NOVPUB"How much longer?" Xia Xiaoxiao, drenched in sweat and struggling to speak, asked in Xu Qingfan’s home.
"Just... one more minute, lift your butt higher, it’s almost dragging on the floor," Xu Qingfan replied, equally sweaty, after glancing at the countdown timer.
As time trickled by, it wasn’t until the timer sounded that both collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted.
"Ah~ so tired," Xu Qingfan reached behind him, patting his slightly sore lower back, and let out a gratified grunt.
"Noob," Xia Xiaoxiao wasn’t faring much better, having nearly reached her limit after completing a three-minute plank, but still managed to taunt with tough words.
"Look who’s talking," Xu Qingfan sat up again, noticed that they had been resting for over a minute, and then said, "Come on, get up, we have one last stretch to do!"
"Hmph~" Xia Xiaoxiao got up without waiting for Xu Qingfan and started doing arm stretches while lying on her side on the yoga mat.
After finishing the last set of exercises, both were too exhausted to move, their hearts pounding as they sprawled limply on the yoga mat.
The old ceiling fan above them whirred with the sound of mechanical friction. They occasionally made eye contact, but neither spoke, just quietly stared at the ceiling in a daze.
Sweat slid from their cheeks, vanished without a trace after seeping into the yoga mat. If one paid close attention, a faint scent of sweat could be smelled, not at all unpleasant, reminiscent of tart green apples.
Because Xia Xiaoxiao always sat in front of the computer playing games for long periods, and with puberty bringing its changes, her chest began to develop, leading to a slight hunchback.
After being mentioned a couple of times by Xu Qingfan, the girl took note and eventually dragged him to join her in posture exercises.
Seeing Xia Xiaoxiao’s bangs sticking to her sweaty face, Xu Qingfan instinctively did as he did when they were little, tucking her bangs behind her ear.
Xia Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then his head received a big thump from the girl.
"What are you doing? Stop manhandling me." Xia Xiaoxiao, with an awkward expression, turned away before complaining bitterly.
Xu Qingfan laughed as he got up, "I’m going to inspect the factory with Aunt Zhang this afternoon, will you stay at home or do something else?"
"None of your business, I’m going to sing with Ruan Wen this afternoon," Xia Xiaoxiao said, her back still turned to him.
"Suit yourself. If you need money, just take it from the drawer in my room, no need to tell me. Also, take your phone and stay safe," he reminded her with a kick to her butt.
Xia Xiaoxiao’s pocket money was generally kept at their secret base at home, hence Xu Qingfan’s reminder.
"Get your athlete’s foot away from me!" Xia Xiaoxiao swatted his offending foot away angrily.
"Weren’t you the one using your butt to communicate with me, haha~" Xu Qingfan added another kick before turning to run.
"Xu Qingfan!!!" Xia Xiaoxiao put on her slippers and chased him to the doorway, watching him disappear around the corner of the hallway before the icy look on her face melted away, replaced by a bright smile.
"Stupid idiot~" she muttered under her breath as she returned to Xu Qingfan’s home, took a hundred yuan from his room, and gently punched the photo album sitting on his computer desk.
There were three photo frames on the computer desk: one from their Sunshine Kindergarten graduation with Xu Qingfan making a pig nose behind her, one from their Experimental Primary School graduation, and one was a big head sticker collage of the six of them taken at Gualv Square.
Of the three, Xia Xiaoxiao’s favorite was the kindergarten one because only she knew why Xu Qingfan made a pig nose.
With a sweet smile, she informed Xiao Ruawen on QQ that she was heading out and skillfully shut down the computer with a few keystrokes.
...
At the end of April, Xu Qingfan shared his idea of creating a takeout platform with Zhang Chunxue on the car ride, and within a few days, she began registering a company and recruiting staff.
Half a year had passed since then, and the takeout platform was almost fully built, with only one final internal test standing between it and official launch.
The idea had been Xu Qingfan’s after all, and as the initiator and original major shareholder, he naturally couldn’t just shake off the responsibility and run.
After waiting by the roadside for a while, Zhang Chunxue’s car soon approached and stopped before him.
The driver was Aunt Zhang’s secretary assistant. As she unbuckled her seat belt and prepared to get out to open the door for him, Xu Qingfan nodded in acknowledgment, waving off her kind gesture with a "I’ve got it, thanks."
"Aunt Zhang!"
"Been waiting long? Have a bottle of water to cool off," Zhang Chunxue said, handing him a bottle of water from the built-in fridge of the Maybach.
Taking the bottle, Xu Qingfan drank gratefully as the November weather in Hong Kong felt just like summer, and the brief wait had indeed made him thirsty. He then casually asked, "Are Yiyi and Wanning at home?"
"The two girls said they were going to the park for sketching. What, they didn’t tell their brother?" Zhang Chunxue, smiling, set down the document in her hand and playfully tapped on Xu Qingfan’s head.
"Oh yeah, I think they did tell me," Xu Qingfan recalled the message he’d seen on QQ that morning.
He checked his phone and sure enough, there was a message from Lin Wanning on QQ.
13:05
[Youth is like sugar, sweet until it’s melancholic: Brother Qing Fan, Yiyi and I are going to Licheng Park to paint this afternoon, wanna come duck?]
14:00
[Youth is like sugar, sweet until it’s melancholic: You’re ignoring me, remember. Brother Qing Fan has to go with Aunt Zhang to Hong Kong this afternoon. We’re heading out now and will be safe![Cute][Cute]]
Years had passed, and the five young girls were no longer the little kids that needed his supervision whenever they stepped out.
