Chapter 15: Hey, what are you two doing?

When Yin Xiuzhu was young, he was quite thin and small. His features were delicate, and his fair complexion made him look like a little girl. But now, there was no trace of a girl in him at all.

He had a tall, straight figure, like bamboo growing on a high mountain. Though still young, he already showed hints of sharpness.

His beautiful eyes were no longer timid; they carried a cold aloofness due to their elongated tails, warning strangers to keep their distance. However, when he looked at Qi Mu, his eyes softened, no longer pitiful, but instead holding a mix of restrained joy and indulgent tolerance.

Qi Mu stared at him for a while, then said in frustration, “I wish I had single eyelids too.” How handsome! He would grow up to look different, unlike him, who still had a baby face.

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “You’re fine the way you are.”

Qi Mu complained, “You sound just like my mom.”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled silently.

Qi Mu pulled him by the hand and dragged him to the back. “Come on, let’s compare.”

Usually, when comparing heights, people stand back to back. But Qi Mu was different; he liked to do it face to face, and his reason was just as straightforward: “How can you see if you’re back to back? I want to witness my moment of victory with my own eyes.”

Whenever he compared himself to Yin Xiuzhu, he was always taller, so it was always a victory. But as soon as he got closer today, he knew it was bad. He was going to lose!

He stared eagerly at Yin Xiuzhu. When they got within a hand’s width of each other, he asked puzzledly, “Why are you closing your eyes?”

Yin Xiuzhu: “…”

Qi Mu: “How can you see who’s taller with your eyes closed?”

Yin Xiuzhu’s eyelashes trembled lightly as he slowly opened his eyes. Immediately, he was caught in Qi Mu’s starry gaze. A strange heat surged through his body, leaving him stiff and extremely uncomfortable.

Qi Mu added, “Your eyelashes are way too long!”

Yin Xiuzhu: “…”

“Oh my god, what the heck!” Xu Xiaoming yelled, “What are you two doing, kissing?”

The classmates had all gone to swim class, leaving only Qi Mu and Yin Xiuzhu in the classroom. Xu Xiaoming had stayed up until midnight playing games and was exhausted, sneaking back to catch up on sleep. As soon as he entered the room, he saw this scene!

Qi Mu scolded him, “Get lost! We’re comparing heights.”

Xu Xiaoming used to be most afraid of Qi Mu, but now he hardly dared to look at Yin Xiuzhu. He already understood Qi Mu’s character; this little tyrant looked fierce but was very loyal. As long as you didn’t bully others for no reason, he generally wouldn’t hit people.

Xu Xiaoming had a mouth that ran wild, especially with his own friends. “I thought you finally couldn’t control your animal instincts and wouldn’t even spare your own brother.”

Qi Mu stepped forward and kicked him. “Do you think I’m like you, scumbag!”

Xu Xiaoming rubbed his nose and shamelessly said, “I call it being charming.”

Qi Mu retorted, “Madman plus hooligan, truly mad and flowy.”

While the two were bantering, Yin Xiuzhu still stood where he was. Qi Mu noticed and called out to him, “Why are you standing there like a pole, tall guy?” The last three words he said with a sour tone.

Xu Xiaoming wanted to say more, but Yin Xiuzhu glanced at him, and he quieted down. “I… came back to catch up on sleep. I’m going to sleep now.” After saying that, he lay down and pretended to sleep.

Qi Mu ignored him and moved closer to Yin Xiuzhu again. “What good stuff have you been eating these past two years? How did you grow so fast?”

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “More meat and vegetables, less chocolate.”

Qi Mu’s face fell as soon as he heard this. “I’d rather die.”

Yin Xiuzhu softened his voice, “Don’t worry, Uncle Qi is so tall, you won’t be short either.”

Of course, he wouldn’t be short. He still occupied the last row of the class. But… Qi Mu, unwilling to accept it, said, “I want to be taller than you.”

Yin Xiuzhu: “Why?”

Qi Mu was no longer a child. He was too embarrassed to say, “If you’re taller than me, how can I protect you?” Instead, he casually made up an excuse, “The last row is my throne. Even if it’s you, I won’t give it up.”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be desk mates?”

Hey? Qi Mu’s eyes lit up. “That makes sense. You’re smart. No wonder you always get perfect scores!”

Yin Xiuzhu’s eyes filled with more laughter. “But unfortunately, we’re about to graduate. Even if you don’t want to give up your throne, you’ll have to.”

Qi Mu: “…”

He retorted, annoyed, “It’s your fault. You had to grow now, right before graduation.”

Xu Xiaoming, who had been pretending to sleep in the front, heard the entire conversation and got goosebumps all over his arms: This is so sickening. Not even with my eighteen ex-girlfriends was it this nauseating!

Qi Mu was still very concerned about the height issue. He knew the reason why Yin Xiuzhu had grown so much. Starting two years ago, this guy began an unwavering morning run routine, no matter if it was windy or rainy, summer or winter, he would run five kilometers on the dot.

Probably because the amount of exercise increased, his appetite also improved, leading to his rapid growth.

Determined, Qi Mu decided to start running as well.

Early in the morning, despite feeling incredibly sleepy, he got up and went out for a run. After just 300 meters, he was drenched in sweat and returned home.

Running? In this heat? Wouldn’t it be better to stay inside with the air conditioning?

His mind quickly turned to the idea of using the treadmill in his home gym. He planned to give it a try… Qi Mu had good physical fitness, endurance, and was strong in various sports, but he was lazy and lacked patience.

Jogging was too slow, and after ten minutes of fast running, he was exhausted. The thought of having to stick with it for two years to grow taller made Qi Mu instantly give up and head back to bed.

Forget it, forget it. He was only in sixth grade. When he gets to middle school and joins the basketball team or something, he’ll surely surpass Yin Xiuzhu!

As the graduation exam approached, the students in the class weren’t too nervous—they would advance no matter how they performed. It was Mr. Xu who was emotionally unstable, always ready to take off his glasses and wipe his tears.

“Students!” Mr. Xu looked affectionately at the bunch of kids. “When you move up to middle school, you will be half-adults. A wonderful youth awaits you ahead. I hope you will courageously forge ahead and seriously walk through the most crucial path of your lives…”

He was estimated to go on for half an hour, and Qi Mu was the first to lie down.

Xu De shouted and woke him up, “Those who are sleeping, get up! After today, you won’t have the chance to hear my nagging anymore!”

Qi Mu thought… No one wants to hear you nag, but he still sat up, lazily propping his cheek and listening to Mr. Xu’s speech.

Mr. Xu was a good teacher. Qi Mu figured that someday, maybe, he might think of him fondly in some obscure corner of his mind.

In the end, Xu De took off his glasses and started wiping his tears. Who would have thought that a greasy, balding middle-aged man with a beer belly would have such a soft heart?

Qi Mu smiled and lay back down on the desk.

Crying was too embarrassing, but he did feel a bit reluctant.

Six years—if he didn’t think about it, it was fine, but once he did, he realized how quickly and fully those years had passed.

After class, Xu Xiaoming came over, sniffling and crying. “Mr. Xu is really wasted as a teacher. He should be a motivational speaker, guaranteed to make people cry their money’s worth.”

Qi Mu laughed at him mercilessly, “Look at you.”

Xu Xiaoming’s eyes were red from crying, “You didn’t shed a tear, huh?”

Qi Mu scoffed, “What’s there to cry about?”

Xu Xiaoming saw right through him, “You actually slept through the whole class, didn’t you?”

Qi Mu cleared his throat, “No way.”
“Sure, you did. You’re heartless, my iron-hearted brother!”

Qi Mu waved him away like he was swatting a fly and went to find Yin Xiuzhu. “Did you cry?”

Yin Xiuzhu hadn’t cried and looked up to ask, “Shall we prepare a gift for Teacher Xu?”

This aligned perfectly with Qi Mu’s thoughts. “Sure, let’s do it tomorrow. We can go buy it together.”

Yin Xiuzhu suggested, “No need to buy anything. Let’s write a card for him.”

Qi Mu thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright, we’ll write a card. But… I still want to buy something extra.”

The next day, Qi Mu brought a large stack of greeting cards, each as ornate as possible, with every card being unique and collectible-level.

During the break, he handed them out one by one to each classmate, saying loudly, “Write them well! If you make a mistake, come to me for a new one.” He had bought plenty of extras.

Not only did they write cards, but Qi Mu also brought a Polaroid camera. Starting from the first person, everyone took a photo and pasted it on their card.

While writing with his messy handwriting, Xu Xiaoming said to Fang Junqi, “This is going to make Mr. Xu cry for three days and nights. No wonder my iron-hearted brother Qi Mu!”

Fang Junqi nodded repeatedly, “Truly iron-hearted.”

When the Polaroid reached Yin Xiuzhu, he turned around and called, “Qi Mu.”

Qi Mu was wrestling with his own card and looked up when he heard him.

“Click!” Yin Xiuzhu pressed the shutter.
Qi Mu laughed, “You should’ve told me earlier, I would’ve posed and looked cool!”

Yin Xiuzhu teased, “Let’s take another one then.”

Qi Mu immediately struck a pose, trying to look as handsome as possible. “How’s this, handsome?”

Yin Xiuzhu looked through the camera and said, “Looks good.” He pressed the shutter again, capturing another photo.

Qi Mu glanced at his first photo and remarked, “That one looks ugly, let’s throw it away.”

Yin Xiuzhu replied calmly, “Throw away pictures will being bad luck. Give it to me.”

Qi Mu shrugged, “Sure.”

He took the photo where Qi Muhad posed nicely and carefully pasted it onto his own card.

Watching Qi Mu’s focused demeanor, Yin Xiuzhu felt a slight itch in his fingers, wanting to press the shutter again.

“Yin Xiuzhu, are you done using it?” asked a girl softly beside them.

Yin Xiuzhu snapped out of his thoughts and handed the Polaroid to her, “I’m done.”

Unexpectedly, Qi Mu chimed in, “Wait, I want to use it again.”

Since Qi Mu had brought the Polaroid himself, it was natural for him to decide. The girl didn’t mind, saying, “I’m not in a hurry.”

Qi Mu grinned at her, “Could you take a photo for me?”

The girl was momentarily captivated by his charming grin, “Sure, sure.”

Qi Mu pulled Yin Xiuzhu closer, and they stood very close together. “Take a picture of both of us.”

The girl smiled, “Sure!”

As the shutter clicked, Yin Xiuzhu snapped back to reality. Qi Mu’s face was pressed against his, so close that it felt like not even a strand of hair could fit between them. He could even feel the subtle movements of Qi Mu’s cheek as he smiled, igniting a firestorm in his chest.

“Why do you look so serious?” Qi Mu complained. “You’re not even smiling.”

Yin Xiuzhu looked at the photo and felt his throat go dry. “Let’s take another one.”

Qi Mu had to trouble the girl again, “One more, wait for him to smile this time.”

The girl nodded eagerly, “Okay!”

On the second try, Yin Xiuzhu smiled, albeit cautiously and restrained. Qi Mu, however, loved it. He said, “This one’s great, you look a bit like your younger self.” Timid and obedient.

Yin Xiuzhu remained noncommittal. He kept the first photo, while Qi Mu kept the second. It was their first photo together.

Mr. Xu received this stack of greeting cards and, as expected, cried his heart out.

These kids, these kids…

For Xu De, this was undoubtedly the best gift he had ever received as a teacher.

Because he was deeply moved, Mr. Xu returned to his class and delivered an impassioned speech that lasted for an hour.

Tyrant Qi collapsed on his desk, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have sent him a card!”

Thus concluded his elementary school career. Qi Mu’s long-awaited summer camp had finally arrived.

At the agreed-upon location, Qi Mu looked disdainfully at Xu Xiaoming and Fang Xiaopang, “You two better not cause any trouble.”

Xu Xiaoming was tearful, lamenting why he had to come! In this scorching weather, what was the point of sunbathing?

Fang Junqi was even more aggrieved; he didn’t want to come! If he hadn’t had so few friends, he would have let Xu Xiaoming cry and cause a scene and gone straight to hang himself!

Yin Xiuzhu asked Qi Mu, “Have you brought everything?”

Qi Mu replied, “All set.”

After saying this, he sighed lightly, “I thought it would just be the two of us. Who knew we’d have to take care of two third wheels?”

Xu Xiaohao, the third wheel: “…”

Fang Dahao, the third wheel: “…”

Really sorry for interrupting your honeymoon!

Actually, this is a long story. Yin Xiuzhu didn’t want to bring them along, but without Xu Xiaoming’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to leave the house so easily.