My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 2

“Are you willing to test into Jingxi with me?”

After the lights were cut for the night, the dormitory filled with the rhythmic sounds of breathing, interspersed with occasional bouts of snoring.

Having never experienced communal living as an adult, Zuo Yi found it impossible to adapt quickly. The wound on his leg throbbed with a dull, stinging pain even after he applied medicine, making insomnia an inevitability. As he lay in bed, his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the year Qi Yan asked him, “Are you willing to test into Jingxi with me?”

The campus night resembled a serene ink painting. Moonlight, like liquid silver, filtered through the mottled leaves to scatter fragmented shadows across the ground. They looked like mysterious symbols left behind by time. Zuo Yi gazed out the window at the world shrouded in moonlight, and memories came rushing back like a rising tide.

It was the summer after Zuo Yi’s third year of middle school. He had just finished the National Youth Swimming U-Series, winning his group and meeting the qualifying standards. Before long, his First-Class Athlete certificate would be issued. With his status as a sports prodigy, Zuo Yi smoothly gained admission into the prestigious high school where Qi Yan was enrolled.

As summer drew to a close, Zuo Yi had yet to get into the “high school mindset.” Not only were his academic subjects a total mess, but his physical training had slackened after receiving his certificate. He lived like a puppy let off its leash, thinking of nothing but play. Frustrated by his lack of ambition, Zuo Yi’s parents asked Qi Yan to have a heart-to-heart with him.

Back then, Zuo Yi was young and arrogant. He assumed that by relying on his swimming talent and a baseline academic score, he could just cruise into any university in Jiangcheng. He wanted to pursue the path of an athlete. At most, he figured he would become a physical education teacher or a lifeguard at a swimming club. If all else failed, he could just live off his parents until he inherited his father’s company. Either way, he would not lack money, so he saw no need to make life difficult for himself.

The Zuo Yi of that time did not understand dreams or goals. He only wanted to stay in the Moonlight Bay courtyard for the rest of his life, never thinking of stepping out to see the world. Until that night, when the two of them sat on the courtyard swing, and Qi Yan asked him, “Are you willing to test into Jingxi with me?”

In the garden, the evening breeze lightly kissed the flowers and brushed against Zuo Yi’s heart. That was the first time Qi Yan had asked. Zuo Yi’s heart felt a strange, inexplicable tug, sending thin ripples through his soul.

Before that, he had always been annoyed by Qi Yan’s perennial “top student” attitude. Even though there was only a two-year age gap between them, the parents in the courtyard listened to Qi Yan’s advice on everything. Zuo Yi used to think that because Qi Yan had good grades, everyone thought he was great. The parents of the courtyard revered Qi Yan as a “Study God.” Whatever he said or whatever learning tips he shared were treated as gospel, which had caused Zuo Yi a fair share of grief.

Was it his fault he was a poor student? What could he do if knowledge simply would not enter his brain? Having been compared to Qi Yan by his parents since childhood, and having endured countless scoldings and beatings for it, Zuo Yi counted on his fingers. There were still two full years until Qi Yan went to university. At that moment, he wished Qi Yan would just take the exam and leave for Jingxi as soon as possible. The further, the better. That way, Zuo Yi would become the only free finless porpoise in the courtyard, or rather, in all of Jiangcheng. The vast Yangtze River would be his to roam.

“You are going to Jingxi? That is a great place!” Zuo Yi naturally refused, even adding fuel to the fire to encourage Qi Yan to leave. “You will definitely make a name for yourself there. I am not cut out for it. A failure like me would not survive there.”

Qi Yan seemed to lose himself that night. He stared up at the moon for a long, long time, so long that the moon seemed to grow shy and hid behind the clouds. Finally, without a word, Qi Yan stood up and went home.

Thinking of this, Zuo Yi turned over in bed. Now, he had ultimately given up on being that free porpoise of the Yangtze. If that accident had not happened back then, what would his relationship with Qi Yan be like now? Would Qi Yan still have disappeared without a word? Perhaps those questions would never have a correct answer.

Since that incident, Zuo Yi had shed his laziness, set a goal, and found endless motivation. This motivation was fueled by a complex mix of emotions. He was angry at Qi Yan’s silent departure. He was sad that someone as confident and brilliant as Qi Yan had encountered such a terrible situation. But mostly, he blamed himself. He blamed himself for being away at early summer training and not being home to stand up for him.

A teenager’s heart is always complicated. He said he hated him out loud while treasuring him like a priceless gem in his heart. The flower on the high peak that he especially cherished had been pushed into the abyss overnight. Qi Yan was never the one who did wrong, yet he was the one forced to bear the consequences. And Zuo Yi had been powerless to protect him, to resist, or to change anything.

How could he not know where Qi Yan went after leaving? He simply lacked the courage to pry into Qi Yan’s new life. He could only rely on his own hard work to enter Qi Yan’s world legitimately and stand by his side. Now, Zuo Yi was finally breathing the same air in the same city as Qi Yan.

Confirming that he was at Jingxi University should have been a happy occasion, but on the day they crossed paths, Zuo Yi had accidentally glimpsed Qi Yan’s secret. He had someone he liked. Furthermore, reality had ripped a crack in the secret Zuo Yi kept buried deep in his own heart. Zuo Yi liked Qi Yan. He liked him so much it hurt.

Facing all this, he was suddenly afraid. He was afraid that the wind would whistle through that crack called “unrequited love” and scatter their fragile connection. So, he had fled the scene, not daring to recognize him and not daring to run up to Qi Yan and shout, “I came to Jingxi to find you! Surprised?! Shocked?!”

He stayed awake all night. As the world gradually brightened, the gloom in Zuo Yi’s heart only grew heavier. As soon as the sky turned the color of a fish’s belly, he got up for a morning run. Afterward, he picked up breakfast for the entire dorm. Smelling the food, his roommates jumped out of bed one by one. They were so grateful they almost knelt to call Zuo Yi “Dad.”

That was the good thing about being a physical education student. They were young, vigorous, not prone to oversleeping, but definitely prone to overeating. Breakfast had to be hearty, or the training for the day would not feel right. As they gathered around the table, Li Zihao, his mouth stuffed with a large bun, said, “By the way, I found a place. You guys just follow me tonight. I guarantee you will have a blast.”

Guo Jingjing chimed in, “What kind of place? Are we not just going to eat?”

“We will eat, obviously,” Li Zihao smirked, giving him a playful nudge. “But we have to have some post-dinner activities too.”

The group was hooked by Li Zihao’s words, growing impatient for the evening.

“I have something to do tonight, so I will not go,” Feng Sang stammered, pushing up his black-rimmed glasses. “You guys have fun.” He stood up, grabbed his bag from the bed, and prepared to leave. Before heading out, he did not forget to add, “Zuo Yi, I will scan the breakfast money to you when I get back.”

“No need,” Zuo Yi replied, but the door had already shut with a thud.

The atmosphere became a bit awkward. After all, Feng Sang had agreed last night, but he had declined the invitation as soon as he woke up. Seeing the silence, Ji Yuxin said, “Maybe Feng Sang really has an emergency. We will invite him next time. For now, let us decide where we are eating tonight.”

Guo Jingjing immediately took the lead. “There is a hole-in-the-wall place near the North Gate that is pretty good. Let us go there.”

“Fine, pick wherever you want. I am covering all the expenses today,” Li Zihao said, acting as if nothing had happened while stuffing another meat bun into his mouth.

“Ooh, Brother Hao is truly wealthy!” Xie Biao’s joke made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere finally returned to normal.

Zuo Yi remembered he had to accompany Sister Xiao to buy some daily necessities. He finished the last sip of his soy milk and prepared to head out. “I have something to do in a bit, too. Send me the location later. I will be there on time for dinner.” He pulled out his phone, opened his WeChat QR code, and held it out for them to scan.

When he arrived at the Jingxi Film Academy, Ding Wenxiao was already waiting at the school gate. She was fully dressed and wearing heavy makeup. Beside her stood another girl with waist-length hair and a gentle temperament.

“Heh, you are wearing that to go to the supermarket?” Zuo Yi walked toward them with one hand in his pocket, not missing the chance to tease her. “People would think you are walking a runway in Milan, you trendsetter.”

Ding Wenxiao was nearly 173 cm tall and knew how to highlight her physique. She wore a cropped knit top with hot pants and high-top boots. She looked stylish and hot.

“Such a normal-looking guy, yet he was born with such a mouth. My sincere advice is to talk less in the future, as it lowers your visual appeal,” Ding Wenxiao shot back unceremoniously.

“Pfft!” The girl next to Ding Wenxiao could not help but laugh as she watched them trade barbs.

Zuo Yi shrugged. “And this is?”

“This is my roommate, Wang Jiayi. She was alone in the dorm, so I asked her to come along,” Ding Wenxiao introduced. Zuo Yi greeted her politely.

While browsing the supermarket, Zuo Yi and Ding Wenxiao continued to bicker, much to Wang Jiayi’s amusement. She whispered into Ding Wenxiao’s ear, “Your brother is really handsome, and his personality is so lively.” However, her volume was not controlled well enough, and the brother in question heard her perfectly.

Zuo Yi curled his lips. Ding Wenxiao was only three days older than him, yet she spent all her time telling people he was her immature little brother. Driven by a bit of spite, he took the shopping cart from her and said, “It must be exhausting to shop at your age. Let me push this for you.”

“Try being a smart-ass one more time!” Ding Wenxiao snapped, raising a fist playfully. Zuo Yi laughed and ran off with the cart.

After shopping, Ding Wenxiao received a call from the school saying she was scheduled for a freshman media interview that afternoon and needed to head back. Before the three of them parted ways, Ding Wenxiao pointedly reminded him, “The 20th is Brother Yan’s birthday. Let us celebrate it for him once military training is over. I will make the appointment.”

At the mention of Qi Yan, Zuo Yi became momentarily distracted. He was not ready to face him yet, and his instinct was to refuse. But when the words came out, they sounded different. “We will see. In case he has someone, he wants to spend his birthday with privately, it would not be right for us to butt in.”

“If there really is someone like that, I will just have Brother Yan bring them along to meet us. I am sure he would be happy to introduce them. It is settled then!” With that, Ding Wenxiao grabbed her roommate and hailed a taxi.

Zuo Yi realized he had just dug a massive hole for himself and felt an immediate wave of regret. With time to kill before the dinner gathering, Zuo Yi wandered aimlessly. His mind was a mess. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees lining the street, casting speckled shadows like fragments of a broken dream. It made Zuo Yi feel uneasy. He felt as though time was strapped to a rocket, flying by too fast.

Since kindergarten, the “Iron Triangle” had never missed each other’s birthdays until Qi Yan left last year. Even then, Zuo Yi had carefully prepared a birthday gift. Though he had not known when it would reach Qi Yan, he had brought it with him to Jingxi, sealed away in his suitcase. Zuo Yi understood now that the gift might never have the chance to be given.

He walked for nearly five kilometers. It was only when he reached his destination that he realized the GPS on his phone was not set to the Jingxi Physical Education Institute, but to Jingxi University.

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