September marks the beginning of university, with a twenty-day military training period. Clad in uniform camouflage, some blend into the crowd while others draw all eyes wherever they go.
“Did you see that handsome guy on the bicycle over there? He’s from the Computer Science department. He comes over here every day after military training to see his boyfriend.”
“Oh wow, someone that handsome got snatched up so quickly? Who is it…”
Before they could finish, they saw him, a fresh face from the Finance department, sprinting towards the bicycle from afar.
“…”
“Is that Zhu Tong? We better keep an eye on him. Just yesterday, students from other schools were asking about him!”
“Ah, people these days lack self-awareness. They don’t even consider what standards other people’s boyfriend might have. If I had such a handsome and outstanding boyfriend, I wouldn’t even look at Grandpa Cheng if he stood in front of me.”
The two girls turned away after hearing that remark.
Meanwhile, Zhu Tong had already reached Shao Ming.
Shao Ming hurried over and held him. “Be careful.”
Seeing his nervous look, Zhu Tong chuckled. “It’s fine now. Look, the scabs are falling off.”
As he spoke, he lifted his leg, revealing a red mark on his knee where the scab had healed.
Shao Ming: “…”
A couple of days ago during field training, Zhu Tong had accidentally been knocked down, scraping his knee on the asphalt.
While Shao Ming had already taken time off from school, Zhu Tong insisted on continuing military training. Unable to persuade him otherwise, Shao Ming had reluctantly agreed.
Back at their rented house off-campus, after they both showered, Shao Ming promptly pinned Zhu Tong down on the couch and brought out a first aid kit.
Zhu Tong felt it was a bit of an overreaction. “There’s really no need for more ointment. It’s already healed.”
Shao Ming replied, “It’s for the scar.”
“……”
After starting at Q University, the two of them moved to the city together, not staying in the accommodation arranged by Grandpa Cheng, but finding an off-campus apartment.
After finishing applying the ointment, Shao Ming packed up the first aid kit and squatted in front of Zhu Tong, looking up at him. “It’s not like it’s formal training, why are you taking it so seriously?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
How could the regular military training at school not be considered formal training?
Zhu Tong replied, “Opportunities like this are rare. There’s a lot to learn after the military training ends, and there might not be time…”
He glanced up at Shao Ming and fell silent.
Shao Ming smiled knowingly and stood up. “No time for exercise?”
“…”
Suddenly, he reached out, pushed Zhu Tong sideways, and pressed himself down on top of him. “Then let me check your military training results today?”
With that, his hand slipped under Zhu Tong’s shirt hem.
Zhu Tong reflexively started feeling warm as he caught his hand. “Don’t…”
Shao Ming: “Why not? Military training is over.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Oh right, today was the last day of military training.
“Little Young Master.” Shao Ming suddenly called him softly.
Zhu Tong’s ears tingled as he looked at him steadily.
Shao Ming teased his lips, “I’m really worried about you.”
Unable to help himself, Zhu Tong chuckled, “Just a little scrape, I’m not that delicate.”
Shao Ming narrowed his eyes gently, “Is that so?”
Zhu Tong wanted to say yes, but meeting Shao Ming’s gaze, he suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Guilty about what?
Shao Ming leaned close to his ear and reminded him, “On the night of that celebration, who was the one crying out in pain and saying they didn’t want to lie down?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Shao Ming lifted his head, looking slightly aggrieved. “So in your heart, military training isn’t as important as that?”
It felt like a fire surrounded Zhu Tong, making his face flush red.
He hurriedly defended himself, “It’s not like that at all…”
Shao Ming said, “Oh really? Weren’t both injuries to the knees?”
“……”
After Zhu Tong couldn’t argue back, he fell silent for a moment, then leaned up and kissed Shao Ming on the lips.
Now thinking about it, he did seem a bit delicate.
He didn’t know why. He wasn’t someone who couldn’t endure pain before. Even when he was in pain, he could always bear it without making a sound. It was just when they were together, especially at times like this, any discomfort was hard for him not to mention.
When Shao Ming responded to his initiative with a gentle bend of his lips and kissed him back, he succeeded in teasing Zhu Tong, saying with a smile, “I like it when you act spoiled with me. So in the future, if anything doesn’t feel right, just tell me, okay?”
Zhu Tong agreed, though how sincere he was about it remained unclear.
Habits formed over a long time weren’t easy to change.
Shao Ming teased him a bit more before letting him off the hook.
Because they had a dinner party in the evening.
In the end, Luo Suo enrolled in the university in the same city as them. Today, their school also finished military training, and he suggested they get together.
They chose a Japanese restaurant for the gathering. Next to the Japanese restaurant was another dining establishment. Passing by, Shao Ming had some idea, so he asked them to go in and order while he went into the adjacent place.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Shao Ming walked into the Japanese restaurant with a cup of pudding bubble tea.
Zhu Tong looked surprised when he took it. “You made this?”
“Yeah.” Shao Ming sat down beside him. “This time with ice. Try it. If you don’t like it, I’ll make you another one.”
Zhu Tong couldn’t hide his pleasant surprise. “No problem.”
Now he could drink cold things.
During military training, when Shao Ming came to see him, he also bought him pudding sago milk tea, but somehow, what others made and what he made himself always seemed different.
He took a sip through the straw. On such a hot day, having something cold was refreshing and delightful.
Then he asked, “How did you convince the shop to do this?”
Shao Ming said, “I told them I wanted to propose to my boyfriend with pudding sago milk tea. I said only something I made myself would show sincerity.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
He absolutely believed Shao Ming was capable of doing something like this, momentarily speechless.
Luo Suo sat opposite and joked, “Who proposes with milk tea? You can’t hide a ring inside and suck it out with a straw. I bet you just sacrificed your dignity, Zhu Tong. You shouldn’t forgive someone who uses such a flashy tactic.”
Shao Ming said, “Looks like the twenty days of military training have given you an inexplicable confidence in your combat prowess.”
Luo Suo immediately backtracked, “Just kidding, just kidding.”
He glanced at the two across from him, then at himself and the person next to him, Lu Zheyu, disdainfully saying, “You two are the kind that make other girls so jealous they want to kill you.”
“……”
Zhu Tong was puzzled, “Why?”
Luo Suo explained, “Because you two don’t tan. Look at Lao Er and then look at me. After military training, I look like I’ve come out of a coal furnace.”
Only then did Zhu Tong notice that Luo Suo’s skin tone had noticeably deepened.
While he and Shao Ming had also undergone changes, it wasn’t as apparent unless they took their shirts off for comparison.
He couldn’t help but smile and then glanced at Lu Zheyu.
Lu Zheyu was focused on his food. Usually, he only joined in when the conversation turned to studio matters.
Luo Suo noticed Zhu Tong’s gaze and also turned his head to look at Lu Zheyu, asking bluntly, “Hey, Lao Er, what’s the deal with you and Zhu Tong’s cousin?”
Lu Zheyu replied calmly, “What?”
Luo Suo pressed on seriously, “Are you guys brothers1close friends, ah? We all saw what happened that day.”
Lu Zheyu remained composed, “I don’t remember.”
Luo Suo looked at Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong shrugged helplessly at him.
After finishing their meal, they parted ways at the entrance of the Japanese restaurant. Luo Suo took a taxi back to school, and Lu Zheyu returned to the dormitory, leaving only Zhu Tong and Shao Ming strolling leisurely back to their apartment.
Passing by the dining establishment, Zhu Tong couldn’t help but recall the bubble tea shop they used to visit.
“How’s Auntie Shao doing these days?” he asked.
Shao Ming replied, “Same as usual. She hired two permanent staff members at the shop. She went to A City last week and came back in good spirits.”
Zhu Tong was surprised, “She went to A City?”
Shao Ming confirmed, “Yeah.”
“…”
Even without saying it, they both knew why Shao Yujie went there.
She went to see Xia Yang.
Since Xia Yang’s system disappeared, his mental state had deteriorated. He often spoke incoherently, and after his detention ended and the police contacted Shao Yujie, she hesitated but ultimately went to see him.
But Xia Yang didn’t recognize her.
Deep down, he refused to admit that he had a mother who was ordinary and timid. Knowing the truth, he never once tried to reach out to Shao Yujie.
Shao Yujie wasn’t surprised by his attitude. She remained calm, watching as Xia Yang was taken away under supervision. Without saying a word, she left.
“She said it was to say goodbye, that she won’t visit him again.”
“……”
Shao Ming paused and smiled. “Actually, she doesn’t need to tell me anything.”
Getting along with such carefulness was not what Shao Ming wanted.
Zhu Tong held him without saying a word.
Suddenly, a bicycle sped past on the road next to him, and Zhu Tong turned his head sideways, “I want to learn to bike.”
Shao Ming: “…Mn?”
Zhu Tong continued, “Every time, it’s you who takes me along the ride, I don’t have a chance to go to your department to find you. When I learn it, I will also drive you to school every day, how about it?”
He raised the corners of his lips slightly, like a warm wind, blowing away all the worries.
Shao Ming hooked his lips, “Okay, then tomorrow…”
“There is no need for tomorrow, just today.” Zhu Tong pulled him forward: “The community park downstairs is quite big, let’s go there to learn.”
“…”
But soon, Zhu Tong regretted it.
Zhu Tong found himself in a predicament, sitting on the bike seat with one foot on the ground and the other awkwardly trying to pedal. The pedals, which should have been easy to maneuver, felt as immovable as rocks.
After a few futile attempts, Zhu Tong glanced at Shao Ming’s strong arms wrapped around him and sighed in disbelief, “Is this how you teach someone to ride a bike?”
Shao Ming leaned against his back and replied casually, “Isn’t it you who said you wanted to carry me? This is the correct posture for two people riding a bike together.”
Zhu Tong was at a loss for words. “I meant after I learn how to ride properly.”
He hadn’t even begun to learn properly yet!
Shao Ming chuckled softly, “You can learn like this too.”
Zhu Tong protested, “But how am I supposed to learn like this? Can’t you at least lift your leg?”
Shao Ming explained with amusement, “If I lift my leg, the bike will tip over.”
Zhu Tong sighed inwardly. Was his sense of balance really that bad?
Not content with just holding him, Shao Ming leaned closer, their faces almost touching. Despite Zhu Tong’s nervous glances around, afraid someone might catch them, Shao Ming teased, “So, are you going to pay your tuition fee for this lesson, Little Young Master?”
Zhu Tong blushed slightly, feeling both embarrassed and amused by Shao Ming’s playful approach to teaching him how to ride a bike.
“……”
Shao Ming’s face was so smug he kinda wanted to kick it.
With his ears red, Zhu Tong asked, “How do I pay?”
Shao Ming chuckled softly, “Either kiss me now, or write an IOU. When you get back, pay me back with interest. Which one do you choose?”
Afraid of being tickled, Zhu Tong shrunk his head and turned to look at him.
Generally speaking, the IOUs Shao Ming writes are considered usurious loans, with interest much higher than the principal. After weighing his options, Zhu Tong looked at the face now close to his own and decisively pecked him on the lips.
“Is this okay?”
Before he could pull away, Shao Ming swiftly grabbed the back of his head and deeply kissed him back.
“Ah!”
There was a short, crisp scream behind them. Startled, Zhu Tong pushed Shao Ming away abruptly and turned to look behind.
The little girl who screamed had already run away, shouting as she ran, “Mom, those two big brothers over there are doing naughty things!”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Shao Ming: “…”
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, Shao Ming burst out laughing.
Annoyed, Zhu Tong said, “You corrupted the little girl, and you’re still laughing.”
“It’s not my fault.” Shao Ming innocently said, “The kid crawled out from behind the bushes by herself. She looks mischievous. She even knew we were doing something naughty!”
“…”
Zhu Tong’s face grew even redder. He let go of the bike handlebars as if to dismount.
Shao Ming immediately hugged him and said, “Baby, I’m sorry. I won’t mess around like this outside again.”
A quick apology.
Zhu Tong had no way to resist him.
After that, Shao Ming finally displayed the professionalism of a coach. After all, he had already collected the tuition.
Watching Zhu Tong clumsily pedaling the bike forward, he steadied the bike seat from behind, his face naturally filled with satisfaction.
The evening breeze gently blew by, carrying a hint of sweetness in the air.
He understood why Zhu Tong suddenly wanted to learn to ride a bike, and he knew what the little young master wanted to tell him.
Now that they were together, he was the one who had always been by his side.
You can’t choose your family, but at least they had more than one choice.
As long as they did what they were supposed to do, ignoring troubles and enjoying life was the most important thing.