The Qin family has always treated Lu Bohuan well. Growing up together, their Xiao Xi was always sticking to the kid next door, Xiao Lu. They were close as siblings, and nobody in the family treated Xiao Lu as an outsider. And, you know, Lu Bohuan, he’s got good grades, he’s responsible, and man, is he good-looking! He’s like the poster child for someone else’s family. Who wouldn’t like him, right?
Not to mention, Qin Yuanxi, under Lu Bohuan’s guidance, had always been steadily working towards his goals, getting better and better. It’s a source of real joy for his parents.
“Xiao Lu is quite pitiful too. His family doesn’t pay attention to him and yet they have so many expectations. It’s not something ordinary parents would do. It’s like this kid exists just to fulfill their family duties and make them proud.” Qin’s Mom muttered softly, “If he were my child, I’d be heartbroken.”
“Now you’re feeling sorry for him?” Qin’s Dad teased, “Why not have Xiao Lu recognize you as his godmother? Since he gets along well with our son, it might just work.”
“Right, Xiao Xi?”
“Huh? Oh.” Qin Yuanxi wasn’t paying attention to the adults’ conversation. He was still processing the sound of Lu Bohuan’s voice on the phone. It felt weird, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
Soon they reached Lu Bohuan. It was a bit late, so the crowd at the exam venue had already dispersed. They spotted Lu Bohuan standing under a tree by the roadside, engrossed in his phone.
Qin Yuanxi watched him through the car window, his finger pressing against the glass as if reaching out to touch Lu Bohuan himself. The car stopped, and Qin’s Mom in the passenger seat said a few words to Lu Bohuan before urging Qin Yuanxi, “Xiao Xi, move inside. It’s so hot outside, don’t keep Xiao Lu waiting. Xiao Lu, come in and cool down.”
As Lu Bohuan stepped inside, a wave of heat followed him. Qin Yuanxi instinctively asked, “Isn’t it hot?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Qin’s Dad didn’t mince words, instructing Qin Yuanxi as he gripped the steering wheel, “Give Xiao Lu some of the iced snow pear juice your mom made for you.”
“Okay.” Qin Yuanxi agreed, just as he was about to hand over the cup, he remembered the straw cup his mom had prepared today. Since he had already bitten on the straw, it wouldn’t be suitable to give it to Lu Bohuan. As he was about to open the cup, it was already empty in his hand.
When Qin Yuanxi looked again, he saw Lu Bohuan lowering his head to bite on the straw of his cup, gulping it down in big swallows. His hand, resting by his side, clenched into a fist, and then he shifted his gaze outside.
“Auntie’s skills are really good. It’s delicious.” Lu Bohuan didn’t hesitate to praise, instantly delighting Qin’s Mom.
Qin Yuanxi listened silently, although Lu Bohuan was not one to speak much, he seemed adept at pleasing parents. It seemed like he had a knack for it—if he wanted to do something, there was nothing he couldn’t do well.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
His hair was flicked by someone, and Qin Yuanxi was still a bit dazed. He subconsciously dodged, but he couldn’t avoid it. Lu Bohuan’s hand brushed along his hair, as if effortlessly pushing aside the strands blocking his vision.
But it left Qin Yuanxi momentarily stunned.
In fact, he and Lu Bohuan had many such interactions before, like good buddies, with casual touches back and forth, nothing seemed inappropriate. But ever since Qin Yuanxi became aware of his own feelings, he couldn’t engage in such open behavior with Lu Bohuan anymore. It was his own feelings that weren’t straightforward.
He couldn’t accept Lu Bohuan’s touches like before, feeling like there was a little lump of cotton in his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
Even after the celebration, Qin Yuanxi remained absent-minded. At one point, he was reminded by his parents, and it was Lu Bohuan who helped him out of the situation.
“We just finished the exam, Xiao Xi must be tired. Let’s head back and rest early. We have to go back to school tomorrow.”
“It’s finally over, so you should take a break. After returning to school, won’t you guys have nothing much to do? Xiao Xi, do you want to go out with Xiao Lu and relax a bit?”
“Mom, we have a gathering.” Qin Yuanxi lowered his head, looking at his phone. “We have a lot going on.”
Lu Bohuan glanced at him sideways but didn’t say anything.
Qin’s Mom chuckled. “After the exam, it’s customary to be fashionably late to gatherings, so let’s party first. But weren’t you looking forward to a solo trip with Xiao Lu before? You talked about wanting to do some manly activities together. Why does it seem like you’re not so enthusiastic now?”
“I’m still getting ready. Maybe later,” Qin Yuanxi replied.
Lu Bohuan chimed in, “We just finished the exam, and the tension hasn’t completely faded away yet. Let’s have dinner for now.”
“That makes sense.”
After that, Qin Yuanxi leaned against the car window and pretended to doze off. He didn’t want to talk and didn’t want to feel too awkward, so he went along with the previous conversation, pretending to be tired and closed his eyes to rest.
Initially, it was just an act. Who knew that as he pretended, he actually fell asleep. When he was awakened, Qin Yuanxi was still a bit dazed. He felt like he was resting on something soft, unlike the car interior.
“You’re really tired.” Qin’s Mom turned around and called out to Qin Yuanxi, “Wake up and let Xiao Lu go home. You really know how to enjoy yourself. Sleep more when you get home.”
“Xiao Lu’s legs must be numb now, right? You always spoil him.”
Only then did Qin Yuanxi notice that he had fallen asleep on Lu Bohuan’s lap.
No wonder it felt so comfortable.
His face felt a bit warm, and his ears were flushed. Qin Yuanxi quickly sat up, murmuring softly, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Lu Bohuan seemed to chuckle and straightened out the pants creased by Qin Yuanxi, before saying, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Qin Yuanxi mumbled a vague “Mm” in response, which was regarded as agreement.
Their homes were close by. After dropping off Lu Bohuan first, they reached their own doorstep with a turn of the steering wheel. Qin Yuanxi got out of the car, now holding Qin’s Mom’s mini bag. She casually linked her arm through her son’s and asked, seemingly nonchalant, “Son, did you and Xiao Lu have a fight? Are you having some disagreement?”
“Nothing like that, Mom. What are you talking about?” Qin Yuanxi felt a bit uneasy and didn’t want to continue this line of questioning.
“You still say there’s nothing wrong? I’m your mom, don’t I know you? Are you going to tell me you haven’t been avoiding Xiao Lu on purpose?” Qin’s Mom continued to press, “Before the exam, I already had a feeling something was off, but I didn’t want to say anything for fear of affecting your exams. Look at yourself. You used to stick to Xiao Lu like glue, but today at dinner, even when Xiao Lu served you extra food, you didn’t acknowledge him. You don’t even want to go on the trip you’ve been looking forward to. And you say you haven’t had a fight?”
“Mom understands that as you grow older, there are things you may not want to talk to Mom about. That’s understandable.” She patted his arm, her tone soft but earnest. “But baby, Xiao Lu is a good kid with a good personality. Don’t be mad at him. Didn’t you see how attentive he was to you today, peeling shrimp and adding food to your plate? Can’t you two talk things out?”
“And when you were sulking before, leaving early and coming back late every day, Mom may not be awake in the morning, but I’m always watching in the evening. You’d come home, and Xiao Lu would come back later.” Qin’s Mom gave Qin Yuanxi a meaningful look, leaving him to interpret it himself.
“How did I not notice?”
Qin Yuanxi’s expression became even more uncomfortable. He had suspected this from things Lu Bohuan had said, but he hadn’t been sure. Now, with his mother’s words, everything seemed even more confusing.
Lu Bohuan…
“How could you not know?” His mom took her bag from his hand and headed upstairs, leaving him to his thoughts.
Feeling mentally exhausted after the exam, Qin Yuanxi took a shower but couldn’t fall asleep in bed no matter how he tried.
After the intense tension, his mind was now in a state of emptiness. He started to think about this and that, about Lu Bohuan, about how good Xiao Lu was to him, and felt a pang of sadness because of his own complicated feelings towards Lu. The more he thought, the more heartbroken he felt.
Curling up under the blanket, his eyes were red.
The next day, Qin Yuanxi had planned to sleep in and go to school later since there was nothing urgent. But who knew, despite turning off his alarm, his internal clock still woke him up before five in the morning.
Seeing that it was so early, Qin Yuanxi felt utterly frustrated. He had only slept for four or five hours in total and wanted to sleep more, but couldn’t seem to fall back asleep. Tossing and turning, his phone suddenly buzzed.
Qin Yuanxi glanced at it—it was a call from Lu Bohuan.
He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to pretend he wasn’t awake and not answer.
Watching the screen light up with Xiao Lu’s name, Qin Yuanxi ultimately pressed to answer.
“Can’t sleep? How about we go for a run together?” Lu Bohuan suggested.
“How did you know I was awake?” Qin Yuanxi asked.
There was a faint noise from Lu Bohuan’s end, then he said, “Of course I knew.”
Before Qin Yuanxi could ask why, Lu Bohuan changed the subject, “Come on, let’s go out for a run to relax, and then I’ll take you to have beef meatball soup at Old Sun’s place, your favorite.”
In the end, it was the beef meatball soup that won.
Qin Yuanxi indeed loved the meatball soup from Old Sun’s. He used to drag Lu Bohuan there all the time, but later Old Sun’s moved, from near the school gate to the commercial street, making it farther away. Plus, with the demands of senior year, Qin Yuanxi hadn’t eaten there in a long time. Hearing Lu Bohuan mention it now made his mouth water.
Without further ado, he got ready and went to have breakfast with Lu Bohuan.
Lu Bohuan had the habit of morning runs, but he hadn’t been running much since senior year. Now that exams were over, he had picked up the habit again.
He ran ahead, while Qin Yuanxi followed slowly behind, keeping a few meters between them. Qin Yuanxi openly watched Lu Bohuan’s back.
Unexpectedly, Lu Bohuan suddenly turned around, and their eyes met. Qin Yuanxi instinctively looked away, and then Lu Bohuan turned back around, reaching out and grabbing Qin Yuanxi’s wrist.
Qin Yuanxi felt his wrist burn, as if it had been branded with something, and even his heartbeat quickened.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
