Extra Chapter: Sweet Daily Life (5)
The scorching sun radiated heat, and even the light breeze felt like a wave of warmth.
After a long summer break, September finally brought the start of the school year.
The registration area for new students in the lobby was packed with people, and the oppressive heat made everyone even more irritable.
Xie Yang was called in at the last minute to help with the registration process.
The student originally responsible for the task couldn’t make it due to other commitments, and since they knew Xie Yang, they asked him for help.
Initially, Xie Yang wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t resist his friend’s persistent pleading, so he reluctantly agreed.
Although Qi Xu had spent the better part of six months helping Xie Yang overcome his fear of crowds, the sight of so many people still made him want to back out.
“Xie Yang, come over here and give us a hand!”
The students in charge of registration were overwhelmed, and when they saw Xie Yang, they quickly called him over to help.
Xie Yang had no choice but to sit down with a small fan and start registering new students.
“You’re pretty smart to have brought a little fan!”
Xie Yang smiled awkwardly. He hadn’t initially planned on bringing such an item; it was Qi Xu who had slipped it into his bag, along with a bottle of water.
At first, Xie Yang thought carrying so many things would be a hassle, but it turned out to be quite useful.
Perhaps it was Xie Yang’s calm and peaceful demeanor that kept his line quiet and orderly.
Xie Yang’s skin was very fair, and wearing a white T-shirt, he seemed to glow.
He also had a youthful face, and no one would doubt it if they mistook him for a high school student.
He sat there quietly, looking both gentle and innocent.
Many people couldn’t help but be drawn to him, and soon his line grew longer and longer.
Some of the bolder new students even started chatting him up—both girls and boys.
“Senior, are you a sophomore?”
“Senior, I just started school and there’s a lot I don’t know. Can I add you on WeChat?”
“Senior, do you have a girlfriend?”
Xie Yang: “…”
The nearby students stifled their laughter, throwing him teasing looks.
Xie Yang replied with a blank expression, “Next, please.”
From 2 PM to 6 PM, Xie Yang worked non-stop for four hours, and by the end, he was completely exhausted.
When Qi Xu came to pick him up, Xie Yang handed the registration forms to a nearby student and ran off immediately.
Xie Yang clung to Qi Xu’s back, insisting that he carry him.
On the way home, he casually remarked, “None of the new students this year are as handsome as you.”
Qi Xu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Really?”
Xie Yang, exhausted and a bit dazed, didn’t notice the change in Qi Xu’s tone and simply replied, “Mm-hmm.”
It wasn’t until dinner that Qi Xu suddenly asked, “I heard a lot of new students wanted to add you on WeChat today?”
Xie Yang quickly shook his head, handed his phone to Qi Xu, and explained hastily, “They were just joking around. I didn’t add any of them.”
Qi Xu didn’t take the phone. Instead, he glanced at Xie Yang nonchalantly and chuckled, “Is it because they were too ugly?”
Xie Yang: “…”
For some reason, he could sense that Qi Xu was sulking—or perhaps he was jealous?
Qi Xu’s lips curved into a smile as he looked at Xie Yang with a teasing gaze. “Didn’t you say that none of the new students this year are handsome?”
Xie Yang’s eyes curved into a smile as he replied, “Brother, are you jealous?”
Qi Xu openly admitted, “Yes.”
He didn’t like it when Xie Yang focused his attention on others.
Xie Yang smiled softly, feeling a bit pleased. He moved closer to Qi Xu, straddled his lap, wrapped his arms around Qi Xu’s neck, and gave him a kiss. “I only like you.”
While Qi Xu was cleaning up the dishes, Xie Yang secretly took a photo of him. He thought Qi Xu looked adorable when he was jealous and wanted to capture the moment, but he forgot to turn off the flash.
Qi Xu: “Are you secretly taking pictures of me?”
Xie Yang instinctively denied it, “I accidentally turned on the flashlight.”
Qi Xu: “Really?”
Xie Yang nodded, “Yes.”
Qi Xu set the dishes down, walked over to Xie Yang, and held out his hand.
Feeling guilty, Xie Yang stuffed his phone into his pocket and gave Qi Xu a sheepish smile. “I thought you looked really handsome today, so I wanted to take a picture to remember it.”
Qi Xu raised an eyebrow, picked Xie Yang up from the chair, and sat down on the sofa with him in his lap.
Xie Yang, sitting in Qi Xu’s arms, didn’t dare to move and obediently handed over his phone.
Qi Xu opened the photo album and took a look but couldn’t find the picture from earlier.
Xie Yang bit his lip, nervously averting his eyes, silently praying that Qi Xu wouldn’t be curious enough to open each of his photo albums.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he hoped.
Qi Xu really was curious about the photos Xie Yang took, so he browsed through all of them, naturally coming across the encrypted album.
“What’s this?”
Xie Yang tried to snatch the phone back, but Qi Xu grabbed his wrist, leaving Xie Yang to watch helplessly as Qi Xu entered the password.
Qi Xu entered his own birthday almost without thinking and, under Xie Yang’s fearful gaze, pressed [Confirm.]
[Password correct.]
Qi Xu was initially a bit smug until he saw the contents of the album…
He silently browsed through the photos in the album. Most of them were pictures taken after they started dating, along with some screenshots of them playing games, special photos, and even a few of his ID photos.
Xie Yang timidly lifted his eyes to look at him.
“I’m sorry.”
Qi Xu released his hand and instead hugged his waist tightly. “Why are you saying sorry?”
Xie Yang flipped through the album again and pulled out a blue ID photo, confessing, “I took a screenshot of this photo from the official website.”
It was a screenshot from the list of new student performances during his freshman year when Qi Xu used his admission photo.
He looked very handsome, and Xie Yang had always liked it.
The other ID photos were also ones Xie Yang had saved from various forums he had visited.
Qi Xu’s ID photos were the most handsome he had ever seen.
He only wanted to quietly collect a few photos of people he liked.
Now, he felt embarrassed to be caught in the act by the person himself.
Qi Xu wouldn’t think he was some weird person, would he?
There were also some candid photos of Qi Xu that Xie Yang had taken because he thought Qi Xu looked very handsome and cute.
He liked capturing every moment and every angle of Qi Xu in front of him.
So, he enjoyed snapping photos of small daily details.
Like the first time Qi Xu peeled shrimp for him, the first time he gave him roses, their first date, their first movie, the first time…
There were countless moments he felt were worth recording.
Now that Qi Xu was going through these photos one by one, Xie Yang felt embarrassed about his little habits.
Qi Xu gently pinched his face and smiled, “In the future, if you want to take photos, just do it openly. No need to hide. I really like it.”
Xie Yang put his phone back in his pocket and tried to get out of Qi Xu’s embrace.
However, Qi Xu held him tightly, making it impossible for him to move. Xie Yang tried to pry Qi Xu’s arms apart and said, “I need to take a shower.”
Qi Xu: “No rush.”
Xie Yang tried to distract him by changing the subject, “Today, when I went back to school, everyone said I gained weight. I think I should control my diet.”
Qi Xu chuckled lightly, “Did they?”
Xie Yang nodded, “If I get any heavier, you won’t be able to carry me.”
Qi Xu, slightly displeased, picked him up with one hand and placed him on the scale. Seeing the weight of 110 pounds, Xie Yang fell silent, and once again recognized Qi Xu’s strength.
“Is it heavy?”
Xie Yang shook his head.
Qi Xu gave a soft hum.
That evening.
Qi Xu held him while standing in front of the bathroom mirror and even made him look at himself for a long time.
“Can’t I carry you?”
Xie Yang choked up and said, “Brother, I was wrong.”
Author’s Note:
I’ve heard that discussing the plot of this book with friends of the opposite sex often leads to romance!