[At first, I didn’t recommend leaving the hospital.]
…
There were too many comments, and Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t keep up, so he picked up his phone. Then he noticed another small bowl of full vegetables in front of him.
Qiao Huaiyao: “…?”
“Let’s eat,” Bai Jinyan poured lemon water, “this lemon is homegrown, said to be a rare variety, try the taste.” He said, “If you like it, you can plant a few at home.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, preferring the lemon water over the dishes on the table. The food in the small bowl was not wasted; he ate it. It was already past ten when he got home. Qiao Huaiyao stretched lazily; sitting for too long was a bit tiring. The PPT in the phone was filled with data while watching the program, but there were no illustrations, just simple text.
Qiao Huaiyao said, “Brother, I’ll organize the homework.”
“Write it tomorrow,” Bai Jinyan looked at the time, “no rush for the homework. Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, “I’m going to school tomorrow, remember?”
“Just organize some images, it won’t take long,”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t want to stay home tomorrow, “I’ll go, brother.”
Bai Jinyan could only agree, “Hmm.”
He thought for a moment and followed inside to find Qiao Huaiyao’s original experiment data.
Bai Jinyan placed the file bag on the table and said, “Important things are in the box over there. If there’s anything you want or can’t find, let me know.”
Qiao Huaiyao said, “Okay.”
Ten pages of the PPT were made, and he filled in data relative to the page numbers and adjusted after adding pictures. The quiet study room only had the sound of the keyboard and occasionally the click of the left mouse button. Qiao Huaiyao chose to include fewer images in the PPT, focusing more on the sound and other images like those taken in the lab. After finishing, he checked the whole thing. After confirming there were no issues, he saved it. Just as he was about to save it to his phone, a message notification blinked in the lower right corner of his computer.
Qiu Shufeng sent the completed PPT in the group, [Please, study god, save my life.]
Wang Zhan followed, [How did you finish so quickly? I just got the data ready.]
Yu Luofan joined in, [This is mine, study god owes me a drink this semester.]
Wang Zhan: [I’m having breakfast, I said a long time ago that study god owes me breakfast.]
Wang Zhan: [I’ll retreat for now, I’ll come find the study god after I finish my PPT.]
Qiu Shufeng: [??? I just blinked, what are you guys doing? Trying to steal the show? Then, study god, help me with lunch and dinner, I’ll owe you!]
Qiao Huaiyao: [No need, I can handle it.]
He downloaded the two submissions that were already uploaded, and Qiao Huaiyao checked them thoroughly, making some obvious corrections. The general direction remained the same, but he made slight changes to the original version to make the overall flow smoother.
Once he finished the modifications, Qiao Huaiyao sent the files to them from his computer. “Brother? What are you doing?”
Qiao Huaiyao came out and saw the table full of snacks, “Where did all these snacks come from?”
Bai Jinyan said, “Zhao Jiamo took them away, I took them out of the suitcase, so they wouldn’t be forgotten.”
There were too many suitcases, and some might accumulate dust in the storeroom if not used. He took them out while organizing. Qiao Huaiyao helped put away the snacks into the kitchen cabinet, and then he found a box of cookies among the snacks. It was given to him by Director Zhao Jiamo. He didn’t participate in the game but took the cookies home. The cookies were the type of finger cookies, long and with a strong chocolate flavor. Qiao Huaiyao opened the cookie box and randomly picked one. The chocolate flavor was rich.
The game mentioned on the paper he received was for two participants to bite the ends of the cookie simultaneously. If the cookie was less than three centimeters by the end of the game, it was considered a success. This game didn’t seem suitable for them.
Qiao Huaiyao nibbled on the cookie, eating it slowly, and filled the crossbody bag with bags of chips. When organizing the snacks, consideration was given to Qiao Huaiyao’s preferred snack sizes, and the sizes were just right.
The milk was stored in the refrigerator; this brand of milk was a constant in the house.
Qiao Huaiyao took out a cup, arranged the milk in order, and sat on the sofa, placing the milk on the table in sequence.
Bai Jinyan was momentarily silent upon seeing this.
Qiao Huaiyao was tidying up when he felt a small piece of cookie being covered in front of him. He looked up.
Bai Jinyan reached out and took the cookie he was biting, leaning in for a kiss, tasting the chocolate flavor on Qiao Huaiyao’s lips. “Hmm…”
The kiss was brief, and Bai Jinyan finished the remaining half of the cookie in two bites.
Qiao Huaiyao blinked, grabbed the nearby pillow, leaned back on the sofa, covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Bai Jinyan chuckled and rubbed Qiao Huaiyao’s reddened earlobe— the time to go to school was set for the afternoon.
Bai Jinyan had the originality to work; Professor Yu helped him a lot, allowing significant flexibility with attendance.
Similarly, if Bai Jinyan wanted to graduate, he had to ensure that he scored no less than the passing line in each subject and not miss any lab sessions.
It seemed easy, but in reality, academics and lab work were the pressures on top of his job. Handling all these tasks together would make it even more challenging.
Qiao Huaiyao woke up early and played with his phone in bed.
Zhao Jiamo sent him a message in the early morning, [A twenty-year-old dual-award Best Actor! My goodness, I guessed that Jinyan might win an award, but I didn’t expect him to win the grand slam. Help me congratulate him.]
Qiao Huaiyao replied only after waking up, [Congratulations to my brother. Why didn’t you tell him directly?]
Handling congratulations might not be easy for someone else. After sending the message, Qiao Huaiyao opened the chat app, and just as he was scrolling up, Zhao Jiamo’s message came in.
Zhao Jiamo: [In his current messaging app, there must be so many messages congratulating him for winning Best Actor. If I send one, my congratulations will probably be lost in the sea of messages, right?]
[Moreover, he won’t see it. By sending it to you, it’s like I’ve conveyed my message. Isn’t this a good way?]
A logical loop; Zhao Jiamo thought it was reasonable, something others would never think of.
Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the time. Zhao Jiamo messaged him in the early morning, and now he replied so early; it didn’t seem like he woke up early but more like he didn’t sleep all night.
As he was typing, Bai Jinyan hugged him from behind, “Why are you up so early?”
Qiao Huaiyao told Bai Jinyan about Zhao Jiamo’s message and Jinyan’s Best Actor award.
Bai Jinyan knew many directors with the last name Zhao, but the only one known to both Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan was Zhao Jiamo.