Qin Shu was spiraling. In his imagination, he was violently shaking Chu Cheng by the shoulders: This is what you get for eating snail noodles! Look at your rival—elegant, poised, perfect. And you? You reek of snail noodles, and Ning Ning smelled every bit of it—game over, bury yourself now.
But Chu Cheng’s skin was much thicker than Qin Shu’s. He was embarrassed for maybe two seconds, then said righteously, “Yeah, I ate snail noodles. So what? You think one measly bowl of snail noodles can fill me up? Don’t make me laugh.”
Qin Shu was secretly impressed. Oho, not bad baby, keep pushing, don’t let the snail noodles dent your seme aura!
Xu Ning said plainly, “I have some personal matters to discuss with Youyu. Let’s meet another time.”
“Personal matters?” Chu Cheng looked at Wang Youyu. The man’s gentle face was suddenly intolerable. “What kind of shady ‘personal matters’ do you two have to talk about?”
Xu Ning’s expression shifted. “Chu Cheng, stop it.”
Chu Cheng sneered. “What do you mean stop? Can’t I even make a casual comment?”
Qin Shu could tell Xu Ning had been poked right where it hurt. He quickly stepped in: “Everyone’s got personal stuff these days. Ning Ning, you go ahead. I’ll find a restaurant and wait for you…”
“No need,” Xu Ning said. “I’ll just head back to the dorm later.”
Qin Shu: “Then I’ll walk you back.”
Wang Youyu smiled lightly. “Wouldn’t it be more convenient if I send him?”
Qin Shu said with pointed meaning, “If you send him, I won’t feel at ease.”
Wang Youyu’s smile dimmed, and his gaze at Qin Shu gained a new layer of probing.
Chu Cheng snorted. “What, is Xu Ning short-legged or being hunted down? What’s the point of sending him anywhere?”
Qin Shu: “…” Baby, please, I’m begging you, shut your mouth just once.
Xu Ning rubbed his forehead. “Youyu, let’s go.”
“Alright.” Wang Youyu’s words were for Xu Ning, but his eyes lingered on Chu Cheng and Qin Shu. “Ah Ning.”
Once they left, Chu Cheng cursed. “That d*mn Wang Squid, who the h*ll is he? Just looking at him pisses me off. F*ck.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee in one go.
“He’s Xu Ning’s ex-boyfriend.”
Pffft— Chu Cheng spat his coffee out a good distance. “Hah??”
Qin Shu mused, “He might be here to get back together with Xu Ning.”
“What? No—Xu Ning? Ex-boyfriend?!” Chu Cheng was incoherent. “For real? How do you know?”
Qin Shu said, “I’m chasing Xu Ning, of course I have to know his situation. I checked.”
Chu Cheng was so shocked his face looked awful. He slammed the table hard. “Is Xu Ning blind? Fancying that kind of idiot?!”
Qin Shu deliberately provoked him: “To be fair, Squid does look pretty good.”
Chu Cheng snapped, “If you don’t need your eyes, donate them to someone who does.”
“Wow, why are you so worked up?” Qin Shu teased. “Who his ex is—what’s that got to do with you, hm?”
Chu Cheng was tongue-tied.
Qin Shu smiled with meaning. “You care this much, could it be that you…”
“Shut up.” Chu Cheng said stiffly. “I’m just gossiping.”
“Gossiping with such deep feeling, that’s tough work for you.”
Chu Cheng was already annoyed and had no patience for Qin Shu’s nonsense. “You knew Squid was his ex and still let them leave together? If they get back together, what’s the point of you chasing Xu Ning?”
Qin Shu said, “That shouldn’t happen.”
“Why not?”
Qin Shu hesitated a moment, then decided to share the key intel. “Do you know why they broke up?”
Chu Cheng sneered, “Because Squid was too ugly.”
Qin Shu phrased it tactfully: “Xu Ning… was hurt by him.”
Chu Cheng frowned. “Hurt? What do you mean, hurt?”
What now, you want Dad to give you a crash course in the details? “Just… hurt.”
Chu Cheng was aghast. “Xu Ning was hit? Domestic violence?!”
Qin Shu muttered, “Kind of.”
“Scum! Squid scum!” Chu Cheng was furious, rolling up his sleeves to storm off. “I’ll kill him!”
Qin Shu quickly grabbed him. “Not the kind of domestic violence you’re thinking of!”
“No kind can be tolerated!”
“…That actually sounds kind of reasonable.”
“Let go, or I’ll kill you too!”
“Calm down, will you. Xu Ning himself hasn’t even said anything—what are you to him, why are you butting in?”
“I—I see injustice and must shout!”
Qin Shu clamped tighter. “Oh, stop shouting. Can you at least show some loyalty? I kindly share intel with you, and you immediately sell me out?” He pointed to his chest, demanding, “Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
“I don’t have a conscience.”
Qin Shu: “…”
Either way, he still managed to talk Chu Cheng down. The two headed back toward campus, Chu Cheng looking like he was ready to murder someone.
Baby is angry. Should Dad coax him? Qin Shu was wrestling with the thought when he spotted a little ring-toss stall—ah, he really was a clever fox!
“Chu Cheng, wanna play ring-toss?”
“What the h*ll.”
Ring-toss is a traditional pastime beloved by ordinary folks, often found in public squares alongside dancing aunties and chess-playing grandpas. Qin Shu used to see it a lot as a kid, though lately it was rarer. He hadn’t expected to find it at a night market.
When Chu Cheng realized what “ring-toss” meant, he was disdainful: “What are you, three and a half? How childish.”
“I think that little turtle looks cute. Easy to keep, too. I wanna win it and give it to Ning Ning.”
“Chasing someone by giving them a turtle? Are you feverish?”
Qin Shu said, “Turtles are easy—you just change the water. I want Xu Ning to keep it in his dorm. Whenever he sees it, he’ll think of me. And I’ll have an excuse to drop by, ‘to see the turtle.’”
Despite having zero dating experience, Qin Shu sounded perfectly reasonable. The other one actually bought it too. “D*mn, that’s so underhanded,” said Chu Cheng. “That’s cheating!”
“In love, there’s no such thing as cheating.” Qin Shu paid 20 yuan for 20 rings, pointed at two turtles, and said, “Go, Bulbasaur!”
Chu Cheng: …What the h*ll, Bulbasaur.
All 20 rings missed. Qin Shu stared down, deep in thought. “Maybe I should just buy one outright.”
“Trash.” Chu Cheng scanned five yuan with his phone. “Step aside.”
Half an hour later, Chu Cheng returned to the dorm cradling three little goldfish.
Qin Shu sacrificed his instant noodle bowl to give them a home. Watching the fish dart about, Qin Shu asked, “Should I give these to Ning Ning tomorrow?”
Chu Cheng protested, “I caught them, why should you be the one to give them?”
Qin Shu lit up. “Then you’ll give them?”
Chu Cheng tapped the noodle bowl. The startled fish shot around in panic. “We’ll see.”
Qin Shu was thrilled. Thanks to his effort, Baby might actually give his wife a gift. Maybe these three goldfish would even become a symbol of their love. He carefully took care of them—bought a fish tank, fish food, googled all the tips for raising fish.
But one rainy morning, two of the goldfish were dead.
Qin Shu looked at the little corpses floating on the surface—like a bolt from the blue.
No—don’t die! If you die, what will my Baby do? How will he cheer Ning Ning up! All the stuff I ordered will be wasted! That’s money down the drain!
Heartbroken, Qin Shu trembled as he scooped out the dead fish. Chu Cheng was still asleep, leaving him alone to face this tragedy.
Sad or not, the dead needed to be taken care of. Qin Shu couldn’t bear to just toss them in the trash. He tore a sheet from his notebook, folded it into a little box, and placed the fish inside. He planned to bury them in the flowerbed under the dorm, hoping their souls in heaven would bless his CP to come true soon.
Qin Shu changed clothes, holding an umbrella in one hand and the little goldfish in the other. Just as he opened his door, the door of the dorm opposite opened too.
Meeting the other boy’s eyes made Qin Shu feel a little better, though he didn’t manage a full-blown smile. “Morning, senior!”
“Morning.” Xie Lanzhi closed his door, casually asking, “Got class?”
“I don’t have class this morning. I’m going to a burial.”
Xie Lanzhi: ?
Qin Shu showed him the box with the goldfish inside, saying bitterly, “Woke up early to find two of them dead.”
Xie Lanzhi wanted to laugh but was afraid of hurting his junior’s feelings. “My condolences—how’d they die?”
“No idea,” Qin Shu said, puzzled. “I raised them exactly according to what it said online.”
Xie Lanzhi comforted him, “Raising fish—feed once a day, change the water every three days, change the fish every seven. Totally normal. Don’t be sad.”
Qin Shu sighed. “If they were just ordinary goldfish, then fine, but they carried my dreams and hopes. I… I’m afraid I can’t get past this.”
Xie Lanzhi held back a laugh. “You can. Believe in yourself.”
As they talked, the two reached the first floor. It was raining hard outside, a hazy sheet of white. Qin Shu asked, “Senior, are you heading to class?”
“Lab.”
“Oh. Then, see you.”
Xie Lanzhi glanced at the box in Qin Shu’s hand. “You’ll be okay alone?”
Qin Shu smiled. “Just digging a hole and burying two fish.”
Xie Lanzhi nodded. “Mm.”
“Oh right, senior, when do you have time?” Qin Shu said. “I said I’d buy you milk tea, but you’re never in the dorm, so I don’t know when to give it to you.”
“Leave it for now,” Xie Lanzhi opened his umbrella, said carelessly, “I’ll take it next time.”
Qin Shu braved the rain to bury the goldfish. To make sure they left happily, he even played Coffin Dance as background music.
When he returned to the dorm, Chu Cheng was already awake, lying in bed playing games. Qin Shu announced solemnly, “Chu Cheng, the goldfish are dead.”
Chu Cheng sat bolt upright as if struck in his deathbed. “What did you say?!”
Seeing Chu Cheng’s reaction even bigger than his own, Qin Shu was both surprised and gratified. “No idea what happened, but two died anyway. Don’t worry, I already handled them.”
Chu Cheng just stared blankly, even forgetting he was killed in-game.
Qin Shu said, “How about we go buy a few more?”
Chu Cheng snapped back, quickly exited his game, opened WeChat, and found the three-person group with him, Lu Rulu, and Xie Lanzhi.
[Chu Overlord: f*ck, solid proof! My roommate really is trying to murder me]
[Chu Overlord: Yesterday I poured a bit of water from my cup into the fish tank. This morning the fish were dead.]
[Chu Overlord: What does that mean—there’s poison in the water!!!]
Author’s Note:
Little Love Letter teaches Baby how to pursue someone: one dares to teach, one dares to learn (dog head emoji).
