Chapter 24

Although they had made the appointment in advance, it was already the afternoon by the time they finished. Fortunately, the prognosis was good. While She Xiao’s finger wasn’t fully healed yet, he was told that it would heal in time, and once it did, it would no longer have any impact on his daily activities.

The only long-term effect was that his knuckles might ache when it rained. It was unavoidable. 

She Xiao was silent while the doctor explained her findings. Lin Xigu replied to the doctor on his behalf throughout the appointment, asking questions whenever he had concerns. She Xiao watched Lin Xigu and noted the attentive fervour in his eyes while absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over the knuckles of his ring finger.

“Whew… the hospital was packed,” Lin Xigu inhaled deeply after they walked out of the building. “Gotta air out your lungs. It was a little stale in there. I was trying not to breathe too hard the entire time.” 

A small smile played around She Xiao’s lips.

“Take a deep breath, all the way into your lungs,” Lin Xigu bumped his arm. “Hurry.”

She Xiao complied and took several deep breaths.

“Fresh air feels good, doesn’t it?” Lin Xigu smiled.

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Fbl Dkys dseele. “Yd. Wsa usw.”

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“I have a scholarship,” She Xiao said.

“Mn! I’m super happy that you wanted to give me a present, I really am! But it doesn’t have to be something as expensive as this. I’ll like anything you give me.” Lin Xigu said sincerely. He had almost been moved to tears but he had to keep the depths of his true emotions hidden, which was quite a challenging feat at the moment.

She Xiao frowned and pushed the box back towards him. “Consider it… repayment. For the meals.”

“What meals?” Lin Xigu was confused; it took him a while to pinpoint the meaning. “Oh, you mean our lunches? You’re giving me this because we’re always eating lunch together at my place?”

She Xiao neither nodded nor answered. Lin Xigu shook his head fiercely. “That’s completely unnecessary. It’s not like the food’s expensive. We pay a flat fee every month for housekeeping; the cost would be the same with or without you. You don’t have to pay me back for anything!”

She Xiao nudged the box closer to him, insistent. 

Lin Xigu could tell that She Xiao was starting to feel frustrated. In truth, Lin Xigu, too, had already pushed his self control to its limit when he had initially refused the present; it was She Xiao’s gift to him after all! He wanted to put on the watch immediately and never take it off, even to sleep. 

“I’ll keep it then…” he smiled shyly. “But after today, I don’t want you worrying about who pays for what around me. The two of us are already… erm, I mean, we’re already so close.”

After refusing twice to no avail, Lin Xigu finally gave in. He took the box and tried to fit it into his pocket. When his pockets proved too small, he placed it back on the table and stroked the soft velvet surface with his finger.

It felt awkward to say out loud, but it was also the truth.

They were close. Lin Xigu ran his finger over the box again and repeated the thought to himself. 

She Xiao’s face relaxed a little. He drank some water.

Before they left the restaurant, Lin Xigu handed the box to She Xiao. “Keep this in your bag for now.  My pockets are too small and I don’t want it falling out.”

She Xiao took the box from him and put it in his backpack.

The two of them set off on foot for the walk home. Lin Xigu asked tentatively, “So when did you buy it? You can always ask me to tag along the next time you go shopping. I spend most of my weekends at home anyways.”

She Xiao stared at his feet and said haltingly, “Just… last Saturday.”

With a jolt, Lin Xigu suddenly remembered running into She Xiao after Li Balei’s birthday party. At that time, he had asked She Xiao what he’d been up to, and She Xiao had turned away, seeming a little self-conscious.

Thinking back to that moment… Had She Xiao been embarrassed? Too embarrassed to admit that he had been out buying a gift for him?

Ahhh! How could anybody be so darn cute?

Lin Xigu clenched his fists. It was cuteness overload. Get a grip, Lin Xigu. Don’t let your eyes sparkle like that when you look at him. Eyes are for seeing things; they’re not Christmas lights.

That night, Lin Xigu slept with the small box in his arms. When he woke the next morning, he noticed that the box had left a deep imprint in his shoulder. Lin Xigu rubbed his sore shoulder but couldn’t help smiling at the box.

No matter what the gift had been, it signified that he had a place in She Xiao’s heart, that She Xiao spent time thinking about their relationship outside of class, and that She Xiao cared about him.

There was no one in the world more wonderful than She Xiao.

Lin Xigu put on the watch immediately after brushing his teeth, even though he wasn’t planning on leaving the house. He lowered his head to the soft velvet box and kissed it before carefully placing it on his bedside table.

His bedside table was quite lively now. There was the half box of cigarettes, the various notes She Xiao had written him, and the two boxes of cold medicine She Xiao had bought for him back when he was sick. The watch box now joined the others in the display.

With his phone, Lin Xigu sneakily snapped a photo of his little collection.

---

The days passed uneventfully. The life of a high schooler was dull and exhausting. Teachers crammed their heads with information on the daily, leaving them with mountains of homework to tackle. Their workloads increased, and everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of winter break to relieve them from their demanding routines.

Everyone except Lin Xigu.

He alone was in high-spirits, a veritable ray of sunshine whenever he smiled. He did not want winter break to start, not even a little.

She Xiao was his life-source. Merely stealing an extra glance or two at him every day made him feel unstoppable. In December, She Xiao went out of town to participate in a mathematics competition. Only three students from their school had qualified.

One of the three was eliminated after the first round, with two left in the running.

She Xiao was absent for three days due to the competition. The weekend included, five days had passed since Lin Xigu had seen him last. The competition was taking place out-of-province. Lin Xigu checked the weather forecast and ended his texts to She Xiao with a reminder:

It’s going to rain. Layer up and good luck.

She Xiao replied:

Understood.

As he found himself counting down the days to She Xiao’s return, Lin Xigu regained some empathy for his fellow classmates. The only difference was that his class was waiting for winter break while he was waiting for She Xiao.

---

On the morning of his return, She Xiao arrived on schedule, his hands in his pockets as he waited outside Lin Xigu’s compound. Lin Xigu paid little attention to the steps leading down to the road as he hurried to meet him. Running headlong towards She Xiao, Lin Xigu had almost made it when he tripped and pitched forward. 

She Xiao didn’t think twice. He immediately braced himself and caught Lin Xigu in his arms.

“I-I-I-I…” Lin Xigu couldn’t even pant for breath. He had bumped his cheek against She Xiao’s collarbone, and the site of the impact was smarting. His eyelashes trembled as he stammered “I” repeatedly, unable to conjure a coherent sentence.

She Xiao’s voice sounded from somewhere above his head, his arms locked around his back. Lin Xigu thought he was going to explode from hearing She Xiao’s voice in his position. “Why run?” She Xiao asked in his usual hoarse voice.

A jolt of electricity shot through him as one side of his body tingled. Lin Xigu quickly raised his head and stepped away, his hair tickling the underside of She Xiao’s chin as he did so, soft and refreshing. 

Lin Xigu’s face was so red that it was almost steaming. He spluttered for a long time without managing to complete his thought. 

From that day on, Lin Xigu became even more motivated, going from one school-day to the next with a surplus of energy. He didn’t face much academic pressure, especially not from his parents, and he didn’t have any lofty aspirations. Getting into a second-tier university would be good enough, all things considered. As long as he maintained his current average, a decent second-tier university would be well within reach.

But She Xiao was different; he was destined for greatness.

Awards for the math competition were worth bonus points on the Gaokao exam, and there was even the potential for winners to bypass the exam entirely. As brilliant as She Xiao was already, a few extra points could pave the way to immeasurable success. Lin Xigu was exceptionally proud of him every day.

---

The atmosphere in the classroom grew restless as Christmas neared. Everyone had already started exchanging apples¹Christmas Eve (ping/an/ye) sounds similar to “apple” (ping/guo), so it’s become somewhat of a modern-day tradition for people to give apples to friends and loved ones around Christmas time. Also, fruit is a common thing to gift in general. and Lin Xigu had already been gifted several. She Xiao had received none; many dreamed about it, but not a single person had the guts to approach him…

… until Christmas Eve when the two who sat in front of them placed two apples down on their respective desks. “Occasion calls,” Dong Xuan said to Lin Xigu. 

His eyes circled She Xiao before he turned to Lin Xigu again. “I s’pose I should wish you and She Xiao a happy new year, filled with peace and joy and all that jazz.”

His tongzhuo smacked him on the back of his head. “New year’s my ass! It’s Christmas, you dolt!”

Lin Xigu laughed at the twinkle in Dong Xuan’s eyes and the first half of his greeting. He secretly ad-libbed the rest: Wishing She Xiao and I a happy new… new life together, ha ha ha ha.

After class, Li Balei brought over two beautifully wrapped oranges. She Xiao happened to be out at the time. She sighed in relief as she tossed one of the oranges to Lin Xigu. “Good. I’m glad he’s away right now. You can give him the other one later.”

Lin Xigu laughed. “Why are you still scared of him? He hasn’t done anything to you.”

Li Balei shook her head. “You don’t get it—it’s his whole aura, and that aura clearly says ‘strangers, do not interact’. I don’t think I said more than three sentences to him when I sat in front of him last year.”

“It’s not like that. He’s really not that scary.” Lin Xigu took out a lollipop the size of his head from his desk and handed it to Li Balei.

Li Balei waved the lollipop at him. “Okay, fine, I already know you two are close. You just keep playing the part of a good little wife. Why are you always defending him?”

Lin Xigu smiled without answering.

Li Balei scurried back to her seat as soon as She Xiao walked back through the door. Lin Xigu smiled at She Xiao as he let him back in.

He was forever smiling at She Xiao, forever the image of happiness.

She Xiao paused before he sat, turning his face to the window. There was a blizzard outside, the snow blown around in a chaotic dance.

“The snow’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Lin Xigu said enthusiastically. “She Xiao, wanna go skiing? I don’t know if it’ll be packed for Christmas but it might be okay. Crowds can be fun.”

He stopped himself short, finally remembering to ask, “I mean, if you’re not busy this weekend, that is? Never mind, I was just rambling. If you already have plans then forget it.”

She Xiao turned back to look at him. “I’m free,” he said.

Lin Xigu’s eyes brightened again. “Then… let’s go together?”

She Xiao smiled faintly and nodded. “Okay.”