TVDC 28: Tease

He Zhiyuan looked at him like this, and Qiu Xuning immediately felt uneasy. He stammered, “What are you looking at me for?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t answer and continued staring at Qiu Xuning’s face, following his own thoughts.

Qiu Xuning was most afraid of He Zhiyuan looking at him so seriously and deeply. Even his thin eyelids couldn’t bear the weight of his gaze, so he could only slightly turn his face away to avoid He Zhiyuan’s eyes. His voice became much softer and a little distant. “…I won’t talk to you anymore. I’m a bit tired. I’m going to sleep.”

He Zhiyuan suddenly spoke, “How did he mess with you?”

Qiu Xuning paused for a moment, realizing that the “he” He Zhiyuan referred to was Qiu Shouhai. He hesitated for a moment, then softly said, “He just messes with me… maybe he thinks it’s fine since we’re both guys, but I don’t really like it, so…”

He didn’t continue, as the more he spoke, the more he realized that the “messing around” he described might seem like a very small thing to He Zhiyuan.

If he said it out loud, he would probably think he was overreacting, right?

Qiu Xuning took a deep breath, then gently exhaled, the white mist dissipating in the air. His mood grew more complicated.

“I… I’m going to bed,” Qiu Xuning’s voice softened, “Good night.”

“Good night,” He Zhiyuan said.

Qiu Xuning turned and left He Zhiyuan’s room, gently closing the door behind him.

He Zhiyuan watched him leave. Even though his gaze was now fixed only on the pale wooden door, there was a certain dark intensity in his eyes that made one’s heart tremble with fear.

“Messing with you?” He Zhiyuan’s voice softened. “I also mess with you.”

Not too heavy, not too light, just the right kind of teasing around.

On Wednesday morning, the results of the monthly exam were released.

Teacher Jiang received the rankings and quickly noticed that the first place in the class had changed hands. He was a bit surprised, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Teacher Mo, who also taught English in the same office, saw the smile on his face and teased, “Old Jiang, your class did really well this time? You look like you’ve just seen a flower bloom.”

Teacher Jiang smiled and said, “I’m just surprised. I didn’t expect it. We’ve got a dark horse in the class.”

Teacher Mo walked up behind him, “Let me see, where’s this dark horse?”

Teacher Jiang pointed to a name, “It’s right here.”

“Qiu Xuning?” Teacher Mo was also a bit surprised. “I thought it was someone else. It’s him? He’s been doing well in the recent English quizzes and I thought he was just serious once or twice. I didn’t expect such a big improvement.”

Teacher Jiang smiled and said, “I told you, he’s got potential. His grades dropped so quickly before, but it was just because he was playing around. Now that he’s serious about studying, of course, his grades are going up.”

Teacher Mo chuckled, “Once or twice doesn’t count for much. He has to keep it up.”

Teacher Jiang nodded, “Right, he needs to keep it up. Later, I’ll have a good talk with him—warn him to avoid being arrogant or impatient, and to maintain this performance. Otherwise, how can he get into the top experimental class?”

Teacher Mo became happy too. Although she wasn’t the class teacher and wouldn’t get a bonus if a student made it into the experimental class, he was still her student. Good grades reflected well on her, and it brought her pride. “Then you’d better keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t start playing around again and let his grades drop.”

Teacher Jiang couldn’t hold back his smile. Now he finally felt a little more at ease about Qiu Xuning.

The first class was Teacher Jiang’s class.

Teacher Jiang didn’t start the lesson immediately. Instead, he held up the exam rankings sheet, cleared his throat, and scanned the classroom. His gaze landed on Qiu Xuning. Although Qiu Xuning wasn’t looking at him at the moment, he was sitting up straight, both arms neatly placed on the desk, exuding an obedient and proper demeanor.

Ah, just looking at him was endearing.

Teacher Jiang made an effort to put on a serious expression, but the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up into a smile. “The results of this month’s exam have come out, and our class did quite well. Five students made it into the top ten in the whole school, twenty-six students made it into the top one hundred, and forty-five students made it into the top eight hundred. Some students have made significant progress—Yan Shuhua, Li Ruiqi, and Zhao Bingqing have all improved by several hundred places. I hope they can keep it up. Then there’s Qiu Xuning. Last time, he was in the four-hundred-range, but now he’s third in the whole school. His progress is remarkable. I hope he can maintain it as well. Let’s give a round of applause to these students.”

As soon as he finished speaking, applause erupted in the classroom.

Qiu Xuning was momentarily stunned when he heard his name. As he listened to his classmates applaud for him, his heart began to race, pounding wildly in his chest. He hadn’t expected to actually rank in the top three in the whole school. At his previous school, he could only manage to be in the top twenty at most but here, he had made it to the top three.

His eyes sparkled as he glanced at Teacher Jiang, then quickly lowered his gaze, quietly clenching his fist. He wanted to do even better—he hoped to take first place in the entire school.

When Qiu Xuning got home, he immediately shared the good news with Zhou Mingmei. Zhou Mingmei, upon hearing it, exclaimed in surprise, “You really got third in the whole school?”

Qiu Xuning shyly nodded and whispered, “The teacher even praised me.”

Zhou Mingmei smiled and said, “I told you, you can do it! You’re so smart, you could even take first place!”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together and smiled, saying, “I’ll try my best to take first place next time.”

Zhou Mingmei replied, “You can do it! You’ll definitely get first place.”

She wiped her hands and then added, “No, you’ve done so well, we need to celebrate properly. I’ll go buy a couple more dishes. What do you want to eat tonight?”

Qiu Xuning shook his head, “It’s fine, I don’t really want anything. No need to buy.”

Zhou Mingmei insisted, “No, I have to buy it. Fine, you go do your homework. I’ll go check it out myself.”

After she said that, Zhou Mingmei took off her apron and turned to grab her wallet from the bedroom.

Qiu Xuning was about to head upstairs when he suddenly heard Zhou Mingmei shout, “Where’s the money in my wallet?!”

He turned around and walked to the door of her room, quietly asking, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Zhou Mingmei’s face darkened, and she said, “There’s 500 yuan missing from my wallet.”

Qiu Xuning had never encountered such a situation before, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. “Could it be… you forgot where you put it?”

Zhou Mingmei snapped, “No way! How could I not know how much money I have?”

Her tone grew harsh. “Qiu Shouhai!”

She stormed out of the room, slamming her hand against Qiu Shouhai’s door. “Qiu Shouhai! Open the door right now!”

From inside the room, Qiu Shouhai shouted, “What now?!”

Zhou Mingmei snapped, “Did you take my money?!”

Qiu Shouhai was silent for a moment before replying, “Who took your money? I didn’t take it, don’t accuse me falsely.”

Zhou Mingmei snapped, “You’re the only one at home today. If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be?!”

Qiu Shouhai opened the door and yelled at Zhou Mingmei, “Just because I’m at home, you assume I took it?! Mom, you have no proof, how can you casually accuse me of taking your money?”

Zhou Mingmei slapped him across the face. “Tell me the truth! Did you take it or not?!”

Qiu Shouhai staggered back a few steps from the slap, glaring and retorting, “I’ve already said it wasn’t me! Why would I take your money?!”

“How would I know what you’re up to! Get out of my way!” Zhou Mingmei said, shoving Qiu Shuohai aside and starting to search the room.

Qiu Shuohai’s face and neck flushed red, his eyes bulging as he glared at her. “I told you, it wasn’t me. You won’t find anything anyway.”

After tearing through Qiu Shuohai’s room, Zhou Mingmei didn’t find a single cent. Her face flushed too, but from anger. “If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be? Tell me—who else?!”

Qiu Shouhai shouted, “It must have been He Zhiyuan! He’s the one who stole it!”

Hearing He Zhiyuan’s name, Qiu Xuning quickly defended, “It wasn’t him! He was with me last night, and we were together this morning. It definitely wasn’t him.”

Qiu Shouhai retorted, “I wasn’t home at noon, so it must have been when he came back secretly and took it!”

Zhou Mingmei seemed to think that what Qiu Shouhai said made sense. She took a deep breath and didn’t get angry with him anymore.

Qiu Xuning looked at Zhou Mingmei with pleading eyes and said, “Mom, it really wasn’t him. He wouldn’t take your money.”

Zhou Mingmei held back her anger and replied, “When he comes, I’ll have a good talk with him.”

Qiu Xuning was about to say something, but Qiu Shouhai interrupted him, growling, “If it’s not him, then could it be you? I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“It’s not me, I didn’t take it!” Qiu Xuning raised his voice, his tone much louder now. He glanced at Qiu Shouhai, then quickly shifted his gaze away. Though it wasn’t right to casually accuse someone without evidence, Qiu Shouhai did have a history. He had once encouraged Qiu Xuning to steal, so the idea of him taking money from the house wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.

Qiu Xuning thought about it, but since he had no evidence, he could only feel anxious. “Anyway, He Zhiyuan definitely didn’t take it, Mom, maybe you just forgot where you put it. Can you think about it again?”

Zhou Mingmei snapped, “Don’t I know where I put my money? My memory isn’t that bad!”

Her mood was already frayed, and her tone with Qiu Xuning became much harsher, effectively shutting down whatever he was about to say.

There was still some time before He Zhiyuan would return, and Zhou Mingmei didn’t want to just sit and wait. She remembered she needed to buy some groceries to celebrate, so she grabbed some money and headed out.

That left Qiu Xuning and Qiu Shouhai alone at home.

Qiu Shouhai was about to return to his room to continue sleeping when Qiu Xuning, gathering his courage, called out to him, “Wait a minute.”

Qiu Shouhai turned his head to look at him, clearly annoyed. “What now?”

Qiu Xuning’s lips trembled slightly, his eyes not daring to meet his. “The money… was it you who took it?”

Qiu Shuohai let out a cold laugh. “What do you think?”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together, forcing down the nervousness and unease in his chest, but his words still stumbled out. “Was it really not you who took it?”

Qiu Shuohai cursed, “Are you crazy? I’d say it was more likely you who took it!”

After he finished, he slammed the door shut right in front of Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning stood there for quite a while before finally turning to leave.

He Zhiyuan happened to come back at just the right time—he had barely stepped through the door when Zhou Mingmei followed right after, almost as if she had timed her return to match his.

The moment Zhou Mingmei saw He Zhiyuan, she demanded, “Was it you who took the family’s money?”

Hearing the noise upstairs, Qiu Xuning quickly ran down the stairs. He hurried over to He Zhiyuan’s side, slightly out of breath, and raised his voice just a little. “Mom, you must have remembered it wrong. I looked around, and I found 300 yuan on top of the washing machine. You must have dropped it by accident.”

Zhou Mingmei frowned slightly. “But I’m missing 500!”

Qiu Xuning said, “Just check again. You might find it in a bit.”

Zhou Mingmei shot He Zhiyuan a glare, then turned into the bathroom, where she indeed found three hundred yuan sitting on top of the washing machine.

Her expression eased a little, and she said to He Zhiyuan, “Just you wait. If I don’t find the remaining two hundred, you’re going to pay for it.”

He Zhiyuan said nothing, only turning his face slightly to glance at Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning stood beside him, his voice barely a whisper. “There’s 500 yuan missing from the house.”

He felt a sense of relief in his heart. Luckily, he had been very frugal with the money Qiu Haiyan had given him, saving it without spending much. It wasn’t too much or too little, just exactly 500 yuan. He had placed 300 yuan on top of the washing machine and tucked the remaining 200 yuan in Zhou Mingmei’s bedroom. He was confident she would find it soon.

Zhou Mingmei didn’t rush to look for the rest of the money. It was already almost seven o’clock, and she hadn’t even started making dinner. She quickly grabbed the groceries and headed to the kitchen to cook.

Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan returned to the bedroom together. Before He Zhiyuan even had a chance to put down his backpack, Qiu Xuning’s face lit up with a small smile. “My monthly exam results are out. Guess what score I got?”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him. “Full marks.”

Qiu Xuning’s tone became more lively. “I got full marks in both math and chemistry!”

He Zhiyuan paused for a moment and turned his gaze toward Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning met his eyes, pressing his lips together as he forced down the faintly smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound casual as he said, “Also, I ranked third in the whole school, and my homeroom teacher praised me.”

As he spoke, a light blush spread across Qiu Xuning’s cheeks, carrying a hint of shyness. His large, clear black-and-white eyes held a quiet expectation as they fixed intently on He Zhiyuan’s face.

It was clear that Qiu Xuning was hoping for some kind of response from He Zhiyuan.

Over the past month, it seemed like He Zhiyuan understood every expression Qiu Xuning made. Seeing him staring at him in silence, he immediately knew what he was thinking.

“You’re amazing,” He Zhiyuan said.

His voice sounded a bit stiff, as he had never really said anything like this before.

At that moment, Qiu Xuning couldn’t hear anything else. Just those three words from He Zhiyuan were enough to fill him with joy. He was like a cat being stroked the right way, his soft red lips curling into a smile, his little sharp canine teeth peeking out as he beamed with excitement. Even his eyes sparkled with light.

“I’ll study hard from now on, get first place in the whole school, and then… then when I take the high school entrance exam, I’ll get into No. 1 High. That way I can go to and from school with you every day.” Qiu Xuning’s voice was soft and sweet, his face glowing with longing as he dreamed of such a future.

He Zhiyuan said, “Work hard.”

He Zhiyuan spoke as he took out 500 yuan from a small box on the bed and handed it to Qiu Xuning. His voice lowered as he said, “Your money.”

Qiu Xuning stared at the money in his hand for a moment, then froze. “Why are you giving me money?”

He Zhiyuan gently grasped his hand and placed the bills into Qiu Xuning’s palm. “You know why.”

Qiu Xuning held the bills in his hand, silent for a long time. After a while, he finally spoke, “I don’t know where her money went, but I know it has nothing to do with us.”

He Zhiyuan didn’t respond. He simply lowered his head, took out his homework, and began working on it.

Qiu Xuning sat down beside him, his gaze falling on He Zhiyuan’s handwriting.

He Zhiyuan’s handwriting, like the person himself, was elegant and flowing, with sharp strokes that seemed to carry great force, as though each stroke could pierce through the thin paper.

There was no doubt that he had excellent handwriting.

Qiu Xuning murmured, “Your handwriting is really beautiful. Did you practice it?”

Qiu Xuning slowly realized that He Zhiyuan wasn’t in a very good mood at the moment. After thinking it over, he quickly understood—being accused of stealing money was definitely not something that would make anyone feel comfortable.

Without even looking at him, He Zhiyuan answered, “No.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say. Instead, he just stared at the side of He Zhiyuan’s face.

He Zhiyuan was handsome, and from Qiu Xuning’s angle, he could see his high and straight nose, where his nose and philtrum formed a sharp angle. His jawline was clean and sharp, adding to his striking appearance.

Qiu Xuning had heard girls talk about what a “real” handsome guy looked like, and he realized that He Zhiyuan’s face fit perfectly with their description of a 360° flawless look. No matter which angle Qiu Xuning looked at him from, He Zhiyuan always appeared handsome.

Perhaps Qiu Xuning’s gaze had been too intense, as He Zhiyuan seemed unable to bear it. He put his pen down and looked at Qiu Xuning. “Finished with your homework?”

Caught staring and caught in the act, Qiu Xuning’s face turned bright red, and his gaze flickered nervously. “I-I finished it…”

He Zhiyuan opened the drawer, pulled out a stack of sticky notes, and tossed them to him. “If you’re bored, fold a thousand paper cranes.”

Qiu Xuning picked up the stack of sticky notes. This time, the notes were a refreshing shade of matcha green. “Have you folded them all?”

He Zhiyuan said, “Fold them until I’m done with my work, or you can go outside.”

Qiu Xuning thought for a moment, then replied in a dry tone, “I’ll fold them then.”

With that, he tore off a sheet of the sticky note and lowered his head, starting to fold a paper crane.

However, He Zhiyuan didn’t continue his own work. He slightly turned his face, watching Qiu Xuning’s movements.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Qiu Xuning’s hands. These were the hands He Zhiyuan had held before—small palms, but fleshy, soft, and delicate to the touch, like holding a lump of flesh with no bones to feel, yet his fingers were slender and tender, as though the flesh had all grown into his palms.

As Qiu Xuning curled his fingers while folding the paper crane, the back of his hand revealed a few shallow little dimples, making his hands look charmingly pale and cute.

He Zhiyuan’s gaze deepened. When he realized he had been staring at Qiu Xuning’s hands for a while, he quietly shifted his gaze away, without giving any sign that he’d noticed.

Qiu Xuning, completely unaware of He Zhiyuan’s gaze, focused intently on folding the paper cranes. He finished one, placed it aside, and started on the second without hesitation.

He was patient, not finding the task boring at all, and kept folding without stopping.

By the time He Zhiyuan finished his homework, Qiu Xuning had folded enough paper cranes to fill half of the desk.

“Stop folding,” He Zhiyuan told him.

Qiu Xuning was holding a half-folded paper crane when he heard He Zhiyuan speak. Without lifting his head, he murmured, “Wait until I finish folding this one.”

He Zhiyuan tidied the desk, pushed the books aside, and leaned slightly on his chin, watching as Qiu Xuning finished folding the last crane.

Qiu Xuning stretched lazily, rubbed his eyes, and then looked at He Zhiyuan. “Now that they’re done, where do you want me to put them?”

He Zhiyuan said, “Take them back and keep them.”

Qiu Xuning blinked in surprise and pointed at himself, “All of them?”

He Zhiyuan nodded, his expression serious. “Keep them. If you lose them…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but his look made it clear. There was an unspoken severity, and his gaze carried a quiet, pressing weight.

Qiu Xuning stared at him, stuttering, “Wha… What would happen if I lost them?”

He Zhiyuan said, “You can try to guess.”

Qiu Xuning swallowed nervously, his voice wavering, “You… You’re not really going to hit me, are you?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t respond. The fact that he didn’t deny it made Qiu Xuning’s heart skip a beat.

Qiu Xuning’s eyes widened in disbelief, and a wave of grievance immediately rose in his chest. “If I lose them, you’re really going to hit me? Are you just trying to scare me?”

His eyes were so easily affected, and as the feeling of grievance hit, his eyes quickly began to redden.

He Zhiyuan saw that Qiu Xuning’s eyes were already turning red, and he knew that if things went on, he might cry at any moment. He lowered his voice and said, “I won’t hit you.”

Then he added, “Only kids get scared and cry so easily. Are you a kid?”

By the end of his sentence, He Zhiyuan’s voice had softened, carrying a trace of helplessness.

Given that He Zhiyuan had said that, Qiu Xuning should have been laughing by now. But once the tears came, they weren’t so easy to stop. His dark, glossy eyes were clouded with a thin layer of tears. Like a little kitten with its claws out, he shot He Zhiyuan a glare, his voice thick with nasal tones, “You’re trying to scare me.”

He Zhiyuan calmly replied, “I didn’t say anything.”

Qiu Xuning sniffled, “You did it on purpose.”

He rubbed his eyes again. Although it dispersed the mist in his gaze, it only made the skin around his eyes even redder. His lashes clung together, damp with tears. “So… what happens if the paper cranes get lost?”

He Zhiyuan replied, “There’s no real consequence, but if you lose them, I’ll be very disappointed.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment. He didn’t even mind how his voice still carried a heavy nasal tone, which sounded a bit funny. He tried to raise his voice, saying, “I won’t lose them.”

He Zhiyuan looked at him, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly, a faint, gentle smile forming. “Mm, it’s best not to lose them.”

Qiu Xuning took the paper cranes back to his room. Since the small box was already full, he thought for a moment and decided to use a gift box to store them instead.

Among the colorful paper cranes, only two had been folded by He Zhiyuan; the rest were all folded by Qiu Xuning himself.

He stared at the paper cranes for a while, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. After a moment, he closed the box and placed the gift box on top of the bookshelf.

Although Qiu Haiyan had told Zhou Mingmei to treat He Zhiyuan better, Zhou Mingmei could never bring herself to truly care. In the end, she simply ignored He Zhiyuan, treating him as if he were invisible.

After the incident with the missing money, Zhou Mingmei felt an unease she couldn’t quite explain.

In the early hours of the morning, Qiu Shunming came home to sleep, waking Zhou Mingmei up. She then told him about the situation with the money.

Qiu Shunming, sounding impatient, said, “The money’s been found, so what’s the problem? Why are you still worrying about it?”

Zhou Mingmei pushed him away, clearly displeased. “You should pay more attention to the family. You’ve been coming home late recently. What exactly have you been up to?”

Qiu Shunming grumbled, “The factory has overtime, you know that.”

Zhou Mingmei snapped, “That lousy factory doesn’t make much money anyway, and they’re even doing layoffs. Why are you still working overtime? Do you know that Ningning’s monthly exam results are out? He ranked third in the whole school!”

Qiu Shunming’s eyes lit up. “Third in the whole school?”

Thinking about this, Zhou Mingmei’s mood brightened considerably. “Yes, third in the whole school. Ever since Ningning became more sensible, I’ve been saying he’s capable.”

Qiu Shunming said proudly, “That’s just like me. When I was in school, my grades were just as good as Ningning’s.”

Zhou Mingmei shot him a look. “Don’t brag, I’m not blind.”

Neither of them were particularly good at studying. Watching relatives and friends see their children excel, they couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Out of their four children, only Qiu Xuning had achieved anything notable.

Qiu Shunming let out a sigh and said, “Ningning’s been a lot more timid since that hospital stay. He can’t even bring himself to call me ‘Dad’ when he sees me. Luckily, his grades keep getting better—being timid isn’t such a big deal compared to that.”

Zhou Mingmei didn’t reply. As his mother, she had seen clearly how Qiu Xuning’s temperament had completely changed from before. Though her own outlook wasn’t broad and there were many things she couldn’t quite believe, she still said after a pause, “Ningning’s just grown up. He didn’t understand things before, but now he does. That’s a good thing.”

Qiu Shunming didn’t continue talking about Qiu Xuning’s temperament. They had already gone over it countless times at night, and the topic had long since lost its freshness. “Let’s sleep.”

Zhou Mingmei pushed him gently and lowered her voice. “Don’t sleep yet.”

Qiu Shunming, annoyed, turned over to face her. “What now?”

Zhou Mingmei said, “I just don’t feel at ease. I keep thinking something’s going to happen.”

Qiu Shunming said impatiently, “What nonsense are you talking about? We’re having good days, and you’re sitting here thinking about trouble.”

Zhou Mingmei replied, “The money got lost today. Yes, it was found, but I have such a good memory—how could I just forget where I put it?”

Qiu Shunming retorted, “People who drink always say they haven’t drunk, and you’re talking about your memory like it’s perfect.”

Zhou Mingmei felt a tightness in her chest, her frustration building. She snapped, “I’m telling you, but you don’t listen. When something really happens, we’ll see how you react!”

“What could happen? Go to sleep! If you keep talking, I’ll deal with you,” Qiu Shunming muttered as he turned over, even pulling most of the blanket away from her in the process.

“…” Zhou Mingmei tugged her quilt back and thought to herself, thank goodness the younger son takes after her. If he were like Qiu Shunming, she would surely despise him.