The youth what-if timeline
The professional photographer kept pressing the shutter, and in almost every photo, the two boys were close together, their heads slightly touching.
This is the most beautiful image etched in their best years; no one missed it, and no one got lost.
Author's Note:
The forum format is gone; these past two days have been all about the "youth if" storyline. I wanted to show everyone Xiao Zhu, who didn't suffer any major Xiao Zhu.
See you tomorrow!
Chapter 256 Youth If Timeline
Ming Lexin and Qing Yan were so focused on their college entrance exams that they neglected their work, and now they're both working overtime.
Qing Mengzhu did not return to Qing Yan's residence; instead, she stayed at the Ming family's small villa.
This villa was bought by Ming Lexin and Qing Yan during their marriage. When they divorced, Qing Yan left the villa to Ming Lexin, Ming Lexin didn't want it, so it was transferred to the names of Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu.
This is Qing Mengzhu's proper home, and he feels quite comfortable here.
There were only Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi in the villa. Qing Mengzhu felt it was too quiet to be alone, so she took a game console and went to the next room to find Ming Chunxi.
Both of their rooms were suites with studies. When Qing Mengzhu was given permission to enter, she saw Ming Chunxi doing practice problems.
Qing Mengzhu glanced at it, but he couldn't understand the symbols on the question and couldn't tell whether it was a physics question or a math question, so he looked away.
The two often shared a room. Qing Mengzhu greeted him, then expertly sprawled on the sofa and started playing games at the lowest possible volume.
Ming Chunxi then returned to his desk.
It had rained last night, so the weather wasn't hot. The door to the small balcony was wide open, with only the screen door closed.
A summer breeze blew in, lifting the thin curtains.
Ming Chunxi sat at her desk, not doing practice problems, but looking at Qing Mengzhu.
Qing Mengzhu lay face down, her long legs crossed and raised behind her, supporting herself on the sofa with her elbows while playing games. Her shoulder blades also arched slightly, making her waist appear exceptionally slender and her buttocks exceptionally pert.
Qing Mengzhu killed the monsters in the game, and their equipment and materials were scattered all over the ground.
After he finished collecting the equipment and materials, he turned around and unexpectedly met Ming Chunxi's gaze.
Qing Mengzhu: "What are you looking at?"
Ming Chunxi: "Were there mosquitoes last night?"
He shouldn't have said anything, because as soon as he did, Qing Mengzhu immediately felt an itch on the spot where the mosquito had bitten her calf. She scratched it and complained, "Yeah, I don't know how it got in. I was woken up by mosquitoes in the middle of the night. They disappeared when I turned on the light, but started buzzing again when I turned it off, keeping me awake all night."
Ming Chunxi opened the drawer and tossed a box of herbal ointment over. "Here."
Qing Mengzhu caught it, put down the game console, unscrewed the box, looked at the box of bright green ointment, and then looked at his own hand.
He hesitated for a moment, his hands probably a little sweaty from playing games, and then asked, "Where are the cotton swabs?"
Ming Chunxi: "I'll go get it."
There were no cotton swabs in Ming Chunxi's room, so she had to go outside to get some.
While waiting, Qing Mengzhu went back to playing games.
Ming Chunxi retrieved the cotton swabs; his game had reached a crucial juncture.
He couldn't free his hands, his eyes glued to the screen. "Put it aside, I'll wipe it later."
Ming Chunxi glanced at him, opened the lid, dipped a cotton swab in some ointment, and applied it to his wound.
When the cooling ointment was applied to the mosquito bite, Qing Mengzhu reacted strongly and shuddered.
Ming Chunxi immediately reached out and grabbed his ankle. "Don't move."
Ming Chunxi's hands were very large, and the temperature of his palms was also very high, making the touch exceptionally noticeable.
All of Qing Mengzhu's attention was suddenly focused on his ankle; he could even feel the touch of Ming Chunxi's fingers against his skin.
Qing Mengzhu couldn't continue playing the game, so she turned off the screen and stared blankly at Ming Chunxi.
Ming Chunxi looked very focused, applied the ointment carefully, and her movements were very proper.
However, this behavior itself represents a breach of etiquette.
Qing Mengzhu would never apply ointment to his brother; just imagining him applying ointment to Zhao Hexi like that gave him goosebumps.
Looking at Ming Chunxi, Qing Mengzhu felt countless suppressed thoughts suddenly surface from the depths of her mind.
Anyone who can win an international gold medal is definitely not stupid, and Ming Chunxi is no exception.
Therefore, his past little schemes and actions should not have escaped Ming Chunxi's notice.
As for Ming Chunxi's actions--
Sensing Ming Chunxi's hidden thoughts, Qing Mengzhu's legs jerked slightly, but Ming Chunxi held them even tighter. "Don't move."
After he finished applying the ointment, Qing Mengzhu hurriedly pulled her legs back and grabbed a cushion to place on her lower abdomen.
Ming Chunxi carefully closed the lid of the herbal ointment and looked up at Qing Mengzhu.
Qing Mengzhu hugged the pillow, silently raising her eyes—a posture that conveyed a sense of distance.
The two looked at each other, Qing Mengzhu looked away first and asked, "You don't dislike me either?"
Qing Mengzhu originally wanted to ask if she "liked" someone, but when it came time to speak, she lost the courage and instead said the less provocative "I don't dislike" instead.
Ming Chunxi knelt on one knee on the sofa, looking at Qing Mengzhu and said, "If I didn't like you, why would I be with you every day?"
Qing Mengzhu's heart pounded like a drum, and she hugged the pillow even tighter. "Is this the kind of liking I imagined?"
Ming Chunxi took his hand, changing from a grasping gesture to an interlocking of fingers. "This is what it means to like someone."
This was the first time Qing Mengzhu had ever held hands with someone like this in her life. She was immediately speechless and didn't know what to say.
Ming Chunxi let go of him and patted him lightly. "Keep playing."
After saying that, Ming Chunxi looked like she was going back to her desk to do her homework.
Looking at his calm expression, Qing Mengzhu was momentarily impressed.
This person knows everything, yet says nothing, and didn't even ask a single follow-up question after confessing their feelings.
"Wait!" Qing Mengzhu suddenly grabbed his hand, standing barefoot on the ground and looking at him, "When... did you start liking me?"
Ming Chunxi: "Very early."
Qing Mengzhu: "When did you find out I liked you?"
Ming Chunxi glanced at him. "It started when you took the initiative to ask me for tutoring."
"You rascal!" Qing Mengzhu was speechless. She wanted to let go of him but was unwilling, so she simply jumped on him and hugged him tightly. "Ah! I should have known better than to hesitate!"
Ming Chunxi reached out and hugged Qing Mengzhu to prevent her from losing her balance and falling, a hint of a smile in her eyes, "It's not too late now."
Qing Mengzhu punched his shoulder with her head.
The two quickly became a couple, and nothing seems to have changed much.
Ming Chunxi still does his homework every day, Qing Mengzhu still goes to his room to watch anime and play games.
However, their way of resting now includes exploring each other's bodies.
It starts with kissing, and gradually progresses to more.
The college entrance examination results came out quickly, and as expected, Ming Chunxi became the top scorer that year and was successfully admitted to a top 2 university.
Qing Mengzhu performed exceptionally well and went to a 985 university in the same city.
However, when it came time to choose her major, Qing Mengzhu inexplicably switched from design to agronomy.
Even in college, they still lived together.
Because Ming Chunxi was there to guide her studies, Qing Mengzhu even received a semester scholarship of several hundred yuan in the first semester.
Qing Yan was overjoyed and paid for their trip.
Qing Mengzhu chose Qiongwei City.
Winters in Vine City are so damp and cold. I have to wear thick clothes every day, and it feels like I'm carrying a shell, making everything inconvenient.
He wanted to go somewhere warmer to play in the water, sunbathe, and wear only a light shirt.
Ming Chunxi cooperated with him throughout the entire trip, even though she brought several exercise books with her when she left.
They rode jet skis, snorkeled, and went to the aquarium in Qiongwei City, just like any other couple.
Upon returning to the hotel, Qing Mengzhu, who had been planning for a long time, took out the relevant supplies.