May Day holiday is five days long, but after May Day, Qin Cheng has a competition, so he has to do extra training now. Jian Heng has an experiment on May Day and was also assigned a bunch of tasks by the homeroom teacher, so neither of them can go home.
The location of the National Sports Center is slightly south of Jinhua City. By May Day, the temperature had already reached nearly thirty degrees. On the playground, a group of sport students had tanned so much that their skin had peeled off in layers. When the wind blew, it stung painfully, but no one complained. They just applied some sunscreen and continued training.
Everyone has their own goals, and the goals of sport students are not achieved through paper and pen, but through the sweat and blood shed on the track. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to practice like your life depends on it; if you want to achieve results, you have to train like your life depends on it.
After running ten kilometers with a heavy load, they were all sweating as if it were raining. Qin Cheng looked up at the sun, which was scattering into beams of fragmented light, shining directly into his eyes.
Today is a day with no motivation. Jian Heng has an experiment and has to stay at school tonight, can’t come back, and can’t even come to see him.
Guarding an empty house alone, lonely as snow.
Qin Cheng took a deep breath, accepted the water thrown over by Zhou Han, raised his arm, and said: “Thanks.”
Zhou Han walked over, looked around, and asked: “Is Jian-ge not coming today?”
“He has classes today,” Qin Cheng, who had been feeling down all morning, finally opened up and started chatting. He put his hand on his shoulder and gave him earnest advice, with a serious face. “Let Ge tell you, the saying ‘a day without seeing the person feels like three autumns has passed’ is really not just a saying. Just half a day without seeing him, and it feels like I haven’t seen him for a month. I can’t eat properly, and I can’t sleep well.”
Zhou Han scratched the back of his head and said frankly: “We can’t sleep or eat during training, can we?”
“You don’t understand,” Qin Cheng said, gazing into the distance and sighing dramatically, “You’ll know once you start dating in the future. You’re still a child.”
Zhou • still a child • Han had a bewildered look on his face and really wanted to say, ‘Ge, I’m almost twenty. I’ve been in a relationship before, and it’s totally not like you’, but reason and survival instinct stopped him: “Alas, Ge, you’re really miserable.”
“You just need to know.” Qin Cheng shook the remaining half bottle of water in his hand and then poured it directly over his head. The water was not cold at all, but warm from the sun. It was like half a bottle of lukewarm water, providing no relief from the heat at all.
It’s probably a psychological effect. They are all happy to do this. After playing basketball, running, or finishing a race… if they don’t pour half a bottle of water over their heads, it feels like the process isn’t complete, like there’s no soul in it.
At first, Qin Cheng followed them pouring the water, thinking it would be refreshing. Later, he realized that the act was far more about showing off than about staying cool.
“Don’t do this.” Jian Heng had told him before.
He agreed readily at the time, but later he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t do it. Afraid of cold water? He was as strong as an ox, caught a cold once a year at most, and had taken cold showers countless times.
Later, the shower in the house they rented broke, and Qin Cheng got sprayed all over. When he went out to change clothes and passed by the mirror, he finally understood why.
It’s too stimulating[mfn]赤雞 (chì jī): lit. red chicken; naked chicken; an internet buzzword, a phonetic variation of 刺激 (cì jī), to provoke; to irritate; to upset; to stimulate; to excite; to spur; irritant; exciting; stimulating; thrilling; (physiology, psychology, economics) stimulus; stimulant. This is a cute way of saying it, which means feeling very excited. Chinese speakers often create funny words by replacing correct characters in a word with characters which sound alike.[/mfn].
My boyfriend’s possessiveness, tsk, just thinking about it makes him feel hot.
But Jian Heng is now the sky is high and the emperor is far away[mfn]天高皇帝遠 (Tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn): lit. Heaven is high and the emperor is far away; to be faraway from the central government and therefore beyond its control; remote places where law and decrees are not strictly enforced; remote places beyond the reach of administration. This phrase originally refers to a remote place where the power of the central government cannot reach. Now it generally refers to an institution that is far away from the leadership and acts on its own without being restrained. alt: 山高皇帝遠 (shān gāo huáng dì yuǎn), mountain is high and the emperor is far away.[/mfn], and Qin Cheng had gotten used to pour water over his head. At most, he would pay attention when he had no classes and might come to check on him. On days like today, when it was as lonely as snow, he was tacitly allowed to break the rules.
After all, his boyfriend also doesn’t have the eyes of heaven.
But there’s a saying, ‘What you fear will come to pass’.
As Qin Cheng poured half a bottle of water over his head, his vision blurred. When he refocused, a pair of hands reached out in front of him, clutching a small pink envelope. The hands were still trembling. The owner of the hands was not tall, their head bowed. Qin Cheng bent down and couldn’t get a good look at the person’s face.
“Who——” are you?
Before Qin Cheng could finish speaking, the omega suddenly lunged forward and crashed straight into Qin Cheng’s arms. Qin Cheng froze for less than a second, then immediately pushed him away as if he had been pricked by a thousand needles, retreating three or four meters: “Who the hell are you? Why the hell are you hugging me? I’m a married man!”
Qin Cheng spoke while retreating, his peripheral vision inadvertently scanned the area.
Jian Heng was holding a thermos lunch box and standing not far away, looking at him with a smile that is not a smile.
It’s over. This was the only two words that Qin Cheng’s startled brain could come up with.
When it rains, it pours. That random omega who popped out of nowhere shouted at him: “Qin Cheng, I like you! Thank you for helping me up that day!”
“Fuck!” Qin Cheng was startled again, not feeling any hint of affection, looking at him as if he had seen a ghost. “I have a boyfriend, why would you like me! My boyfriend is watching, don’t say random things!”
The boy, with red-rimmed eyes, took one last look at him, then bit his lip and ran away, ran away, away.
Qin Cheng: “……” Fuck, big brother, at least explain that we don’t know each other before leaving. You left me with this mess. You don’t like me, you want me dead.
Zhou Han retreated a bit, cleverly leaving the battlefield: “Ge, I’m going to get you some water.”
Qin Cheng felt a wave of desolation, but then turned around, forcing a sunny and warm smile, and dashed towards his boyfriend. His brain might have been rusty, as he immediately seek death as soon as he opened his mouth: “Aren’t you supposed to be doing experiments today? Why did you come to see me?”
Jian Heng glanced at the lunchbox in his hand, his expression of a smile that is not a smile making Qin Cheng feel guilty.
“Then should I go back and do the experiment now?” Jian Heng asked.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t,” Qin Cheng pressed his hand down, pulling him into the lounge to sit down. He vigorously rubbed the back of his hand several times, looking both innocent and angry. “I really don’t know that person just now. I was completely unprepared for his behavior. I didn’t even remember what he looked like. Really, I was so busy thinking about you. How could I have time to look at someone else?”
“You helped him?” Jian Heng said while opening the lunch box, “You don’t even remember helping him?”
“Nope,” Qin Cheng sniffed, his eyes lighting up. “Red braised pork belly? Did you take leave just to come home and make this? No, no, I’m starving, starving.”
Jian Heng held the lunch box and looked at him, still smiling, a smile that make him feel uneasy.
“I really can’t remember,” Qin Cheng was completely unskilled at coaxing people. Seeing that he wouldn’t get any food until he figured it out, he quickly racked his brain. After thinking for over a minute, he still couldn’t come up with anything. He could only look at the red braised pork belly with a pitiful expression, sighing deeply. “I can’t remember who he is at all, or when I ever helped him. Isn’t he blackmailing me? What kind of quality is this? I’m going to report him to the coach, you be my witness.”
If you can’t explain it clearly, just drag it out. A smile appeared in Jian Heng’s eyes, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he released the hand that was holding the lunchbox. “Didn’t buy any milk tea, you’ve had it twice this month.”
“Don’t drink, it’s not healthy,” seeing that he wasn’t angry anymore, Qin Cheng ignored the lunchbox, wrapped his arms around him, rested his head on his neck and rubbed against him like a dog, his nose poking at his Adam’s apple, whining. “I really, really, really don’t know him. Just look at how tired I am from training all day. This morning, just because I’m too handsome and have a super handsome boyfriend, the coach got jealous and made me run with weights as punishment. I’m exhausted like a dog. How could I have the energy to look at anyone else? I really don’t know him, really.”
“I believe you,” Jian Heng patted his back, his fingertips sliding from the spine all the way to the small of his back, “Let’s eat, I have to head back soon.”
“Is your teacher part of the landlord class[mfn]地主階級 (dì zhǔ jiē jí): squirearchy; landlord class; landocracy; land-owning classes; generally refers to all large landowners under the feudal economy in feudal society, such as feudal lords, who are also called landlords. The landlord economy is most typical in Chinese feudal society. T/N: I’m guessing QC said this because he thought that the teacher is a privileged person.[/mfn]?” Qin Cheng rubbed his eyes a couple more times before finally getting up, took a sip of soy milk, frowned, and said: “Every day, he just assigns you tasks. You’re already so busy, and he still expects you to do this and that. Last time, he called you at around midnight to ask where the documents were. This university teacher must have paid for his position, right? He’s so damn unreliable.”
“In the future, there will be places where it will come in handy,” Jian Heng leaned back in his chair and watched him eat, “it’s all necessary socializing.”
“How come I don’t have this kind of necessary socializing?” Qin Cheng said.
“Is your coach part of the landlord class?” Jian Heng mimicked his tone, “Every day, he just add more training for you. Even when you’re already so exhausted, he still make you practice this and that. Last time, he was still training you at eight in the evening.”
“Why don’t you say it’s so damn annoying?” Qin Cheng looked at him and laughed, “Come on, let me hear you curse, I haven’t heard it in so long, I’m starting to miss it.”
“Do you like this?” Jian Heng looked at him, raised an eyebrow, “We can try it tomorrow night.”
“Oh my God, Heng Heng, is there anything in your head other than mosaics?” Qin Cheng nudged him with his knee. “What I mean is, saying swear words in a very innocent way, not the kind of swearing you do when we’re all lovey-dovey. That kind of swearing… let’s not, it’s not suitable for our fresh and clean vibe.”
Jian Heng didn’t dwell on the topic anymore; he didn’t like that kind of thing either.
The only sound in the room was Qin Cheng eating, while Jian Heng quietly watched him from the side. This state of ‘time is money, so if you can watch one more second, watch one more second’ made Qin Cheng feel as if he had returned to his second year of high school when he had just started practicing sports.
At that time, the two of them were also like this; they didn’t have time to meet, and even when they did, they didn’t have time to talk much, so they could only steal a few more glances at each other.
Simply put, all the effort was worth it. He passed the entrance exam for the National Sports University as promised and walked into his future alongside Jian Heng.
“Do you want to go to the neighboring city to watch the fireworks tomorrow night?” Jian Heng suddenly asked.
“Fireworks?” Qin Cheng looked up at him, “There’s a fireworks event tomorrow?”
“Mm,” Jian Heng pulled out his phone to show him, “It takes half an hour by train, and the latest train back is at twelve.”
The introduction page is very gorgeous and romantic, with big pink hearts everywhere. It’s obviously made for couples like them who don’t go home for the holidays.
“Sure, anyway, neither of us has anything to do the day after tomorrow, and I’ll be free by five o’clock tomorrow,” Qin Cheng said, “You finish class at four-thirty, right? Shall we leave at five-thirty?”
“Mm, I’ll book the tickets now,” Jian Heng pulled up the payment page, paused, “staying there for a night is also fine, do you want to stay?”
“Stay, stay,” Qin Cheng finished his last bite, “we’re usually too busy to wander around. It’s not easy to get out, so let’s enjoy the city scenery around our university town.”
“Does the hotel have a discount?” The frugal and thrifty trait was activated, and Qin Cheng leaned over to look together, “If it’s expensive, we can come back at midnight.”
“Stop messing around,” Jian Heng directly booked the tickets, “We’ve been tired all day, let’s just sleep there tonight.”
“Alright.” It’s not easy to go out with Jian Heng, so having fun is the most important thing. Qin Cheng didn’t argue anymore.
Qin Cheng walked him to the school gate and casually mentioned on the way: “Speaking of trains, it reminds me. Do you remember the time you confessed to me? The next day, you insisted on taking the train, and I had to beg and plead to have you to stay. If I hadn’t stopped you so much back then, you…”
“I won’t leave,” Jian Heng looked at him, “If you don’t come to find me, I won’t leave either. I’ll wait for you at the train station.”
Qin Cheng opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything for a long time. “What if I really don’t come looking for you?”
Jian Heng smiled: “Then I’ll just go back and find you myself.”
“……” Qin Cheng sighed, “I will definitely come to find you.”
“Take your time looking,” Jian Heng said, “I’ll definitely wait for you.”
“In broad daylight, if I start crying in public, won’t my image just collapse?” Qin Cheng pinched the tip of his nose, feeling a bit sour. “You’re the best at hitting me right in the heart. Every time, without fail, you hits right on the mark. Even if I don’t shed tears, my heart still feels warm, and the tip of my heart burns along with it.”
“Did it burn?” Jian Heng squeezed his hand.
“It hurts so much,” Qin Cheng clutched his chest, “Look at this person, he has been cold inside and out for twenty years, and the last bit of warmth he had was all given to me. How lucky am I?”
“Me too,” Jian Heng said.
***
The next day, just before they set off, Qin Cheng deliberately pulled out a set of matching couple outfits; identical black t-shirts, black sweatpants. Two tall guys, both 1.9 meters tall, dressed all in all black, each wearing a flat cap. If it weren’t for their good looks, they would have looked like two robbers.
On the train, Jian Heng fell asleep leaning against the window. Qin Cheng turned his face to look at his handsome boyfriend’s sleeping face for a while, then gently supported his head onto his shoulder to make him sleep a bit more comfortably.
Watching fireworks together, such a romantic thing, they haven’t done much of it. First, they’re busy, and second, neither of them has that romantic flair. In big A’s world, giving a flower is already the limit.
After the college entrance exam, there was finally time to rest properly. They could finally stay together every day, eat, sleep, and not think about anything else. Neither of them wanted to bother going out, so they just stayed at home for the entire summer vacation, right up until the start of school.
He didn’t expect Jian Heng to be so romantic this May Day holiday. It really shows he wasn’t prepared. Next holiday, he better be romantic.
The fireworks were set off at midnight, and the two of them got out of the car and first go to the snack street to stroll and eat.
There were so many people on the street that they had to squeeze through the gaps to walk. No matter how good or bad the food at the stalls was, the aroma was so mouthwatering that Qin Cheng unconsciously ended up with a handful.
“I thought it would be super expensive, but it’s actually quite cheap,” Qin Cheng poked a takoyaki[mfn]章魚小丸子 (zhāng yú xiǎo wán zi): Takoyaki. 
[/mfn] ball and held it up to Jian Heng’s mouth, “It’s just not as delicious as Jinhua’s, the taste is still a bit lacking.”
“Not bad,” Jian Heng took a bite and tasted it carefully. He didn’t really like anything from this kind of food stall, but he could eat some when he was out with Qin Cheng. “Maybe they didn’t put enough salad dressing.”
“I wonder what Auntie Song is up to,” Qin Cheng said, looking at the knitted trinkets being sold in the distance. “She called the day before yesterday and said she wasn’t coming back for May Day, and she wasn’t happy about it. She misses me, sigh.”
“Don’t work during the summer vacation for now,” Jian Heng pulled him back, “Go home and spend more time with Auntie Song first.”
“Okay, that’s what I was thinking too,” Qin Cheng said while pulling him forward, “After graduating from university, I definitely can’t go back to Jinhua to find a job. If we settle here, I have to bring my mom over. It’s really inconvenient for her to be alone over there.”
“I should be assigned to the affiliated hospital of the Medical University,” Jian Heng said, “If we can move here, we need to choose a house in advance.”
“We can rent a place first,” Qin Cheng said with an open mind, “the rent isn’t expensive anyway. We can buy a house once we’ve saved enough money.”
“I can pay,” Jian Heng looked at him and couldn’t help but chuckle, “No need to split it so clearly.”
“No,” Qin Cheng turned back to look at him, shaking his head, “This is a man’s dignity; my mom must live in the house I bought.”
“Otherwise, it’s considered a betrothal gift, right?” Jian Heng understood him.
“……” Qin Cheng was at a loss for words, “Alright, that’s what I mean. Although Ge usually let you have your way, if we were to talk about it publicly, Ge definitely have to be the one in charge. You understand, right?”
“Got it,” Jian Heng pulled him to the front of the crowd, looked up at the sky together, and said with a smile: “A man’s dignity.”
As the time approached midnight, the crowd began to stir. Young couples were anxiously making wishes, while elderly couples walked hand in hand, enjoying the tranquility of life. Qin Cheng and Jian Heng were just like them, standing side by side, gazing at the sky.
“If there had been no pheromone compatibility syndrome back then,” Qin Cheng suddenly whispered in his ear, “what would we be like now?”
“We will also be in a relationship,” Jian Heng said, “it’s just that at the beginning, I need more time to get to know you, and then fall in love with you.”
As the last word is spoken, fireworks burst into the sky. Two alphas kiss devoutly in the crowd, the flames reflecting on their faces, turning into the most beautiful memory.
The author has something to say:
A few days ago, I was bumped into like a wall in the lounge, and today I forgot. Tsk tsk tsk.
Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes or provided nutrient solutions during this period~~
Thank you all very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
There’s still 2 extras left… I’ll post it as soon as I’m done translating. Thank you for your patience.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Extra 3″]
獨守空房 (dú shǒu kōng fáng): (of a married woman) to stay home alone; live in the house alone; a woman without her husband.寂寞如雪 (jì mò rú xuě): lit. as lonely as snow; the loneliness in life is as bleak as the snowflakes in winter.
諄諄教誨 (zhūn zhūn jiào huì): belecture; inculcation; inculcate; earnest teachings; to inspire and enlighten earnestly and patiently.
一模一樣 (yī mú yī yàng): exactly the same (idiom); carbon copy; as like as two peas in a pod; identical.
見縫插針 (jiàn fèng chā zhēn): lit. to see a gap and stick in a needle; to make use of every bit of available time or space; to make use of every second and every inch; seize every opportunity; utilize every gap; take advantage of every opening; fill every niche; to make full use of all available space, time or opportunities.
無言以對 (wú yán yǐ duì): to be left speechless; to be unable to respond; have nothing to say in reply; words fail one; there is absolutely no reason to refute it.
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