Duan Xingyu was handsome and good-natured, like a warm little sun. He was popular wherever he went.
But this little sun kept running after a man with a camera and an indifferent expression. "Hey, you're so handsome! Could you teach me photography?"
"Setting up the scene is exhausting. Let me help!"
Duan Xingyu was outgoing and friendly, and his smile was bright and lovely.
Zhou Chuan stood nearby, watching him run back and forth.
He had only come to the school temporarily to handle a photo shoot. He hadn't expected to be pestered by a kid like this.
His friends were the first to get fed up with Duan Xingyu being ignored.
"Xingyu, take a break. He won't appreciate it."
"What's with the attitude? Someone offers to help and he just stands back, treating him like free labor?"
"Tsk, that's Zhou Chuan. He once said his hands were only for holding a camera, not for carrying anything heavy. He's so precious."
Mocking voices rose one after another. Eighteen-year-olds couldn't stand people who put on airs like that.
Zhou Chuan remained expressionless, ignoring their taunts, but Duan Xingyu frowned and firmly cut them off. "Don't say things like that."
He glanced at Zhou Chuan's hands, long and strong, with clearly defined knuckles.
Duan Xingyu blurted out, "Hands this beautiful should be protected."
As soon as he said it, his own face turned red.
*
Later, Zhou Chuan received a message from Duan Xingyu.
[Hey, I fell and my ankle really hurts. Could you come get me?]
When Zhou Chuan arrived, Duan Xingyu was sitting in a corner with his arms around his knees. His hair was soaked by the rain, and when he looked up, he resembled a pitiful little puppy with nowhere to go.
Duan Xingyu said, "My parents are away on a business trip, and my friends aren't answering their phones."
Zhou Chuan gave a quiet acknowledgment, as if he hadn't noticed the obvious guilt on his face.
"Didn't you say before that you'd model for me? I can do it for free," Duan Xingyu stammered. "My parents aren't home..."
"I'm a little afraid of the dark when I'm alone, and now I've sprained my ankle. Can I stay with you?"
Duan Xingyu knew his excuse was terrible and that he was a lousy liar. When Zhou Chuan didn't respond, he assumed he had been rejected.
Belated shame washed over Duan Xingyu. The tips of his ears turned red as he awkwardly tried to push himself up. But the moment he moved, Zhou Chuan bent down and scooped him up in his arms.
Duan Xingyu's eyes widened. "Aren't you supposed to avoid carrying heavy things?"
He was much heavier than those tables and chairs.
Even so, Duan Xingyu wrapped his arms tightly around Zhou Chuan's neck. "Where are we going now?"
Was Zhou Chuan going to take him somewhere and dump him?
Zhou Chuan looked at his anxious expression, fell silent for a moment, then said, "My place."
Theme: Make an earnest effort to pursue your first love.
