Old Wounds, New Growth - Chapter 17. 1

Translator: Deyonna

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The school's swimming pool is very simple. It's a pool under the ceiling. After getting out of the pool, there is a short corridor, and then there are separate changing rooms for men and women, with a few simple shower stalls inside the changing room cubicles.

Jiang Chi invited me to swim for an hour. When I got out of the pool, Li Chishu was already sitting on the bench in the corridor.

He didn't notice me. He was absorbed in reading a chemistry book. The reflection of the shimmering light on the surface of the swimming pool shone on his chin. I suddenly had a vague feeling of déjà vu.

It seems that one evening, I also encountered such a scene by chance.

Li Chishu...when did you start liking me?

"Li Chishu." I sat down beside him and spoke.

He finally looked up from his textbook and handed me a towel from the side. "You're here."

"En." I took off my goggles without saying a word, wiped my arms with the towel, and casually asked, "Have we met here before?"

The quiet sound of Li Chishu reciting his book came to a sudden stop.

I continued to watch him, patiently waiting for him to close the book. The light and shadow of the water ripples danced on his lips. Li Chishu pursed his lips, then licked his upper lip, and finally said, "Actually—"

Jiang Chi suddenly rushed out from the water and shouted at me, "Shen Baoshan!"

"......"

I closed my eyes, and tried hard to calm down, before looking at Jiang Chi and asking, "What?"

This guy stood in the pool, wiped his face, and took off his goggles. "The swimming pool staff told us to lock the door when we leave. The key is in my locker."

I said, "Is there anything else?"

"Anything else?" Jiang Chi pondered. "There's nothing else."

"Do we really have to discuss this matter in the pool?"

"Oh." Jiang Chi suddenly realized, and walked out of the water. "I'll go change my clothes then."

I nodded towards the changing room. After Jiang Chi went in, I turned back to Li Chishu, who was flipping through the chemistry book, and asked, "What were you about to say just now?"

"Just now?" Li Chishu's expression returned to normal. "What?"

"Li Chishu." I pinched his ear and shook it. "Do you know that you look really silly when you pretend to be dumb?"

Li Chishu was silent for a while as if preparing to confess: "Actually, I…"

"Shen Baoshan!" Jiang Chi poked his head in, grinning, showing a row of white teeth. "I'll give you the key."

"......"

I caught the key he threw at me. My voice was already stagnant, like still water. "You. Is there anything else?"

Jiang Chi: "No."

"Then you should scram."

Jiang Chi asked, "Aren't we going to the junior high school department together?"

"Who said I wanted to go with you?" I was anxious, my fingers squeezing Li Chishu's earlobe unconsciously exerted some force. "Did Li Chishu say he's going with you?"

Jiang Chi walked away, grumbling and swearing.

Li Chishu's earlobe turned red from my pinching. I grabbed the towel from my shoulder and walked into the shower room with a look of displeasure on my face.

There are moments when I really want to pack up that long-tailed, four-legged monster at home and send it to an alien planet along with Jiang Chi.

Li Chishu waited in the dressing room. I came out of the shower and stood in front of the cabinet to get my clothes. He followed closely behind me, and as I rummaged through the cabinet, he couldn't resist saying, "Actually…"

I thought he was going to confess to me on his own.

But as a result, Li Chishu said, "It's not like I can't go with Jiang Chi."

"......"

My back was facing him, so I did not talk immediately. But what I was thinking about was that for the first time, Li Chishu surprisingly showed no resistance to my social circle.

But how can we have a proper conversation at a time like this?

He can always be exposed to my social circle, but taking advantage of my wife's kindness once means one less opportunity.

I asked sternly, "What's your relationship with him?"

Li Chishu hesitated. "He... he is your friend…"

"He is my friend, and you're willing to go together?" I put on my T-shirt and turned to stare at him. "Li Chishu, what kind of relationship do you have with me?"

Li Chishu probably didn't expect me to ask this question. His whole expression was blank and tense, and his eyes kept moving back and forth between my eyes as if he was urgently probing my current emotions.

I scooted closer and asked again: "Li Chishu, you and I, what's our relationship?"

Li Chishu's lips moved. "I, I, and you…"

Before he could finish speaking, I kissed him.

Before Li Chishu could react, I quickly pushed him into a corner of the cabinet. On one hand, he accepted my unrestrained advances while on the other hand, he was anxiously scanning the entrance of the changing room, afraid that someone might walk in.

By this time, it had been nearly two hours since school ended. Most of the students in the senior high school either went to the junior high school department or stayed in their classrooms. The next two levels had already started their evening self-study. No one would casually come to the swimming pool without any reason.

Li Chishu was breathless from the kiss, and I paused for a moment before asking again, "Tell me, what kind of relationship do we have?"

He hesitated for a second, but before he could take a breath, I blocked it again with my lips and tongue.

Until he let out a struggling moan between his breaths, did I let go and asked again, "What kind of relationship do we have?"

He took a few quick breaths, his mouth slightly agape, and his Adam's apple bobbed before he lowered his gaze. In a soft, deliberate voice, he said, "The kind of relationship we have... is very good."

I was barely satisfied with this answer. Just as I lowered my head and pressed him to kiss me twice more, Li Chishu's body froze.

Of course, I felt it too.

 —I was pressing against Li Chishu.

The two of us were deadlocked in unspeakable silence for a while. I left first. "I'll take a shower."

I took two steps toward the cubicle, but I felt uneasy and stepped back. At this moment, Li Chishu was still standing there, motionless, like a leaden statue, with his crimson ears and neck.

I quickly took off my T-shirt and put it into his arms. "Don't run away. Bring the clothes in for me in a moment. If you run away, I'll have no choice but to streak."

I don’t know how long it took Li Chishu to come to his senses. Anyway, when I called him into the shower room after taking a shower, I almost suspected that he had really run away.

I called out several times before he sluggishly responded. He quickly ran over and handed me the clothes through the gap in the cubicle door.

After tidying up and leaving the swimming pool, it was already close to 7 o'clock. The setting sun cast a warm glow on the tree-lined path we walked on. Li Chishu always walked half a step behind me, as if deliberately stepping on my shadow for cover.

Feeling bored, I slowed down my pace to match his. I looked up, trying to locate the source of the bird's chirping among the intertwining branches. Suddenly, Li Chishu tugged at the hem of my clothes from behind.

"Shen Baoshan."

"Hmm?" I turned my head to look at him.

Li Chishu held onto the strap of his backpack with one hand, while the other hand still grasped the hem of my clothes. As he looked up at me, the blush on his cheeks remained, whether it was from the lingering excitement or as a silent prelude to what he was about to say.

"Next time, when you want to kiss me, can you tell me in advance?"

I stopped in my tracks, smiled meaningfully, then asked, "Why?"

Li Chishu always approached every aspect of life, whether big or small, with a serious demeanor, even when it came to talking about kissing. It seemed that even the mention of it from his lips carried a sense of formality.

"If you tell me in advance..." Li Chishu seemed to be trying to remain calm, trying so hard to make his tone nonchalant. But his grip on the strap of his backpack tightened, causing his fingertips to turn white. "That way, I can… be more serious."

I stared at him for a few seconds, and finally couldn't help but lower my head and smile.

"Then what should I do?" I faced him, also trying to imitate his serious expression, but the corner of my mouth couldn't flatten. "I want to kiss you right now."

"Not now." He quickly glanced behind me. "There are many people."

"Hmm... Okay—" I said with a hint of regret, pulling him along as we continued walking briskly. "We'll have to find another opportunity in the future, then."

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