"Excuse me, may I get a library pass?"

Xie Lian looked up. A petite girl with loose dark hair was facing him on the other side of the front desk.

Xie Lian smiled warmly. "Of course. A pass for lunch period right? Do you have A lunch or B lunch?"

"B lunch."

Xie Lian pulled out the second drawer of the desk and took out a plastic slip. He handed it to the girl. "Here you go. Make sure to return it to the front desk after lunch."

"Okay! Thank you!"

Before walking out the door, the girl called out, "And also, you are very handsome, Gege!"

The girl left, giggling. The bells jingle as the door closes.

Xie Lian didn't think much about it. He was here today, as a library assistant, as a favor for Ling Wen. And to keep an eye on two little problems.

The library telephone rang.

"Hello, Qingfeng Library, how can I help you?" Xie Lian answered the call.

"XIE LIANNNN! It's me! Qingxuan! I have some great news!"

Xie Lian almost pulled the phone away from his ear, Shi Qingxuan was practically screaming at the other end.

"Ah, calm down, Qingxuan, I can hear you. Now that's great! What is it?"

"Okay, okay, I'm calming down. Phew! Sorry, I'm just so excited right now! Oh, wait! Let me put Shen-xiong on the phone too! Then I can tell you both at the same time!!"

There was a pause at the other end. Then-

Shen Qingqiu: "Hello?"

Shi Qingxuan: "Hii, bro!"

Shen Qingqiu: "Qingxuan? What is it?"

Xie Lian was about to pipe up to let Shen Qingqiu know he was there too when-

On Shen Qingqiu's line: "QI-RONG ATE MY CANDYYYYYY!!!"

This time Xie Lian really pulled the phone away from his ear. He cautiously brought the phone back.

"Are you okay over there, Shen-xiong?"

Shi Qingxuan: "Are you volunteering at that daycare center right now, bro?"

Shen Qingqiu: "Uh- yeah, I'm telling you, these kids- DON'T TOUCH THAT BAMBOO PLANT, MENG YAO! Zhuzhi, stop him!"

Shen Qingqiu: "Listen, guys, I'll call you right back, let me put these kids down for a nap first."

Then Shen Qingqiu hung up. Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan stayed on the line, awkwardly waiting for Shen Qingqiu to call back.

Shen Qingqiu called back.

Shen Qingqiu: "Hey, I'm back. Xie Lian, that little cuz of yours ate some candy from this other kid and he was bouncing off the walls. I swear I'm never coming back here after I finish all my required volunteering hours."

"..." Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't deny that his little cousin was probably Satan's baby son.

Shi Qingxuan: "And this is why you should have volunteered to help the elderly in retirement homes rather than the babies! Lol!"

Xie Lian can almost sense Shen Qingqiu rolling his eyes on the other end.

Shi Qingxuan: "But anyway! Here's the great news I wanted to tell you, guys: I got the lead part for our school play!!!!"

Xie Lian: "Wow, congrats, Qingxuan! I'm so proud of you."

Shen Qingqiu: "Umm, we have a school play?"

Shi Qingxuan: "How could you, Shen-xiong! I have been talking to you about it all week! You were listening, were you????"

Shen Qingqiu: "..."

Xie Lian: "I listen, Qingxuan!"

Shi Qingxuan: "You always listen, Xie Lian! And I appreciate it! Be more like Xie Lian, Qingqiu dage!"

Shen Qingqiu: "Okay, okay, whatever. What's the play name?"

Shi Qingxuan: "It's Romeo and Juliet this year."

Shen Qingqiu: "oh."

Xie Lian: "You will make a great Romeo, Qingxuan."

Shi Qingxuan: "Thanks, but I'm actually playing Juliet."

Shen Qingqiu: "Hey-

Shi Qingxuan: "Shen-xiong, if you are going to say that Juliet is a girl so I can't play her, then don't bother! I already had that argument with that idiot who's gonna play Romeo! Shakespeare had men dressing up as women all the time!"

Shen Qingqiu: "I was going to say, hey that's cool. Congrats."

Shi Qingxuan: "oh."

Shi Qingxuan: "Thanks!"

Shi Qingxuan: "Now wanna see me practicing dying after seeing Romeo dead when we are at the dorms?"

Xie Lian: "Sure!"

Shen Qingqiu also said sure, although it doesn't sound as enthusiastic.

Afterward, Shi Qingxuan hung up after saying he needed to go and practice with the cast and Shen Qingqiu also left to take care of the sleeping kids.

About ten minutes after Xie Lian and the two boys hung up, another two boys came trudging out from behind the bookcases.

It was Mu Qing and Feng Xin.

Both boys have a load full of books in their arms, which they dumped grudgingly on top of the front desk.

"We erased all the pencil marks from these books as you asked. Is there anything else??" Mu Qing said in displeasure.

Feng Xin glared at him. "Don't talk to Xie Lian like that. It isn't his fault we have to do this as a punishment."

Mu Qing was about to retort back when Xie Lian said, "Boys, boys, it's your own fault that you guys have to do this. Now if you guys start bickering, I think we still have a lot of dictionaries that need some erasing."

Both boys immediately shut up.

Xie Lian smiled. "I hope after this lesson, you guys won't be starting any food fights any time soon." Xie Lian heard it took the janitors all night to clean up the mess in the cafeteria.

Mu Qing rolled his eyes. "Feng Xin was the one who started it," he announced, crossing his arms.

Feng Xin looks outraged. "I wouldn't have if you didn't make fun of me because I used to date Jian Lan!"

"I only say that because you kept it a secret!"

"Oh, now I have to tell you everything I do???"

"..." Xie Lian could only sigh as the schoolboys started to quarrel.

If this was in the cafeteria, Xie Lian can imagine that it wouldn't be long before the meat buns and rice balls started flying through the air.

Then Lan Laoshi will walk in and scream at them all for being unruly and possibly get a stroke from yelling. Then they wind up here again. Or at some other worse punishment.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing have been Xie Lian's friends since childhood.

But sometimes Xie Lian felt more like their babysitter having to step in every time they got into a fight with each other.

It has always been that way. He couldn't see it changing anytime soon.

"I swear, Mu Qing, you are insufferable!" said Feng Xin angrily.

"Me? Insufferable? What about you?" Mu Qing sneered.

At least not at this rate.

Xie Lian's phone pinged.

The boy took out his phone. There was one notification from Wechat.

Xie Lian reads:

Hey, Gege. It's San Lang. Do you have time to spare?

('･ω･') lol

✨

Thank you for reading!

('▽')/✨

Comments and votes will be (highly) appreciated! As usual!

Word Count: 1244