Chapter 35 – Three Childhood Friends of Sixteen Years
Sender: Ironman (Ironman?Can"t Swim As Iron is Denser Than Water), Sub-Forum: h.o.m.os.e.xual
Topic：Heard that it"s the internal qualifiers for SenLan swimming team tomorrow?
Location：YanShan University A Century to Educate BBS
Can people from other schools attend?
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Sender：Loctar（Everyone Loves Lok"Tar），Sub-Forum：h.o.m.os.e.xual
Topic：Re：Heard that it"s the internal qualifiers for SenLan swimming team tomorrow?
Location：SenLan Technological University The Blue of Sen Sea BBS via
YanShan University A Century to Educate BBS
Don"t talk about other schools, even in our school only friends and family can attend, the
qualifiers are not open to public.
Unless you know people on the swimming team, there"s no need to talk about it.
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LingYang leapt up to lock his door upon seeing that person, however that person was faster than him, grabbing hold onto the door first, no matter how much strength LingYang used the door did not budge.
“Flower!” LingYang yelled unhappily.
At the back, XuXian wrung his hands helplessly, “You can"t blame me for this, I only found out that he was following me after I opened the door.”
“After you used his account to reply last night, I guessed that you guys were living together,” BaiLong said.
“Why did you follow Flower?”
“Because you kept hiding from me.”
“You know that I"m hiding from you yet you still appear shamelessly?”
“I have to clarify some things with you, I really can"t hold it back anymore.”
LingYang was silent, BaiLong also did not plan on speaking. This was the first time XuXian saw a serious BaiLong and a silent LingYang, naturally he also did not know what to say, the three of them stood there in silence, the house quiet as though a pin could be heard if it dropped.
Finally the awkward silence was broken by BaiLong.
“Flower, today I want to have dinner here.”
“There"s nothing to eat at home!” LingYang rushed to answer.
“Go and buy.” The tone was commanding, from the start till end, his eyes had never left LingYang, but this command was for XuXian.
“You"re not allowed to go!”
XuXian was still hesitating over whether to listen to BaiLong, after hearing LingYang he was annoyed. Since somebody previously had happily pushed him over to BaiLong, he thought he might as well avenge himself at this moment. Grabbing his keys, he turned around and left.
After XuXian left, the house again descended into silence. Locked in a stalemate, LingYang knew his strength was incomparable to BaiLong, and so he let go and returned to his room. BaiLong followed behind him, leaving the door ajar.
LingYang sat on the bed, “So what did you want to ask?”
“You clearly know what I want to ask.”
LingYang remained quiet for a bit, “I can tell you, but I have three conditions. You"ll have to agree to all three of them before I"ll tell you anything.”
BaiLong nodded, “List your conditions first.”
“First, I know you"re in the same group as my disciple-in-law, now that you know my location, you cannot tell it to him, and you also can"t ask me about my disciple.”
“Are you asking me to burn the bridge after crossing it?”
“If you can"t even agree to the first condition then there"s nothing to say anymore.”
“I"ll promise you, anyway I have nothing to do with his matters.”
“Second, you"ll be the only person who knows about this, you cannot tell anyone else, including that person.”
BaiLong snorted coldly, “You"re even referring to him as that person now? Only because your confession was rejected, and you got scolded harshly by him the next day, you"re throwing away 16 years of friendship? Including me as well?”
“BaiLong!”
“Fine, I won"t say anything, then what"s your third condition?”
“Third, after hearing this you have to let it go, you can"t get angry, and you also have to swear to not do anything extreme. If you can"t accept this last condition, then quickly get out of my house.”
※
XuXian who went out to buy groceries was now in a dilemma, BaiLong clearly wanted him to leave so that he could be alone with LingYang, and with LingYang"s att.i.tude towards him, the both of them seemed to share a very deep history.
XuXian understood that LingYang, although on the surface he seemed unreliable like what BaiLong said, but he was actually very kind-hearted, together with his cheerful personality, he would not bear grudges with anyone easily.
From their separate accounts, the truth that they knew each other since young was undeniable, as such, their relationship should be very good, and not like the current situation where one was chasing while the other was escaping, and having a cold war when they met.
If it was not BaiLong who did something unforgivable, LingYang would also not avoid him like that.
Remembering BaiLong"s playboy character, XuXian started to worry. Buying some things randomly, he rushed back home.
XuXian entered the house, the living room was quiet, LingYang"s door was ajar. The two people inside might have been too focused on each other as they did not hear anyone entering.
XuXian directly went to the entrance of LingYang"s bedroom. He did not knock on the door, but eavesdropped on their conversation.
“So you"re completely unable to forgive me about that thing?” This was BaiLong"s voice.
“I"ve never blamed you before.” LingYang"s voice was did not have its usual cheerfulness to it, it was clearly restrained.
“Then why did you run upon seeing me?”
“When I see you I"ll think of unhappy things.”
A short period of silence, then followed by a long sigh.
“Since you don"t blame me, then can we return to our previous relationship?”
XuXian"s heart sank.
LingYang did not reply for a long while, just as XuXian thought he would never speak, LingYang slowly said.
“Whatever you say goes then.”
Then another period of silence, unable to see what was happening on the other side of the door, his imagination started running. XuXian"s hand that was holding the plastic bag tightened unconsciously.
Only after awhile did a voice drifted out from the room.
“Come, let me see your hand.”
XuXian could not bear it anymore, he knocked on the door before entering. As expected, he saw LingYang hurriedly removing his hand away from BaiLong"s grip and jumping up.
“If you want to stay you can"t eat for free, Little White Dragon go help in the kitchen, go go go.”
After getting chased out of LingYang"s room, BaiLong stood in front of XuXian, the both of them stood there in silence.
BaiLong took the bag from XuXian and headed to the kitchen, and XuXian followed after him, his hands empty.
“I have to clarify some things with you, I really can"t hold it back anymore.”
XuXian could not help but speak when he entered the kitchen, this was exactly what BaiLong had just said.
BaiLong no longer had a serious expression on his face, he was back to that slightly wicked playboy look.
“I know what you"re worried about.” BaiLong teased as he winked.
“Don"t worry, my relationship with him is not what you think it is.”
“…. I, I, I don"t care what"s your relationship with him,” XuXian blushed. “I"m concerned about him, not worried about you!”
BaiLong"s laugh gave people the urge to beat him, “Fine fine, everything you say is correct.”
“Right, what were you guys talking about just now?” XuXian, no longer troubled, was peeling potatoes while recalling the scene just now, he was sincerely worried about LingYang.
This sentence reminded BaiLong of what happened, the smile on his face dropped. “I promised LingYang to not mention it.”
He took the peeled potato from XuXian, “I"ll help you cut the potatoes.”
XuXian was shocked, “You still know how to cut potatoes?” He completely did not look like someone who knew how to use a chef knife.
BaiLong slowly shook his head, “I don"t, but if you don"t let me use this knife to cut potatoes, I"m afraid I"ll take this knife to kill people.”
No need for BaiLong to say anything, XuXian could also see it for himself, that potato under his ravaging was now completely beyond recognition. XuXian thought, luckily I bought extra potatoes, as for the one on the chopping board… I"ll make mashed potato with that.
XuXian frowned and watched BaiLong continue torturing that unlucky potato, his every cut was very rough, as though he was holding something back, even the knuckles on his hand holding the knife were white in tension.
It dawned on XuXian, “Could it be because of LingYang"s hand…?”
With a slice, the yellow potato was dyed red.
“Aiyah,” XuXian got a fright, he rushed out to look for a band-aid.
BaiLong allowed him to make a fuss over him, “It"s only a small cut, no need to panic.”
XuXian was a little annoyed, “You better leave the kitchen, I know you"re from the military school, there"s no need for this act of bloodstained heroism in front of me.”
BaiLong was amused by XuXian, he patted his head, turning and going back to LingYang"s room. LingYang was sitting in his chair, staring at the mouse in a daze.
“Would more b.u.t.tons appear if you stare long enough?” BaiLong wanted to mock him after looking at his state.
LingYang"s lips curled, “You help me return it.”
“Why return it, it"s for you, just use it.”
“This is a public good.”
“Because whatever"s given to you you"ll never accept it, only by coming up with an excuse that it"s a public good before you"ll use it, the mouse is like this, the clothes are like this, you say, aren"t you a contrary bottom?”
LingYang was silent again.
XuXian was finally done preparing the food, the ones that were supposed to be shredded potatoes were shredded potatoes, the one that should be mashed potatoes were mashed potatoes. Of course that portion that was stained with blood was naturally thrown away.
“Call YangYang out for dinner.”
Receiving the command, BaiLong walked up to LingYang"s door that was closed at some point. He lifted his leg and kicked, “Stupid Antelope! Dinnertime!”
In the next second, LingYang"s door open, “What are you calling for, trying to call your soul back?!”
XuXian was speechless, so it turned out that their previous relationship was like this.
Later XuXian realised he had underestimated the combat abilities of these two people. LingYang and BaiLong these two clowns with poisonous tongues, when put together there was no period when it was quiet, the entire meal was filled with their arguments.
They said that BaiLong"s family upbringing was pretty strict, so was he brought up to think that children should be seen and not heard? Also, if this was the result of a strict upbringing, what would an upbringing that was not strict be like?
The dismayed XuXian picked at his rice painfully while he thought, why could they not go back to their cold war…
“Right, Flower, didn"t you mention previously that you wanted to go to SenLan to see your childhood friend compete?” BaiLong finally stopped arguing with LingYang, changing the focus over to the quiet XuXian.
“Oh that"s right, I nearly forgot about it, it"s tomorrow.”
“I"ll accompany you.”
“Sure… But you"re actually really free.”
“Childhood friend? You mean Night Wolf?” LingYang"s eyes brightened.
“Yeah,” XuXian also did not hear clearly if LingYang said YeLang or Night Wolf, anyway the p.r.o.nunciation of both names were very similar.
“I want to go too! What compet.i.tion is it?”
“Swimming.”
(T/N: Night Wolf in Chinese is 夜狼 – Ye4Lang2, while YeLang in Chinese is 叶朗 – Ye4Lang3.)
LingYang suddenly remembered what YeLang had told him previously when online, his excitement immediately cooled down, “Tsk, boring.”
“Boring? The swimmers will be wearing tight swimming trunks, who knows some of them might even be wearing speedos.” BaiLong directly attacked his weaknesses.
LingYang"s face went through a myriad of expressions, it looked like a fierce internal struggle.
“You"ll only be next to the pool, won"t even get splashed by the water. You"re really timid like a mouse, why not I"ll prepare a lifeboat for you?”
“You"re the one that"s timid like a mouse! I just don"t want to see a pool of water that"s it!”
“You better not go then,” XuXian interrupted.
“Why?”
XuXian used his chopsticks to knock against his plate, “You should know exactly why! He"s my childhood friend.”
“So what if he"s a childhood friend, you"re meant to turn a childhood friend gay!” LingYang replied self-confidently.
BaiLong looked at LingYang with a meaningful expression.
“The more you don"t want me to go, the more I want to go,” LingYang stood up and slapped the table. “Little White Dragon go wash the plates!”
“I"ve already helped with the cooking, so what will you be doing?” BaiLong yelled after LingYang who had rushed back to his room.
“I"ll be choosing clothes!”
Bang—
XuXian gave BaiLong a side-eye, the latter shrugging with an innocent face.
“I remember you once said that swimming was one of the sports LingYang was good at.”
“That"s right, the first time he went into the water he could already swim without any a.s.sistance, amongst our circle he was always the most comfortable in water, free-style, breast-stroke, back-stroke he knew them all, always praising himself as a mermaid, but it only resulted in us mocking him.”
“……”
BaiLong"s eyes drifted to LingYang"s door, “But that"s all in the past, I have also not seen him entering the water for a number of years already…”