Chapter 133

Chapter 133

◎ Outing ◎

"Yes, Mom, please remember this. Don’t worry, my grades have caught up—I’m definitely in the top 30 of my grade!"

"You need to inform the teacher beforehand. Don’t wait until after the class division. And the seats—no, it’s Naonao. He’s socially anxious and timid. Switching desk mates would make him uncomfortable. Really, why would I lie to you? You can see from his photos that he’s very quiet and introverted. Huh? Haven’t seen his photos? I’ll sneak a picture for you tomorrow!"

"Make sure it’s agreed upon! Absolutely agreed upon?"

Old Master Xiao came downstairs and saw him muttering on the phone. He said sternly, "Who are you talking to? Either you don’t come back, or when you do, you’re glued to your phone."

Xiao Ye glanced at the old master and sat up straight in a second. "I’m talking to my mom. Mom, you go ahead. Yeah, yeah, I’ll listen to Grandpa. Say hi to Dad for me, and make sure to do what you promised!"

After Xiao Ye hung up the phone, the old master asked, "What are you pestering your mom for again?"

Xiao Ye leaned back on the sofa, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it. "Not pestering. It’s been since Qingming Festival that we last met. Can’t a son have a good chat with his mom?"

Old Master Xiao snorted. "Really not coming with me to the farm? You used to get along well with that girl on the farm, didn’t you?"

Xiao Ye’s eyes widened immediately. He almost jumped off the sofa. "Grandpa! You can’t say that! What do you mean by getting along well with that girl? She’s the only one at the farm. Who else could I play with if not her? The workers are there to make money, not to play around!"

Xiao Ye was almost freaking out. If Naonao heard this and thought I liked girls, wouldn’t that add more difficulty to my already challenging life?

Old Master Xiao was startled by his almost reflexive reaction and slapped him on the back. "What are you yelling about? I didn’t say anything!"

Xiao Ye said with utmost seriousness, "This kind of thing must absolutely not be said! If... if the person I like in the future hears this, how much would they misunderstand me? Grandpa, you can’t harm me like this! You can’t add more complications to my already complicated love life!"

Old Master Xiao looked at him suspiciously. "Do you have someone you like?"

Xiao Ye shook his head calmly. "No, it’s just prevention."

Old Master Xiao asked, "Then what do you mean by your already bumpy love life?"

Xiao Ye replied, "Whose love life is smooth sailing? There are always some bumps when two people are together. Didn’t my brother and sister-in-law have several fights? I’m just afraid of adding more twists in the future. Grandpa, you must never say this again, especially in front of my friends. What if someone takes it seriously and spreads it as a rumor? How unfair would that be to me!"

Old Master Xiao was overwhelmed by his long speech. "Alright, alright. One word and it’s like you stepped on a cat’s tail."

Xiao Ye breathed a sigh of relief but still felt it wasn’t safe. He decided to talk to Ji Naonao about the farm tomorrow, bring up that wild girl, and then clarify the relationship. Thinking about it, it seemed a bit too deliberate, a bit like protesting too much.

Ah, so annoying. This is the consequence of not being cautious and getting along with everyone. If I had known today, I would have regretted it so much.

Since Xiao Ye started staying at Ji Nanxing’s place, he would always bring tasty food when he came to school on weekends, and it was always a large portion for everyone.

Knowing that he went home this week, Zhang Yuan purposely skipped breakfast. Just as he got off the bus, he saw Xiao Ye getting out of his family’s car. He walked up with his backpack and habitually raised his hand to put it on his shoulder, but Xiao Ye avoided it.

Zhang Yuan didn’t mind his avoidance but looked at the obviously smaller food box he was holding and had a bad feeling. "Is your aunt off today?"

Xiao Ye was puzzled. "No."

Zhang Yuan asked, "Then why are you bringing such a small food box? It’s just for one person, right?"

Xiao Ye, afraid that he would come to grab it, held the food box tighter. "This is only for my Naonao."

Zhang Yuan pointed at himself. "What about me? I purposely skipped breakfast."

Xiao Ye patted his good brother’s shoulder. "I used to be mistaken."

Zhang Yuan frowned, his eyes glancing at the food box. "What do you mean by that?" It smelled amazing, like bacon or something, and the scent of toasted bread, making him even hungrier as he smelled it.

Noticing his gaze, Xiao Ye casually moved the breakfast to his side, avoiding his line of sight before saying, "I used to think that everyone should have a share of the food, so it would seem normal when I gave it to him. But I suddenly realized that this behavior was a bit too much like trying to please everyone. So from today onwards, I’m going to give him exclusive treatment just for him!"

Zhang Yuan finally shifted his gaze back to Xiao Ye’s face. "Aren’t you worried this might freak him out?"

Xiao Ye replied, "Not at all. If it’s not special, how will he know how much he means to me!"

Seeing Xiao Ye practically bouncing with excitement, Zhang Yuan pointed at himself, "I’ve been starving, waiting for your breakfast!"

Xiao Ye took out his phone and transferred a red envelope to him, then pushed him towards the small supermarket. "Go ahead, buy whatever you want, it’s on me."

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes at him, thinking, what a terrible friend!

As soon as he entered the classroom, Xiao Ye saw a group of people gathered around his desk mate. He squeezed through with the food box, "Move aside, the exam’s about to start, and you’re still gossiping?"

Chen Shiyi said, "Well, our grades are what they are, cramming last minute won’t make a difference. Let’s just plan something fun instead."

Jiang Tangtang asked, "Are the seniors coming back today for their farewell party?"

Chen Shiyi replied, "Didn’t we already have a farewell party before the exam?"

Jiang Tangtang shrugged, "Not sure, but I saw a bunch of people out of uniform today. Once the college entrance exam is over, they’re probably itching to toss their uniforms and textbooks."

Xiao Ye opened the food box. The first layer had two small shrimp dumplings and two small shaomai, the second layer had two sandwiches with fillings overflowing, and the third layer had cut fruits like honeydew, blueberries, cherries, and cherry tomatoes.

He handed a pair of disposable gloves to Ji Nanxing, "Dig in, you’ll need the energy for the exam."

Ji Nanxing looked at the food box, then turned to him, "What about yours?"

Xiao Ye said, "I’ve already eaten. This is just for you."

Seeing Chen Shiyi and Jiang Tangtang reaching for the fruit plate, Xiao Ye slapped their hands without hesitation, "None for you, go find something else to do."

Chen Shiyi was shocked, "Dude, you’re being stingy."

In the past, he always brought enough for everyone to share.

Zhang Yuan walked in, sipping yogurt and carrying a bag of tea eggs, and sneered, "Someone’s decided to act like a jerk starting today."

Jiang Tangtang pursed her lips, her eyes moving back and forth between Xiao Ye and the academic god, then grabbed Lin Yi’s hand with a weird smile and stepped back.

Lin Yi couldn’t help but tap her head, "Behave."

Jiang Tangtang covered her mouth, "I want to behave, but I can’t help it when the official is handing out sugar."

She doesn’t usually ship real people, but who could resist when they’re more gorgeous than anime characters and are practically shoving sugar down our throats? She could only lightly ship out of respect.

Ji Nanxing picked up a small shrimp dumpling and looked at Xiao Ye, "Want some?"

Xiao Ye gently pushed his chopsticks, "I’m good, you go ahead."

Ji Nanxing’s eyes shifted, about to ask Chen Shiyi if he wanted some, but Chen Shiyi stood up with great awareness, "I’ll go back and do some last-minute cramming, every point matters."

The people gathered around dispersed, and Ji Nanxing didn’t think much of it, starting to focus on his breakfast.

Xiao Ye propped his head with one hand, watching him eat with his cheeks full, smiling so wide his eyes turned into crescents.

Guo Can, sitting in the back seat, picked his teeth and watched his desk mate eat several tea eggs before slightly tilting his head, "Why does Brother Ye seem a little weird today?"

Zhang Yuan snorted again upon hearing this: "Who knows, maybe he's just feeling restless."

Guo Can looked up at the air conditioner set to twenty degrees: "It's the middle of summer now."

Zhang Yuan: "If your heart's in bloom, it's always spring!"

The exams went by in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, the day was over. Since there was another exam tomorrow, the desks and chairs remained in place, and there was no evening self-study. After the last exam of the day, they headed straight home.

When they reached the school gate, Qi Kang, who had been waiting for a long time, walked up hesitantly.

Xiao Ye, with his bag slung over one shoulder, smiled at the newcomer: "Congratulations, you're out of the woods now."

Qi Kang looked at Xiao Ye, then at the calm and distant Ji Nanxing beside him, and said, "I made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I don't know if I'll have the chance to see you again. I want to make amends for my past wrongs."

Zhang Yuan and Chen Shiyi, who were standing nearby, went quiet. They hadn't expected Qi Kang to come and apologize.

Qi Kang bowed to Xiao Ye and Ji Nanxing: "Thank you for giving me a chance to reform last time. I won't use my power to bully others anymore. I'm sorry for everything in the past."

At first, he had been resentful. If he had been someone with a big heart, he wouldn't have picked a fight with Xiao Ye again after the first beating.

But at that time, the odds were stacked against him, and the first taste of the social hierarchy deepened his feelings of inferiority. That's why he had kept his head down for nearly a year, not because he had truly changed his nature, but because he had been forced to bow to reality.

But this year, he had lived a rare peaceful life. Perhaps it was due to the events that had happened recently, or perhaps the college entrance exam was truly a turning point in life. He suddenly felt lost about the future and couldn't help but reflect on the past.

In the past, he had been lost in his own world, thinking that everyone feared him, which gave him a sense of pride. His entire world had been stuck in that little bubble. Now, having shed his high school uniform, he had stepped out of that circle and truly faced himself.

Qi Kang still didn't know how to proceed in the future, but he knew he absolutely couldn't go back to his old ways. So he came to apologize, and also to bid farewell to his former self.

Seeing his genuine remorse, Xiao Ye smiled: "The past is already behind us. Now that you're a college student, society won't be easy. If you keep your temper in check, you'll at least avoid some unnecessary trouble."

Ji Nanxing: "Have you apologized to all the people you bullied in the past?"

Qi Kang nodded: "I have."

Those who had been bullied by him were surprisingly not as difficult as he had imagined. Instead, they told him it was okay, which made him feel even more that he had been inhumane in the past.

Ji Nanxing smiled: "Since you've bid farewell to the past, focus on the future from now on. It's never too late to make things right. I wish you all the best and a bright future ahead."

Qi Kang bowed to them again, his eyes slightly red: "Thank you."

Watching the tall figure leave, Chen Shiyi tutted softly: "Suddenly, it feels a bit touching, doesn't it?"

Zhang Yuan patted his shoulder: "Let's go. It's rare to get out early. How about we go for hot pot later?"

Chen Shiyi was a bit disdainful: "Hot pot? In this weather?"

Xiao Ye tugged at Ji Nanxing's hand: "Let's go. Do you want hot pot or stir-fry?"

Ji Nanxing: "I'm good with either."

Xiao Ye: "What do you think would have happened if Qi Kang hadn't tried to pick a fight with you that day and hadn't gotten a second beating from me?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe society would have set him straight someday."

Xiao Ye smiled at Ji Nanxing: "So the merciful god saved another lost young man?"

Ji Nanxing let go of his hand: "The merciful god is ready to eat."

After two days of final exams, they did a big cleaning in the afternoon. Once the cleaning was done, it was equivalent to the start of the holiday, except that they had to come back in three days to get their grades and summer homework.

Jiang Tangtang seized this opportunity to invite everyone to have fun before the results were known, otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the mood to play after getting their grades.

Early the next morning, everyone gathered downstairs at Ji Nanxing’s house. They didn’t have to wear school uniforms or follow any hairstyle rules. Out of the three girls, Xiao Xiao was still wearing pants, while Lin Yi and Jiang Tangtang both wore pretty little skirts.

Lin Yi was in a small floral dress, and Jiang Tangtang wore a T-shirt and denim skirt. As soon as they met, they started complimenting each other, which made Zhang Yuan look disdainful: "The compliments are a bit over the top. It’s just a change of clothes, not much different from wearing school uniforms."

At that moment, Xiao Ye pushed a small suitcase out of the building, followed by Ji Nanxing.

Without the school uniform, Ji Nanxing wore a white T-shirt with a colorful sunflower on the left chest and light khaki shorts. His skin gleamed in the sunlight, and his legs were slender and straight, without the muscle tone typical of most boys, but rather even and delicate, making Jiang Tangtang swoon.

Xiao Ye, on the other hand, was clearly wearing a matching outfit, but with a black T-shirt and shorts of the same color. His exposed skin was several shades darker than Ji Nanxing’s, and his calves showed the strength of someone who exercises regularly. His arm muscles looked like they could easily lift Ji Nanxing with one hand.

Jiang Tangtang couldn’t help but swallow. Total hottie.

Xiao Ye quickly pushed the suitcase forward, blocking her view: "As a girl, can’t you be a bit more reserved?"

Jiang Tangtang tilted her head to look behind him: "You don’t understand. I’m exercising my aesthetic sense. The more beauty I see, the less likely I’ll be fooled by ugly things in the future."

Ji Nanxing, walking behind Xiao Ye, waved at her with a smile.

Jiang Tangtang gasped softly, almost starstruck.

Xiao Ye pressed her head and pushed her aside: "Hop in, the car’s waiting."

Jiang Tangtang let out a whimper, and the illusion about handsome guys shattered again. Indeed, some people are good-looking but very annoying.

This time, Xiao Ye booked a small shuttle bus, which could fit all of them. The journey took a little over an hour, and they reached their destination before wrapping up their chat.

Jiang Tangtang had reserved a standalone guesthouse in advance, with a dining room and courtyard downstairs where they could cook and barbecue. Upstairs, there were four rooms. The girls grabbed the biggest room, and the boys could arrange the other three rooms as they pleased.

Watching Xiao Ye put his and Ji Nanxing’s luggage away, Chen Shiyi happily said to Zhang Yuan while holding a drink: "Looks like we can each have our own room."

The ancient city didn’t have much to see, with only a section of a broken wall remaining. Other spots were artificially aged for tourists, but the large lotus fields and sunflower fields were worth visiting, as well as the old streets of the ancient city and even the water villages.

Although some parts were a bit mismatched, it was still quite fun.

The seven good-looking guys and girls walking together were a sight to behold. While waiting in line for milk tea, a girl couldn’t help but approach, hesitating between Xiao Ye and Ji Nanxing for a while, and finally turned her phone towards Xiao Ye: "Hi, can I add your social media?"

Xiao Ye was looking at the recommended items on the milk tea shop’s menu on his phone. He looked up with a smile: "Sorry, I don’t have a phone."

After saying that, he pulled Ji Nanxing in front of him into his arms, reaching over his shoulders as if encircling him, and showed him the phone screen: "Which one do you want to drink? You can order directly online."

The girl who asked for social media ran away awkwardly. Ji Nanxing turned his head slightly: "You could’ve just said it’s not a good time. That was way too awkward for her."

"You’re holding a phone and saying you don’t have one?"

Xiao Ye: "Next time, I’ll say, ‘Sorry, my boyfriend’s not cool with it.’ That’s more polite, right?"

Ji Nanxing pointed out with a laugh: "You could also say your girlfriend doesn’t agree. After all, whether you have a girlfriend or not, no one can verify."

Xiao Ye: "That won’t do. What if someone is bold enough to try and steal someone? Saying ‘boyfriend’ cuts off the possibility at the root, which is great."

Ji Nanxing sighed: "As long as you’re happy."

Chen Shiyi sighed, wondering when he would have his own romantic luck. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of Jiang Tangtang excitedly taking photos with her phone and immediately looked over: "What are you taking pictures of?"

Jiang Tangtang showed him the photos she had just taken. In the picture, under the shade of a tree, Xiao Ye’s arms encircled Ji Nanxing, slightly lowering his head, while Ji Nanxing in his arms turned back and looked up, their eyes meeting. The white light, the green tree, and the surrounding crowd were blurred, creating a timeless moment.

Chen Shiyi exclaimed: "You’re amazing at taking photos! This looks like a movie scene!"

Jiang Tangtang proudly boasted to her friends, "Of course, how much do you think I can get from Brother Ye with this photo?"

Lin Yi raised a finger, "One?"

Xiao Xiao crossed her arms coolly, "If you're going to ask, go big—ask for a lavish feast."

Zhang Yuan peeked over and judged, "Forget the red envelope, he might just give you everything he's got."

Now that's something to dream about tonight. Xiao Ye would be crazy not to be excited.

Xiao Ye felt his nose itch, turned his head and sneezed, then looked back at the group, whispering to Ji Nanxing, "Why do I feel like they're up to something?"

Ji Nanxing chuckled, his sharp senses naturally hearing what they were saying, "Yeah, they're definitely plotting something against you. It seems they took a really handsome photo of you and are planning to ask for a lavish feast. I'm curious, how good-looking do you have to be in a photo to deserve that?"

Xiao Ye laughed, he wanted to see what photo dared to ask for a lavish feast. After laughing, he walked over to the back, "What are you looking at? A lavish feast? Show me the photo that's worth it."

Jiang Tangtang laughed and showed the photo to Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye instantly looked like a kid in a candy store, his eyes glued to it.

Jiang Tangtang shook her phone, "So? Worth it?"

Xiao Ye, "Totally worth it!"

Seeing Ji Nanxing approaching, Xiao Ye quickly covered the phone and whispered very softly to Jiang Tangtang, "Don't show it to him, I'll give you two lavish feasts!"

After saying that, he hurriedly turned around, pulling Ji Nanxing, who was about to walk over, back, "Hurry, our milk tea is almost done."

Ji Nanxing, though a little curious, didn't push it. Seeing that Xiao Ye didn't want him to see, he let it go, just smiling and asking, "Worth a lavish feast?"

Xiao Ye glanced at him, "Definitely worth it."

Ji Nanxing smiled, "Jiang Tangtang's got some skills, making you look so handsome."

Xiao Ye laughed along, "Really good, actually."

If you enlarge and retouch it, it could pass as a wedding photo.

After lunch, the girls wanted to go to the sunflower field to take photos. Zhang Yuan thought it was too hot and didn't feel like going. Chen Shi had a bit too much exercise and needed to rest up. So, they split up.

The girls went to take photos, Zhang Yuan and Chen Shi went back to the homestay first, while Xiao Ye planned to go shopping with Ji Nanxing. The ancient city had quite a few handicrafts, and since they were here, they decided to take a walk around and buy some souvenirs.

The shops on the commercial street were all made to look antique, with lots of window shoppers but few buyers. Ji Nanxing wandered around but didn't buy much, though he did win a few dolls playing shooting games.

Xiao Ye put the dolls in a bag and laughed, "Now there's no denying you like dolls."

Ji Nanxing, "I see there's a ring toss over there, let's go win a few more, enough to give everyone one."

After playing around, Xiao Ye was carrying quite a few things, including two beautiful handmade dresses. The brightly colored dresses looked perfect for Xie Paner, just right to buy and burn as an offering for her.

In the evening, they had a reservation at a boat restaurant, but they agreed to meet at the homestay first, as they had bought a lot of things that needed to be put away.

When they returned to the homestay, Jiang Tangtang and the other two had just returned as well. After not seeing them all afternoon, they all looked a bit tanner.

Seeing this, Xiao Ye laughed, "Glad I didn't go, or I'd be even more tanned."

Jiang Tangtang, carrying her things, walked into the house looking exhausted, "What time did we reserve dinner for? So tired, I'm getting too old for this much fun."

Zhang Yuan, standing upstairs watching them, said, "There's still half an hour, you can rest a bit."

Xiao Ye, carrying his things, opened the door and entered, noticing Ji Nanxing's odd expression, he quickly walked over, "What's wrong?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, "Nothing, just something followed Jiang Tangtang back."

Xiao Ye, "..." Is that really nothing!