Jiang Yichi’s class schedule was almost identical to Xu Qiuze’s; Xu Qiushi remembered it clearly.
On Monday morning, there was an 8:00 AM class. Xu Qiushi woke up extra early, cooked some porridge for Xun Wenyao and left it on the “warm” setting in the rice cooker, then rushed back to Jiang Yichi’s place to make breakfast.
The Little Master, who usually required Xu Qiushi to knock on his door repeatedly to wake him up, was acting out of character today. He was already sitting on the sofa waiting.
Xu Qiushi opened the door and entered, surprised to see the figure in the living room: “Up so early?”
“Why did you reply so late last night?” Jiang Yichi opened with an interrogation.
“The phone lagged. I replied as soon as I saw the message,” Xu Qiushi explained.
After sending the text last night, Jiang Yichi had waited ages for a response. His mind had been filled with images of Xu Qiushi and Xun Wenyao getting along harmoniously, completely ignoring the fact that Xun Wenyao was actually working at the bar. By the time Xu Qiushi’s reply finally arrived, the Little Master, who was in the middle of a fit of pique, had decided to give him the cold shoulder for a while. He hadn’t expected the other man to fall asleep without a single worry.
“I told you to change that phone ages ago!” Jiang Yichi snapped.
“Mm, I’ll look into it when I have time,” Xu Qiushi answered crisply, giving Jiang Yichi no chance to continue his outburst as he turned into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
The frustration remained trapped in Jiang Yichi’s chest. Unable to let it go, he stood up and followed him, standing behind Xu Qiushi to find faults.
Don’t want this, won’t eat that, fry the egg longer, add soy sauce to the ham… Under the Little Master’s “brilliant” command, he successfully secured a rather unpleasant breakfast for himself.
Just as he was about to slam his chopsticks down, Xu Qiushi glanced at him: “Everything was made according to your requests. Don’t waste food.”
In that instant, Jiang Yichi felt like he was being scolded, and his arrogance immediately wilted.
Actually, it wasn’t that bad; it just tasted different from usual. “Grievance” was written in capital letters all over Jiang Yichi’s face as he sulked while finishing the bowl of millet porridge.
Seeing this, Xu Qiushi’s voice took on a hint of coaxing: “I’ll make you something delicious for lunch.”
“Hmph.” Only then did Jiang Yichi’s expression soften.
The corners of Xu Qiushi’s mouth twitched upward. He felt a sudden urge to pat that head.
Once you spent time with the Little Master, you realized he was just a bit willful, had a bit of a temper, and a sharp tongue—but he wasn’t bad at heart. He could listen to reason and had his own unique way of being considerate. In Xu Qiushi’s eyes, it was normal for a kid to act out occasionally; it was even somewhat cute.
The Little Master grabbed the backpack Xu Qiushi had packed for him and shouted from the kitchen doorway: “Xu Qiushi.”
“Mm?” Xu Qiushi turned his head while washing dishes.
“Aren’t you going to see me out?” The Little Master tilted his chin up.
“Coming.” Xu Qiushi quickly rinsed the suds off his hands, wiped them on his apron, and followed Jiang Yichi to the door, waving goodbye: “Be careful on the road.”
Jiang Yichi took the elevator straight to the parking lot and gave Xiao Zhang a specific task as he leaned back against the seat.
After seeing the Little Master off, Xu Qiushi tidied up the house and planned to head downstairs for a smoke.
Wu Ming was on duty at the security booth this morning. The two had become quite familiar lately.
Wu Ming had fixed break times. Since their first meeting, they had run into each other at the smoking pavilion twice. Upon learning that Xu Qiushi had passed his probation and become a regular employee, Wu Ming’s respect for him had skyrocketed.
Jiang Yichi’s “difficult” reputation was well-known in the neighborhood. In the past, his nannies had changed one after another, and the gossip at the community gate made that very clear.
At the smoking pavilion, Wu Ming was indeed there. After greeting each other, Xu Qiushi took out a lighter to light Wu Ming’s cigarette.
While they were chatting, Chen Shun suddenly ran over to call Wu Ming back to help move something.
“What is it? The three of you can’t move it?” Wu Ming grumbled, stubbing out his cigarette.
“A solid wood office desk. It’s heavy as hell,” Chen Shun said with a bitter face.
“Didn’t they register the delivery?” Wu Ming asked.
“No, it’s the owner from Building 1, 12th floor.” Chen Shun glanced at Xu Qiushi and lowered his voice.
Hearing this, Wu Ming immediately developed a headache.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qiushi asked instinctively.
“Sigh, that owner is a bit… you know,” Wu Ming scratched his head, trying to find a polite way to describe it.
“Penny-pinching,” Chen Shun added.
“Right, extremely penny-pinching,” Wu Ming said as he walked, and Xu Qiushi followed along.
“The delivery guy just left the desk at the gate. Said the owner didn’t pay the door-to-door delivery fee, and we don’t have the owner’s contact info.” Chen Shun’s tone was full of helplessness.
“So are you guys going to bring it up for him?” Xu Qiushi already had a plan in mind.
“If nobody else moves it, we have to.” Wu Ming let out a heavy sigh.
The community’s closed management meant that outsiders needed the owner to register them in advance. Normally, food delivery and packages were collected by the property management and delivered by staff, but for large items like this, owners usually registered professional movers.
The three arrived at the community gate. The dark walnut office desk sat on the ground. Wu Ming tried to lift it and immediately felt like cursing: “This desk is at least three or four hundred pounds. Moving it is one thing, but if we accidentally scratch it, who’s responsible?”
“What do we do then, Brother Wu?” another younger security guard asked.
“I’ll ask the manager.” Wu Ming didn’t dare act on his own. He called the property manager. After verifying the situation, the manager gave the order to move it, saying the owner didn’t mind a few minor scuffs.
“What a mess!” Wu Ming could only accept his bad luck and signaled his colleagues to help move the desk.
Xu Qiushi remembered what Jiang Yichi had said yesterday. With the disclaimer provided by the owner, he finally decided to step in: “Brother Wu, I’ll help too.”
Wu Ming had already been eyeing Xu Qiushi’s sturdy build. Hearing this, he was overjoyed but also a bit embarrassed: “That’s too much trouble for you.”
“It’s fine, I’m good at moving things. You just help guide the way.” Xu Qiushi took Wu Ming’s spot and assigned Wu Ming the task of clearing the path.
Hearing that Xu Qiushi had experience moving cargo, the security guards followed his lead.
One person had to stay at the booth. Xu Qiushi had two of the taller guards lift the front while he shouldered the back alone.
The three took their positions. With a shout of “Heave!” from Xu Qiushi, the heavy solid wood desk was steadily lifted off the ground.
After just a short distance, the two in front were already huffing, but Xu Qiushi’s steps remained steady.
Wu Ming kept reminding them from the front: “Left, left, don’t step on the greenery! Hey, slow down! There’s a step, lift the front higher.”
Once the desk was moved into the freight elevator, they all let out a sigh of relief. Chen Shun wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at Xu Qiushi with newfound friendliness.
“Little Xu, those muscles of yours definitely aren’t just for show!” Wu Ming patted Xu Qiushi’s arm, feeling much closer to him.
“I worked a lot of manual labor; they just grew that way.” Xu Qiushi smiled. “I’m just strong, I don’t have other skills. If there’s any heavy lifting in the future, just call me.”
“That’s for sure,” Wu Ming replied happily.
When the elevator reached the 12th floor, the owner was waiting at the door. He was a man in a suit, his hair combed back meticulously, wearing rimless glasses—the perfect image of an “elite.”
Xu Qiushi and the others helped move the desk into the study, receiving only a casual “thanks” in return. The man didn’t even offer them a glass of water.
On the way down, the youngest guard, Xiao Huang, couldn’t help but complain: “The richer they are, the stingier they get. If you can live here, are you really short on a delivery fee?”
“Shut it. There are cameras in the elevator. Careful the manager hears you and docks your pay,” Chen Shun warned. Xiao Huang quickly covered his mouth.
“Come on, Little Xu, sit in our booth for a bit. I’ll brew some tea for you.” Wu Ming put his arm around Xu Qiushi’s shoulder and invited him warmly.
Xu Qiushi had intended to get on good terms with them anyway, so he didn’t refuse. The group returned to the booth, chatting and laughing.
…
At noon, Jiang Yichi rushed home immediately after class, fueled by the expectation of Xu Qiushi’s promise from that morning.
When he arrived, Xu Qiushi was just setting the table. The timing was perfect.
Jiang Yichi scanned the dishes on the table. Sure enough, they were all his favorites. He washed his hands and sat down to eat with satisfaction.
The breakfast porridge had long since been digested. Jiang Yichi finished a bowl of rice without effort and asked Xu Qiushi for a refill.
As Xu Qiushi handed the bowl back to Jiang Yichi, several bright red scrapes on his arm were clearly visible.
“What happened to your arm?” Jiang Yichi grabbed Xu Qiushi’s wrist instantly. He was certain it wasn’t there this morning.
Xu Qiushi froze. Following the other’s gaze, he realized a large patch of skin on his left arm was raw. It likely happened when he grazed the hallway wall while turning with the desk. He had been so focused on steadying the weight that he hadn’t felt the pain. Now, the tiny beads of blood had dried, making it look rather gruesome.
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury.” Xu Qiushi tried to pull his hand back. No wonder that patch of skin felt hot; the wound was on the inner side of his arm. If he hadn’t raised his hand just now, it wouldn’t have been easily seen.
“Then please tell me how this ‘minor injury’ appeared.” Jiang Yichi looked him straight in the eye.
Xu Qiushi’s eyes darted away.
“Tell the truth, or I’m docking your pay.”
“…” Having his weakness exploited, Xu Qiushi confessed everything about helping move the desk downstairs. He made sure to emphasize that he only stepped in after the owner explicitly said it was fine if there were scratches.
Seeing that Xu Qiushi had actually listened to his advice, Jiang Yichi glanced at him and let go of his hand: “Helping acquaintances is one thing, but are you that close with the security guards?”
“Kind of. We’ve smoked together. They’re good people.”
Jiang Yichi didn’t say anything more. He finished his meal in silence, then brought over the household medical kit and said to Xu Qiushi: “Come here.”
Xu Qiushi knew the purpose of that metal box. He shook his head: “No need for medicine, it doesn’t hurt at all. It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
“I told you to come here, so come here.” Jiang Yichi patted the spot next to him.
Xu Qiushi was about to speak when Jiang Yichi narrowed his eyes and said coldly: “If you don’t come here right now, I’m docking your pay.”
Helpless, Xu Qiushi walked over and sat down obediently. Jiang Yichi didn’t just want him to apply medicine; he wanted to do it himself.
First, he used a cotton swab dipped in saline to clean around the wound, then carefully applied a cool ointment, which effectively soothed the burning sensation on the skin.
The arm before him was sturdy and powerful, with a healthy tan from years of sun exposure. Besides the new injury, there were many uneven old scars on the forearm.
Jiang Yichi’s movements gradually slowed. His fingertips followed his gaze, lightly touching those scars, a surge of complex emotions rising in his heart.
Fair, delicate fingers hovered over his rough arm. Xu Qiushi once again felt the stark contrast between them and couldn’t help but pull his arm back slightly: “That’s enough, thank you.”
Jiang Yichi stuffed the ointment into Xu Qiushi’s hand and instructed him to remember to apply it every day.
Xu Qiushi complied and went back to tidying the dishes.
When he finished the dishes and came out, Jiang Yichi handed him a white bag: “Here, for you.”
“What is it?” Xu Qiushi wiped his hands, preparing to take it.
Jiang Yichi said: “A phone.”
Xu Qiushi’s outstretched hand immediately veered off and retracted.