On the seventh day after getting his ear pierced, Chi Xu planned to take out the original stud and replace it with the space - gray hoop earring he had bought.
He propped up his phone by himself and tried to remove it while facing the camera. Beside him, Jia Fang was playing with his phone boredly. He looked up at Chi Xu and made a snarky comment.
"Brother Chi, why on earth did you get your ear pierced? You've charmed so many schoolgirls."
"Tsk, with this new earring you've just bought, even a man like me is smitten by you."
It was during the break. Chi Xu intended to change his earring in the classroom. He did this in case he couldn't take it out himself and Jia Fang could help.
The pierced area looked bright red on the phone camera, as if it was inflamed. It hurt even when he touched it slightly.
Chi Xu tried for a while but couldn't find the right position to remove it. So he simply asked Jia Fang for help.
Jia Fang put down his phone curiously and leaned in carefully. "Tell me if it hurts. If it really hurts, stop me right away."
"I've never had my ears pierced, so I'm not very confident in doing this. Brother Chi, bear with me."
"Cut the crap and just take it out."
Chi Xu was looking forward to Jiang Yuan seeing his new earring when she got home that evening.
Jia Fang stared at it for a while, then pinched one end and gently pulled it out. But it didn't budge.
Jia Fang: "..."
He checked Chi Xu's reaction and found that the pain was still bearable. So he gritted his teeth and pulled a bit harder. Still, it didn't move.
Actually, the strength he used was less than what Chi Xu had used on his own. Jia Fang had never had his ears pierced, and just looking at the small hole in the delicate earlobe gave him goosebumps.
"Use more force," Chi Xu said.
Jia Fang didn't dare to try anymore and simply gave up. "No way. I'm too scared to take it out. Just looking at it makes me feel pain."
"Or you can go to Jiang Yuan and ask her to change it for you. She just got her ears pierced recently, so she has experience. I'm creating an opportunity for you two to get along."
Jia Fang sounded so high - minded. No matter how much Chi Xu threatened or coaxed him, Jia Fang just said two words: "No way."
So Chi Xu had no choice but to take some erythromycin ointment and other things and go to find Jiang Yuan in the classroom downstairs.
It was the long break between classes, and there were still about ten minutes before the next class.
Jiang Yuan's class had just ended. The teacher was still packing up things beside the podium. Most of the students were lying lazily on their desks, playing with their phones.
Chi Xu entered through the front door. He was tall and thin, and wherever he went, he was a real eye - catcher.
"Excuse me, classmate. Where does Jiang Yuan sit?" Chi Xu asked in a low voice the male student near the door.
The male student was slightly stunned. He looked back but didn't see Jiang Yuan. Then he shouted at the top of his voice in the classroom, "Jiang Yuan, someone's looking for you!"
This made everyone in the classroom look up and stare at Chi Xu. The teacher also slowed down the packing and glanced at Chi Xu.
From the middle of the last two rows, a girl stood up. It was Jiang Yuan.
Chi Xu thanked the male student and strode over to stop beside Jiang Yuan.
"That's Chi Xu. He's the one who came to our class for the student union publicity after the military training. But what does he want with Jiang Yuan?"
"What else could a boy and a girl want from each other? I've heard that Jiang Yuan is chasing Chi Xu, and Chi Xu seems to have a bit of a crush on her too. They're just playing hard - to - get with each other."
"Zhou Xiangmeng in our class likes him too, right? I've seen her go up to him on her own initiative several times. It's a pity he doesn't even give her the time of day."
"Jiang Yuan and Chi Xu have known each other since they were kids. Jiang Yuan looks like a pure college girl, and Chi Xu is tall and handsome. They're childhood sweethearts. I'm shipping them already."
"..."
Hearing the whispers of the classmates in the class, Jiang Yuan blushed. She looked up curiously and asked, "Why are you here? What's up?"
Chi Xu felt unusually embarrassed. He touched his nose and handed over the earring, saying in a low voice, "Well... I can't take out my earring, and Jia Fang is too scared to do it."
"I thought about it. You just got your ears pierced recently, so you're more experienced."
Jiang Yuan stared at his ear.
Chi Xu squatted down so that the pierced ear was right in front of her, making it easier for Jiang Yuan to see.
"Can't we do this later when we get home? It's so embarrassing to do it in front of everyone," Jiang Yuan quickly glanced around.
Most of the classmates were looking at them curiously. Even the teacher was still packing up slowly and stealing glances at them from time to time.
Chi Xu drooped his eyelids and hung his head. He looked both aggrieved and accusing Jiang Yuan of being irresponsible.
"You wanted to see me with a pierced ear. Now that I've got it and can't take out the earring, won't you even spare a little time for me?"
As he spoke, his shoulders trembled.
Jiang Yuan took a deep breath and said in an extremely low voice, "I'll take responsibility, but it's not convenient now."
"But my ear seems to be inflamed. It needs to be treated as soon as possible. Yuanyuan, you can't bear to see my ear getting redder and redder, can you?"
The boy's tone was soft and gentle. His eyelashes drooped smoothly as he squatted there, looking dejected.
In the end, Jiang Yuan gave in. She fell into Chi Xu's fragile charm.
She knew he was pretending, but she was just too soft - hearted and kind.
Oh well. Since it was Chi Xu's request, it would be his face that would be lost, not hers.
"Okay, I'll do it now. Remember to tell me to stop if it hurts."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Xu hooked his lips imperceptibly.
The girl leaned forward, getting closer to Chi Xu. The warm breath hit his face, carrying the nice smell of body wash. It was the same fragrance he smelled in the living room every night.
A cold touch landed on his earlobe. He could feel that Jiang Yuan was now pinching one side of the earring, and her other hand was on his shoulder for support.
Chi Xu tried his best to keep his breathing steady, but Jiang Yuan's movements were so gentle that his heart couldn't help but beat faster.
He squinted slightly and stole glances at Jiang Yuan. Now the distance between them was only about the size of a fist.
Chi Xu noticed that Jiang Yuan's eyelashes were fluttering like a butterfly's wings. He also noticed the tiny fluff on her face. She looked so cute.
"It'll be done soon. I'm going to pull it out. Hold on," Jiang Yuan said. Actually, she was also feeling a bit flustered. She rarely had such close contact with Chi Xu.
Their breaths mingled, and the ambiguity spread in the air. There were still so many classmates in the class watching.
His earlobe was already red as if it was about to bleed.
Hearing Chi Xu's soft response, Jiang Yuan steadied her trembling hand, gritted her teeth, and pulled hard.
The original earring came out smoothly. Chi Xu didn't even have time to react.
It was just pulled out like that. He blinked at Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan ignored him. She quickly picked up the erythromycin ointment, dipped a cotton swab in it, and carefully applied it on the ear.
After that, she took the dark - gray hoop earring he had bought. She put it on for him quickly and accurately in one smooth motion.