EAY Chapter 31
by VolareQi Ye felt like such an idiot. He was only focused on having fun with Shi Ran, but he forgot the awkwardness the activity might bring.
After eating some snacks and drinking some refreshments, they were about to go soak in the hot springs. Qi Xue gave each of them a keychain that could open the locker room cabinets and also serve as a pass into the restaurant later; they had to wear it on their wrist at all times.
Shi Ran had never been to a place like this before, so naturally he followed Qi Ye everywhere. Wherever Qi Ye went, he went; whichever pool Qi Ye stayed in, Shi Ran followed.
There were about a hundred hot spring pools of various sizes here. The place was so big and dimly lit, shrouded in mist, that Shi Ran was honestly afraid of getting lost.
At first, Qi Ye didn’t feel anything was amiss. But as they stayed in the hot spring pool longer, surrounded by water vapor, in an atmosphere most likely to breed ambiguity, Qi Ye caught sight of Shi Ran’s face, fair and flushed, his eyes closed, and his upper body bare.
They were so close, with only a fist’s distance between their shoulders.
Qi Ye’s mind immediately screamed danger, and he retreated a little.
Shi Ran, completely oblivious, sighed softly, “So comfortable.”
Qi Ye felt like he was about to boil. He quickly turned his head to the side. Fortunately, Shi Ran didn’t continue his musings but said, “I wonder if there’s a place like this near our school. Next time, we can get a group discount and go with everyone in our dorm.” He paused, then added, “Li Tianyi must have been to a fancy place like this before. Meng Nan would also like this kind of wellness activity, right?”
Qi Ye was a bit petty. Hearing Shi Ran mention others in this situation, he immediately felt displeased. But he quickly corrected himself and nodded, “We can ask them to come here together next time.”
“This place is too far from school,” Shi Ran moved closer to Qi Ye. “And too expensive.”
Qi Ye felt he was really cute, like an angel who had come to the mortal world for the first time. But Shi Ran was a little worried, “Am I being annoying? You guys invited me to have fun, but I keep talking about prices and stuff. It’s kind of a mood killer, right?”
“Absolutely not!” Qi Ye said seriously, then softly, “Actually, sometimes I think, I’m a boy, after all. But when it comes to buying gifts for our parents or these family activities, Qi Xue always contributes more. I also feel, a little embarrassed.”
Shi Ran could understand Qi Ye’s feelings, but birth order was something you couldn’t choose. He could only say, “She’s your sister. Of course, she’ll make money and be good to the family before you. You can catch up later.”
Qi Ye said a little bitterly, “But Qi Xue has always been smart. She was already earning some money at my age, and she often treated people at school. In every way, she’s like my opposite, much more outstanding than me.”
“Hey, I told you not to think like that!” Shi Ran said, agitated, and suddenly placed his hands on his face, “You and your sister each have your own good points. What opposite sides? This comparison is terrible! Don’t forget, you’re the most popular guy in our school right now!”
Qi Ye couldn’t speak, only nodding muttering.
He felt terrible. Shi Ran was encouraging him so earnestly, trying to give him more confidence, but he was uncontrollably having other thoughts because of the closeness of the person he liked.
So when Shi Ran backed away, he immediately swam toward the edge of the pool. He needed to find a quiet place to cool down!
“Hey, where are you going, switching pools so quickly?” Shi Ran called after him, also preparing to get up.
“I’m going to the restroom!” After swimming to the shore, Qi Ye got out without looking back and hurried away in his wooden clogs.
After calming down in the restroom, Qi Ye felt thirsty and wanted to find some water. There were several places with drinks and fruit.
Qi Ye downed half a bottle of mineral water and was thinking of getting Shi Ran a bottle of orange juice when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Qi Xue came over, wrapped in a large bath towel, “Where are you? Where’s your little friend?”
Qi Ye felt the term was a bit strange. “What little friend?”
Qi Xue smiled, “Sorry, I just feel like he’s really innocent, like a kid.” She glanced at Qi Ye again, hands on her hips, “What, can’t your sister even call him a little friend? You’re both kids in my eyes.”
“Okay, okay, I’m a kid.” Qi Ye gave in. Seeing her hair was still wet, he worried she’d get cold if she stayed out of the water too long and quickly asked her what she wanted to drink.
Qi Xue asked for a Coke and picked at some cherry tomatoes with a toothpick. As she ate, she simply sat down in the chair next to Qi Ye and started chatting, “I really didn’t expect it. The friend who studies with you in high school is actually such a bright, handsome guy. I thought you’d both be the nerdy type.”
She complained to Qi Ye, “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You know how curious I am about your friend, but you never bring him home for us to see.”
Qi Ye said helplessly, “Why put so much pressure on people?”
Qi Xue looked at him like he was an alien, “Going home together is pressure?” She looked up and sighed, “No wonder you can’t make any friends, my dear brother.”
Qi Ye was long immune to her teasing. Thinking of what he had said to Shi Ran earlier, he rarely used such a serious tone to care for his sister, “Is work tiring?”
“It will be tiring later, but right now it’s still in a relatively fresh state,” Qi Xue said energetically.
Qi Ye said, “Don’t squander your meager salary. Buy something nice for yourself.”
“You’re not talking about this time, are you? Hey, how can spending money on family be called squandering? It’s my motivation for making money. But,” Qi Xue said, propping up half her face with her hand, “Our little guy has really grown up. He’s learned to care about his sister.”
“I didn’t.” Qi Ye felt embarrassed, grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and told Qi Xue not to stay here too long and quickly left.
Qi Ye saw Shi Ran in the herbal medicine pool. He was enjoying himself with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes and saw it was Qi Ye, his eyes immediately lit up, “You finally came!”
Qi Ye smiled and handed him the orange juice, deliberately keeping a few steps away in the pool.
But Shi Ran didn’t oblige, drifting over easily, “You know, I was just here with your uncle, and it was so awkward. I didn’t know what to say.”
Qi Ye said, “He didn’t ask any annoying questions, did he?”
Shi Ran shook his head, “No, he just asked about things in college. The thing is, I was nervous, and I couldn’t answer well. I was stammering. Your uncle gave up after asking two questions and just made up an excuse to leave. I’m such a failure.”
“Don’t worry, my dad is very easygoing. He won’t take it to heart.” Qi Ye was curious, “I rarely see you get nervous when talking to people. Your communication skills have always been very good.”
Even facing a room full of strangers, Shi Ran would never be intimidated. This was also the ability that Qi Ye admired the most.
Shi Ran said, “Because it’s your family.”
Qi Ye: “Huh?”
Shi Ran had a serious expression on his face, “I want your family to like me, so I want to please them. But I’ve had this problem since I was little. Once I want to please someone, I get nervous and can’t express anything. In short, I always mess things up.”