Chapter 87: Back to Sixteen (1)
When Min Zhi Travels Back to Xi Leng’s High School Days
July 4th, Min Zhi’s birthday.
As a celebrity, his birthday, even if not celebrated grandly, shouldn’t be casually dismissed. Even without a live stream to interact with fans, he still had to prepare a set of photos for Weibo, to live up to their expectations and well wishes.
In the past few years, he had always spent his birthdays at the company with his staff, the arrangements handled entirely by Zhu Minglang, barely meeting the minimum requirements to avoid fan disappointment. This year, having publicly acknowledged his relationship, the fans naturally wouldn’t let him off easily, constantly clamoring for a couple’s appearance since their marriage announcement on May 5th.
However, their birthdays together, whether Xi Leng’s or Min Zhi’s, were quite simple, just the two of them at home, plus a cat occasionally interrupting their world.
On his birthday, it wasn’t until evening that Min Zhi finally posted a set of nine photos on Weibo.
The style of these photos was very distinct. Unlike those glamorous photoshoots that emphasized the celebrity’s beauty, these focused on natural, everyday moments, and the overall atmosphere, There was even a photo of him hugging the calico cat, both a blurry mess, blending with the photographer’s gray shadow.
The style of the photos looked very familiar, and just like that back view of him with the scarf in Nandao, it was undoubtedly taken by his other half.
The caption was further proof—
@MinZhiV: My birthday, but wishing you all happiness, I only need @XiLengXL [Picture][Picture]…
The chaotic comments section was relatively harmonious.
【I truly can’t stand this anymore】
【Stop showing off!!!】
【…I’ll tolerate it for the new album!】
【Getting married really changes a person】
【Do male celebrities also get possessed after marriage??】
【But Min-ge’s words are so sweet after getting into a relationship, why is he so charming now?】
【Seems like showing off their love, but his well wishes to us are also sincere】
【A healthy relationship really can change a person for the better (looking up at the sky)】
【Please stop overthinking】
【Hahahaha】
【Leng Leng is truly a gentle and kind person, wishing the two handsome guys all the best！】
After taking photos and posting on Weibo, the two threw down their phones and went to the kitchen.
They planned to bake a cake together this time.
They had already tried all sorts of famous desserts countless times, mostly Min Zhi bringing them over, after all, this was Min Zhi’s once-a-year birthday, both hoping to make it special.
And baking a cake together, perhaps half the reason was their mutual, unspoken distrust of the other’s cooking skills.
The resulting cake was… indescribable, but at least they enjoyed the process.
Before cutting the cake, it was the wish-making ritual Xi Leng had last experienced four months ago. This time, it was his lover’s turn.
“Make a wish.” His hazel eyes, reflected in the candlelight, were captivating.
This made Min Zhi stare at him, not closing his eyes, even saying his wish out loud: “I want to see you when you were young.”
Xi Leng frowned: “Won’t that make it not come true? You can’t say it out loud.”
“No.” Min Zhi chuckled, “Would it come true if I didn’t say it? Does our cake have superpowers? Exchanging its appearance and taste for my wish?”
“…” Xi Leng glanced at the unappetizing cake that looked like a lump of discarded cement, explaining seriously, “The ingredients are all good, the sugar ratio is also correct, it’s just a bit… unsightly, it won’t taste bad.”
Min Zhi couldn’t help but laugh and kissed him.
Xi Leng, seriously following the procedure, reminded him, “You have to blow out the candles after making a wish.”
Min Zhi started laughing so hard that his breath accidentally blew out the candles. He finally calmed down and added, “Okay.”
…
…
He woke up.
The bed, empty, the pillow beside him, cold.
Min Zhi sat up abruptly, instinctively going to look for the missing Xi Leng. After taking two steps, his blurry vision cleared, and he froze.
This was… his room at the Jiang family home? But there was a strange sense of familiarity.
Some of his childhood collections in the closet, unfinished homework scattered on his desk…
He flipped open the cover.
His name, Class 2 (3), the golden logo of the prestigious international school.
He looked at himself in the full-length mirror—
A tall and thin teenager, not as aggressive as his twenty-something-year-old self, no piercings, no tattoos. No matter which school he was in, he would be considered a handsome and popular student, the clean-cut, star-student type.
But he, pointing at himself in the mirror, looked annoyed, “What the hell…”
Min Zhi squatted down, comparing himself with the mirror,
He received a reply from the private investigator in just an hour.
If there was only one world, his butterfly, a small action could have huge consequences in the future, changing schools, his debut time, the format of his concerts, even his mode of transportation.
Perhaps…
He made the wish to see Xi Leng when he was young, naturally not expecting such a bizarre wish to actually come true.
And he was four years older than Xi Leng, which didn’t matter much in the future, even giving him a verbal advantage, but now, he was a handsome 18-year-old, and his partner, could it be… a little kid in elementary school?
“The person you’re looking for, I only found one…” the private investigator said, “But he’s not 12 this year, he’s 16, a sophomore at No. 18 Middle School, look at the photo, is this the person you’re looking for?”
Min Zhi was stunned.
Hm… so, a parallel universe?
No. 18 Middle School, Class 2 (11).
The classroom, having just finished midterms, was relaxed and cheerful, filled with laughter, chatter, gossip, and playful banter.
Two boys were chasing each other down the aisle when they bumped into a desk in the corner. The boy behind them hurriedly turned back, his apology swallowed back as he looked at the tilted desk, the silent teenager sitting there, a crooked line on his notebook…
He hesitated until his friend, with a strange expression, pulled him away, his urgent tone and actions carrying a hint of disgust: “Forget it, let’s go.”
The boy seemed relieved, joining the noisy crowd with his friend, chatting and laughing.
Making the desk in the corner seem even more isolated.
A public school, an ordinary class, an ordinary two-person desk, but with an odd number of students in the class, the desk in the back corner was occupied by only one student, fortunate enough to have the entire desk to himself.
However, his textbooks and stationery were neatly arranged on his side, not crossing the invisible boundary.
Compared to other high school boys, his hair was a bit long. No. 18 Middle School wasn’t strict, skipping class and smoking weren’t uncommon, and his slightly longer hair wasn’t a violation, plus he was an art student, a unique hairstyle was normal.
Xi Leng at this time was still called Rong Zhao.
His hair was longer around his bangs and temples, mostly covering his face, but his high nose bridge and pale skin still drew attention, a kind of Japanese movie vibe.
His classmates were used to this face, not only not looking at him but even avoiding him. He was always cold and aloof, quiet, solitary, and gloomy, a master at being a buzzkill, as if he held a grudge against them even though they had no conflict.
Teenage boys at this age, unconsciously, valued sunshine, cheerfulness, and energy, treating those on the other end of the spectrum as outcasts.
“Holy shit, holy shit! We’re getting a transfer student!”
A figure rushed in from the door, excitedly announcing the news he just heard from the office.
“Huh? To our class?”
Most of the responses were puzzled.
“Why transfer in the middle of the semester? And to our class…”
“Probably couldn’t keep up with the advanced classes.”
“Perhaps because our class has an odd number of students?”
“That can’t be the reason…”
Another student returning from the office said excitedly, “I just saw him from afar, he’s tall and thin, looks quite handsome…”
Some excited, some disappointed, “Huh? A boy?”
“Our homeroom teacher’s class is next…”
Ring, ring, ring—
The bell rang.
Over thirty students scrambled to their seats, the excited chatter continuing until their stern homeroom teacher appeared at the door—then another wave of commotion, craning their necks, barely able to stay in their seats.
“Quiet! Settle down!” The homeroom teacher shouted, then said towards the door, “Min Zhi, come in.”
“Holy shit!?”
“Damn, he’s really handsome…”
The homeroom teacher slapped his desk, his expression intimidating, but unable to silence the excited students,
Not just the girls, even the boys were stunned by this seemingly unreal, handsome teenager, his stylish outfit even more so, making them feel self-conscious in comparison to their ordinary, unkempt appearances.
The new uniform had yet to be tailored; he wasn’t wearing his old one either, only a cool black jacket, loosely open, his hands in his pockets, a casual arrogance,
His gaze casually swept across the noisy classroom, then landed on the inconspicuous corner, freezing, his languid posture straightening instantly, his dark eyes sparkling like gemstones.
His gaze was so direct that even Xi Leng, usually trying to be invisible, felt it, His classmates were still immersed in the excitement of a new handsome classmate, but he, his expression indifferent, slowly raised his head, meeting the stranger’s gaze,
It should have been just a brief, accidental glance, but the teenager immediately smiled charmingly, doing everything he could to capture his attention.
Xi Leng, feeling incredibly uncomfortable, quickly lowered his head, ignoring this small interlude.
He heard the boy’s self-introduction.
“My name is Min Zhi…”
The homeroom teacher added a few more words, and Min Zhi declined his and his classmates’ kind offer to switch seats, saying cheerfully, “I’ll just sit there, my eyesight is good.”
Xi Leng’s writing movements paused.
As footsteps approached him, he had to look up again, the distance between them now closer, he could clearly see the fine hairs on the boy’s face, his own reflection in those bright, black eyes,
“Hey.” Min Zhi spoke to him, pointing at the empty seat beside him by the wall, “I’m sitting here.”
Xi Leng, used to being alone, didn’t object, moving aside to make space, The desk and the space beneath were empty, not only not occupied by his belongings, but also very clean.
Min Zhi happily took his seat, happily tilting his head, observing his new deskmate.
Introducing himself again, “My name is Min Zhi. Zhi as in extreme.”
“I heard you earlier.” Xi Leng, his head lowered, not looking at him, most of his face hidden behind his medium-long black hair, “Your name is on the blackboard.”
Min Zhi smiled, thinking, his beloved was so attentive even from a young age,
Then, the next step,
“Bao…”
“Xi… uh.”
“Rong, Rong Zhao, right?”
Just saying his name seemed incredibly difficult,
But Xi Leng, used to being ignored, didn’t mind,
It was just that this boy’s hesitant demeanor was completely different from his other classmates who treated him like air, he couldn’t quite pinpoint the difference, but it wasn’t that difficult to pronounce his name correctly.
First, “Bao,” was there even a surname Bao?
Then, “Xi,” a rare surname, his mother’s.
Xi Leng frowned, his guard instantly raised.
Min Zhi, an expert cat tamer, accustomed to married life, sat down next to him naturally, seemingly oblivious, his chair inching closer, his youthful and handsome face breaking into a bright smile.
Xi Leng, as if he didn’t exist.
Min Zhi: “…?”
His smile gradually faded, frustration and competitiveness rising, and he hurriedly nudged his quiet deskmate, “Can I borrow your textbook?”
Xi Leng, without even looking up, asked pointedly, “Didn’t your previous school use the standard textbooks?”
Min Zhi’s eyes darted around, thinking, Xi Leng’s family wasn’t well-off, and he was also proud, wouldn’t feigning poverty bring them closer? The current situation didn’t allow for careful consideration, so after three seconds of thinking, he blurted out, “My parents passed away, my family’s not well-off, I was planning to drop out of school, I sold all my textbooks…”
These words seemed to have touched Xi Leng, who turned his head slightly, looking at him.
Min Zhi pressed on: “Just let me borrow it, I can pay you rent for it.”
Xi Leng hesitated for a moment, pushing his open textbook towards Min Zhi, looking away before speaking, “No need for rent.”
Min Zhi was overjoyed.
The chair beneath him moved silently closer, taking advantage of the shared textbook to get closer to the 16-year-old, mint-scented boy,
Xi Leng was very uncomfortable with this physical contact, subtly leaning away, his right hand also lowered to avoid touching Min Zhi’s outstretched left arm.
He was right-handed, so now he couldn’t take notes,
Min Zhi naturally hadn’t come here with any intention of studying, this push and pull continued for a while, and with the rustling sound of their classmates taking notes, he finally gave up reluctantly, moving aside and reminding Xi Leng, “You take notes.”
Xi Leng, however, said softly, “If I take notes, you won’t be able to see.”
So raising his hand to write would block Min Zhi’s view,
Min Zhi’s heart softened at his gentle words, and he blurted out without thinking, “Go ahead, I just want to watch you write.”
Unfortunately, the 16-year-old Xi Leng didn’t understand his flirting, Min Zhi had to add, “I’m not good at taking notes, I’ll learn from you.”
It was hard for men to refuse such a show of weakness.
Min Zhi smiled playfully, tapping his finger against his temple, Xi Leng, watching, thought he was about to launch into another eloquent speech, but unexpectedly, he only said, “I’m not very smart.”
Xi Leng silently picked up his pen, remembering to tilt it slightly, so Min Zhi on his right could see his handwriting.
Perfect.
The 16-year-old Xi Leng was even colder and more distant than his 22-year-old self, but that was because he hadn’t developed that fake social mask yet, essentially, his younger self was much easier to deceive,
Min Zhi was pleased with this new discovery, his chin resting on his folded arms, his head tilted as he watched his deskmate take notes, his legs swinging under the desk, his whole being radiating a cheerful aura,
Xi Leng, on the other hand, his movements stiffening under Min Zhi’s gaze, pausing every few words, yet too embarrassed to say anything, only biting his lip.
