The international gym protocol after running is usually swimming — at least for Xiao Yao.
“Running can hurt your knees; swimming won’t,” Xiao Yao explained to Ti Xiao. “You’re not coming?”
After the group of giggling girls left, Ti Xiao walked on the treadmill for another half hour and felt like he was about to collapse. Hearing Xiao Yao’s question, he shook his head vigorously.
“No way. I can’t handle it.”
He waved him off, “You go ahead, I’ll just watch.”
After changing into his swim trunks, Xiao Yao didn’t hang around on the deck. He jumped into the pool, splashing water all over Ti Xiao’s face, soaking the small towel on him. Ti Xiao wiped the water off his face with a scowl and glared at Xiao Yao.
The troublemaker was already swimming toward the center of the pool.
Ti Xiao’s reasons for not getting in were simple: he was exhausted and, frankly, couldn’t swim.
He sat on the edge of the pool watching, his muscles sore from exercise, arms lazily hanging down.
There were quite a few people swimming on the weekend — parents with kids, young couples, with girlfriends clinging shyly to their boyfriends in the water.
Ti Xiao thought to himself “hmmm” and looked over at Xiao Yao not far away.
Xiao Yao had just finished a lap and was standing in the shallow end. Water droplets slid down his muscles, tracing the contours of his body. He casually pushed his hair back, revealing a smooth forehead. The movement left a sensual curve in the air, making the corners of his eyes and brows all the more enticing.
Ti Xiao’s throat moved nervously. Then, tentatively, he dipped his foot into the water.
But as soon as his toes touched the surface, Xiao Yao grabbed his ankle and pulled him under.
“Xiao Yao!” Ti Xiao whispered in alarm, afraid he might choke. He clung tightly to Xiao Yao’s neck. “I said I’m not getting in!”
Xiao Yao held him firmly, using the buoyancy of the water to keep him afloat. “You don’t know how to swim, do you?”
“So what if I don’t!” Ti Xiao shot him a glare and wiped water off his face.
This was supposed to be some fun pool play, but he was doomed by being a total landlubber.
“Want me to teach you?” Xiao Yao whispered into his ear in the less crowded deep end.
Just that little nibble made Ti Xiao react instantly—his ears and face blushed red, and his mind started to wander.
“That’s not appropriate… let’s go home!” Ti Xiao said firmly.
Xiao Yao cocked his head in confusion. Not knowing what he’d done wrong, he just assumed Ti Xiao wanted to leave and slowly helped him back to the edge. “Wait, I’ll swim one more lap.”
Ti Xiao was daydreaming to himself for no reason, his face a little flushed and feeling oddly sulky for no clear cause.
While showering at the gym, Ti Xiao pinched the soft flesh on his belly—flabby and soft, with no trace of abs, though Xiao Yao liked that softness on him.
Looks like it was time to train and become a hamster ball with abs.
“If I only come once a week, will it even work?” After dinner, Ti Xiao munched on some snacks and asked crunchily.
“You can go more often,” Xiao Yao, now dressed and coming out, said, “But exercise only works if you stick with it.”
Ti Xiao tore open another bag of rice crackers and continued crunching.
“With how much you’re eating,” Xiao Yao pinched the little hamster face, “once a week won’t cut it.”
Ti Xiao immediately put down the snacks and pushed them far away—he had never been this determined in his life. “Then how many times a week do I have to go to see results?”
Xiao Yao just smiled and said nothing. Then, to Ti Xiao’s surprise, he suddenly scooped him up off the carpet.
“Ten times.”
“…”
He’d dug himself a huge pit of self-destruction—and no matter what, he’d have to slowly climb out of it.
The preparations for the author meet-and-greet were in full swing. Ti Xiao had submitted his manuscript, and the revisions on his commercial writing were nearly done.
Editor Gua Pipi: One last thing—every author has to record a short video clip, say a few words, anything you want. Later, we’ll edit everyone’s clips together.
Smart and Brave Big Achi: Do we have to show our faces?
Ti Xiao didn’t want to show his face—after all, he didn’t rely on looks to make a living.
Editor Gua Pipi: Not mandatory, but almost all the girls showed their faces. And many of them are pretty cute.
After thinking it over, Ti Xiao decided to film himself speaking to his computer, with a few books on the side, and just say something without showing his face—saving the pretty moments for the girls.
“What’s that?” Xiao Yao asked when he came home from work and saw Ti Xiao fiddling with the camera.
“Making the video for the author event,” Ti Xiao said lightly as he clicked to send the compressed video file to Gua Pipi.
Gua Pipi was probably busy and hadn’t received the file yet.
“When’s it happening?” Xiao Yao put the camera away and asked. “How long will you be gone?”
“In June, soon,” Ti Xiao flipped through his calendar. “How long? I’m not sure yet. I’ll ask the girls.”
Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow when he heard “the girls.”
Girl 1: Probably about a week, from June 8th to June 15th.
After getting the answer, Ti Xiao said, “The girls said June 8th to 15th.”
Another “the girls.”
The girls were all very chatty, and the group chat kept buzzing nonstop. Xiao Yao glanced casually at the screen then looked away.
That was a whole group of girls—it felt like a lot.
“Are all those people in the group going?” Xiao Yao asked again.
“Yeah,” Ti Xiao said flatly. “They’re all going. They’re nice.”
Suddenly, Xiao Yao felt a wave of crisis and, without thinking, blurted out, “Can family come too?”
“Family?” Ti Xiao looked at him. “I’ll ask.”
Smart and Brave Big Achi: Girls, can authors bring family?
Those who had just been chatting wildly about driving skills immediately fell silent. The screen filled with endless ellipses.
Girl 1: ……
Girl 2: ……
Finally, someone spoke up—but Ti Xiao couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Girl 3: I’ve been solo since birth for over twenty years, and someone actually asks me this kind of question? Drag them out and execute!
Girl 4: Knock knock, anyone home?
Joking aside, Ti Xiao still got a proper answer: Gua Pipi didn’t say no, so it’s a yes.
Girl 5: Achi, are you bringing your boyfriend? That voice of his is really nice, right?
Not long ago, Ti Xiao’s livestream got banned, and everyone in the same circle had heard about it and knew exactly why.
Ti Xiao’s little hamster tail curled up proudly as he replied with a smug “yes.”
Girl 6: A thousand people’s blood-written plea—please bring your boyfriend along, or I’ll draw both of you into my book!
Smart and Brave Big Achi: Then… I guess I’ll bring him?
Xiao Yao leaned on the computer desk, watching Ti Xiao’s screen, a satisfied smile slowly creeping onto his lips as he put on a helpless “I have no choice but to go” act. “Well, can’t help it. I’ll go with you, then. It’ll be a good chance to meet Li Yi, too, while I’m at it.”
This isn’t me insisting on going—this is the plea of thousands of fans!
The big bad wolf’s tail wagged so fast it was a blur.
Still, Gua Pipi hadn’t accepted the file Ti Xiao sent yet. Ti Xiao glanced at the chat window before closing it again. Xiao Yao went off happily to cook, while Ti Xiao noticed a delicate notebook sitting on the table. He flipped through the calendar inside.
Signs of summer were appearing. Ti Xiao sucked on a cool yogurt pack, kicked his feet up on the table, leaned his head back, and gazed out at the lush green outside.
Summer was almost here.
After dinner, Ti Xiao grabbed another cold yogurt, and Xiao Yao rapped him on the head. “Eating cold stuff again? It’s not even the start of summer yet. Don’t get a stomachache—use your brain.”
Ti Xiao feigned ignorance: “Brain? What brain?”
“I’m heading to school for a make-up class,” Xiao Yao said, glancing at the time on his phone.
“Go ahead, go ahead,” Ti Xiao waved him off. “Bring me back a whole case of this yogurt, thanks!”
Xiao Yao smiled, hugged his little hamster, squeezed him tight, gave him a kiss, then left.
When Ti Xiao returned to his computer, he heard a car start outside. Peeking out the window, sure enough, it was Xiao Yao’s car. He muttered to himself, thinking what a lazy bum Xiao Yao was—not even willing to walk a short distance.
Not long after Xiao Yao left, Gua Pipi finally received the file Ti Xiao had sent.
Editor Gua Pipi: Wow, I’m so swamped. I was just booking hotels for everyone. Let me see what you sent.
Smart and Brave Big Achi: Thanks for the hard work.
Editor Gua Pipi: Tsk, no face reveal, huh?
Smart and Brave Big Achi: Didn’t we say we wanted to meet in person? Gotta keep some mystery.
Thinking about the family-allowed question from earlier, Ti Xiao casually asked again.
Editor Gua Pipi: It’s allowed. I’ll send you an extra pass. But family pays their own way—only authors get food, drinks, and entertainment covered.
Smart and Brave Big Achi: OJBK (Okay, got it)
Editor Gua Pipi: Say ‘J’ don’t say ‘B,’ keep it polite.
Looking at their chat, Ti Xiao felt Gua Pipi had changed a bit since before—probably since getting together with Yabozi. Before, he imagined her as a ruthless, deadline-pushing editor with a face darker than Xiao Yao’s.
Now, she came off as a little irreverent, always teasing with a smirk.
Gua Pipi went back to work. Ti Xiao picked up the delicate notebook on the table, found a pen, flipped open a page, and seriously started writing.
He began with—“Dear long-legged Siamese.”
As he wrote, Ti Xiao smiled to himself. It felt like writing some childish fairy tale, imagining himself as a little lost hamster dumpling without dreams.
But that feeling was uniquely his own.
When he finished writing, he turned to a new page, grabbed another pen, and started drawing.
He had planned the dates carefully: from today until Xiao Yao’s birthday would be exactly three months. One message and one drawing a day—this notebook would definitely last, and this gift would definitely be one of a kind.
I really am too clever.
Just as Ti Xiao was praising himself heartily, the doorbell rang.
“Xiao Yao’s back so soon?” With that question in mind, Ti Xiao opened the door.
Outside stood Ti Nanyi, holding a plastic bag filled with some items.
Before Ti Nanyi could say a word, Ti Xiao gave her a playful tap on the head, leaving the little girl stunned. “Ouch! That hurts, Uncle! What are you doing?”
Ti Xiao tugged at her cheek. “At such a young age, and already skipping school? Learned that from who?”
Xiao Yao had gone to a make-up class. Ti Nanyi was his student, so normally she should have been at school right now. How did she suddenly appear at his door?
Although Ti Xiao wasn’t very serious when teasing Ti Nanyi, when he got serious, it could really scare her.
Xiao Yao and he couldn’t have kids; this little girl was the only younger generation in the whole family. All the hopes and expectations rested on Ti Nanyi’s shoulders. So if she skipped school, Ti Xiao naturally got angry and pinched her cheek again.
“Ow, ow! Uncle, let go!” Ti Nanyi said quickly, rubbing her sore face. “My dad told me to bring you some local specialties. He just came back from a business trip a few days ago. You can call him if you don’t believe me.”
“There’s no make-up class at school this week. Can you please let go first, Uncle?”
At those words, Ti Xiao finally loosened his grip, unconvinced. “No make-up class in the afternoon?”
“Yeah.” Ti Nanyi rubbed her cheek again. “School’s on break this week, so no make-up classes.”
Ti Xiao paused. Then where did Xiao Yao go?
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