Chapter 36: Thinking About Him Even Before the Holidays Start

After receiving their grades, it was time for the holiday break. Before leaving, the teacher instructed the students to stay behind for a thorough cleanup of the school.

Xu Xiaoming nudged Qi Mu and said, “Shall we go clean the gymnasium?”

Qi Mu thought it was a good idea, so the two brothers put their arms around each other’s shoulders and went off to clean (cross out) and play basketball.

The first-year students started their holiday early. Seeing activity in the gymnasium, they all ran over to watch the excitement. On the court, these young lads exuded nothing but sheer charisma.

Not only Qi Mu and Xu Xiaoming but even their teammate with a face full of pimples looked like he had applied a level ten beauty filter, looking exceptionally handsome.

Xu Xiaoming, a natural show-off, played with even more enthusiasm seeing a bunch of junior girls watching. After showing off a series of moves, he was exhausted and asked Qi Mu, panting like a dog, “Do I look like Rukawa Kaede?”

Qi Mu’s lips curved into a slight smile. With a three-step layup, he successfully drew a wave of applause.

“Number ten is so cool, a real-life Rukawa Kaede!”

“I think he looks more like Sendo!”

“Number ten is wearing Hanamichi’s jersey. Doesn’t his smile look more like Hanamichi Sakuragi?”

Xu Xiaoming said enviously, “Brother Mu, can you stop showing off?”

Qi Mu scolded him, “You’re the one who started it.”

Seeing the growing crowd of onlookers, the boys became even more enthusiastic, making the game more lively.

The pre-holiday cleanup was mostly a formality. The teacher didn’t expect them to do a thorough job and let them go after some basic tidying up.

The second-year students finished their cleanup, but Qi Mu and Xu Xiaoming’s group, who had been slacking off, weren’t done yet. Each one of them wanted to show off and win the game.

It was no surprise that Qi Mu was the most popular. He was athletic, tall, and handsome. Despite his fearsome reputation, there was truth to the saying, “Bad boys are more attractive.” He had a following of female fans that could rival Yin Xiuzhu’s fan club.

After school, Yin Xiuzhu went to Class 3 first. The class representative told him, “Qi Mu is in the gymnasium.”

Yin Xiuzhu nodded and said, “Give me the trash, I’ll take it out.”

The class representative blushed and stammered, “O-okay.” After handing it over, she regretted it immensely. Oh my god, letting those perfect-score hands carry a trash bag—what a waste!

Yin Xiuzhu was now the legend of the second-year students. After taking a year off, he returned to claim the top spot in the grade. This was the first time a regular class student had taken the top position since Guorui Middle School established the honors class!

And he was so handsome too!

The class representative, recalling the recently finished “Vampire Knight,” couldn’t help but fantasize: Yin Xiuzhu is like a real-life Kaname Kuran!

Elegant, handsome, and awe-inspiring.

When the girl came to her senses, the handsome Yin “Kaname Kuran” Xiuzhu was already out of sight, leaving her so frustrated that she didn’t even want to go home for the holiday!

After throwing away the trash, Yin Xiuzhu headed to the gymnasium. As soon as he entered, he heard the lively cheers.

He glanced over and saw Qi Mu jumping. The boy stood at the three-point line, his young body like a fish leaping out of the water. The sweat flying from his hair shimmered like water droplets in the sunlight, reflecting starlike glimmers.

With a bang.

The ball swished through the hoop, followed by the wild cheers of the students.

Qi Mu beamed, high-fiving his teammates before retreating to defense.

Yin Xiuzhu’s lips curled into a smile as he walked through the crowd straight towards them…

The game was one-sided; Qi Mu and Xu Xiaoming’s team was leading by dozens of points. If it weren’t for the cheering girls, the opposing team wouldn’t even want to play anymore!

Just as they were about to win, Qi Mu suddenly stopped.

Xu Xiaoming shouted to him, “Brother Mu, catch the ball!”

Qi Mu replied, “Not playing anymore, it’s time to go home.”

Everyone present was stunned. They were having a good time; why was he leaving? Show off a bit more—he was so cool!

Qi Mu picked up his jersey to wipe his sweat and said, “Alright, the classroom cleanup is done. If we don’t go home now, are we planning to stay here for the New Year?”

With that, he walked straight towards the crowd.

Xu Xiaoming followed his gaze and immediately understood: “Ah, come on, play a bit longer! Can’t Yin Xiuzhu wait?”

“Not playing anymore,” Qi Mu waved his hand, “I’m tired.”

Tired my foot! He wasn’t even tired yet. How would Qi Mu be tired? It was obviously because Yin Xiuzhu had arrived, and he couldn’t wait any longer. Xu Xiaoming’s mind suddenly popped up with three words—’henpecked husband.’

Damn! Xu Xiaoming cursed to himself. What nonsense was that? His brain really needed sanitizing!

No matter how everyone tried to persuade him, Qi Mu, the boss, decided to leave without any hesitation.

Dressed as he was, Yin Xiuzhu could only dare to look him in the eye: “Play a bit longer, there’s no rush.”

Qi Mu smiled, “No, let’s go home.”

That smile made Yin Xiuzhu too shy to even meet his gaze.

Qi Mu said, “I’ll go change clothes first.” The temperature in the gymnasium was fine, but outside, it was freezing, so he needed to go to the locker room first.

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “Okay, be careful not to catch a cold.”

They left, leaving the underclassmen who had been watching the game looking disappointed. However, a few of the girls were excitedly whispering, “So pampered, our Tyrant Qi is so pampered!” “I think it’s Yin who’s more pampering, look at that gaze, so gentle!” “Their relationship is really good QAQ!” “Honestly, are they really just good friends?” “I don’t care, in my world, they’re a couple!”

With Qi Mu gone, the others dispersed as well, and Xu Xiaoming followed closely behind to the locker room.

With the holiday approaching, everyone was in a good mood, chatting and laughing noisily, filling the entire locker room with their energy.

Qi Mu, worried about making Yin Xiuzhu wait too long, quickly changed clothes and went outside.

Yin Xiuzhu was holding a thermos cup with mineral water at just the right temperature.

Qi Mu took it and started gulping it down. Tilting his head back, his hair still slightly damp, his fair neck resembled a piece of fine jade, crescent-shaped, so beautiful it made one’s mouth dry.

Yin Xiuzhu felt a bit thirsty too.

After finishing, Qi Mu asked him, “There’s still some water left, do you want it?”

Yin Xiuzhu took the cup and drank from the same spot where Qi Mu had just drunk.

Yin Xiuzhu felt as though he had swallowed not water, but scalding honey. His tongue, mouth, and throat were all tingling from the sweet and hot sensation.

Qi Mu, unaware of Yin Xiuzhu’s reaction, had something on his mind. Seeing that Yin Xiuzhu had finished drinking, he quickly asked, “Do you have any plans for the winter break?”

Yin Xiuzhu’s tongue was still numb, making his speech unclear, “Hmm?”

Qi Mu asked again, “The winter break is coming up. Did your dad say how you should spend it?” In the past, Yin Xiuzhu would stay at home all alone, never stepping outside, enduring the entire break in solitude.

Things were different now, though. Yin Zhenggong might have other plans.
Yin Xiuzhu countered, “What about you?”

Qi Mu’s expression turned a bit frustrated, “My mom hates the cold, so she wants to go on a vacation to an island.”

Hearing this, Yin Xiuzhu felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, “You’re going too, right?”

“Yeah,” Qi Mu replied, “My dad can’t stay long. If I don’t go with Da Qiao, she’ll definitely get lost on her own.”

Yin Xiuzhu lowered his eyes, “You should go.”

Qi Mu couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you come too? There’s not much to do there, but if we go together, at least it won’t be boring.”

Yin Xiuzhu wanted to go, but…

Yin Xiuzhu shook his head, “My dad won’t agree. It’s the end of the year, and there are a lot of banquets to attend. I might have to go with him.”

Qi Mu had anticipated this, which is why he felt disappointed. He said, “Alright then, we’ll keep in touch on QQ.”

Yin Xiuzhu felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, already missing him before they had even parted, “Sure, is there a time difference where you’re going?”

“There is…” Qi Mu thought for a moment, estimating, “But not much, just three or four hours.”

Yin Xiuzhu nodded, “Alright, have fun. See you when school starts.”

Qi Mu sighed deeply, “It really will have to wait until school starts!”

They walked out of the school gate and got into their respective cars to go home. On the way, Yin Xiuzhu felt gloomy and couldn’t help but take out his phone to look at the photos on it. “Will I really only be able to see Qi Mu on a screen for the entire winter break?”

Yin Xiuzhu touched the image of Qi Mu on his phone, feeling a void in his heart.

Just as he got home, his phone rang—it was a call from Qi Mu.
Yin Xiuzhu let it ring twice before answering, “Qi Mu.”

Qi Mu’s voice was bright even through the phone, “Is your dad at home?”

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “No, he won’t be back for the next few days.”

Qi Mu cheered and said, “I’m coming to stay at your place for a few days.”

Yin Xiuzhu was stunned, doubting his ears.

Qi Mu explained, “I still have a week before I leave. I asked my mom, and she agreed that I could come to your place to do homework!”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled brightly, “Really? Are you coming now?”

Qi Mu replied, “I’m already on my way!”

Yin Xiuzhu vaguely heard Qi Dashan’s voice in the background, saying, “Don’t just play when you get there. Make sure you finish your homework. If you don’t, I’ll take your phone away!”

Qi Mu responded, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely finish it!”

After hanging up, Yin Xiuzhu received a message from Qi Mu: “Did you hear that? If I don’t finish my homework, I’ll lose my phone, and without my phone, I’ll only see you in my dreams when I’m abroad!”

Yin Xiuzhu’s heart tightened, and he replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll finish it.”

Qi Mu laughed, “With you around, of course I’ll finish it.”

Yin Xiuzhu couldn’t help but be completely wrapped around Qi Mu’s finger. Helping him with his homework seemed like a lifetime commitment.

When Qi Mu arrived at the Yin household, his phone rang just as he changed into his home clothes.

Yin Xiuzhu said, “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.”

Qi Mu was thrilled, “Great!”

He answered the call—it was from Fang Junqi. Knowing what was coming, Qi Mu asked, “What’s up?”

Fang Junqi paused for a moment, his voice slightly choked, “Are you at Yin Xiuzhu’s house?”

Qi Mu replied, “Yeah, I’m staying here for a few days.”

Fang Junqi said, “I’ll come find you.”

Qi Mu responded, “Alright. Have you had dinner yet? We’ll cook more.”

Fang Junqi replied, “Not yet. I’ll bring some food.”

Qi Mu quickly added, “Get some spicy crayfish, the spicier, the better.”

Fang Junqi’s choked voice carried a hint of a smile, “Got it!”

After ending the call, Qi Mu informed Yin Xiuzhu that Fang Junqi would be coming over. Yin Xiuzhu asked, “Is there something important going on?”

Although Fang Junqi often visited Yin Xiuzhu’s house, he rarely came over on his own initiative unless Qi Mu invited him.

Qi Mu didn’t hide anything from Yin Xiuzhu and explained the situation to the Fang family in detail. After hearing the whole story, Yin Xiuzhu took a moment to process it.

He said, “You’re really something.”

Qi Mu replied, “I didn’t do much; it’s all thanks to my dad’s efforts.”

Yin Xiuzhu’s eyes warmed with a fire-like glow, “If it weren’t for you, Uncle Qi wouldn’t have gotten involved with the Fang family.”

Qi Mu felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze and scratched the back of his head, “We’re friends, so of course I’d help if I can.”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled and said softly, “Being able to be your friend is truly fortunate.”

Qi Mu was like a beacon of light, drawing countless people toward him. He didn’t realize it, but he brought unparalleled brightness and warmth to those around him, helping everyone who came near him escape confusion and pain.

Fang Junqi arrived at the Yin house with the crayfish, and by then, Yin Xiuzhu had already set the table.

Fang Junqi was amazed, “This is really impressive.”

Qi Mu beamed as if he had just received praise, “Isn’t it? Impressive, right?”

Fang Junqi said, “You could open a restaurant.”

Yin Xiuzhu added, “I’ll go get the soup.” He intentionally went to the kitchen, giving them a private moment.

With only Fang Junqi and Qi Mu left in the room, both boys felt a bit awkward. Qi Mu was uncomfortable with Fang Junqi’s gratitude, while Fang Junqi found his gratitude too overwhelming to express with mere words.

After a while, Fang Junqi said, “Thank you and Uncle Qi.”

Qi Mu responded, “It’s nothing.”

Fang Junqi was so choked up with words that his throat hurt. In the end, he could only say, “Qi Mu, in the future, I’d go through fire and water for you, no matter what.” The young boy’s words seemed as if he had watched too many martial arts dramas.

But in reality, this was the truest reflection of his inner self. Unable to articulate more, he could only deeply engrain this act of kindness into his heart.

Qi Mu gave him a playful punch on the chest, “Isn’t that just stating the obvious!”

Yin Xiuzhu, standing behind the kitchen door, watched Fang Junqi with red-rimmed eyes and Qi Mu with a beaming smile.

His heart was bathed in sunlight. Although the shadows and filth were illuminated, he greedily yearned for this beam of light above.

It’s truly wonderful; Qi Mu is really amazing.

After Fang Junqi left, Qi Mu invited Xu Xiaoming the next day. Xu Xiaoming brought Fang Junqi along, and the four of them gathered and played until late into the night.

Xu Xiaoming, having witnessed Yin Xiuzhu “ghostwrite” homework, was envious to the point of turning green: “Brother Yin, don’t you take any private jobs?”

Qi Mu scolded him, “Get lost, don’t have designs on him.”

Xu Xiaoming wailed dramatically, “Yin Xiuzhu, what did Qi Mu give you? I’ll pay double!”

Yin Xiuzhu chuckled, and Qi Mu immediately shooed Xu Xiaoming away like a pesky fly.

With Fang Junqi’s family situation improving, he felt much better and teased Xu Xiaoming, “With your grades, whether you do your homework or not, the teacher won’t even notice.”

Xu Xiaoming couldn’t beat Qi Mu but was ready to tussle with Fang Junqi.
Watching the two of them bicker, Qi Mu smiled with satisfaction.

The new year passed quickly, and before they knew it, school was starting again.

Qi Mu only returned the day before school started. After coming from a warmer place back to the chilly city, he was shivering uncontrollably.

Yin Xiuzhu had been so eager to see him that he couldn’t sleep all night.
Qi Mu texted him, “See you at school tomorrow.”

Yin Xiuzhu, too embarrassed to visit Qi Mu’s home, could only hold back his yearning heart. He endured sleepless nights, watching the photos Qi Mu sent over the break and rewatching their video calls, waiting anxiously for the next day.

The next morning, as soon as he arrived at school, he saw Qi Mu, clad in a white down jacket, looking like a snowball.

His heart skipped a beat, and his legs felt like lead. Qi Mu rushed over and gave him a big hug, “I’m finally back! I almost got nagged to death by my mom!”

Yin Xiuzhu stood still, allowing Qi Mu to embrace him. Thankfully, the cold weather meant they were bundled up in layers, or he might have ended up in an embarrassing situation.

As the new semester began, Yin Xiuzhu wished school would never have a break, so he could see Qi Mu every day and avoid the heartache of missing him.

After being away for so long, Qi Mu naturally came back with gifts.

Xu Xiaoming examined the shell in his hand and complained, “Qi Mu, did you just pick this up at the beach and give it to me as a gift?”

Qi Mu replied, “This thing is worth $200. You go find one and see if you can get it.”

Xu Xiaoming was speechless, “No way it costs more than two bucks.”

He then asked about Yin Xiuzhu’s sea shell cup, “What about that one?”

Qi Mu calmly answered, “That’s $1600.”

Xu Xiaoming asked, “How come his looks so much better?”

Qi Mu added, “…In US dollars.”

Xu Xiaoming threw up his hands in mock despair: “Forget it, I can’t live like this anymore!”

A few months later, Xu Xiaoming’s words came true. Qi Mu was no longer just spending time with him—he had a new deskmate!

When entering middle school, the entire grade is reorganized, and new class assignments begin.

Before the final exams, Qi Mu was still cramming, fantasizing about suddenly being possessed by the Star of Literature and accidentally placing among the top thirty in his grade, thus being fortunate enough to enter Class 1 and sit at the same desk as Yin Xiuzhu.

To this end, Qi Mu asked Qi Dashan, “Dad, is the master who named me when I was young still around? I want to consult him.”

Qi Dashan glanced at him and asked, “Consult for what?”

Qi Mu replied, “To see if I can make it into the top thirty of the grade.”

Qi Dashan mercilessly joked, “No need to consult the master; I can tell you myself.”

Qi Mu covered his ears, but Qi Dashan shouted, “My son will never make it into the top thirty in this lifetime!”

Qi Mu: “……” He was already considering severing ties!

The closer it got to the final exams, the more anxious Qi Mu became, and he even stopped letting Yin Xiuzhu do his homework for him.

Yin Xiuzhu brought him a cold drink and asked, “Are there any questions you don’t understand?”

Qi Mu looked up at him with eyes that seemed to beg for sympathy and said, “You should ask me which questions I do understand.”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled and said, “Then I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”

Qi Mu sighed deeply and said, “Even if you explain, I won’t remember it.”

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “Give it a try; it’s not difficult.”

Qi Mu, unwilling to give up, decided to make the best of the situation: “Teach me; I’m going to tackle them!” He thought that learning a bit more might bring him some unexpected luck and get him into Class 1!

Yin Xiuzhu understood what Qi Mu was thinking but didn’t bring up the class assignments and instead focused on explaining the questions.

After cramming for nearly half a month before the exams, Qi Mu’s grades did improve, but he was still three hundred points short of the cutoff for Class 1!

Feeling disheartened, Qi Mu could only hope to be assigned to Class 2, which would be closer to Class 1…

At that moment, Xu Xiaoming exclaimed, “Wow, is my bro on steroids or something? He’s first in the grade!”

Qi Mu was taken aback. “What?”

Xu Xiaoming pulled him forward and pointed, “The top student is Fang Junqi. He even surpassed Yin Xiuzhu. Impressive, Little Fatty!”

Qi Mu felt unhappy inside: How could Yin Xiuzhu not be first? Was it possible that the extra tutoring had delayed his own revision?

Xu Xiaoming exclaimed in surprise again, “What’s going on? Where’s Yin Xiuzhu? He’s not even in the top fifty of the grade!”

Qi Mu became anxious and quickly went over to look. After searching for a while, they finally spotted Yin Xiuzhu’s name outside the top one hundred.

Xu Xiaoming sighed, “I never expected even Master Yin would slip up!”

Qi Mu frowned and said, “This must be a mistake.” How could Yin Xiuzhu, who had dominated as the top student throughout the year, end up outside the top one hundred in the class placement test?

It had to be an error! Which teacher must have misread the scores?

Actually, it wasn’t just them who were anxious; the teachers were even more concerned.

The homeroom teacher of Class 2 directly called Yin Xiuzhu into the office and asked, “Has anything unusual happened at home recently?” Although the score wasn’t bad, it was clearly not up to Yin Xiuzhu’s usual standard.

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “Nothing.”

“Were you nervous during the exam?” The teacher said, “Even though Class 1 placement is based on scores, you’ve always performed well. This might just be an accident. I’ll put in a request for you to go to Class 1. Is that alright?”

Yin Xiuzhu replied, “Teacher, since the rules have been set, they should be followed. If you make an exception for me today, how can we persuade other students in the future?”

The teacher couldn’t help but say, “But your grades have always been excellent.” It was such a shame to miss out on the top class just because of this final exam.

Yin Xiuzhu countered, “Why must I go to Class 1?”

The teacher was momentarily taken aback by the question and instinctively replied, “Class 1 has a better atmosphere, the curriculum progresses faster, and the teachers can spend more time on the more difficult topics…”

Yin Xiuzhu interrupted, “But the final exams are still the same.”

His remark left the teacher speechless. The teacher understood what Yin Xiuzhu meant.

So what if Class 1 was better? So what if the atmosphere was more conducive? Yin Xiuzhu had spent the entire second year in a regular class but still outperformed everyone in Class 1.

Why did everyone desperately want to get into Class 1? It was merely to improve their grades.

But Yin Xiuzhu didn’t need that—whether he was in Class 1 or not, he could easily take the top spot in the grade.

The teacher paused and asked, “Did you intentionally perform like this?”

Yin Xiuzhu didn’t answer and instead asked, “Can I go now?”

The teacher was left speechless!

In his final year of middle school, Yin Xiuzhu only wanted to be in the same class as Qi Mu, wanting to see him all the time.