Xie Zhuxing woke up at 6:45 in the morning, went out for a run, and came back around seven. After he finished taking a quick shower and changed his clothes, he heated up some milk and ate bread with it. He then cooked 6 eggs.
After breakfast, his teammates also got up one after another. They crowded in the bathroom as if they were fighting, trying to take care of their personal hygiene.
He walked over and said, “Hurry up and wash up. Go eat something after you’re done. There are eggs on the table, everyone gets one.”
The boys said messily, “Alright, thank you ge!”
He returned to his room. Wang Chao had surprisingly gotten up. He stood before the wardrobe only in a pair of underwear as he looked for an outfit.
“Looks like the sun is coming up from the west today,” he said as he closed the door. “How come you’re being so brisk today?”
Wang Chao turned his head around. His hair was a mess and his eyes were so covered with eye rheum that he couldn’t open them properly. He looked a bit funny. His voice was nasally from just waking up as he asked, “Where are my pants? Why can’t I find them?”
Xie Zhuxing looked at the wardrobe that had been flipped through as he said, “Your clothes are on the left. Those on the right are mine.”
Wang Chao flipped through the left side and said strangely, “Where are my pants? Did they grow legs and run away?”
Pants, of course, couldn’t run.
In his mini suitcase, he had only brought along three pairs of pants. Right now, they all needed to be washed.
In the end, Xie Zhuxing had to lend him a pair of pants to wear.
He was 182 centimeters tall, and Xie Zhuxing was only 1 centimeter taller than him. Their waistlines were about the same size, so it fitted him well.
He looked at himself in the mirror that was hung up on the wardrobe door. He was very satisfied as he said, “I look pretty good wearing this. I’ll buy a new pair for you next time. Give me this one.”
“That’s a pair of old pants. If you like it, then just wear it.”
Wang Chao said with a face full of smiles, “Xiao Xie, you really are the best.”
Xie Zhuxing didn’t say anything as he continued, “When we come back tonight make sure to remember to wash my dirty pants.”
“….No. Do you think I’m your nanny?”
Wang Chao looked at him from the mirror and said, “I don’t know how to use the washing machine? What do I do?”
Xie Zhuxing said, “What do you know how to do?”
Wang Chao grumbled, “Good Xiao Xie. Do you see how early I woke up this morning? Think of it as rewarding me. Wash it for me.”
“….” Why do I have to reward you? Who’s going to reward me?
Wang Chao went to brush his teeth. As he passed by the living room, he and Ji Jie met face to face.
Ji Jie was shocked as he said, “Oh wow, you’re up so early today.”
Wang Chao didn’t like him. “Why do you care, huh?”
Ji Jie never had any ill intent, to begin with. Since Wang Chao acted this way, Ji Jie replied strangely, “That’s true, who dares to ridicule you? Kun-ge even had to beg you to sign the contract. Be honest, just what type of background do you have?”
Wang Chao was in a bad mood. “Fuck do you care?”
Ji Jie immediately threw back an insult. “Right, please don’t tell me. I’ll be so scared that I won’t be able to sleep properly. I know that I’m different from you. I don’t like to sleep in late, but if I’m scared to the point of not resting, then I’ll have to sit by and wait for you to wake up every morning. Even if you don’t say it, I know you’ll feel sorry. Isn’t that right?”
“…Are you from Tianjin?” Wang Chao asked.
Wang Chao looked at him from the corner of his eye and said, “Do you know why you hurt your hand when you were dancing?”
Wang Chao looked down at him and said, “Hurry and go back quietly to your opera crosstalk, what are you doing here? Trying to learn dance? You! Deserved! It!”
Like two male chickens who had a grudge against each other, they both rolled their eyes and went back to do their own things.
Today, during class, Xie Zhuxing noticed very clearly that Wang Chao was a lot more serious. Although he still made a bunch of small mischievous movements, at least he was a bit more focused than all the other times.
During break time of the dance class, Miss Li went out and the two sat face to face on the floor, drinking water.
Wang Chao said triumphantly, “My performance today was pretty good right?”
Wang Chao wasn’t satisfied with his answer and said, “Alright? Even Miss Li complimented me, why can’t you?”
Xie Zhuxing changed his words and said, “Today’s performance was pretty good.”
Wang Chao grinned. “I actually thought about it, and what you said yesterday was right. The other four are all working and fighting hard. I can’t just laze around all day and not practice. When the time comes and I embarrass my brother, he’s definitely gonna beat me again.”
Xie Zhuxing didn’t think he was actually going to listen to him. He comforted the other and said, “What you’re thinking right now is the best. Don’t just persist for a while then lose your enthusiasm, you have to keep pushing through. If your brother finds out, never mind beating you, who knows how happy he’ll be.”
Wang Chao scooted forward with his butt and put his hands on Xie Zhuxing’s knees, pressing them as he whispered, “I know you’re just like my brother. You really watch out for me. Don’t worry, if anything good happens in the future, I’ll definitely bring you along.”
Xie Zhuxing didn’t take those words seriously and said, “Future events should be talked about in the future. When we get back tonight, I’ll teach you how to use the washing machine.”
Wang Chao said shamelessly, “You’re here already, so I’m not gonna learn.”
Xie Zhuxing said with disdain, “I’m not your servant.”
In the evening, he threw his clothes along with Wang Chao’s into the washing machine, pressed the button, and then returned to his room.
Wang Chao stood loosely against the wall. As he watched him come in, he quickly stood up straight.
“Just be lazy,” Xie Zhuxing said. “You can’t even endure it for 15 minutes.”
“I’m so fucking tired, can you just help me press open my shoulders? We can save time,” he said with a bitter face.
Xie Zhuxing walked over, pressing his shoulder to correct his posture. “Breathe in and push in with your abdomen. This is different from opening your shoulder. You have a bad habit, always shrinking in your shoulders. If you stand like this for ten minutes every day, then you’ll see results in half a month. Did you forget what Feng-jie said about you?”
Feng-jie was their physique teacher. He was a male, but he was very feminine. He loved to point with a finger while his hand was on his waist, and he was especially strict when criticizing people. Today, he said to Wang Chao, “Little brother, it seems you were crooked even in the womb. Don’t expect me to teach you how to stand properly. I’m not a pediatrician.”
Wang Chao was angry even thinking about it. “Who said he hates my posture? It’s all because last time I mimicked his gay-ass way of speaking and then he found out. He probably held a grudge and took the chance today to ridicule me.”
If there was one good point about Wang Chao, it was that even though he forced others around all day and spoke whatever he wanted, he was still very respectful to his teachers. Although he would be mischievous behind their back, he acted very clever and obedient in front of them, never talking back.
Xie Zhuxing used his hand and applied pressure on his abs. “Stop talking nonsense, breathe in.”
Even though Wang Chao was unwilling, he still listened and breathed.
Finally, after fifteen minutes, he laid head first onto the bed.
Xie Zhuxing sat on the side, patting his back as he praised him. “You were pretty good today. Do you still need me to wake you up tomorrow morning?”
“Yea, in case I don’t wake up. Are you going for a run tomorrow?”
“Yes, do you want to go too?”
“Forget that, when you come back, buy me breakfast. I want to eat fried liver and soy milk.”
Xie Zhuxing agreed, then said, “Your tastes are pretty strong.”
“Try it tomorrow. It’s super good,” Wang Chao smiled and said.
Wang Chao sat up. His shoulders and waist were a bit sore. He leaned lazily against Xie Zhuxing and said, “I haven’t even asked you yet. What did Feng-jie say to you in secret today?”
“Just small talk, he’s also from Beijing dance. He counts as my senior.”
Wang Chao didn’t buy it. “Is he interested in you?”
“What nonsense are you sprouting?”
Wang Chao continued, “I’m not spouting nonsense! He definitely likes guys, especially types like you. You must be super popular.”
Wang Chao rambled on, “First of all, let me say that I don’t discriminate against gays. I’m just scared that a fool like you wouldn’t even know if you’ve been targeted. I noticed something was off today. If you don’t believe it, then pay attention in class tomorrow. He likes to touch you a lot.”
Xie Zhuxing could also tell that the physique teacher’s sexual orientation was different from his, but he doesn’t remember him touching him at all. “Keep talking nonsense. Hurry and go take a shower. I’m going to go dry the clothes first.”
There was no physique class the next day.
There was physique class the day after that. Feng-jie kept on criticizing Wang Chao’s mistakes while he corrected him individually.
Xie Zhuxing watched on the side as he drank his water. The more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Feng-jie kept on telling Wang Chao to tighten his waist. If his waist is the problem, then why does he keep on patting his butt?
Wang Chao’s expression was bitter as he tried to tighten his waist. He muttered, “Stop hitting me, I’m trying my best here…”
Who’s the fool who doesn’t know that they’re being targeted?
He walked over, pulled Wang Chao over to the side, and said, “Mr. Feng, I feel that I have a little knee flexion when I walk. Please help me correct it.”
Feng-jie looked at him with a dry smile and said, “Sure.”
He’s been dancing for so many years. There is practically no problem with his physique There is no way that he could have a problem with his knees when walking.
Wang Chao asked like an idiot, “What’s bending when walking? Kneecaps aren’t straight? Am I straight?”
Xie Zhuxing looked at Feng-jie as he spoke, “We’re both very straight.”