TVDC 71: Paying With Body

Qiu Xuning had actually been to the ice rink before. It was Mrs. Qiu Yanru who took him there. There weren’t many people at that time, and there just happened to be figure skaters practicing on the rink. Mrs. Qiu Yanru, who was rarely gentle, asked him if he wanted to learn ice skating. He hadn’t figured it out yet but she already shook her head and said to forget it. Focusing on study is what truly matters.

So at that time, he just watched for a bit, then went with her to the mall on the other floor to buy some clothes.

He could be considered to have truly made contact with ice skating now. He was so nervous that his whole body tensed up, but He Zhiyuan was completely relaxed on the other hand. He reached out his hand to him. In front of others, he remained expressionless—even his face cold. Only when he looked down at Qiu Xuning did the corners of his mouth gently lift, showing a hint of tenderness. “I’ll teach you.”

Qiu Xuning placed his hand on a railing while humming. “Last time you taught me swimming, you didn’t teach me properly.”

He Zhiyuan replied, “I will teach you again this summer.”

Qiu Xuning laughed. He released his grip on the railing and tightly gripped He Zhiyuan’s arm with both hands. “Don’t let go, I’m afraid I’ll fall.”

Even though He Zhiyuan was wearing skates, he stood firmly. He supported Qiu Xuning’s body and slowly guided him as he skated.

This activity requires a bit of physical balance, but once the technique is mastered, it’s easy to learn. Before long, Qiu Xuning could barely skate a short distance, but he still needed He Zhiyuan’s help.

Hu Xinyi skated up to them and lightly cleared her throat. “I’m not very good at skating either. Can you teach me?” 

Qiu Xuning heard this and looked at her in surprise. He remembered she had just confidently said her skating skills were amazing!

He Zhiyuan maintained his usual indifferent style. No matter how much Hu Xinyi tried to flirt with him, he responded briefly as always, “No.”

Hu Xinyi said “Ah” with regret. Even though she was usually talkative, she was at a loss for words this time.

It’s true. He Zhiyuan was very well-known at school. From freshman to sophomore year, he was the most popular guy in the school. Even though there were also many beautiful senior girls in his sophomore year, she never heard of him having any romantic rumors with anyone. He truly is a flower on a high mountain.

She can’t flirt with him, she can’t. Forget it, forget it. 

Hu Xinyi decisively gave up. She turned her head and began flirting with Qin Shouze again.

Qin Shouze: “…”

He still wanted to find a chance to talk to Qiu Xuning, but at this moment, he was too busy with his own thoughts.

Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan took their time—one teaching, one learning. Qiu Xuning’s fingers were tightly held by He Zhiyuan. At this moment, he no longer blushed or felt his heart race when he touched He Zhiyuan. However, when the touch became a habit, he couldn’t help but feel a bit greedy, wanting more.

At this moment, Qiu Xuning could not help but despise his own mind. It was starting to get dirty.

He still remembered what He Zhiyuan had said to him. He said he wouldn’t be able to resist, and that made Qiu Xuning’s thoughts run wild. He would think of random things, like… can two boys do that with each other?

It should be impossible. They don’t have that kind of place, so they probably wouldn’t have that kind of life…

Qiu Xuning distracted himself thinking about those messy things, and his cheeks visibly turned red.

He Zhiyuan just thought he was hot from ice skating and didn’t think much of it. He saw the fine beads of sweat forming on his slightly upturned nose and gently pinched his nose, wiping the sweat off.

Qiu Xuning snapped out of his thoughts and gently lifted his face to look at He Zhiyuan. His cheeks seemed even redder. He pinched He Zhiyuan’s palm, motioning for him to lower his head. He Zhiyuan slightly leaned down, and Qiu Xuning leaned closer to his ear, quietly asking, “Hey, you said before… you’ve seen that kind of… which one was it?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t expect Qiu Xuning to bring this up in public. He turned his face and looked at Qiu Xuning—his face getting redder and his eyes moist with a hint of shyness. He wanted to look away but forced himself to make eye contact.

Under He Zhiyuan’s slightly prolonged gaze, Qiu Xuning’s eyelashes fluttered. He couldn’t take it and was the first to look away. “You… you say something.”

He Zhiyuan said, “Which one do you mean?”

Qiu Xuning cleared his throat. “I mean… man and man, or man and woman.”

He Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then said, “Man and man.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes widened. Actually, if He Zhiyuan had said man and woman, he wouldn’t have been surprised. However, he didn’t expect He Zhiyuan to say man and man.

He cleared his throat gently again, glanced at He Zhiyuan, then quickly looked away. He whispered, “So, do you know how man and man… how do they communicate in that way?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything.

Qiu Xuning squeezed his palm and gently urge him. His finger was tightly held by He Zhiyuan. He looked at Qiu Xuning and said in a low voice, “Not here. Don’t talk about this outside.”

The tips of Qiu Xuning’s ears turned slightly pink. His eyes darted around in confusion, and he obediently responded. He had only just thought of it, which was why he asked. It was also because the rink wasn’t crowded at the moment, so he dared to ask.

At this point, Qiu Xuning had already mastered it. He Zhiyuan released his hand and let him skate on his own.

Qiu Xuning let go of He Zhiyuan’s hand and smoothly skated a short distance. When he came to a stop, he gave He Zhiyuan a joyful smile. His sharp little tiger teeth showed, and his whole face lit up.

Yang Siyue clapped for him. “You’ve learned it, Qiu Xuning. You’re amazing.”

Qin Shouze and Hu Xinyi also clapped. Qiu Xuning’s smile instantly became more bashful.

In front of others, he rarely behaved that way with He Zhiyuan—laughing too freely. He would always carry a hint of shyness.

Qiu Xuning skated another short distance when suddenly a boy came rushing towards him recklessly. With a “bang,” he knocked Qiu Xuning to the ground.

This sudden turn of events made everyone’s eyes widen. However, He Zhiyuan was quick to react and immediately rushed over, trying to help Qiu Xuning up.

Qiu Xuning had delicate skin and the lowest tolerance for pain. When the boy bumped into him, he slid over two meters on the ice. He fell on his tailbone, the pain unbearable. His delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and a layer of mist appeared in his eyes. In addition to the pain, he was also mindful of the people around him. He was trying hard to hold back tears while grabbing He Zhiyuan’s hand to get up.

He got up halfway, then let out a painful “Ah!” and collapsed back down.

Seeing this, He Zhiyuan immediately understood that Qiu Xuning was hurt. He paused for a few seconds, letting go of Qiu Xuning’s hand, then turned around and grabbed the boy who had knocked Qiu Xuning down.

“Sorry, I–I didn’t mean to!” the boy said in a panic.

He Zhiyuan swung a punch and knocked him to the ground. The darkness and sharpness in his brows and eyes were evident. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to either.”

His apology was completely insincere. After hitting the boy, he didn’t even look at him. He turned and went back to help Qiu Xuning.

The boy saw how hurt Qiu Xuning was and knew he was in the wrong. He didn’t argue with He Zhiyuan and awkwardly said while covering his face, “I’ll cover the medical expenses, is that okay?”

“Where did you get hit?” He Zhiyuan didn’t even acknowledge the boy. He lowered his head and asked Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning’s eyes were red, and his voice became weak. “M–my butt.”

He Zhiyuan said, “Let’s go to the hospital and have it checked.”

Qin Shouze rushed over anxiously, asking about Qiu Xuning’s condition. He Zhiyuan slightly turned his body to block Qin Shouze. Without even looking at him, he said, “I’ll take him to the hospital.”

Qiu Xuning barely turned his head and said to Qin Shouze, “We’re leaving first. Yo–you guys have fun.”

Qin Shouze saw that his eyes were red and he looked like he was holding back tears. He felt a deep sympathy and pain, as if he could relate. With him like this, how could he still have fun?

Qin Shouze watched Qiu Xuning leave, then turned and grabbed the boy, punching him.

The boy: “???”

He covered both sides of his face where the marks were. He was speechless, choking on his words.

He really didn’t mean to.

Qiu Xuning fell on his tailbone, which was quite a sensitive spot, so He Zhiyuan didn’t hesitate. No matter how much Qiu Xuning said it didn’t hurt anymore, he still took him to the hospital to get checked.

The doctor gently pressed on it, and Qiu Xuning immediately cried out in pain, “Ah!”

He Zhiyuan stood next to him, looking down at him. “Doesn’t hurt?”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes were filled with tears. He looked completely deflated.

The doctor said, “This, we need to get an X-ray to check it.”

So Qiu Xuning went to get an X-ray taken. The doctor took the X-ray and looked at it, saying, “There’s a slight fracture here, but it’s not serious. Rest in bed for a week or two and it should be fine. If it hurts, I can prescribe some painkillers, but it’s not necessary. Just use some ointment to promote blood circulation and heal the bruise. Apply it every day—that should be enough.”

Hearing the doctor say this, Qiu Xuning felt relieved.

After returning home from the hospital, Qiu Xuning handed the medical expenses to He Zhiyuan. He Zhiyuan refused to accept it and said, “Keep your money, I don’t need this little bit.”

Qiu Xuning heard this and couldn’t help but laugh. “Your words sound so much like a domineering CEO.”

He finally slowly remembered He Zhiyuan’s image in the book—spending money freely, like a fool being taken advantage of.

He Zhiyuan probably didn’t get the joke. He was flipping through the ointment instructions prescribed by the hospital, not paying attention to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning sighed and put the money back. He gently cleared his throat. He was still lying on the sofa, but his hand had already reached out. He gently tugged on He Zhiyuan’s pants and said in a low voice, “You don’t want money, so… so how about I pay with my body? Do you want that?”

He Zhiyuan paused and looked down at him.

Qiu Xuning blushed. He tilted his head up and looked at He Zhiyuan. Under He Zhiyuan’s gaze, he gently puckered his rosy lips, then quickly pressed them together again. He softly said, “Like this, I’ll pay with my body.”

He clearly felt embarrassed saying this. His voice was trembling, but his bright and dark eyes were fixed on He Zhiyuan. He made an effort not to look away—there was a hidden glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

It seemed like he did not know when it started, but it was as if Qiu Xuning had flipped a switch, and his behavior had become very different from before.

He Zhiyuan stared at him. Gradually and slowly, his gaze darkened.