TLDMDTBS Chapter 25

Chapter

After the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Ji Ruan hurriedly prepared for his exams and became busier after joining a new club.

At first, he chose the Chinese Painting Club, attracted by its quiet environment with few members, allowing everyone to gather occasionally to paint leisurely.

However, as Beijing University was about to hold its centenary celebration, the club teamed up with the school’s news center to manage some promotional activities, and on that day a massive historical painting would be exhibited, which Ji Ruan, along with two club presidents, would be the main contributors for, leaving them extremely busy.

“Be careful…”

“Higher, higher, stick to the line…”

“Slowly now, don’t tear it…”

The school had specifically allocated a spacious studio room on the top floor of the bell tower, where workers were busy hanging the canvas.

A ten-meter long and 2.5-meter wide giant canvas was being slowly stretched and nailed to the wall, and even though it was still blank, it vaguely revealed a grand momentum.

Ji Ruan quietly watched from below; the members had previously finalized a small draft together, and once the canvas was unveiled today, they could officially start working on it, attempting to restore the cultural landscape changes of Beijing University over the past century through painting.

“Xiao Ruan, come have lunch.” Cheng Zizhang called out to Ji Ruan while carrying two takeout orders, dodging the workers carrying ladders along the way.

Ji Ruan hurriedly came forward to help take the takeout: “Thank you, senior.”

“What’s there to thank? I should be thanking you,” Cheng Zizhang said as she carefully put away many drafts scattered on the table. “I suggested you join the club because you mentioned you liked the quiet. I thought our club was the most relaxing, but who would have thought so much work would suddenly come up.”

With space on the table cleared, Ji Ruan placed the takeout there and smiled: “But to be honest, this project is quite meaningful.”

After the exhibition for the centenary celebration, their painting would be directly stored in the historical museum, and how many celebrities and heroes had emerged from Beijing University over the past century? How many of them could appear in the historical museum?

Though they would benefit from the work of past predecessors, they were also leaving a trace of their own in the school’s history—a rare opportunity.

“You’re right,” Cheng Zizhang handed Ji Ruan a pair of chopsticks: “From both personal and school perspectives, painting this is definitely not a loss, it’s just tiring. Time is tight, I’m really a bit afraid we won’t finish.”

Ji Ruan previously did Han embroidery. All the works required self-design and self-drawing, so drawing was a fundamental skill he started learning in elementary school, and he felt confident in his techniques.

Plus, Cheng Zizhang and the vice president were also skilled at drawing. With three months left until the centenary celebration, theoretically, the three of them could complete a giant painting together.

But everyone was a student, and when the time was calculated excluding daily life and classes, it became quite tight.

Ji Ruan opened the takeout box and smiled: “Let’s hurry up and eat, then we can get to work… By the way, where’s the vice president?”

Cheng Zizhang, as the president, aside from painting, also had to liaise with the student council’s news center, so she was even busier and had been frowning for the past couple of days:

“He probably went to buy materials… Let’s not worry about him, we should get started; he should be back in the afternoon.”

Just as they were speaking, a tall, thin boy appeared at the door of the studio, seemingly carrying drinks like coffee or milk tea, pausing for a moment in front of the stretched canvas.

With the light behind him, Ji Ruan didn’t recognize who it was.

However, Cheng Zizhang seemed familiar and waved: “A Qing? What are you doing here?”

The person named A Qing took a few steps forward, illuminated by the incandescent lights on the ceiling, and Ji Ruan caught a glimpse of a familiar face: “Lin Qing?”

Lin Qing looked a bit surprised to see him and covered his mouth: “Ji Ruan? How come you’re from our school too?”

Cheng Zizhang, caught in between, chuckled: “So you already know each other.”

“Yeah, we’ve met once,” Lin Qing placed the hot drink on the table, choosing not to mention how they knew each other, cheerfully saying: “Treating everyone to drinks.”

Cheng Zizhang was the first to grab a cup of coffee, and Ji Ruan didn’t hold back, picking the milk tea: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Lin Qing replied casually, looking at the canvas on the wall: “So you guys are going to paint together?”

Cheng Zizhang dabbed at her lips with a napkin: “Yeah, to be honest, Xiao Ruan’s skill is truly impressive. I’m sure you’ll be amazed when the final product is done.”

She then looked at Ji Ruan: “A Qing is also in our club, but he’s been a bit busy lately.”

Lin Qing smiled at this, saying to Ji Ruan: “I was supposed to help the senior paint together, but recently I’ve been too busy with my master to work on the winter scene painting. Sorry for the trouble, Ji Ruan.”

“Master?” Ji Ruan pursed his lips and met Cheng Zizhang’s gaze: “Senior?”

“Oh, this,” Cheng Zizhang laughed: “I forgot to tell you, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Master Cheng Yunxiu. Both A Qing and I are her disciples learning Han embroidery.”

Cheng Yunxiu… Ji Ruan frowned, he seemed to have heard this name before, with a very vague impression, but from where…

Right, the shirt!

Ji Ruan suddenly brightened in his mind.

When they got their marriage certificate, Gu Xiuyi specifically took him to buy a white shirt. He chose one with ink bamboo embroidered on the cuffs and at that time lamented it must be the work of a master. The manager mentioned a cultural collaboration, referencing a master, which seemed to be this name.

Ji Ruan couldn’t help but feel astonished, sighing about how his connection with embroidery was truly unbreakable across lifetimes.

Cheng Zizhang took a sip of coffee: “A Qing and the master are embroidering a winter scene, which will also be exhibited during the cultural exchange at the centenary celebration.”

Lin Qing added: “Teacher Cheng is amazing, she’s currently the most famous inheritor of Han embroidery culture. It took me a lot of effort to become her disciple back then… Oh, but the senior is the teacher’s biological daughter.”

Ji Ruan raised his eyebrows; he noticed that Lin Qing sometimes spoke with a subtle undertone.

“What are you talking about?” Cheng Zizhang joked, her expression exaggerated in a mock-serious way: “Even if they’re mother and daughter, I still had to go through a lot of assessments to formally bow to her as my teacher!”

Lin Qing laughed, covering his mouth: “Just joking, just joking… Well, I’ll take my leave now, there’s still a lot to do with my master.”

Cheng Zizhang waved: “Go on, go on.”

Ji Ruan gently curved his lips into a smile: “Goodbye.”

Lin Qing nodded slightly, staring at the blank canvas for a while longer before turning to leave.

·

Autumn in the Capital was always very short; after just a few more rains, the weather turned cold. By November, Ji Ruan had already changed into a thick down jacket, and when going out, he wrapped himself tightly with a scarf.

He was genuinely afraid of catching a cold or fever. Just the thought of that kind of nerve pain, similar to having his ears pierced and spreading to the cerebral cortex, made Ji Ruan’s back feel a chill. He wished he could carry cold medicine with him every day.

As the centenary celebration approached, the time seemed particularly tight. Ji Ruan spent almost all his time in the studio apart from attending classes, and with Cheng Zizhang and others, he almost turned into a wild man emerging from the studio.

After wrapping up in the evening and returning to the dormitory, he would sometimes zone out in line at the cafeteria while buying supper.

Ji Ruan found it miraculous; clearly trying to escape the tranquility did not work, but instead, he had unexpectedly taken on this task and didn’t feel exhausted or bored. Occasionally, he would even remember his childhood, sitting under the lamp with his mother, learning embroidery stitch by stitch.

At that time, he didn’t find it hard to sit quietly in a small room for an entire day to do just one thing; rather, he relished it.

Now, aside from standing causing a sore back, everything was great.

“Little brother, the wontons are packed!” The cafeteria lady’s shout pulled Ji Ruan back from his drifting thoughts.

“Thank you.”

Ji Ruan took the food from the window, tightened his scarf, and walked toward the dormitory. As he stepped outside the cafeteria, he felt a sudden chill of wind on his face and raised his hand to touch a bit of moisture on his cheek.

Is it raining?

Ji Ruan looked up. There were quite a few pedestrians around, and the sound of footsteps came from the basketball court beside the road, but the dim streetlights illuminated white crystals floating in the air, scattered and few.

Could it be the first snow!

Ji Ruan tried to catch it with his hand, but the tiny white crystals melted the moment they touched his skin.

It was indeed the first snow!

Excited, Ji Ruan snapped a photo and sent it to the dorm group, then thought about it and sent it to Gu Xiuyi as well.

The dormitory was still empty, and when Ji Ruan opened the door, it was dark. Han Xiaolin should still be practicing on the sports field, while the other two had evening classes.

Ji Ruan turned on the light, placed the wontons on the table, and went to wash his hands. When he returned, he received a message from Gu Xiuyi.

[?]

Ji Ruan frowned: “…?”

Why send a question mark; doesn’t he think the first snow is romantic?

He clicked on his photography piece, trying to appreciate it again, but suddenly realized the picture seemed… not very good.

Due to lighting and pixel quality, his phone lacked the ability to capture falling snowflakes; the slight first snow appeared as if it had never existed, disappearing into grainy noise.

So what Gu Xiuyi saw switched from romantic first snow to male classmates on the basketball court, wearing tank tops and showing off their muscular bodies, sweating profusely.

Ji Ruan: “…”

“!”

Crap!

His phone started vibrating wildly, and the dorm group was suddenly filled with dozens of messages.

[Han Daxian: ?]

[Painting Saint Lao Li: ?]

[Financial Rising Star Mr. Qin: ?]

[Financial Rising Star Mr. Qin: Ruan Ruan, what’s wrong??]

[Painting Saint Lao Li: Did you suddenly start looking at men? Respond if you’ve been hacked!]

[Painting Saint Lao Li: These guys aren’t great either; their arms are too bulky and lack aesthetic appeal.]

[Han Daxian: Don’t let Gu Zong find out; it’s fine if you sneak a peek. Don’t worry, we will keep it a secret!]

[Painting Saint Lao Li: Don’t worry, we will keep it a secret!]

[Financial Rising Star Mr. Qin: Don’t worry, we will keep it a secret!]

Ji Ruan’s toes curled tightly; he was furious and activated his admin skills to quickly retract that message.

[Ji Ruan: It’s a misunderstanding!]

He barely had time to lift the wonton lid and hurried back to the chat with Gu Xiuyi, frantically typing, trying to explain he wasn’t looking at men.

But halfway through typing, he suddenly paused. Why did he need to explain?

The contract only said he couldn’t flirt with others. Even if he looked at men, so what? The basketball court was separated by a net; there was no way it could be considered flirting. Explaining would only make him seem guilty.

Ji Ruan thought about it and put down his phone, opening the takeout to start eating his supper. His small wontons had become a bit stuck together; a few of them were clinging to each other, and Ji Ruan carefully separated them with his chopsticks.

“Buzz buzz—!”

His phone on the table suddenly vibrated, startling Ji Ruan; the wonton skin was thin, and his hand shook, causing two to burst!

Ji Ruan’s heart shattered.

The call display showing “Gu Xiuyi” bounced like crazy, and Ji Ruan pressed answer heavily before quickly switching to speaker mode: “What do you want?”

His tone wasn’t friendly.

On the other end, there was a two-second silence before Gu Xiuyi laughed: “You’re still angry?”

Ji Ruan knew he was referring to the photo and snorted, not answering.

Gu Xiuyi seemed a bit helpless, and there was a hint of laughter in his voice: “Turn on the video.”

“No,” Ji Ruan replied: “I’m eating supper.”

Ji Ruan was quite particular about dining etiquette; he wouldn’t let someone see him talking with his mouth full. Gu Xiuyi didn’t push further but instead asked: “What are you having for supper?”

“Little wontons.” Ji Ruan first picked out the ones with torn skins to eat, his voice sticky: “Just because you called and scared me, I punctured the skin. You should know it’s quite sad to not be able to swallow a whole wonton, right?”

Gu Xiuyi didn’t know.

Perhaps due to a generation gap, he often couldn’t understand Ji Ruan’s cute little compulsions.

“Hmm, I certainly know,” Gu Xiuyi said with a straight face: “I apologize to your wontons for making it incomplete because of me.”

Why did that sound a bit strange…

Ji Ruan bit his spoon, confused.

“So what about you,” Gu Xiuyi’s voice was calm but carried weight: “What about that photo?”

Ji Ruan: “…”

Ji Ruan silently ate another wonton.

At this time, Gu Xiuyi was very patient, opening his computer and working while waiting for Ji Ruan’s explanation.

Usually when he ate with Ji Ruan, that child had excellent dining manners, and Gu Xiuyi had never heard him make a chewing sound.

But now Ji Ruan may have placed the phone quite close, resulting in quiet tiny sounds reaching Gu Xiuyi’s ears as he ate the little wontons, calm and careful, like a newborn animal learning to eat.

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t help but chuckle as he typed, raising the volume slightly, feeling a satisfaction similar to watching an eating broadcast: “Hmm? Speak, Ji Ruan.”

Ji Ruan swallowed a bite and sipped some soup: “Well, okay, I’ll tell you; I didn’t intentionally take a picture of men for you. What would I gain from that? They’re not as good-looking as you; think about it, does that make sense?”

Gu Xiuyi covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter: “Hmm, I accept that.”

Ji Ruan continued to eat wontons, and with food in his mouth, his speaking slowed down: “So, I actually wanted to show you the snow; it just started snowing here.”

Gu Xiuyi was taken aback, his fingers paused on the keyboard: “… Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Ji Ruan’s tone was soft: “But it was too little to capture, I caught some in my hand, and it really was snow; it melted in my palm.”

Gu Xiuyi could almost imagine Ji Ruan standing on a small path, reaching out to catch the snow, undoubtedly excited and innocent, his cheeks would be flushed, the very picture of cuteness.

Gu Xiuyi’s heart secretly stirred because of that statement.

He leaned against the desk edge, turning his chair towards the window, realizing that unbeknownst to him, the snow had already fallen heavily.

A whole wall of floor-to-ceiling windows practically displayed the entire city at his feet, allowing him to gaze down freely, but the old Gu Xiuyi had always been too busy to notice the scenery outside the window.

So this was the first time he seriously saw what the first snow looked like.

A thin layer of mist clung to the windows, making the view unclear, but those snowflakes were light and beautiful, gracefully dancing in the air.

“Ji Ruan,” Gu Xiuyi said softly: “Are you keeping the curtains open?”

“Nope.”

“Open it and take a look.”

Ji Ruan was eating supper with the heating on; they always liked keeping the curtains tightly drawn in their dorm. Hearing this, he pulled the curtains open slightly and instantly widened his eyes in delight.

The street outside was quickly transforming into a snow-covered world.

“When did it start snowing heavily…” Ji Ruan murmured.

Gu Xiuyi’s voice was very light: “Which means…”

The two of them sat there in silence, quietly watching the snow for quite a while, before Ji Ruan slowly pulled the curtains closed and returned to his work.

Gu Xiuyi heard a silence on the other end of the call for a moment, suddenly the sound of “tap tap” resounded, very crisp.

He frowned: “What are you doing?”

“Ah?” Ji Ruan laughed: “I’m trimming my nails; do you want to hang up for now?”

Gu Xiuyi chuckled, returning to his work: “No problem, you do you.”

The sound of the keyboard rang out once more as Ji Ruan pouted and didn’t say anything further.

Unsure how much time passed, Gu Xiuyi finished his work and snapped back to reality, finding no noise from Ji Ruan’s end, but the screen indicated they were still on the call.

“Ji Ruan?”

He tentatively called out, but there was no response.

“Ji Ruan, what’s wrong?”

Still no sound.

“Ji—”

“Hello, Gu Zong…” On the other end turned into a deliberately lowered male voice.

Gu Xiuyi fell silent for two seconds: “Han Xiaolin?”

“Yep, it’s me,” Han Xiaolin spoke in a low voice: “I just got back; Ji Ruan has already fallen asleep. He’s probably too exhausted from being busy these past few days.”

Gu Xiuyi knew Ji Ruan had recently taken on a painting project for the centenary celebration, busy from morning to night. He paused slightly: “Alright, let him go to bed—never mind, can you cover him with a blanket?”

Han Xiaolin quickly responded: “Got it, I will.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

After the call ended, Han Xiaolin placed the phone back on Ji Ruan’s table, carefully took the blanket from beside Ji Ruan’s bed, spread it out, and laid it over him.

Ji Ruan had his cheek pressed against his arm, having only finished cutting one hand’s nails, while holding a nail clipper in the other hand.

·

On the morning of the winter solstice, Song Tezhu went with Gu Xiuyi to Beijing University.

Gu Xiuyi had long been donating to his alma mater for building projects, receiving a thank you letter and donation certificate every few years.

Some entrepreneurs would choose to go to the site personally, chatting with the principal for a few minutes, and some would even contact the media for photos.

But Gu Xiuyi had never gone once, either letting them send it to his company or sending someone to pick it up. Today’s attendance right after the morning meeting was also his unprecedented first time.

The only difference was that he came very low-key, quietly, without letting any media know.

After meeting the principal, Song Tezhu put the thank you letter and certificate into his briefcase, but Gu Xiuyi, walking ahead, showed no signs of leaving immediately; he was continuously typing on his phone but the other party didn’t pick up.

Song Tezhu thought for a moment and immediately sent a text. A short while later, he stepped forward beside Gu Xiuyi and said: “Ji Ruan should be at the physical test now.”

“Physical test?” Gu Xiuyi raised an eyebrow; he never doubted the information given by Song Tezhu, which made him even more shocked: “Ji Ruan is going to the physical test?”

Song Tezhu nodded: “Yes.”

Gu Xiuyi tightened his jaw; didn’t the physical test involve running 1,000 meters?

Ji Ruan’s fragile body couldn’t handle running a thousand meters?! What a ridiculous joke?!

Gu Xiuyi pinched the bridge of his nose tightly: “You go back first.”

Song Tezhu had expected this: “Okay.”

“Wait,” Gu Xiuyi pointed: “Leave the car keys.”

“?? Boss?!”

“Taxi fare is reimbursed.”

“Got it!”

Only then did Song Tezhu grin as he handed the keys to Gu Xiuyi.

·

Ji Ruan finished his long jump and sat in the stands watching the people running on the field.

A thousand meters, for some boys, it was easy, but for others, it felt worse than death. In the chill of winter, everyone was exhaling large clouds of white breath, and Ji Ruan had already seen several falling to vomit.

“It’s been a long time, junior.” Someone sat next to Ji Ruan without permission, their clothes pressed together.

Ji Ruan frowned and scooted over a seat.

It had indeed been a while since he last saw that person; Ji Ruan almost couldn’t recognize him upon spotting him.

“It’s been three months, and you haven’t accepted my friend request?” Bai Ange said with a smile.

Ji Ruan forced a smile of his own: “I’ve been too busy lately, I forgot.”

“It’s alright,” Bai Ange rested his chin on his hand, staring at Ji Ruan: “You can add me now.”

Ji Ruan unflinchingly replied: “I didn’t bring my phone.”

Such a perfunctory excuse caused Bai Ange to burst into laughter: “Why do you dislike me so much? Why don’t you want to be friends?”

Ji Ruan met his gaze without evasiveness, his eyes calmly saying: “You don’t just want to be friends, do you?”

Bai Ange was taken aback, his finger pressing against his lip, the smile on his face ambiguous: “Do you talk to Gu Xiuyi like this too? You know what, you’re particularly alluring when you speak like that.”

His gaze was intense, like a creeping vine colored with poison, making one uncomfortable.

Ji Ruan turned his head away, feeling he couldn’t further suppress his emotions: “So you know Gu Xiuyi; I thought you were unaware we’ve already married.”

This blatant sarcasm didn’t make Bai Ange retreat; instead, he seemed even more interested in Ji Ruan: “Well, who can say for sure? What if you two break up later?”

Ji Ruan finally furrowed his brows in silence, his phone vibrating in his pocket. Without thinking, he answered.

Bai Ange was stunned to see someone who had just claimed not to have a phone suddenly engaging in a call.

“—Look forward.”

Ji Ruan didn’t expect to hear Gu Xiuyi’s voice. Reflexively, he looked up and indeed saw Gu Xiuyi on the inner track.

Wearing a simple black coat over his suit, his tall and straight figure, while talking on the phone, his watch glinted subtly in the low light, and he still held that cold demeanor, completely lacking warmth.

“What are you doing here?” Ji Ruan was a bit surprised.

Gu Xiuyi must have seen him talking to Bai Ange, but his voice showed no emotion: “Come over.”

Ji Ruan hadn’t intended to stay longer, so he stood up without hesitation, walking toward Gu Xiuyi.

Gu Xiuyi’s gaze didn’t linger on Bai Ange for even a second; as Ji Ruan approached, he hung up the phone, first checking Ji Ruan’s neck for warmth.

Quite good; it seemed this round, fluffy down jacket was quite effective for warmth.

“Have you exercised?” Gu Xiuyi asked.

“Not really,” Ji Ruan shook his head and smiled: “I just did a long jump and stretched a bit; I don’t really like running, so I naturally had to be lazy.”

“Hmm,” Gu Xiuyi’s lips curled into a slight smile, seemingly pleased: “So obedient.”

He took Ji Ruan’s hand and sauntered away, speaking casually: “Let’s go, it’s winter solstice today. I’ll take you to eat something warm.”

Ji Ruan was indeed a bit hungry and smiled happily: “What are we eating? For winter solstice, is it a lamb soup pot?”

Gu Xiuyi’s lips curled slightly, and his gaze softened towards Ji Ruan:

“Hmm, if you like it.”