TVDC 4: Offering Tribute

Qiu Xuning had no idea just how jarring the contrast was between his current state and the way he used to be. That once imperious, arrogant face, when stripped of its dominance and replaced with frailty and timidity, made his whole demeanor feel entirely different. Even the figure he had always ignored before now seemed to draw attention, carrying a faint air of pitiful fragility.

He had injured his head, so any odd behavior was to be expected, but He Zhiyuan hadn’t anticipated that he would face him in this manner.

It was as if his spine had suddenly been removed, and even the air around him seemed laced with a note of ingratiation.

Qiu Xuning was trying to please him.

Watching Qiu Xuning’s tense, uneasy, and timid expression, He Zhiyuan realized it.

Although Qiu Xuning kept his gaze lowered, it was as if a sliver of his peripheral vision was always fixed on He Zhiyuan’s expression. When he saw that He Zhiyuan still hadn’t spoken, he suppressed the urge to turn and run, and said softly, “I didn’t mean anything else, you’ve got it wrong.”

As he spoke, he summoned his courage to glance at He Zhiyuan. Their eyes met, and suddenly, He Zhiyuan stepped closer.

Each time He Zhiyuan advanced a step, Qiu Xuning retreated one, always keeping an arm’s length between them, as though afraid of being struck again.

He Zhiyuan noticed this too. He seemed to find it amusing, so he closed the distance again. Qiu Xuning quickly backed away, instinctively raising an arm as if to shield his face.

When He Zhiyuan took yet another step forward, Qiu Xuning backed up again—only to unknowingly step on a hoe lying behind him. The handle sprang up and smacked him right on the head. Tears welled in Qiu Xuning’s eyes from the pain, yet he somehow managed to hold back any sound, simply crouching down and clutching his head without a word.

He Zhiyuan glanced down at him, and it seemed the wooden handle had struck his own ear as well. That thin, pale ear had flushed a deep red from the impact. Qiu Xuning was still hissing in pain, his voice catching now and then. It sounded like the blow had been no light one.

Only after the pain eased did Qiu Xuning, bracing himself against the wall, slowly get to his feet. By then, He Zhiyuan was gone, likely back in his room.

Sniffling, Qiu Xuning set the hoe in a corner, then went to the kitchen to turn off the light before heading to his own bedroom.

It was only after sitting down that he remembered. He had gone downstairs for a drink of water. The whole run-in with He Zhiyuan had made him forget entirely. After a brief rest, he made another trip down, drinking until his thirst was quenched before returning upstairs.

He couldn’t help thinking about He Zhiyuan rummaging in the kitchen for food. After a moment’s hesitation, he dug under the bed for a large box of snacks. It was a stash treasured by the “Qiu Xuning” from before. Inside was an assortment: potato chips, twisted fritters, sausages, spicy strips, fried peanuts, and more filling options like sachima, bread, and soda crackers. It was enough to fill the whole box.

The “Qiu Xuning” before had loved these, but he himself wasn’t particularly fond of them. Eating habits, like many life habits, were often shaped by parents, and his were very different from most boys his age. His mother, Ms. Qiu Yanru, had always been strict—entertainment, diet, and studies were all dictated by her plan. At first, he had craved snacks, but over time, under her constant hints, he came to believe they were corrupting and poisoning his body. Eating them left him uneasy, and in severe cases, even made him vomit.

Since he wasn’t going to eat them anyway, he might as well give them to He Zhiyuan.

That thought made Qiu Xuning a little uneasy, what if He Zhiyuan didn’t want them?

He hesitated for a long time, clutching a piece of bread without putting it down, and in the end chose a few filling items, tucked them into his arms, and tiptoed out the door to head upstairs.

The storage room where He Zhiyuan slept was tiny, barely ten square meters, and leaked whenever it rained. The window was half-rotten, rattling in the wind, and the damp was so bad you would worry even stored goods might go moldy. In short, it was no place for anyone to sleep.

Recalling this, Qiu Xuning stopped in his tracks. The Qiu family truly hadn’t treated He Zhiyuan well—not even giving him a proper place to rest. It was no wonder they might also have denied him food.

He set the food down by the door, then knocked lightly. Afraid of seeing him, he bolted straight for the stairs afterward. He didn’t check whether He Zhiyuan opened the door or took the food. All he knew was that he felt much more at ease, like he had already paid his “protection fee” and could relax, confident he wouldn’t be hit again.

From the way He Zhiyuan had hit the “Qiu Xuning” from before, it was clear he wasn’t the type to strike just anyone but if he decided to go after Qiu Xuning specifically, Qiu Xuning really wouldn’t be able to fight back.

The next morning, Qiu Xuning woke up very early. His body clock was fairly fixed, and by 5:10 a.m., he was already up reciting his lessons.

When Zhou Mingmei came to call him for breakfast, she heard the sound of reading from inside his room before she even reached the door. She was a little surprised. Qiu Xuning had always been a late riser, to the point where she had to wake him every single day. For him to get up on his own, and even start studying? The sun must have risen in the west today.

Pressing her ear against the door, she listened carefully. Sure enough, he was reciting his books.

Confused but pleased, she didn’t call out to disturb him and quietly walked away.

After studying for a while, Qiu Xuning brushed his teeth, washed his face, and went downstairs for breakfast.

It wasn’t the school holidays yet, but because of the recent incident, Zhou Mingmei had insisted on getting him two weeks of sick leave. As of today, he still had four or five days left.

Taking a sip of porridge, Qiu Xuning kept his eyes down and, in a small voice, mentioned that he wanted to go back to school.

Rather than staying in the Qiu household and feeling uncomfortable all over, he would much rather be at school. At least he was used to life there.

Zhou Mingmei frowned. “Say that again, what did you just say?”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, lifted his eyes to look at her, then quickly lowered them again to the bowl in front of her. Haltingly, he said, “I want to go back to school. I’ve been away too long, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mingmei’s frown eased considerably. “I see. Your head really doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Qiu Xuning nodded quickly. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Qiu Shuohai laughed at him. “You’re really dumb. Mom got you two whole weeks of sick leave. You could be having fun, but you’re rushing back to school? That’s peak stupidity.”

To his surprise, Zhou Mingmei actually nodded in agreement. “You don’t need to be in such a hurry. If you can take a few more days off, do it. Your head’s been injured, don’t go overexerting yourself.”

Qiu Shuohai pouted. “Mom, you spoil Ningning but not me. You’re always nagging me to get a job.”

Zhou Mingmei shot him a glare, and he quickly added, “Isn’t jie’s job good enough? She makes plenty of money so I don’t need to work.”

Qiu Xuning couldn’t help glancing at him. At twenty years old, Qiu Shuohai had only completed one year of high school before dropping out. He had been idling at home ever since, never working, living off money from their parents and even hitting up their eldest sister, Qiu Haiyan, for cash. He was used to it by now, and there was no chance he would actually get a job.

Zhou Mingmei’s push for him to work had never been all that firm anyway, so when she responded, her tone wasn’t especially harsh. “If you’re like this, what will you do when it’s time to get married?”

Qiu Shuohai just chuckled. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Mom, you’d better find me a rich wife, then I won’t have to support a family. It’s much easier that way.”

Zhou Mingmei curled her lip. “What rich woman would ever take a liking to you?”

Still, despite her words, she thought her son looked good in every way. He was solidly built, with a tall, sturdy frame like his father’s. The kind of boy girls tended to like. So she wasn’t actually worried about Qiu Shuohai finding a girlfriend.

Qiu Xuning waited until their conversation had wound down before speaking. “I still want to go back to school this afternoon. I’m afraid I’ll fall behind.”

Hearing how insistent he was, Zhou Mingmei agreed at last. When it came to Qiu Xuning, she was nothing short of a gentle, doting mother. “Ningning, if it feels like too much, just come home. You’re so smart and missing a few days won’t matter. You can always catch up later.”

Qiu Xuning nodded quickly. “I will.”

He had just finished his porridge and set down his bowl and chopsticks. Out of habit, he started gathering the dishes beside him, but after picking up two sets, he caught the surprised look in Zhou Mingmei’s eyes. Realizing something, his fingers stiffened. Slowly, he set the dishes back down and nudged them toward the center of the table.

Zhou Mingmei’s surprise gradually faded. Smiling at Qiu Xuning, she said, “Go study for a bit. I’ll make you something good for lunch today and you can head to school after you’ve eaten.”

Glancing around, Qiu Xuning asked, “Did He Zhiyuan go to school?”

At the sound of that name, Zhou Mingmei instinctively frowned. “Yes. I told him to go early so he wouldn’t run into you—bad luck.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t reply right away. It wasn’t until Zhou Mingmei began clearing the dishes that he finally said, “Mom, just let him get up at the usual time. I’ll head to school early.”

It was the first time he had called Zhou Mingmei “Mom,” but she had no idea how much weight that single word carried. Hearing what he said, she replied, “You can sleep a bit longer, there’s no need to get up so early. He’s the one who should be getting up sooner. He’s got it too easy in this house, and I can’t let him go without being taken down a peg.”

Her words left Qiu Xuning with nothing to say. Only now did he realize just how deep Zhou Mingmei’s resentment toward He Zhiyuan really ran.

He didn’t speak to her again. Turning and heading up to the third floor, he saw that the snacks he had left outside the door last night were gone and, unexpectedly, that made him a little happy.

He had already made his “offering,” and He Zhiyuan had eaten it so that should settle things between them, right?

Feeling pleased, a faint flush crept onto Qiu Xuning’s face, his eyes shining bright. His whole expression lit up with happiness, stripped of the old hostility and arrogance—leaving only pure, simple joy. It was striking how the same face could look so vastly different on a different soul.

The Qiu family might be rough around the edges and biased in their affections toward Qiu Xuning, but even if they noticed something odd, they would never think too deeply about it.

He Zhiyuan, however, understood all too well the difference between the Qiu Xuning of before and the one standing before him now.