Chapter 002: Turning Clouds and Rain, Only One Hundred and Twenty

Xia Chiyi recognized him almost instantly because this guy looked exactly like a scaled-up version of his childhood self—strikingly handsome.

“Hey,” Xia Chiyi walked over to him and tapped his knuckles on the table. “Zhou Zhexiao?”

The boy seemed to drift back from another world, turning his head to look at Xia Chiyi. “Mm.”

It was just a single syllable, but Xia Chiyi felt a baffling sense of weightlessness. This unruffled attitude didn’t seem like that of an eighteen-year-old.

“Um… I’m Xia Chiyi.”

“I know. You haven’t changed much since you were little,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

“You still remember?” Xia Chiyi swept aside the hair on his forehead, revealing the teeth mark where the other guy had gnawed on him as a child.

Regrettably, Zhou Zhexiao showed no sign of guilt whatsoever.

“Of course I remember. When you were eight, you attended a youth basketball camp in Seattle.”

“Huh?” Xia Chiyi was confused. He racked his brain but couldn’t recall Zhou Zhexiao being there.

Zhou Zhexiao looked towards the McDonald’s counter. “I want a burger.”

“Ah… Oh, alright.”

At this hour, it was understandable for Zhou Zhexiao to be hungry.

Xia Chiyi figured since he had already spent a “fortune” to pick Zhou Zhexiao up, not getting a burger would be doing himself a disservice.

He indulged and ordered a combo meal, complete with chicken nuggets and cola—a proper late-night calorie bomb.

While scanning the QR code, the staff member on duty half-jokingly said, “I was wondering why that handsome guy didn’t order anything. Turns out he was waiting for you.”

Thinking of Zhou Zhexiao’s antique phone and lost wallet, Xia Chiyi laughed. “Is it possible he just couldn’t afford it?”

“Nope,” the staff member shook their head. “Several groups of people tried to hit on him and offered to buy him food, but he refused them all. Surely he was just waiting for you?”

Xia Chiyi paused. Several groups tried to hit on him? He turned to look at Zhou Zhexiao. Fine, being good-looking really could be meal ticket.

Sliding the tray gently in front of Zhou Zhexiao, Xia Chiyi said calmly, “Eat up.”

“Thank you.”

Xia Chiyi admitted he had a biased view of Zhou Zhexiao as a rich playboy, so this sudden “thank you” actually flattered him.

Zhou Zhexiao unwrapped the burger and took a bite that demolished a third of it. But for some reason, the way he lowered his eyes and chewed quietly seemed exceptionally obedient, softening one’s heart. He seemed like a different person from the punchable brat of their childhood.

The silence between them was too heavy, making Xia Chiyi feel awkward, so he tried to make conversation.

“I heard several groups of people wanted to buy you food while you were sitting here?”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded, his long fingers opening the box of nuggets.

Why just “Mm” again? Can’t you say something else?

“What kind of people? How did they hit on you?” Xia Chiyi lifted his chin.

“A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair asked if I was interested in being a car model for a weekend auto show.”

“That’s pretty good. If it were me, I wouldn’t refuse. I’m just worrying about where to earn extra living expenses.”

“When I had my car accident, I was in a car of that brand. The safety performance wasn’t good enough.”

“Can’t argue with that logic.” Xia Chiyi took a sip of cola. Worthy of being called “happy water,” the dopamine made Zhou Zhexiao in front of him look more and more well-behaved. “Anyone else?”

“Another one asked if I was interested in joining an idol trainee survival show.”

Xia Chiyi covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. “Why did you refuse?”

“I don’t like balding men.”

“Cough, cough…”

Such indiscriminate attacks were outside Xia Chiyi’s expectations.

“Ningchang is a second or third-tier city, right? The probability of a talent scout appearing here is about the same as winning three thousand bucks in the lottery. So that guy wasn’t reliable. It’s a pity, though. The crooked melons and cracked dates in those talent shows really don’t compare to you. The entertainment industry missed out on a hundred million.”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi, a hint of confusion in his indifferent eyes. “But your physical conditions are better.”

“Me? Better?” Xia Chiyi pointed at himself. “Better where?”

Had Zhou Zhexiao really “grown up” and learned to kindly affirm others?

“Your ankles have a small circumference, giving a sense of sharpness and explosive power. Your Achilles tendons are slender and extend to a third of your calves; the lines are fluid and full of tension.” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face slightly, his lowered gaze starting from Xia Chiyi’s ankles and slowly moving up. “Your calf muscles are tight with a high peak, your glutes…”

There was clearly an objective scrutiny in his eyes, yet it made Xia Chiyi’s blood heat up from his toes, following the other’s gaze all the way up and pumping into his heart.

“Stop, stop… thank you.” Xia Chiyi hurriedly pushed his own box of nuggets in front of the other guy. He didn’t want to hear Zhou Zhexiao continue evaluating his butt.

“Why are your neck and ears red?”

“Eat your nuggets.”

Zhou Zhexiao quieted down immediately, silently eating the chicken nuggets.

But undeniably, Xia Chiyi felt comforted. Because Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t talking about whether his face was handsome or not, but evaluating his physique by the standards of selecting a basketball player.

“But I still got cut,” Xia Chiyi muttered to himself in a very soft, small voice.

He thought the other guy hadn’t heard, but unexpectedly, Zhou Zhexiao asked, “Cut by whom?”

Xia Chiyi looked up, only then noticing Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes were amber. Under the lights, they appeared particularly translucent. Seemingly quiet and harmless, they held an intensity that suggested once locked on, there was nowhere to hide.

“The provincial team coach of Jin Province,” Xia Chiyi replied. “But it’s fine. It’s good that I got into university on my own merit.”

Friends and family all comforted him, saying an athlete’s golden age is short. Being selected for the provincial team was already one in ten thousand, and those who made a name for themselves were even fewer. A diploma from a key university was more practical.

Xia Chiyi spent the entire summer digesting and accepting this, but even now, the regret remained.

“Who is that coach?” Zhou Zhexiao asked again.

“Ma Hongming, Coach Ma. Why, you know Coach Ma?”

Zhou Zhexiao’s eyebrow raised very slightly.

Xia Chiyi was certain he saw disdain in the other’s eyes.

“It’s been over ten years, and his bad judgment hasn’t improved a bit. He excels at filtering out gold.”

“Coach Ma is a famous coach. He’s evaluated more rookies than the salt you’ve eaten.”

Zhou Zhexiao spent his middle school years across the ocean; what would he know about domestic coaches?

Besides, ten years ago, Zhou Zhexiao was just an 8-year-old brat. What could he know?

“Ling Huanzhen and Jiao Yingfeng were both cut by him once,” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

Xia Chiyi froze. Ten years ago, these two players started in the NCAA and carved out a niche for themselves, known as the “Golden Generation” along with Sheng Xingming.

Later, they flourished in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association). Although their achievements weren’t as great as Sheng Xingming’s, they were still resounding names in domestic basketball.

If even they had been cut by Ma Hongming… Xia Chiyi had to admit he felt comforted.

“What else do you want to eat? Order whatever!” Xia Chiyi lifted his chin generously.

“I’m sleepy.” Zhou Zhexiao’s eyelids drooped. Just as they were about to close, he lifted a hand to rub them.

That feeling of him being so good came back again. Xia Chiyi almost reached out to ruffle the guy’s head.

“Then let’s go.” Xia Chiyi stood up, signaling for the other to follow.

Despite the painful experiences in childhood, after just a few sentences, Xia Chiyi found that Zhou Zhexiao was actually a straight shooter who didn’t fake politeness—quite to his taste.

Hands in pockets, Zhou Zhexiao followed silently behind Xia Chiyi. As they walked out of the terminal, Xia Chiyi wasn’t used to his companion being so quiet. He turned around only to find Zhou Zhexiao with eyes closed, half-asleep and walking straight towards a transparent glass wall.

Before his nose could have an intimate encounter with the wall, Xia Chiyi quickly grabbed his back collar, only then realizing this guy’s stature was quite imposing.

Xia Chiyi was 186cm, already considered tall among guys in the south. Since Zhou Zhexiao had been sitting earlier, it wasn’t obvious. Now that he stumbled backward into him, Xia Chiyi estimated this guy was probably around 192cm!

“Hey, wake up. That’s a wall, not a door.”

“Oh.” Zhou Zhexiao responded with only one word, his voice slightly nasal from drowsiness.

Xia Chiyi’s hand clamped on his shoulder, steering him accurately out the door.

The night wind blew, sobering Zhou Zhexiao up a bit. Looking at the empty lanes, he whispered, “No cars.”

Xia Chiyi laughed. “Does someone using a Nokia 5230 know how to use an app to call a car?”

“No,” Zhou Zhexiao said honestly, his head bobbing like he was fishing—dropping down one moment, barely lifting up the next.

Xia Chiyi checked his phone; it was almost 3:00 AM. “Hey, sleep later.”

“Mm?” Zhou Zhexiao lifted his eyes to look at Xia Chiyi, rubbing them again. His hair was messed up from the rubbing, tufts sticking up in the night breeze.

“We’ll probably get back to school around 4:00 AM. The dorm’s iron gate definitely won’t be open. Even if we climbed over, your bed only has wooden planks. Why don’t we find a place to make do and sleep for a bit, then go back when it’s light?”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Xia Chiyi asked again, “My monthly living expenses are limited. Since we’re just sleeping for a few hours, I’ll pick the cheapest place. You don’t mind, right?”

“No.”

“Alright.” Xia Chiyi searched on his phone for a while, settled on a cheap homestay with high ratings, and called a car.

The car arrived. Xia Chiyi shook Zhou Zhexiao, who was sliding down the pillar he leaned on, awake and shoved him into the back seat.

They arrived at the homestay located in an office building. Xia Chiyi entered the passcode, and the door opened with a beep.

The moment the lights turned on, he froze as if electrocuted.

“—What is this?”

The lighting was an ambiguous orange-red. Before his eyes was a round, wild leopard-print bed. In the center of the bed lay a cheap plastic rose. The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window slowly opened, revealing the lights of distant office buildings.

The bathroom walls were frosted glass. If the light was on inside, whatever you were doing, the silhouette would be crystal clear.

Xia Chiyi’s shoulders shuddered. This room was the cheapest and best-rated one within a half-hour drive from the airport.

Turning clouds and rain, all for just one hundred and twenty.

The problem was… would the police come for a vice raid? If two big guys like them got raided, it would be awkward as hell!

Xia Chiyi took out his phone and looked at the room picture again. How did he mistake leopard print for zebra print? And think it looked childishly fun at the time?

The room’s ad slogan wasn’t bad either: Once you check in, you’ll never want to leave. Infinite rolling space, nothing you can’t do!

Xia Chiyi stiffly turned his neck to look at Zhou Zhexiao, who was dozing off against the door frame, unsure if he should wake him.

“Um, maybe we should switch to another place?” Xia Chiyi asked tentatively.

(Note: “Turning clouds and rain” is a Chinese idiom euphemistically referring to sexual intercourse.)