Ah?
He Jin drank a mouthful of his macchiato and looked up,
Yes, our relationship is quite good. How did you know?
Tong Xuan stared at He Jin, the young man’s lips was still covered by a sticky circle of milk bubbles, his eyes were wide and clear, his appearance so utterly innocence… She found herself unable to say what she had wanted to say.
She had wanted to tell He Jin that she felt something for Qin Yu and wanted to chase him… As for how did she come to like him, that happened because when she passed by the tennis court , she’d occasionally see Qin Yu having friendly matches with other schoolmates. His appearance was so dazzling even from the other side of the stadium, and she couldn’t help developing a crush.
But she knew, the number of girls who had a crush on Qin Yu was immeasurable, they could create a few laps around the whole China if they were to be lined up. So what she felt might be mere infatuation, and not necessarily love. Just like what she felt for He Jin two years ago, it was inexplicable.
Tong Xuan was very popular in school, so she was also very confident and brave. She knew what she wanted and was not afraid to take the initiative to pursue them.
Because He Jin and Qin Yu was close, she thought about asking He Jin to help her; either by enticing Qin Yu with stories about her, or by creating opportunities for them to get along.
It might be an easy thing for He Jin, but Tong Xuan wasn’t sure if he still had any old feelings for her. If he did, no matter how small, it would make her feel like she was taking advantage of the man’s soft spot towards her – it felt a bit despicable.
She pressed down on her own selfish desires, and continued to ridicule him,
You and Qin Yu’s good relationship, news about it has been passed around by the girls in the student union. You also know that the girls in the Propaganda Department and the Discipline Department are all like Bai Xiao Sheng, no gossip can be hidden from their ears. Ah, I also heard that the two of you took a walk around campus after midnight? Is that true?
He Jin thought of the girls who previously caught them running in the middle of the night and was immediately embarrassed. How many days had this gossip been spread?
However if the one he ran with was replaced with Hou Dongyan, there wouldn’t be such a great spread of gossip. The problem was still because it’s Qin Yu!
He Jin simply explained to Tong Xuan that he was learning to play tennis from Qin Yu, and the other guy urged him to exercise his body. Tong Xuan felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this,
How come I’ve never seen you having such a good relationship with someone else before?
She paused, then half-jokingly said,
Both of you can’t really be like what people have been saying right? You are not really in a gay relationship, are you?
He Jin was merely being open and honest. When he heard the word
gay relationship
, his hand holding the coffee cup loosen, with a loud
bang
the cup fell, and the coffee sprinkled all over the table. The two of them stood up in a hurry, then took a paper towel to wipe the table and their coffee-soiled trousers.
On the surface, He Jin’s appearance was very calm, he handed over the wet paper towel to a waiter and rubbed his hands.
Tong Xuan thought her joke was too much, and said a little guilty:
Is it hot? Are you okay?
I’m fine.
The coffee was not hot, what felt hot now was He Jin’s own face. His heart was beating like crazy, like someone whose secret had been found out- but there was no secret. His relationship with Qin Yu was perfectly innocent… However at that moment, he suddenly thought of Qin Yu’s similar voice with Fire’s; of Leisure Cloud and Wild Crane kissing under the silver trees and fireworks; of the intimate contacts he had been having with his same-sex husband in the game… Then, his whole person seemed to be burning, into a nervous and frightened wreck.
After reorganizing himself, He Jin didn’t order more coffee. He let the waiter changed it into a glass of lemon water, then took a sip slowly.
Tong Xuan also no longer mentioned this matter, and changed the topic to talk about things that happened in her life: the internship unit, the student union, as well as other gossips. He Jin patiently listened to her while occasionally giving his views. The two of them chatted calmly for a long time like old friends.
He Jin also liked this kind of relationship with Tong Xuan, it felt very natural.
Finally, Tong Xuan took out two bottles of vitamin tablets from her bag and handed them to him.
You fainted after being drenched in the rain before, you have to pay attention to your own body. This is something that my cousin sent me from the United States, take it, eat one pill every day to strengthen your physical fitness.
He Jin wanted to refuse, but saw Tong Xuan pointing to the counter direction:
Don’t hesitate, today’s coffee is your treat.
The school’s coffee didn’t cost much money, but Tong Xuan’s kindness was difficult to refuse. He Jin simply thanked her, smiled, and stood up with his campus card.
The entrance of the cafe was not right on the main road, they had to go through a curved path to get to the main road. There were dense cypress trees around and only a few people heading to the cafe. He Jin suddenly stopped, calling:
Tong Xuan…
Yeah?
Tong Xuan turned around, her crystal earrings sparkling in the early twilight.
He Jin looked at her and politely asked:
Can I hug you?
Tong Xuan:
…
During their relationship he never once took the initiative to mention this request, to suddenly hear this now, Tong Xuan’s feeling was a little inexplicable. However, she was after all someone with a big sister personality, after facing him for a moment, she gracefully opened her arms.
They hugged gently, He Jin’s arms looped around her. He closed his eyes, smelling the unique fragrance of the girl, yet he there was no change in his heartbeat.
After letting go, He Jin originally wanted to ask Tong Xuan what she was feeling currently, but upon seeing her slightly red ears and dropped eyes, He Jin knew he didn’t need to ask again.
Tong Xuan was… unusually shy.
Thank you for the vitamins, I’m going now ah.
He Jin raised the vitamins in his hand and walked quickly to the dormitory.
Having no impulse when embracing someone of the opposite sex, yet always feeling strangely nervous when having physical contacts with someone of the same-sex… Of course the object of contact was not any random person, but someones specific, like Fire and Qin Yu.
……Why? Do you even need to ask?
He walked so fast that he did not hear someone calling him from behind. Because the call was from that very familiar voice, he thought it was his imagination– until his arm was suddenly caught, and he was forced to turn around-
What are you running for? Didn’t you hear me calling you?
–the other man was smiling a little, his deep eyes, his low voice, all over his body exuded strong rich hormones which He Jin was unable to escape.
Boom
a muffled sound exploded in his chest, shaking his entire heart… He lifted a hand, but couldn’t bring himself to break away. He was like a fish caught in the net, wrapped so thoroughly, weak from head to toe.
Qin Yu waved his hand in front of his eyes :
He Jin?
He Jin regained his composure and took a deep breath:
…Qin Yu?
Qin Yu released him:
Yeah, you just finished class?
Ah … Oh no, it’s finished a while ago.
He turned and walked slowly with his head down.
Qin Yu followed by his side,
Something in your mind?
He Jin lied:
Ah, I’m thinking about some affairs in my major.
They fell silent then. About five or six seconds later, He Jin suddenly felt his head was rubbed a bit, he was rubbed until his hair turned fully. He looked at Qin Yu and asked:
What are you doing ah…
He forgot about his complicated feelings under the humiliation of being patted on the head by someone his junior.
Qin Yu smiled:
Don’t always think too much, be careful of hair loss. If you become bald, you’ll look like a small old man.
He Jin’s heartbeat had not subsided, he foolishly said:
I have a lot of hair ah…
Qin Yu covered his mouth with a fist, trying to hold in his laughter. After a while, He Jin finally reacted… What a headache, why every time he was in Qin Yu or Fire’s presence, it felt like his IQ had fallen hopelessly low!
But the feeling of being ridiculed, teased, and cared for, in addition to entanglement and embarrassment, seemed to bring out something else. Just like the candied tanghulu he bought in the Imperial City, once bitten, it tasted both sweet and sour. People couldn’t help making funny faces, but they felt comfortable afterwards.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the dormitory.
He Jin’s mind was still chaotic. Because he woke up too early that morning, he was already sleepy by eight o’clock. He sent a message to Fire telling him that he wouldn’t play that night, and went to sleep early.
On the weekend, He Jin and Qin Yu went out to buy rackets. Truthfully, in this era of online shopping, no matter how big a city was, as long as there was delivery service available people could just stay at home to buy anything they want.
But Qin Yu said that when buying a racket they must go to the physical store. Just like buying a violin, shoes, or clothes, the items must be personally tried first.
He Jin didn’t particularly care and simply agreed. In his heart he was actually happy, he liked being together with Qin Yu.
