?" Xi Shui suggested.

Zhou Zeqi lowered his eyes, glanced at the snack mountain on the table, and laughed. "You think I can eat all this?"

"I think you can."

"Sorry to disappoint you, I can't." Seeing Xi Shui taking tiny bites of pudding, looking absent-minded, Zhou Zeqi sent a message to Wu Fengyi and the others.

"What are you looking at?" Xi Shui asked.

Zhou Zeqi took a sip of his drink. "Helping you call over a few rice buckets."

As soon as he said that, Xi Shui looked up and saw the tall, broad-shouldered Wu Fengyi and the others squeezing over from next door.

They were really tall and broad, every one of them over 1.85 meters, not a single stick-thin frame among them.

No wonder Lin Xiaojin liked Wu Fengyi so desperately.

Zhou Zeqi saw Xi Shui staring at Wu Fengyi, confirmed it again and again, yes, he really was looking at Wu Fengyi, then waved a hand in front of Xi Shui's face. "That good-looking?"

Xi Shui withdrew his gaze. "You're better looking."

"…"

After Wu Fengyi and the others arrived, he picked up a jelly from the table, tore open the wrapper, tipped his head back, and poured it straight into his mouth. It went down with a loud gulp.

Xi Shui looked at him in surprise.

"What are you looking at?" Wu Fengyi reached for the pudding. "Old Zhou eats like this too."

Zhou Zeqi said lightly, "Don't listen to him. I don't eat like that."

Meng Kewen sat down beside Xi Shui and casually tossed a bag of cookies to each of the teammates, then turned back to Zhou Zeqi. "Old Zhou, next week we're going to watch the meteor shower. Coming or not?"

Zhou Zeqi wasn't very interested in this kind of recreational activity.

Seeing Zhou Zeqi not answer and just bury his head in his meal, eating like a wolf, Meng Kewen turned to ask Xi Shui instead. "Xiaoxi, want to go watch the meteor shower?"

Xi Shui was scooping pudding with a small spoon, very seriously. "Where's there a meteor shower?"

"I saw it online. We can go to Jili Mountain in Changpu County. That mountain is great, sunrise is good there, and watching meteor showers is no problem either. We can have a picnic, bring a few tents ourselves. What do you think?"

Xi Shui was tempted by Meng Kewen's suggestion. "Sounds nice."

Zhou Zeqi finally lifted his eyes. "You like it?" He was asking Xi Shui.

"I've never had a picnic before."

Xi Shui had grown up with his parents and grandma. Everyone was often busy with performances, sometimes performing separately. When they rarely had time together, they didn't discuss what to eat or what to play. Xi Shui didn't think that kind of life was boring or dull at all.

But he was also very interested in the activity Meng Kewen had suggested.

He had never traveled with the sole purpose of having fun. Every trip to another city or country had been for competitions, performances, or to watch performances.

"Do you want to go?" Zhou Zeqi asked.

Xi Shui nodded.

"I want to."

Zhou Zeqi looked at Meng Kewen. "Then I'm going."

Wu Fengyi was pouring chips into his mouth. He exchanged a look with Meng Kewen, as if to say, see? Talking to Xi Shui works better than talking to Old Zhou. Old Zhou's not worth much now.

Meng Kewen was full of fighting spirit.

One foot on the footrest under the table, the other on the crossbar connecting two chairs, he sat in a very heroic pose and continued to say to Xi Shui, "We already scraped together three cars, but we're still short one. Wu Fengyi's brother needs to use his car to get to and from work."

Zhou Zeqi: "I'll cover it."

Meng Kewen was lying on the table, holding back laughter. "What about tents? Actually, we can rent them, but the rented ones are usually not great quality. Little mosquitoes might crawl in and bite us until we're covered in bumps."

Zhou Zeqi: "I'll cover it."

Xi Shui looked at Zhou Zeqi in some surprise. "How come everything's you paying?"

Zhou Zeqi glanced at Xi Shui, and before he could say anything, Meng Kewen and Wu Fengyi both burst out laughing.

"…"

"Are you still eating?" Zhou Zeqi looked at the half-finished meal in front of Xi Shui.

Xi Shui shook his head. "Not anymore." His appetite had never been that big to begin with. Only when he was in a bad mood would he eat especially a lot.

Zhou Zeqi pushed his own already empty tray aside, then started helping Xi Shui finish the leftovers.

Xi Shui looked at Meng Kewen and the others, then at Zhou Zeqi, embarrassed beyond words. "Don't eat that."

"Did you poison it?"

"No poison, but, this, this was already eaten by me."

Zhou Zeqi gave a soft laugh, his gaze on Xi Shui deep and meaningful.

Xi Shui pointed at the snacks he still hadn't finished. "Then why don't you eat these?"

Meng Kewen raised his hand. "I know this one! Old Zhou doesn't eat handouts! Right?"

Xi Shui laughed with his head tilted back. "Hahaha."

Zhou Zeqi's expression was unreadable.

"Still better than eating leftovers," Xi Shui said softly.

"…"

Meng Kewen was stuffing cookies into his mouth, looking at Xi Shui in disbelief. This kid was too bold. That mouth, that courage, that fearless spirit, worthy of praise.

Zhou Zeqi hadn't given Xi Shui much food in the first place, and in a few bites he finished the rest.

Xi Shui took out a tissue, leaned over, and wiped Zhou Zeqi's mouth. "Wipe off."

Zhou Zeqi took the tissue from Xi Shui's hand, his gaze on Xi Shui warm and possessive. Xi Shui, standing in the middle of it, had no idea, but Wu Fengyi and Meng Kewen could sense Zhou Zeqi's uniquely different treatment toward Xi Shui.

The two of them shot to their feet and hugged each other. "Ooooohhh~~~"

–

After lunch, Zhou Zeqi took Xi Shui to their sports institute's swimming pool to watch the competition.

Although Xi Shui was already a sophomore, Jing University was so huge that many people might still have places they'd never been even by graduation.

And Xi Shui was immersed in his own world of dance, not hearing what was happening outside his window. Other than the practice studio and home, he didn't know eighty percent of the school, and even when he attended activities, he only took part in ones related to dance.

The swimming pool had been built many years ago, and Jing University had its own campus swimming team, which had won gold medals several times in national college student swimming competitions.

Wu Fengyi said from the side, "Old Zhou is the swimming team's captain."

Xi Shui immediately showed a delighted expression. "You can swim too?"

Zhou Zeqi pulled him to his side. "You can't?"

"I can't."

"Want me to teach you during summer break?"

"Okay!"

The competition at the swimming pool was a small internal school event. Every college could participate, while the professionals could only step back into the role of staff.

Zhou Zeqi held Xi Shui's hand and walked in through the gate. The venue was full of screaming and trumpet-blowing. As soon as they came in, the deputy captain Zhang Kan spotted them.

Not surprised. Not the slightest fucking surprise.

Half an hour earlier, Zhang Kan had seen on the forum that Zhou Zeqi had taken his boyfriend to wander around Jing Sports University cafeteria, and he already predicted that his own turf would not be spared by Old Zhou either.

Zhang Kan tossed the whistle from his neck to someone beside him and bent down to carry a few bottles of water over from the chair.

"Hi, I'm Zhang Kan, a junior, deputy captain of the swimming team, and in the same class as Zhou Zeqi."

Xi Shui took the water he handed over. "Thank you, I'm Xi Shui."

Zhang Kan thought that Xi Shui in person seemed, how should he put it, a little more approachable than those photos.

On the forum, Xi Shui's photos looked even more distant than Zhou Zeqi's, especially some of the stage shots, completely in the category of "only to be admired from afar, not whatever you want to do."

Zhang Kan found them the best seats and, after he was done, leaned on the railing and looked down. "A bunch of weaklings."

Xi Shui leaned against Zhou Zeqi's right shoulder and asked softly, "What does weaklings mean?"

Zhou Zeqi answered him, "It means a bunch of little punks."

"You're a weakling?"

"I'm not."

"Zhou weakling."

"…"

Zhou Zeqi's gaze moved slowly from the splashing swimming pool to Xi Shui's face, who was muttering nonstop beside him. Suddenly, he reached out, pinched both of Xi Shui's cheeks into a goldfish mouth, then kissed him hard.

The noise in the swimming pool abruptly vanished.

All that remained by their ears was the suddenly faster pounding of their heartbeats.

Luckily, Zhou Zeqi only kissed him for a few seconds.

Xi Shui felt this wasn't very worth it, while also hurrying to look around. "What are you doing~"

Zhou Zeqi leaned close to his face. "Who is the weakling?"

"You are." Xi Shui refused to give in.

As soon as he said that, he covered his mouth.

Zhou Zeqi leaned closer again, forcing Xi Shui to arch backward at the waist. "Who is the weakling?"

As he spoke, Zhou Zeqi's hand pinched Xi Shui's waist, moving inch by inch upward along the line.

Xi Shui was ticklish.

And he felt that being this close with Zhou Zeqi was too intimate.

"Weakling… Xi Shui is the weakling." Xi Shui hurriedly begged for mercy.

Zhang Kan, Wu Fengyi, and Meng Kewen were all leaning on the railing, all three with blank expressions.

Zhang Kan: "Has the captain gone crazy?"

Wu Fengyi: "Hasn't he always been like this? Quiet as an old dog, crazy as a wolfdog."

Meng Kewen: "May Xi Shui be safe and sound, happy and joyful, whole and intact. Amen."

Zhou Zeqi's temper wasn't exactly good, and his principles were very strong.

At the cafeteria, there was absolutely no way he would eat those things, but if it was Xi Shui's leftover meal, he could finish it without leaving a single grain behind.

It had always been like this. Gifts from suitors were either thrown away immediately or handed to the little teammates on the team. No one else was allowed to touch his things. It wasn't cleanliness, Zhou Zeqi didn't have a cleanliness obsession.

His sense of territorial possession was terrifyingly strong.

If it was his, then no matter how broken or shabby, it was still his.

At three-thirty, Xi Shui had to go back to class.

"I'll see you out." Zhou Zeqi stood up with him.

Xi Shui pressed him back down, solemnly shaking his head. "N-no need."

He glanced toward the exit, then back, slowly lifted the hand resting on Zhou Zeqi's shoulder, and unexpectedly tapped Zhou Zeqi's head twice. "Weakling, see you tonight."

With that, before Zhou Zeqi could react, he ran off at full speed.

Because they were always competing, whether it was Xi Shui or Zhou Zeqi, they both had a strange competitive streak in all kinds of matters.

Zhou Zeqi froze for a moment. Coming back to himself, he glanced at the canvas bag on the seat beside him and leaned casually back into the chair.

Less than two minutes later.

Xi Shui came back, shuffling and dragging his feet.

He sized up the calm Zhou Zeqi. "My bag, I forgot to take it."

Careful not to touch Zhou Zeqi, he bent down and reached for his bag. The moment he touched it, the strap was hooked by Zhou Zeqi, and the boy lifted his eyelids.

Xi Shui was made numb by Zhou Zeqi's gaze. After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "Qiqi, give the schoolbag to the weakling."

"…"

Zhou Zeqi loosened his grip.

Xi Shui grabbed the bag and ran off again.

Wu Fengyi then sat down in the seat Xi Shui had just left and watched the direction Xi Shui had gone with Zhou Zeqi.

After a long while.

Wu Fengyi finally asked, "Wasn't it Xi Shui who confessed first? How come it looks like you're way more into it than him?"

Zhou Zeqi withdrew his gaze.

"Who said the one who confesses first means the one who likes first?"

"And who told you," Zhou Zeqi paused, his tone meaningful, "that confessing means liking?"

Wu Fengyi didn't understand. He mulled it over for quite a while, then roughly got it.

He slung an arm around Zhou Zeqi's shoulder and gave him two encouraging punches. "Broaden your horizons. Since you're already together, that means he likes you."

If it were anyone else, Wu Fengyi and the others would definitely tell Old Zhou to sober up and not get too obsessed.

But!

The other person!

Was Xi Shui!

Not someone else, it was Xi Shui!

–

After class ended in the afternoon, while walking through the corridor of the main building, Lin Xiaojin sent Xi Shui all the photos he had saved from the forum. "I sent you the ones I think look good. You can use them as wallpaper."

Xi Shui was drinking water while looking at the photos. When he walked with Zhou Zeqi, he hadn't felt that they were especially intimate, but when he saw these photos, his cheeks burned and his heart raced.

Lin Xiaojin somehow pulled out a handful of five-spice melon seeds and stuffed half of them into Xi Shui's pocket, then while cracking seeds with one hand, asked, "Xiaoxi, I feel like King Yama Zhou really likes you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to your confession."

"You like him too, right?"

"It wasn't all just for kissing, was it?"

Xi Shui saved the photos one by one to his album. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Lin Xiaojin said. "Kissing me can also burn calories. If you kiss me, we can both lose weight, we'd get double the happiness, how about it?"

Xi Shui frowned. "Ew."

Lin Xiaojin: "…"

"So," Lin Xiaojin stuffed melon seed shells into Xi Shui's pocket, "that's what liking is."

Xi Shui lowered his head and took the shells out, throwing them into a trash can. "Is it?"

"No need to doubt it, it's very simple. Just think about it, if Zhou Zeqi were behind your back sweet-talking and flirting with someone else, how would you feel?" Lin Xiaojin gave a thoughtful example.

Xi Shui thought about it. "I'd think he had bad character."

"…"

"I'm not asking you to judge whether he has good character or bad character, I'm asking if you'd be sad."

"I'd be a little disappointed," Xi Shui said as he walked down the steps, squinting against the afternoon sun. "If he wanted to be with someone else, he should first break up with me, then be with someone else. If he did what you said, that would also hurt the other person."

"Very good, your analysis is very good," Lin Xiaojin gave a thumbs-up. "Don't analyze next time."

Xi Shui: "Did I say something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong, but that's not the point."

"Then what's the point?"

Lin Xiaojin伸出手指, tapped Xi Shui's chest. "The point is your feelings. Your feelings, whether you'd be happy because of him, whether you'd be sad because of him, whether your emotions would rise and fall because of him."

Xi Shui was poked into a dazed expression. "Xiaojin, you know so much."

"I've just done enough prep work for when I date in the future, unlike you, charging straight in."

The sunset was dim and yellow, shining over Huaiyin Avenue lined with pagoda trees.

Xi Shui touched his face. "Even after preparing so much, you're still single, aren't you? None of it has even come in handy…"

"…"

"Who says so?!"

"I know you like Wu Fengyi," Xi Shui suddenly stopped and pulled Lin Xiaojin back. "Xiaojin, next week I'm going to watch the meteor shower with Zhou Zeqi and the others. I'll take you with me, and Wu Fengyi is going too."

"Also, I want you to come with me. I'm not very familiar with them."

Lin Xiaojin curled his lip. "You and Zhou Zeqi have already kissed, and that still doesn't count as familiar?"

Xi Shui said slowly, "Kissing doesn't mean I'm familiar with him either."

Lin Xiaojin: "?"

"Damn!" Lin Xiaojin's expression exaggeratedly changed as he circled Xi Shui a few times. "Didn't see that coming. You've got potential to be a scumbag."

Xi Shui heard Lin Xiaojin call him a scumbag.

He immediately began a confused, incoherent explanation.

"I didn't mean that kind of not familiar. What I meant is, other than knowing his name and his major, I don't know anything else," Xi Shui's voice got smaller and smaller. "I'm not a scumbag."

"See, you're different." Xi Shui looked at Lin Xiaojin with envy. "You even know Wu Fengyi's hip measurement."

Lin Xiaojin knew Xi Shui often said shocking things, but he hadn't expected this level of shock. He hurriedly dragged Xi Shui forward. "Lower your voice, it won't be good if someone hears."

Xi Shui was pulled along as he walked. He thought that Lin Xiaojin was right, since he and Zhou Zeqi were dating, he should get to know the other person more.

And then, Zhou Zeqi should also get to know him better.

–

There was a national college student swimming competition during summer break, and Zhou Zeqi had to train with the swimming team every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

Xi Shui and Lin Xiaojin went home by themselves after eating at the cafeteria.

After finishing his evening practice, Xi Shui took out a tiny notebook from the small bookshelf, only about the size of his palm. He sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table and wrote in the notebook:

Everything about Zhou Zeqi/Qiqi:

Name: Zhou Zeqi

Gender: Male

Major: Sports Institute, Sports Rehabilitation, junior

What they call him: Zhou Yama, Old Zhou

What Xiaoxi calls him: Zhou Zeqi, Qiqi

Height: Seems like 192 cm~

Weight:

Hobbies:

Specialties: Basketball, swimming, sanda…

How many people in his family:

Place of origin:

Xi Shui's pen paused, then he went back and crossed out "place of origin," changing it to native place.

It still didn't seem right.

He crossed it out again.

Changed it to: where are you from.

Birthday:

Age:

Xi Shui counted on his fingers. He was a sophomore now, had turned eighteen last summer, and Zhou Zeqi was one year above him. Zhou Zeqi had turned nineteen last year, so this year he should be… not yet twenty.

In the column for physical condition, Xi Shui wrote "excellent."

That was about it.

General personal information was usually just these things.

Xi Shui took a sip of water and, thinking of how much Lin Xiaojin knew about Wu Fengyi, felt that his own understanding of Zhou Zeqi also needed to go deeper.

Xi Shui bent over the notebook and kept writing.

Leg length:

Waist circumference:

Abs: 8

Has a V-line: Yes

Eye color:

Favorite food:

Catchphrase:

Motto:

People he hates:

People he likes:

Ideal partner:

OK!

This was for Zhou Zeqi. Next, Xi Shui was going to write his own. When Zhou Zeqi finished training later, he'd have Zhou Zeqi fill these in, then he would give Zhou Zeqi his own notebook to fill out.

He didn't want to be a scumbag.

–

By the time Zhou Zeqi got home, it was almost ten. The night was deep and thick, but the air still carried the day's residual heat.

Xi Shui had asked Zhou Zeqi in advance and was waiting for him at the door. When the elevator dinged, a few seconds later Zhou Zeqi appeared in sight. Seeing Xi Shui, he froze for a moment, then frowned and strode toward him.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"It's still early," Xi Shui grabbed Zhou Zeqi's wrist and led him into his apartment. "Come in, I want to show you something."

The two sat facing each other, each cross-legged on either side of the coffee table.

Xi Shui poured Zhou Zeqi a glass of water.

Then, like he was presenting a treasure, he took out the notebook.

"Fill it in." He put the pen down with it.

Zhou Zeqi lowered his head and glanced at the contents: "…"

"Why are you writing these?" Zhou Zeqi didn't quite understand, but he still picked up the pen and filled in the questions waiting for answers.

"What do you mean, 'seems like 192'?"

Xi Shui's face was full of guilt. "I want to understand you more, but some things I'm not really sure about, so I'll let you tell me."

Zhou Zeqi's breathing paused slightly. He lifted his eyelids, smiling and not smiling. "You don't know anything, and you confessed to me?"

Xi Shui hid both hands under the coffee table, twisting them together. "It was enough that I knew you were Zhou Zeqi."

Zhou Zeqi's dark eyes lingered on Xi Shui's face for a moment, then he said nothing more and lowered his head to keep filling it out.

After a long while, Zhou Zeqi said lazily while writing, "Xi Shui, since you asked all this, then you have to remember it."

Xi Shui nodded. "I know."

Within a few minutes, Zhou Zeqi finished writing. He pushed the notebook in front of Xi Shui. "Check it."

"Okay."

Xi Shui held up the notebook and read through it carefully line by line.

Compared with Xi Shui's delicate handwriting, Zhou Zeqi's script was sharp and forceful, every character one size larger than Xi Shui's, with a very steady hand.

"Wow, you weigh over 170 jin. I wouldn't have guessed. It must be because your body fat is low, you have so much muscle."

"No catchphrase, I don't have one either."

"People you hate… people who like Xi Shui?"

"People you like, Xi Shui…"

Xi Shui's voice got quieter and quieter, not only because the content was gradually becoming about himself, but also because the gaze across from him was becoming more and more scorching hot.

He forced himself to continue reading.

"Ideal partner, Xi Shui."

Finished.

Xi Shui slowly put the notebook down. Without anything to block him, he didn't even know where to look.

His hands tightened more and more on his knees. "Don't keep looking at me."

"Satisfied?" Zhou Zeqi propped his chin on his hand, his eyes teasing. "You just said that after I finished writing, you'd show me something else. What is it?"

Xi Shui was distracted and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then flipped the notebook to the back page and placed it in front of Zhou Zeqi.

Zhou Zeqi lowered his eyes.

It was Xi Shui's personal information.

Whatever Zhou Zeqi had answered for Xi Shui, Xi Shui had answered the same about himself.

Name, nickname, age, height…

Weight: 50.33 kg (Note: Often fluctuates up and down, but won't actually get fat, sometimes weighs a little more when wearing more clothes…)

Seeing this long note, Zhou Zeqi couldn't hold back a laugh.

Xi Shui, seeing him laugh, asked nervously, "Is it that funny?"

Zhou Zeqi didn't answer.

He kept reading line by line, not missing a single character. When he reached the part about no abs, Zhou Zeqi tilted his head and looked at Xi Shui. "You don't have abs?" Generally speaking, dance students also had a lot of physical training. Having abs wasn't hard.

His tone was very calm.

But Xi Shui immediately lifted his shirt. "No, I don't."

His waist was very thin, and his skin was pale, looking under the light as if brushed with a thin layer of milk.

There was a very obvious V-line, and the abs… you could make out the shape, but they weren't very clear.

Zhou Zeqi looked away very slowly, his voice somehow turning lower. "Body type issue, that's normal."

He continued reading.

"Favorite food, many?"

Xi Shui nodded very lightly.

There were no people he hated, and the people he liked… also many?

Zhou Zeqi glanced at Xi Shui, who was completely unaware of anything, then picked up the pen and added a parenthetical note after this item.

(Most liked person is Zhou Zeqi)

Ideal partner: People who do not do evil because it is small, and do not fail to do good because it is small.

Zhou Zeqi slowly put the notebook down. "Done reading."

Xi Shui nodded. "Mm, then did you remember it?"

"Most of your information, apart from the more private parts, is basically common knowledge." Zhou Zeqi reached out and poked Xi Shui's forehead. "Do I need you to tell me your name is Xi Shui?"

Xi Shui's skin was very delicate and left marks easily. Even now, there was still a faint tooth mark on his face, from the day Zhou Zeqi bit him.

"An introduction should be complete, of course." Xi Shui said.

"Then my information, did you remember it?"

"Roughly."

"Roughly?"

Xi Shui folded both arms on the edge of the table and sat upright, looking at Zhou Zeqi as he said word by word, "Although I can't immediately know everything about you, I believe that in the days ahead, I'll understand you more and more, and you'll understand me more and more too."

The boy sitting across from him had an honesty and fervor so genuine that all the room's light seemed incredibly dim by comparison. The light fell on his somewhat narrow shoulders and became something secondary, mere embellishment.

Then do you like me?

Zhou Zeqi looked at the other person. The words rolled around on the tip of his tongue a few times, then he swallowed them back down.

Xi Shui clearly didn't understand. What he said came from his own sense of responsibility and intuition.

Maybe if it were someone else, he'd still say the same thing.

He didn't want to scare Xi Shui.

The little swan had already settled into this dense and flourishing forest. It had entered by accident, and the forest had welcomed it on purpose.

It danced and rested in the forest.

One day, the little swan would know.

This was the forest that belonged uniquely to it, and only to it.

–

The next morning, just after Xi Shui finished his early practice, his phone rang.

So early, who was calling?

"Hello, Xi Shui!" Wu Fengyi was shouting on the other end of the line, heart-rendingly loud. "We remembered it wrong, we remembered it wrong!"

Xi Shui was baffled. "What got remembered wrong?"

"Meng Kewen remembered the date wrong. The meteor shower is tonight, not next weekend. It's this weekend, tonight to tomorrow," Wu Fengyi knew it was useless to look for Zhou Zeqi, first because he didn't dare call him this early, second because Zhou Zeqi couldn't be bothered to listen to their chatter. "Xiaoxi~ Go call Old Zhou, tell him to hurry home and get the car, take us, no, take you to watch the meteor shower."

From what could already be seen yesterday in the cafeteria, Zhou Zeqi only listened to Xi Shui, and only had a good temper with Xi Shui.

As for Meng Kewen getting the date wrong, Old Zhou would not indulge him at all. It would just be, then we're not going.

"Xiaoxi, do you want to watch the meteor shower?"

"I want to!"

Ten minutes later, Xi Shui appeared from the small balcony at Zhou Zeqi's door.

He had called Zhou Zeqi in advance.

Xi Shui waved at him. "Good morning."

"…"

Zhou Zeqi looked half asleep, said nothing, and walked straight forward, lifting Xi Shui up around the waist and tossing him over his shoulder.

Xi Shui was shocked out of his mind. "Zhou Zeqi!"

The world spun before his eyes. Xi Shui knew Zhou Zeqi was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong!

In the blink of an eye, Xi Shui was pressed down on the bed. The bed was huge, but he could only be held in Zhou Zeqi's arms.

"I have morning grumpiness, you didn't know?" Zhou Zeqi buried his face in Xi Shui's neck, rubbed against him, and his voice was hoarse.

Xi Shui trembled, his eyes panicked. "I… I didn't know. You didn't write having morning grumpiness in the personal information you gave me."

Zhou Zeqi gave a muffled laugh.

The person on top of him was heavy. The thin fabric of his summer pajamas made Xi Shui acutely aware of the other's body temperature, higher than his own, and he could feel the other person's breathing and heartbeat all too clearly.

Xi Shui pushed at Zhou Zeqi. "Wu Fengyi said Meng Kewen got the time wrong. He said we need to set off today, and we need a car."

"Mm…"

"Then get up."

"Mm…"

"Weakling~" Xi Shui lifted his face and whispered in Zhou Zeqi's ear, thinking Zhou Zeqi had fallen asleep again.

Zhou Zeqi's eyes opened almost instantly.

He propped himself up on his arms and looked down at Xi Shui.

Xi Shui was frightened. "Y-you're not asleep?"

The stray hair hanging down over his forehead made Zhou Zeqi seem less aggressive, but the faint scrutiny made Xi Shui feel even more uneasy.

"Are you going to kiss me?" Xi Shui asked softly.

Zhou Zeqi's gaze moved little by little down Xi Shui's face, his Adam's apple bobbing.

A moment later, Zhou Zeqi lay back down and pulled Xi Shui firmly into his arms. He pressed his lips to Xi Shui's ear and said something in a low voice.

Xi Shui's face turned red instantly, and he struggled violently in Zhou Zeqi's embrace.

"Why are you running?" Zhou Zeqi held him down. "Didn't you bring yourself to my door? Help your big brother, come on."

Seeing that Xi Shui was truly embarrassed beyond endurance, Zhou Zeqi loosened his hold a little. Looking at the breathless Xi Shui, Zhou Zeqi asked softly, "Who is the weakling?"

Xi Shui was panting, his collar slipping to one side without him noticing. "I am the weakling."

"Who are you?"

"Xi Shui."

"What is Xi Shui?"

Xi Shui was being teased by Zhou Zeqi until he was about to explode. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xi Shui is the weakling! Xi Shui is the weakling!"

Zhou Zeqi saw the tears glistening in Xi Shui's eyes.

He didn't know whether to laugh or get angry.

But enough was enough.

"Go pack your things. I'll wash up, then we'll go home to get the car." Zhou Zeqi got off the bed and, as he did, also lifted Xi Shui up.

With red eyes, Xi Shui stared blankly as Zhou Zeqi put on his clothes right in front of him.

"What? Don't want to leave…" Zhou Zeqi said as he walked toward Xi Shui.

Xi Shui came to his senses, stood up, and ran like the wind.

–

Xi Shui carried only a schoolbag, with toiletries and a large water bottle, which he held in his hand.

Zhou Zeqi closed the door. "Come on, let's go eat breakfast at my place."

Xi Shui was led by the hand by Zhou Zeqi, still a little dazed. "I, go to your place?"

"If not, whose place do you want to go to?"

Meeting the parents was a very serious matter.

Given his current relationship with Zhou Zeqi, it wasn't appropriate to meet the parents yet.

"Then how are you going to introduce me?"

"We're dating. How do you think I should introduce you?"

Xi Shui fell silent.

Zhou Zeqi lowered his eyes, pressed the elevator button, and while waiting for the floor, said flatly, "I'll give you two choices, one, we don't go watch the meteor shower anymore. Two, I'll introduce you to my mom as my boyfriend."

"Xi Shui, you choose."

Xi Shui didn't hesitate for long.

"I want to watch the meteor shower."

"…"

Zhou Zeqi laughed.

A laugh of exasperation.

They took a taxi to one of Jingcheng's famous villa districts, with Swan Lake, a golf course, and a private elite elementary, middle, and high school complex…

Xi Shui knew this place.

Morning light spilled over the lake, glittering on the surface. On the hill, a few white swans were dozing, their necks slender and soft, their feathers snow-white.

Willow branches hanging over the lake swayed in the wind, stirring one ripple after another across the water.

After winding around a few hills, they came to a villa. In the courtyard, the fountain…

"A rainbow!" Xi Shui said.

Zhou Zeqi paid the fare, pointed out the shorter route out to the driver, and pulled Xi Shui over to open the door.

Face recognition plus fingerprint recognition.

The iron gate slowly opened to both sides.

The huge living room was very quiet, not a single person in sight.

Xi Shui looked around. Unlike his own home, where every corner had been carefully arranged by Li Wanzhi, the décor and furnishings in Zhou Zeqi's house were all in a unified minimalist style, but you could tell every piece was expensive, with the low-key aura of wealth rushing toward him.

Zhou Zeqi found Xi Shui a pair of new slippers. Just after he changed into them, an auntie came running out from a side door.

As she ran, she kept exclaiming, "Oh my, oh my, why didn't you say you were coming back? Oh my, breakfast will be ready soon, sit, sit, oh my, sit down."

"Where's my mom?"

The auntie kept sizing Xi Shui up. So handsome, really handsome.

"In the kitchen," the auntie said.

Xi Shui nodded at her. "Hello."

Chi Xiu was busy making breakfast in the kitchen.

She was good at making desserts.

She was holding a small scraper and scraping cream when she heard a "Mom" from behind. She jumped, turned around, and the first person she saw was not Zhou Zeqi.

It was Xi Shui.

"Oh… oh… that, you two go sit, sit down."

Zhou Zeqi: "…"

Hopeless.

Chi Xiu was a looks person.

Right now she was following a domestic boy band, and had just switched idols. Every few months she changed idols. She had once been a top fan account admin for a certain male star, a well-known fan leader for a certain female star, and had been a mom fan, an auntie fan, and a big sister fan.

Zhou Zeqi took two small cakes from the plate, gave one to Xi Shui, and stuffed the other straight into his own mouth. "I'm taking the car and leaving. Wu Wings and the others are waiting."

"Sit, sit, sit down," Chi Xiu said, but her eyes were still on Xi Shui.

Xi Shui said, "Auntie, hello, my name is Xi Shui."

Chi Xiu wiped her hands. "I'm Chi Xiu."

"Ah, no, I'm Zhou Zeqi's mom."

Zhou Zeqi took a few more slices of bread, spread them with jam, layered on lettuce, and handed them to Xi Shui. Seeing Xi Shui eating in small bites, he looked away. "Where are the car keys?"

"They're all hanging in the garage," Chi Xiu said. "Not eating?"

"I'm not. Xi Shui has a small appetite. Even if you prepare this much, he can't finish it," Zhou Zeqi said as he led Xi Shui outside. "No need to see us off."

Chi Xiu knew Zhou Zeqi was still angry with his father. The two of them were carved from the same mold of stubbornness, neither willing to bow their heads.

He wouldn't even drive his father's car, and had called specifically to ask for his own car.

"Madam." The auntie opened the refrigerator and handed her a bag of desserts.

Chi Xiu took off her apron and chased after them with the bag.

"Take these snacks with you, eat them on the road." Chi Xiu handed them to Zhou Zeqi. He said no need, and Xi Shui looked at Zhou Zeqi, then reached out and took the bag into his own hands.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Chi Xiu saw them off to the entrance. The family's security guard drove the car out. Zhou Zeqi took the keys handed over to him, then turned to Chi Xiu and said, "Before I came back, I told you I'd bring my partner home. Did you see him now?"

Xi Shui was about to climb into the front passenger seat, and hearing himself being mentioned, he turned back. "Auntie, his partner is me."

Chi Xiu's heavy mood was swept away. Covering her mouth, she laughed. "Okay, okay, it's you, I know it's you. The second son has a bad temper. If he bullies you, come find Auntie. Come home for a meal sometime when you have time."

"If you like anything to eat, just tell the second son. The second son has a little treasury."

It took nearly ten minutes to say goodbye to Chi Xiu. Zhou Zeqi opened the front passenger door, watched Xi Shui get in, then shut the door and turned to look at Chi Xiu. "Ma'am, are you trying to eat my boyfriend alive?"

Chi Xiu put on a stern face. "Listen to yourself. Do I seem like that kind of person?"

Then she lowered her voice and asked, "Is your money still enough? Dating costs money. I'll transfer you some later, don't mistreat him."

"This child looks like the kind people would like." Chi Xiu's instincts as someone who's been through it told her so.

Zhou Zeqi laughed. "True, lots of people at school like him."

"I said so, my judgment was right. Who wouldn't like this? I like him too…"

"…"

"I'm leaving. Do as you please, bye."

Zhou Zeqi went around to the driver's side, got in, and drove off cleanly and decisively.

Chi Xiu: "…"

–

Zhou Zeqi's car was a rugged black off-road vehicle, just like his own personality.

Driving fast along the road, Xi Shui peeled open the paper bag and looked inside. It was sliced mille-feuille cake, with several flavors. "Wow, Auntie is so nice."

Zhou Zeqi glanced at Xi Shui. "She made it specially for you."

Xi Shui held the bag carefully, then said, "Did you argue with your family?"

"Mm." Zhou Zeqi's expression didn't show much, so it was impossible to tell his mood.

"Why?"

"They didn't want me to study sports. I applied for business administration, then transferred to sports. I did it on purpose." Zhou Zeqi said lightly. "I'll inherit the family company, but I wanted to irritate my dad a bit and get some revenge."

Zhou Zeqi smiled, his tone a little wicked.

Xi Shui looked at him for a while and thought he probably understood Zhou Zeqi.

Zhou Zeqi liking sports was probably the same as him liking dance.

If his family made him give up dancing too, Xi Shui felt he'd definitely be very angry, and very sad too.

Forget it, let's not talk about such unhappy things.

Xi Shui cleared his throat, his tone bright. "Zhou Zeqi, why does Auntie call you the second son?"

"…"

"Because the eldest is Zhou Zhi."

"A sister?" Xi Shui's voice was bright and clear, his enunciation crisp.

"Mm."

After a while, Xi Shui glanced at the trunk. "Are the tents all prepared?"

"I called my mom last night. Five were prepared."

"Is that enough?"

"Not everyone from the team is going. One tent can sleep three people, and the two of us will sleep in one." Zhou Zeqi's lips hooked upward.

Xi Shui turned back to look at Zhou Zeqi and said, "Can't three people sleep in one? Let Lin Xiaojin sleep with us, then it'll be exactly three."

"…"