“I’ll copy the script for you, very soon.” Qi Shejiang was incredibly grateful for the photocopier; otherwise, he would have had to write it all out by hand, which would take an eternity. “If you need the sanxian, just call me!”
“It’s alright, no rush.”
My work hasn’t officially started yet.” Zhang Yue reassured him when he saw that Qi Shejiang looked like he wanted to dig out all the material immediately. They had just reached their destination, and he stepped on the brake and pulled over.
“Yeah. That’s great.” Qi Shejiang murmured, clasping his fists and bowing to Zhang Yue, “Thank you.”
Zhang Yue: “…”
Zhang Yue: “What are you doing?”
Qi Shejiang looked at his own hands, “My master taught me this. Thank you.”
He got a little carried away and instinctively performed a bow.
“…Let’s not do that anymore.” Zhang Yue put an arm around Qi Shejiang and hugged him.
Qi Shejiang paused for a moment, resting his arms over Zhang Yue’s back, leaning in, his chin just resting on Zhang Yue’s shoulder.
Zhang Yue: “…………”
Um… this…
With Qi Shejiang leaning on his shoulder, unsure how long the embrace should last, Zhang Yue drifted off into thought, and the two silently hugged for three minutes. The first thirty seconds were filled with gratitude and surprise, but from the sixtieth second onwards, the atmosphere started to feel off.
Even Qi Shejiang, no matter how foolish he was, knew there wasn’t a protocol for this long, yet both fell into a mysterious silence.
Qi Shejiang: “…”
Zhang Yue: “…”
Until Zhang Yue slowly released his grip, Qi Shejiang also pulled back a little.
Qi Shejiang vaguely sensed something and held back the words he was about to say.
Fortunately, a ringtone rescued the two of them from the moment; the caller ID showed it was Teacher Zeng Wen. Qi Shejiang showed Zhang Yue the screen, and Zhang Yue understood. He got out of the car to answer the call.
With some space between them, Zhang Yue finally felt relieved.
Qi Shejiang answered, “Teacher Zeng Wen?”
“Jesse, you’re not busy, are you?” Zeng Wen’s tone was cheerful, “Guess what I’m about to tell you.”
“It sounds like good news.” Qi Shejiang thought to himself what day it was, yet another piece of good news.
