27 : Training

 

After checking out of the hotel, the two waited downstairs, supposedly because someone from No. 3 Middle School would be picking up Tan Xiuyuan.

No. 1 Middle School was nearby, and Song Shi should at least see him into the car before leaving.

Tan Xiuyuan leaned on his suitcase, watching the person standing next to him staring intently at his phone.

To be honest, he was a little annoyed.

What he had said to that person in the room was half true and half false; he and Song Shi had indeed pretended to be a couple for a while.

Not exactly a couple, because they were just vaguely together.

Later, they argued because of Tang Ze.

Before he left, when they were still in Yangcheng, they were always inseparable.

Then, someone named Tang Ze appeared out of nowhere.

That person also lived in their area, but he had never seen him before.

He thought Song Shi was the same, but it turned out that Tang Ze had known Song Shi for a long time, and had even saved him.

Tan Xiuyuan initially didn't take Tang Ze seriously. He figured he and Song Shi had known each other for so long, so Tang Ze must be closer to him.

But Tang Ze, because of his sickly appearance, kept asking Song Shi for help with small things.

Tan Xiuyuan was a little annoyed, but since Tang Ze was always sick, he couldn't say anything.

He admitted that of the three of them, Song Shi seemed the coldest and most unapproachable.

But in reality, she was also the easiest to fool.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have tricked Tang Ze into being his girlfriend for a while.

Tang Ze had always been at odds with Tan Xiuyuan, but both of them, because of Song Shi, could only secretly do things to each other.

But Tang Ze was the most perceptive.

Tan Xiuyuan realized in middle school that he seemed to like boys, but he didn't hide it at all.

How did they find out?

It was when a more mature classmate secretly put some stimulating things on his phone in the dormitory.

Back then, Tan Xiuyuan was outgoing and always had a likable personality.

A bunch of clueless boys huddled together, watching under the covers.

Tan Xiuyuan sat in the middle, the people around him holding their breath, watching the people on the screen.

They were excited and blushing, but he felt nothing, even a little bored.

Later, someone accidentally clicked off the website, and when they came back in, the screen had changed.

Before the group could react, they saw two people entwined on the screen.

But this time, not only had the protagonists changed, but the genders had changed too.

They were two white men.

The man holding the phone frowned deeply, saying how disgusting, and hurriedly exited the screen.

This little incident, while not affecting the man, opened up a new world for young Tan Xiuyuan.

He seemed indifferent to the earlier scenes, but incredibly interested in the later ones.

After that incident, young Tan Xiuyuan started searching for that kind of content on his phone at home.

After researching, he realized he actually liked men, and he accepted it within minutes.

Most importantly, he didn't feel any shame. He told his best friend at the time—Song Shi—about it.

Song Shi didn't understand what those things meant at first, nor did he delve into it.

It wasn't until high school that Song Shi truly understood their meaning. He didn't think much of it, nor did he feel disgusted with him as Tan Xiuyuan claimed.

Later, Tan Xiuyuan told his parents about it.

His mother didn't react much, but his father, being quite traditional, threatened to beat Tan Xiuyuan to death.

To make it more believable, Tan Xiuyuan fabricated a story about having a boyfriend.

After his anger subsided, Tan's father gradually accepted it. Tan Xiuyuan was their only child, and both parents had him late in life.

Later, Tan's father asked to meet the boyfriend Tan Xiuyuan had mentioned.

He casually replied that he didn't have a boyfriend, and that's when Tan Xiuyuan thought of Song Shi.

Whether he was pretending to be a couple or testing Song Shi's attitude, perhaps only he knew.

Song Shi initially refused, but Tan Xiuyuan kept nagging him eight days a week, so he had no choice but to comply.

He changed his profile picture to a matching one, bought matching clothes, held hands occasionally, and said goodnight every night.

Tan Xiuyuan's parents were shocked when they learned that their rebellious son's girlfriend was Song Shi.

At that time, Song Shi's mother had already passed away, leaving only Song Shi's father at home.

They knew Song Jinming's temper well, so before the news spread,

the Tan family sent Tan Xiuyuan abroad. Actually, when the elderly couple learned that the other person was Song Shi,

they both breathed a sigh of relief. They knew her well, and most importantly, the boy was not only handsome but also of good character in all aspects.

Except for being a little cold, he was better than most people they didn't know.

However, this boy had suffered a lot growing up in that kind of family. When Song Shi was young, Tan Xiuyuan's parents helped him as much as they could.

But after Zhang Shu left, they rarely saw Song Shi.

Tan Xiuyuan came to his senses; Song Shi had already put her phone back in her pocket. He had rushed abroad

without telling anyone, changing all his communication methods. The only reason they could still contact her was because he had taken the SIM card with him when he left.

He now regretted it; he should have lied back then, because Song Shi would definitely be with him long ago now.

And then there's that Chen Zhoumu thing.

But it's okay, he hasn't told Song Shi yet that he doesn't plan to go out again this time.

His main goal is to win her over; after all, he and Song Shi have a long future ahead of them.

"Shizi, are you participating in the competition this time?"

"Yeah."

That's right, Song Shi can play volleyball, and there are probably very few people who can play volleyball in this little corner of the world.

He remembered the person in the room earlier; the other person didn't seem to be from around here, neither in their clothes nor their manner of speaking.

Most importantly, the person looked somewhat familiar; he felt like he'd seen them somewhere before.

He then asked, "What's your relationship with that Chen Zhoumu thing?"

Song Shi paused for a moment before answering, "Friends."

He had actually forgotten that Tan Xiuyuan also liked boys; he probably hadn't noticed anything.

Tan Xiuyuan smiled: "The coach said that No. 3 Middle School and No. 1 Middle School are training together this afternoon, so we'll play a game together."

Before the two could exchange more than a few words, a car pulled up from a short distance away. "Tan! Over here!"

The person whose name was called looked over, then looked down to meet the gaze of the person standing beside him. "See you this afternoon, Shizi."

Song Shi was wearing a black windbreaker, his chin buried in the zippered collar, the wind making his face slightly red.

He nodded, then casually tossed something from his pocket to the other person: "A souvenir from back home, not expensive."

Tan Xiuyuan put the beautifully wrapped box in his pocket, looking at Song Shi.

He found him rather cute, not much different from how he looked before going abroad, still just as likable.

Tan Xiuyuan then walked towards the car, and after getting in, the teacher inside began to introduce Xia City to him.

It had changed a lot since then.

But Tan Xiuyuan wasn't paying attention, because he was still thinking about Song Shi's reaction earlier.

He was lying.

Although he hadn't yet confirmed their relationship, judging from Chen Zhoumu's attitude, there was definitely something going on.

He pursed his lips slightly, his expression somewhat cold. He knew Song Shi's personality: gentle persuasion only works, cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Most importantly, he was soft-hearted and easily appeased.

He had gained many benefits using this method in the past, but things were different now.

Moreover, the other person seemed even more capable of putting on an act than him.

*

The person who was putting on an act was currently sitting in the dormitory, absentmindedly stroking his older brother's head.

The cat lying on his lap occasionally let out a few meows, as if complaining about the poor service from its human.

Chen Zhoumu listened to the movement outside the door, looking up at every footstep.

He wanted to keep calling the other person, fearing that he would be kidnapped again today.

But thankfully, after a short wait, the dormitory door slowly opened, and that familiar face appeared.

The older brother on his lap immediately jumped down and rubbed against the person's leg.

Song Shi picked up the cat. The room was much warmer than outside. After putting down his bag, he took off his coat.

He felt much more comfortable.

Only then did Chen Zhoumu pretend to stand up and walk over, casually saying, "I think my illness has relapsed. Feel it?"

Song Shi looked up at the man with a perfectly healthy complexion, casually reaching out to touch him. His forehead was indeed much warmer than his hand.

"Fever again? Go lie down. I'll boil some water for you to soak in some medicine," Song Shi said, walking inside.

Seeing his goal achieved, Chen Zhoumu reached into his pocket and threw the hand warmer into the trash can, turning his back to Song Shi.

As he got up and lay down on the bed, he coughed a few times, pretending to be okay.

"You have training with the Third Middle School this afternoon. Can you manage like this?" Song Shi called out from nearby.

The man pretending to cough suddenly stopped: "With the Third Middle School?"

Chen Zhoumu sat up abruptly. Wasn't that the person who returned from abroad today from the Third Middle School?

He pretended to stretch: "I suddenly feel less unwell."

Song Shi walked over with a cup: "It's not a big deal if you're sick and can't go. It's just normal training anyway."

He handed him the cup.

Most of Song's medicine was traditional Chinese medicine, so it was quite bitter. Chen Zhoumu had been drinking it when he was delirious with fever and couldn't taste anything.

He took it and drank it all in one gulp.

The bitterness made him frown. The person sitting next to him glanced at him and said, "There's candy in the bag, find it yourself."

Then Song Shi casually tossed his bag to the person on the bed and went to the balcony to collect the laundry.

Chen Zhoumu rummaged through the bag; there weren't many things inside, mostly notebooks.

When he took out the candy, something accidentally fell out.

He picked it up and saw it was a receipt—a receipt for a watch.

But he hadn't seen the watch on Song Shi's hand earlier. After thinking for a moment, he put the item back in.

In the afternoon, the two prepared their things and headed to the stadium.

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