PTCQT Chapter 14

He can’t always let the kid take the initiative, Xie Baiyuan thought as he watched Shen Chun’s figure disappear.

Being in a relationship made Xie Baiyuan even more keenly aware of how much attention Shen Chun attracted from the people around them. Shen Chun hadn’t intentionally been flirting or drawing attention, but Xie Baiyuan couldn’t shake the feeling that he was like a giant popsicle walking through the desert—everyone wanted to take a bite. And yet, he himself still couldn’t manage to tone down his cold aura.

“If only you weren’t so good-looking,” Xie Baiyuan said as he tidied up the mooncake boxes.

They had no idea who had sent so many mooncakes. There was no way they could eat them all, and they couldn’t throw them away or give them away either—so the only option was to donate every single one.

“Hm? Is the president getting jealous?” Shen Chun teased with a smile as he handed him the boxes.

Xie Baiyuan’s ears flushed slightly, but he replied, “There are just too many people who like you.”

“But I only like the president,” Shen Chun responded naturally.

Xie Baiyuan’s heart suddenly quickened. He looked up at Shen Chun’s innocent expression and couldn’t help but feel that he might be deliberately teasing him—but then again, maybe not.

He didn’t want to seem petty, but he also didn’t like the idea of so many people coveting his lover. It made him uneasy. “You don’t understand.”

“I do,” Shen Chun said. He pulled a box of mooncakes from the pile and placed it in front of Xie Baiyuan, his smile fading slightly. “There are a lot of people who like you too, President. This box of mooncakes was given to me by a guy who came to my dorm trying to give it to you. Since you didn’t answer the door, I passed it on. By the way, that guy was quite handsome and cute…”

There was a hint of frustration in his tone, but suddenly Xie Baiyuan felt a strange sense of comfort. So this little rascal could get jealous too. “I don’t even remember who it was—only the box you gave me is left.”

Shen Chun smiled and sat down by the table, reaching out his hand with a grin. “Then what about my mooncakes?”

“You don’t eat sweets…” Xie Baiyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’ll make it up to you.”

“No need. I don’t like sweets, but I can eat from your box,” Shen Chun said. He took the box, pulled out a piece, and bit it gently on his lip, then gestured toward Xie Baiyuan.

The mooncake’s brown crust trembled slightly on Shen Chun’s lips. Xie Baiyuan understood what he meant. His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously as he lowered his head and bit into the piece.

Sharing food like this was the most intimate — the close distance made it feel like he could even sense Shen Chun’s breath. Xie Baiyuan’s face flushed fiercely, and his heart raced just the same. The bitten piece of mooncake slipped down and landed in Shen Chun’s hand. In that moment, Xie Baiyuan felt as if he’d lost all reason. Unable to control himself, he pulled Shen Chun into a tight embrace and kissed him.

His kiss was somewhat inexperienced, clearly lacking practice, but it was passionate enough. Shen Chun was the same—though he learned quickly. With just a gentle lead, he was able to draw out the full warmth from the person before him.

Making a cold-hearted person become impulsive and emotional was a deeply satisfying feeling.

Though his temperament was usually calm and indifferent, being deeply loved by someone felt surprisingly good. At certain moments, it even made his blood boil with excitement.

No wonder so many people liked being in love.

After the kiss, Xie Baiyuan regained his composure, a little surprised by his own impulsiveness. “Sorry.”

He just couldn’t control the fluttering in his heart at that moment.

“That’s the best mooncake I’ve ever tasted,” Shen Chun said with a smile as he picked up the mooncake. “It’s really sweet.”

Where they had bitten, the filling was exposed—red and green strips mixed together, along with a variety of other ingredients. Xie Baiyuan’s gaze fixed on it as he asked, “Five kernels?”

Nowadays, hardly anyone gave five-kernel mooncakes anymore.

“I like five-kernel ones,” Shen Chun said, taking a bite and slightly furrowing his brow. “They remind me of the flavors from when I was a kid. It’s just that they’re too sweet.”

Eating this much sugar would definitely speed up aging.

Maintaining a presentable appearance was absolutely a key foundation for staying in a relationship—something Shen Chun understood better than anyone.

“I’ll eat it,” Xie Baiyuan said, taking the piece of mooncake, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. Actually, mooncakes were too sweet for him too, but what he was tasting wasn’t just the flavor—it was that childhood feeling.

There weren’t all the fancy extras back then, just the simplest, most ordinary, and warmest taste from the past.

That piece of mooncake wasn’t wasted, though even Xie Baiyuan grew tired of it quickly and kept drinking water. The ones from others were all donated away, but the one Shen Chun gave was carefully treasured by Xie Baiyuan.

Knowing that the gifts he gave were cherished made Shen Chun feel very happy.

Having moved past the adjustment period of being a freshman, the coursework gradually increased, and there was plenty of work in the student organization. For Shen Chun, however, it didn’t become much of a burden. Xie Baiyuan wanted to help, but he found that his younger lover handled everything very well on his own—only the physical tasks were something he could assist with a little.

Shen Chun was very popular. Whenever there was an event to organize, there was no need for heavy promotion; just a message in the group chat, and people would rush to volunteer.

“Being good-looking really is an advantage,” a guy from the student organization said with a sigh after moving a table, watching the lively scene around Shen Chun. “Even the seniors from the arts department came over to help.”

“Exactly,” someone else agreed.

“Isn’t it because Shen Chun hosted an event for the arts department last time?” Xu Ze was organizing some materials and added, “It’s kind of mutual support.”

“Do you think he could have been the host if he didn’t have that face?” another guy nearby scoffed.

“That’s not entirely fair to say,” Xu Ze said. He thought Shen Chun was really capable—not at all nervous on stage. Even walking alongside Xie Baiyuan, he didn’t seem overshadowed in the slightest.

“The head of the department likes him too and even gave him full responsibility for organizing this speech event. Maybe he’ll be the next head,” Wang Pengcheng, who shared a dorm with Xu Ze, said with a hint of envy.

Xu Ze listened quietly to their hushed comments and didn’t say anything more. Meanwhile, Shen Chun finished giving instructions and walked over with a smile. “The overall setup is almost done. Thanks for your hard work. You must be tired from all the work—what drinks do you want?”

“Sprite’s fine,” the guy who had been murmuring earlier said, sounding a bit pleasantly surprised.

“Okay, how about you?” Shen Chun asked one by one.

He smiled, and no one dared to keep a sour face at the guy who’d been whispering earlier, as if they hadn’t just been gossiping.

“I’ll have iced black tea.”

“I want a Coke, thanks.”

“And you?” Shen Chun turned to Xu Ze and asked.

There are millions upon millions of people in the world. The protagonists—the gong and shou—are the main focus of the story’s timeline, but if you treat them like ordinary people, then they’re just ordinary people.

They have the same joys and sorrows as anyone else, and their emotions are their own to control. Among the thousands chasing after Xie Baiyuan, Xu Ze was just one of them.

Xu Ze was a little surprised at how quickly people’s expressions changed and found it hard to adapt. He spoke up, “I’ll pass.”

This was originally the student organization’s job anyway, but since the head of the department had handed the work over to Shen Chun, it was basically their responsibility.

“All right then,” Shen Chun smiled and turned to leave.

“What’s he pretending for?” a guy nearby rolled his eyes at Xu Ze and muttered quietly.

“Just take the drinks and stop acting all high and mighty. Someone’s footing the bill, yet he acts like he’s some noble or something,” Wang Pengcheng said.

Xu Ze wanted to say he wasn’t like that. He wanted to shout it out loud, but the words got stuck in his throat. He knew he didn’t quite fit in, but he just couldn’t blend in with these people.

“Showing off my ass—just sour grapes because you can’t have it,” a girl who overheard walked over and snorted.

“Hey, you!” Wang Pengcheng hissed.

“Hey, hey, don’t pick a fight with the girls,” a guy nearby interrupted. “You guys are talking way out of line. Don’t say stuff like that anymore—we’re all in the same department.”

The weather wasn’t too hot, but doing this kind of work still made everyone sweat quite a bit. Shen Chun pushed a cart full of drinks over—there was a little bit of everything. Each person took a bottle, and as they rested in scattered groups, the atmosphere grew much more relaxed.

Xu Ze didn’t grab one; he just sat on the steps, reflecting on whether he was too rigid.

“Here.” A bottle of water was held out in front of him. Xu Ze looked up, a little surprised to see Shen Chun standing there. “I didn’t ask for it…”

“I can afford a bottle of water,” Shen Chun said with a smile. Xu Ze finally took it and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Shen Chun sat down nearby, twisted open his own bottle, and took a sip.

Although the speech contest wasn’t a major organizational event, everything still needed his close attention. In any case, no mistakes could happen under his watch, which was a time-consuming and energy-draining task.

Xu Ze sipped his water and couldn’t help but glance at him a few times. No matter how he looked at it, he had to admit Shen Chun was really good-looking. Finally, the words stuck in his throat slipped out softly: “Did you hear what they were saying?”

Xu Ze expected him to say no, but Shen Chun just chuckled and replied, “I heard it.”

There was no shortage of praise for him, of course, but there were plenty of snide remarks behind his back as well. Naturally, he had seen and heard them all.

“Then why?” Xu Ze asked, surprised by his calmness.

“Some things aren’t worth taking to heart. Sometimes people speak out of impulse and forget what they said soon after. If you care too much about what others say, you won’t live your own life well,” Shen Chun said softly.

He wasn’t one to preach or act superior; it was just that Xu Ze was someone who worked hard and was diligent, but in the end, lost out because of his mindset.

If in the original timeline Xu Ze acted out of malice, Shen Chun wouldn’t have spared him for Xie Baiyuan’s sake. But since that hadn’t happened yet, his prime years could be saved from being ruined by a moment of impulse, making the mission much easier.

“…Thank you,” Xu Ze said softly.

 

 

 

---

Support me on ko-fi for more additional updates~ ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ