During their Florence honeymoon, Zhou Ziheng carried his camera everywhere, capturing countless moments of their travels. After returning, he spent days editing the footage, aiming to create a couple’s vlog. But throughout the process, Xia Xiqing sat beside him, scrutinizing his edits like a demanding client.
“No way, you have to cut this kissing scene,” Xia Xiqing declared, shoveling a scoop of ice cream into his mouth. “Do you want me trending on social media again?”
Zhou Ziheng frowned. “Whether we cut this or not, we’re going to trend anyway.”
“How is that the same?” Xia Xiqing poked Zhou Ziheng’s forehead with his finger, scooped another spoonful of ice cream, and held it to his lips. “Can you really compare the buzz around [Zhou Ziheng Xia Xiqing Vlog] to [Zhou Ziheng Xia Xiqing Passionate Kiss]?”
Zhou Ziheng feigned ignorance, biting down on the spoon in Xia Xiqing’s hand and tugging to pull it away. Xia Xiqing smacked his forehead to reclaim the spoon, and as they wrestled for it, Zhou Ziheng suddenly released his bite. Momentum sent Xia Xiqing leaning backward, but Zhou Ziheng swiftly caught him, wrapping his arms around him and planting a smacking kiss on his lips.
“You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve.” Xia Xiqing set the ice cream box on the table, wrapped both arms around Zhou Ziheng’s neck, and breathed softly into his ear, “Don’t cut it.” “
Zhou Ziheng felt electricity surge through his body at Xia Xiqing’s touch, but he ruthlessly rejected his “invitation” in order to properly and perfectly showcase their affection.
“Impressed? Zhou Ziheng actually locked me out of the study just for some stupid vlog!”
Xu Qichen listened to Xia Xiqing’s complaints on the other end of the line, laughing as he tried to calm him down. “Just let him do it. Once he’s done, he’ll definitely come hang out with you.”
Xia Xiqing pressed his forehead against the study door and tapped it a few times. “Let—me—in.”
Xu Qichen couldn’t stop laughing. How did these two turn so childish once they started dating? “Xiqing…”
Suddenly, the voice on the other end grew louder. “Zhou Ziheng, if you don’t let me in today, I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t be able to get out of bed! I mean it!”
Xu Qichen: “Uh…”
A muffled voice came from inside the door, “Your friend Zhou Ziheng is deaf and can’t hear you!”
Xu Qichen: “…Have fun, guys. I’m hanging up.”
Xia Xiqing paced outside the study for a couple of laps before deciding to head back to his own place to paint something and calm down. Zhou Ziheng holed up in his study for two hours editing, planning to release it at an opportune moment. He logged into his well-known secondary account to browse Weibo, treating it as relaxation. As usual, he clicked into the [Self-Study CP] super topic, only to see a post.
[Makenosense: Did zzh and xxq break up? I always felt like they were just hyping things up… Both have vanished lately, not posting on Weibo. Don’t hate me, just a reasonable guess.”
Despite the “don’t hate me” disclaimer, numerous fans replied below.
[ssstarriest: Do they date for your entertainment? How can anyone be so argumentative? Our self-study couple is in the honeymoon phase right now!]
[StudyGirlGoGo: Your mindset is hilarious. Like posting on Weibo is the only way to date?]
[DidYouStudyToday: People who say “don’t hate on me” are almost always trolls. If you’re so awesome, why not become a planetary engine? Earth needs your saving.]
…
Zhou Ziheng decided to seize the day—he’d post the vlog today. Eager to prove himself wrong, he immediately uploaded the freshly baked duo vlog via a secondary account and synced it to Bilibili. Fans felt like they’d won the jackpot.
[The Internet’s Only Heng Mom: Look what I stumbled upon!!!]
[Saturn and Caramel Star: The title!!! A duo vlog!!! AAAAAH I actually waited for this!]
[Lantern Blossom Fades: Waaah Hengheng’s mom is here! I’m here to see you and your daughter-in-law! AAAAH]
[Juuuuun-: AAAAAAAAH I’M HERE! ! Awei, you’re dead meat!]
Zhou Ziheng’s editing style is actually quite clean, with filters that are subtle and barely distinguishable from the original footage. The vlog opens at the airport, where Xia Xiqing sits astride his luggage, head down playing with his phone. Having recently cut his hair short, he wears a black fisherman’s hat and a relaxed burgundy tracksuit.
“Little Rose.” Zhou Ziheng, off-camera, spoke up.
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Little Rose!!!]
[Is Little Rose even real???!!! Can Zzh’s voice be any more swoon-worthy?!]
[Holy shit holy shit, starting this intense?! Ah Wei’s dead!]
Xia Xiqing glanced up, likely noticing Zhou Ziheng’s camera. He instinctively pulled his fisherman’s hat down lower, then planted both feet firmly on the ground. Leaning on his suitcase, he awkwardly turned himself and the luggage around, facing away from the camera as he flipped it off.
[xqgg is just too adorable!!!]
[We’ve got a little tsundere here! Let’s gang up on him together!!!]
[OMG xqgg’s face is so tiny! I can’t cover mine completely with a bucket hat like that, waaah. xqgg looks so good in red 1551]
[Didn’t anyone notice the middle finger got censored?]
The camera lingered on Xia Xiqing’s back for a moment, while Zhou Ziheng’s clear laughter echoed continuously, “Grumpy Xiqing, online tsundere.”
[Hahahahahaha zzh strikes again!]
[zzh, go comfort your wife already! Stop playing with memes here!!]
[Hahahahahahaha so epic, man!]
Soon, the camera shifted to reveal Zhou Ziheng’s bare-faced, black-rimmed glasses look. He’d recently cut his hair short and wore a simple black T-shirt. He smiled and waved at the camera before moving it to his left side. Post-production voiceover kicked in: “I didn’t dare speak here because he was sleeping.”
The screen showed Xia Xiqing’s sleeping face, his head tilted toward the window, covered with the airplane’s small blanket.
[OMG xqgg’s sleeping face is so cute!!! His eyelashes are so long!!]
[These two’s bare faces really make girls feel inadequate.]
“He looks so well-behaved when he’s asleep, but you absolutely can’t wake him up—he has a terrible case of morning grouchiness.”
[Hahahaha so is this vlog basically the “Xia Xiqing Care Manual”?]
[Hahahahaha the Xia Xiqing Care Manual—don’t run away!!!]
[Care manual is genius hahaha]
[555555zzh So gentle]
The camera swings around. Zhou Ziheng flashes a smile at the lens, freeing one hand to tug Xia Xiqing’s head, trying to pull him over to his shoulder. The moment his hand touches Xia Xiqing, the latter wrinkles his brow and flinches away. Zhou Ziheng promptly reached his arm around, gripping Xia Xiqing’s shoulder to pull him closer. Xia Xiqing struggled with his eyes closed for a moment before instinctively resting his head on Zhou Ziheng’s shoulder. He nuzzled it twice, found a comfortable sleeping position, and settled back into his nap.
[OMG this is way too natural waaah I’m so jealous]
[This dog food is seriously sour aaaah]
[So happy waaah]
Zhou Ziheng, holding the camera, repeatedly zoomed in until the lens was right at Xia Xiqing’s nose tip.
[Aaaaaaah let me do it! I wanna kiss that nose tip!]
[My mouth moved first!!]
As lighthearted background music played, the scene shifted again. Zhou Ziheng, wearing a mint-green top, sat on a bench surrounded by pigeons. “Good thing I always carry my camera.” He pressed down on the stubborn tuft of hair sticking up on his forehead for the camera. “My hair got messed up sleeping today.” After saying that, he flipped the camera around and panned it in a circle. “This is Xiqing’s alma mater. Pretty, huh?”
[Aaaaaaah! Taking his little boyfriend back to his alma mater!!! Xqgg is so sweet!!!]
[OMG so touching!! Xqgg always seems so tsundere, but he’s really such a sweetheart!]
[This place is so beautiful, I wish I could be one of the pigeons around Hengheng!]
[Aaaaaaah Hengheng’s outfit is the one that blogger snapped last time!! I spotted the highlight!]
[Seriously!!! It’s the one kissing in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Fiore!!! So that’s the day!!]
The scene shifts to Xia Xiqing’s back view in a small kitchen. He’s wearing the same blue striped shirt and shorts from that day’s photo. Beside him stands an Italian grandma in a cute floral dress. Xia Xiqing bent over, helping the landlady wash tomatoes. After filling a small basket, he picked out a medium-sized red tomato, took a bite, and his back visibly flinched. He turned with a grimace and handed the tomato to Zhou Ziheng. “So sour.”
An arm reached out from behind the camera. “If it’s sour, give it to me.”
[Aaaahhhhh I’m so sour! I’m just as sour as XQGG!]
[OMG why is my CP so sweet!? What did I ever do to deserve such a perfect love!!]
“Otherwise it’ll go to waste.” Xia Xiqing turned back and spoke to the landlady in Italian.
“Do you want to cut it? Don’t cut it, you can’t cook anyway.”
“I can learn.” Xia Xiqing pressed the carrot onto the cutting board with his left hand, holding the knife in his right. He waved it left and right, unsure how to begin.
The camera zoomed in. A hand reached out and took the knife from him. “Stop messing around. I’ll cut it. Hold this.” The camera shook as the photographer handed over the equipment. Xia Xiqing held the camera up to Zhou Ziheng’s profile. “Why are you filming this? You’re not planning to post a vlog online, are you?”
Zhou Ziheng calmly shook his head, concentrating on slicing the carrot. “No, I wouldn’t post it.”
“Alright then.”
[HAHAHAHAHA zzh’s mouth! You liar!!]
[xqgg How could someone so smart believe him so easily?!]
[Because of love~]
Xia Xiqing didn’t obediently film Zhou Ziheng. Instead, he waved the camera around while humming a tune—seemed like an English song.
[Ahhhhhhhhh Xiqing-ge’s singing is sooo good, everything he sings sounds amazing]
[I think I heard “I just wanna kiss you”!!!]
[I wanna kiss you tooooooo xqgg!!!!]
Suddenly the screen shook as the camera panned down. A little blonde girl clung to Xia Xiqing’s leg, her rosy cheeks tilted upward as she babbled in Italian. The camera zoomed in as Xia Xiqing crouched down.
A slender hand extended from behind the frame, gently stroking the little girl’s head. The background music abruptly changed.
[Ahhhhhhh the BGM is the song Xiqing-ge just hummed!! Hengheng is so thoughtful!]
[xqgg speaking Italian is so charming, it sounds amazing!]
[Waaah I’m so jealous of this little girl!]
[Me too!!! I wanna hug Brother Xiqing’s leg!! I wanna get my head patted by Brother Xiqing!]
Soon, the scene shifts again. The camera shows a large table filled with people, the dining table laden with a sumptuous Italian dinner. Xia Xiqing sits on the left side, serving pasta to the little girl. Zhou Ziheng says “Look at the camera” in English, and everyone lifts their heads together. The landlord grandpa even enthusiastically raises his small wine glass towards the camera.
[So heartwarming! Love this feeling!]
[Right now, I’m still jealous of that little girl!]
Zhou Ziheng sat down, placing the camera in the center of the table, focused on him and Xia Xiqing beside him. The little girl grabbed a bottle of black pepper and sprinkled some on her pasta. Zhou Ziheng wanted some too, so he said to her in English, “Give me some.” The little girl stood on her chair. Xia Xiqing quickly grabbed her calf. The little one stretched her arms but couldn’t reach Zhou Ziheng’s plate. Yet stubborn as ever, she insisted on doing it herself. Xia Xiqing could only laugh and lift her onto his lap. “There you go.”
Zhou Ziheng pushed his plate toward the little girl. “Please~”
The girl shook her chubby little hand, sprinkling a generous amount.
“Hey!” Zhou Ziheng watched her unstoppable hand, laughing and sighing at the same time, repeatedly saying, “Enough, enough!” Xia Xiqing laughed too, but the pepper drifted through the air and tickled his nose. He turned his face and sneezed.
[Aaaah, Xiqing Brother sneezing is so adorable!!]
[It totally feels like a family of three!!! Sons!!! Mom wants grandchildren!!! Hurry up and give me some!!]
[So blissful~ Just watching this lifts my spirits~]
The sneeze prompted the landlady to exclaim, “Salute!” Zhou Ziheng asked in English what it meant. The landlord, who seemed to know some English, replied in a thick accent, “It means ‘God bless you.’” Zhou Ziheng nodded. Grandpa then asked, “What do you Chinese say when someone sneezes?”
He thought for a moment and answered in English, “Someone’s thinking of you.”
The landlord grandpa’s eyes lit up, his face filled with surprised admiration. “The Chinese are so romantic!”
[It really is! Thinking about it, it is so romantic. Most Western countries just say something like “God bless you,” but only Chinese people say sneezing means someone is thinking of you~]
[Chinese can be so romantic sometimes!]
[Being praised as romantic by Italians is the real deal, hahaha]
Zhou Ziheng chuckled too, nudging Xia Xiqing’s shoulder after he sneezed. “Sorry, I just started thinking about you without permission.”
[Aaaaaah zzh is too good at this!!!!]
[Is this guy really a lifelong single? How does he know so much?!]
[I can’t take it! I’m gonna cry over this perfect romance again today!]
[I need to sneeze too!!!]
Regaining his senses from the sneeze, Xia Xiqing shot him a glance and pushed the plate of black pepper-drenched pasta toward Zhou Ziheng. “Finish all of this. No sleeping until you do.”
The scene shifted to Zhou Ziheng’s face. He leaned back on the sofa, looking relaxed. “It’s already evening…” His eyes narrowed as he gazed at a small wall clock hanging opposite. “Ten fifteen.” He flipped the camera to capture the sketches on the opposite wall. “These are all Xiqing’s old drawings from when he was in school.” He photographed each one in turn, walking along the wall until he reached Xia Xiqing’s bedroom, where the sound of running water could be heard.
“Oh, he’s taking a shower.”
[Aaaaaaaaah I need to see this!!!!]
[Aaaaaaah I WANT TO SEE THE SHOWER!!!]
[xqgg I’M COMING!!!!]
[xqgg I CAN!!!!]
Zhou Ziheng flipped the camera back. “I know you’d all be swiping, screaming ‘Aaaah I want to see! Xiqing brother, I can!’ and stuff like that.” He deliberately squeaked his voice to mimic a self-study girl, nailing the impression perfectly. But the next second, his expression turned stern. “You can’t.” He held up his index finger in a ‘no’ gesture. “The internet isn’t a lawless zone.”
[zzh, enough already!!]
[Hengheng, please spend less time online and avoid those silly netizens. Mom begs you.]
[Hahahaha I’m saving this as a meme, Hengheng!]
He strode purposefully toward the bedroom balcony, but seemed to remember something. The camera followed him back, revealing a childish “children’s drawing.”
“This one is mine—a portrait of Xia Xiqing.”
[HaX140]
[xxq: This is what I look like???]
[Hahahaha zzh Did you get artistic dreams because you dated an artist?]
[Zhou Ziheng, some things just aren’t meant to be forced haha]
The camera lingered on the drawing for a long time. Zhou Ziheng’s voice sounded quite proud. “I stayed up all night painting this.”
The next second, the scene shifted. The camera seemed placed on a small balcony, focused on a colorful hanging chair. Zhou Ziheng sat in it, looking up just as Xia Xiqing emerged from the bedroom. Wearing a loose T-shirt, his hair was still damp, a towel draped over his head.
“Why didn’t you blow-dry it?”
Xia Xiqing squeezed beside him, crowding into the tiny hammock with Zhou Ziheng. With an air of entitlement, he demanded, “Why didn’t you blow-dry mine?”
[Aaaaaaaaah! Xiqing-ge is being cute!!! Who the hell can resist this!!!]
[Can’t handle it, can’t handle it!!]
[Too adorable!!! Zzh, don’t you want to fuck him??]
[Hahahahaha don’t you want to fuck him hahahahaha]
Zhou Ziheng immediately laughed, grinning like a silly fool. He cupped Xia Xiqing’s face and planted a series of smacking kisses on it.
[Aaaaaaaaah I’m dead!]
[Awei!!! DIE FOR ME!!!!]
[OMG my ship is so sweet it’s making me explode on the spot!!!!]
“Why did you put the camera there?” Xia Xiqing pointed at the lens. “Aren’t you afraid it’ll fall?”
[Holy shit, so that’s why I was put on the balcony? ?? Feels like I’m about to fall off.]
[Hahahaha about to fall off? How’s that?!]
“It’s fine. There’s no wind, and it won’t fall without external force.” Zhou Ziheng grabbed the towel on his head and carefully dried his hair.
“You’re not recording this, are you?”
“Just recording it for keepsakes.”
“Keepsakes…” Xia Xiqing’s expression shifted. He hooked his arm around Zhou Ziheng’s neck, leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to his lips. His eyes, pure yet seductive, locked onto Zhou Ziheng’s. “Why not keep something else as a keepsake?”
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Seeing the conversation veering off track, Zhou Ziheng quickly diverted his attention, smacking kisses all over Xia Xiqing’s face until he was a bit dazed. “What are you doing?”
[Zhou Ziheng’s mom wants to see the bedroom scene!!!!!]
[ZZH!!! You’re being naughty!! You have to listen to your wife!!!!!]
[Mom won’t let you change the subject!!!!]
[Just saying, this distraction tactic is seriously hilarious hahahaha (not that I don’t want to see them get intimate)]
“Look, the stars are so bright!”
Xia Xiqing wiped his face with a towel and tilted his head back with Zhou Ziheng. “Duh, this isn’t Beijing.”
[Beijing: …What did I do wrong? (Sound of an arrow piercing the chest should be here)]
“I love stargazing.” Zhou Ziheng wrapped an arm around Xia Xiqing’s shoulder, lazily stretching out his long leg to kick the ground, rocking the small hammock. Xia Xiqing leaned naturally against his shoulder. “Me too. You know Van Gogh’s painting, Starry Night?”
Zhou Ziheng nodded. “Of course.”
“He was already staying at Saint-Paul-de-Mausson when he painted it. I remember he wrote a letter to his brother, who was supporting him financially, with this line.” Xia Xiqing gazed up at the stars in the night sky. “When I look at the stars in the sky, I often have the illusion that they are like the black dots on a map representing towns. I ask myself, why can’t we reach the shining points in the sky as easily as the black dots on a map of France? We can take a train to Tarascon or Rouen, but we cannot go to the stars.“ He smiled after speaking. ”When I see them, I feel something indescribable in my heart.”
“What kind of feeling?” Zhou Ziheng took Xia Xiqing’s hand.
“I’ve had that thought too,” Xia Xiqing turned his face to look at him. “Do you understand what I mean? When I gaze at the stars, I’ve also wondered why I can’t reach them. But that was when I was very young.” He lowered his head. “The stars are the only light I can have in the darkness without having to beg for it.”
Zhou Ziheng felt a pang of sadness, pulling Xia Xiqing closer and kissing the top of his head.
“You know, according to the First Law of Thermodynamics—or simply put, the law of conservation of energy…” Before he could finish, Xia Xiqing jabbed his side. “Here we go again.”
Zhou Ziheng laughed as he caught his hand. “According to the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy in the universe cannot be created or destroyed. So after we die, our physical bodies will perish, but perhaps we’ll persist in another form.” He pointed at the stars in the sky. “They always said in old TV dramas that people turn into stars after death. It’s true. Many, many years from now, we might indeed become part of some star—maybe just a tiny pebble on its surface or something.” He rested his head against Xia Xiqing’s. “So, after we die, we can always go to the stars.”
Xia Xiqing rubbed against Zhou Ziheng’s cheek like a kitten, gazing at the sky in prolonged silence.
Seeing him quiet, Zhou Ziheng asked, “Do you feel a bit regretful that only death can take us to the stars?” He smiled gently.
Xia Xiqing shook his head, then nodded slightly. “It is a bit of a regret, but…” His face tilted upward, looking both obedient and beautiful. “I don’t regret death itself. I just feel… with so many people in the world, the odds are incredibly low that I could become part of the same star as you.”
“What if we end up on two different stars, separated by so many light-years?” He sighed. “So far apart.”
Zhou Ziheng froze. He hadn’t expected Xia Xiqing to think about these things. His heart swelled full, like a small bread roll expanding steadily in a warm oven.
“It won’t happen.” Zhou Ziheng brushed Xia Xiqing’s neck. “I’ve already switched my lottery number. We’ll be on the same star.”
Xia Xiqing laughed, swatting his hand away. “Childish.”
“I’m that childish. Even on a star, I’ll cling to you.”
“Whatever you say.”
Author’s Note:
The first twenty-one chapters and all bonus content are in the main text. Click the column to view them. Subsequent chapters will also be published on Jinjiang, including reader-requested prompts.
Self-study girls never graduate!
