Chapter 30

Boyfriend. Can’t go back on it. A kiss.

The sheer impact of it all nearly made Bai Zining lose his balance.

What had Zhu Shizhou just done? Did it mean what he thought it meant? Or was this just another new way for him to mess with him?

Bai Zining tried to recall the breathing techniques he had once learned to ease tension. Closing his eyes, he slowly inhaled and exhaled. After repeating this a few times, his mind finally felt a bit calmer.

“What are you thinking about?” Zhu Shizhou asked at just the right moment.

Bai Zining abruptly opened his eyes. “You.”

As Zhu Shizhou smiled, he quickly added, “You have to explain yourself clearly today. I can’t just agree to this without understanding what’s going on.” The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Finally, he plopped himself onto the ground, determined to get to the bottom of things with Zhu Shizhou.

“Use this as a cushion; the ground is cold.” Zhu Shizhou took out the pillow they had redeemed at the arcade earlier, placed it on the ground, and supported Bai Zining’s arm to help him sit on the soft pillow.

Then he twisted open the water bottle in his hand and explained, “I just went to the 24-hour convenience store to buy water. Here, take a few sips. No rush, take your time and speak slowly.”

After taking a sip of water, Bai Zining felt his thoughts were exceptionally clear. At first, he had ignored Zhu Shizhou’s friendliness because, at the time, Zhu Shizhou had been in a bad mood. It was something Bai Zining had long since forgiven. But later on, there were things like calling him an ‘Incompetent loser’, switching partners, and mocking his nickname. Those incidents? Bai Zining remembered them all, one by one, with perfect clarity.

Clearing his throat, he began questioning in chronological order, “At the start of last year, were you looking down on me a bit?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then why did you call me an ‘Incompetent loser’!”

Under Zhu Shizhou’s puzzled gaze, Bai Zining vividly recounted the entire incident in great detail. Zhu Shizhou looked a bit surprised. “I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about that other guy.”

“Then why were you looking at me when you insulted him?”

“I was sharing the joke with you.”

“?” Bai Zining asked again, “If you weren’t annoyed with me, then why did you switch partners during volleyball class?”

“I wasn’t feeling well that day. After the bumping drills, I couldn’t keep going and told the teacher I needed to go to the infirmary. I didn’t know about the partner change. When I came back for the next class, I found out the teacher had paired you with someone else.”

“When I was reviewing, you kept staring at me. Were you annoyed because I was too loud while reciting?”

“Because I’d never seen anyone review that way before. I thought it was interesting, so I ended up watching you a few more times. Sorry, I shouldn’t have argued with you afterward. That was definitely my fault.”

“Forget it. We were both at fault for that argument,” Bai Zining said, letting it go before continuing to probe for evidence that Zhu Shizhou had disliked him in the past. “There was one time I bumped into you when I was heading out, and you called me a fool.”

“I didn’t mean it as an insult. I just thought the way you muttered to yourself was kind of cute.”

“You even made fun of my nickname.”

Prompted by Bai Zining, Zhu Shizhou thought back for a moment before recalling, “At the time, I was watching a funny video online with headphones on. I didn’t actually hear Auntie calling you. It wasn’t until summer vacation, when we started dating, and your mom called you for dinner, that I realized ‘Ningning’ really was your nickname.”

After understanding that all of these were just misunderstandings, Bai Zining was left speechless. This was completely different from what he had imagined, nothing aligned with the direction he had thought.

He suddenly realized that all his questioning just now made him seem petty and overly focused on past grievances. Giving the other person such an impression at the start of a relationship was really not ideal.

Wait, no—that’s not right. They weren’t even in a relationship yet. He hadn’t agreed to anything.

Just then, a soft touch landed on his left cheek, startling Bai Zining. He asked in surprise, “Did you just steal a kiss?”

Zhu Shizhou looked at him. “You don’t like it?”

Not exactly. Bai Zining touched the cheek that had just been kissed. Zhu Shizhou’s lips were soft, completely unlike his usual self. When he kissed away his tears, it had been so gentle, and even just now, the stolen kiss felt surprisingly pleasant. Before Bai Zining could figure out how to say the words “Not really,” his right cheek was kissed again.

Zhu Shizhou met Bai Zining’s gaze openly, his tone sincere. “Then I’ll kiss you properly and openly.”

If emotions could take physical form, Bai Zining felt like steam would be shooting out of his ears and the top of his head right now, more exaggerated than a boiling kettle in an animated cartoon.

The person in front of him suddenly extended his arms and wrapped him in a tight hug, pulling him completely into his embrace. That familiar and comforting scent enveloped him like a transparent bubble, enclosing just the two of them. With each breath, he could only catch the faint fragrance that lingered on Zhu Shizhou.

“This… but I…” He stammered for what felt like ages, unable to form a single coherent sentence.

“I can’t help it either,” Zhu Shizhou sighed softly next to his ear, sounding a little helpless. “It’s all because you’re just too cute.”

From half an hour ago, Bai Zining, who had been repeatedly called “too cute,” remained in a state of ongoing dizziness. So when Zhu Shizhou said, “It’s already too late. The dorms are definitely locked. Come back to my place,” Bai Zining obediently let Zhu Shizhou pull him by the hand and hailed a ride.

It wasn’t until they got out of the car and the cold night wind hit him that Bai Zining suddenly regained some clarity.

Looking up at the tall building looming against the dark night sky, Bai Zining asked his first question, “Did you bring your keys?”

“No, my home uses a password lock.”

In a flash of realization, he thought of something and pressed further, “Is the password lock newly installed?”

Zhu Shizhou shook his head. “It’s always been there.”

But last semester, during that power outage in the dorms, Zhu Shizhou had clearly said he didn’t have his house keys and that’s why he went back to the dorm. It seemed like Zhu Shizhou realized this inconsistency too, and he smiled, saying, “Because someone said they were really scared, so I had no choice but to come back and keep them company.”

The third question slipped out without thinking, “You must have liked me for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Of course. You’re so cute. Liking you is perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

Perhaps it was because of hearing such an answer, or perhaps it was the lack of cold air once they got home, but Bai Zining’s brain once again spiraled into a dazed, oxygen-deprived state.