TVDC 42: Secret

Before, the school was so close to home, just a ten-minute walk away, but now, Qiu Xuning felt it was unusually long.

To make matters worse, He Zhiyuan’s palm had landed on his shoulder, warmly enveloping it, and his arm slightly brushed against the back of his neck. It was very itchy, this itch like little bugs drilling into his heart, occasionally nibbling, making it even harder for him to ignore the strong sensation.

Halfway through, Qiu Xuning finally couldn’t hold back and spoke, “He Zhiyuan.” He slightly lifted his face and looked at He Zhiyuan. When He Zhiyuan glanced over, he gently turned his eyes away, his cheeks faintly flushed with a soft pink, and his lips trembled with a hint of embarrassment. “You… your hand, it’s making me a little itchy.”

His voice was very soft and slow. If it weren’t for the closeness between them, He Zhiyuan might not have even heard what he said.

“Itchy?” Because he hadn’t spoken much, He Zhiyuan’s voice was still a bit hoarse. He glanced at the back of Qiu Xuning’s exposed neck. Even though the light was dim, his delicate neck glowed a jade-white color, and his soft black hair was slightly long, falling onto his skin, making it look even whiter.

He Zhiyuan’s gaze lingered on Qiu Xuning’s neck for a while before he turned his face away and pulled back the hand that was resting on his shoulder. He then spoke softly, “Come a little closer to me.”

Qiu Xuning softly muttered an “Mm,” feeling much lighter as He Zhiyuan’s warm hand left his shoulder, but there was a sense of inexplicable loss in his heart.

They hadn’t walked much further when He Zhiyuan suddenly said, “There’s a barber shop over there.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, then looked up at him. “Do you want a haircut?”

He Zhiyuan reached out his hand, his fingers slipping through Qiu Xuning’s soft, smooth hair, gently tousling his hairstyle. “You should cut it. Your hair’s gotten quite long, it’s time to trim it.”

Qiu Xuning touched his naturally long bangs and softly replied, “Yeah, it’s gotten a lot longer, I should cut it.”

Qiu Xuning’s hair always grew quickly, so he had to go to the barber every few weeks. He had forgotten about it recently, only realizing how much his hair had grown now.

He followed He Zhiyuan into the barber shop, and the rain outside was still pouring heavily, the sound of it splashing so loudly that even the car horns seemed distant.

The barber politely asked, “Would you like a shampoo or a haircut?”

Qiu Xuning replied, “A haircut.”

Before the haircut, Qiu Xuning had to wash his hair first. After he finished and sat down in front of the mirror, he noticed that He Zhiyuan was sitting not far behind him, watching him.

It was a strange feeling to look at someone through the mirror. Qiu Xuning wasn’t sure what he looked like in He Zhiyuan’s eyes right now. He touched his face and smiled at He Zhiyuan through the mirror.

He Zhiyuan also slightly raised the corners of his lips and smiled, then shifted his gaze away.

The barber asked, “How much would you like to cut? Just a little trim or more?”

Qiu Xuning thought for a moment and said, “Cut it a little shorter, just a trim. The hair in the front is covering my eyes.”

The barber nodded in response and began cutting Qiu Xuning’s hair.

In no time, the haircut was finished. The barber used a blow dryer to dry his hair, and a new hairstyle was complete.

Actually, there wasn’t much change; it was just a trim of the hair at the front and back.

When it was done, the barber smiled and said, “You have great hair quality and your head shape is perfect. If you let your hair grow a little longer, it would look even better.”

Qiu Xuning thanked the barber, paid, and left with He Zhiyuan.

After all the commotion, the rain had lightened considerably. As they shared an umbrella again, the distance between Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan grew much wider.

By the time they got home, it was already quite late, and Zhou Mingmei had already prepared dinner.

“Ningning, why are you so late?” Zhou Mingmei had been waiting for him to come back for dinner. Qiu Zhaozhao, standing beside her, was holding an empty bowl and chopsticks, looking at the dishes on the table with hunger in her eyes.

Qiu Xuning pointed to his hair. “I went to get a haircut.”

When Zhou Mingmei saw He Zhiyuan, she didn’t say anything, but turned to Qiu Xuning and said, “Hurry up and come in, everyone’s waiting for you to eat!”

Qiu Shunming had also returned. When Qiu Xuning met his gaze, he felt a bit nervous and quickly turned his eyes away, hesitating before saying, “I want to take a shower first, you all go ahead and eat.”

Zhou Mingmei said, “Then hurry up, we won’t wait for you.”

Qiu Xuning looked at He Zhiyuan, and He Zhiyuan quietly said, “I’ve already eaten.”

Qiu Xuning knew that He Zhiyuan must have eaten outside, so he didn’t say anything.

After taking a shower, Qiu Xuning sat down at the dining table. Zhou Mingmei asked him, “How did the exam go?”

Perhaps because he had been tense all the way home and then had a hot shower, he felt a bit drained. When he heard Zhou Mingmei’s question, he just vaguely replied, “It went okay.”

As soon as Zhou Mingmei heard his tone, she had a bad feeling. Qiu Shunming, with his loud voice, asked, “Have you estimated your score? Can you get into the experimental class at First High? Last year, the experimental class required a score of 679. Can you get in?”

Qiu Shunming’s voice was very loud and rough, making it sound forceful. Qiu Xuning, who was used to avoiding conversation with him, hesitated and stammered in response, “Maybe… maybe I can.”

Qiu Shunming didn’t like hearing that. “What do you mean ‘maybe’? Didn’t you come first in the whole school? You can’t even get into the experimental class?”

Zhou Mingmei hit him a few times with her chopsticks. “Why are you shouting so loudly? The exam’s already over. What else can he do except wait for the results? Is Ningning not tired after the exam? Can you let him eat in peace?”

Qiu Shunming grumbled in his rough voice, “I’m just concerned about him!”

Zhou Mingmei shot him a glare and said with a sharp tone, “Lower your voice. Every time you speak, it feels like the roof’s going to be blown off.”

Qiu Shunming didn’t say anything more.

Ever since the incident where his hidden money was discovered, he had been avoiding coming home more. If it weren’t for Qiu Xuning finishing his exams, he probably wouldn’t have bothered to come back.

Qiu Xuning ate a small bowl of rice but lost his appetite. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, and Zhou Mingmei asked, “You’re not eating anymore?”

Qiu Xuning took a sip of water to soothe his throat and said, “I’m full, Mom, you all eat slowly.”

After speaking, he didn’t look at their expressions, just stood up, went to wash up, and then returned to his bedroom.

The room still held many traces of “Qiu Xuning.” There were posters of anime girls, some neatly arranged, others crooked. Each of their faces was filled with smiles, gently and playfully gazing at him.

Qiu Xuning stared at the characters on the posters for a while, feeling sleepiness slowly take over. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

He slept deeply, seemingly having some chaotic dreams that he couldn’t remember. When he woke up, he could feel that the lower part of his body was damp and cold.

He reached down to touch it, feeling a bit disoriented, shocked, and in disbelief, but mostly filled with shame and embarrassment.