The plaza in the middle of the park was a good place to practice riding — wide, flat, and not many people around during the day.
Qin Wenwen’s was a girl’s bike to begin with — a basket on the front for carrying things, and even pink.
Once Xu Ye had ridden onto the plaza he lowered the seat a little, ran through a few of the basics with Chen Qingqing, and then simply had her get on. He stood alongside with a hand on the handlebars to keep the bike from going over…
“No rush. Pedal slowly. Get a feel for it first.”
“Don’t be scared. I’m holding it. It won’t go over.”
“That’s it — look ahead, don’t let your mind wander, watch your balance.”
“Just keep it like that. Don’t grip the bars so tight. Loosen up.”
“…”
Xu Ye taught her patiently. Chen Qingqing, the one actually learning, wasn’t tired yet; he had been holding the bike alongside her for less than half an hour and was already dripping with sweat.
She wasn’t a slow learner, though. With Xu Ye there to keep her safe, she soon had some of the knack of it.
After an hour or so of practice she had no real trouble riding in a straight line. It was just the turns — she could still only take them very wide…
“Pay attention now. I’m letting go. Keep your balance.”
“What?” Chen Qingqing was still worried.
“Don’t be scared. Your feet reach the ground anyway. Just ride slowly.” Xu Ye held the back of the seat, and once she was riding steadily he let go.
Drops of sweat the size of beans kept falling from his chin. Xu Ye braced both hands on his knees, watched Chen Qingqing ride slowly away, and finally sighed, laughing.
He dug his phone out of his pocket, recorded a short video of her riding, and sent it straight to the group chat with Jiang Meilin and Chen Hansong in it.
Chen Qingqing had assumed he was still holding on behind her the whole time. It wasn’t until she had taken a wide turn and ridden back that she discovered he had in fact let go long ago.
She slowed down, rode carefully over to him and stopped. Then, like a child who has won a prize and wants the praise immediately, she asked expectantly, “I learned that fast. Aren’t I impressive?”
“Fast? It’s been over an hour.”
“You’re awful. You can’t even praise me.”
Xu Ye said quickly, laughing, “Yes, yes, yes, you’re very impressive. Come here, I’ll reward you with a kiss.”
“Go away.”
“It’s getting late. We’ll carry on this afternoon. Want to go eat something first?”
“Eat what?”
“Anything. We’ll have a big meal tonight.”
“A big meal tonight?”
Xu Ye laughed. “I’ve arranged to meet a friend tonight. I’ll bring Zhang Ruowei and Jiang Yu along and introduce them.”
“Don’t tell me it’s that rich kid you mentioned, the one you said was so well-matched with Zhang Ruowei.”
“That’s the one.”
“Then there’ll be a show tonight.”
Xu Ye took her hand with a chuckle. “If they strike any sparks off each other, then there really will be a show.”
“Why are you sweating this much?”
“I was holding the bike the whole time you were riding and running along after you. How could I not sweat?”
“Ugh. That reeks.”
“Oh, nice. Put off by me, are you?”
“Hold still. I’ll get a tissue and wipe you off.”
Seeing her dig a tissue out of her bag, Xu Ye obediently bent his head and let her wipe the sweat off him. On the way to the restaurant, both Jiang Meilin and Chen Hansong replied in the group.
Jiang Meilin’s reply was a sticker with three thumbs up.
Chen Hansong’s was: My daughter is amazing.
……
In the afternoon Xu Ye kept her company for another stretch of practice, and a little after two they went back to the hotel.
Soaked in sweat, Xu Ye dug out clean underwear and a pair of black shorts, then went into the bathroom to shower.
Chen Qingqing sat at the foot of the bed eating the Hami melon they had brought back in a box, watching The Disguiser, which had only recently started airing on the Mango Channel. [TL: 芒果台, a popular nickname for Hunan Satellite Television.]
But the moment Xu Ye came out of the bathroom she locked her phone. Seeing him bare from the waist up, she said, “Put a shirt on.”
“What are you worried about? It’s not as if you didn’t see it when I was learning to swim.”
That was what he said, but he still got a white T-shirt out of his bag and put it on. Chen Qingqing speared a piece of melon and held it out. “The melon’s very sweet. Do you want some?”
Xu Ye opened his mouth wide and leaned in, and she pushed it straight in. Once he had finished she asked, “Well? Isn’t it sweet?”
“Mm. As sweet as you.”
Chen Qingqing awarded him an eye-roll and asked curiously, “What do you think Qin Zhiwei and Xinyi are doing right now?”
“I gave them my car. Why would I be keeping track of them?”
Xu Ye patted her arm with a wicked grin all over his face. “It’s still early. Let’s have a nap first.”
“They might be back in a bit.”
“Then I’ll message Qin Zhiwei and tell him to stay put out there and not come back and spoil things for us.”
Seeing that he really was reaching for his phone to message Qin Zhiwei, Chen Qingqing caught the danger signal and got up to make a run for it — only for Xu Ye, quicker than she was, to catch hold of her. He gave a small tug and she came down on the bed. He picked up the quilt at once, laid it over her, and rolled her up in it like a scallion in a pancake.
Chen Qingqing stuck her head out of the quilt and looked at him with her cheeks puffed out, the picture of anger.
Xu Ye reached over and pinched both her cheeks lightly. A little pressure and her mouth pushed out into the shape of a goldfish in a cartoon; and when he let go it went back to normal. He did it several times, laughing. “All right, all right, no more messing around. I’ll sleep and you do as you like. Deal?”
Chen Qingqing opened her mouth to bite him, and he pulled his hand back almost by reflex. Seeing that she wasn’t going to let the matter drop, he had no choice but to put it obediently forward again. “Here. One bite. But not too hard—”
He hadn’t finished before she bit down.
She really didn’t bite hard, though. It left no mark to speak of, just a faint ring of toothmarks.
Once he had let her go, Xu Ye put his phone on the nightstand to charge, dropped onto the bed, closed his eyes and was dead to the world.
Chen Qingqing sat at the foot of the bed with her phone again, turned the volume down as low as it would go, and went on with The Disguiser.
After one episode she was feeling sleepy herself. She turned and looked at Xu Ye, already asleep, hesitated a little, then got up and checked the door first. Finding it locked, she drew the curtains too.
She went carefully to the side of the bed and lay down next to him, then slowly edged closer. With his soft, regular breathing at her ear, she closed her eyes and was asleep before long.
She had a dream.
She dreamed Xu Ye was carrying her on the bicycle, riding on and on through wildflowers that covered the hills as far as she could see. The road was very rough, and to avoid being jolted about she had to keep both arms around his waist — holding tight, and tighter, and tighter still.
(End of Chapter 294)