TVDC 54: Jealousy

Feeling guilty, Qin Shouze was startled the moment his eyes met He Zhiyuan’s unfriendly gaze.

When he came back to his senses, Qin Shouze’s cheeks flushed red, his eyes flickered nervously, and he quickly looked away. Because of the guilt and embarrassment of being caught, his heart kept pounding violently, and it wouldn’t calm down for quite some time.

Qiu Xuning happened to lower his head, so he didn’t notice that He Zhiyuan’s expression had changed. His legs lightly kicked in the water; the buoyant feeling of being lifted was quite strange, and his mood gradually began to relax. “Do you want to come down and swim? I’ve never seen you swim before.”

As he spoke, he tilted his face upward to look at He Zhiyuan, his dewy eyes carrying a hint of expectation.

He Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions beneath them, and said calmly, “Talk to me again when you’ve learned how to swim.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together and softly said, “Then doesn’t that mean I’ll never get to see you swim for the rest of my life?”

He Zhiyuan paused for a moment, his expression softening slightly. He raised his gaze, his eyes deep and steady on Qiu Xuning’s fair face. “You want to see?”

Qiu Xuning nodded. “Hmm.”

“How much do you want to see?”

“…” Qiu Xuning gradually sensed a certain mischievousness in He Zhiyuan. Though he couldn’t quite describe the feeling, he thought He Zhiyuan seemed surprisingly down-to-earth like this, and the thought made him quietly happy. He didn’t feel anything wrong about it. Suppressing the smile tugging at his lips, he looked up with clear eyes and softly said, “I really want to see. If I don’t get to see it today, I might not be able to sleep tonight.”

He Zhiyuan also nodded and said, “Then keep thinking about me. Even when you sleep, keep me in your mind.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes widened. Still easily flustered, he blushed again at He Zhiyuan’s teasing. He wanted to protest, to tell him to stop joking like that, but the fluttery sweetness in his chest made him hesitate. After a brief struggle, he had already missed the best chance to respond.

After He Zhiyuan finished his words, he glanced at Qiu Xuning’s lightly flushed face, then looked away, his gaze falling on Qin Shouze, who had by then recovered his composure, though his face still carried a trace of frustration and conflict. When their eyes met, Qin Shouze immediately looked away, unable to meet He Zhiyuan’s gaze.

He Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and slipped naturally and calmly into the water. His hand brushed against Qiu Xuning’s neck, giving it a light squeeze. Qiu Xuning was ticklish all over, especially around the back of his neck and the inner sides. Even though He Zhiyuan didn’t use much strength, it tickled Qiu Xuning so much that he couldn’t help shrinking his neck. “What are you doing?”

His voice was soft and gentle, the end of his tone curling slightly upward, carrying a hint of lazy playfulness.

He Zhiyuan withdrew his hand and said in a low voice, “Continue.”

Qiu Xuning blinked once and obediently nodded. Holding onto the kickboard in his hands, he gave a gentle push, and his slim body glided forward with it. This was the move he was most practiced at, and during the process, his long, slender legs would kick a few times like a little fish flicking its tail, looking quite proper and skillful. Yet once the kickboard stopped, he just floated in place like a dead fish turned belly-up and looked at He Zhiyuan in mild embarrassment.

This time, He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything. He walked over, took away the kickboard from Qiu Xuning’s hands, and made Qiu Xuning hold onto his hand.

They were both in the water now, the coolness of the pool refreshing against their skin. Even when their skin brushed against each other, they couldn’t feel each other’s warmth, which helped ease Qiu Xuning’s nervousness.

Logically speaking, a swimming lesson like this wasn’t much to look at, but since no one chased him away, Qin Shouze couldn’t bring himself to leave. Enduring the disapproving glare from Qiu Xuning’s brother, he sat down and watched Qiu Xuning learn to swim.

He Zhiyuan hadn’t been teaching him for long when he suddenly said, “That’s enough for today. Let’s go back.”

Qiu Xuning froze in surprise and didn’t ask why, only assuming that He Zhiyuan was tired of teaching him, and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed inside.

Once they got out of the pool, He Zhiyuan walked straight to the shower room without looking back. Qiu Xuning hurriedly followed after him, and Qin Shouze hesitated for a moment, then followed as well.

As soon as He Zhiyuan entered the shower room, he started taking off his pants, which startled Qiu Xuning, who quickly raised his hands to cover his face. He Zhiyuan turned his head to look at him, his gaze darkened slightly, then he took a few steps forward, grabbed Qiu Xuning’s arm, and pulled him into one of the stalls.

Qiu Xuning was startled by He Zhiyuan’s behavior. “What’s wrong with you?”

He Zhiyuan held himself back, released Qiu Xuning’s arm, and said, “Take a shower. After that, go home.”

Qiu Xuning was emotionally sensitive, and He Zhiyuan’s tone didn’t sound right. He was confused as well. “Why so sudden?” 

He Zhiyuan stared at him, his voice carrying a note of impatience. “Hurry up.”

“…” Qiu Xuning didn’t dare say anything more. He went out to the locker room to fetch his clothes and body wash, quickly took a shower, and not even having time to greet Qin Shouze, he was pulled along by He Zhiyuan, and they left the swimming hall together.

Qiu Xuning thought back to what had just happened, finding He Zhiyuan’s behavior rather baffling. But when he looked up at He Zhiyuan’s face, he saw no expression there; his features seemed covered in frost, and he didn’t dare say anything. It wasn’t until they got home that He Zhiyuan finally let go of Qiu Xuning’s hand.

Qiu Xuning’s skin was fair and delicate, and after being held tightly by He Zhiyuan the whole way, there were even a few red marks left behind. They actually hurt a bit, but Qiu Xuning hadn’t said a word the entire way home. Once they got home, when he saw the red marks on his wrist, a wave of suppressed grievance welled up inside him, making his nose sting and his eyes turn red. “You’re always bullying me.”

He Zhiyuan also noticed the red marks on his wrist. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said softly, “I’m sorry.”

After hearing that, Qiu Xuning came to his senses, and more than half of his grievance faded away. He sniffled, holding back the sting of tears before speaking. “What’s wrong with you? Are you mad at me? I told you, I’m really slow at learning. If you don’t want to teach me, you can just say so. Don’t get angry—it’s bad for your health.”

Qiu Xuning being like this only made He Zhiyuan’s expression look even darker. He tried to hold himself back, but finally couldn’t, and reached out both hands, cupping Qiu Xuning’s face.

Qiu Xuning’s face wasn’t big and could be held completely within He Zhiyuan’s palms. His cheeks were soft and full, like the flesh of a peach, giving off a faintly sweet warmth. Especially when Qiu Xuning looked at him with those confused eyes, it made him appear all the more pure and innocent.

He was like a little lamb, so defenseless that anyone could come and devour him whole.

He Zhiyuan’s light brown eyes seemed to carry a certain emotion, making them look like tides surging beneath the night, with a pressure strong enough to drown a person. He stared at Qiu Xuning and said in a low voice, “We won’t go to the swimming hall anymore.”

“Wh–Why?” Qiu Xuning grabbed He Zhiyuan’s hand, wanting to push but not pushing, still hesitating. As he heard He Zhiyuan’s words, the confusion in his eyes only deepened.

He Zhiyuan looked at him and said, “You’re right, you’re too stupid. I can’t handle teaching you.”

When Qiu Xuning heard that, he pressed his lips together, feeling a bit wronged. “I…I already said, I’m hard to teach. You were the one who agreed.”

His cheeks puffed up, and he glared at He Zhiyuan with a hint of defiance. “If you don’t have the skill, you shouldn’t take on the job—you’re at fault too.”

He Zhiyuan’s voice grew a little deeper. “It’s because you’re too stupid, you make me angry.”

When Qiu Xuning heard that, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and his voice slowly softened. “You’re really angry? Because of me?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t speak, his silence almost an admission.

Qiu Xuning started to feel guilty too. “Then forget it, I won’t learn anymore. Don’t be mad, okay?”

He Zhiyuan’s fingers gently brushed a few times against Qiu Xuning’s soft, delicate cheek, then slowly let go. “I’m angry, but not because you can’t learn.”

On the cheek where He Zhiyuan had touched him, there lingered a faint, warm, tingling sensation, making Qiu Xuning unconsciously reach up to touch it. His eyes cautiously glanced at He Zhiyuan’s expression. “…Then what are you angry about?”

He Zhiyuan said, “Because that classmate of yours is like a bug that just won’t go away.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment. He had never heard He Zhiyuan speak of anyone like that before, and he asked hesitantly, “What did he do to upset you?”

He Zhiyuan stared at him and said in a low voice, “Promise me, don’t be alone with him.”

Qiu Xuning was a little confused. “Why?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything.

Although Qiu Xuning also found Qin Shouze a bit too warm and clingy, it wasn’t anywhere near the point of being disgusting, at most… maybe just a little lacking in social sense? He didn’t understand why He Zhiyuan suddenly disliked him so much since he had never reacted like this before, but today he just suddenly exploded.

Qiu Xuning hesitated a little and said softly to He Zhiyuan, “Actually, I’ve already graduated, so I probably won’t be seeing him much anymore.”

When he said that, He Zhiyuan’s expression eased a little, but there was still a trace of coldness lingering on his face.

Qiu Xuning quietly reassured him again, “I won’t be alone with him.”

He Zhiyuan’s expression brightened a little more, and as Qiu Xuning watched, he couldn’t help but feel something was a bit off. Before he could think it through, the words slipped right out of his mouth. “Are you jealous?”

The moment he said it, he quickly covered his mouth in shock and mumbled, “I was just talking nonsense, don’t take it seriously.”

He Zhiyuan looked at him and said softly, “Yeah, I am jealous. Can’t you smell the sourness?”