RBNR Ch18: Perfunctory

On the morning of the college entrance exam, the old man had Mama Tao make braised carp.

Sitting at the table, Qin Bao looked at the plump carp with worry. “Grandpa, who eats this early in the morning?”

“You do!” The old man didn’t eat any himself. He had only congee and pickles in front of him and continued to sit in the main seat with his cane, “What do you know? This symbolizes great luck and prosperity, the carp leaping over the dragon gate!”

Qin Bao: “……”

What a forced pun.

Mama Tao leaned over and whispered, “Bao’er, your grandpa got up at four this morning and went to the lake to catch this himself.”

This love was deep and heavy. Qin Bao ate half of it with tears in his eyes before the old man was satisfied. Before leaving, he also handed him a big orange.

Qin Bao helplessly said, “Grandpa, you can’t bring fruit into the exam hall.”

The old man, still smiling, continued with his puns. “This symbolizes wishes coming true and immediate success! I didn’t tell you to take it into the exam hall, just eat it on the way.” After that, he affectionately pinched his face. “Good luck.”

Mr. Qin personally drove Qin Bao to the exam hall, reminding him not to be nervous, to read the questions carefully before answering, and so on. He had already said all this the day before, and as usual, asked, “Did you apply the gland patch?”

Qin Bao: “I did.”

“Did you use the suppressant?”

“I did.”

“We’re almost there. Do you want to use it again?”

This time, Qin Bao didn’t say anything more and obediently took out the suppressant and used it again as Mr. Qin had instructed. The car stopped at the designated parking spot outside the exam hall, and Mr. Qin told Qin Bao not to rush out of the car.

With Mr. Qin’s obsession with cleanliness, he couldn’t tolerate anyone eating in his car. This time, he even took out disinfectant wipes, first wiping his hands, then peeling the orange that the old man had asked him to bring, carefully removing the white strands from the orange segments.

The movements were slow and meticulous. If it weren’t still early, it could make someone anxious.

Mr. Qin peeled out a clean and flawless segment of orange for Qin Bao to eat before wiping his hands with the wet wipes and said, “Go ahead.”

Qin Bao wanted to thank him but felt it was a bit awkward, so he just responded with an “uh” and got out of the car. He waved to Mr. Qin as he walked a few steps away, then quickly entered the exam hall.

The exam lasted two days.

During those two days, Qin Bao didn’t even know how he got through them. It felt like in the blink of an eye, his entire high school life ended in those two days.

As he moved with the crowd, apart from the relief, there was also a sense of loss and confusion.

The outside was packed with people, and the Qin family had also sent a driver to pick him up. While Qin Bao was searching for his family’s car, suddenly, a motorcycle stopped right beside him.

The rider, tall and strong, took off his helmet to reveal a familiar face. “Brother Bao!”

It was actually Shan Yiming, whom he hadn’t seen for the past two years.

Qin Bao was overjoyed. “Shan Yiming!”

With so many people around, Shan Yiming didn’t say much. He handed over a helmet. “Get on.”

Qin Bao didn’t look for his family’s car anymore. He took the helmet and immediately got on the back of the motorcycle. Shan Yiming started the bike, and with the roar of the engine, they cut through the crowd and sped away stylishly.

They didn’t go straight home. Shan Yiming drove to the outer ring road, and once they got on the expressway, he drove faster and faster.

The air was hot, and the wind roared past his ears. Qin Bao’s adrenaline was also surging.

All the feelings of loss and confusion, all the reluctance, were swept away in the speed and excitement.

Shan Yiming stopped on a small hillside in the suburbs of the capital, parking the motorcycle under a thick, lush camphor tree. From the high point, they could see a lake below, covered with reeds.

“Qin Bao——” He shouted towards the lake, “Congratulations on your graduation——”

Qin Bao: “……”

What kind of idol drama behavior is this?

After Shan Yiming shouted, he invited Qin Bao, “Come on, you shout a couple of times too.”

Qin Bao stepped forward. “Shan Yiming——you’re an idiot——”

Shan Yiming helplessly said, “I came here to shout out and relax after high school graduation back then, thought I’d bring you along to release some stress too. Don’t you understand what’s appropriate?”

Qin Bao pushed him. “Aren’t you the idiot? Running away from home without a phone, acting tough, huh? After two years of no news and not even a call, you still have the face to come back?”

Shan Yiming, realizing his fault, touched his nose. “I was thinking of working hard quietly and then surprising everyone.”

Qin Bao: “I think it’s more like shocking.”

Shan Yiming had matured and tanned, with a bit more weariness on his young face, as if these two years weren’t spent with a racing team but working hard outside.

Even after a long time apart, they hadn’t become distant. Shan Yiming was still the same Shan Yiming. He had always kept track of Qin Bao’s progress, watching his advertisements, movies, and shows with great pride and satisfaction.

But talking about his own experiences was a bit hard to articulate.

“Well, I used to think the capital was big enough and that I was amazing, with sky-high aspirations. Only after actually entering that circle did I realize what real experts are like, and there are always people better than you,” Shan Yiming shared his experiences. “My development in the racing team hasn’t been ideal. This year, I had the chance to participate in road racing but didn’t make the cut. And this is just a domestic event; as for international ones… with my current level, it’s out of the question.”

Qin Bao was concerned. “What happened? Did you encounter any problems?”

Shan Yiming shook his head, the reasons were complex and he couldn’t put them into words, attributing it to being less skilled than others. But he wasn’t one to easily give up. “Don’t worry, I can still hold on. I’m still young, planning to keep at it for another two years.”

Qin Bao nodded. “Yes, if it doesn’t work out, just keep practicing and find your shortcomings. I believe you can catch up.”

“Got it,” Shan Yiming smiled. “I’ll try to see if I can get you a ticket to a championship match for your eighteenth birthday.”

Qin Bao encouraged, “There are still several months to go, so keep it up.”

Shan Yiming: “By the way, you really brought us pride. Several alphas on our team are your fans, always talking about wanting to chase you. How about it? Interested in getting to know them?”

Qin Bao: “Forget it, I’m focused on my career and don’t have the time.”

“Good job.” Shan Yiming patted him on the back of his head. “Focus on your career first. When you want to date in the future, I’ll help you keep an eye on the kind of guys you like.”

Qin Bao thought Shan Yiming was even less mature than he was, and snorted. “Before you left, you called me Brother Bao. Now that you’re back, you’ve turned into brother.”

He thought to himself that he didn’t need anyone else to help him choose who to date.

With Tu Yisen not around, they went to their usual barbecue place, but they didn’t drink. Shan Yiming had to head back to the team, which was over 300 kilometers away from the capital in Tongzhou City, for a training session the next day.

They talked late into the night. Shan Yiming only left after dropping Qin Bao off at home. “I’ll come back for your birthday.”

Qin Bao waved. “Alright, go on.”

The roar of the motorcycle disturbed some dog from an unknown house, and the lights in the villa area turned on. Qin Bao sneaked back in, the house was very quiet, and no one was waiting by the door to question where he had gone after the exams.

He quietly returned to his room on the second floor, took a shower, and when he lay down on the bed, he found a message from Feng Chu.

Feng Chu: 【Brother Bao, [aggrieved][aggrieved], the internet is saying you’re dating Shan Yiming, you better explain.】

【Photo jpg】

【Photo jpg】

Qin Bao opened the photos, and it turned out to be pictures taken as he exited the exam hall.

One photo showed him receiving the helmet and getting on Shan Yiming’s motorcycle.

The other photo showed him hugging Shan Yiming’s waist after getting on the bike.

Both their faces were clearly visible in the photos, looking intimate and rebellious, standing out among the other students who had just suffered through the college entrance exams.

The internet was full of these photos, claiming that Qin Bao was dating someone, and a bunch of people were excitedly shipping them.

Qin Bao replied: 【……Boring, should I explain if I’m photographed with you too?】

Feng Chu: 【Fair point.】

Qin Bao typed quickly: 【They get used to taking pictures.】

Feng Chu: 【Aww!】

No longer needing to study endlessly, review, or worry about exams, and with no work commitments for the next week, Qin Bao thought he could now live carefree, waking up naturally every day. However, he woke up even earlier than usual the next day.

In the garden, Grandpa was practicing Tai Chi. Qin Bao joined him for a while, then went inside to watch Mama Tao prepare breakfast, still feeling like something was missing.

At 7:30 AM, Mr. Qin came downstairs and told him, “Someone sent a bouquet yesterday, said it was for you. I put it in the flower room.”

Qin Bao then realized why he felt something was missing—he had been waiting for that bouquet.

What kind of flower would it be this time?

He went to the flower room and saw a bouquet of white snow lilies in a ceramic vase on the marble countertop.

Once again, it was a bulbous flower.

No need for a signature—he knew who the sender was.

Morning sunlight streamed through the lattice window, falling on Qin Bao’s face and the exquisite card next to the snow lilies. His heart was full, as if it were about to burst.

He hadn’t sent anything in return this time, so the sender didn’t need to reciprocate, but the flowers still came.

What would the card say?

Would it be “Congratulations on your graduation”? Would it be printed or handwritten?

With a sense of anxiety, he opened the card, only to find it completely blank.

A blank piece of paper with no words at all left him momentarily puzzled. What did this mean?

It felt a bit perfunctory!

In September, Qin Bao appeared at the Capital Art University, causing a bit of a stir at the registration office. To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t enroll in a performing arts or fashion-related major as media and fans had speculated. Instead, he chose creative design.

【What’s going on? I thought Bao Bao was aiming for a career in performance, wasn’t there a rumor he was going to take art exams?】

【That’s fake [eye roll], he’s not a performance student. Besides activities, he’s in class all the time.】

【I can vouch! His high school class monitor is my elementary school classmate! He said Qin Bao often borrowed notes to do exercises!】

【Wasn’t Bao Bao involved in film resources? There was a recent paparazzi shot. Did the investors take him out for a spin again? [angry]】

【As expected of my treasure [star eyes], so innovative, I love it】

……

It wasn’t that Qin Bao was particularly innovative; Grandpa simply didn’t allow him to pursue acting.

Grandpa wasn’t usually so stubborn, but after the recent movie mishap, he had strong opinions. Worse, one day Grandpa went out with old comrades to see a famous war film. A particular explicit scene in the movie set off alarm bells for him.

“I don’t look down on actors. I respect the profession,” Grandpa told Qin Bao. “I know every job requires dedication, but they can dedicate themselves to art, while you can’t. Think about your options again, and don’t choose performance.”

Brother Lu, who was nearby, quickly explained, “He’s just interested in related majors, not necessarily becoming an actor. And you misunderstood; if there’s a related type of film, he can use stand-ins, make changes, or even refuse to take part.”

Grandpa said, “Using stand-ins and refusing roles—are you an actor or a young master? Everything revolves around you, using privileges and shortcuts! You have no shame; I have pride!”

Qin Bao and Brother Lu: “……”

Unable to convince him otherwise, Qin Bao, under pressure, chose a major he was more interested in—creative design.

Fortunately, the major was very interesting, and the sense of space in university made him feel much more relaxed. The university was full of exceptional people, including many singers, stars, actors, and influencers. He was no longer the only celebrity at the school and didn’t have everyone’s eyes on him all the time.

The people here were confident and more open-minded.

Soon, Qin Bao had new troubles.

Every time he returned to school and opened his locker, a pile of love letters and gifts would pour out.