RBNR Ch18: Perfunctory

On the morning of Qin Bao’s college entrance examination, the old master asked Mama Tao to make braised carp.

Qin Bao sat at the table, looking at the plump and succulent carp in distress: “Grandpa, whose family eats this early in the morning?”

“You eat!” The old master didn’t eat it himself. He had plain porridge and side dishes in front of him, yet he still sat in the main seat and thumped his cane. “What do you know? This symbolizes great luck and prosperity, a carp leaping over the dragon gate!”

Qin Bao: “…”

What a forced auspicious metaphor.

Mama Tao leaned over and said softly: “Bao’er, your grandpa got up at four o’clock this morning to go to the lake. The old man caught this himself.”

This love was both deep and heavy. Qin Bao tearfully ate half of it before the old master was finally satisfied. Before he left, the old master stuffed a large orange into his hands.

Qin Bao was helpless: “Grandpa, I can’t bring fruit into the examination room.”

The old master smiled and continued his puns: “This symbolizes all your wishes coming true and instant success! I didn’t tell you to bring it into the exam room, take it and eat it on the way.” After speaking, he lovingly pinched his face, “Do your best.”

Mr. Qin personally drove Qin Bao to the examination site. On the way, he repeatedly exhorted him not to be nervous and to read the questions clearly before answering, and so on. He had already said all this the day before, and then conventionally asked: “Is your gland patch properly applied?”

Qin Bao: “Applied.”

“Did you inhale the suppressants?”

“Inhaled.”

“We are almost there, how about you take a couple more puffs?”

This time, Qin Bao didn’t say anything more. Following Mr. Qin’s words, he obediently took out the suppressants and took a few puffs. The car stopped at the designated parking spot outside the examination site, and Mr. Qin told Qin Bao not to be in a rush to get out.

As much of a germaphobe as Mr. Qin was, he had never been able to tolerate anyone eating in his car. Yet this time, he surprisingly took out a disinfectant wet wipe, wiped his hands first, and then peeled the orange the old master had made Qin Bao bring, meticulously pulling away the white pith from the orange segments.

His movements were slow and methodical. If it weren’t still early, it would have driven anyone crazy with anxiety.

Mr. Qin peeled out a perfectly clean, flawless segment of orange and had Qin Bao eat it. Only then did he wipe his hands with another wet wipe and say, “Go on.”

Qin Bao wanted to say thank you, but felt it was a bit weird, so he just uttered an “En” and got out of the car. After walking a few steps, he turned around and waved at Mr. Qin before quickly striding into the examination site.

The exams lasted for two days.

For these two days, Qin Bao didn’t even know how he made it through. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, his entire high school life had ended within these two days.

Moving outward with the flow of the crowd, apart from a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, there was unexpectedly also a sense of loss and bewilderment.

It was a sea of people outside. The Qin family had also sent a driver to pick him up. Qin Bao was currently looking for his family’s car when suddenly, a motorcycle drove straight up and stopped beside him.

The rider was tall and sturdy. He took off his helmet, revealing a familiar face: “Brother Bao!”

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

Qin Bao was overjoyed: “Shan Yiming!”

There were a lot of people at the scene, so Shan Yiming didn’t say much and handed over a helmet: “Get on.”

Qin Bao didn’t bother looking for his family’s car anymore. Taking the helmet, he swung his leg over the back seat of the motorcycle without a second word. Shan Yiming started the engine, and amidst the roaring sound, the motorcycle parted the crowd and sped away handsomely.

They didn’t go straight home. Shan Yiming drove towards the outer ring road on his own accord. Once they got on the expressway, he rode faster and faster.

The air was hot and dry, and the wind noise rushed past his ears. Qin Bao’s adrenaline was also constantly surging.

Whatever loss, bewilderment, or reluctance to part—it all vanished into thin air amidst the speed and passion.

Shan Yiming stopped on a small hillside in the suburbs of the capital, parking the motorcycle under a thick and dense camphor tree. Standing on the high ground, they could perfectly overlook a lake overgrown with reeds below.

“Qin Bao—” he shouted towards the lake surface, “Happy Graduation—”

Qin Bao: “…”

What kind of idol drama behavior is this?

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

Qin Bao stepped forward: “Shan Yiming—you’re a fucking idiot—”

Shan Yiming was helpless: “When I graduated from high school back then, I came here to shout and relax. I figured I’d bring you to release some stress too. Don’t you know a good thing when you see it?”

Qin Bao shoved him: “Aren’t you a fucking idiot? Running away from home without taking your phone, playing the tough guy, huh? Two years with absolutely no news, not even giving us a single call. You still have the nerve to come back?”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shan Yiming touched his nose: “Wasn’t I thinking about working hard quietly, and then stunning everyone?”

Qin Bao: “More like scaring everyone.”

Shan Yiming had matured and gotten a tan. His young face had a touch of added weathering, as if he hadn’t been on a racing team these past two years, but had been doing hard labor outside instead.

Having not seen each other for a long time, the two hadn’t grown distant. Shan Yiming was still that same Shan Yiming. He had been keeping track of Qin Bao’s movements all along, watching Qin Bao’s commercials and movies, and also watching Qin Bao’s runway shows. He felt very gratified and proud of this.

However, when it came to himself, it was somewhat hard to speak of.

“Sigh. In the past, I thought the capital was big enough, and I was incredibly awesome, my ambitions higher than the sky. It was only when I truly got in touch with that circle that I learned what it meant for experts to be as common as clouds, and that there’s always someone better out there.” Shan Yiming recounted his own experience. “My development in the racing team hasn’t been ideal. I had a chance to get into road racing this year, but I couldn’t even qualify. And this is just a domestic competition. Those international ones… with my current self, I shouldn’t even think about it.”

Qin Bao was very concerned: “What’s going on? Did you run into some problem?”

Shan Yiming shook his head. The reasons were complex, and he couldn’t put them into words for a moment. He could only blame it on inferior skills. But he wasn’t one to give up so easily: “Don’t worry, I can still hold on. I’m still so young; I plan to stick with it for another two years and then see.”

Qin Bao nodded: “Yeah, if you’re not good enough, then practice. Find more of your own shortcomings. I believe you can catch up.”

“Copy that.” Shan Yiming laughed, “I’ll strive for it and see if I can give you a championship ticket on your eighteenth birthday.”

Qin Bao encouraged: “There are still several months left, do your best.”

Shan Yiming: “You on the other hand have really brought us honor. Several Alphas in our racing team are your fans. They talk about wanting to woo you in front of me every day. So, any interest in getting to know them?”

Qin Bao: “Forget it, I’m focusing on my career, no time.”

“Good job.” Shan Yiming rubbed the back of his head. “Focus on the career first. Later, when you want to date, just tell me what type you like and your brother here will vet them for you first.”

Qin Bao felt that Shan Yiming was even more immature than himself and snorted: “Before you left, it was ‘Brother Bao’ this and ‘Brother Bao’ that. Now that you’re back, you’ve become the older brother.”

In his heart, he thought: The one I want to date doesn’t need anyone to vet them.

Since Tu Yisen wasn’t there, the two of them still went to the barbecue restaurant they used to frequent, except neither of them drank alcohol. Shan Yiming still had to rush back. His racing team was in Tongzhou City, nearly three hundred kilometers away from the capital, and he had to participate in a training match the next day.

The two chatted late into the night. Shan Yiming only left after taking him home: “I’ll come back for your birthday.”

Qin Bao waved his hand: “Alright, get going.”

The roaring sound of the motorcycle fading into the distance startled some unknown neighbor’s dog, and the lights in the villa district turned on. Qin Bao tiptoed through the door. The house was very quiet; no one was waiting up to interrogate him about where he went after his exams finished.

He smoothly slipped back to his second-floor room, took a quick combat shower, and when he lay in bed, he found that Feng Chu had sent him a message.

Feng Chu: [Brother Bao, [Wronged] [Wronged], everyone online is saying you and Shan Yiming are dating, hurry up and explain.]

[Photo.jpg]

[Photo.jpg]

Qin Bao clicked on the photos and found that they were actually taken when he came out of the exam site.

One was of him taking the helmet and swinging his leg over Shan Yiming’s motorcycle.

The other was of him hugging Shan Yiming’s waist after getting on.

Both of their faces were captured very clearly. They looked both intimate and rebellious, appearing highly conspicuous among the crowd of students whose faces were filled with wistfulness after being ravaged by the college entrance exams.

These photos were spreading everywhere on the internet, claiming Qin Bao was dating, and a bunch of people were screaming about how ship-worthy they were.

Qin Bao replied: […Boring. If I go out with you and get photographed, does that mean I have to explain that too?]

Feng Chu: [That’s true too.]

Qin Bao typed quickly: [They’ll get used to it the more they photograph it.]

Feng Chu: [Whimper!]

No longer having to endlessly do practice problems and review, no longer having to worry about exams, and with no work scheduled for the next week, Qin Bao thought he could be carefree from now on and sleep until he naturally woke up every day. Who knew that the next day he would wake up even earlier than usual.

The old master was doing Tai Chi in the garden. Qin Bao followed along and learned for a bit, then went inside to watch Mama Tao make breakfast. He just kept feeling like something was empty inside.

At seven thirty, Mr. Qin came downstairs and told him: “Someone sent a bouquet of flowers yesterday, saying it was for you. I put it in the greenhouse for now.”

Only then did Qin Bao suddenly realize. No wonder he felt empty; it turned out he was waiting for that bouquet of flowers.

What kind of flowers would it be this time?

He went to the greenhouse and saw a bouquet of white freesias arranged in a ceramic vase on the marble countertop.

Sure enough, they were bulbous flowers again.

Without needing a signature, he knew exactly who the sender was.

The morning sunlight shone in through the lattice windows, landing on Qin Bao’s face and on the exquisite card next to the freesias. His heart felt very full, as if something was about to burst and spill out.

He hadn’t sent anything this time, so the other party didn’t need to give him a return gift at all, yet the flowers still came.

What would be written on the card?

Would it be “Happy Graduation”? Printed or handwritten?

He nervously opened the card, but there was absolutely nothing inside.

A blank piece of paper, not a single word or phrase. He was momentarily stunned—what did this mean?

It was a little bit perfunctory!

In September, Qin Bao appeared at Capital Arts University, causing a minor commotion at the registration desk. To everyone’s surprise, he hadn’t applied for acting or fashion-related majors as analyzed by the media and fans, but instead studied creative design.

[What’s going on? I thought Bao Bao intended to go into acting. Weren’t there rumors that he took the art exam?]

[Must be fake [eye roll]. He’s not an arts and sports student. Aside from his event times, he was taking classes properly in the classroom.]

[I can testify! His high school class monitor is my elementary school classmate! He said Qin Bao often borrowed his notes to do practice problems!]

[Wasn’t BB in contact with film and television resources? There was a leaked photo last time. Could it be that the investors are using him for clout again? [Cursing profusely]]

[As expected of my Bao [starry eyes], so full of ideas, I love him so much]

…

It wasn’t that Qin Bao had his own ideas, but that the old master fundamentally forbade him from developing in the direction of acting.

Originally, the old master hadn’t been that stubborn, but after stepping on the landmine of that last movie, he already had strong opinions. What was even more fatal was that one day, the old master went out with his comrades-in-arms to watch a very famous war movie in the cinema, and a short segment of a sexually explicit scene on the big screen rang alarm bells for him.

“It’s not that I look down on actors; I respect this profession very much,” the old master said to Qin Bao. “I know that in any line of work, one must love their job and be dedicated, but they can sacrifice themselves for art, and you cannot. Think carefully about your college applications again. You are not allowed to apply for acting.”

Brother Lu was right beside them and hurriedly explained: “He merely had the intention of applying for a related major, he doesn’t absolutely have to become an actor. And you’ve misunderstood. If there are scenes of that nature, they can actually use camera angles to fake it, delete or edit them, or he could simply refuse to take the role.”

The old master said, “Faking angles here and refusing roles there—is he an actor or a pampered young master? Having everything revolve around him is just using privileges and being opportunistic! If you don’t want face, I want face!”

Qin Bao and Brother Lu: “…”

Unable to reason with him either way, Qin Bao, under pressure, had to choose creative design, which he was comparatively more interested in.

Fortunately, the major courses were very interesting, and the sense of space after entering university made him feel a lot more relaxed. Everyone in the school was outstanding; there were quite a few singers, stars, actors, and internet celebrities. He was no longer the only famous person in school, and not everyone would stare exclusively at him anymore.

The people here were all confident, and each one was more uninhibited than the last.

Qin Bao quickly gained a new set of troubles.

Every time he returned to school and opened his locker, piles of love letters and gifts would surge out like a flood.