Before and after
There were few people at the foot of the mountain early in the morning, so the six of them boldly pulled down a section of their masks and huddled together to share Nie Chuiying's snack bag.
"Hey, hey, hey, no one is allowed to touch my matcha!" Nie Chuiying had just finished putting in her eye drops and was leaning against Shi Yunshan, pulling her sun hat down to cover her eyes.
Shi Yunshan nudged her and said, "Aren't you going to get up? Your lime-flavored potato chips are about to be stolen by Yu Nianxi."
Upon hearing this, Nie Chuiying quickly opened her eyes and stood up straight. She reached out to take back her lime chips, then closed her eyes again. After a moment of silence, she fumbled around for a while before handing a honey butter flavored chip to Yu Nianxi: "You're welcome."
"Okay."
On the other side, Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi were much quieter. Chu Yiqi pressed his sun hat onto Xi Ai's head and then stopped talking.
Xi Ai smiled and continued to bite the straw with her head down.
Xi Ai had planned to make coffee early this morning, but after going to find her black coffee, she came back to find that her cup had been filled with cold brew tea.
Chu Yiqi, who had done all this, kept his merits hidden, leaning against the low sofa and quietly drinking milk, while also stirring honey water by hand.
Xi Ai gently twitched the tip of her nose, feeling that today's scent was like osmanthus honey.
Xi Ai said, "Teacher Xiao Chu is truly the best person in the world."
"Hmph." Chu Yiqi remained noncommittal, stood up to fill the cup, and then thought of her reply. "You should write an 800-word essay praising Chu Yiqi from multiple angles and perspectives."
Xi Ai smiled and said, "Could the person in question please treat their fans a little better?"
Another boomerang hit him.
Chu Yiqi remained silent.
Actually, this habit started a long time ago when they were living together.
Originally, Xi Ai would occasionally grind coffee and leave it aside while she worked at night. Chu Yiqi always felt that he couldn't let Xi Ai do this all the time, so he would always take advantage of the time when he was writing and drawing next to Xi Ai to switch Xi Ai's coffee with a cup of plum juice or brown sugar ginger tea.
When Xi Ai took her first sip, she would pause subtly, then look up at Chu Yiqi, who remained motionless, continuing to revise his unfinished composition while wearing headphones.
Only the slight curve of his lips and the way his eyes kept trying to steal glances at Xi Ai's reaction would betray him.
Xi Ai would always smile at first, then lean over and kiss Chu Yiqi, the kiss carrying a lingering scent of sour plum juice, or perhaps a sweet one.
A very comfortable kiss, just a light touch.
As for what happens after Xi Ai finishes her work, that's a matter for later.
Later, Xi Ai got used to it, but Chu Yiqi would always lean in and kiss her after she took her first sip, and then mischievously ask her if she liked the drink today.
Miss Xi was very good at going along with Chu Yiqi's wishes. She would often cover Chu Yiqi's eyes and then lean in to give him another kiss.
It's like a secret agreement.
After Xi Ai finished chewing on the straw, she looked at Chu Yiqi again and handed him a sun-protective jacket, saying, "It might get a little hot later, you can change into this."
Chu Yiqi glanced at Xi Ai's ice sleeve, took it, and said, "You're welcome."
"What am I thanking you for?" Xi Ai couldn't help but chuckle softly, pulling her hat brim up slightly.
Chu Yiqi answered confidently and without any pressure: "I got you a piece of clothing."
"You make it sound like this is my only goal."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Xi."
"You're welcome."
Su Luojian tidied up her microphone one last time and said, "You can go now, kids."
Xi Ai covered the microphone again and whispered to Chu Yiqi, "Tell me, who is it that is climbing the mountain in a shirt?"
Chu Yiqi glanced down, ignoring Xi Ai's hand that was reaching out to touch his hawthorn strips. He just glanced at Shi Yunshan and Nie Chuiying, then covered his microphone: "I don't know, but I won't wear my roommate's shirt."
Nie Chuiying's outfit today was casual, but the embroidered shirt resembled Shi Yunshan's style.
—That's true, but I just haven't worn it in public.
With a change of expression, Xi Ai belatedly smiled, but said nothing.
Chu Yiqi, however, inexplicably understood.
Xi Ai's smile clearly conveyed the sentiment, "Anyway, I won't wear my roommate's shirt."
On one occasion, Chu Yiqi had chosen a suit for Xi Ai to wear. She even spent a long time in the dressing room selecting the best-looking one.
And then, at the end, he shouted at Xi Ai, who was picking out dresses for the event: "Can you tell me exactly how old Xi Ai is and how many pink suits she bought?"
"Xi Ai's coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen."
Coincidentally, that day was the day they went to Yu Nianxi's graduation ceremony.
It's just like how they once stood side by side, their figures overlapping in the end.
Chu Yiqi coughed lightly, but did not initiate a conversation with Xi Ai. Thus, this secret remained a secret known only to the two of them, and no one mentioned it.
"Oh dear!" Chu Yiqi took a few steps back. Xi Ai tied her shoelaces and saw a monkey in the middle of the road not far ahead, tilting its head and looking in this direction.
Caught off guard by their eye contact, Chu Yiqi shifted her gaze to the small bag of peanuts in her hand, then tilted her head to look at it as well.
Chu Yiqi's eyes shone with a bright smile as she said, "Hi, do you want some too? I'll give you some if you say so."
"You're going a bit too far," Xi Ai said, standing to the side before turning to ask her companions, "Is it okay to feed them?"
Yu Nianxi was bolder than the others, so she answered as she walked towards the roadside: "Actually, we call this a toll fee in our area."
Yu Nianxi opened a carton of pure milk and put it aside, then quickly returned to it.
Chu Yiqi felt more and more that he was making things difficult for the monkey, so he carefully looked at another one that was white, separated a small half and put it by the roadside, which made Yu Nianxi even more anxious.
He stepped back and stood next to Xi Ai, who shielded him from most of the food, while he bent down and watched her eat.
Xi Ai calmly stepped in front of Chu Yiqi and said, "Next, please enjoy Chu Yiqi's observer's log."
“And her teammate Xi Ai, who cosplayed as the fence.” Chu Yiqi laughed at herself, then straightened up to continue walking.
"I have a question."
Upon hearing that the voice came from Nie Chuiying, Xi Ai inexplicably thought of another phrase—before and after.
The inappropriate amusement made Xi Ai pause briefly before covering it up, only to nudge Chu Yiqi, who understood and reciprocated by touching Xi Ai's hand in return.
The next moment, they both answered at the same time, "What's wrong?"
"Why does Shiny always call me by my full name or Teacher Chu? Why is she so unsociable?"
Honestly, female fans of yaoi (fanfiction) can't even be tactful when asking questions.
All I could ask were "allusions" or "historical references".
Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi had actually discussed this matter and reached a consensus—
The rainy season in the north of the city always brings a sudden downpour, the raindrops seeming to be mixed with ice. Xi Ai closed the window, preparing to return and continue revising the lyrics with Chu Yiqi.
Just as Xi Ai sat down, she heard Chu Yiqi say, "Xiao Ai, classmate."
Then, in the next moment, two voices rang in Chu Yiqi's ears at the same time, one from his left and the other from the person he was leaning against.
"I am here."
"What's wrong?"
Then Chu Yiqi looked at Xi Ai, who was staring at Chu Yiqi's phone with her eyes downcast.
The atmosphere became quite awkward, yet also incredibly funny. The two avoided eye contact to prevent themselves from bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
I don’t know how much time passed, and I can’t tell who started it. It was probably when Chu Yiqi finally thought he was mentally prepared, raised his head, and the two of them looked at each other. They saw smiles in each other’s eyes, and from that moment on, they couldn’t stop.
Chu Yiqi picked up her phone, manually played the audio from earlier, and then said with a laugh, "No, how did you come up with that? When have I ever called you 'Xiao Ai'?"
"Well... people always call out to you, and I've been wondering why you suddenly called out to me like that!" Xi Ai was feeling incredibly wronged.
"By the way, why have you never called me by any other name?" Chu Yiqi sat cross-legged and turned to look at Xi Ai.
Xi Ai rested her chin on her hand, looked into Chu Yiqi's eyes, and said, "And why are you asking?"
"I asked first."
Xi Ai chuckled and quickly conceded, "Okay, because... that's not the complete you."
That's enough; they'll understand what comes next.
Because that's not the whole you, I won't choose that title.
Because it's you, I hope you'll treat even your name with care and respect.
Chu Yiqi's eyes crinkled as she said, "Then we can say we share the same view."
As for the occasional mention of "Teacher Chu," that's just a bit of "romance" that emerged from the initial thawing of their relationship.
The first time they were in the same group, it felt like a kind of unspoken competition. Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi would stay in the practice room for a long time after class.
There was no communication whatsoever; it was only later that, inexplicably, they went from practicing separately to practicing in sync with the music.
Xi Ai unconsciously felt a pang of nausea in her stomach. Chu Yiqi saw this through the mirror, but said nothing. He simply put on a coat and left quietly.
It wasn't too serious; she only felt a slight, vague discomfort for a fleeting moment.
Chu Yiqi didn't leave for long; about ten minutes later, he reappeared at the practice room door.
He spoke to Xi Ai in a lukewarm tone: "Eat something first, or you might collapse from a stomachache and try to scam me!"
Xi Ai was stunned, but the person at the door stared at a very beautiful face standing under the light. Xi Ai suddenly remembered the first performance she had seen. Every move she made seemed to have stepped out of a painting, a completely different feeling from her private life.
"Thanks."
"How about we go to the rooftop instead, so the smell won't get too strong later?"
So the two of them stayed on the rooftop for a long time. Chu Yiqi didn't continue practicing, but would suddenly speak up when Xi Ai's movements weren't good enough: "Actually, we can adjust it a little."
Then Chu Yiqi would stand up again, his slightly warm fingertips touching Xi Ai's wrist, their breaths mingling.
"What's the next move, Teacher Chu?" Xi Ai asked, almost as if she were in a daze, as if she were teasing someone, or as if she really didn't remember.
In the hazy darkness of the night, Chu Yiqi walked to Xi Ai's side and adjusted the music for a few seconds.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too good, so whenever I think about it later, I always feel that Chu Yiqi in the music is different. It is surrounded by the colors of freedom and ideals, and the resilience that comes with it is just right.
This nickname, which started as a joke, has evolved into a kind of ambiguous relationship between the two people.
Xi Ai considered whether there was a compromise, but ultimately only answered Nie Chuiying at the end: "Because I'm willing."
Shi Yunshan also wanted to stand on Nie Chuiying's side, saying, "But you can use reduplicated words when you call other people, so why can't you use 'Qiqi'?"
"But why don't you ask Chu Yiqi why he keeps calling me 'Teacher Xi' all the time?" Xi Ai tossed the question to Chu Yiqi and stood aside.
Chu Yiqi's gaze fell lightly on Xi Ai, then shifted away again, saying, "Because I just like calling Xi Ai that."
"What about Teacher Xi?"
"Well... because everyone on set calls him Teacher Xi."
When Chu Yiqi visited the set for the first time, she was eating cake in the car when she heard people calling for help outside.
Where is Teacher Xi?
"The director is giving Mr. Xi instructions."
Chu Yiqi suddenly felt like laughing. He had been hearing Xi Ai call him "Teacher Chu" every day, and now he finally had a chance. So when Xi Ai finally came back to rest and took a sip of milk tea, Chu Yiqi smiled and said, "Little Teacher Xi, you got to drink my milk tea."
Xi Ai froze, unsure which event had a greater impact. In the end, she silently took another cup of milk tea, turned around, and met Chu Yiqi's smiling eyes again, like sunlight scattering on crushed ice.
Why are you shouting too?
"Am I not allowed to shout?"
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