Deskmates

Upon arriving back home, their older sister, Xu Ruoxuan was already home.

"Where did you girls go?" she asks while stroking the back of their cat, Snowball.

Qianyu tiredly walks over to the couch and lays down on her older sister with her bag on the floor. "Can I just bike home by myself next time? I've never been this tired in my life," Qianyu said with a grumble.

"What happened?" Ruoxuan reaches over for the tissue box on her left and wipes off Qianyu's sweaty forehead.

At that moment Jinyi walks in after locking the bike outside, acting oddly unusual. "I forgot about the ice-cream and they're all melted," she sighs dramatically and then walks to the kitchen to freeze it up.

Ruoxuan looks at her and then back at Qianyu. "What's up with her?"

"What?!? Gu Yanqing? The new rising swimmer?" Ruoxuan is now all hyped up and grabs Jinyi from the kitchen.

"Tell us right now! What's your connection with Gu Yanqing? A handsome and smart man, how does he know you?"

"I-I don't know." Jinyi said, rushing upstairs.

But both Ruoxuan and Qianyu knew something must be up.

Jinyi closed her room door and went to her table drawer. After numerous digging and flipping through her stuff, she finally found the elementary yearbook.

In the second page, third row, there he is. Gu Yanqing.

Jinyi starts to think back to the time when she and Gu Yanqing were deskmates. That time Gu Yanqing still had his baby fat and somewhat silly look. "I guess this is what is called puberty."

Back in elementary school, Jinyi remembers that she would always like to touch his cheek even though Gu Yanqing would get annoyed. Jinyi doesn't remember exactly how she started to have a crush on him, she guessed it was because he was the first boy she took interest in? But anyway, Jinyi would do a lot of things to get his attention.

Even back then, Gu Yanqing was a very appealing boy. Though he has his adorable baby fat and was just a 6 years old kid, the vibes he gave to other people is more like an adult. Cold and cool.

A mix of flashback scenes occurs in her head.

'Jinyi, long time no see' a tall handsome face with a blooming flower filter appears right in front of her. Jinyi briskly shakes her head. They have only been deskmates for three years. Even her appearance has changed since then. How did he remember her, she wonders. Plus, the amount of time she pinches his face and teases him, he won't bear a grudge against her will he?

Just thinking of this, Jinyi shivers. Seeing Gu Yanqing today and the atmosphere he gives, it's someone who she can't even win over anymore. Too tall to even pinch or even tease.

"Jinyi, we're going out to eat dinner today," Ruoxuan came up to inform her.

Walking in, Ruoxuan peeps over her shoulder and sees the photobook that Jinyi is staring at affectingly. Her eyes slowly wander down passing the photo Jinyi's finger was covering onto the serif font printed on the page and mouthed Gu Yanqing name,"Omg, isn't that Gu Yanqing? I knew that there must be something going on with you both!"

"He was just an old classmate of mine. Nothing more."

"Yeah yeah. A guy like him, you won't have any interest?" Ruoxuan didn't trust her, but didn't say much.

Later, all three went to the restaurant where their parents were waiting for them already.

"What took you girls so long?" their mom questions while pouring them each a cup of water. Seeing that their daughters had arrived, Father Xu told the waiter that they could serve the food.

"It's Jinyi. She took too long to get ready," Qianyu said and gulped down the water.

"I did not. Who was the one that said they needed to use the bathroom when we were about to leave?"

"Ok, stop the arguing," their older sister said and sat between them.

Their parents just smiled like this wasn't something new.

"So, how has the job search been going?" their father asks.

Jinyi paused but then continued eating. "Still searching," she said slightly.

Both mom and dad looked at each other, "we're not trying to rush you, but since you're still looking, do you want to come to my company? As a part time?" her father asks.

"My major is veterinary, how does that connect to business?" Jinyi asks with dissatisfaction. "Mom, don't even think about it," she added before her mom could say anything.

Their father owns a company that was passed down by his dad and grandparents. Their mother is a surgeon. And her older sister, Ruoxuan took their father's path and now works under him at the family's company.

They shook their heads and said, "then find something to do in the meantime. I don't want you to stay home all day. Understand?" their father said.

"I will. I will," Jinyi quickly said and put a chicken piece in both of their bowls.

"Haoran?" a man's voice said.

Their father turned around and saw it was his business partner, Gu Muyang.

"Muyang, long time no see! You came here to have dinner with your family?" Xu Haoran asks after noticing a woman and a young man standing next to Gu Muyang.

"Yes, this is my wife, Gao Yuming and my son, Gu Yanqing." As soon as he introduces his son, Jinyi almost spit out the soup in her mouth.

"Gu Yanqing?!" She exclaims inside her head. Please don't tell her it's the Gu Yanqing that she knows!

Jinyi peaks her head a little higher to see if it's him, but of course this wasn't allowed. Her father suddenly steps to the side exposing what she was trying to do.

"This is my wife, Li Xiuying. And, these are my daughters, Xu Ruoxuan, Xu Jinyi, and Xu Qianyu."

All of them politely greet each other. This family dinner suddenly becomes a two family meet and greet dinner.

Jinyi doesn't understand why she would feel scared around Gu Yanqing, but right now she doesn't want to look up. She takes out her phone and starts scrolling at her feeds. Lately, she's been into chasing stars or more precisely, she has always been. But after graduating, she has more time. Jinyi starts liking Jackson Yee's photos and admiring the photos that she forgot the setting she is in.

"I didn't know that you like these types?" a voice said next to her.

Jinyi almost dropped her phone when she realized it was Gu Yanqing. She quickly closed her phone, "why do you care?" she remarks.

She has totally forgotten that Gu Yanqing was sitting next to her since the parents want the kids to talk.

Gao Yuming smiles as she sees their interaction. She has never seen her son initiating a talk to a girl or anyone.

"Jinyi right?" Gao Yuming asks with a smile.

Jinyi nods, and starts to feel tense.

"Have we seen each other before? I don't know why, but I felt like we met somewhere before?" Gao Yuming leans forward for a better look at Jinyi.

Li Xiuying and Xu Haoran both confusingly look at Jinyi and Gao Yuming. 'When did their daughter know and meet her?' they wondered.

"Oh wait, I remembered now. You were Yanqing's elementary school deskmates right? The little girl with two braids?" she excitedly says.

Jinyi fidgety looks at Gu Yanqing then back at her. Jinyi nods.

It's like the first time that Jinyi's parents heard about this. That time both of them barely have the time to pick her up from school because of their busy schedule. So, they didn't know that there's this story between Jinyi and Yanqing.

"I knew it! Can't believe you've grown so much. I still remember that time you would always chase behind Yanqing. One time you even kissed him on his cheek."

Jinyi was already feeling sorta jittery for no reason already, and now her face is burning red. She totally forgot the fact that she ever kissed Yanqing before. 'What have she done,' as she thought to herself and wanted to find a hole to hide herself.

At first Yanqing didn't mind because this is all evidence that proves Jinyi onced bullied him. But now he wants to stop his mom from talking further because after that day…

"And guess what. After that day, Yanqing would always blushed up everytime he saw Jinyi," Gao Yuming says and continues telling more to Li Xiuying.

Both fathers who were talking about business at first unknowingly started to listen in on Gao Yuming's story too.

Ruoxuan and Qianyu try their hardest to hide their laughter while also listening to the story.

Yanqing gives Jinyi a side glare like it was all her fault. Jinyi wants to say it wasn't her fault, but all the things that coming out of Gao Yuming's mouth were all true. She gives him an apologetic look and then concentrates on eating instead of looking at him.