TVDC 75: Reciprocation

After the performance, He Zhiyuan finished his act, and Qiu Xuning went over and found him.

He Zhiyuan was taking off his vest, but when he saw Qiu Xuning walk over, his actions stopped.

Qiu Xuning cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “You played Romeo vividly, it was like Romeo came to life. The Oscars owe you a little golden statue.”

He Zhiyuan smiled. His voice carried a touch of warmth as he said, “Stop blowing rainbow farts.”

“You’re a deity that comes down to earth, don’t always talk nonsense.” Qiu Xuning said, pretending to be serious. He blushed again and took something out from behind him. “Here, this is for you.”

What he held in his hand was a red rose, but it was fake. It was made by a girl in the class who loved handicrafts—a mesh flower. Qiu Xuning could buy a bunch for just two yuan per piece, but holding a bunch in his hand would be too eye-catching. So, he secretly bought just one, hid it in his jacket, and only dared to take it out now.

Qiu Xuning looked around and saw that no one was looking their way. He quickly extended his arm and mumbled, “Hurry up and take it, it would be bad if we’re seen.”

He Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, looking at the brightly colored mesh rose in his hand. He smiled gently, reached out, and took it. Just as he was about to speak to Qiu Xuning, Liu Yulu ran over, calling out, “He Zhiyuan!”

When she saw Qiu Xuning, she froze for a moment, then smiled. “You’re here to watch the performance too?”

Qiu Xuning looked at Liu Yulu and obediently greeted, “Hello, senior.”

He noticed that Liu Yulu had done her makeup beautifully. Her lips were rosy and radiant.

Liu Yulu noticed his gaze and instinctively brushed her hair. She looked at He Zhiyuan, showing a gentle smile, and said, “You acted wonderfully. I heard the teacher praise you.”

Logically, He Zhiyuan should have returned the compliment, but he simply responded with an “Mm.” The smile that had been lingering on his lips suddenly disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

Qiu Xuning cleared his throat softly and whispered, “Senior, you also performed really well, and you look beautiful today.”

Liu Yulu didn’t have time to say anything when He Zhiyuan reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and said,  “Let’s go out.”

“Eh—” Liu Yulu wanted to keep him there but didn’t know what to say.

Qiu Xuning looked back at her and said, “Senior, we’ll leave first.”

The cultural performance would last until the evening, but if there was nothing else, they could actually go home now.

Liu Yulu stood there, feeling disappointed. The words she wanted to say were swallowed back.

Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan left the auditorium together. He Zhiyuan took off his clothes, revealing the black vest underneath. Qiu Xuning took off his jacket and handed it to him. “You should put it on first, right?”

He Zhiyuan looked down at him, reached out, and pinched his soft, fleshy cheek. He said in a low voice, “You wear it yourself, I’m not cold.”

Because he had been running on stage, a layer of fine sweat had formed on his back. He wasn’t cold.

Qiu Xuning stubbornly looked at him. “You should put it on first, I can see that you’re really cold.”

He Zhiyuan finally looked at him, reached out, and took the jacket. “I’m sweaty, you don’t mind?”

Qiu Xuning was taken aback. He really lowered his head and thought for a moment, before finally, he hesitated and said, “N–no, I don’t mind, I guess…”

He Zhiyuan snorted coldly. He hugged Qiu Xuning’s neck, and rubbed the sweat on his face against his cheek.

Qiu Xuning let out a cat-like cry and pushed him with his arm. “You! How can you be like this?”

He Zhiyuan was pushed away by him. He looked at him, and his lips curled into a faint smile.

Qiu Xuning wiped the sweat off his face, his small face scrunching up. He shot He Zhiyuan a resentful glance, then took out a wet wipe from his pocket and wiped his face.

He Zhiyuan placed his jacket over his head and said, “No need, I’ll change in the classroom.”

Qiu Xuning took the jacket off his head. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.

He followed He Zhiyuan to the classroom, watched as he began to take off his pants, and anxiously turned around to close the front door, afraid someone would see He Zhiyuan’s body.

He Zhiyuan finished getting dressed, grabbed his backpack, and said to Qiu Xuning, “Let’s go home.”

Qiu Xuning asked, “Aren’t you going to continue watching?”

He Zhiyuan said calmly, “There’s nothing worth watching.”

He didn’t want to watch, and Qiu Xuning didn’t feel like watching either. He followed He Zhiyuan home.

They left early and didn’t know which class won first place. It wasn’t until after dinner that Yang Siyue texted him, saying He Zhiyuan’s class won first place.

Yang Siyue said with a touch of regret, “Most of the judges were female teachers, probably blinded by the boyish charm—that’s why they picked Romeo and Juliet. If I’d known, I would’ve let you perform.”

Qiu Xuning: “…”

Qiu Xuning felt the need to defend the female teachers’ integrity. “He Zhiyuan performed really well, he deserved it.”

On the other hand, ‘The other person is typing…’ appeared for a while. Then she said, “You must be wearing a thick sibling filter, huh? By the way, did you leave without even watching my cello performance?”

Qiu Xuning: “…”

Qiu Xuning silently changed the topic.

He Zhiyuan walked over and took his phone. “Have you applied the medicine—three times a day, morning, noon, and night?”

Qiu Xuning looked up at him and said in a low voice, “I applied it at noon in the bathroom. I’ll apply it again after my bath tonight.”

He Zhiyuan handed the phone back to him and mumbled, “Mm.”

Prompted by He Zhiyuan, Qiu Xuning was worried he might forget so he quickly went to the bedroom, grabbed his change of clothes, and entered the bathroom.

Two days had passed. The swelling in his tailbone had gone down significantly. Qiu Xuning looked at his backside in the mirror. The bruise there had also faded quite a bit.

This time, he took a long bath again. When he came out of the bathroom, his cheeks were rosy, and his whole body was covered in steam. His skin looked fair with a healthy blush, like a freshly ripened peach, exuding a sweetness that made one want to take a bite.

After his bath, Qiu Xuning lay down on the sofa again. He reached into the backpack on the sofa and pulled out an ointment. 

He twisted open the cap, squeezed a bit onto his finger, and, halfway removing his pants, reached back to apply it.

When He Zhiyuan came out and opened the door, he saw Qiu Xuning twisting his head to apply the ointment. From his angle, he could see Qiu Xuning’s fair and tender backside facing him.

He Zhiyuan: “…”

He walked over slowly and stood beside Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning was lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed He Zhiyuan opening the door. When a shadow fell over him, he belatedly looked up. Seeing He Zhiyuan, he froze for a moment and hurriedly pulled up his pants.

Subconsciously, he didn’t want the ointment to get on his pants and dirty them. One hand reached behind him, holding the fabric over his backside to prevent it from touching his skin. “Y-you came out without making a sound?”

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything. Qiu Xuning looked up at him. Their eyes met, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He instinctively looked away.

He Zhiyuan half-knelt on the floor, leaning closer to him. He asked in a low voice, “Your birthday… how much longer until it comes?”

Qiu Xuning felt his breath grow scorching and hot. He stammered, “Still… still eight months.”

Of course, He Zhiyuan knew Qiu Xuning’s birthday. If Qiu Xuning looked closely at his face now, he would notice his light brown eyes shining with a beast-like gleam, as if in the next second, he might devour the person in front of him alive.

“Still eight months,” He Zhiyuan repeated the words slowly to himself, then fell silent again.

Qiu Xuning looked at him cautiously. “What’s wrong?”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him, then leaned back against the coffee table and sat down on the floor.

Qiu Xuning said softly, “The floor is cold.”

He Zhiyuan’s gaze slowly slid down from Qiu Xuning’s face, landing on the strip of pale, slender waist and abdomen that was exposed.

Qiu Xuning noticed He Zhiyuan’s gaze and felt his face flush. He cleared his throat lightly a few times and whispered, “D-do you want to touch me?”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him and withdrew his gaze. “Once you finish applying the ointment, go back to sleep.”

Qiu Xuning, face still flushed, felt his somewhat slight chest rise and fall a few times. He reached out, took He Zhiyuan’s hand, and pressed it against his own waist and abdomen. “Anyway… anyway, I’ve touched your muscles before, so you can touch mine too.”

He Zhiyuan’s body was all muscle, while Qiu Xuning’s was just a layer of soft flesh. Last year, except for his face, his whole body had been a bit lean and dry. Now, he has grown a bit plumper and more rounded. His skin was soft, his flesh supple, and it felt really nice to the touch.

Qiu Xuning was used to being a bit weak and scrawny, so he didn’t think there was anything embarrassing about letting He Zhiyuan see this layer of soft flesh. He had never been good at exercise, so not having muscle didn’t bother him. He wasn’t enthusiastic about that kind of thing anyway.

However, letting He Zhiyuan touch him was still quite embarrassing. His cheeks flushed in layers, and even his stomach seemed to take on a faint pink hue.

He Zhiyuan lowered his gaze to look, his fingers trembling slightly. His eyes fell on Qiu Xuning’s face. Qiu Xuning looked at him with his cheeks flushed. His eyes were moist, clearly embarrassed as well, yet he still held onto He Zhiyuan’s hand without letting go.

He Zhiyuan’s Adam’s apple moved a few times, but he didn’t withdraw his hand. He touched the soft flesh on Qiu Xuning’s body.