TVDC 56: The First Day of School

In the following days, Qiu Xuning no longer went to the swimming pool, but He Zhiyuan, not knowing where he got it from, brought an inflatable pool, set it up in the yard, inflated it, and filled it with water. It looked quite big and was enough for Qiu Xuning to swim a couple of laps, which was better than nothing.

Soon, it was time for school registration. Qiu Xuning’s school start was earlier than He Zhiyuan and Qiu Zhaozhao’s. Zhou Mingmei got up early in the morning, busying herself in the kitchen, and then came to pick clothes for Qiu Xuning to wear.

After having breakfast and taking a shower, it was only a little past seven. The registration doesn’t start until eight-thirty, causing Zhou Mingmei to complain, unable to help herself. “Usually, school starts pretty early, but when it’s school registration, I just wish it would drag on until nine or ten.”

Qiu Xuning had already gotten used to letting Zhou Mingmei’s words go in one ear and out the other. He was staring at his empty bag, troubled. Finally, he looked around and placed a water cup filled with water inside. Then he thought for a moment and added a box of tissue paper. It’s not for anything else, but because it added some weight, making the bag more comfortable to carry.

He Zhiyuan also got up early, but when Zhou Mingmei was around, he wouldn’t come downstairs. During these times, there was a growing sense of boundaries between him and the Qiu family, like the saying “the well water does not affect the river water.” So when Zhou Mingmei and the others were around, he rarely showed up and seldom made his presence felt.

Qiu Xuning knew he couldn’t see him and yet couldn’t bear to leave just like that, so he carried his backpack upstairs, leaned on the doorframe of He Zhiyuan’s room, poked his head inside, and said, “I’m going to school now.”

He Zhiyuan was leaning against the bedside while reading a book. Upon hearing his words, he lifted his eyes and looked at him.

Qiu Xuning made eye contact with him, smiled, and quietly said, “I’m going to our school now.”

He Zhiyuan put down the book and looked at him. “Should I take you there?”

The smile on Qiu Xuning’s lips faded slightly, and he said, “My mom will take me…”

He Zhiyuan had asked casually, and upon hearing this, he nodded and said, “Go early, come back early.”

Qiu Xuning lightly cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want something to eat? I can bring it for you?”

He Zhiyuan said, “No need.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t have much to say. Zhou Mingmei was downstairs urging him and he could only leave reluctantly.

Arriving at the new school as a freshman was actually a very novel experience. Qiu Xuning still felt a sense of awkwardness he couldn’t shake off. He followed Zhou Mingmei the whole time and watched her handle his registration.

As expected, no tuition fee was paid this time either and he even got a card back. Zhou Mingmei smiled so much that her eyes disappeared and she asked Qiu Xuning, “You remember where the class is, right?”

Qiu Xuning nodded. He of course remembered, it was Class 1 of Grade 10, also the experimental class. With 1,500 students in the grade, only one experimental class was set up, which showed just how fierce the competition was. Moreover, if your grades drop into the bottom three for three consecutive times, you would be moved to a lower class.

Zhou Mingmei didn’t understand any of this, she only cared whether the money was in place. Once she got the money, she dragged Qiu Xuning to the street, insisted on buying him several outfits, a few pairs of shoes, and even bought him an electric scooter.

Qiu Xuning hadn’t ridden the pink electric scooter that He Zhiyuan had won in the lottery before. First, because he still didn’t know how to ride an electric scooter; second, because the pink color was too girly and he felt too shy to use it.

Zhou Mingmei picked out a black electric scooter for him. It was compact and lightweight, not too heavy.

Qiu Xuning sat on it. He still liked it after all, as a smile appeared on his face.

When they got home, Qiu Xuning dragged He Zhiyuan to see it. He said to him, “When we go to school in the future, we can ride it.”

Qiu Xuning calculated their body sizes and this scooter could fit both of them.

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything. He got on the scooter first, kicked the stand away, then looked at Qiu Xuning and said, “Get on.”

A smile appeared on the corner of Qiu Xuning’s lips. He spread his legs and got on the back seat, sitting behind He Zhiyuan. There was still a little space on the back seat for a backpack. Qiu Xuning was calculating, when he heard He Zhiyuan’s voice say, “I’ll take you for a ride.”

Qiu Xuning softly responded with a “hmm.” He Zhiyuan turned his head and glanced at him with his long legs pushed against the scooter. He let go of the handlebars, grabbed both of Qiu Xuning’s hands, wrapped them around his waist, and locked his hands against his abdomen.

Because of his movement, Qiu Xuning’s whole body was pressed against He Zhiyuan’s back. His warm body temperature was transmitted through the thin fabric to Qiu Xuning, making his heart start pounding wildly again.

“Hold on, don’t let go,” He Zhiyuan said. His long legs pulled up, and the scooter turned out of the yard.

The weather was not too hot even by noon, but still carried the coolness of the morning. Qiu Xuning, behind He Zhiyuan, could feel the gentle breeze blowing. The air was mixed with the scent of pastries sold by street vendors, and the fragrance of He Zhiyuan’s body wash, which smelled really good.

Qiu Xuning slightly moved back, and his hands went from holding He Zhiyuan’s waist to gripping his t-shirt.

He didn’t dare to get too close to He Zhiyuan, or even press against him, fearing that his restless heartbeat would be noticed by He Zhiyuan.

Yet after a while, Qiu Xuning couldn’t help himself and gently placed his forehead on the back of He Zhiyuan’s neck, a few inches below. He squinted his eyes, and the corner of his lips gently curled upward.

Qiu Xuning went to school one week earlier than He Zhiyuan. By the end of August, the two of them finally went to school together.

Zhou Mingmei knew that the two of them would ride together on one scooter, and she was very reluctant about it. Whether Qiu Xuning was riding with He Zhiyuan or the other way around, she wasn’t at ease. Yet when she thought about it, Qiu Xuning’s whole little face scrunched up, looking quite dejected…

Zhou Mingmei gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll buy him one too, you two can each ride your own!”

Qiu Xuning heard this but he didn’t feel happy. “…It’s fine if you don’t buy another one, we can just ride one. We’ll be careful.”

Zhou Mingmei looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected Qiu Xuning to refuse and asked, “You really don’t want me to buy another one?”

Qiu Xuning felt a little guilty and didn’t dare to look Zhou Mingmei in the eye. “Really… really don’t need it, one is enough. If there’s more, we won’t have space at home.”

That’s true, there are already three electric scooters at home, adding another one would indeed be hard to store.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Mingmei didn’t insist anymore. She really didn’t want to spend the money. “Then you have to be careful. Watch the road and don’t cause any trouble.”

This small county town, where even the roads are so narrow with people coming and going, accidents are especially easy to happen. Zhou Mingmei thought about it and still felt really uneasy. She already regretted buying the scooter for Qiu Xuning, but when she saw Qiu Xuning’s face suddenly light up, like a change in expression, she didn’t know what to say. All the words she wanted to say stayed in her stomach.

It was the first time the two of them were going to the same school together, and Qiu Xuning had an indescribable feeling. He carefully held an egg and while sitting behind He Zhiyuan, he slowly peeled it. He Zhiyuan turned around to look at him and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of falling off?”

Qiu Xuning squeezed his legs, pressing against the outer side of He Zhiyuan’s thigh. He smiled at him and quietly said, “Now I’m not afraid.”

He Zhiyuan: “…”

He Zhiyuan turned back around and didn’t say anything else.

Qiu Xuning finished peeling the egg. He put the broken eggshells into the small bag he was carrying, then split the egg into two halves. He raised his arm and brought the egg towards He Zhiyuan’s mouth, and said, “Come eat the egg.”

He Zhiyuan opened his mouth and bit the egg. Qiu Xuning ate the remaining half of the egg.

Summer mornings are very refreshing and even the air feels cool with a touch of humidity. Taking a deep breath, his lungs felt cool, and it gave a special sense of comfort.

Qiu Xuning finished eating the egg. He crumpled the trash bag and stuffed it into his pocket, then carefully grabbed the fabric around He Zhiyuan’s waist with both hands and gently pressed half of his face against He Zhiyuan’s broad back.

Upon arriving at school, He Zhiyuan expertly parked the scooter and looked at Qiu Xuning. “I’ll take you to class.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t refuse.

He Zhiyuan took him to the classroom door and he heard a familiar female voice calling Qiu Xuning’s name. He Zhiyuan looked up and saw that it was someone he knew.

Yang Siyue saw He Zhiyuan, and the smile on her face immediately faded by half.

He Zhiyuan just realized that Qiu Xuning and Yang Siyue were in the same class. He looked down at Qiu Xuning. Qiu Xuning, seemingly unaware, said to Yang Siyue, “Good morning, you’re here really early.”

Yang Siyue smiled and said, “You’re early too.”

He Zhiyuan said to Qiu Xuning, “I’m leaving.”

Qiu Xuning responded with “hmm” softly and said, “Hurry up and go to class.”

He Zhiyuan didn’t leave immediately. He quietly looked at Qiu Xuning, saying nothing.

Qiu Xuning met his gaze, which seemed to carry some deeper meaning. His eyes still held some confusion, as if asking, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

He Zhiyuan smiled—a smile of being driven by frustration. He glanced at Qiu Xuning one last time, then turned and walked away.

Qiu Xuning sensed that something was off with him. His slow mind finally became sharp for a moment. He caught up to him, touched his face, and quietly said, “Did you want to say something just now?”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him. His pace didn’t slow down, but quickened instead.

If Qiu Xuning hadn’t grown taller and had longer legs, with his old short legs, he really might not have been able to catch up to him. “Slow down, why are you walking so fast?”

Qiu Xuning felt a bit of a complaint. By now, if he couldn’t sense He Zhiyuan’s small temper, he would be a fool. “Are you angry again?”

Why was he angry? Qiu Xuning thought hard for a moment before he remembered that He Zhiyuan had been acting off since Yang Siyue greeted him?

Qiu Xuning reached out to pull him, and He Zhiyuan obediently stopped, looking down at him. Even in this situation, when they looked at each other, one had to lower his head and the other had to raise his face, with a height difference of ten to twenty centimeters between them.

Qiu Xuning slightly lifted his face to look at He Zhiyuan’s face and quietly asked, “Are you upset because of Yang Siyue?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t answer, but his expression clearly showed the word upset written all over it. Having spent so much time together, Qiu Xuning was not unaware of his expression. He hesitated for a moment then cautiously said, “Yang Siyue’s grades are also very good, we both got into the experimental class.”

He Zhiyuan looked down at him and said with a neutral expression, “You didn’t tell me.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together and said, “You didn’t tell me anything either. I didn’t even know you were this famous, even the freshmen know you. Your photo’s even on the school forum and you were even voted as the campus heartthrob.”

“…” He Zhiyuan said, “I didn’t know about this.”

Qiu Xuning actually knew that He Zhiyuan wouldn’t care about these things, but he also felt a bit jealous. He quietly said, “You didn’t see it but a lot of girls said they want to have kids with you. You’re really popular.”

He Zhiyuan’s tense face softened a lot. He instinctively wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what to say, and ended up saying nothing.

After a while, He Zhiyuan said, “In the future, you have to tell me everything… And also, don’t get too close to Yang Siyue.”

“Get too close?” Qiu Xuning puffed up his cheeks, glared at him and said, “She’s my friend, why are you trying to limit my friendships?”

He Zhiyuan looked at him and said, “What I mean is, don’t have anything beyond friendship with her.”

Qiu Xuning opened his mouth and his face turned red. “I’ve already told you… she’s just my friend.”

He Zhiyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled. “I believe you.”

Qiu Xuning glared at him angrily. “You’re really boring, I’m going back.”

He turned around and walked away. He Zhiyuan didn’t stop him.