Heartbeat Commands and Weekend Invitations (Revised Edition)
Jiang Zhao felt that the way his cousin was looking at him at that moment was colder than the last challenging question on the math exam.
"Um... bro, let me explain..." Jiang Zhao chuckled awkwardly, trying to salvage his precarious "internet cafe pass." "I really didn't mean to keep Su An's low blood sugar from you! It's just that, you see, your way of pursuing someone is too... too roundabout. I didn't think for a moment that this information also needed to be reported, right?"
Jiang Qi didn't speak, but slowly locked her phone screen. The soft "click" sounded like a death knell to Jiang Zhao. He walked to the computer, his finger hovering over the power button, his gaze calmly fixed on Jiang Zhao.
"No! Brother! Dear brother!" Jiang Zhao almost rushed over and hugged his leg. "I have a chance to make amends! I guarantee that your relationship with An'an... no, with Su An will make a breakthrough!"
Jiang Qi's finger remained on the power button, and she raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
Jiang Zhao's brain was racing, his CPU practically overheating. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, and he slapped his thigh: "I've got it! My mom... wait, isn't Su An's mom's birthday coming up soon? I remember him mentioning it before! This is a golden opportunity, bro!"
Jiang Qi's eyes finally showed a slight change: "Be more specific."
“Look,” Jiang Zhao perked up, leaning closer and lowering his voice, “we can ask him to go with us to pick out a gift for Mom this weekend! Isn’t that a legitimate way to spend time alone… well, maybe not quite alone, but at least it’s outside of class time, a meeting that’s not for academic purposes! It’s way more sophisticated than your book-borrowing and-returning trick, isn’t it?”
Jiang Qi pondered. This was indeed a significant improvement over simply "bumping into" each other in the corridor and exchanging a few words while borrowing books. But...
"Will he agree?" Jiang Qi asked the crucial question. Given Su An's slow-to-warm-up personality and his aversion to trouble (especially to Jiang Qi), a direct invitation would have a very low success rate.
"Leave it to me!" Jiang Zhao thumped his chest. "I'll ask him out! I'll say it's my mom's birthday soon and I want to take him shopping for inspiration. He'll definitely feel bad refusing his classmate! Then you can 'coincidentally' show up, and the reason... well, just say you also need to buy a gift for your aunt (my mom), so it'll be perfect to do it together!"
Jiang Qi looked at her cousin's "praise me for being clever" expression, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally removed her hand from the power button. "The plan is feasible. I'll cover the expenses."
Jiang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had been pulled back from the edge of a cliff. "Alright! I'll call him right now!"
"Wait a minute." Jiang Qi called out to him, her tone carrying an unquestionable command. "First, be natural and don't give yourself away. Second, find out his mother's preferences and do your homework beforehand. Third..." He paused, lowering his voice, "Take good care of him, don't let him get tired, and remember to remind him to eat on time."
Jiang Zhao's lips twitched. They hadn't even done anything yet, and he was already in "worrying" mode? He nodded resignedly, "I know, I know, I guarantee I'll complete the mission! I'll make sure your 'key protected person' is completely unharmed and in a good mood!"
...
Su An had just finished showering and was drying his hair when his phone rang. Seeing it was Jiang Zhao calling, he pressed the answer button, but before he could speak, a deliberately drawn-out, almost coquettish voice came from the other end:
"Little An'an~~"
Su An felt a chill run down her spine and almost threw her phone away. "Jiang Zhao, talk to me straight! Or I'm hanging up?"
"No, no, no!" Jiang Zhao immediately regained his composure, his tone slightly ingratiating, "Tomorrow's Saturday, are you free? Come out with me for a stroll, okay?"
"What? You want to drag me to the internet cafe again to keep watch for you? No way." Su An refused outright. Last time, Jiang Zhao coaxed him into going, but the guy got so engrossed in the game that Su An just sat there for two hours, bored to death.
"No, no! It's important!" Jiang Zhao quickly explained, "My mom's birthday is next weekend, and I want to buy her a gift, but you know my taste... it's really not presentable. You have good taste, could you help me with some suggestions? Please!"
Su An hesitated for a moment. It was indeed difficult to refuse the reason of buying a gift for his mother. Besides, his mother's birthday was approaching, so they could go visit her together.
"Alright then," Su An said, "I also need to buy a gift for my mom."
"Great! It's a deal then!" Jiang Zhao exclaimed excitedly. "I'll come to your building at nine o'clock tomorrow morning!"
"Um."
After hanging up the phone, Su An continued drying her hair, pondering what to buy for her mother tomorrow. A scarf? Skincare products? Or…
He was completely unaware that he had stepped into a "trap" meticulously planned (though the planning skills were questionable) by his deskmate and cousin.
...
After hanging up on Su An, Jiang Zhao immediately dialed Jiang Qi's number, this time with much more confidence.
"Bro! It's all settled! Su An agreed. We'll meet at his building at nine o'clock tomorrow morning!"
"Hmm." Jiang Qi's voice sounded calm, but Jiang Zhao, who knew him well, could still detect a hint of barely perceptible pleasure.
“Um…brother,” Jiang Zhao began to execute the next step of his plan, “look, here’s the money I have for buying gifts…”
“I’ll go.” Jiang Qi said decisively. “I’ll come find you at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
"Okay! Thank you, brother! You really are my brother!" Jiang Zhao was overjoyed, feeling as if the door to the planet of happiness had been opened again.
However, he was too happy too soon.
The doorbell rang at exactly eight o'clock the next morning. Jiang Zhao yawned, his hair a mess, and went to open the door, muttering, "Brother, you're so punctual..."
As soon as the door opened, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.
Standing outside the door was indeed Jiang Qi, impeccably dressed and so handsome he looked like he could be filming a campus idol drama. But next to him was Lin Jun, hands in his pockets, smiling "kindly."
Jiang Zhao was instantly startled awake: "Jun...Brother Jun? What are you doing here too?"
Lin Jun stepped forward and put his arm around Jiang Zhao's shoulder in a friendly manner, but with considerable force: "I heard you didn't sleep in this weekend and went shopping with a 'friend'? You're really into it? Let me see what kind of 'friend' has such charm?"
Jiang Zhao inwardly groaned, his resentful gaze fixed on Jiang Qi—Brother, you have no sportsmanship! How dare you even tattle on me!
Jiang Qi looked away expressionlessly, as if it were none of his business. He had only "casually" revealed to Lin Jun that Jiang Zhao had a "date" over the weekend, and that it "might" be with a female friend. After all, Lin Jun, as the "head" of their little circle, always "cared" about her younger brothers' love lives (especially gossip).
"Misunderstanding! Huge misunderstanding!" Jiang Zhao quickly explained, "It's Su An! My deskmate! A boy! We went together to pick out birthday gifts for my mom and his mom!"
Lin Jun raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Qi meaningfully. Jiang Qi then seemed to just remember and added casually, "Oh, right, it's Su An. I forgot to make it clear to Lin Jun."
Jiang Zhao: "..." I don't believe you!
Ultimately, with Jiang Zhao's solemn promise and Lin Jun's forced addition to "show my mom the gift too," the originally planned "two-person trip" turned into a slightly strange "four-person group."
Around 8:40, the four of them arrived downstairs at Su An's house.
Su An was already waiting there. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, light blue jeans, and canvas shoes, with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He stood quietly in the shade of the tree, the morning sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled light on him. He was looking down at his phone, his profile soft, his nose small, and he looked clean and refreshing.
Jiang Qi paused almost imperceptibly, his heart skipping a beat. He subconsciously straightened the collar of his shirt, which was already neatly ironed.
Su An looked up when she heard footsteps and saw Jiang Zhao and the two "uninvited guests" behind him. A clear look of surprise flashed in her clear eyes.
"Good morning, Jiang Zhao." He greeted his deskmate first, then turned his gaze to Jiang Qi and Lin Jun, nodding politely, "Good morning, Jiang Qi and Lin Jun." Although they were in the same grade, Lin Jun was a prominent figure in the student council, so Su An subconsciously used a respectful title.
Upon hearing the terms "classmate" and "senior," Jiang Qi's eyes darkened slightly, but she simply nodded reservedly in response, "Good morning."
Lin Jun smiled brightly and waved his hand, saying, "Hey, don't call me senior, we're in the same year, just call me Lin Jun or Brother Jun! I heard you're going to pick out a gift for your mother? We're free anyway, so we thought we'd join in and learn some filial piety. You don't mind, do you?"
Although Su An found the combination a bit unexpected, his good manners made him shake his head and give a slight smile: "I don't mind."
Fearing he'd be exposed, Jiang Zhao quickly tried to smooth things over: "Haha, yes, yes, many hands make light work, and many eyes have a better eye! Let's go, let's go, the mall's about to open!"
So, the group headed towards the largest shopping mall nearby. Jiang Zhao tried to liven things up, pulling Su An along as they walked ahead, chattering about possible gift options. Jiang Qi and Lin Jun followed a few steps behind.
Lin Jun nudged Jiang Qi with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, "You have really good taste. Clean, well-behaved, just looking at you makes me want to...protect you." He deliberately dragged out the syllable.
Jiang Qi's gaze remained fixed on the slender figure in front of her. Upon hearing this, she merely glanced at Lin Jun and whispered, "Don't scare him."
Lin Jun shrugged and made a gesture as if he were zipping up his mouth.
Stepping into the mall, a wave of cool air hit them. Jiang Zhao and Su An began to carefully select items. Su An stopped in front of the jewelry counter, picked up a light purple silk scarf, and examined the print on it intently.
Jiang Qi walked to his side without making a sound, maintaining a just-right distance, her voice a little softer than usual: "This color is very gentle, it suits Auntie."
Su An was startled. When she turned around and saw that it was Jiang Qi, she pursed her lips a little shyly and said, "Um... I also think that my mom has fair skin, so this color should look good on her."
"What style does she usually like?" Jiang Qi asked casually, but her gaze fell on Su An's slightly trembling eyelashes.
“She prefers simple and elegant things, not too flashy…” Su An answered subconsciously, putting the scarf back and glancing at another one next to it.
Jiang Qi silently made a note of it.
On the other side, Lin Jun had already hooked her arm around Jiang Zhao's neck and dragged him away from the perfume counter—Jiang Zhao was there, feeling dizzy from the various fragrances.
"Stop smelling it, or your sense of smell will go haywire. Come on, let's go look at some wallets over there and buy one for Aunt Qi."
"Huh? But I haven't finished helping Su An with his research yet..."
"What's there to refer to? They have... cough cough, they know how to choose for themselves. Listen to me, wallets are practical!"
Ultimately, thanks to Jiang Qi's "casual" suggestion and Lin Jun's "strong recommendation," the gifts were purchased unexpectedly quickly. Su An bought the light purple silk scarf, Jiang Zhao and Lin Jun jointly bought a high-quality brand-name wallet (fully sponsored by Jiang Qi, ostensibly a gift for Jiang Zhao's mother), and Jiang Qi herself picked out a simple and elegant pearl brooch.
After buying the gifts, it was just past ten o'clock. Jiang Zhao looked at his phone, his eyes lighting up, and suggested, "It's still early! I heard the special effects in that sci-fi movie that just came out are amazing, want to go see it? My treat!" (Thinking to himself: Anyway, I have plenty of money!)
Lin Jun was the first to respond: "Sure! I have no objection."
Su An looked at Jiang Zhao, then subconsciously glanced at Jiang Qi beside him. Seeing that the latter did not object, he nodded and said, "Okay."
Jiang Qi naturally had no objections.
When picking up the tickets, Jiang Qi stood next to Su An quite naturally. So, once the ticket stubs were in hand, Jiang Qi and Su An were seated together, while Jiang Zhao and Lin Jun sat in the row behind them.
The lights in the movie theater dimmed, and the huge screen lit up. Su An, clutching the bucket of popcorn he had just bought at the entrance, watched the movie intently. When the cool space battle scenes came on, his eyes sparkled, and his mouth slightly agape, he looked adorably amazed.
Jiang Qi sat upright, seemingly watching the movie attentively, but in reality, all his senses were focused on the person next to him. He could smell the faint, clean scent of milk mixed with grass emanating from Su An, hear the slight clinking of ice cubes when Su An occasionally picked up his cola glass, and hear the subtle gasps Su An made because of the plot.
His heartbeat was louder than the sound of a spaceship engine in a movie.
When the movie reached a point where the main characters were in grave danger, Su An clenched his fists nervously, his body unconsciously leaning slightly towards Jiang Qi. Jiang Qi stiffened, his breathing becoming softer, as if he could feel the faint warmth emanating from Su An's body. At that moment, he almost wanted to reach out and gently pat Su An's hand, telling him, "Don't be afraid."
But he didn't move in the end. He simply suppressed the sudden, unfamiliar protective urge that welled up inside him.
Midway through the journey, Su An got up to go to the restroom. No sooner had he left than Jiang Zhao peeked out from between the front seats, lowering his voice to boast, "Bro! How was it? The atmosphere! The distance! Did I arrange everything perfectly, brother?"
Before Jiang Qi could speak, Lin Jun scoffed and shoved Jiang Zhao's head back down, saying, "Shut up. If it weren't for Brother Qi, you wouldn't even be able to afford popcorn."
Jiang Zhao: "..." Friendship over! Utterly over!
The movie ended close to noon. The four of them found a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant for lunch. With Jiang Zhao and Lin Jun, those two lively characters, the atmosphere at the table was quite cheerful. Su An gradually relaxed, occasionally being amused, her eyes curving into beautiful arcs.
Jiang Qi remained quiet, but he would silently turn the shrimp dumplings that Su An had glanced at a few times onto the turntable and place them in front of them. Su An whispered "thank you," and he would nod almost imperceptibly.
Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's glass windows, falling on the boys. Su An sipped his milk tea, his cheeks slightly puffed out. Jiang Qi watched him, finding this ordinary lunch more satisfying than any feast he had ever eaten.
After the meal, everyone said goodbye at the mall entrance. Jiang Zhao was forcibly taken away by Lin Jun under the pretext of "walking a hundred steps after a meal, living to ninety-nine" and "let's chat about your recent study (internet) situation".
Only Jiang Qi and Su Anshun remained.
"I'll take you back." Jiang Qi's tone was natural, with an undeniable certainty.
Su An quickly waved his hand: "No need, it's only a ten-minute walk, I can go back by myself."
"It's on my way." Jiang Qi said succinctly, and had already started walking.
Su An had no choice but to follow.
The two walked side by side along the tree-lined path, the afternoon sun filtering through the sycamore leaves, casting dappled patterns of light. The surrounding traffic was noisy, but a strange tranquility permeated the space between them.
Su An felt a little awkward and tried to find a topic to talk about: "Um... thank you for today, and for helping me choose a gift."
"You're welcome." Jiang Qi paused, as if carefully choosing her words, before speaking, her voice a few decimal places lower than usual, "You... drink milk tea often?"
Su An was taken aback, not expecting him to ask that. He honestly replied, "Yeah, about one cup a day. I'm used to it; if I don't drink it, I feel a bit listless." He smiled sheepishly, "Isn't that a bit unhealthy?"
"It's alright." Jiang Qi's gaze remained fixed ahead, but his ears felt slightly warm. He remembered Jiang Zhao's mention of "low blood sugar," and a corner of his heart softened. His hand, which was in his pocket, tightened its grip on the small, square box inside—a box of handmade chocolates he had bought from a boutique in the mall when Su An wasn't looking. "It's okay to have something sweet every now and then."
"Yes!" Su An nodded vigorously, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
After walking a while longer, and seeing that they would reach Su An's residential area just one more intersection away, Jiang Qi's heart inexplicably quickened. The chocolate box in his hand felt warm. He took a deep breath, preparing to take it out at the right moment…
Su An's phone rang.
"Hello, Mom?" Su An answered the phone, her voice instantly becoming cheerful. "Yes, I've bought the gift and I'm almost home... You're back? Really? That's great! I'll be there right away!"
He hung up the phone, his face beaming with an uncontrollable smile, his eyes shining brightly as he turned to Jiang Qi: "My parents are back! I'm off to their house now! Thank you so much for today, bye-bye!"
He waved vigorously at Jiang Qi and practically skipped towards the gate of the residential complex, his back view radiating joy.
Jiang Qi stood there, watching him disappear behind the security gate like a bird returning to its nest. She couldn't bring herself to say "wait." He slowly released the box from his pocket, his fingertips still seemingly retaining the slight coolness of the chocolate.
It seems... I still haven't been able to send it out.
He lowered his head and gave a self-deprecating smile. But when he recalled the instant his eyes lit up when Su An received the call, and that bright, carefree smile at the end, the slight disappointment in his heart was replaced by a strange sense of comfort.
At least, he saw many different sides of him today. The seriousness when choosing a gift, the focus when watching a movie, the cheerfulness when being amused, and the dependence and joy when talking about family.
Every single one of these experiences made him feel that today's seemingly clumsy arrangement was worthwhile.
He turned and walked towards home. The sunlight cast a long shadow of him.
The chocolate in his pocket could perhaps be saved for another time. In any case, it seemed that their relationship had finally become more than just "borrowing" and "returning" books.
Su An, who had run into the residential complex, calmed down in the elevator and suddenly remembered that Jiang Qi seemed to have wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Does he... have something else to say?" Su An looked at her slightly flushed cheeks in the elevator mirror, a vague doubt that she herself hadn't even noticed crossed her mind.
The boy's weekend, because of a "long-planned" shopping trip, seems to be subtly changing something.
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