My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 24

What Is Our Relationship?

[1: Incoming Video Call]

In a surge of excitement, Zuo Yi’s palm slipped, and the phone smacked right into his chin. He instantly teared up from the pain.

The dormitory lights were already out. To avoid waking his roommates, Zuo Yi crept off his bunk and shuffled out the door in his slippers. There were motion-sensor lights in the stairwell; regardless of how dirty it was, he plopped down on the steps. By the time he was settled, Qi Yan’s call had already timed out.

He smoothed his hair before calling back, and the other side connected almost immediately.

Zuo Yi: “Brother Yan.”

In the video, Zuo Yi’s eyes were a bit red, and his chin was slightly swollen. The background revealed the yellow-lit, worn-down stairwell, making him look quite pitiful.

Qi Yan: “Where are you?”

Zuo Yi pouted. “The lights are out in the dorm. I was worried you would not be able to see me, so I came to the hallway to borrow some light.”

Qi Yan: “The wind is picking up outside; it is a bit cold. Do not catch a cold.”

Zuo Yi patted his chest. “I will not. Look at me, fit and strong with eight abs. I am not that delicate.”

Qi Yan tilted his camera slightly, revealing a desk lamp, and a soft chuckle escaped him.

“Do you have insomnia?” Zuo Yi asked.

Qi Yan nodded. “A little.”

“I told you I should have stayed today. If you cannot sleep, at least you would have me to keep you company so it would not be too boring.”

“It is not boring. You are keeping me company right now.”

Qi Yan’s gentle voice turned into a stream warmed by the sun, flowing straight into Zuo Yi’s heart. No matter how cool the night breeze was, it felt warm when it hit him.

After a long silence, Zuo Yi spoke slowly, “Brother Yan, if you feel sad, just tell me. No matter how hard it gets, I,” he paused, “Xiaoxiao and I will be there with you.”

“Thank you, Xiao Yi.”

Zuo Yi spoke too quickly. “What is there to thank? We are brothers, after all.”

Qi Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Brothers?”

“…”

Zuo Yi froze. He suddenly remembered that not long ago, they had both emphasized to a taxi driver that they were not brothers. Although the context was different now, it felt like he had just contradicted Qi Yan.

He pressed the phone against his chest, drowning in regret.

Idiot! If you do not know how to talk, do not force it! Why bring up brothers? Who wants to be his brother!

Zuo Yi had a long face, his mind already flashing through a hundred ways to punish himself. He moved the phone away from his chest and aimed it back at his sharp jawline, explaining, “Um, what I meant was, given our relationship, we should not always say thank you. It makes us sound like strangers.”

“What is our relationship?” Qi Yan asked.

The motion-sensor light suddenly flickered off. The dark hallway became eerily quiet; even the faint sound of cicadas vanished. On the screen, he could see half of Qi Yan’s handsome face as he lay under the warm lamp. On Zuo Yi’s dark end, he could only hear his own hot, restless heart thumping in his chest, nearly jumping out.

“We, we are,” he stammered for a long time, not knowing how to answer.

Qi Yan lifted his eyelids, making his hooded eyes look even deeper. “I am a bit sleepy, Xiao Yi.”

“Ah, okay. Then you should go to sleep. Goodnight.”

Zuo Yi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. For a split second, he had wanted to just go for it and say that they were in a relationship of crushing and being crushed on.

“Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”

After the call ended, Qi Yan got out of bed and went to the living room to pour a glass of water to calm his nerves. That had been one of his rare moments of impulsiveness; he really should not have asked such a question to trouble the boy. After drinking the water, Qi Yan went to the guest room. On the desk was a simple memorial with a black and white photo of Chen Xin. He gently touched the black edge of the frame, as tenderly as if he were brushing back his mother’s bangs.

“Mom, except for you, no one knows I like Xiao Yi. If there comes a day when I cannot hide it anymore, do you think he will hate me even more than he did when we were kids?”

The next morning, Zuo Yi arrived at the training hall with a heart prepared for the worst. He knew he was done for; as soon as he saw Coach Huang, he would surely be scolded to death. To his surprise, Coach Huang did not scold him; in fact, he did not even give him a second look.

Liang Yi walked over and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Junior, finally decided to show up?”

Zuo Yi said awkwardly, “Senior Liang Yi, you have not left yet?”

“Listen to you. Did I make you skip training just by being here?” Liang Yi let go of his shoulder, his face darkening as he asked.

Zuo Yi quickly shook his head in denial. “No! I really had things at home. I thought you were only here for the holiday training. Do not misunderstand.”

Liang Yi burst out laughing. “Look at how nervous you are. I am just teasing you.”

Haha.

Zuo Yi gave a fake smile, thinking to himself that it was not funny at all.

When Zuo Yi came out of the locker room in his training gear, he saw Liang Yi and Coach Huang arguing until they were red in the face. As he got closer, he realized they were arguing about him. Coach Huang felt Zuo Yi was stubborn and disobedient, refusing to let him participate in the school team assessment. Liang Yi, however, thought Coach Huang was too rigid and unreasonable.

“Athletes are human too. It is normal to ask for leave when there is an emergency at home. Scold him if you must, punish him if you must, but what is the point of banning him from the assessment?” Liang Yi said.

Coach Huang raised his voice. “Zuo Yi is my student. What does it have to do with someone just borrowing the space to train?”

Liang Yi would not back down. “Old Huang, it has been so many years and you still have not fixed that stubborn streak of yours. Can I not even speak a word of justice? Zuo Yi is a talent you personally recognized. When you were training me, was I ever well-behaved? How many times did you scold me for skipping training? And yet here I am, representing the country.”

“You!” Coach Huang was left speechless.

Many trainees were already looking over. Zuo Yi, afraid they would end up on the school news if they kept at it, hurried over to intervene. “Um, are you two tired of arguing? Why not take a break?”

Liang Yi and Coach Huang both looked over, their expressions unreadable. Liang Yi grabbed Zuo Yi and pulled him between them. “Perfect. Your apprentice is right here. If you are really going to cut him off from the school team assessment, say it to his face.”

“Hmph.” Coach Huang let out a cold snort, his face looking terrifyingly grim.

“If you will not say it, then I will?” Liang Yi looked at Zuo Yi. “Junior, give me a straight answer. Do you want to join the school swimming team?”

“Of course I do! I do not just want to join the school team; I want to compete in the National Games and the World Championships!” Zuo Yi answered firmly.

“Fine. Will the few days you missed affect your test results today?” Liang Yi asked.

Zuo Yi understood immediately. To earn Coach Huang’s forgiveness, he had to let his results do the talking. He had promised Coach Huang a mock assessment after the holiday, and now it was the perfect time.

“It will not affect me. But Senior, you taught me a trick for the dive last time. I would like to try the feel of it before starting the assessment,” Zuo Yi said.

Liang Yi replied, “Fine. Go ahead.”

Zuo Yi nodded and walked to the edge of the pool to warm up. Behind him, Coach Huang’s lukewarm voice drifted over, “Hmph, you are acting as if Liang Yi is his coach.”

Zuo Yi knew Coach Huang was softening; he could not help but curl his lips upward. After finishing all preparations, Coach Huang walked over and said, “First assessment, 800m freestyle.”

Zuo Yi nodded, took a deep breath, put on his goggles, and stepped onto the starting block. It was impossible not to be nervous. He had not trained for several days and his muscles were not fully warmed up, but he still had confidence in his middle to long distance strength.

“Take your marks.”

Zuo Yi prepared for the dive. At the sound of the whistle, Zuo Yi’s back leg pushed off with great power, launching him perfectly into the water like a dolphin leaping back into the sea. Both his form and entry were flawless. For the first fifteen meters, Zuo Yi’s dolphin kicks were incredibly powerful. After breaking the surface, he maintained a steady pace. He had only one thought, he had to win back the three seconds he had lost!

During the last three laps of the 50m pool, Zuo Yi began to pick up speed. When he reached the final lap and heard the bell ringing from the shore, he transformed from a dolphin into a shark. His acceleration was so fast that the people on shore gasped in amazement. Coach Huang and Liang Yi watched the numbers on the stopwatch with a mix of tension and excitement. For the final fifty meters, Zuo Yi did not slow down at all. Instead, he became even more aggressive, like a beast in the water with inexhaustible explosive power, chasing down its prey.

In the blink of an eye, Zuo Yi touched the wall. The timer stopped!

Zuo Yi took off his goggles in the water and looked up at Coach Huang’s frowning expression. His heart sank instantly. After getting out of the pool, he approached Coach Huang cautiously. He did not have the courage to ask for the result. He bit his lip and forced a smile. “Sigh, Coach, it is true that I was too arrogant. If my performance was poor this time and you want to cancel my qualification for the school team assessment, I will listen to you. At worst, I will try again next year.”

“I am off. I am going to the gym to work on my strength.” Liang Yi playfully patted Zuo Yi’s wet shoulder, his eyes looking as if he were saying, I cannot help you anymore, good luck.

After Liang Yi left, Zuo Yi stepped back onto the starting block, planning to swim another round to vent. He really had been blindly confident this time. Just as he was about to dive, Coach Huang finally spoke, “I really underestimated you, kid.”

“Coach, what do you mean?” Zuo Yi asked.

Coach Huang handed him the timer. “See for yourself.”

7:49.55!!!

“Holy crap! 7:49.55!” Zuo Yi jumped off the block and nearly slipped. Coach Huang caught him and held him steady. “Coach, look at this. Am I seeing things?”

Zuo Yi was ecstatic. This was his best time to date; even on a professional stage, this was a result that could land someone on the podium! Coach Huang finally showed a smile and scolded him playfully, “You brat. In just a few days, despite missing training, you managed to shave nearly seven seconds off your time. That is pretty impressive.”

Zuo Yi felt his blood boiling. The adrenaline was nearly bursting through his body. His mind was filled with the thought of taking a photo of the time on the stopwatch to show Qi Yan when they met tonight. With that thought, he did not even bother to keep coaxing his coach. He grabbed the timer and ran toward the locker room. “I am going to take a photo! I will be right back to continue training!”

Coach Huang watched his back, shaking his head with a smile. He had never seen a kid so mischievous, mischievous yet so confident and so talented.

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