KMYB | Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Xi Shui was walking back to his own college when, for some reason, he pulled out his phone and opened his notes.

He jotted down one line:

Anyway, dating Zhou Zeqi is still really happy!!!

Lin Xiaojin was standing at the classroom door, munching on a steamed bun. From far away, Xi Shui’s smiling face was so bright it practically dazzled his eyes.

"Did you eat breakfast?" Lin Xiaojin greeted him weakly.

"Yeah, Qiqi bought it. What about you?"

"Guess?" Lin Xiaojin shook the bun in his hand. "Am I not eating one right now?"

"Oh, right. Who’s Qiqi?"

"You made a new friend behind my back again?"

Xi Shui took a bottle of water from his bag and drank heavily. "Qiqi is Zhou Zeqi."

Lin Xiaojin stared at Xi Shui for a few seconds, then started coughing violently. After a long while, he finally asked in disbelief, "How did you give someone else a dog’s name?"

"I think he quite likes it."

"You’re sure?"

That half-smiling, half-not expression from Lin Xiaojin made Xi Shui start to feel less sure of himself.

–

Today was Friday, and they had to weigh in in the afternoon.

Xi Shui wasn’t as tense as usual. He stretched his legs on the side and did a few aerial turns. Li Weiwei was leaning on the barre.

"Xiao Xi, do you use skincare products?"

Xi Shui stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really. Why?"

"You’ve seemed in a really good mood lately. Is it because of that Lord Zhou?" Li Weiwei asked again.

Only then did Xi Shui remember Zhou Zeqi had a nickname.

He could call Zhou Zeqi Lord of the Underworld!

"I think, maybe?" Xi Shui wasn’t too sure. He’d been in a pretty good mood before too, it was just that his anxious moments had become less frequent over the past week.

"Exactly!" Li Weiwei ran a hand through her hair so hard that her bun got knocked crooked. "So annoying. I was going to pursue you, and that dog beat me to it!"

Xi Shui reached out and straightened her bun. "It’s fine. Even if you pursued me, I still wouldn’t agree."

"…"

Li Weiwei suddenly felt very sad.

Because Xi Shui wouldn’t even lie.

"Sigh." She let out a breath.

"Why are you sighing?"

Li Weiwei tilted her head, staring at Xi Shui the whole time. The first time she saw him, he had been carrying the dance academy’s wholesale canvas bag. Everyone else wore those bags like they were migrant workers heading off to a new city, but Xi Shui somehow made that ugly bag look good.

He clearly had such a gorgeous, cool face, but he would quietly step aside when walking, and if someone bumped into him, he’d softly go, "Ow."

And on top of that, he had never even dated before.

She didn’t want to make sweeping generalizations, but in Li Weiwei’s old class, the boys often bragged about how many times they’d been in love as if it were something to show off.

Xi Shui gave Li Weiwei this feeling, that if she missed him, she would never meet someone like him again in her entire life.

"Lord Zhou isn’t someone easy to mess with," Li Weiwei said, tugging on Xi Shui’s sleeve. "You need to be careful. If you two fight, don’t go punching him. You definitely can’t beat him."

Zhou Zeqi was 192 centimeters tall, weight unknown. He looked tall and lean, with a lazy, careless air, but back during freshman year military training, Zhou Zeqi had been able to beat their training commander.

Li Weiwei was afraid Xi Shui would get the short end of the stick in this relationship.

"If you two break up later, you can still come find me. I’ll magnanimously wait for you, three years? No, ten years."

Xi Shui didn’t like girls.

He lowered his eyes, not knowing whether Li Weiwei was joking or serious, and said nothing.

"Oh, right. For the arts carnival with the elite students from the next campus, we need to prepare a program."

Xi Shui sat cross-legged on the floor. "What did the class rep say?"

"She said it’s up to you."

"…"

Xi Shui usually had classwork where he studied repertoire, and the teachers also assigned homework. Plus, from childhood to now, there had been extra practice and rehearsals outside class, so he knew plenty. The other students did too.

"Just pick any piece," Xi Shui said.

"I signed up for Esmeralda’s female variation," Li Weiwei said, raising her hand and demonstrating a side kick on the spot. "I’m going to show off."

Xi Shui nodded. "Sure!"

The carnival was just an event jointly held every year by the art students of the two schools, and it was always lively. The last time it was held, Xi Shui was still a freshman, so most of the work fell to the seniors. Back then, the school next door performed a Snow White stage play and completely crushed their Beijing Dance Academy, which dampened their spirits for nearly half a year.

But this time, the one in charge of the program was also the class rep, and the organizers were their department’s student union and the student union of the school next door. The class rep wanted to toss the task into Xi Shui’s hands.

The class rep was a very tall girl, 174 centimeters. She was meditating.

Xi Shui sent her a WeChat message.

When she heard the notification, she immediately grabbed her phone.

After reading the message, the class rep got up and walked over to Xi Shui. "Um, Xiao Xi, dating can’t be treated like a meal, right? You help us rehearse the program first, and later I’ll treat you to a couple of drinks."

"I don’t drink," Xi Shui said. "I’m not saying I won’t help you. What I mean is, you should do your own things yourself. I can provide help, but you can’t make me do everything."

"Of course not," the class rep said familiarly, pinching Xi Shui’s face. "Who told you I don’t work? I just want Xiao Xi’s help."

"Li Weiwei!" Ding Yifan’s eyes darted, and she turned around to grab Li Weiwei. "You motherfucker, if you keep spouting nonsense behind my back, just wait and see how I deal with you."

Li Weiwei hugged her head and hid behind Xi Shui. "Class rep, my God, half of that sentence was swear words!"

Xi Shui was stuck between the two of them until Xu Wei called him over to weigh in, and only then was he finally rescued.

50 kg.

Xi Shui let out a breath of relief.

He looked at Xu Wei expectantly.

Xu Wei had one leg crossed over the other. "Not bad, a little lighter than last time. Keep it up, understand?"

Xu Wei raised the riding crop in his hand and lightly tapped the back of Xi Shui’s hand twice. "Do you know what I mean by 'keep it up'?"

"Weight." The answer came out bright and clear.

"Your mindset." Xu Wei’s expression was complicated. "Why do you get greedy for food? Don’t you know it yourself?"

Xu Wei was in his thirties. For someone like Xi Shui, he had seen far too many cases like this. If there wasn’t a proper way to relieve it, the final outcome could only be leaving the stage and going backstage instead.

But Xi Shui’s future was bright. Losing him would be a loss for the ballet world, and for Xi Shui himself, it would be a devastating blow.

"You’ve been doing pretty well lately. Did something happy happen?" Xu Wei was a teacher, so aside from teaching, he could also always notice the students’ mental state.

Especially Xi Shui, whose happiness or unhappiness was written all over his face.

Xi Shui stepped down from the scale. "I’m dating."

Xu Wei: "So suddenly?"

"Who is it? Do I know him?"

Xi Shui shook his head. "You don’t know him."

"?"

Xu Wei lightly whipped Xi Shui’s calf once. "You didn’t even say who he is, and you already know I don’t know him?"

"Zhou Zeqi."

When Xu Wei heard that name, his brow furrowed. "How is it him?"

Xi Shui looked at Xu Wei’s eyebrows, which were knitted together like two bugs, and said softly, "It seems like none of you like him."

"I like him is enough."

Xu Wei glanced at Xi Shui. "It’s not that I dislike him. It’s just that he’s too unrestrained and self-centered. You’re my student, so of course I’m thinking about you. Still, if you like him, then that’s enough."

–

By the time Xi Shui was almost done with class, Zhou Zeqi had arrived early outside the corridor by their classroom.

The windows in the comprehensive building’s classrooms were very low, with the wall rising only to just below knee height, and the rest was all glass.

Zhou Zeqi leaned against the wall on the other side. The playground was behind him, while Xi Shui was inside the classroom.

Class was probably almost over too.

He and Lin Xiaojin were spinning in circles. Zhou Zeqi could probably guess they were competing to see who could spin steadier, who could spin more times.

The broken strands of hair at the boy’s forehead were kept away from his skin by a sweatband. His peach-blossom eyes held the brightest part of the entire room’s sunlight. He was wearing a white practice outfit, and the summer fabric was thin. When he turned, the beautiful shape of the shoulder blades on his back looked as if white swan wings were about to unfold, and soft white feathers seemed to fall all over the ground.

Xi Shui finally saw Zhou Zeqi.

Zhou Zeqi curled his lips and waved at him.

After class, Xi Shui came out carrying his bag. "I’m going to change my clothes and take a shower. I’ll be right back."

He ran to the changing room.

Less than twenty minutes later, he was back.

"Let’s go."

Zhou Zeqi took Xi Shui’s hand. "What do you want to eat?"

After waiting a long time without getting an answer, Zhou Zeqi finally noticed Xi Shui was looking around, his face all flushed.

"What are you looking at?"

Xi Shui leaned a little closer to Zhou Zeqi. "Someone’s watching us."

In fact, if Xi Shui saw an attractive couple at school, he would also look a little longer.

He had no idea he himself was dozens of times more attractive than any couple he had ever seen before.

Zhou Zeqi laughed. "Let them look." He held Xi Shui’s hand very tightly, and Xi Shui had no idea at all. He had no idea how many people at school liked him.

"You’re so fierce," Xi Shui suddenly said. "Like a big wolfdog."

Zhou Zeqi led Xi Shui out of the comprehensive building. "You can think of it that way."

Wolfdogs are mostly used to guard the house and yard.

And Zhou Zeqi’s only job was to protect and keep watch over Xi Shui.

Xi Shui didn’t think about any deeper meaning in Zhou Zeqi’s words. He rummaged through his satchel for a while, then took out a sun umbrella. It was automatic, and when he pressed the button, it suddenly popped open, startling Zhou Zeqi.

"Haha, sorry." Xi Shui held the umbrella awkwardly.

Zhou Zeqi snatched it from his hand. "I’ll do it."

The umbrella wasn’t big, with a navy canopy printed with an ad for a men’s health clinic.

Zhou Zeqi looked up at it and frowned in disgust. "Where did you get this?"

"It came with flyers," Xi Shui said.

Zhou Zeqi looked at Xi Shui. "Not bad, you’ve got a sense of saving money."

Xi Shui had completely forgotten about the 18,000-yuan underwear and nodded. "It’s okay."

The atmosphere at the sports institute was different from Beijing Dance Academy and Beijing University. Aside from regular academic students, everyone else got in because they at least had one special skill. Their heights were naturally nothing to complain about. Whether male or female, they all stood straight and tall like pines.

And the sports institute had uniforms, one set for each season. In winter, they wore long down jackets. In summer, short sleeves and long pants.

The moment Xi Shui appeared, someone immediately noticed him.

Unlike other schools, Beijing University’s forums were very active. With three major sections and such a huge student population, there was one president, a whole bunch of vice-presidents, and five separate academic affairs offices. The forum’s existence also helped strengthen the sense of unity among students.

[Help, who’s going to slap Zhou Zeqi for me? That smug look is so annoying!!!]

[Xi Shui looks so well-behaved under the umbrella, like a little mushroom.]

[Honestly, every time Xi Shui doesn’t speak, I feel like he’s so aloof!]

[How did Zhou Zeqi drag him to the sports institute? Wouldn’t all those burly guys be drooling a thousand feet already?]

[Who are you calling burly guys? Is this starting again with the personal attacks?]

[Isn’t it obvious? They just got out of class and went to eat together. What’s so strange about that?]

[The CP is sweet, but I keep feeling sour inside. Medicine school people, come here and tell me what’s going on!]

[Medical student here! Sir, you’re already turning into a lemon spirit. Calling biology and biochemistry!]

[No hope left, just call the neighboring science school to drag him off for anatomy.]

The sports institute cafeteria had always been highly praised. The portions were generous, the food tasted good, and the cooks didn’t have shaky hands.

Zhou Zeqi didn’t want Xi Shui to stand in line with him, so he told him to go occupy a table first, and asked what he wanted to eat.

"The dishes are whatever, but I want that milk pudding." Xi Shui pointed to the window selling pudding not far away.

It was the peak lunch rush now, and seats in the cafeteria were hard to find. Xi Shui looked around for a long time before finding a spot by the window.

He set down his backpack, took a photo, and sent it to Zhou Zeqi: I’m here.

[Got it.]

Wu Fengyi, Meng Kewen, and a few other members of the basketball team had already finished one tray of food nearby and were stuffing biscuits into their mouths. Wu Fengyi shoved in three at once. "Something’s off."

Meng Kewen said, "What’s off?"

A girl who had "just happened" to pass by set a cup of yogurt down in front of Xi Shui.

Xi Shui looked up blankly, but the girl had already left.

Once it started, it didn’t stop.

Bit by bit, candies, chocolate, soda, pudding, and all kinds of snacks appeared on Xi Shui’s table.

Xi Shui kept saying thank you, kept saying he didn’t need them.

The spoon in Meng Kewen’s mouth fell to the floor. "Damn, he’s that popular?"

Wu Fengyi glanced at Meng Kewen. "You just got internet in your village? Xi Shui’s popularity at school absolutely crushes Old Zhou’s. There are seriously tons of people who like him. Just this…" Wu Fengyi picked up his chopsticks and pointed at a few people at random. "Put this bunch in a sieve and shake it, and you could shake out several who like him."

Meng Kewen suddenly understood. "No wonder Old Zhou made himself look so cheap."

"There’s still a show to watch," Wu Fengyi said, rolling up his sleeves. "Just wait. When Old Zhou sees that pile of food on Xi Shui’s table later, he’ll probably go ballistic."

Zhou Zeqi came back carrying two trays of food, with the chilled pudding tucked in his pocket.

But he didn’t sit down.

That pile of snacks was really irritating to look at.

"…"

He stood in front of the table, looked at Xi Shui with calm eyes, and said nothing, his face expressionless.

Xi Shui sensed that Zhou Zeqi was unhappy. He swallowed, pushed the pile of food aside, and said softly, "Sit down."

Zhou Zeqi sat down, took out the pudding from his pocket, peeled off the lid, and placed it in front of Xi Shui.

Wu Fengyi was itching with impatience, eager to see Zhou Zeqi explode.

But instead of seeing Zhou Zeqi explode, he saw Xi Shui suddenly stand up.

Xi Shui gripped the edge of the table with both hands, leaned over, and kissed Zhou Zeqi on the cheek. Then he slowly pulled back, facing Zhou Zeqi.

"There. Now everyone knows you’re mine."

After saying that, he let out an "ah," then corrected himself.

"No, it should be, now everyone knows I’m yours."