TSIBAMS Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ye Xing immediately regretted saying that.

After all, early dating wasn’t something particularly suitable to be made public. He was being quite rude by directly pointing it out so casually.

The motorcycle drove steadily, then turned a corner onto the bridge. Only then did Ye Xing realize that Qi Guang hadn’t said where he was taking him.

And this road, if nothing went wrong, was the route to Qi Guang’s house.

“To your place?” Ye Xing asked.

“You didn’t give me your address, so we’ll go to mine,” Qi Guang said nonchalantly.

His cold tone made it sound like he was messing with him.

Ye Xing was both amused and annoyed by his logic, “What the hell?”

“Just kidding,” Qi Guang said, “We’re going to my place to get your clothes. It’s been so long and you haven’t changed out of your school uniform. Isn’t it uncomfortable wearing the same one every day?”

Only then did Ye Xing remember that he didn’t have any clean school uniforms. The other one was at Qi Guang’s house, “Whose fault is that? You never bring it to me.”

“It’s your fault for not reminding me,” Qi Guang said shamelessly.

They arrived not long after. Qi Guang stopped the bike and let Ye Xing get off first.

The barbecue stall downstairs was bustling. The owner saw Qi Guang and Ye Xing, flipping skewers as he greeted them loudly, “Xiao Guang, brought a friend again? Oh! It’s that handsome guy from last time!”

Qi Guang waved to the owner.

He turned to Ye Xing and asked, “Want some?”

Damn, this guy was doing it on purpose!

Ye Xing swallowed hard. He had to admit, the barbecue here was amazing. He’d never tasted anything so good in the city. He didn’t know how the nearby residents could stand smelling this every day without getting fat.

Like the boy in front of him.

But was it necessary to eat barbecue every time after a fight?

Was this a celebration?!

The owner probably had bad eyesight, or he was too far away and the smoke was blocking his view, so he didn’t notice that this Xiao Guang’s face was half swollen.

Ye Xing shook his head and said, “Maybe next time.”

Qi Guang found it funny seeing how contradictory he was. He parked the bike and took Ye Xing upstairs.

In the bathroom, Qi Guang looked in the mirror and sighed with relief, “Good thing I didn’t get a cut.”

Ye Xing, on the sofa, heard Qi Guang’s mutterings and asked, “Do you have ice in your fridge? I’ll put some on your face.”

Qi Guang came out of the bathroom with a towel in his hand, pretending to be flattered, “Young Master Ye, you’re being too kind.”

“Can you talk normally?” Ye Xing was easily provoked, and Qi Guang had long realized that.

But he hadn’t realized that he always subconsciously wanted to provoke him.

Ye Xing jumped up from the sofa and continued, “Also, I’m only saying this once. My family is just average, a little above middle class. Don’t call me ‘Young Master’ every day. It’s like you’re addicted. Someone might think I’m paying you!”

“Okay,” Qi Guang didn’t argue and walked to the fridge.

Ye Xing followed him, watching as Qi Guang took out a box of ice cubes from the freezer.

“Why do you have so many ice cubes?” Ye Xing asked.

“For drinking!” Qi Guang was too lazy to explain.

“I’ll do it, you go sit on the sofa.” Ye Xing took the towel and ice cubes from Qi Guang, wrapped the ice cubes in the towel, and pushed Qi Guang to the living room.

Ye Xing applied the ice-wrapped towel to Qi Guang’s left cheek.

“Damn,” Qi Guang immediately recoiled, “It’s freezing!”

“Don’t move! You weren’t saying that when you were drinking with it.” Ye Xing held him down.

Qi Guang didn’t say anything, secretly admiring how much better this kid was at trash-talking than fighting.

And Ye Xing was carefully applying the ice to Qi Guang’s face, looking very serious.

This guy was actually pretty attentive when he wanted to be, he had even tidied up the living room before leaving last time.

Qi Guang sat upright, feeling a little stiff.

He wasn’t used to people being too close to him, nor was he used to people being considerate to him. He had refused when Shuai Xiaoyun suggested taking him to the hospital.

So, why, was he letting Ye Xing apply ice to his face?

The person in front of him was really too close, and Qi Guang didn’t even dare to look up.

To make it less awkward, he needed to find something to talk about.

Qi Guang suddenly remembered the strange thing Ye Xing had said on the motorcycle, and he asked, “About that, did you say something about a girlfriend on the motorcycle? Did I hear wrong?”

Ye Xing’s hand paused for a moment.

What the hell, why was this guy exposing himself?

Had he hit his head?

Or, did he not want others to know about his early dating?

Looking at Qi Guang’s expression, it didn’t seem like he was faking it.

Could it be that he hadn’t succeeded yet?

Ye Xing coughed awkwardly, a little embarrassed, and said, “I won’t tell anyone, I don’t know anything.”

“There isn’t one! Have you ever seen a girl around me?” Qi Guang frowned, seriously pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly realized, “Are you talking about Shuai Xiaoyun?”

“I didn’t say that, you said it yourself.” Ye Xing pulled back his hand, acting like it had nothing to do with him.

“Idiot,” Qi Guang sneered.

“Hey! You said it yourself, are you going to blame me? Are you going to kill me for it?!” Ye Xing almost jumped up.

Qi Guang looked at how Ye Xing would jump at the slightest provocation, like a frog.

A frog? Qi Guang was amused by his own imagination, and he laughed out loud without caring about anyone else.

“Hey, I think you’re really funny, what’s so funny?” Ye Xing glared at the person in front of him.

Qi Guang said, “No, seriously, Shuai Xiaoyun is my cousin, you know?”

“Ah???” Ye Xing was taken aback, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Wasn’t he just an idiot!

He had been acting like a fangirl obsessed with a ship, fantasizing about other people’s relationships.

It turned out all the coincidences and intimate behaviors came from one reason – they were cousins.

“She’s not my biological cousin, just the restaurant where you saw me the second time, it’s her dad’s. Her dad, is my uncle.” Qi Guang added.

“Oh, that’s a distant relative then.”

Qi Guang pondered for a moment, “I don’t know if it counts, my grandmother’s sister is Xiaoyun’s grandma.”

“Never mind, don’t say it, it’s too confusing.” Ye Xing continued to apply the ice to Qi Guang’s face.

Ye Xing was very unsettled inside.

He didn’t know why he had been paying so much attention to Qi Guang and Shuai Xiaoyun’s interactions.

Even now, knowing that they weren’t a couple, he actually felt a little relieved.

Single people were really scary!

He didn’t have a partner but he couldn’t stand seeing others have one.

Qi Guang was a bit tired from laughing earlier and was resting with his eyes closed.

They said beauty was in the bone, not the skin, and that was exactly what Qi Guang was like. How could he still look so good even with his eyes closed?

Pah! He should be looking handsome despite his swollen face.

Why was his nose so high?

“Is your nose natural?” Ye Xing blurted out unconsciously.

Qi Guang opened his eyes, tilted his head, and retorted, “Of course! Want to touch it?”

This time, Ye Xing unexpectedly didn’t jump up.

Qi Guang didn’t expect him to actually reach out and gently touch his nose bridge.

What was he doing?!!

This time it was Qi Guang’s turn to almost jump.

Growing up, he had only been close to his grandfather during childhood. Later, when he was with his parents, there was always some distance. He envied other kids who would cuddle and kiss their parents. Later, he got used to it.

He had never established a close emotional or physical relationship with anyone.

Especially, he was disgusted by physical contact with anyone who wasn’t related to him.

And the person in front of him, while they weren’t exactly close, he didn’t seem to mind it that much.

Indeed, it was all about looks.

“Why are you blushing?” Ye Xing asked.

What the hell.

How embarrassing!

“Do you even know how to apply ice? I’ll do it myself!” Qi Guang snatched the towel.

“You’re such an ass!” Ye Xing shook his hand. His hand was already numb from the cold, and he felt bad asking Qi Guang to do it himself. This was just what he wanted.

After the cold compress, a warm compress was needed to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling and pain more quickly.

Ye Xing boiled a kettle of water, soaked the towel in it, wrung it out slightly, and handed it to Qi Guang, “Here you go.”

Qi Guang took the towel, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Ye Xing said, “I was going to pay for your medical expenses anyway… How about this, I’ll bring you breakfast for a week as compensation, is that sincere enough!”

Anyway, he had to buy it for himself every day, and bring it for Zhou Tian too, since they were desk mates.

It was very convenient.

Unexpectedly, Qi Guang refused without even thinking, “No need!”

Because even if you didn’t bring it, I could still eat the breakfast you buy every day.

Qi Guang really wanted to laugh, but he had already laughed countless times today under Ye Xing’s dumbfounded gaze.

It was too silly, he had to hold back this time.

Qi Guang scanned the living room, thinking about what to do to distract himself. Finally, his gaze landed on the phonograph, which hadn’t been put back since Ye Xing had come for drinks last time.

Qi Guang asked, “Want to listen to some music?”

“Yes!” Ye Xing was very interested in the old things in Qi Guang’s house. He had wanted to play it for a long time but had been too embarrassed to ask. So he agreed without hesitation as soon as he heard Qi Guang ask, and he unconsciously moved towards the phonograph.

Qi Guang looked at his excited state and couldn’t help but tease him, “I meant listen to music on the speakers.”

Ye Xing turned around. At this moment, he really wanted to punch Qi Guang’s other side of his face to make it symmetrical.

“Idiot,” Qi Guang smiled and walked towards the study, “Come choose a record.”

For the nth time today, Ye Xing was teased by Qi Guang like a monkey, and he hated his inability to fight back.

And he still followed him obediently into the study!

The study wasn’t big, but although it was filled with things, it didn’t feel cluttered.

The books on the bookshelf emitted a unique smell, not a pleasant one, nor a musty smell, but the smell unique to old yellowed paper.

Ye Xing liked the smell quite a bit and took a big inhale.

He tried to make out the names of the books on the peeling covers. Some were classic works, some were novels and comics. They ranged from ancient to modern, from Chinese to foreign. One moment it was “Dream of the Red Chamber” and the next it was “XX Case Files”, then “Sanmao the Vagabond”. Ye Xing was dizzy from looking at them.

“You have a whole collection of antiques here!” Ye Xing exclaimed.

“Not all of them,” Qi Guang pointed to the bookshelf near the window, “The ones here are newer.”

Ye Xing walked over.

As expected, these didn’t have the same smell.

All the books were neat and tidy, as if they were new. The book titles were more interesting than those on the other bookshelf—”The Hidden Messages in Water,” “Predictably Irrational,” “The Kite Runner,” “1984”…

There was even a full collection of Sanmao novels.

His gaze swept across each one, and finally stopped at an English title in the corner—

《Walden》

“What’s this?” Ye Xing took the book out.

“Hey!”

Qi Guang’s unconscious exclamation startled Ye Xing.

“Sorry!” Only then did Ye Xing realize he had touched someone’s book without permission and quickly tried to put it back.

“It’s okay…” Qi Guang waved awkwardly, “You can look at it.”

He saw that Ye Xing was also embarrassed as he put the book back, so he took it out again and put it back in Ye Xing’s hand.

He didn’t mind others touching these books, especially the newer ones.

It was just this one, it was different from the others.

This was the last birthday gift his grandfather had given him, and he hadn’t even delivered it in person.

He had only found the book in this room after his grandfather’s death. Tucked inside the title page was a letter. The envelope had Qi Guang’s name and the words “Happy Birthday” on it.

The letter had already been put away by Qi Guang, and the book was left here.

It was just a book, it was too pretentious to not let others touch it.

“What kind of book is this? It’s all in English?” Ye Xing asked.

“Thoreau’s *Walden*. There’s a Chinese translation, but this is the original version,” Qi Guang replied.

Ye Xing suddenly felt he needed to re-evaluate this person who looked nothing like a top student.

“You can understand it?” Ye Xing asked.

“Not everything, but definitely more than you,” Qi Guang smiled.

Ye Xing suspiciously flipped through the book. It was all in English and was a bit of a headache to read.

He couldn’t believe that Qi Guang could even read this book.

He was scheming a little inside, deciding to challenge Qi Guang. He flipped to the last page at random, pointed to the last paragraph—

The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.

Then he said, “How about this sentence, it looks relatively simple, can you translate it?”

Qi Guang was still smiling, but the smile was different from before. His expression was serious and playful at the same time, and he slowly said—

“The light which blinds us is our darkness. Only when we are awake, will day break. There’s more than just dawn that breaks. The sun is just a morning star.”