TVDC 26: Resistance

Time quickly slipped away again, and a few days passed. By the weekend holiday, Zhou Mingmei and Qiu Shunming were both away, leaving only Qiu Xuning, Qiu Zhaozhao, and He Zhiyuan at home.

Qiu Zhaozhao turned on the small heater and called Qiu Xuning over to keep warm.

Qiu Xuning sat on the small stool, shifting uncomfortably, looking as if he couldn’t sit still.

Qiu Zhaozhao glanced at him and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Qiu Xuning whispered, “Can I ask He Zhiyuan to come down and keep warm with us too?”

Qiu Zhaozhao stayed silent, and Qiu Xuning began to feel uneasy. “Is that not okay?”

Qiu Zhaozhao said a little sadly, “You’re getting closer and closer to him. Didn’t you even go to school with him this morning?”

Qiu Xuning scratched behind his ear and said softly, “That’s just because it’s on the way.”

Qiu Zhaozhao said, “It’s on the way for me too.”

“But I wake up early,” Qiu Xuning said.

Qiu Zhaozhao clenched her fists and said, “Then I’ll get up earlier too!”

Qiu Xuning said softly, “Your classes start later, you can sleep a little longer. I go to bed really, really early, that’s why I can get up so early. You don’t have to come along with me.”

Qiu Zhaozhao was quiet for a while, then said, “Before, you always wanted me to take you to school. Now you just go by yourself.”

There was a hint of confusion in Qiu Xuning’s eyes as he said, “…Because it’s not far. It only takes a little over ten minutes to walk there.”

“I don’t care. Anyway, you hardly ask me to do anything anymore, and instead you’re getting closer and closer with that guy,” Qiu Zhaozhao said unhappily.

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up slightly. “Does that mean if I ask you to do something, you’ll do it?”

Qiu Zhaozhao nodded seriously and said, “I will definitely do it.”

Qiu Xuning’s tone brightened up, “Then… Can I call He Zhiyuan down to keep warm with us?”

Qiu Zhaozhao: “…………”

Qiu Xuning glanced at her, his eyes glinting as he remembered that Qiu Zhaozhao loved to snack and enjoyed eating. His eyes sparkled, and he lightly cleared his throat, whispering, “I have food in my room. I don’t want it anymore. Can I give it all to you?”

Qiu Zhaozhao’s eyes lit up. “All of it for me?”

Qiu Xuning nodded and whispered, “All of it. I’m afraid of getting cavities, so I don’t dare eat it.”

A smile blossomed on Qiu Zhaozhao’s face, “Okay!”

Qiu Xuning said, “Then I’ll call He Zhiyuan to join us…”

Qiu Zhaozhao interrupted him, “You can call him, but I won’t talk to him.”

A smile appeared at the corner of Qiu Xuning’s mouth. He softly said, “Thank you, jiejie.”

The way Qiu Xuning called her “jiejie” was gentle and obedient, and it melted Qiu Zhaozhao’s heart.

Qiu Xuning went upstairs and brought He Zhiyuan downstairs.

When Qiu Zhaozhao and He Zhiyuan met, neither of them spoke. They silently sat down in front of the heater.

Qiu Xuning, like a little mouse, scurried up and down, bringing over a large box of snacks and placing it in the living room. He then turned on the TV and casually selected a channel showing a foreign film. The quiet living room suddenly became lively.

Qiu Xuning sat down between Qiu Zhaozhao and He Zhiyuan, rummaging through the snack box. He pulled out a piece of chocolate, unwrapped it, broke it in half, looked around, and then handed it to He Zhiyuan. “Do you want some?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything. Qiu Xuning raised his arm and brought the chocolate to He Zhiyuan’s mouth. He Zhiyuan grabbed his arm and pushed it away, saying a bit coldly, “You eat it yourself.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t seem to notice his coldness. His attention was entirely on the chocolate. He looked at it and whispered, “You’ve already put it in your mouth, it’s covered in your saliva. How can I eat it now? You should eat it.”

Qiu Xuning tried again, offering the chocolate to He Zhiyuan. He Zhiyuan glanced at him briefly then reluctantly opened his mouth and bit into the half piece of chocolate.

Feeling pleased that he had fed He Zhiyuan, Qiu Xuning turned to look at Qiu Zhaozhao. He broke the remaining half of the chocolate into another piece and offered it to her. “Jiejie, would you like some chocolate?”

Qiu Zhaozhao had just seen Qiu Xuning feed chocolate to He Zhiyuan, and her expression had already soured. When she saw him turn to speak to her, she forced a smile and said, “Sure.”

Qiu Xuning raised his arm and brought the chocolate to her mouth. Qiu Zhaozhao bit it, letting it melt in her mouth before saying, “This is the Dove chocolate I bought for you. It was expensive.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment and looked at the wrapper. Sure enough, it said “Dove.” It seemed like it was the one Qiu Zhaozhao had given him when he was discharged from the hospital.

Qiu Zhaozhao was about to say something more but then she noticed He Zhiyuan was looking at her. His gaze was dark and brooding, clearly not a friendly one. Suddenly, a surge of anger rose in her chest. Just as she was about to curse at him, Qiu Xuning interrupted, saying, “Jiejie, this one tastes good. You should try this one.”

Her gaze fell on Qiu Xuning, who was opening a pack of cucumber-flavored chips and offering them to her. His dark and glistening eyes looked at her, reminding Qiu Zhaozhao of the eyes of a chubby, little puppy, full of eager and affectionate intent. “I remember you like chips. Here, try these.”

Qiu Zhaozhao forgot what she had intended to say and instead changed her words, “You still remember, huh?”

Qiu Xuning smiled at her in a way that was almost pleading, his soft, chubby cheeks slightly puffed up. He whispered, “Jiejie, I know everything you like. As long as I have money in the future, I’ll buy everything you like to eat, okay?”

As soon as Qiu Zhaozhao heard that, she felt a surge of happiness in her heart. “As long as you remember, it’s fine. Whether you buy it or not doesn’t matter. I haven’t bought you much stuff either, so how could I let you buy things for me?”

The anger in her heart quickly faded away. In the middle of the cold winter, she felt warm inside, and the more she looked at Qiu Xuning, the more she liked him.

Seeing that she didn’t bring up the chocolate again, Qiu Xuning let out a big sigh of relief. The small piece of chocolate he was holding didn’t seem so tasty anymore. He carefully wrapped it back in its packaging and put it in his pocket.

He Zhiyuan slightly bent down and, positioning himself near Qiu Xuning’s shoulder, whispered, “It’ll melt if you keep it in your pocket.”

Qiu Xuning felt a warm breath brush against the side of his face and even his neck could feel the subtle warmth. His body involuntarily shivered and his voice faltered, “What?”

His reaction was a bit more intense than he had expected, causing He Zhiyuan to glance down at him, his gaze growing deeper.

Qiu Xuning realized his reaction had been a bit excessive. His face flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat softly, saying, “My ears are a bit sensitive. You don’t have to lean down to talk to me.”

He Zhiyuan straightened his back and said calmly, “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to hear me.”

Qiu Xuning rubbed his slightly itchy ear and whispered, “My ears work just fine. You don’t have to worry about me not hearing. I can hear perfectly, so next time, don’t lean so close to my ear when you speak. It makes me itchy.”

He Zhiyuan lowered his gaze and, sure enough, saw that a faint pink had spread across Qiu Xuning’s ears.

Qiu Xuning glanced at Qiu Zhaozhao, who was focused on the TV, not looking their way. Qiu Xuning took out the small piece of chocolate and handed it to He Zhiyuan. “I can’t eat anymore. You finish it.”

He Zhiyuan opened the wrapper, took the half piece of chocolate out, and seemed to just glance down at it for a moment before turning it around and feeding it to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning was caught off guard as He Zhiyuan fed him the chocolate and he even ended up nibbling on He Zhiyuan’s finger. He wanted to spit it out, but the chocolate in his mouth kept him from doing so. As he chewed it, he mumbled around the chocolate, “I bit your hand… did you wash your hands?”

He Zhiyuan replied, “No.”

Qiu Xuning’s cheek, which had been puffed up, immediately froze. After a moment, he started chewing again. He mumbled indistinctly, “Well, it’s in my mouth now anyway.”

Suddenly, Qiu Zhaozhao let out a sharp “Ah!”

Qiu Xuning instinctively turned his gaze away and saw on the TV screen a blonde woman and a man kissing, with the man even reaching to remove her clothes.

Qiu Zhaozhao started rummaging around on the sofa. “Where’s the remote?”

He Zhiyuan stayed still but subconsciously glanced at Qiu Xuning. Qiu Xuning didn’t notice his gaze and He Zhiyuan didn’t dare look at the steamy scene on the screen. He shifted uncomfortably, looking around, clearing his throat and shaking his head. “The remote’s not here.”

Qiu Zhaozhao’s face flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed. “How did it suddenly change to this?”

Qiu Xuning stole a glance at the screen. The kissing scene only lasted for a few seconds and then the man started to undress the woman and lead her toward the bed. After that, the camera cut to another scene.

“Do you want to change the channel?” Qiu Xuning whispered to Qiu Zhaozhao.

“Yes, let me find the remote,” Qiu Zhaozhao replied, getting up to search the shelf.

Qiu Xuning’s attention wasn’t on the TV either. He smacked his lips, savoring the rich taste of the chocolate, but then felt a bit thirsty. He stood up and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

“Do you want some water?” Qiu Xuning asked, holding the warm cup of water and turning to He Zhiyuan.

He Zhiyuan shook his head.

Qiu Xuning seemed to think of something, then set the cup down. He bent down to search through the box, pulling out a pack of milk button candies, which were sold for two yuan a pack outside. He broke off two pieces and dropped them into the cup of water. Looking up, he smiled at He Zhiyuan, his clear eyes sparkling. “Once the candy melts, the water will taste like milk. It’ll be much better this way.”

He looked as if he were quite experienced in doing this sort of thing. “You can add other types of candy too, but it seems there’s no other candy left inside.”

As he spoke, Qiu Xuning bent down again and rummaged through the box, pulling out a few individually wrapped fruit hard candies.

He carefully tore open the candy wrappers and squeezed the green apple-flavored candies into the water cup.

Qiu Zhaozhao found the remote and walked over. Seeing what he was doing, she said, “Why are you doing this kind of thing again?”

Qiu Xuning didn’t quite catch on and mumbled, “Plain water doesn’t have any flavor. This way, it’s much better.”

Qiu Zhaozhao wanted to say something, but while she was busy switching the channel, she forgot. She sat back down on the sofa, watching Qiu Xuning squat by the coffee table, fiddling with things. When the fruit candy had almost melted, he picked it up and, like showing off a treasure, handed it to He Zhiyuan. “Here, try it.”

Qiu Zhaozhao’s eyes immediately filled with understanding, a mischievous smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she waited to see He Zhiyuan’s reaction.

The water flavored with the candy didn’t taste very good at all. It was strange and weird, nowhere near as good as plain water.

He Zhiyuan caught a glimpse of Qiu Zhaozhao’s look, and his expression cooled slightly. He then turned his gaze away and took the cup of water from Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning suddenly remembered something and said, “I’ll try it first, just to see if it tastes good.”

After saying that, Qiu Xuning took the cup back from He Zhiyuan and took a sip. He tasted it, smacked his lips, and hesitated before saying, “It seems… not very good.”

The taste was odd.

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything in response. He simply reached out, took the cup from Qiu Xuning’s hand, tilted his head back, and drank most of the water in one go.

Qiu Xuning watched, his face suddenly turning red. He realized that the spot where He Zhiyuan’s lips had touched the cup was the same place he had just drunk from.

He Zhiyuan put the cup down, his voice sounding smooth and clear as if the water had softened it, “It’s okay.”

Qiu Xuning quickly turned his gaze away, too embarrassed to look at He Zhiyuan. He mumbled, “…I see.”

He Zhiyuan glanced at Qiu Xuning, naturally noticing his discomfort. His lips parted as if he was about to say something, but before he could, Qiu Zhaozhao spoke up. 

“Do you guys still want to watch TV? If not, I’ll turn it off.”

Her voice carried a hint of anger, clearly showing she was upset again. Qiu Xuning quickly turned to reassure her, “We’re still watching. Let’s not watch a movie though. How about we watch something else?”

Qiu Zhaozhao’s voice softened. “What do you want to watch? I’ll watch whatever you want.”

Qiu Xuning thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “You can pick whatever. I don’t know what to watch either.”

Qiu Zhaozhao then chose a soap opera.

From that point on, Qiu Xuning started to notice something odd. Every time he turned to talk to He Zhiyuan, Qiu Zhaozhao would pull him back, distracting him with unrelated small talk. As a result, there were many things Qiu Xuning wanted to say to He Zhiyuan but never got the chance to.

As the soap opera episode ended, He Zhiyuan stood up silently and turned to head upstairs without a word.

“Jiejie, I’m not watching anymore. I’m going to do my homework.” Qiu Xuning said a bit hurriedly, not caring if Qiu Zhaozhao would be upset. He immediately stood up and followed He Zhiyuan upstairs, almost trailing behind him.

“…Are you angry?” Qiu Xuning asked, his body not quite in the best shape. After climbing just two flights of stairs, he was already out of breath. He breathed heavily, exhaling misty white air, his black-and-white eyes still carrying a hint of unease.

He Zhiyuan didn’t respond.

Qiu Xuning pulled an apple-flavored hard candy out of his pocket. “Do you want some candy? This one tastes good. It should’ve worked in the water too, I’m not sure why it didn’t taste good,” he said, almost to himself by the end.

He Zhiyuan took the candy, glanced at it for a moment, but didn’t eat it. He simply held it in his palm and quietly said, “I’m not angry.”

Qiu Xuning replied, “I was thinking… you probably wouldn’t be angry.”

As he spoke, Qiu Xuning gave He Zhiyuan a charming smile, his voice carrying a soft, sweet tone. “If you’re angry, eat this candy, and don’t be mad anymore.”

He Zhiyuan didn’t respond. He lowered his head, unwrapped the candy, and, with a careful motion, placed it in his mouth.

Qiu Xuning didn’t eat any candy, but he could feel a sense of sweetness lingering, making him feel genuinely happy. He then pulled out the milk candies from his pocket and handed them to He Zhiyuan. “There’s also milk candy. Do you want some?”

He Zhiyuan replied, “Candy can be addictive.”

Qiu Xuning paused for a moment, and his gaze involuntarily drifted down before he quickly said, “But it won’t make you gain weight.”

As soon as he said that, the image of He Zhiyuan changing clothes flashed in his mind. Though it was just a few glimpses, he had caught sight of the muscles on He Zhiyuan’s back—firm and defined, with broad shoulders and a waist that tapered in… Qiu Xuning’s face quickly flushed a light red, and his gaze became a bit unfocused. He couldn’t bring himself to meet He Zhiyuan’s eyes.

He Zhiyuan had noticed often enough that his face turned red, and gradually came to understand that whenever Qiu Xuning got worked up or shy, he blushed easily. Looking at him now, he could more or less guess what was on his mind.

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything. He only shifted his gaze slightly, looking elsewhere, and said, “I’m going to rest.”

Qiu Xuning quickly replied, “Go rest, I’ll go do my homework.”

After saying that, Qiu Xuning quickly turned and ran, disappearing into his room in the blink of an eye. With a soft thud, he shut the door behind him.

He Zhiyuan stood in place for a moment, staring at his room’s door, before turning and heading back to his own room.

By evening, Zhou Mingmei still hadn’t returned, but Qiu Shuohai came home, wearing a smug expression on his face.

“Dinner? Is dinner not ready yet?” Qiu Shuohai called out loudly.

Qiu Zhaozhao turned off the TV, hopped up from the sofa, and said, “Mom’s not back yet, I’ll cook dinner.”

Qiu Shuohai gave her a sideways glance and grumbled, “With your cooking, only pigs could eat it.”

Qiu Zhaozhao spat, “Then don’t eat. If you do, that makes you the pig.”

Qiu Shuohai, looking very pleased with himself, said, “What am I eating? I’m having a feast!”

With that, he took out his phone, ordered KFC and bubble tea, and waved the phone in front of Qiu Zhaozhao. “I’m buying roast chicken. You guys just have your regular meal.”

Qiu Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where did you get the money? Did Mom give you some pocket money again?”

Qiu Shuohai grinned and replied, “Mom can’t give me much. I earned it myself!”

Qiu Zhaozhao was a little surprised, but still happy for him. “Ge, did you find a job?”

Qiu Shuohai shook his head, a smug look on his face, clearly saying, “I’m keeping it a secret, I won’t tell you.” This made Qiu Zhaozhao’s curiosity itch. “Come on, tell me. What kind of job did you find?”

Qiu Shuohai grinned widely. “It’s a secret!”

Qiu Zhaozhao’s face dropped, and she replied, “You’re no fun.”

Qiu Xuning had just come downstairs when he overheard Qiu Shuohai’s words. He glanced at him, and as soon as Qiu Shuohai saw him, he immediately walked over and pulled him into a hug.

“Your ge has money now!” Qiu Shuohai grinned. “Look, I bought so much good food. If you beg me, I might give you some.”

Qiu Xuning’s whole body tensed up, and his skin prickled with discomfort. “You…! I told you, don’t hug me!”

His voice grew louder, though it was still thin and soft, lacking any real authority. He struggled in Qiu Shuohai’s embrace, but thankfully, Qiu Shuohai wasn’t holding him tightly. He managed to break free and quickly ran to a spot farther away from him. He patted his clothes, then unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the thick sweater he was wearing underneath.

Watching his every move, Qiu Shuohai’s smile disappeared. “Tell me, have you been hanging around that He guy too much and picked up all sorts of weird habits? I used to sling an arm around you and you never acted like this. Now you’re whining, acting like some girl, saying I can’t even touch you? What, are you a girl?”

As he spoke, he took a few steps closer to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Zhaozhao quickly grabbed him. “What are you doing! Ningning already said he doesn’t want to be hugged, and you’re still doing it. How can you be so annoying?”

Qiu Shuohai pushed her aside. “This isn’t any of your business so don’t butt in. I want to see where he gets this attitude from. We’re both guys and yet he’s acting like a girl, not letting me touch him? I want to see if he’s really grown up!”

Qiu Xuning, seeing him storm toward him with such force, quickly stepped back, stumbling a few times. His lips trembled, and he stuttered, “If you come any closer, I’ll tell Dad you’re bullying me… I really will tell on you!”

As he said this, his shoulders shook slightly and his eyes reddened, giving off a sense of timid weakness. His words held no real weight and there was no way they could scare Qiu Shuohai.

Qiu Shuohai sneered, “Go ahead, tell Dad. Worst case, I’ll get a beating, but if I get beaten, you’ll just wait for me to fix you!”

He reached out to grab Qiu Xuning by the collar, but before he could, Qiu Zhaozhao rushed over and shoved him away. “Are you crazy? If you keep acting like this, I’ll really get Dad to kick you out. If you mess up Ningning’s exams, I swear you’ll regret it!”

Qiu Shuohai, usually bold and cocky, was used to seeing Qiu Xuning in a weak position, and he enjoyed watching him suffer but with Qiu Zhaozhao being so fierce, his confidence faltered. “Even if I don’t mess with him, you think he’ll get good grades? You think he’s so obedient? He plays around more than I do!”

Qiu Zhaozhao said, “What nonsense are you spouting! Ningning could never fool around more than you—you’re just making things up!”

Qiu Shuohai shot a look at Qiu Xuning, but since they each had dirt on the other, he didn’t dare say much. Tilting his chin arrogantly, he gave a cold snort toward the ceiling. “Believe it or not, I don’t care!”

Qiu Xuning was honestly scared of Qiu Shuohai. Seeing Qiu Zhaozhao blocking the way in front of him, he hurriedly said, “Jiejie, I’ll go back to my room first.”

Qiu Zhaozhao glanced back at him and said, “Go on upstairs, ignore him. He just loves talking nonsense.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t dare to say anything and turned away at once.

He hadn’t gone far when he heard Qiu Shuohai shout, “Just wait till I make it big, you won’t get a single thing from me!”

Qiu Xuning ran back to his bedroom. After taking a moment to steady his breathing, his mood finally calmed down a little. The soundproofing in the room wasn’t good though, and he could still hear Qiu Zhaozhao and Qiu Shuohai arguing downstairs.

Qiu Xuning sat down on his bed and realized his legs were a little weak. He was starting to feel a slight dislike for Qiu Shuohai. In his memories, “Qiu Xuning” had always had a good relationship with Qiu Shuohai. However, for him now, due to his sensitivity and the difficult-to-speak secrets he carried, being around Qiu Shuohai made him feel especially uncomfortable. Even though Qiu Shuohai was his older brother in terms of biology, he still felt a psychological resistance.

Strangely though, when it came to He Zhiyuan, he didn’t feel this way at all.

Qiu Xuning thought for a moment and came to a conclusion. The reason he didn’t feel the same kind of resistance toward He Zhiyuan as he did toward Qiu Shuohai was because He Zhiyuan never touched him inappropriately like Qiu Shuohai did. He Zhiyuan always kept a respectful distance, neither too close nor too far, and never made the kind of jokes that boys typically made with each other.

Compared to Qiu Shuohai, He Zhiyuan’s presence felt safe, and that was why he didn’t feel any psychological resistance.