Chapter 53: Chapter 53 “Little Stinky Beauty…”

Chapter 53 "Little Vainpot…"

After the National Day holiday, Lu Zhishi returned to school, temporarily stepping away from his part-time job.

On Monday, the first day back, Lu Zhishi slumped onto his desk as soon as he entered the classroom, covering his head with his jacket to nap. He'd caught a short nap in the car but hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Zhao Xiaoxing entered shortly after, tossing his backpack onto the desk and pulling out a bag of dumplings to place on Lu Zhishi's table.

The person buried under the jacket showed no reaction. Zhao Xiaoxing leaned over and lifted the jacket for a peek.

Lu Zhishi didn’t even open his eyes; he knew immediately it was Zhao Xiaoxing without looking. No one else in the class would directly lift his clothes like that.

After the holiday, class reps for each subject went around collecting homework. Lu Zhishi sleepily tried to get up but was gently pushed back down by Zhao Xiaoxing.

"Just sleep. I’ll collect it for you."

Lu Zhishi sank back down, his eyelids too heavy to open.

Lately, he’d been quite tired—his brain exhausted from all the complex material he had to learn.

It wasn’t until the long break between classes that he regained most of his energy. Returning from the main field, Lu Zhishi fanned himself while eating the dumplings Zhao Xiaoxing had brought him.

"So tired."

Zhao Xiaoxing, working on a practice test nearby while sipping yogurt, chuckled smugly. "Lucky my mom didn’t remember about the assignments, otherwise I’d be in trouble too."

"Don’t jinx it. What if Aunt Zhao remembers tonight?" Lu Zhishi chewed and swallowed a dumpling, then took a sip of water.

Zhao Xiaoxing reached out and put his hand over Lu Zhishi’s mouth. "Alright, alright, zip it."

That was too scary; Zhao Xiaoxing had lost his appetite for his yogurt.

"Lu Zhishi, someone’s here for you."

A classmate near the corridor stood up and called out to Lu Zhishi. The other students instinctively looked over.

But they didn't look for long—they were used to it. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Qixing had people coming to see them almost every week.

Whether they went out or not depended on Lu Zhishi and Zhao Qixing’s mood.

This time, it was that Senior Shen from the sophomore experimental class. And he actually had legitimate business with Lu Zhishi, making it hard for Lu Zhishi to decline.

Grabbing a tissue to wipe his mouth, Lu Zhishi stood up and went out. Since there were too many onlookers, the two moved to a quieter spot to talk.

"Senior Shen."

"Junior, Teacher Wang asked me to check if you’d like to participate in this year’s Physics League Exam. If you’re interested, go see him during the long break tomorrow."

"Thank you, senior. I’ll think about it." You can't be rude to someone being so friendly, so Lu Zhishi smiled back at the beaming senior.

"You’re welcome." Senior Shen smiled, standing opposite Lu Zhishi and leaning in to look him in the eye. "Junior, are you free this weekend?"

Lu Zhishi’s eyebrow twitched, and his smile faded slightly. "Sorry, senior, I’m not free this weekend."

As if pretending not to notice his coolness, the boy maintained his smile and asked, "How about next weekend, then?"

Lu Zhishi directly asked, "Is there something you need?"

He wanted to leave now but was worried the senior might actually have something important to discuss.

"You’ve helped me so many times. I’d like to treat you to a meal, okay?"

Lu Zhishi: "…"

If Zhao Xiaoxing hadn’t told him that he and this Senior Shen had run into each other an unusual number of times, Lu Zhishi might have really believed he was the one helping.

"No need, senior. I’m busy every weekend."

Senior Shen’s smile faded a little. He looked at Lu Zhishi and asked, "Is it because you have someone you like? Is it that person who came to pick you up last time?"

Lu Zhishi retorted, "I do have someone I like. Most people can tell—could it be that you haven’t noticed?"

He added, "Besides, this is my private matter. Don’t you think asking that crosses a line?"

"Junior…"

Lu Zhishi cut straight to the point: "Senior, as high school students, we should focus on studying hard and bettering ourselves daily, devoting more time to preparing for the college entrance exams. We should use our weekends for studying too."

He continued, "I’ve already started prepping for the exams in freshman year. You’re in your second year now—you should really focus on your studies."

The boy: "…"

Lu Zhishi, looking utterly righteous, finished and asked, "Is there anything else?" When the boy said no, he turned and returned to the classroom.

Zhao Xiaoxing was waiting in the corridor. Seeing him return, he immediately slung an arm around Lu Zhishi’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

Others wanted to listen in, but they weren’t as close to Lu Zhishi as Zhao Qixing, who could discuss private matters with him freely.

They only whispered quietly outside in the corridor. Once Zhao Xiaoxing entered the classroom, he stopped, instead cheerfully asking Lu Zhishi what class they had next.

"Math. The teacher said we’re reviewing the workbook."

Zhao Xiaoxing groaned: "Oh no! I only finished half…"

"I can’t believe you, Zhao Xiaoxing. If you started, why not finish it all?" Lu Zhishi scolded him quietly while pulling out his own exercise book and flipping it open. "Hurry up and copy."

Zhao Xiaoxing grabbed his pen and started scribbling away, muttering, "Love you, Six Cheese. When I grow up…"

Lu Zhishi reached out and clamped his hand over his mouth. "Alright, alright, stop making empty promises. You still have 108 uneaten promises from before."

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm…"

Math class was a struggle. Their math teacher liked to call on students to explain problems, and Zhao Xiaoxing was most scared of math class.

To make matters worse, his deskmate was the math class rep, and after class, he even gave him extra help explaining problems. Zhao Xiaoxing suffered but felt lucky.

At noon after school, Lu Zhishi returned to the small villa, texting Chi Chen while eating lunch.

Chi Chen was probably busy and didn’t reply right away.

Zhao Xiaoxing patted his arm, urging him, "Hurry up and eat, then get some quick nap."

He’d been dead tired in the morning—he needed to catch up on some sleep at noon, otherwise he’d be even more exhausted in the afternoon.

Lu Zhishi put away his phone, poked at the vegetables in his bowl with his chopsticks, and picked up two pieces to chew slowly.

Zhao Xiaoxing ate more focusedly than him. While Lu Zhishi was still dawdling over two spinach leaves, Zhao Xiaoxing was already mostly full.

Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I’m going to have two boxes of ice cream later."

"And you want to eat two boxes? You're not even allowed to eat one." Lu Zhishi was immediately distracted. "If you get diarrhea this afternoon, just wait until Aunt Zhao finds out."

"My mom's just talking nonsense. She just doesn't want me eating ice cream, that's why she says that."

Lu Zhishi held his bowl, eating between bites while arguing with him: "Just tell me, did you have diarrhea during the holidays or not?"

Zhao Xiaoxing: "...Yes."

"Was it because you ate too much ice cream?"

Zhao Xiaoxing's straight back slowly slumped: "...Yes."

Lu Zhishi lifted his chin triumphantly. Hah, you silly goose, still thinking about eating two boxes of ice cream? You can't even win an argument with me, you silly mushroom-head.

Feeling pleased, he ended up eating two full bowls of rice. After clearing the table, Lu Zhishi strutted back to his room like a victorious peacock, chin held high.

Zhao Xiaoxing: "..."

Zhao Xiaoxing hunched over and trudged back to his room, utterly dejected.

A University.

Only after the meeting ended did Chi Chen have time to check his phone.

As usual, Little Fat Cheese had sent him messages during lunch, the last one right before his nap.

As he read through the messages, when he saw one of them, Chi Chen’s lips curled up involuntarily, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Preparing for the college entrance exam..."

It really was a good excuse to reject early dating. No sensible person would bother him at a time like this, afraid of affecting his studies.

Including him.

He replied to each message one by one, then put away his phone, his expression calm.

On the way back to the dorm, he bought a cup of watermelon boba from the campus milk tea shop. It was a bit too sweet—just the taste Lu Zhishi liked.

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves past him, gently drifting. Chi Chen reached out and caught one in his palm.

In his room, there was a picture made of autumn leaves that Lu Zhishi had given him the year he graduated from middle school.

He'd heard from Lu Zhiyu that Little Fat Cheese had spent two weekends outside, collecting fallen leaves from sixteen different types of trees, piecing them together into a painting as a graduation gift for him.

Lu Zhishi, Lu Zhishi, Lu Zhishi...

During class, he would wonder if Lu Zhishi was getting distracted like he was, if he was studying hard, if he had finished his homework;

While eating, he would often think of how picky Lu Zhishi was about food—if he were there, seeing the greens on the table, he’d probably sneak them into Chi Chen’s bowl;

Passing by a milk tea shop, he’d think of Lu Zhishi’s favorite watermelon boba. Kids his age all loved sweets, always getting full-sugar drinks, only occasionally switching to 70% sweet when they got tired of it;

The drifting autumn leaves reminded him of the autumn leaf painting Lu Zhishi had pieced together with a flashlight;

Back in the dorm, on his desk were skeins of light-colored yarn, a few knitting needles, and a half-finished knitted hat.

He was knitting it for Lu Zhishi, planning to give it to him around the winter solstice. He hoped he’d finish it in time, because he also planned to knit a sweater.

Lu Zhishi had always liked homemade gifts—whether it was a plush toy to sleep with, a sweater to wear, a hat for his head, or even a little pom-pom on his keychain.

Whenever Chi Chen gave him something, he’d always look at him with sparkling eyes, his smile sweet and sunny, happily calling out "Brother Xiao Chen, Brother Xiao Chen..."

Lu Zhishi... missing someone echoes. They just saw each other yesterday, yet he still missed him today.

After dinner, Lu Zhishi talked to his parents about this year’s physics competition, casually mentioning that it would be held on the weekend.

Song Qinian raised an eyebrow, smiling at him without commenting.

This kid—what was on his mind? As if he didn’t know.

Lazy Cheese, already sick of working after just a few days on the job.

"Then focus on preparing for the exam at home this weekend. Put company matters aside for now." Lu Tingan understood him too—after a few days of work, he’d become drained, as if all his energy had been sucked out.

Lu Zhishi didn’t have the same vitality as his brother; he was somewhat low on energy, and though they’d been trying to replenish it over the years, it was just something innate—no matter how much they tried, it was never quite enough.

Regarding the child’s reluctance to work, both Song Qinian and Lu Tingan turned a blind eye. They couldn’t rely on him for the family business anyway.

If the family assets were split equally between the two brothers, and Lu Zhishi managed half, overtime and work would become even more frequent. He’d probably end up crying again, his energy completely drained.

Lu Zhiyu knew this too, which was why he worked so hard, aiming to take on most of the responsibilities for both companies, so his little brother could slack off and take it easy in the future.

"Dad told me it’s fine if you don’t want to work. Just focus on resting and building up your health at home."

That evening, Lu Zhiyu video-chatted with him.

Lu Zhishi was clearly happy, but then he slumped onto the bed again, sighing, "It’s a bit exhausting, but I still have to work. Otherwise, you’d be too tired handling it all alone."

Two such large companies—if Lu Zhiyu took them on by himself, it would be overwhelming. He’d already been working overtime frequently lately. In the future, he’d only get busier.

Lu Zhiyu felt warm inside. The little rascal still cared about him.

Well, as an older brother, there wasn’t much he could give. He’d just increase his little brother’s allowance.

Seeing his growing savings, Lu Zhishi grinned from ear to ear. From now on, call him Rich Cheese!!

Lu Zhiyu hung up, worked on some assignments and tasks for a while, and before bed, glanced at his phone only to find that his little brother had changed his WeChat nickname yet again.

—"Rich Cheese"

His profile picture had changed too.

A chubby cheese wearing a gold ingot hat, sunglasses with money symbols, and a thick gold chain around its neck.

Well, it certainly matched his nickname. One look and you could tell it was a very wealthy chubby cheese.

Chi Chen saw it too and couldn’t help but smile. He took a screenshot and saved it in the Cheese-themed album on his phone.

"Two packs of spicy strips—it’s his brother." Wang Siyu lowered his voice, sneakily pulling out two packs of extremely spicy strips and placing them on the large round table in the middle of the dorm.

Wei Hexuan was reluctant to participate, but with a chatterbox pestering him, he had no choice. He took out his remaining two bottles of cola as a bet, his tone casual: "Two bottles of cola—it’s his boyfriend."

Wang Siyu almost laughed out loud. Everyone knew Chi Chen always had a stone-cold expression, radiating an aura of "stay away, I’m completely uninterested in romance." A boyfriend? Yeah, right.

Three roommates, one still hadn’t placed a bet. Wang Siyu turned his head, staring intently at the tall, slender figure who was bent over, reading and writing.

Wei Hexuan also tilted his head, looking in He Wanxuan’s direction, a smile on his lips but his gaze dark and intense.

Being stared at so intently by both of them, anyone would get goosebumps and turn to look.

He Wanxuan turned around and met their gazes, his cool, indifferent eyebrows slightly furrowing.

He'd heard what they were talking about earlier. He reached into his pocket, pulled out three marshmallows, and tossed them onto the round table, saying flatly, "Three marshmallows. From his elder."

"Alright, alright, we're all in." Wang Siyu reached out and gathered all the bets to the center of the table, waiting for the betting to conclude.

After replying to a few messages, Chi Chen put down his phone, his lips tightening as he stood up and walked over, grabbing half the bets.

As he left, he muttered coldly, "Boring."

Wang Siyu: "..."

Seriously, man? If it's so boring, why did you take a pack of spicy strips, a bottle of cola, and a marshmallow?

"Who told you to place a bet and talk so loudly? You know how he is," Wei Hexuan couldn't help but laugh, his expressive eyes crinkling with amusement, bold and charming.

As he spoke, he snatched the remaining two marshmallows and placed the cola bottle next to He Wanxuan.

By the time Wang Siyu came to his senses, only his pack of devil-hot spicy strips remained on the table, looking pitifully lonely.

"Hey, Wei Hexuan, you bandit!" Wang Siyu grabbed his head and groaned.

Despite the commotion behind him, Chi Chen remained unmoved, knitting needles in hand as he worked on his unfinished wool hat, occasionally holding it up to check the size.

Outside the window, the evening breeze rose, moonlight spread, and time seemed to stretch out.

Winter solstice landed on a weekend. In City A, snow fell off and on. Chi Chen was away on a business trip for two days and didn’t return until late at night, missing out on the dumplings.

As soon as Lu Zhishi heard the car, he put on his down jacket and slipped out, bumping right into Chi Chen.

The moment Chi Chen saw him, he frowned.

"It's late, you should be asleep. It's cold outside—what are you doing out here?"

He chided quietly but held Lu Zhishi’s hand to lead him inside, turning on the heater to warm him.

Hearing the noise, Chi Yuehang came downstairs to check but, seeing nothing amiss, went back up.

In the kitchen, dinner was warming—made by their fathers—along with a plate of dumplings, waiting for Chi Chen’s return.

Chi Chen washed his hands, changed out of his cold-weather clothes, and headed back downstairs.

He glanced at the drowsy Lu Zhishi in the living room, walked over, and gently ruffled his hair, his voice soft and deep. "Want a late-night snack?"

"Yeah..." Lu Zhishi mumbled drowsily, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up a little. He clutched his insulated container and followed Chi Chen.

"You’re supposed to eat dumplings on the winter solstice. I saved some for you."

"What filling?"

"Cabbage and pork." Lu Zhishi smiled. "I dug up the two biggest cabbages and made a huge plate of dumplings."

Chi Chen’s lips quirked slightly. He’d already figured—on a holiday, how could Lu Zhishi resist digging up his cabbages to cook?

Lu Zhishi hadn’t eaten dinner. Chi Chen served him two plates of dumplings—one made at home and one brought by Lu Zhishi. After eating, he should be full.

"Brother Xiao Chen, do you have off tomorrow?"

Lu Zhishi opened his mouth wide, stuffed two dumplings in, and chewed noisily, his words muffled.

They’d had dinner at his grandparents’ house for the winter solstice, but throughout the meal, he couldn't stop thinking about Chi Chen, wondering if he’d return that night.

After returning home, he stayed up anyway, occasionally checking the picture window, waiting to let him taste the dumplings he’d made.

"Yeah, I’m resting tomorrow."

Chi Chen had been busy with work and rushed to catch his flight, so he hadn’t eaten dinner.

He’d only taken a few bites of lunch before heading to a meeting, and by now, he’d been hungry for a long time. He ate the dumplings one after another, and nearly all the dumplings Lu Zhishi brought ended up in his stomach.

Lu Zhishi could tell he was starving—Chi Chen usually ate much more properly.

"You have to eat dinner no matter how busy you are in the future."

Chi Chen took a sip of warm water and said quietly, "I was too busy today. I forgot."

"Don’t forget next time," Lu Zhishi said. "You'll get stomach aches if you keep this up."

"Mm." Chi Chen nodded and poured him a cup of warm water.

He glanced at the wall clock. "Eat up, then rest early."

At his words, Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but yawn, eyes watering.

He rubbed them. "I’ll sleep soon."

Chi Chen finished the last few dumplings and took Lu Zhishi's leftover dumplings, dipping them in vinegar and eating them one by one.

He stood, cleared the table and dishes, turned off the lights, and headed upstairs with Lu Zhishi to bed.

It was long past Lu Zhishi’s usual bedtime, and he was already half-asleep, just coherent enough to follow Chi Chen while holding onto his clothes.

After seeing him back to his room, Chi Chen started to close the door when Lu Zhishi followed him out, holding a pillow and a plush rabbit from his room.

"Sleep in your own room tonight."

Lu Zhishi didn’t answer, standing stubbornly in the hallway with his pillow and rabbit, eyes sleepy but determined.

They stood facing each other for half a minute before Chi Chen finally gave in, stepping aside.

Lu Zhishi immediately carried his pillow and big plush rabbit into Chi Chen’s room, claiming without ceremony more than half the bed. He burrowed under the covers, closed his eyes comfortably, and was about to fall asleep.

Chi Chen stood in the hallway, sighed in resignation, and rubbed his temples. He went into Lu Zhishi’s room, grabbed his down jacket, and brought it back to hang by the door so Lu Zhishi could easily put it on the next morning.

He tiptoed to the bedside. The stubborn boy who’d been wide-eyed just moments ago was now sound asleep, breathing softly.

Chi Chen watched him for a while, then took out the knitted wool hat and sweater he’d made from the wardrobe. He folded them neatly and placed them on the nightstand on Lu Zhishi’s side.

He murmured, "Happy winter solstice..."

Before Chi Chen could straighten up, Lu Zhishi, who’d been sleeping with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and shot upright.

It happened so suddenly that Chi Chen didn’t have time to lean back. Lu Zhishi’s head slammed into his chin—thump—and a dull, tingling pain spread.

Chi Chen narrowed his eyes, gently rubbing his chin, his voice low and husky. "What’s wrong?"

"I didn’t brush my teeth..." Lu Zhishi hurriedly rubbed Chi Chen’s chin. "Sorry, Brother Xiao Chen!"

The more he rubbed, the number it became. Chi Chen grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his chin, standing up straight. "It’s fine. Go brush your teeth and get to bed."

Lu Zhishi still felt uneasy and pulled him under the light to examine his chin for a long time. As he looked, he noticed the sweater and hat on the bedside table.

"Brother Chen, why are your sweater and hat here? Should I hang them in the closet for you?"

Lu Zhishi didn’t touch them randomly but kept staring, deliberately probing.

"They’re for you. Try them on tomorrow morning when you wake up to see if they fit."

"They’ll fit! They definitely will!" All drowsiness vanished from Lu Zhishi’s mind. He held up the sweater against himself and put on the hat, turning left and right in front of the floor-length mirror.

Seeing Lu Zhishi grow more and more excited as he admired himself in the mirror, Chi Chen stepped forward, neatly refolded the sweater and hat, and put them aside, ordering him to go wash up and sleep.

Lu Zhishi never disobeyed Chi Chen. Reluctantly, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, resisting the urge to try on the sweater and show off. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

After putting away his pajamas, Chi Chen went into the bathroom to shower. He came out a second later and said to Lu Zhishi on the bed, "Go to sleep quickly. Don’t secretly try on the clothes."

Lu Zhishi opened his eyes and defended himself indignantly, "I wasn’t." Not yet, anyway.

"I’ve folded the clothes. If I come out and see them messed up, next time—"

"I won’t wear them, Brother Chen," Lu Zhishi quickly promised before he could finish, boldly making a request: "Next time, I want a new sweater, a vibrant red one, festive. I’ll trade you six cabbages for it."

"We'll see how you behave."

Chi Chen didn’t directly agree and went back into the bathroom. As the hot water poured down, he began designing the style of the red sweater in his mind.

Lu Zhishi was such a little show-off. Whenever he got a new sweater, he loved wearing it out to stroll around and show it off to others, openly or subtly boasting that it was from his Brother Chen.

The little show-off wanted a red sweater—maybe for Chinese New Year? It might be too late to knit it now...

It was already very late. By the time Chi Chen finished showering and drying his hair, the clock on the table showed it was well past midnight.

Lu Zhishi was curled up under the covers, lying on his side while hugging his big plush rabbit. His breathing was soft and shallow, his slightly curly hair falling over his forehead, his face still carrying the youthful freshness characteristic of his age.

He was a beautiful boy.

Since he was so good-looking, it was fine for him to be a little vain. Chi Chen couldn’t help but smile.

The slender, upright young man stood by the bed, the soft glow of the night lamp casting a gentle light on his face. The corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a faint curve, his eyes smiling with boundless tenderness and devotion.

"Little vainpot…"

Lu Zhishi, little vainpot—from now on, he’d call him Vain Zhishi.