KMYB | Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Xi Shui had bought one before, too, but he had just gone and picked it up directly. He’d taken the largest size, and he didn’t even know whether Zhou Zeqi could use it. What if it was too big? If it hung loose, then what was he supposed to do?

But after that, he never had the mind to keep checking whether it was actually the right size. He hadn’t observed closely.

Now that Zhou Zeqi had asked for it himself, it really was the right size.

Xi Shui carried the ice cream over to the shelves and bent down to look for the largest size. After searching carefully, he straightened up a little helplessly, looked around, and walked toward the nearest clerk.

"Hello."

The other person was crouched in front of the shelf arranging potato chips. Hearing someone call from behind him, he stood up. When he saw who it was, the boy looked startled.

Xi Shui was also a little surprised. "Why are you here?"

Wang Lai was the talented student Xi Buyao and Li Wanzhi had supported since childhood. This year, after graduating, he had entered Jing Dance Affiliated High School and started freshman year. Seeing Xi Shui, he immediately panicked and didn’t know what to do with his hands or feet. "Older brother."

"I’m here doing a summer job."

Xi Shui frowned slightly. "Do you need money?"

Wang Lai shook his head. "I’m sixteen now. I can do a part-time job and earn a little money myself. I can’t keep using Uncle and Auntie’s money. Older brother, do you need to buy something?"

Xi Shui: "…"

The supermarket was packed with people at the moment. Aside from Wang Lai, there were no other clerks, and Zhou Zeqi was almost at the checkout counter already. He even glanced over at the direction where Xi Shui and Wang Lai were standing.

"Older brother, is that your boyfriend?"

Xi Shui was a little surprised. "How do you know?"

"His gaze at me was a little fierce. I could feel it," Wang Lai said.

Xi Shui didn’t comment on that. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice. "The one under the chewing gum, help me find two boxes of the largest size. Thanks."

Wang Lai froze, then his eyes went wide. "Older brother, your boyfriend is that big?!"

This was an important matter for his older brother, so Wang Lai hurried off to find two boxes for Xi Shui. He was smiling brightly. "Auntie said you’re leaving tomorrow. Older brother, have a safe trip. I hope you finish your studies quickly and come back to China soon!"

At first glance, Wang Lai’s teeth weren’t very neat, and his two small fangs made him look very childlike. When he wasn’t smiling, there was a trace of seriousness that a teenager shouldn’t really have. But that was understandable. When Xi Buyao and Li Wanzhi first started supporting him, he had been skinny as a bean sprout. Now he was growing extremely fast. Xi Shui felt that by next year, when they met again, Wang Lai might already be taller than him.

"Study hard, dance hard," Xi Shui said after a pause. "It’s better to use your part-time job time to dance. Don’t lose the big picture for the small things."

He kept a stern face, sounding a bit like a little teacher.

Wang Lai nodded repeatedly. "Okay!"

Xi Shui returned to Zhou Zeqi’s side and tossed the two boxes into the shopping cart. Before he could even speak, Zhou Zeqi asked, "Who was that?"

"The student my dad supports, he’s doing a part-time job here," Xi Shui said.

"Like a little wolf cub. Keep your distance," Zhou Zeqi said casually as he bent down and moved the things in the cart onto the checkout counter. "I’m not saying he’s bad, just not simple."

Xi Shui and Zhou Zeqi picked things up together. In a low voice, Xi Shui said, "I know. In the first semester of sophomore year, he was in ninth grade. My mom asked me to go home and have dinner with him. I saw him hitting people in an alley outside their school. He fought several at once, and he was really ruthless."

"What do you think?" Zhou Zeqi asked.

"He isn’t bad, but people always bully him. It’s those people who are bad."

"See? And now he’s made you feel sorry for him, hasn’t he?" Zhou Zeqi said meaningfully.

But as long as he didn’t hurt Xi Shui, Zhou Zeqi wasn’t going to bother with him. He was just a little brat who wasn’t even grown yet, not even all his teeth had come in, and Zhou Zeqi didn’t take him seriously at all.

–

By the time they got home, Xi Shui was already starving. He hugged the ice cream, took two bites, then put it down and went to the side of Zhou Zeqi to mooch food.

Zhou Zeqi fed him a few roasted potato pieces. Xi Shui wasn’t quite so hungry anymore. "I’m going to pack my suitcase."

"Mm."

Xi Shui’s footsteps gradually faded away, and Zhou Zeqi’s expression didn’t change.

Back at his own home, Xi Shui pulled out his suitcase and tossed in clothes for spring and autumn. There really wasn’t much he needed to bring specially. Aside from documents, anything he could buy there he could just buy after arriving. Besides, Third Brother was over there too.

If there were no Zhou Zeqi in China, then for Xi Shui, it would just be moving to another place to dance.

After packing his suitcase, Xi Shui took out a crystal medal from under the bedside table. He had received it when he competed overseas in high school. The organizing committee had specially custom-made it for him. In the center of the medal was a swan with its neck curved, its posture languid, and his name was engraved beneath it.

He brought the suitcase and the medal over together to Zhou Zeqi’s place, and Zhou Zeqi had just finished cooking.

"Here, for you," Xi Shui said as he handed over the medal. "Keep it safe. This is my prettiest medal."

"What about the trophy?" Zhou Zeqi rubbed his thumb over the uneven texture on it. It was exquisite, like a collectible. It really was beautiful.

Xi Shui was speechless. "Why do you want my trophy too?"

"…"

Seeing that Xi Shui was taking it seriously, Zhou Zeqi said in a low voice, "Cheapskate."

"My trophies are all at home. If you want them, when I’m back in China, I’ll take you home and let you pick for yourself. I’m not stingy." Xi Shui pushed down the suitcase handle. "Eat first."

It was already almost ten. The Jing Dance performance at the Grand Theater that afternoon had been on the trending list for a long time.

[Even though I can’t really understand it, the costumes and production design are pretty good.]

[Who played the warrior? So hot, damn, and so deeply in love! For the first time, I don’t really want Sorol to die that much.]

[This version is prettier than the one from the 90s. It feels like it has our own style, and there’s no sense of disharmony either. Mainly because they’re all so good-looking, and the clothes are beautiful too.]

[I’m willing to call Jing University the most scheming university, no doubt about it. It brought Jing Dance and Jing University under its wing. With Jing Dance’s level, it could totally stand alone as a top-tier professional academy. P.S. it’s already super top-tier now.]

[The warrior, the princess, and the dancer, the actors for these three roles probably won’t have to worry about their future careers.]

[Especially the warrior.]

[The warrior is Xi Shui, right? Last time his spinning move also trended. He’s Li Xianxian’s precious son, and he’s been winning awards since he was little. I’m just counting on him to carry our country’s ballet in the future!]

[emmmm he went abroad, to the New Luo Dance Company. How could someone like him possibly stay in the country? Asian people just aren’t as good at ballet as the other regions.]

[emmm fuck off, he’s going out to study. Jing Dance already issued a notice. He’ll come back after finishing.]

[How do you know he’ll come back?]

[His partner is still in China.]

[Is his partner some kind of god? Why should he come back for him? With the warrior’s conditions, what kind of person couldn’t he find?]

The comments under that one were in a huge argument. The topic gradually veered off course. Someone got so angry they threw out a photo of Zhou Zeqi sitting on a bench on the court, tilting his head back to drink water. Sweat ran down the curves of the muscles in his arm, glinting under the sunlight. His jawline was taut, sharp, and clear.

The photo had been edited and was a little blurry, but it still couldn’t hide the overwhelming handsomeness coming straight at you.

That person took a very long time to reply, as if squeezing the words out through gritted teeth: Why didn’t you post the photo earlier!

Xi Shui didn’t know any of this, but Lin Xiaojin had already screenshot it and sent it to him. If he had time to look at WeChat, he definitely would have known.

Xi Shui helped Zhou Zeqi wash the dishes and followed him everywhere, not leaving his side for a second.

"You’ve got a flight tomorrow morning. Why aren’t you washing up and sleeping?" Zhou Zeqi lowered the air-conditioning a few degrees. Xi Shui, behind him, bumped straight into him.

Xi Shui pressed his lips together. He was clearly nervous, but he still gathered his courage and took the initiative to say, "Let’s shower together."

"Didn’t we shower together before?"

"That was when I was already about to fall asleep. That doesn’t count."

Zhou Zeqi turned back. The darkness in his eyes startled Xi Shui for a moment. Zhou Zeqi looked at him. "You have a different way of showering?"

"N-no." In this regard, everything Xi Shui knew had been taught by Zhou Zeqi. How would he know any different way of showering?

"Then why are you inviting me?" Zhou Zeqi asked knowingly. He bent down and pulled open the drawer, taking out a round, spherical object. It was gold and hollowed out, with black leather straps about a finger’s width on both sides.

Xi Shui didn’t notice what Zhou Zeqi was wiping. He thought about things very seriously, and at times like this, he usually couldn’t focus on two things at once.

"I, I…" I’m leaving, Xi Shui thought. He wanted to satisfy Zhou Zeqi as much as possible, but before he could finish answering, something ice-cold was stuffed into his mouth. His oral cavity was forced open. He stared wide-eyed at Zhou Zeqi and made two muffled sounds.

Zhou Zeqi leaned closer, drew the strap from Xi Shui’s cheek around to the back of his head, and fastened it. It wasn’t tight enough to hurt Xi Shui, but there was no way it would slip out of his mouth either. Xi Shui also wouldn’t be able to spit out the hollow metal ball on his own.

Zhou Zeqi pinched Xi Shui’s chin and looked at him slowly, deeply, and carefully for a while. Then he lowered his head and kissed Xi Shui’s face. "Baby is so pretty."

Xi Shui couldn’t speak, but he could make sounds.

The entire process also made kissing impossible.

By the end, Xi Shui didn’t even know how long had passed. The thing in his mouth was taken out, his cheeks aching, his mouth still unable to close properly. He looked at Zhou Zeqi in a daze. Zhou Zeqi bent down and kissed him, gentler and more lingering than any of his other movements.

"It’s three o’clock," Zhou Zeqi said, biting Xi Shui’s ear, his voice hoarse.

Xi Shui swallowed. Zhou Zeqi helped him shower again, tucked him under the blankets, and Xi Shui was so tired he didn’t even want to move. But Zhou Zeqi didn’t seem ready to stop yet. It felt like this was only a halftime break. Xi Shui gently pushed at him with his hand, only for Zhou Zeqi to catch it and pin it down in one motion.

"Sleep," Zhou Zeqi said as he lay down and pulled Xi Shui into his arms.

Xi Shui slowly closed his eyes. He had been rehearsing these past few days, then the competition in the afternoon, and after that several more hours of exhaustion. He was already worn out to the bone. Once sleep was mentioned, he was basically out like a light.

Even after Zhou Zeqi kissed him several times in a row, he still didn’t wake up.

–

Zhou Zeqi didn’t fall asleep until six in the morning, and he woke at seven. The university swimming competition was today. He was the captain, he had his own events, and he also had to keep an eye on the other team members.

Xi Shui’s flight was at 10:30.

Zhou Zeqi got up quietly. The moment he moved, Xi Shui woke too. After Zhou Zeqi got dressed, he turned around and saw Xi Shui with red eyes, looking like he wanted to cry but was holding it back.

"I have to go to the competition. I’ll make breakfast for you first. Be careful on the way. Once you land, don’t follow strangers. Go with your Third Brother."

Xi Shui got up and hugged Zhou Zeqi, burying his face in the crook of Zhou Zeqi’s shoulder without saying a word.

Xi Shui stayed with Zhou Zeqi in the kitchen until breakfast was done. Then at the entryway, he clung to Zhou Zeqi and kissed him again and again. The tears came pouring out like a broken dam. Last night, even under Zhou Zeqi, he hadn’t cried this badly. When he cried, his peach blossom eyes turned red, and he looked unbearably wronged.

"Goodbye."

When Zhou Zeqi turned to leave with his bag on his back, his eyes quickly reddened too.

After Zhou Zeqi left, Xi Shui washed up by himself, ate breakfast by himself, changed clothes, sat in the living room for a while, and only after he saw that it was about time did he pull his suitcase and leave.

Once he got out of the residential complex, Xi Shui spotted Xi Yuan’s car at a glance. Xi Yuan was leaning against the hood. She had a cigarette habit, and probably because she was considering that Xi Shui would be riding with her later, she only held the cigarette in her hand without lighting it.

"Where’s that partner of yours?" Seeing that Xi Shui came out alone, Xi Yuan asked casually.

Xi Shui put the suitcase into the trunk and only answered after getting in the car. "He has a very important competition today."

"…" Xi Yuan looked a little surprised. "You two really are…" She didn’t finish the sentence.

Xi Shui was feeling a little down, and he didn’t say much along the way.

The sophora blossoms in Beijing had all fallen, leaving the tree canopies lush and green as traffic streamed through mottled shadows of leaves.

Xi Yuan kept escorting Xi Shui all the way to the security checkpoint. Xi Shui clutched his boarding pass and said goodbye to Xi Yuan.

After the security check, only when he was boarding did Xi Shui finally have time to look at his phone. Zhou Zeqi still hadn’t sent him any messages before, probably because he couldn’t find the time on the competition grounds.

The latest message had been sent ten minutes ago.

[When you get on the plane, tell me. Call me when you land.]

As he walked, Xi Shui replied to Zhou Zeqi: I’m on the plane. We’ll be taking off soon.

At the city sports stadium, Zhou Zeqi put on his swimming goggles. Even though his eyes were hidden, his whole body still seemed to radiate a low, gloomy pressure. The broadcast called out, "Jing University swimming team, Zhou Zeqi," and Zhou Zeqi bent down to pick up his phone from the chair.

He lowered his eyes and quickly replied to Xi Shui: My race is starting over here.

Zhou Zeqi stepped onto the starting block. Beside his ears were not only the referee’s whistle and the audience’s excited cheers, but it almost also seemed as if he could hear the sound of a plane at Beijing Airport rolling onto the runway.

When the second whistle sounded, Zhou Zeqi launched faster than everyone else. By the time he appeared again, he had already left the other competitors far behind, and the sound of splashing water went on without end.

When Zhou Zeqi’s palm touched the pool wall, Xi Shui’s flight had just taken off.