TVDC 66: Self Sacrifice

He Zhiyuan saw Qiu Xuning. He reached out and patted the cat’s little head, driving it off the bed.

Qiu Xuning slowly closed his mouth, pushed open the slightly ajar door, and softly said, “Get up, it’s time to eat.”

He Zhiyuan heard him and looked up. “You made the meal?”

Qiu Xuning gave a soft ‘mm,’ still thinking about the scene earlier. His gaze fell on He Zhiyuan’s lips, and he couldn’t help but say, “…Go wash your mouth.”

He Zhiyuan touched his lips, smiled, and said, “Okay.”

Qiu Xuning was actually only good at making noodles, but since He Zhiyuan had instant noodles for lunch, it wasn’t suitable to make noodles again for dinner. So Qiu Xuning simply made a simple dinner. He stir-fried the half-jin of pork he brought from Zhou Mingmei into chili pork, stir-fried some baby bok choy, and made a bowl of easy tomato and egg soup.

He Zhiyuan finished washing his face. The hair on his forehead was wet and he hadn’t dried it. He reached out, brushed the stray hairs back, and revealed his forehead.

Without the stray bangs covering him, his appearance was actually rather mature. He didn’t look like someone his age, perhaps because boys in this small county were generally immature. Many middle schoolers looked like radish heads. By high school, some grew taller, but those who reached above 180 cm were extremely rare.

At this point, He Zhiyuan’s height had already shot up to 190 cm. Broad-shouldered and long-legged with outstanding looks and a temperament unlike someone raised in a soft water-town environment—he truly stood out among his peers.

Qiu Xuning looked at him, swallowed, and felt his heart flutter again. He stepped forward a few steps and brushed aside He Zhiyuan’s hair.

He Zhiyuan stopped in his tracks and watched his movement. “What are you doing?”

Qiu Xuning thought to himself, ‘You look so handsome with your forehead revealed,’ but he couldn’t say it out loud. So he awkwardly said, “Your hair looks nice when it’s down.”

He Zhiyuan’s stray hairs were still a little wet. Qiu Xuning turned, grabbed a few tissues, and wrapped them around his hair to dry the moisture.

After finishing, he stepped back a few steps, carefully looked at He Zhiyuan’s face, and let out a sigh of relief.

With the fine bangs covering him, the sharpness in his brows and eyes softened, making him look gentler.

“Let’s eat,” Qiu Xuning said to him.

He Zhiyuan sat down, picked up the bowl and chopsticks that Qiu Xuning had scalded with hot water, picked a piece of stir-fried meat, and took a bite.

Qiu Xuning looked at him with a hint of expectation in his tone. “How is it? Is it good?”

Qiu Xuning actually rarely cooked, but strangely enough, perhaps he really had a talent for it because the food he made wasn’t bad at all. On the contrary, it actually tasted quite good.

“Delicious,” He Zhiyuan said.

Qiu Xuning let out a sigh of relief and a small smile appeared on his face.

After finishing their meal, the two of them went to walk the dog as usual.

Qiu Xuning found the leash and put it on their Golden Retriever, which wasn’t very big yet. It was only four months old and is still a puppy, but it already showed a gentle and people-friendly nature. It was especially close to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning patted its head, tilted his face up, and smiled at He Zhiyuan. “You should pet it too. It won’t come close to you.”

He Zhiyuan then crouched down and reached out to pet him.

Qiu Xuning peeked at his face and said, “I feel like you don’t really like An’an.”

An’an was the name of the little Golden Retriever—a name Qiu Xuning came up with after racking his brains for half a day. The cat was called Youyou which Qiu Xuning thought of too. Both names carries a simple and slightly silly vibe

He Zhiyuan said, “No.”

Qiu Xuning looked at his face and he suddenly laughed. He softly said, “Then smile at An’an.”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him, patted the dog’s head, and murmured, “Strict father, gentle mother.”

Qiu Xuning froze, his face instantly flushing red. He let out a small cough and softly said, “Right, yeah.”

Seeing him like this, He Zhiyuan lifted the corner of his lips, a faint smile slipping out.

They walked slowly out of the residential complex under the cover of night. Right across from the complex was No.1 High School. It was very close and it took less than five minutes to get there.

Qiu Xuning held the dog’s leash and suddenly spoke with feeling, saying to He Zhiyuan, “Why are you… why are you still growing?”

He Zhiyuan’s height was indeed very eye-catching in a small county like this. Even at night, he would attract a lot of attention, and Qiu Xuning was noticed along with him. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he moved slightly closer to where He Zhiyuan was.

He Zhiyuan didn’t know what he was thinking, he let out a low laugh and said, “It’s good to grow taller, then I can pick you up.”

Qiu Xuning’s face flushed again. He pursed his lips and didn’t say anything.

When they turned the corner and crossed the traffic lights, he finally mumbled, “You… you didn’t pick me up.”

He Zhiyuan paused, lowered his eyes slightly to look at him, and smiled again.

Qiu Xuning mustered up the courage to look at him and said, “You always talk but never act.”

He Zhiyuan’s voice grew slightly hoarse and low. “Little one, you’ll have to wait another year. Even if I want to, I can’t do it yet.”

Qiu Xuning had a subtle feeling that their conversation seemed out of sync. “What are you talking about?”

The corners of He Zhiyuan’s lips were still curved, but he didn’t say anything.

Qiu Xuning pondered over what he had just said. He said with a touch of grievance, “You’re the little one. I’m already seventeen.”

He Zhiyuan spoke calmly and composedly, “You’re a minor—the little one.” He paused, emphasizing the last three words slightly more.

After saying this, he reached out to pat Qiu Xuning’s head and ruffled his hair.

Qiu Xuning pushed his hand away and said nothing.

The two of them walked to the edge of the Heng River. From their angle, they could see Mount Meng, and the tower at its peak emitted a golden light. From afar, it looked like a delicate toy, small enough to be pinched between two fingers.

Qiu Xuning reached out his hand to pinch the tall tower, smiling a little foolishly.

Because it was on Mount Meng that He Zhiyuan had spoken those words to him, the mountain now held a certain significance. Qiu Xuning seemed to see it through a special lens, and his feelings toward it had changed.

He Zhiyuan looked at his raised hand, reached out and held it in his own hand, gently massaging it.

Qiu Xuning tilted his face up, looking at him. “What are you doing?”

He Zhiyuan lowered his head to look at Qiu Xuning’s hand in his palm. He smiled and said, “You’ve gotten chubbier.”

Qiu Xuning had been in a growth spurt before. His knees were covered with stretch marks, and perhaps all the nutrients in his body had gone into growing taller, which caused him not to gain much flesh and look very thin. Now, his growth had slowed considerably and his body was slowly filling out.

Qiu Xuning stretched out his fingers, pressing his palm against He Zhiyuan’s palm, looking intently. “Look, my hand has grown too. It used to be about one and a half fingers smaller than yours and now it’s only one finger shorter.”

He Zhiyuan’s gaze fell on his soft black shiny hair, then slowly slid down to his still-round cheeks, which seemed to have a bit more flesh than before, making him look even chubbier.

He Zhiyuan slightly moved his lips. Just as he was about to speak, a voice carrying a hint of surprise rang out ahead of them, “He Zhiyuan!”

The owner of the voice was a girl. Qiu Xuning, a bit confused, looked up and saw girl’s face. He slightly widened his eyes and immediately glanced at He Zhiyuan beside him.

He Zhiyuan had just been smiling but now his brows were slightly furrowed, making him look slightly displeased.

Seeing He Zhiyuan’s expression, Qiu Xuning let out a small sigh of relief.

Judging by his look, this girl probably wasn’t his friend.

The person who came was Liu Yulu. Beside her was another girl, her inseparable friend, Zeng Jie. They had once seen He Zhiyuan mingling with some shady characters.

However, the two of them weren’t necessarily afraid of He Zhiyuan, especially Liu Yulu. Her eyes shone as she looked at him and her cheeks slightly flushed, displaying the demeanor of a young girl.

Qiu Xuning was sharp-eyed in this regard and immediately noticed that Liu Yulu liked He Zhiyuan. He felt uncomfortable inside, his soft, rosy lips pressing together lightly.

Liu Yulu walked over and said with a smile, “I didn’t expect to meet you here. Do you live nearby? My house is nearby—maybe we’re even neighbors.”

As she spoke, she looked down at the small Golden Retriever at their feet. It was not afraid of strangers, even obediently wagging its tail. She said, “Is this your dog? So cute.”

Qiu Xuning slightly parted his lips and said softly, “It’s mine.”

Only then did Liu Yulu notice Qiu Xuning. She slightly widened her beautiful almond-shaped eyes and said, “You are… you are He Zhiyuan’s younger brother, right? You also study at No.1 High School, don’t you?”

Qiu Xuning gently said, “Mm.”

Those who followed school gossip all knew that He Zhiyuan had a younger brother in the first-year experimental class. The two often went to and from school together, inseparable and very close.

Liu Yulu had always known, but she only saw him today in person. At a fleeting glance, she noticed that this boy had fair skin, bright sparkling eyes, red lips and white teeth—looking very handsome. He was a completely different type of handsome compared to He Zhiyuan.

Liu Yulu felt a bit frustrated. Her eyes had only been on He Zhiyuan just now, and she hadn’t noticed someone else standing beside him. Now she didn’t know what kind of impression she was making in front of He Zhiyuan’s younger brother.

Though frustrated, she naturally picked up the conversation, and said softly, “So it’s yours? It’s really pretty. I also have a dog at home, but it’s a poodle —very noisy.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes lit up, quietly feeling relieved. He knew pets were such an easy topic for shared conversation, so when Liu Yulu mentioned hers, he quickly joined in.

“‘How old is your dog? My An’an is already four months old,” he said softly.

His tone was gentle. He Zhiyuan lowered his eyes to glance at him, his lips curving slightly before quickly relaxing again.

“‘My poodle is already two years and six months old. My mom gave it to me back in middle school…” Liu Yulu replied.

She also knew that He Zhiyuan usually didn’t like interacting with people, so with Qiu Xuning there to talk to, she didn’t let the opportunity slip and began to subtly flatter him. “I bought too much dog food last year on Double Eleven. It’s expiring in two months, and my Taishan can’t finish it. Do you want it? I’ll give it to you.”

Qiu Xuning wanted to refuse, but Liu Yulu quickly said, “If you don’t want it, I’ll just have to throw it away. Anyway, it’s expiring in two months. You can give it to An’an to eat.”

Qiu Xuning hesitated for a moment, then said, “Okay, thank you. Give me your address, and I’ll send some treats to your Taishan.”

Liu Yulu’s eyes lit up. She smiled as she agreed then casually asked, “By the way, do you live together?”

Qiu Xuning was caught off guard. He nodded and said, “We live together.”

Liu Yulu’s smile became much more genuine. She left He Zhiyuan aside, chatted with Qiu Xuning for a while, exchanged WeChat contacts with him, and then left feeling satisfied.

After Liu Yulu left, Qiu Xuning let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head to look at He Zhiyuan and saw him smiling, as if he had just seen something that made him happy.

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips slightly and asked, “What are you smiling at?”

He Zhiyuan smiled and said slowly, “I’m smiling at a little fool.”

Qiu Xuning: “??”