Feeling suddenly down, Qiu Qiu was in a terrible state.
He gloomily finished his thesis, gloomily checked it over several times, gloomily sent it to his course instructor, gloomily reviewed his other upcoming exams, gloomily helped other classmates with their study problems, and then gloomily went to the cupboard to get some snacks and gloomily started eating them.
When Fu Ruien finished work and came out of his study, Qiu Qiu was holding a palm-sized Wangwang Rice Cracker in both hands, munching away. The crisp crunching sound echoed in the living room. Qiu Qiu was focused intently on his munching, finishing one and grabbing another, rice cracker crumbs falling all over his clothes and sticking to his face.
Fu Ruien watched appreciatively for a while, thinking his appearance might make the snacking boy feel embarrassed. Who knew Qiu Qiu was eating so intently he didn't even notice Fu Ruien's arrival.
Fu Ruien cleared his throat and asked with a smile, "What time is it now, still eating snacks? Are they that good?"
The sound snapped Qiu Qiu, who was diligently crunching, back to awareness. The boy really was like a small animal interrupted while eating, his whole body tensing up as if you could see a wave-like shiver run through him.
Sitting on the floor hugging his snacks, Qiu Qiu looked up at the source of his distress. The man before him had a handsome face, long legs, a great figure, was wealthy and had taste—countless people were lining up to be his godson.
Qiu Qiu sometimes really wished Fu Ruien could be more like his own dad: a bit shorter, with less hair, a thicker waistline... That way, he wouldn't have these wild thoughts and they could just be an ordinary father and son, right?
Qiu Qiu raised his hand high, offering the half-eaten rice cracker generously. "Want a bite?"
Fu Ruien didn't like sweets; just the sweet smell wafting from the cracker was unbearable for him.
He shook his head, bent one long leg to half-kneel, pushed the snack back towards Qiu Qiu's mouth, and used a tissue to wipe the crumbs off his face. "Alright, go brush your teeth after you finish. Keep gaining weight and you won't be the school heartthrob, only the top student."
Qiu Qiu subconsciously pinched his own stomach. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt like he'd gained three pounds of flab there. He stuffed the remaining rice cracker into his mouth in a few bites and scampered off to brush his teeth.
Fu Ruien loved seeing him like this. Only after Qiu Qiu's figure disappeared into the crack of the bathroom door did Fu Ruien get up and head to the kitchen.
His original intention was to make a nutritional drink before bed, but when he opened the cupboard, a pile of chocolate pies, cereal, and cookies came tumbling down with a clatter...
You couldn't eat this much even for hibernation, could you?
...
After washing up, feeling refreshed, Qiu Qiu planned to return to his tent to sleep. But the bedroom floor was empty. He looked around in confusion before realizing his entire nest had been moved onto the bed by his godfather.
Fu Ruien's bed was huge and luxurious. The tent standing on it was like a thatched hut built on the deck of a luxury cruise ship. Fu Ruien was leaning against the headboard, reading an e-reader. When his sweet son entered, he didn't even lift an eyebrow.
Qiu Qiu was like a little hen whose nest had been raided. "M-m-m-my tent!"
Fu Ruien said calmly, "What's all the fuss? It's right here."
Qiu Qiu hugged the tent, trying to move it back to the floor, but after tugging a couple of times without success, he discovered his godfather had actually used the tent's guy ropes to tie all four corners to the bedposts, and tied them in a dead knot.
Fu Ruien: "There's no carpet on the floor. I saw you didn't even lay out a groundsheet in your tent. I was afraid you'd catch a chill."
Qiu Qiu puffed up angrily. "How do you know I didn't lay a groundsheet?... Godfather, you actually entered my room without my permission?"
"...What kind of room is this? It's just a tent."
"But it's still my privacy, okay?"
Fu Ruien couldn't be bothered to argue. "Anyway, I did it for your own good. It's not like I live on a mountaintop. When you're at my place, stop thinking about camping."
Unable to win the argument or untie the knots, Qiu Qiu could only climb onto the big ship with a pout, and before the captain could catch him, he slipped into his own thatched hut.
Actually, the tent was quite spacious inside, more than enough for one person to sleep. Qiu Qiu turned on his little lantern and, by its light, tidied up his own little domain.
The tent was bright, the bedroom dark. In Fu Ruien's eyes, his precious son was hidden inside a glowing eggshell. The light clearly outlined his lovely figure, making his every move distinctly visible.
Qiu Qiu had no idea his privacy had long been seen through by his godfather. In the spacious tent, he stretched his limbs, doing a set of stretching exercises. When he was little, he saw his mom doing bedtime yoga and insisted on joining. Over time, it became a habit. Now, if he doesn't do the splits before bed, he feels uncomfortable all over.
So Fu Ruien watched with great interest a spectacular bedtime performance. Only then did he learn just how far his sweet son's hips could open, how far his waist could bend...
Fu Ruien's gaze was practically on fire. Luckily the tent was made of fireproof material, otherwise it really might have caught fire.
After warming up his limbs, Qiu Qiu finally settled down to sleep. He took off his loungewear piece by piece, until his smooth body was clad only in a pair of briefs. He wriggled left, wriggled right, and finally squirmed into his sleeping bag.
As for pajamas?
...He sleeps naked in his own room, why should he put clothes on?
But the moment he lay down, Fu Ruien got up.
After all, they were on the same bed. Fu Ruien's hurried movements made the whole bed shake.
Qiu Qiu rolled to the edge of the tent and poked his not-yet-fully-feathered head out from under the tent's zippered door, asking dutifully, "Godfather, where are you going so late?"
Fu Ruien walked out without looking back, tossing over his shoulder, "You sleep first. I suddenly have a big business deal to handle."
Qiu Qiu watched his godfather's retreating back with heartache, thinking: Making money is really hard. Tyrannical CEOs may seem impressive during the day, but they have to get up and work overtime if there's business at night. But it's so strange... why go to the bathroom to handle business instead of the study?
...
Nowadays, information spreads very fast online. The fire in the Male Dormitory Building No. 4 of A University occupied the headlines of local newspapers for several consecutive days. Reporters with cameras could also be seen around the school from time to time.
The concerned Hua Xiang, upon seeing the news, quickly called Qiu Qiu.
"Alumni! I heard our alma mater burned down. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. The college entrance exam is in a few days. Aren't you nervous?"
Even though Hua Xiang was only a year younger than Qiu Qiu, he was still a high school student. He was an arts specialty student who had failed the exam twice in a row. Later, in desperation, he thought if normal advancement through exams was hopeless, he could just join a talent show to become a star, so he charged headlong into the world.
Hua Xiang said breezily, "Practice makes perfect. This is the third time, what's there to be nervous about? Besides, the Huanggang famous teacher my mom hired for me even praised me, saying I'm very creative in guessing answers—that's a compliment, right?"
"...Seems like it?"
"And my dad said, if I don't get into college this time and the talent show doesn't work out either, he'll send me abroad to get some gilded credentials." Hua Xiang lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously. "I'm planning to have my dad pull some strings to get me registered under an ethnic minority household. I heard you can get an extra five points on the IELTS exam that way."
"..." Huh? You can do that?
The two of them were close in age, and although they hadn't interacted much, they felt an inexplicable closeness. Hua Xiang was the type who loved to show off, but aside from that, he wasn't a bad guy. Most people couldn't stand his flamboyance, but all of Qiu Qiu's friends were like that—full of drama, reaching the climax within three sentences.
After hanging up with Hua Xiang, his little comforter, Qi Qiqi, also came to check on him. However, he didn't call. Instead, he matched with Qiu Qiu for a PVP round in their game. Only after thoroughly defeating Qiu Qiu's character did Qi Qiqi finally feel reassured.
Qi Qiqi: "Great! You're still as terrible at this as ever, so you haven't been body-snatched!"
"You're so young, and you already know about body-snatching?"
"Of course I do! Every time I stream myself playing King of Glory, my fans say I must be a transmigrator."
Qiu Qiu was so envious. Qi Qiqi was so young and already had his own streaming channel. Lots of people in their university from the arts and engineering departments had channels too, either live-streaming themselves solving math problems or painting. Even Big Bear started a stream during finals week to sculpt his clay figures, and the tips he got in a single week were more than Qiu Qiu made from a month of tutoring.
Back when Qiu Qiu's debts were at their lowest, he'd thought about following their example. But these days, being able to recite poetry isn't special at all. He recited until his mouth was dry and only made a little over ten bucks.
Because of the fire incident, the phone calls had been non-stop these past few days. On a weekend evening, Qiu Qiu got a call from the show's assistant director. As usual, the assistant director first asked about the situation at his school. Seeing that Qiu Qiu was fine, the assistant director reminded him to come for the finals rehearsal next week.
"Rehearsal?" Qiu Qiu hesitated. Next week was the start of their exam period, with tests lined up one after another. He was a top student, but not a genius; he needed peace and quiet to study during exam week.
"Yes, the semi-final live broadcast was rushed, and we identified quite a few issues. So, the production team decided to have a rehearsal first. We need to smooth out the personnel changes, performer blocking, live accompaniment, and so on."
"But I have exams next week..."
"It won't take too long, just three hours. It's like going out with friends for a movie and a meal, that takes three hours too, right?"
On his end of the phone, Qiu Qiu shook his head, completely forgetting the assistant director couldn't see him. "I need to study. I really don't have the time."
"..." The assistant director had a headache. "Oh, top student, there are always some people and some things in this world that are more important than studying! If you want to advance, you better show up obediently for this rehearsal. The production team is taking this regional final very seriously. I'll be straight with you—the main investor will be there! You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the investor, do you?"
"Huh? Godfather will be at the final?"
"Godfather?" the assistant director muttered. "You can call him the investor, or godfather works too. Anyway, there can't be any mistakes this final. That kid Hua Xiang is coming to rehearse in the evening even after taking his college entrance exams during the day. Don't be a special case."
This time, Qiu Qiu finally relented. "I'll be there on time for the rehearsal."
The assistant director was overjoyed and praised him for being sensible.
But in truth, Qiu Qiu wasn't doing it for the sake of the show's quality at all. He hoped that during the competition, Fu Ruien would see him at his very best.
