TVDC 45: Attraction

It was also a rainy day. Early in the morning, Qiu Xuning was asked by Zhou Mingmei to go upstairs to collect the laundry. Just as he was holding a pile of clothes and about to go downstairs, he heard the phone ringing in the room.

Qiu Xuning hesitated for a moment, turned around, and struggled to open the bedroom door. He put down the pile of clothes and picked up the phone. It was a call from Teacher Jiang, so Qiu Xuning quickly answered it.

“Hello.” Qiu Xuning said nervously, his tongue feeling stiff. “Hello, Teacher Jiang.”

“Qiu Xuning!” Teacher Jiang’s voice was full of excitement. “Do you know? You scored first in the whole county and fifth in the whole city in this exam!”

Qiu Xuning was shocked, almost dropping the phone from his hand. “Re-really?”

Teacher Jiang said, “Of course it’s true, do you think I would lie to you?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Qiu Xuning stammered, then cautiously asked, “Teacher, how many points did I get?”

Teacher Jiang replied, “Well, your cultural score is 690, the full score, and you got 685! You missed only five points. I asked around, two points were deducted for the essay, and the other three were taken off for chemistry. For all the other subjects, you scored full marks! As for your physical education score, out of 60 points, you got 48. Your total score is 733, first in the county and fifth in the city! Qiu Xuning, I never expected you to do so well this time. I’m really happy for you!”

“…I, thank you Teacher Jiang.” Qiu Xuning’s breathing became more rapid, and a faint red flush appeared on his cheeks. “Thank you for calling me personally to tell me.”

“There’s no need to thank me. You did well and I benefit from it too. The results will be out tomorrow. I know your family situation, and the top three in the county are exempt from tuition fees at the First High School, plus there’s a scholarship. Tomorrow, the teachers from First High will also contact you to discuss the tuition exemption and scholarship. If other schools call you today, don’t agree to anything just yet, understand?”

Qiu Xuning knew that Teacher Jiang was giving him a reminder, and he felt warm inside. His voice softened. “I understand.”

Teacher Jiang said, “That’s good. Now go share the good news with your parents and make them happy. I have something else to take care of here, so I’ll hang up now.”

Qiu Xuning responded with a soft “Mm,” and quietly said, “Goodbye, Teacher.”

After the phone call ended, Qiu Xuning still felt as if he were dreaming. He paused for a moment, then excitedly ran downstairs and told Zhou Mingmei, who was mopping the floor, “Mom, my results are out!”

Zhou Mingmei straightened up suddenly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. “How many points?!”

Qiu Xuning replied, “733 points!”

Zhou Mingmei didn’t hear clearly and asked again, “How many points?”

“733!” Qiu Xuning repeated.

Zhou Mingmei hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What’s the total score?”

Qiu Xuning smiled and said quietly, “The total score is 750.”

Zhou Mingmei, in disbelief, said, “The total score is 750, and you got 733? You only lost 17 points?”

Qiu Xuning, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “I lost some points in physical education… otherwise, it might have been even better.”

Zhou Mingmei’s cheeks flushed, and she breathed heavily, “Is it really 733 points?”

Seeing her exaggerated expression, Qiu Xuning’s mood slowly calmed down. “Yes, really. Teacher Jiang called me just now to tell me.”

Only then did Zhou Mingmei burst into uncontrollable laughter, her eyes shining with joy, “My son is really smart. With such a high score, you’ll definitely be able to join the experimental class, right?”

Qiu Xuning nodded and whispered, “Teacher Jiang just told me that I ranked first in the whole county.”

Zhou Mingmei was stunned, “First in the whole county!?”

A sudden thought crossed her mind—could it really be the blessing of their ancestors? Maybe their family really would have a top scorer in the college entrance exam!

Zhou Mingmei swallowed, looking at Qiu Xuning with a gaze as if he were a precious gem. “This is incredible! Really incredible! Son, we’re not eating at home tonight. We’re going out to eat!”

Qiu Xuning’s first reaction was to ask, “Is He Zhiyuan going…?”

Zhou Mingmei’s eyelids flicked, but her smile didn’t fade. “Yes, he’s going, everyone’s going! I’ll call your sister. If she doesn’t come back this time, she can forget about coming back in the future!”

After saying that, Zhou Mingmei picked up her phone and started making calls.

Qiu Xuning stood by without leaving, listening as she first called Qiu Shunming, didn’t say much, and quickly hung up the phone. Then she called Qiu Haiyan, loudly announcing Qiu Xuning’s results, “Are you coming back or not? If you don’t come back this time, don’t bother coming back in the future.”

Not sure what Qiu Haiyan said on the other end, Zhou Mingmei replied, “Alright, I’ll have Ningning take the call.”

As she spoke, Zhou Mingmei handed the phone to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning took the phone and softly said, “Hello.”

Qiu Haiyan asked, “Is what Mom said true?”

“It’s true, jie. I scored 733 points. Teacher Jiang called to tell me,” Qiu Xuning said.

Qiu Haiyan laughed and said, “I’m still out right now. If I come back, it might be tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to buy for you?”

Qiu Xuning also smiled and quietly said, “Actually, you don’t have to rush back. It’s just the entrance exam.”

“What do you mean ‘just the entrance exam’? You did so well. If your sister doesn’t come back, is she still your sister? Give me the phone, I’ll talk to her.”

As she spoke, she reached for Qiu Xuning’s phone. Qiu Xuning couldn’t hold onto it, and the phone was snatched away by Zhou Mingmei.

“I’m telling you, I don’t care what you’re doing out there, but Ningning did so well this time. If you don’t come back, I won’t recognize you as my daughter anymore! You have to come back.” Zhou Mingmei said.

Not sure what was said on the other end, but Zhou Mingmei’s raised brows slowly relaxed. “Alright, you come back tomorrow. You must come back, okay? I’m hanging up now, I still need to notify your grandparents and uncles.”

After saying that, Zhou Mingmei hung up the phone, then flipped through her contact list and dialed another number. “Mingfang, has your son’s results come out yet? No? My son’s results came out, and his teacher personally called to tell me he scored 733 points. Oh, I don’t know if it’s good or not, but his teacher said there’s no problem with getting into First High…”

Qiu Xuning: “…”

Qiu Xuning, feeling embarrassed, blushed and ran away.

In the evening, when He Zhiyuan came back, Qiu Xuning told him about his results.

A brief look of surprise flashed in He Zhiyuan’s eyes, then he smiled and quietly said, “Not bad.”

Qiu Xuning, somewhat reserved, pursed his lips and quietly said, “I lost the most points in physical education, twelve points.”

He Zhiyuan glanced down at his slender calves and said, “That’s normal.”

“…” Qiu Xuning softly added, “What I meant by saying I lost the most in physical education is that if I had gotten full marks in that, I could have done even better.”

He Zhiyuan looked at him and said in a deep voice, “The points have already been deducted. Why are you still talking about this?”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, his cheeks puffing up, and then like a balloon, he let out a “puff” of air. “Forget it, I won’t talk to you about it.”

He Zhiyuan said, “Making all those ‘what if’ or ‘if only’ assumptions will only add unnecessary worries. What should be a happy thing turns into a burden, and that’s not needed.”

After saying that, He Zhiyuan’s voice softened as he added, “You’re already really good, even better than I imagined.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyelids fluttered slightly. He lifted his eyes to look at him, and in that moment, the feeling could probably only be described as his heart blooming with joy. His smile was uncontrollable, and his clear eyes sparkled brightly in the glow of the evening sunset, as if only He Zhiyuan’s face existed in them. “D-Do you really think I’m outstanding?”

He Zhiyuan lowered his eyes to look at him. At that moment, Qiu Xuning’s delicate, almost beautiful face was bathed in a soft glow, exuding an inexplicable allure that made one feel slightly dizzy. He Zhiyuan’s Adam’s apple moved a few times as he said, “Really, I have no reason to lie to you.”

Qiu Xuning smiled. His soft, rosy lips curved into a gentle arc, revealing his white teeth and sharp little tiger teeth. His entire face seemed to shine like stars in the night sky. The light in his eyes flickered slightly, filled with both shyness and sincerity. “Thank you, you’re also very outstanding.”

He Zhiyuan also curved his lips into a smile, his voice low and deep. “Outstanding people are always drawn to each other.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, his eyelids trembling a few times. As if overwhelmed, he lowered his eyes and shyly murmured, “Mm.”

He Zhiyuan watched the blush rise on his cheeks, his gaze flickering slightly, before he smiled faintly.