Chapter 50

Logically speaking, the school couldn’t not take disciplinary action against She Xiao for fighting on school property. At the very least, a call to his parents and a strike on his student record were inevitable. 

But top students were always granted special privileges. Zhou Cheng had appealed to the school, “Esteemed leaders of the board, my students are in their final year of high school. I don’t think I need to go into detail about this particular student; you all know who he is. There is nothing more important than stress management in this final stretch before the exam. I implore you to not let this one small incident affect his studies. The matter of his 30-point bonus for Peking University hasn’t been decided yet. That’s something I’m currently discussing with him.”

The implication behind his speech was clear: This here is our best hope to seize the provincial top score. Think carefully before you act.

Seeing as the other students involved in the fight were not exactly angels and the school had good reason to side with him, She Xiao was let off lightly with a warning. Even so, Lin Xigu still fumed, and for several days after, he still swelled with anger whenever he remembered She Xiao walking around without shoes.

The classroom at noon was empty as per usual. She Xiao and Lin Xigu remained in their seats. She Xiao was reading his textbook while Lin Xigu watched him with his head resting on his arms.

His gaze was intense, hotter than the sun outside.

She Xiao had been concentrating on taking notes, but Lin Xigu’s staring made him want to laugh. He chuckled softly, set down his pen, and gently poked Lin Xigu’s cheek with his finger.

Lin Xigu immediately flashed him a smile. His face was squashed on one side from lying down for so long, but his smile was as sweet as always.

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The rest of her classmates usually buried their faces in their arms while napping, or turned their faces away from their neighbours. It was unheard of for two people to face each other like that while they slept, and at such a close distance.

Perhaps she was overthinking it because she knew the truth of their relationship, but she thought it was better to be safe than sorry; what if someone else found it strange?

She didn’t know what Lin Xigu and She Xiao were like in private, but from what she could see, it was clear that She Xiao treated Lin Xigu kindly, indulgently. That was reassuring, given that she was often worried about Lin Xigu’s personality. He was too defenceless and an easy target for bullies.

Lin Xigu was puzzled when the first thing he saw upon waking was a pile of clothes. But he didn’t need to think twice to know whose it was. Li Balei’s clothes always carried the scent of fabric softener; it smelled nice.

Sitting up, Lin Xigu quickly pieced together what had happened. He patted Li Balei on the shoulder to get her attention and handed her back the jacket with an unsaid thank you.

Li Balei made a face, judgemental as always about love making him be overly careless.

Lin Xigu smiled at her, feeling thankful that upon transferring to this school, She Xiao had been the first person he saw, and Li Balei had been the first friend he made.

They were both wonderful people.

---

The weather was gradually starting to cool. When Lin Xigu and She Xiao had first started dating, the weather was still hot and doing any kind of outdoor activity caused them to be drenched in sweat. Now, they had to don jackets when they went outside, and so Lin Xigu had developed a new habit.

He liked to wear She Xiao’s jacket.

It was just as well that they were given the chance to order additional uniforms for the new semester. She Xiao had two sets of uniforms already, so Lin Xigu ordered two more sets in She Xiao’s size. That way, they both had four sets to share between them. Lin Xigu loved the feeling of wearing the same clothes as She Xiao.

It felt very intimate, a secret that only the two of them could understand.

---

On Sunday, Lin Xigu deliberately told Zhou-ayi not to do his laundry as he would do it himself later. Zhou-ayi left after she finished preparing lunch and left him a surplus of fresh fruit as a gift.

She Xiao knocked on the door, and Lin Xigu ran to open it.

“Didn’t I give you a key?” Lin Xigu asked, smiling. “You didn’t bring it?”

She Xiao walked in and changed his shoes. “I brought it.”

“Next time, just use the key,” Lin Xigu said, still smiling at him. “This is as much your home as it is mine.”

She Xiao patted his head. “Okay.”

Lin Xigu went to the kitchen to cut up the fruit with She Xiao standing just behind him, watching. Lin Xigu fed him an orange slice, and when She Xiao bit into it, his lips nipped Lin Xigu’s finger, as if he had done it on purpose.

Lin Xigu snatched his fingers back. Despite having been together for a while now, he still felt shy from time to time.

Sometimes, Lin Xigu thought himself a real chicken. Shouldn’t boys their age be… more… enthusiastic within a relationship? How come he and She Xiao were still as pure as the driven snow?

Making out was the farthest they’d gotten. She Xiao would nibble on his lips and kiss his neck, but that was it. Whenever things got too heated, She Xiao would keep him locked in place with his hands clasped around his waist. Neither of them attempted to take things further, even when it was abundantly clear that their bodies had both reacted to the other person.

Lin Xigu’s hand twitched and he almost sliced his finger. He quickly shook the thoughts away. Lin Xigu, why are you like this? Get your mind out of the gutter, She Xiao was just eating fruit like a normal person. Tch.

“What’s wrong?” She Xiao asked.

Lin Xigu shook his head sheepishly. “N-nothing!”

“Be careful,” She Xiao reminded him.

“I-I will…” Lin Xigu hastily finished cutting up the pear, tossed the pieces haphazardly into a plate and carried it into the dining room.

Lin Xigu used to despise weekends because weekends meant not being able to see She Xiao. But Sunday was now his favourite day of the week. Sundays were when he got to spend time with She Xiao at home, just the two of them. Even if they didn’t do much, just having She Xiao with him was enough.

Lin Xigu was gladdened by how well She Xiao was doing. He looked serene, had lost the dark aggression that had followed him in months past, and was no longer as sickly pale as he was before. Lin Xigu liked what he saw. He handed the fork to She Xiao and advised with a smile, “Fruit is good for you.”

She Xiao set the fork aside and pulled the plate of fruit out of Lin Xigu’s hands. Then, he pulled Lin Xigu into his arms and kissed his lips.

Lin Xigu melted whenever She Xiao was that gentle.

He closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling.

When they parted, Lin Xigu murmured, “She Xiao…”

She Xiao kissed the tip of his nose. “Mn?”

Sitting beside him with his face the same colour as cooked shrimp, Lin Xigu fidgeted with his hands, stuttering as he asked, “Do you… do you want to…”

He bent over, unable to lift his head. He really did look like a shy little shrimp.

She Xiao pulled Lin Xigu back against his chest and kissed his ear.

Not getting a clear answer, Lin Xigu felt a little insecure and continued, “Actually, I… we can…”

He liked She Xiao so much. He was willing to do anything as long as it was what She Xiao wanted too.

She Xiao lightly nibbled on his earlobe, interrupting him. “No.”

Lin Xigu stiffened and opened his eyes. She Xiao didn’t offer an explanation for the answer and just kissed Lin Xigu’s eyes.

Lin Xigu was forced to close his eyes as the kisses continued to land. When he opened them again, he saw She Xiao looking as calm and mild-tempered as he always was with him. If Lin Xigu hadn’t felt and seen how She Xiao had reacted to his touch, he might have thought that She Xiao didn’t want him at all.

But getting even half those words out had exhausted all of Lin Xigu’s courage, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask She Xiao why.

She Xiao rested his chin on Lin Xigu’s shoulder. It was his favourite way of holding Lin Xigu. It was a posture of security, of possession, of mutual dependency. While holding him like this, She Xiao would press his mouth against Lin Xigu’s neck. Lin Xigu always offered his throat freely to She Xiao’s kisses; it was the most vulnerable part of a human, akin to the soft underbelly of an animal. On occasion, if Lin Xigu felt ticklish, he would laugh and tuck his neck against his shoulder, but he never pulled away.

They slept together sometimes.

They slept in the purest sense of the word, curled up together in the companionship of a short noontime nap. In those moments, when Lin Xigu opened his eyes to see the sunlight slanting over their bodies and She Xiao ever so close, he would feel a sense of surety like he had never experienced before.

Young love was beautiful, and so pure that it was a daunting thing to besmirch.

Lin Xigu couldn’t figure out at the time why She Xiao didn’t want to sleep with him. He obviously wanted it just as badly. But one day, when Lin Xigu came home from school to find his mom and dad waiting for him in his living room, he was suddenly grateful that he and She Xiao hadn’t yet taken that step.

It was the only way he could answer his mom’s questions with an unwavering conscience.