Reverse Approach

The week’s vacation ended in a blink of an eye. Liao Nanqing was sent to school by Su Beimo so his mood was particularly happy. When he walked into the classroom, Ge Yun was sitting at the table in front of him, with his eyes staring roundly at the English notes in front of him, memorizing them silently, really not forgetting to study all the time.

Liao Nanqing took a new stack of quiz papers from the head teacher and handed them out one by one, and when he hand it out to Ge Yun, she looked bitter: “My hands are cold, I really don’t want to write.”

Not long after that, Xu Yanyan, who was dozing off in the back seat, went out for a while. When he came back, he carried a bottle of hot water from the water dispenser in his arms and put it on Ge Yun’s table: “Chubby Ge, reward you.”

Ge Yun: “No, the warmer it is, the more I can’t take my hands off to write.”

Xu Yanyan stubbornly said: “Anyway, put it on your desk, do not lose it.”

He thought: I treat you well, but you still don’t appreciate it.

Liao Nanqing’s hands were also cold, but he did not receive the same treatment as Ge Yun. In fact, Xu Yanyan was a bit bad and his mouth was a bit broken, but he was really not bad to Ge Yun. After all, it was a childhood sweetheart who grew up bickering, and happened to be admitted to the same high school, into the same class, and sat at the front and back tables. If this was a drama, they were bound to develop into a couple.

Liao Nanqing rubbed his hands and chatted with Xu Yanyan for a few words before slowly taking out his pen and starting to work on the question, and also memorized a few English words.

During this period, he kept covering his hands, putting it in his clothes pocket to warm it up for a while before taking it out.

“You are the same as Chubby Ge, both cold-blooded animals, once it’s winter, hands and feet are cold.” Xu Yanyan spat at him and turned around to go to the toilet to kill time, he was still immersed in the laziness of the holiday, not wanting to write a single question.

Once Xu Yanyan left, Ge Yun suddenly shoved the warm water bottle to Liao Nanqing: “For you to warm your hands for only two minutes.”

Liao Nanqing which has the intention to take, but Ge Yun glared at him, he wilted. He immediately held the bottle filled with hot water, it was really warm. Ge Yun looked at Liao Nanqing’s slightly raised eyebrows, and her cheeks had a faint color. Fortunately, a scarf blocked it.

She said, “You seem a lot more cheerful after a winter vacation.”

“En?”

“You used to feel like a boring blank sheet of paper, but now it seems to have color.” Ge Yun thought for a while, “Very good.”

Liao Nanqing was a little embarrassed, and Ge Yun continued before he could say anything. “Here, two minutes are up, give it back to me.” Ge Yun drew back the water bottle, put it at her heart, and smiled a little behind Liao Nanqing’s back. No one saw it.

At the end, she asked again, “Liao Nanqing, how about I go to City B too?”

“It’s good.”

“Then it’s a deal, I should be able to reach second choices in City B, I’ll try my best, you go for it too.” After Ge Yun finished for a while, Xu Yanyan dragged his steps slowly through the door, yawning while shrinking his neck. Ge Yun shook her head, saw a pile of unfinished winter vacation homework on Xu Yanyan’s desk, and turned around helplessly.

Liao Nanqing didn’t notice Ge Yun’s small thoughts, his heart was all tied up with Su Beimo.

Su Beimo’s vacation is almost over, and he went back to City B. The two of them were in a long-distance relationship and depended on the phone. They called and sent messages early in the morning and late at night, mostly questions and answers and chattering about their daily lives.

Su Beimo’s young boyfriend was not too old, and he was still in the sensitive period of senior year; this was a big problem. Their top priority was to complete their studies and the college entrance examination.

However, people who were in love always had an endless impulsive energy, and Su Beimo had become a frequent homecomer.

In the company, Su Beimo and Xu Yuanming went to Mr. Li’s department, Qiu Lu also avoided Su Beimo since then, as if he was a plague god. Everyone laughed at Su Beimo who had fallen out of favour, but Su Beimo didn’t care and just laughed it off.

Usually, as long as he didn’t work overtime, Su Beimo’s weekends were either on his way home or on his way back to City B. He was full of energy, even if he sat next to Liao Nanqing to help with tuition, he felt happy. In addition, he was still very temperamental; every time he came back, he told Liao Nanqing that he came back because the college entrance examination was approaching and he had to be supervised.

Feelings belonged to feelings, and learning must be grasped by him personally.

This excuse was subtle and reasonable, avoiding all the embarrassment and awkwardness.

The most pitiful thing was that Liao Nanqing actually believed it, and he studied more and more desperately, cherishing this hard-won relationship for him more.

Su Beimo usually lived in Liao Nanqing’s house when he returned to the town. He checked his test papers whenever he was free, and he helped him with wrong questions, connected with a kiss time. This wave of actions was unconventional, but abruptly raised Liao Nanqing’s achievements time and time again. If it weren’t for the fact that Liao Nanqing’s foundation was really bad, with this help, it was guessed that there was hope even for the first choice universities.

However, Liao Nanqing was a person who was more honest than anyone else. He hovered on the third choice universities line properly and stayed still, unwavering in a single step.

In the teacher’s room, in the corner of the blackboard, the countdown to the college entrance examination was written, one day minus one day. The sound of the blackboard eraser was screaming like time ran by. After the new numbers were drawn with chalk, it was the confidence that was accumulated to saturation.

The second half of the senior year was divided into big and small weeks, with one and a half days off for the big week and one day off for the small week.

Su Beimo liked to pick him up and habitually waited for Liao Nanqing to run out in a hurry with a heavy duffel bag at the school gate. The wind lifted his hair in front of his forehead, waving away many past unpleasantness. Liao Nanqing’s eyes were so bright that they were filled with Su Beimo’s figure.

In order to hide that the two of them were in love, Su Beimo must never let Su Jing know that he went back every week. So he couldn’t use Su Jing’s car. When picking up Liao Nanqing, he always took a taxi or bus.

This week was big weekend, many parents came to pick up their children, and the roads were blocked by private cars outside, so taxis could not be driven in at all. Su Beimo passed through the stream of people and found Liao Nanqing looking in all directions at a glance. He strode over and brushed Liao Nanqing’s hair: “Go.”

“There are so many people today!” Liao Nanqing cheerfully followed, “Just now our teacher almost delayed the class, many people in the class didn’t do well in the monthly exam.”

“What about you? How did you do on the test?” Su Beimo wanted to take his hand.

Liao Nanqing took a glance at the people coming and going around, stepped back without moving, and avoided it appropriately: “The same as always, I’ll show you the report card later.”

Liao Naqing grabbed the shoulder strap of his school bag with both hands, and made an effort to lift it, just like before when the watermelon was heavy and he didn’t say it, and he didn’t say it when his school bag was heavy.

Su Beimo noticed and picked up his school bag’s strap: “Give me the bag.”

“It’s not heavy.” Liao Nanqing thought to himself, it’s so heavy, how can I let Su Beimo carry it? He was so happy that he couldn’t sleep just because Su Beimo came to pick him up.

“Give it to me.” Su Beimo grabbed his school bag and didn’t let go, “Look at your shoulders, you’re almost paralyzed, you’re already short.”

“It’s really not heavy!” Liao Nanqing twisted around and protected his school bag. In order to study more during the weekend, he stuffed all the textbooks and materials into it. Whether the bag was heavy or not, he knew best in his heart, and Liao Nanqing didn’t want to tire Su Beimo. After all, they had to walk a long way to get to the bus or get a taxi.

It was a good intention, but it made Su Beimo sulking.

“In a relationship, I’m not even allowed to hold hands, and now I’m not even allowed to carry the school bag.” He muttered deliberately, and quite loudly.

“There are too many people, you will be seen holding hands.” Liao Nanqing paused for a moment, thinking, “If someone you know sees it and tells Uncle Su, what should I do?” He was extremely worried. Boys fall in love with boys, it was unprecedented in the town. Liao Nanqing didn’t care what others think of himself, but he didn’t want Su Beimo to be criticized because of him.

He had lived in gossip since he was a child and knew how much it hurt. He didn’t want that to happen to Su Beimo; he wanted Su Beimo to be happy all the time.

He was willing to be in a secret relationship for the rest of his life, as long as Su Beimo was not hurt.

Su Beimo knew what he was thinking and what he was afraid of, so he took a break and quietly walked ahead. Liao Nanqing followed closely behind like a small tail, and waited obediently for Su Beimo to speak.

After walking for a while, there were almost no more passersby around, he reached back: “Hand.”

“…” Liao Nanqing was still afraid.

Perhaps when Liao Nanqing went to City B later, in a strange environment, he would have enough courage to hold Su Beimo’s hand.

But not for now.

Su Beimo understood the little thing in Liao Nanqing’s heart and thought of a way to move his fingers slightly: “Hand, or school bag?”

“…”

“If you don’t give me the bag, I will hold hands with you.” Su Beimo with a threatening tone, standing tall, with childishly gangly words bubbling out of his mouth, “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll get angry.”

“…”

“If I get angry, there will be serious consequences.” Su Beimo squared away.

“What consequences?”

“I will kiss you a hundred times on the side of the road.” Nine words, full of childishness, Su Beimo said it with a straight face, and Liao Nanqing was really afraid that he would make it happen in the next second. After all, Liao Nanqing had always believed whatever Su Beimo said. He was deceived a hundred times and believed a hundred times.

Finally, Liao Nanqing after a complex struggle of thought, which one was better, chose to reluctantly hand over the school bag: “But it’s really heavy ……”

“Who just said it’s not heavy?”

“It’s me…”

“Don’t give me your hand, don’t give me your bag, I won’t come to pick you up in the future.” Su Beimo stopped at the roadside, called a taxi with his phone and indifferently looked towards the front. He did not like this little bit of Liao Nanqing’s stoic little nature, yet he was very fond of every little bit of Liao Nanqing’s careful thoughts. The conclusion of this worrying self-contradiction, after a hundred of entanglements in his heart, was that he liked Liao Nanqing a lot.

The teenager beside him was also, without the pressure of the school bag, relaxed a lot. Fingers fiddling with the corner of his clothes, and he blinked his eyelashes, worrying.

He then tilted his head and gave Su Beimo a quick kiss on the mouth while no one was around.

This time, Su Beimo was confused.

Liao Nanqing deflated and worried, “Don’t be angry, and don’t stop coming to pick me up.”

Listening to it, he also heard a little bit of coquetry.

Su Beimo had completely lost his patient. In fact, he had never been angry since the beginning. He just wanted to help Liao Nanqing hold his bag, he just couldn’t let Liao Nanqing be bent by the school bag. He wanted to be nice to Liao Nanqing, and everything was done, but Liao Nanqing always refused. Except for Liao Nanqing’s proactive kiss on the night of the New Year’s Eve, in the past few months, except for Su Beimo’s initiative, Liao Nanqing had almost never kissed him.

Between them, besides studying and tutoring, it was just really studying and tutoring properly.

Su Beimo wanted sugar.

Those who knew would understand that Liao Nanqing was shy, but if they didn’t know, they might have thought that Liao Nanqing didn’t like him enough.

Su Beimo coughed lightly: “You also take a joke seriously.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liao Nanqing breathed a sigh of relief and stood beside him obediently, waiting for the car to come.

Su Beimo quietly held Liao Nanqing’s hand, this time it was not pushed away, and Liao Nanqing’s face never cooled down.

So Su Beimo sighed a hundred times in his heart: falling in love is really good.

But he didn’t know, Ge Yun, who was behind them, could see it clearly. It wasn’t until they got in the car and the car was no longer visible that Ge Yun came back to her senses. She paused, took out her mobile phone, and deleted the chat history between Liao Nanqing and her.

As a result, Ge Yun didn’t talk much to Liao Nanqing until the college entrance examination in June.

Liao Nanqing didn’t know what he had done wrong, so he asked Xu Yanyan for help several times. But Xu Yanyan was a guy who could only do a bad job. He didn’t ask anything, but instead provoked Ge Yun that she took the initiative to ask the head teacher to change positions and stay away from their corner.

The night before the college entrance exam, Xu Yanyan and Liao Nanqing both did not go home to rest and slept directly in the dormitory.

Xu Yanyan said to him: “Chubby Ge seems to really hate me. Today I told her jiayou for the exam and she ignored me.”

“She didn’t care about me either.” Liao Nanqing was puzzled.

“Brother, is it that I’m dragging you down?” Xu Yanyan flattered himself.1

Liao Nanqing shook his head, but Xu Yanyan was sleeping on his upper bunk and couldn’t see it. The two were silent for a while, and Xu Yanyan asked him: “If I say I like Ge Yun, can you tell?”

Liao Nanqing still shook his head, and Xu Yanyan leaned out to look down. In the darkness, his pair of eyes were dark, “Are you shaking your head?”

“En.”

“Then shake it louder, it’s dark, how can I see it.”

“…I’m shaking my head, Xu Yanyan, do you hear it?”

“…”

“In fact, I liked her a bit when I was in junior high school, although she2 is always fierce and pretentious. But she and I have been together for so many years, and I want to be together as soon as possible, but why do I wait until today?” Xu Yanyan sighed sadly. “Actually, I feel it, she should not like me.”

“Why are you suddenly talking to me about this today?” Liao Nanqing stood up and yawned. In fact, he was a little sleepy.

Xu Yanyan lay flat: “Tomorrow’s college entrance exam, the way to relieve tension is to spit out a thing that makes you more nervous.” He knocked on the bed board, “This summer, we are going to be college students. If I confess my love to Ge Yun, do you think she will say yes?”

“You’re always teasing her.” Liao Nanqing was unsure.

Xu Yanyan grunted, “Like is like that.”

“Only elementary school students are like this.” Liao Nanqing said, “When you like someone, you have to be nice to him so that he will feel it. It’s too sudden like this.”

“…You understand well, ah. Are you falling in love behind my back?”

Liao Nanqing instantly lost his voice.

After a long time, Xu Yanyan said again, “I also do not know which university she’s going?”

There was no sound, Liao Nanqing had already fallen asleep. Yes, the college entrance examination was coming tomorrow, so it was time to go to bed earlier. Xu Yanyan closed his eyes and forced himself to go to bed earlier.