After Xie Yu finished speaking, He Zhao didn't say anything for a long time.
Just as Xie Yu thought the conversation would end, He Zhao suddenly said, "As for me. I'm damn suave."
The two lay shoulder to shoulder on the quad, both their positions sloppy. They were so tired they didn't have energy to expend on worrying about appearances. He Zhao lay spread-eagled and felt like his body temperature was several degrees higher than the surface of the quad.
Xie Yu didn't have the energy to mock him; he was quite impressed by He Zhao's thick skin. He moved his leg as if to kick him, but missed because He Zhao suddenly pulled himself into a sitting position.
He Zhao continued, "Really. Have you seen anyone more suave than me? In this world of people, to be able to meet someone like me..."
Xie Yu said, "You're really something."
He Zhao: "Even the pen spirit said there wasn't anyone, no?"
Xie Yu remembered the evening self-study period when they'd summoned the pen spirit, and suddenly wanted to laugh.
"Of course there is. Who says there isn't?" Xie Yu suddenly thought of playing a joke. He looked at He Zhao, then pointed at himself. "Your grandpa. Me."
He Zhao: "Grandpa?"
Xie Yu answered, "Yes, grandson."
"You, my ass. You're taking advantage of me, aren't you?"
After suddenly being diminished by two generations, He Zhao laughed and went for Xie Yu's collar, pretending to be fierce. He didn't control his strength properly, and he didn't expect Xie Yu to just lie there and let him do what ever he wanted without retaliating.
He used too much force and pulled Xie Yu's collar wide open.
Xie Yu's complexion was pale and his skin was somewhat flushed after the run underneath the hot sun. That tinge of pink peeked through from beneath his pale skin; he was sprightly and slender, so beautiful it was alluring.
"Now who's taking advantage of whom?" Xie Yu tapped He Zhao's hand. "Let go."
He Zhao let go, sat down, and stayed stunned for a while. Then he lay back down and forced out, "You... you have a good figure."
Xie Yu replied smoothly, "Thank you, you too."
The tangled thoughts in He Zhao's mind ground to a halt and He Zhao almost forgot what he was annoyed about.
But he still felt hot; from his throat to his suddenly tight chest, there was a warmth he couldn't describe.
It burned, a little.
He Zhao wasn't sure what he was thinking of, either. His mind froze and, as if possessed by a ghost, he glanced down at his pants.
......
Xie Yu wasn't aware that He Zhao's thoughts, after taking several twists and turns, had run very far away. He lay down and looked up at the sky for a while and shut his eyes when he got sick of it.
The surroundings were quiet. He heard He Zhao's breathing.
He also heard He Zhao's heartbeat, overly fast, that still hadn't slowed down.
A moment later, Xie Yu closed his eyes and asked, "Your heart is beating fast. Are you very tired?"
He Zhao wiped his face and wasn't sure how to reply. "Ah, yes... tired from running."
Luo Wenqiang had run about ten rounds and collapsed on the ground roughly half the courtyard away from them.
After resting, he went to the vending machine to get a drink, and picked up two more bottles for his running-crazed classmates on the way. He cut through the courtyard to He Zhao and Xie Yu. He squatted and passed them the drinks. "Wah, the two of you... fifteen rounds? You really ran fifteen rounds?"
