The “Couple” Thermos

When Shi Sui arrived at the classroom the next day, there were dark circles under his eyes.

It wasn’t that his fever had kept him awake; it was his dreams. He had spent the night being chased by Lu Huaizhi, who was brandishing 365 pink love letters. Upon waking, Shi Sui felt as if his entire body was falling apart, more exhausted than if he’d run a marathon.

Entering the classroom, he didn’t give Lu Huaizhi a single glance. He slammed the annoying thermos back onto Lu’s desk, covered his head with his school jacket, and slumped over to catch up on sleep.

Wang Cheng felt the heavy atmosphere surrounding Shi Sui and winked at Lu Huaizhi, lowering his voice. “Top Student, what’s up with him now? Is he throwing a tantrum because the fever is making him miserable?”

Lu Huaizhi shook his head. Last night, as soon as he mentioned the love letters, Shi Sui had hung up. He’d asked if Shi Sui had checked his temperature, but the boy hadn’t replied.

Qi Sizheng, unaware of the fever, handed the sports meet registration form to Shi Sui. “Shi Sui, which events are you signing up for this time?”

Shi Sui wasn’t just good at fighting; his athletic talent was top-tier. Every sports meet, their class relied on him as the absolute MVP.

Just as Qi was about to place the form on the desk, Lu Huaizhi blocked him. “He’s sick. He’s not participating.”

Wang Cheng snatched the form from Qi Sizheng’s hand. “Shi Sui’s got a fever! Even when he’s better, he’ll need to rest for a few days. Leave it to me!”

Wang Cheng buried his head and began signing his name frantically across the form. He then handed it back to Qi Sizheng with a smug, eight-toothed grin. “Just wait to see your boy perform!”

After School

Shi Sui was jolted awake by the noise of the final bell. Wang Cheng immediately shoved the form under his nose. “Look! Your brother is about to win over a whole crowd of fangirls!”

Shi Sui yawned lazily, touched his forehead—finding his temperature normal—and looked down at the paper.

Seeing the sea of “Wang Cheng” on the form, he was speechless. “3000 meters, 800 meters, long jump, shot put, 4×4 relay…”

“No wonder Old Tian waived your toilet-cleaning duty.”

During class, Tian Hongjun had specifically come to comfort Wang Cheng, smiling as he patted his shoulder and told him to train hard. The toilets were no longer his concern.

Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Wang Cheng reclaimed the form. “Since you’ve fallen ill, I have to carry the banner, right? You just rest and watch me show off my heroic spirit!”

“Oh,” Shi Sui said. “Just don’t beg me to pull you up when you’re kneeling on the ground exhausted at the meet.”

Wang Cheng: “Can’t you wish me well? Just wait, I’m going to the track to practice right now.”

Shi Sui glanced at him. “When you collapse from exhaustion, don’t call my name. It’s embarrassing.”

Last time, Wang Cheng had only run 800 meters. By the finish line, he was nearly on his knees, clutching his waist and wailing Shi Sui’s name across the field, lamenting that Shi Sui wasn’t waiting there for him like a true brother.

He had shouted so loudly that the entire school stared. At the time, Shi Sui had desperately wanted to kick the attention-seeker right out of the stadium.

Wang Cheng clearly remembered it too, and his bravado deflated. “I was careless then! I didn’t warm up…”

He looked at his name on the form with lingering fear and quickly backed down. “Chi Qing signed up for a lot too. I’ll call him to the track.” At least then someone would be there to catch him so he wouldn’t end up face-first in the dirt.

After messaging Chi Qing, Wang Cheng turned to Lu Huaizhi. “Top Student, you coming?”

Lu Huaizhi was currently writing something on a piece of scratch paper—neat lines of text, many of them crossed out as if they were rough drafts.

Wang Cheng instinctively leaned over to look. “The first time I saw you, I…”

Shi Sui’s eyelid twitched.

Before Wang Cheng could read further, Shi Sui suddenly slammed his Chinese textbook over Lu Huaizhi’s scratch paper.

Thump! The noise startled Wang Cheng. “Shi Sui, what are you doing?”

The book had nearly hit his face.

Shi Sui kept his hand pressed firmly on the book, his voice stiff. “Weren’t you going to show off your heroic spirit? Stop wasting time.”

Wang Cheng gave Shi Sui a strange look. “I was just asking if the Top Student wanted to come.”

He turned back to Lu Huaizhi. “But are you writing an essay? If you’re busy…”

“I’m going,” Lu Huaizhi said quickly.

“Alright, Chi Qing said he’s free. Let’s pack up and meet at the track.” Wang Cheng went back to the front row to grab his things.

Shi Sui pulled his textbook back and looked down.

The paper wasn’t pink. Just as Shi Sui breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Huaizhi leaned toward him.

“Yesterday’s love letter is finished. Want it now?” Lu Huaizhi’s voice was very low as he reached into his bag. “I didn’t write it very smoothly yesterday, so I was practicing on the scratch paper just now. That wasn’t the final version, don’t worry.”

His tone implied that the final version would be even more “exciting.”

Shi Sui: “…” He said coldly, “Keep that thing away from me. Are you afraid people won’t know you’re gay?”

“You guys ready?” Wang Cheng turned back with his bag.

Lu Huaizhi started to pull his hand out of his bag, but Shi Sui shoved it back in with force.

Wang Cheng looked at their hands, his expression suddenly becoming very serious.

Shi Sui thought Wang Cheng had spotted the pink envelope and prepared to explain.

“Wait, Shi Sui, this isn’t how a brother acts,” Wang Cheng frowned. “We’ve been friends for years. Have you f*cking held my hand even once?”

Wang Cheng gave Shi Sui a resentful, sour look. “What? Is his hand better to hold than mine?”

Shi Sui: “…” Is everyone in this school insane?

Lu Huaizhi struggled slightly, about to speak, but Shi Sui glared at him. “Shut up!”

Seeing Lu Huaizhi get scolded, Wang Cheng felt a bit better. Then Shi Sui turned to him, his tone even harsher: “Are you blind?”

Shi Sui lifted his hand, revealing that he was gripping Lu Huaizhi’s wrist. “You call this holding hands?” He used the same grip when he was about to break someone’s bones.

Wang Cheng looked closer. “I guess not.” The Top Student’s wrist had a red ring from Shi Sui’s grip.

Wang Cheng’s gaze turned sympathetic. “Top Student, I misjudged the situation.” He wasn’t jealous anymore.

Lu Huaizhi: “.”

Shi Sui flung Lu Huaizhi’s hand away and gave him a warning look.

Lu Huaizhi pursed his lips. When he withdrew his hand this time, he didn’t bring out anything strange.

The group headed to the track.

The temperature had risen, but the wind still made Shi Sui cough.

They set their bags down on the bleachers. Lu Huaizhi picked up a water bottle and handed it to Shi Sui. Shi Sui shook his head while coughing, sitting down on a step. “No thanks.”

Lu Huaizhi didn’t push. He placed the thermos by Shi Sui’s feet. “The water inside is warm. Drink it if you’re thirsty. The bottle is brand new, and I’ve washed it. Just keep it.”

Shi Sui refused. “I’ll go buy a bottle of mineral water in a bit.”

Lu Huaizhi had brought two identical thermoses today, wanting Shi Sui to drink warm water, but he had been rejected multiple times.

Using matching bottles was just too weird.

Wang Cheng, noticing Shi Sui’s stubbornness, clicked his tongue. “Shi Sui, what are you so bothered about? If the Top Student has an extra, just take it. Didn’t I buy your last bottle for you?”

That had been last winter. He couldn’t stand watching Shi Sui drink ice-cold water, so he’d bought him one.

Shi Sui hadn’t hesitated then; he’d taken it immediately. Why was it different with Lu Huaizhi?

Lu Huaizhi’s eyes darkened. He turned to Wang Cheng. “You gave him a bottle?”

“Yeah!” Wang Cheng said. “But the kid only used it during the coldest month of winter. After that, I don’t know where he threw it. Total waste of my kindness.”

The bottle Shi Sui occasionally used now was one his grandmother had bought him.

Lu Huaizhi’s expression returned to normal. “Oh.”

“Anyway,” Wang Cheng glanced at the rejected thermos, “Why don’t you want the Top Student’s bottle?”

Shi Sui sat casually on the steps, wearing headphones and playing a mobile game. His fingers slid across the screen as he pretended not to hear them.

Just then, Chi Qing finished packing and arrived at the track. “What bottle?”

Wang Cheng explained, “Shi Sui’s being stubborn. He keeps coughing but won’t drink the water the Top Student gave him.”

Chi Qing put down his bag and looked down, spotting the two identical blue thermoses sitting side by side between Shi Sui and Lu Huaizhi. “The bottles look nice.”

Shi Sui fought the itch in his throat and said in a heavy voice, “Can you guys stop talking? If you signed up for events, go practice. Can’t you see the other classes are already running?”

Wang Cheng and Chi Qing finally went down to the track.

Once they were gone, Shi Sui went back to his game. When the round ended, he looked up to stretch his neck, only to see Lu Huaizhi quietly inching closer to him.

Shi Sui: “?” He shifted a large distance away in annoyance.

He started the next round, but Lu Huaizhi followed again, moving even further than Shi Sui had.

Shi Sui was about to tell him to get lost, but Lu Huaizhi held up a test paper. “Want to do some problems together?” They were at the track to train, but Shi Sui’s tutoring tasks weren’t finished.

He leaned his left knee against Shi Sui’s, spreading the paper and textbook across their touching legs. “The teacher is going over this paper during the first period tomorrow.”

Shi Sui’s entire leg went stiff.

In the summer, their trousers were thin. Shi Sui could clearly feel the constant warmth radiating from where their legs met. The temperature wasn’t high, but it was aggravating.

Shi Sui snapped his leg back. Because of his overreaction, he bumped his left leg, making his knee sting.

“I’m not writing,” Shi Sui said, trying to keep a straight face. “And don’t talk to me.”

Lu Huaizhi looked at Shi Sui’s stiff leg and finally backed off, lowering his head to work on the problems.

But the silence didn’t last long.

While Shi Sui was playing, a notification popped up at the top of his screen.

[Class 2-3 Lu Huaizhi: Image.jpg] [Class 2-3 Lu Huaizhi: Assignment answers. Remember to copy them when you get home.]

Shi Sui expressionlessly swiped the message away, pretending he hadn’t seen it.

Just as he finished analyzing the layout of the animals in his game and was about to clear a row of chickens, his phone vibrated again.

[Class 2-3 Lu Huaizhi: Why take Wang Cheng’s bottle but not mine?]

Shi Sui turned. Lu Huaizhi was holding the thermos, looking back at him quietly. “Is Wang Cheng’s bottle better than mine?”

Shi Sui: “?” Who was Lu Huaizhi being jealous of?

Most people on the track were warming up for their events. There were very few people on the bleachers, and the area around Shi Sui and Lu Huaizhi was empty.

Shi Sui threw his phone into his bag and beckoned Lu Huaizhi. “Come here.” If he didn’t deal with this now, it would never end.

Lu Huaizhi looked at his angry face for a moment, then obediently leaned in.

Shi Sui grabbed Lu Huaizhi’s collar and pulled him down, warning him in an icy tone, “Lu Huaizhi, I told you from the start: I’m straight. It’s useless spending so much effort on me.”

They were very close. Lu Huaizhi looked down, and his eyes fell right on Shi Sui’s lips.

Because of the illness, the lips were pale and a bit dry, which somehow made them look exceptionally soft.

Shi Sui was waiting for a response, but he saw the other boy staring directly at his mouth.

…

Shi Sui gritted his teeth, his grip on Lu Huaizhi’s collar tightening. “Where the f*ck are you looking? You trying to take advantage of me?”

Lu Huaizhi looked away, letting out a soft cough as the collar tightened. “I just wanted you to drink warm water. I didn’t have any other intentions.”

Shi Sui sneered. “Then why bring two identical bottles?”

Lu Huaizhi’s coughing stopped abruptly. He turned his head back. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

Shi Sui’s heart skipped a beat, realizing he might have slipped up. Before he could backtrack, Lu Huaizhi reacted faster. “You think of them as a couple’s set.”

It was a statement, not a question.

At that moment, Wang Cheng finished a lap and came back to catch his breath. Seeing Shi Sui gripping Lu Huaizhi’s collar, he turned pale with shock and rushed to pull them apart.

“Dad! Why are you hitting the Top Student!” Wang Cheng pried Shi Sui’s hand away. “There are so many people on the track!”

He knew Shi Sui had issues with Lu Huaizhi, but after all these days without a fight, he’d assumed they were fine. He hadn’t expected Shi Sui to snap in public.

As he pulled them apart, he caught sight of the red flush on Shi Sui’s ear.

“Dad, are you really that mad? What did the Top Student do? He made your ears turn red with rage.”

Lu Huaizhi’s gaze swept over Shi Sui’s ear.

Shi Sui’s right ear was almost entirely red, especially the earlobe, which looked like it was on fire. And when Shi Sui had been threatening him just now, his right ear had been closest to him.

Shi Sui pulled his phone out of his bag, his face tense and silent.

Wang Cheng’s eyes darted between the two of them as he drank his water, thinking to himself: Are these two actually having a falling out?

He wondered if he should call Chi Qing over to help mediate, but then he saw Lu Huaizhi look down and say softly, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said they were a couple’s set.”

Based on his tone, his apology was incredibly sincere.

Shi Sui, who had been hit by a metaphorical arrow yet again: “…” That apology was worse than the insult.

Wang Cheng looked confused. “What couple’s set?” His gaze fell on the two bottles between them, and he gasped in shock. “No way? Shi Sui wouldn’t take your bottle because he thought they looked like a couple’s set?”

When did my brother get such a vivid imagination!

Wang Cheng suddenly sensed something else going on.

“I didn’t realize it would cause such a misunderstanding,” Lu Huaizhi said as he picked up the two bottles from the ground. “I’ll buy a different one next time.”

The words sounded incredibly wrong to Shi Sui, especially with Wang Cheng giving him that knowing, mischievous look. It made his thoughts seem perverse.

Shi Sui reached out, snatched the bottle from Lu Huaizhi’s hand, opened it, and downed a gulp.

“You guys talk too f*cking much,” Shi Sui said, coolly wiping the water from his lips. “Can you shut up now?”

Wang Cheng, seeing that he was truly annoyed, shrunk back and made a zipping motion over his mouth.

But Lu Huaizhi looked at the bottle in Shi Sui’s hand, hesitating.

Shi Sui gave him a cold look. “Speak.”

Lu Huaizhi paused, then said honestly, “You’re using my bottle.”