Zhu Xing spent a whole week bickering with Qu Qingyu from time to time and frequently getting choked up on his words.
“Tomorrow I’ll come pick you up,” Qu Qingyu said while packing the books on his desk. His actual birthday was the following day, but for a wealthy family like his, a banquet would definitely be held on the day of the birthday, so private celebrations could only be arranged in advance to hang out with friends.
“Oh.” Zhu Xing didn’t hear clearly what Qu Qingyu had said and just gave an obedient reply, entirely focused on the comic book in his hands since he was about to reach the ending.
“Tomorrow at noon, I’ll pick you up for lunch, and then we’ll go hang out. We’ll be coming back pretty late in the evening, so remember to tell your family.”
It was rare for Qu Qingyu to say such a long string of words, only to find that the listener hadn’t caught a single character.
Feeling like after finishing his sentence all he got was a casual, “Mm-hm,” he figured the other person had no idea what he had even said.
Forget it, I’ll send him a WeChat message to remind him tonight. Qu Qingyu sighed.
“Zhu Xing, you’re just a little pig head.” Zhu Xing mechanically replied, “Mm-hm,” again before he belatedly realized Qu Qingyu was talking nonsense.
“You’re the pig head, your whole family is!” Zhu Xing let out a huff and refused to entertain Qu Qingyu any further. The more he engaged with him, the more he could feel his mischievous sense of humor, so childish.
In high spirits, Qu Qingyu walked out of the classroom with a smile on his face.
When Zhu Xing returned home and saw the message Qu Qingyu had sent, he casually replied with an “Mn.”
“Second Young Master, someone delivered a gift box today, saying it’s something you pre-ordered.” The butler handed the item over to Zhu Xing.
“Thank you, Uncle Li.”
“Don’t mention it, Second Young Master.”
Zhu Xing unwrapped the packaging box to find a wristwatch inside. Over the course of a week, he hadn’t figured out what kind of gift would be most appropriate, though part of him wished he could buy something that would permanently shut Qu Qingyu’s mouth.
Still, since it was a birthday, he gave it some serious thought. Qu Qingyu didn’t seem to have the habit of wearing wristwatches, but Zhu Xing spent five million to order this particular one anyway. It wasn’t exceptionally expensive, and while he didn’t know if Qu Qingyu would like it, Zhu Xing liked it quite a bit.
The wristwatch leaned toward a casual style, meaning wearing it to study wouldn’t look out of place either. After looking at it for a moment, Zhu Xing noticed that the dial beneath the hands was embedded with tiny crushed diamonds, sparkling like little stars under the light, which made him like it even more.
He carefully placed the wristwatch back into the gift box and packed it inside a paper bag.
After having dinner, he went back to his room to shower and wash his hair. It was only when he came out that he noticed Qu Qingyu had initiated a video call.
He mindlessly tapped to accept and connect.
“Why aren’t you drying your hair? Is your electricity meter out of credit?”
Zhu Xing fought down the urge to hang up right then and there, and to think he had answered the moment he saw it.
“If you have something to say, spit it out. If not, I’m hanging up.” Zhu Xing put down his phone and picked up a towel to dry his hair.
Hearing Zhu Xing’s dissatisfied tone, a tender smile curled up the corners of Qu Qingyu’s lips. If Zhu Xing were to see this right now, he would probably think Qu Qingyu had been possessed by an evil spirit.
“Just a reminder, don’t stay up too late. I’ll pick you up for lunch tomorrow.” Zhu Xing felt somewhat speechless.
“Qu Qingyu, since when did you become so naggy? I already replied to your text, you know.”
“Fine, then I won’t disturb you anymore. Remember to dry your hair completely before going to sleep.” Unexpectedly, Qu Qingyu didn’t snap back with a retort; it truly felt like the sun was rising from the west today.
Zhu Xing hung up the video call, dried his hair thoroughly, and pulled out a new comic book. After reading past nine o’clock, he initially wanted to keep going, but then he recalled Qu Qingyu’s repeated admonitions.
“Tch, what a pain.” For the very first time in this small world, Zhu Xing went to sleep a little past nine o’clock.
His dreams were entirely filled with Qu Qingyu telling him, “I told you to go to bed early, why are you sleeping so late and still eating so much? Are you a little pig head?”
Zhu Xing woke up amidst a barrage of “little pig head” echoes ringing in his ears. Checking the time, it was only seven in the morning, just when his sleep should have been the sweetest, all ruined by that annoying Qu Qingyu.
Tossing and turning and unable to fall back asleep, Zhu Xing grabbed his phone and directly shot a video call over to Qu Qingyu.
After ringing for a moment, a sleepy face appeared on the screen. Zhu Xing was startled for a second. He actually picked up?
Qu Qingyu looked like he hadn’t fully woken up yet; his eyes were closed and he remained silent, though he was still holding the phone in his hand.
His hair was a bit messy. Zhu Xing had never seen Qu Qingyu looking like this before and stared at him with curiosity. His distinct, well-defined facial features looked exceptionally handsome in the dim light, and his thick eyelashes rested gently on his eyelids like little fans, trembling slightly with each breath. A handsome guy was still a handsome guy; even if his mind wasn’t awake yet, his face definitely was.
After about half a minute, Qu Qingyu opened his eyes and looked at the curious Zhu Xing on the other end. In the video, Zhu Xing’s pretty face was very close, his eyes staring straight at him, and his lips were so near that Qu Qingyu momentarily thought they might touch. Perhaps because his sleepwear was loose, the camera didn’t quite capture what his pajamas looked like, but the early morning light wasn’t bright enough yet. Zhu Xing’s skin was fair, making him look like a piece of precious jade glowing in the dark.
At first glance, Qu Qingyu even thought Zhu Xing wasn’t wearing any clothes, which instantly jolted his hazy consciousness wide awake, perhaps a bit too awake, as everything rushed down toward a single spot below.
“Why are you calling so early? Can’t sleep?” Qu Qingyu’s voice sounded different from usual; it seemed to spill slowly from deep within his chest, carrying a low, magnetic quality along with an unexplained hoarseness.
“You told me to sleep early, so I went to bed at nine. Now I’m awake and can’t sleep, so I can only come bother you.” His voice carried a trace of roughness, muffled as if wrapped in morning mist. Newly awakened, Zhu Xing spoke with a hint of unintentional coquettishness.
Qu Qingyu’s voice grew even softer as it transmitted through the phone. Zhu Xing didn’t pick up on any hidden meaning and simply felt that Qu Qingyu was much easier to talk to right now.
“Mn, then do you want me to tell you a story to put you back to sleep?” Qu Qingyu said softly.
“Sure, go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Once upon a time, there was a little pig head…” A low voice slowly reached him over the line.
“Stop! I don’t want to hear the words ‘pig head’ ever again!” Zhu Xing couldn’t stand those two words anymore; they were even haunting his dreams.
“Once upon a time, there was a little star, and it was always chasing after another ugly rock.”
“What kind of stories are these anyway? Why would a star chase after some random rock? Are you just making this up on the spot?” Zhu Xing complained with dissatisfaction.
“Then what do you want to hear? Pick one yourself, alright?” Qu Qingyu in the morning appeared exceptionally gentle.
“I want to hear about an inspirational student defeating a bully desk-mate! Or an inspirational student unlocking a cheat code and grasping the lifeline of the world.”
As soon as Zhu Xing finished speaking, Qu Qingyu couldn’t help laughing out loud, the sound gradually growing louder until Zhu Xing had the illusion that Qu Qingyu was sitting right next to him.
The two chatted for nearly an hour. Growing drowsy again and wanting to take a nap, Zhu Xing’s voice gradually faded away.
Listening to the breathing that felt almost close enough to touch, Qu Qingyu indulged himself for a moment.
When he woke up again, it was already close to 11 o’clock. Finding it a bit strange that the video call hadn’t disconnected much earlier, he pushed the thought aside, hurriedly got up to wash up, and changed his clothes.
“Xingxing, you haven’t had breakfast yet. Do you want to eat something before heading out?” Zhu Mom asked.
“No thanks, Mom, I’m going out to eat with a classmate.” Just as his words fell, Qu Qingyu’s message arrived.
Today, Qu Qingyu seemed to have tidied himself up; he looked a bit different from his usual casual self. Zhu Xing stared at him and looked him over.
“How is it? Are you satisfied?” Qu Qingyu asked with playful amusement.
Zhu Xing nodded. “Not bad, not bad. At least you didn’t make me lose face.”
“That’s good, as long as you’re satisfied.” Putting special emphasis on the word “satisfied,” Zhu Xing was reminded of bad memories, let out a huff, and tossed the gift straight at him.
Tch, what a massive temper.