SWNOVELXO Chapter 101 - I
Recently, students who had taken the same professional course as Xie Qi noticed that the smiles on his face had become more frequent.
Xie Qi was actually a big celebrity in school. Maybe only he didn’t know it. It was normal. He kept to himself and didn’t have any close friends, but he wasn’t withdrawn. If someone talked to him, he answered and spoke politely. A few words were exchanged, but no one could get close to him.
Overall, he was someone easy to get along with but not easy to get close to.
His usual persona was quiet, serious, and not one to laugh much.
However, everyone who had followed Xie Qi recently could feel that he had changed, albeit subtly. For instance, when someone asked to borrow a pen, he actually smiled, took out a pen from his pencil case, handed it to a male classmate, and said, “Remember to return it to me after class.”
The male classmate was surprised and quickly replied, “Uh, I can do that.”
After school, someone couldn’t help but chat with others. “What’s up with him lately? Did he win the lottery? Why is he so happy every day?”
A female classmate, who seemed to know more, chimed in, “I heard he had a partner before, but I never saw them. Now, I feel like he really has someone.”
“Hey, he’s handsome and classy. I really envy him.”
From this perspective, it was clear that there were many people who liked Xie Qi. However, no one dared to pursue him openly—well, not that they didn’t dare. Many had expressed their affection openly and subtly, but Xie Qi always deflected them with grace.
There wasn’t much anyone could do about it. No matter how much someone liked him, they couldn’t get past Xie Qi’s impenetrable defences.
After school, Xie Qi went to play basketball. During this time, playing basketball had proven very effective. He now had abdominal muscles!
In the somewhat dark dressing room, he used his new phone to take photos. The outlines of his abs were clear.
He sent the photo to Qin Yizhi first and modestly said, [Actually, it’s not very obvious.]
Qin Yizhi quickly replied, [No, it’s obvious.]
In fact, Qin Yizhi could see Xie Qi every day, and Xie Qi often sent him photos. It was clearly an attempt to flirt, and Qin Yizhi played along perfectly.
Xie Qi replied, [I’ll let you touch it when I get home.]
Qin Yizhi responded, [Yeah.]
Xie Qi noticed how calm Qin Yizhi had become about such things. Even so, he didn’t mind. The conversations might have been cold on the chat app, but their interactions in real life were fiery.
Something crossed Xie Qi’s mind, and he asked, puzzled, [You used to be very thin. How did you work out?]
Qin Yizhi was silent for a moment before answering, [I was a little fat in junior high. I reached 185 centimetres in the second grade and did a lot of exercise.]
Xie Qi replied, [No wonder. But you used to be so beautiful—like a porcelain doll, so cute and charming, but completely clueless.]
Qin Yizhi didn’t reply.
Even without a response, Xie Qi smiled slightly. Feeling a little mischievous, he lowered his pants and took another photo. [Mr. Qin, is this a mermaid line?]
Qin Yizhi immediately replied, [Yeah.]
After a while, he added, [Baby, call me husband.]
“…” Xie Qi didn’t hesitate and called out, [Hubby, are you satisfied?]
Qin Yizhi replied, [Yeah.]
Xie Qi blushed slightly. The weather was already freezing, and his breath appeared white in the cold air. Because of the cold, he didn’t take too many photos and quickly covered his chilled stomach with his clothes.
Looking at the chat records between himself and Qin Yizhi, Xie Qi felt a mix of amusement and excitement.
Was this what being in love felt like?
To distract himself, he sent the photo to Fan Qingyue. [Look at my abs.]
Fan Qingyue replied, [Wow, amazing. You’ve got abs now? Didn’t we agree to be fat dogs together?!]
Xie Qi responded, [I can’t help it. My partner is so strong; I can’t afford to lose.]
When Xie Qi mentioned this, Fan Qingyue found it magical. [You really like your husband? No way, you didn’t lean in this direction before.]
Xie Qi replied, […You’ll understand later. This kind of thing happens very suddenly.]
Not only did Fan Qingyue find it sudden, but Xie Qi also felt it was quite abrupt. He had only known Qin Yizhi for a little over half a year, yet their relationship had changed so quickly.
However, Xie Qi felt that he and Qin Yizhi still had a lot to figure out. Some people were only suitable as friends, partners, or family members, but when a relationship shifted to that of a romantic partner, feelings could change entirely, and things might no longer be a good fit.
Just like now, with the relationship transformed, Xie Qi often thought about whether he could gain the upper hand over Qin Yizhi or firmly hold the initiative in his hands.
Xie Qi didn’t know much about other people’s love affairs, but he believed that his relationship with Qin Yizhi was like a tug-of-war—either the east wind prevailed over the west wind, or the west wind prevailed over the east.
.
After school that afternoon, Xie Qi had no extracurricular activities, so he sneaked into the mall to shop. He bought matching couple’s jackets for himself and Qin Yizhi.
Knowing that Qin Yizhi had refined taste and always chose the best for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, Xie Qi splurged on a brand-name jacket that cost over 5,000 yuan.
He also picked out a designer belt for Qin Yizhi, which cost him more than 20,000 yuan. Surprisingly, he didn’t even feel bad about spending so much money. Normally, he wouldn’t have been willing to spend such an amount on himself.
Continuing to browse the mall, Xie Qi found a gemstone brooch for Qin Yizhi. He remembered that Qin Yizhi occasionally wore brooches, so he decided to get it for him.
While purchasing the brooch, Xie Qi suddenly realized that he had never bought anything for Qin Yizhi in all this time. Qin Yizhi had given him so much, yet Xie Qi had never returned the gesture.
Reflecting on this, Xie Qi felt that he had been somewhat selfish and indifferent in the past. He often moved emotionally in the moment but forgot to reciprocate.
What, he wondered, did Qin Yizhi even like about him?
It was no surprise that Xie Qi started overthinking. He had read online that falling in love often turned people into overly emotional “love brains”—unable to think rationally. He felt this description fit him perfectly.
Realizing he was getting carried away again, Xie Qi shook his head, feeling speechless at himself, and quickly stopped his thoughts.
When he got home, he saw the strong man dressed like a middle-aged man, and he didn’t know what to say. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to wear it like this,” Xie Qi remarked.
It wasn’t without reason that Xie Qi said this. Although the strong man looked fairly average, he was quite masculine. However, he deliberately dressed in a way that made him look unattractive—wearing a large eggplant-coloured jacket typically favoured by older men. This instantly made him look like someone stuck in a mid-life crisis.
The strong man spoke with some resignation, “That won’t work. I’m afraid Mr. Qin will think I’m trying to seduce you.”
Xie Qi was speechless. “…You’re overthinking it.”
To be fair, Qin Yizhi was indeed the type to worry about such things, but the strong man didn’t dare to say it out loud. He only replied, “This is just part of my professional ethics. I’ll make sure you, young master, won’t look at me twice.”
Xie Qi couldn’t help but sigh. “…Thanks, I guess.”