TVDC 59: Keep Shut Your Mouth

On the way back, Qiu Xuning still couldn’t help but ask He Zhiyuan, “Are there a lot of pretty girls in your class?”

He Zhiyuan heard it and replied nonchalantly, “It’s fine.”

Qiu Xuning was not satisfied with this answer. “What does ‘fine’ mean? Are there many? Or not many?”

He Zhiyuan said, “Why are you asking this? Are you trying to pursue a senior?”

“No!” Qiu Xuning said, slightly annoyed. “I just… I was just asking casually. Because there are a lot of pretty girls in my class so I thought there must be quite a few in yours too?”

He Zhiyuan paused for a moment and then said, “There are a few, they look pretty good.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything.

The wind blew on his face. It feels refreshing, that’s how it is in the evening—when the sun sets, the air slowly cools down. The later it gets, the cooler it becomes. Sitting in the back of the scooter while feeling the breeze was really nice. It felt like every pore was being opened by the wind, a refreshing feeling that seeped into the heart.

After a while, Qiu Xuning carefully rested his chin on He Zhiyuan’s shoulder. He leaned closer to his ear and slightly raised his voice, “Do you… do you like any girls?”

When Qiu Xuning asked this question, he felt nervous, uneasy, and scared. His heart raced, and he almost held his breath. He focused intently while waiting for He Zhiyuan’s response.

He Zhiyuan didn’t respond, and Qiu Xuning’s heart slowly sank. “…Why aren’t you saying anything?”

After a while, He Zhiyuan finally said, “No.”

Qiu Xuning doubted this answer, but he could sense that this question was a bit sensitive. So after hesitating for a moment, he decided not to press the issue any further.

When they arrived at the front door, He Zhiyuan pushed the scooter into the yard. Qiu Xuning put his school bag away and hurriedly went to take a shower.

As usual, Zhou Mingmei asked him, “What do you want to eat for dinner?”

Qiu Xuning said absentmindedly, “Scrambled eggs?”

Zhou Mingmei said with a smile, “Alright.”

Zhou Mingmei’s mood was visibly better every day. The sharpness in her eyebrows and eyes had gradually disappeared, though it was hard to say when. It was also because Qiu Xuning got into the experimental class at No. 1 High, which made her gain more face among the neighbors and friends. Unconsciously, she had reduced some of the sharpness in her demeanor. Her eyebrows and eyes were now filled with smiles, making her seem even more kind and approachable.

No. 1 High’s facilities were actually too old. The middle school Qiu Xuning attended had air conditioning, but No. 1 High didn’t have any. Instead, there were just two hanging fans in the large classrooms with the focus on the students in the middle, and the students at the edges had little to no share. Qiu Xuning, with his height, was surprisingly placed in the upper-middle section of the class and was assigned to sit in the second-to-last row. Every time, he had to lean on the desk and stretch his arms as far as he could just to feel the breeze from the hanging fan.

After a whole day of classes, he was drenched in sticky sweat, especially since he had to ride home with He Zhiyuan, which made Qiu Xuning feel uneasy. The first thing he did when he got home was take a shower.

He grabbed his clothes and started adjusting the hot water. After the hot water was ready, he began to undress and take a shower.

Even now, Qiu Xuning was still on the thinner side with a slim waist and thin limbs. He ate a lot yet he didn’t gain any weight. He didn’t know where all the food went.

In the end, Qiu Xuning still didn’t like his thin and scrawny appearance. While applying body wash, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Looking further down, he hadn’t even grown much body hair, which made him feel an indescribable sense of inferiority. He had learned in his middle school biology textbook about the changes in secondary sexual characteristics in boys and girls, but besides reaching puberty, he had nothing else. He wasn’t even sure if his voice had changed, his Adam’s apple was barely noticeable, and he hadn’t grown any body hair—completely smooth, like a peeled egg.

Maybe his development hadn’t even started yet.

With his current self, he was still impatiently thinking about all sorts of things. It was still too early, Qiu Xuning thought.

After taking a shower, he came out of the bathroom. Zhou Mingmei had already prepared the meal and called Qiu Xuning to come eat.

As usual, Qiu Xuning first served He Zhiyuan his meal. Zhou Mingmei saw him putting a big helping of scrambled eggs with chives on the chopsticks, and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t you like it? Why are you giving him so much?”

Qiu Xuning casually said, “He likes it too.”

“…” Zhou Mingmei lowered her eyebrows with a hint of dissatisfaction. Alright, everyone knows they’re close now, like real brothers.

At this moment, Zhou Mingmei thought of Qiu Shuohai and felt a strange, uneasy feeling in her heart. Unable to help herself, she asked, “Ningning, what would you think if your brother came back?”

Qiu Xuning was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and it took him a few seconds to realize that Zhou Mingmei was talking about Qiu Shuohai.

Qiu Xuning lowered his eyes and softly said, “He should come back. This is also his home.”

Zhou Mingmei relaxed her furrowed brow and said, “I’ve noticed he hasn’t come home for a long time. The last time he called, he told me he was struggling and wanted to come back. I thought since you’ve already entered the experimental class, he won’t delay you anymore, so it might be good to let him come back.”

Qiu Xuning hummed a few times, and after putting the food on his plate, he ran off.

He didn’t like Qiu Shuohai, but this was his home, and he couldn’t say anything impulsive. If Qiu Shuohai came back, he would have to figure out a way to avoid meeting him as much as possible.

…If He Zhiyuan had moved out earlier, maybe he could really live with him.

Once he thought of this, Qiu Xuning’s mood subtly shifted and deep inside, he felt secretly happy. He even started to think that Qiu Shuohai coming back was a good thing.

The only bad thing was, there were still four months before He Zhiyuan turned eighteen.

Qiu Xuning brought the food to He Zhiyuan’s room. He cleared his throat, and said, pretending to be troubled, “My mom says my ge should come back.”

He Zhiyuan listened, but had no reaction.

Qiu Xuning peeked at his expression, wanting to say something, but then held back.

After a while, He Zhiyuan finally said, “When is he coming back?”

Qiu Xuning said, “It should be soon.”

He Zhiyuan softly replied with an “mm.”

Qiu Xuning sat on the chair beside him and stretched his legs out, when his leg accidentally brushed against He Zhiyuan’s. Qiu Xuning immediately pulled his leg back, his cheeks slightly flushed. Just now, he felt as if he had been scratched. It was a tingling and itching sensation.

He Zhiyuan slightly turned his face and glanced at him, slowly saying, “It’s fine if he comes back.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t speak. He couldn’t help but glance at He Zhiyuan’s neck, and sure enough, there was a protrusion in that area, which moved up and down as He Zhiyuan spoke.

Then, looking at He Zhiyuan’s face, his facial features were strong and well-defined. His eye sockets were deep, and his nose bridge was high and straight. With his Adam’s apple, all these were the results of his secondary sexual characteristics.

He Zhiyuan noticed his focused and prolonged gaze. He calmly looked at him for a moment, and noticed that Qiu Xuning’s gaze was fixed on his neck. He paused for a moment, then reached for a glass of water and took a few sips. As he swallowed, his beautiful Adam’s apple moved up and down a few times.

As expected, Qiu Xuning’s gaze subtly shifted with his movement.

Was he looking at his Adam’s apple?

He Zhiyuan still remained unfazed. He just nonchalantly shifted his gaze away, and after a moment, Qiu Xuning finally spoke and softly asked, “By the way… when did your voice change?”

He Zhiyuan answered in a low voice, “When I was fourteen.”

Qiu Xuning felt a subtle sense of envy. “Then… when did you start growing an Adam’s apple?”

He Zhiyuan said, “After I was fourteen.”

Qiu Xuning sincerely remarked, “That’s really great.”

He Zhiyuan didn’t speak, he just lightly glanced at him.

Qiu Xuning fidgeted and squirmed uncomfortably, and then softly asked, “Will you grow a beard?”

He Zhiyuan said, “I will.”

“B–but I haven’t seen you with a beard?” Qiu Xuning asked, confused.

He Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then reached out and opened the drawer. Inside, there were neatly arranged calligraphy books and in the lower right corner was a razor.

Qiu Xuning showed a look of realization. “So you shaved it off yourself.”

He Zhiyuan closed the drawer and glanced at him. “Why are you asking these things?”

Qiu Xuning said, a little embarrassed, “I was just asking casually.”

It should be just like when a girl asks when she’ll get her first period. It should seem very ordinary.

He Zhiyuan carefully looked at his face, it was very pale and soft. Because his cheeks were so pale, you could actually see a little fine soft hair from the side. Yet other than this faint and colorless fuzz, there was nothing else, let alone a beard. “You haven’t grown a beard?”

Qiu Xuning shook his head. His finger subconsciously touched his neck, and at this moment, he was genuinely troubled. “I haven’t grown an Adam’s apple either.”

He Zhiyuan shifted his gaze and said, “It’s normal, you’re fine just the way you are.”

Qiu Xuning shook his head and said, “It’s not good.”

He Zhiyuan didn’t know what he was thinking, but he started laughing.

Qiu Xuning saw the smile at the corner of his mouth and couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed. He quietly asked, “What are you laughing at?”

He Zhiyuan said, “You’re fine just the way you are, really.”

“Why… why do you say that?” Qiu Xuning asked.

He Zhiyuan said with a low chuckle, “Because you don’t keep your mouth shut.”

Qiu Xuning: “??”