Xi Shui walked towards Zhou Zeqi, glancing down at the distance between them before stepping even closer.
Zhou Zeqi swiftly grasped his wrist, pulling him to stand between his legs.
Xi Shui was caught off guard but wasn't frightened like before. He could vaguely sense that Zhou Zeqi was a very dominant person.
"This distance is good," Xi Shui gave his satisfied assessment.
Xi Shui took the initiative to bend down, pressing his lips against Zhou Zeqi's. Zhou Zeqi faced the light, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling reflecting in his eyes, bright like two flickering flames.
Xi Shui felt a bit intimidated to look directly at him.
He pulled back slightly, whispering very softly, "Kiss me."
Xi Shui's eyelashes were moist, long and thick, like smooth, glossy raven feathers. His white hair tie didn't look like a hair tie at all, but rather like feathers, like the white feathers of a young swan.
Seeing his eagerness, Zhou Zeqi chuckled, then wrapped his arm around the other's waist. In the blink of an eye, their positions were reversed, with Xi Shui sitting in the chair and Zhou Zeqi looking down at him. Xi Shui hadn't yet regained his senses, his mouth slightly agape in surprise.
As Zhou Zeqi's features loomed larger in Xi Shui's vision, Xi Shui obediently closed his eyes.
His tongue, nestled in his mouth, was hooked and sucked on, feeling both numb and slightly painful. Xi Shui's hands wanted to push Zhou Zeqi away, yet he found himself involuntarily reciprocating.
A clock hung on the wall opposite the mirror in the practice room. Tick, tock. Xi Shui didn't have poor eyesight, but those numbers became increasingly blurry.
Zhou Zeqi slowly released him, then pressed against the corner of his mouth, biting down not too gently, not too lightly, before thoroughly licking the spot he had bitten.
The saliva felt scalding hot, as if it would melt Xi Shui.
Zhou Zeqi pinched Xi Shui's earlobe with his fingertips. The pale earlobe immediately flushed red before gradually fading.
"Why didn't you respond to me?" Zhou Zeqi stared intently at Xi Shui.
That gaze made Xi Shui feel like a rabbit that couldn't escape, a bird that couldn't fly away.
Xi Shui instinctively licked the still-moist, glistening saliva on his lips. His eyes were filled with a mist brought on by the kiss, and he looked dazed. "Ah, I was supposed to respond? How?"
"Go learn it yourself."
After speaking, Zhou Zeqi noticed Xi Shui's gaze subtly darting behind him.
"Those are your friends," Xi Shui said.
Zhou Zeqi turned to look and found that half of the small balcony was crowded with Wu Fengyi and the others. Upon being discovered, they immediately scattered. Zhou Zeqi bit his lip where Xi Shui couldn't see, then turned back with a nonchalant and relaxed demeanor.
"I'm heading back now."
"I originally wanted to chat with you."
"But this is good too."
Zhou Zeqi left. Xi Shui watched as he leaped onto the balcony, his coat tails disappearing into the thick night. The practice room returned to a state of silent stillness, with only the muffled sound of rain outside the window. Suddenly, Xi Shui felt an emptiness in his heart.
Xi Shui went to wash an apple. As he ate it, he made a note in his phone's memo pad:
5/24, kissed for 5 minutes, burned 6 calories
He thought he could finish the apple—he usually could—but today he didn't have much of an appetite. Perhaps this variety of apple wasn't very sweet.
Xi Shui smacked his lips, feeling that it wasn't as sweet as Zhou Zeqi's saliva.
-
Zhou Zeqi had to go to school very early for training, while Xi Shui could finish his morning practice in the home studio before leisurely heading to school for his first class.
It had rained yesterday and hadn't cleared up today. Xi Shui added a very thin light blue short windbreaker over his clothes, making him look even whiter, as white as freshly poured milk, fresh and bright.
He pushed open the door to find a small brown paper bag hanging on the doorknob.
Xi Shui peeked inside to see a box of cherry tomatoes, a box of starfruit, and a whole large peach that he could barely hold in one hand.
He was momentarily stunned, guessing who it might be from.
He quickly took out his phone and saw that Zhou Zeqi had indeed sent him a message. He just hadn't had time to check it in the morning, as he was always busy then.
[Bought you some fruit. Already washed and cut. You can eat it yourself or share with your friends. There will be more every day.]
Xi Shui felt a warmth in his heart. Zhou Zeqi was so nice.
This relationship was so worth it!
He wanted to be just as good to Zhou Zeqi!
Capital U was located in the heart of the university town, surrounded by several nationally renowned universities: Capital U's School of Electronic Science and Technology, Capital City Music Academy, Jinghua University, and Capital City University of Technology, famous for its women's basketball team defeating the men's team 3-0.
These universities had many activities and competitions throughout the year, with credits as abundant as wild grass.
The two months between May Day and summer vacation were the busiest for activities. As it happened, the neighboring Capital City Music Academy was already discussing plans for an arts carnival with CUDC.
Capital City Music Academy... because their school abbreviation was "CCMA," they called themselves the cream of the crop.
Xi Shui was biting into the peach that Zhou Zeqi had chosen, bought, and washed for him. He ate as he walked to school. It wasn't raining when he left home, but as he neared the school, sporadic raindrops fell on his head, cool and causing him to shiver.
A black umbrella appeared over Xi Shui's head, sparing him the trouble of having to fetch and open his own umbrella from his backpack, which would have been especially inconvenient since he was already carrying food.
Xi Shui looked at the person holding the umbrella for him.
?
He didn't recognize them.
"Where are you headed?" the stranger asked.
Seeing that the other person's tone was calm and they appeared to be a student, Xi Shui lowered his guard a bit.
"Building J," he replied. They had art appreciation class in the morning, a cultural course.
The young man smiled gently, "What a coincidence, I'm going to Building J too. Perfect, I can hold the umbrella for you."
Xi Shui took a bite of his peach. "Thank you."
Building J housed cultural classes for dance students, as well as classes for Capital Academy's law school. While the number of students in a single CUDC major might not be large, when comparing the total number of students from both schools, CUDC's student population slightly outnumbered the others. As a result, Building J was Capital U's largest teaching building, with its entrance being the most prone to congestion.
If a fire were to break out, Building J would probably have the highest likelihood of a stampede occurring.
The young man had a very faint scent of herbs and wood about him, like the smell of grass leaves after rain—fresh, but also slightly bitter.
The peach was sweet.
Xi Shui continued to munch on it, not saying a word to his umbrella-holding companion for the entire journey.
Upon reaching the teaching building, Xi Shui realized that one of the young man's shoulders was almost completely soaked.
Xi Shui felt a bit apologetic.
"You mentioned treating me to a meal before. Is that offer still valid?" The young man was slightly taller than Xi Shui, with an elegant bearing. When he spoke, there was always a hint of a smile in his voice.
"What?" Xi Shui was confused.
"My name is Yun Chu," the other person said as he closed the umbrella and patted his rain-soaked shoulder. "You said before that you were looking for a boyfriend. I added you, but later you said you didn't need to anymore because you had already found someone?"
Xi Shui suddenly remembered and his expression immediately became both embarrassed and flustered. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes... yes, I found someone."
Yun Chu asked, "Who is he?"
"Huh?"
Yun Chu smiled somewhat shyly, "I'm a bit curious to know if the person who beat me is much stronger than I am."
Xi Shui didn't want to reveal Zhou Zeqi's name.
At the very least, he felt he should get Zhou Zeqi's permission first. Even if it was his own friend, Lin Xiaojin, or anyone else he approved of, they shouldn't be treated like a commodity to be judged by others.
Besides, what if Zhou Zeqi didn't want people to know he was dating Xi Shui?
"Is it Zhou Zeqi?" When Xi Shui hesitated to answer, Yun Chu tentatively mentioned a name. Seeing Xi Shui's surprised expression, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Yun Chu casually reopened his umbrella. "Even if it is Zhou Zeqi, you still owe me a meal. Don't tell him though, I don't want to get beaten up."
"Don't you have class?"
"Oh, I don't have class," Yun Chu turned to Xi Shui with a grin, "I came to beg for food from you."
Beg for food? Xi Shui was amazed at how naturally he had lowered his status—truly like a beggar.
Yun Chu walked in the rain, his back straight, stepping into puddles without a care.
Xi Shui watched Yun Chu for a while, feeling that there was something indescribably strange about him. It wasn't bad, just strange.
-
His thoughts vanished when he saw Lin Xiaojin.
Upon seeing Xi Shui, Lin Xiaojin rushed over, cupping Xi Shui's face and examining it from left to right. Then he stepped back, stroking his chin as he said to Zhao Mengzi beside him, "Little Stream seems to have become more handsome."
Zhao Mengzi, whose real name was Zhao Meng, didn't feel manly enough, so he asked everyone to call him Zhao Mengzi. He was helping a girl open a water bottle cap, sweating profusely. He glanced at Xi Shui twice and said, "You're looking better."
Xi Shui offered him the cherry tomatoes and starfruit in his hand, "Want some?"
Lin Xiaojin peeked over, "When did you buy those?"
Xi Shui rarely kept many ingredients in his fridge, and the fruit was always apples. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist eating everything, so he didn't store many tasty foods in the refrigerator.
"Zhou Zeqi bought them for me."
Lin Xiaojin took two cherry tomatoes and popped them into his mouth with a complex expression, "So you really are dating."
Xi Shui: "We were dating all along."
Lin Xiaojin looked at Xi Shui's complexion, which had improved significantly from a few days ago, and suddenly thought of a possibility. Although kissing could burn calories, the key was to control Xi Shui's mouth. Xi Shui's problem wasn't just known to his family; he knew it too.
He was too strict with himself, like a spring. When he suppressed himself too hard, the rebound would surely cause great harm to himself.
This was the main reason Xi Shui couldn't control his weight - he always used food to relieve stress and compensate himself.
Xi Shui needed some relaxation.
Lin Xiaojin chewed on the cherry tomatoes, their sweet and sour juice bursting in his mouth. He felt a bit jealous, truly. What he couldn't achieve in over a year, Zhou Zeqi had accomplished in just a few days.
"Let me tell you something."
"Hm?" Xi Shui sat down at his seat and took out the books he needed for class from his bag.
Lin Xiaojin leaned on his desk, staring intently at Xi Shui, "Zhou Zeqi has competitions these days, leaving early and returning late. You probably won't be able to see him often."
Xi Shui took out the entire box of cherry tomatoes, picked one, and popped it into his mouth. While eating, he said, "I can go to his place to see him."
Lin Xiaojin: "He'll probably have to eat and hang out with Wu Fengyi and the others, maybe drink a bit. He won't have time."
Xi Shui fell into deep thought.
"Also, the captain of our school's basketball cheerleading team has a crush on Zhou Zeqi."
"A crush? But I'm already with Zhou Zeqi," Xi Shui frowned.
"Well, many people have crushes on you too, what can you do about that?"
"I'm already with Zhou Zeqi," Xi Shui said seriously. This question was truly serious. Even if he wasn't sure about his feelings, he was with Zhou Zeqi, so he could only be with Zhou Zeqi.
He would be devoted to Zhou Zeqi, and Zhou Zeqi should be devoted to him too.
"You need to stake your claim, let everyone know you're together. Otherwise, people won't know, they'll think you're single, and they'll definitely still pursue you guys." Lin Xiaojin thought that Xi Shui's talk of love at first sight might actually be true, he just hadn't realized it himself.
Otherwise, how could he have taken a liking to Zhou Zeqi?
Yun Chu wasn't much worse than Zhou Zeqi. In fact, he gave off a much purer and gentler impression than Zhou Zeqi, but Xi Shui had hardly considered Yun Chu at all.
Xi Shui began to ponder, his beautiful almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed, "How should I stake my claim?"
Lin Xiaojin rested his chin on his hand and said, "They're competing at the city sports center. After classes end this afternoon, you should go bring him some food."
Xi Shui lowered his eyes, seriously considering Lin Xiaojin's suggestion.
It took him less than ten seconds to think about it.
Xi Shui then raised his head, "You're right, that's what I'll do."