My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 26

“Brother Yan, do you know what this fruit is called?”

Clicking into the trending topic, the real-time feed was filled with candid photos of Liang Yi smiling and using his hand to wipe ice cream from the corner of Zuo Yi’s mouth.

Scrolling down, there was even a deliberately edited couple style video. In the video, the two appeared intimate. At one moment, Liang Yi seemed to have his arm around Zuo Yi’s waist, and in another, around his shoulder. They were chatting and laughing while shopping, and the entire screen was covered in pink bubble special effects.

The number of people shipping them as a couple grew, and fans even started a dedicated Super Topic for them called “One Heart, One Yi.”

Looking inside, the posts from couple fans were more heart stabbing than the last:

“Ah! These two sports department hunks are such a perfect match! These photos have me officially shipping them; I will drink to this couple!”

“Our Liang Yi’s little boyfriend is so handsome, and his physique is amazing!”

“I cannot even imagine how good my couple looks together. Just thinking about them standing on the podium together is explosive!”

“Leopard and Cat! I am born!”

Qi Yan finished reading and remained silent.

Zuo Yi could not read his thoughts and called out tentatively, “Brother Yan.”

“Mm?” Qi Yan’s gaze moved from the phone to Zuo Yi’s face.

“That waist grabbing in the video? It is fake. It was just a trick of the camera angle,” Zuo Yi explained.

Qi Yan replied, “You did not mention on the phone that day that you were going to Decathlon with him.”

“We only decided to go together after we hung up.”

Qi Yan placed the phone back on the coffee table, nodded, and asked, “What do you want for dinner? I will go make it for you.”

Zuo Yi could not quite describe the feeling in his heart. Qi Yan’s reaction seemed a bit too calm, leaving Zuo Yi disappointed. It felt as if the trending topic were just some mindless entertainment gossip. Since Qi Yan was not the type to care for gossip, he did not even bother to ask.

The more Zuo Yi thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. Even if he were just a friend to Qi Yan, this should not be the reaction!

Was he not even curious enough to ask Zuo Yi’s thoughts on being trending?

It was only then that Zuo Yi realized he was not actually afraid of Qi Yan getting angry. Rather, he hoped Qi Yan’s reaction would be stronger. He would have preferred it if Qi Yan had dragged him into a loud argument. At least that would have given him a chance to explain himself clearly.

His chest felt tight. He casually requested Tomato and Beef Brisket Risotto and stopped paying attention to Qi Yan.

Qi Yan went into the kitchen and closed the door.

He leaned both hands against the marble countertop, carefully taking a deep breath to adjust his mood. The vinegar jar in his heart had long since overturned. He was merely holding up a front.

In the living room, Zuo Yi’s phone was nearly exploding from calls from friends and family. He had no mood to answer, so he simply turned on airplane mode to get some peace.

During dinner, they sat across from each other. Qi Yan picked almost all the beef brisket from his own bowl and put it into Zuo Yi’s. Meanwhile, Zuo Yi was distracted, absentmindedly and slowly eating while replying to messages.

“I have to say, the gossip loving crowd are geniuses. I love the couple name One Heart, One Yi too much, ha ha ha.”

It was a voice message from Liang Yi, which Zuo Yi played on the speaker.

Qi Yan’s eyes instantly turned cold. He asked, “Since your relationship is so good, why did I not see him come to your evaluation today?”

Zuo Yi, still holding onto his frustration, said intentionally, “It is not convenient for him to go to crowded places. He cheered me on over WeChat.”

“So you have been chatting on WeChat non-stop, even during dinner?” Qi Yan tried his best to keep his tone restrained.

Zuo Yi set his phone on the table and looked up to counter, “Is that not allowed?”

“It is allowed.” Qi Yan instantly lost his appetite. He stood up and left the table. “As long as you are happy.”

Seeing that Qi Yan would not even finish his meal, Zuo Yi was certain he was angry. He lowered his head to type a string of text on his phone and then ate every last bite of the risotto in his bowl.

Zuo Yi did not return to school that night. He sat on the sofa messing with his phone while Qi Yan stayed in his room after leaving the table and did not come out.

Finally, the topic #Liang Yi Clarification# climbed the trending list.

Liang Yi: Went to buy sports equipment with my junior after training. Who knew eating an ice cream could be spotted? Everyone is a walking surveillance camera! Now both of us are going to get scolded by the coach! (So, next time you take a photo, can you add a beauty filter for me?)

Zuo Yi immediately forwarded it: “Coach, my senior and I will never dare to sneak sweets again! I will take the initiative to run ten extra laps tomorrow [Getting beaten] [Getting beaten] [Getting beaten].”

In an instant, the public opinion shifted from shipping them to discussing the hardships of athletes. Usually, they had to strictly control their diets and basically could not touch desserts. Sneaking a little in private without being caught would have been fine, but having it photographed and posted online was quite malicious. Netizens began to criticize this behavior, calling for athletes to be given enough private space and insisting that the private lives of national athletes should not be overly scrutinized.

Zuo Yi happily clicked on Liang Yi’s message.

[Zorro: Thank you, Senior! You saved my life!] [Liang Yi: Small case. Remember you owe me a meal.] [Zorro: Guaranteed.]

A short while later, there was a knock at the door: “Hello, delivery.”

Zuo Yi, wearing his slippers and supporting his lower back, ran to open the door. The delivery person handed him a large bag of kiwis. He carried them to the kitchen and came out with a full plate of sliced kiwi.

Then, he took out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it to Weibo in one seamless motion.

Zuo Yi carried the platter, which he had specially arranged, to the master bedroom and knocked. Inside, Qi Yan ignored him.

“Brother Yan, I am coming in.” Zuo Yi did not wait for a response and opened the door.

Qi Yan had already washed up and was leaning against the headboard scrolling through his phone. He did not even look up when Zuo Yi entered.

“Want some fruit?” Zuo Yi sat cross-legged on the floor by Qi Yan’s bed. He held the platter with both hands and looked up at Qi Yan with innocent eyes.

Qi Yan glanced at him and felt that the boy was intentionally trying to annoy him, actually bringing in a plate of green fruit. Was he implying someone was not green enough?

“Not eating,” Qi Yan replied coldly.

Zuo Yi used a fork to pick up a small piece and held it to Qi Yan’s mouth. “Give me some face and try a piece. I bought it specifically; it is not sour, it is very sweet.”

“Take it away.”

“Brother!” Seeing that he still would not eat, Zuo Yi popped it into his own mouth. While chewing, he said, “It really is sweet.”

Qi Yan raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. The sweet taste of that piece of kiwi still lingered on his lips.

“Brother Yan, do you know what this fruit is called?” Zuo Yi asked.

Qi Yan replied, “Mihoutao.”

Zuo Yi shook his head. Qi Yan did not know what he was up to and asked, “Then what is it called?”

“Qiyiguo.” Zuo Yi forked another piece and offered it to him. “The fruit eaten by Qi Yan and Zuo Yi together, so it is called Qiyiguo.”

In an instant, Qi Yan’s heart, which had nearly crumbled into dust, was picked up piece by piece by hand, then held in a warm palm, kneaded, and restored.

Zuo Yi looked regretful. “Are you really not going to eat it? My arm is getting tired from holding it up.”

Qi Yan finally opened his mouth and took the piece of kiwi.

“Is it good?” Zuo Yi asked with starry eyes.

“Sweet.”

Having received Qi Yan’s approval, Zuo Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was not sure if Qi Yan had seen their clarification on Weibo, so he hinted, “It is quite lively on Weibo.”

Qi Yan replied, “I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

Zuo Yi did not know that the screen on Qi Yan’s phone showed the post he had just made from the living room. The text read: “Favorite fruit: Qiyiguo.” The accompanying photo was a fruit platter arranged into a large heart.

The next morning, Zuo Yi returned to school with his back injury to participate in a physical fitness test. The test was held in the gym and focused on one on one testing of core strength, cardiopulmonary function, and body flexibility.

Before leaving, Qi Yan repeatedly reminded him. By the fourth time he mentioned “watch your back injury,” Zuo Yi finally could not take it and made a shushing gesture. “Shh, Comrade Qi Yan. Any more and you will be a nag.”

Who goes around constantly reminding a young man in his prime that his back is injured!

Qi Yan shook his head with a smile. “Come back to the apartment tonight. I will change your medicated patch.”

“Okay. After class, I will wait at your school gate. Let us go to the restaurant together.” Zuo Yi calculated that Qi Yan would not agree to let him work, so he ran off as soon as he finished speaking.

During the physical test, Zuo Yi gritted his teeth to finish. Although his results were affected, he fortunately still passed smoothly.

Joining the school team was now a settled matter. Zuo Yi pulled himself from the crowd to Coach Huang’s side, playfully bumped him with his shoulder, and said proudly, “Coach, I made it onto the school team.”

“You brat, this is just the beginning. Already getting proud?” Coach Huang rolled his eyes, then looked at the comparison between Zuo Yi’s entrance data and this current fitness test. He frowned and asked, “Your overall data has slipped a bit. That should not be the case.”

Zuo Yi felt that his back injury was just a result of overexertion during yesterday’s evaluation, likely just a muscle strain. Knowing it was not a major issue, he did not take the initiative to report it.

However, Coach Huang saw right through him and asked, “Are you injured somewhere?”

“Oh, it is nothing big. Just a bit of a muscle strain in my lower back. I did not dare use my full strength today.”

The more casually Zuo Yi spoke, the darker Coach Huang’s face became. He pulled Zuo Yi to a less crowded spot and said earnestly, “You brat really do not give me any peace. Can an injury for an athlete be a small matter? When this happens, you should report it to me immediately. If it is light, go back and rest; if it is heavy, get your ass to the hospital for a full checkup. An athlete’s honor is important, but health is more important. Do not disregard your body for honor and results. You are still young now. If you let a permanent injury take root, you will suffer when you are old.”

Zuo Yi gradually began to understand why Coach Huang could produce a world champion like Liang Yi, someone who was down to earth and composed. It was because Coach Huang had heart and humanity. He did not put fame and fortune first. He truly cared for his students.

Zuo Yi gave a military salute. “Yes sir! In the future, if this happens again, I will report it immediately and never hide it.”

“For today and tomorrow, underwater training is changed to land based cardio. I will adjust your training plan for these two days based on your injury; it will not be too heavy.” As he spoke, Coach Huang lifted Zuo Yi’s shirt. “Let me see where the injury is. Oh, this medicated patch is applied quite well.”

Of course, it is, my Brother Yan applied it himself. Zuo Yi felt secretly pleased. “It is just a patch, applied casually.”

“By the way, your Senior Liang Yi is going abroad for intensive training next month to prepare for next year’s Olympics. You brat should hurry and learn more from him.” Coach Huang added with a smile, “No sneaking ice cream.”

“Understood!”

During the professional course in the afternoon, Zuo Yi finally caught Li Zihao. This guy had been invisible ever since he started dating.

On the podium, the professor lectured on key points. In the seats, Zuo Yi pulled on Li Zihao’s sleeve, pestering him.

“Brother Hao, Brother Hao, I will only take up an hour of your time later. Accompany me, please.”

Li Zihao’s ears were practically growing callouses. “Fine, fine, fine! Tell me first, what exactly am I accompanying you to do?”

Zuo Yi gave a mischievous grin. “Accompany me to buy a car!”

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