Chapter Text
The cold humid air of the university park for some people can be a soothing aura one needs to study, but not for Xingqiu.
Xingqiu looks defeated, resting his chin on his hand while listening to a song with his headset, as the sketch and prototypes on the stone table scattered. Most of it is not finished, or even close to it, and Xingqiu knows this.
Scrubbing through his phone to look for another playlist to play, he doesn’t realize the wind picked up and leaves coming through to his ears, creating a whistle-like sound. Before then he saw a butterfly pass through him, and then he spotted… a woman, in dark brown hair and bright scarlet eye, with unique blossom-shaped pupils, sitting in front of him. She mimics Xingqiu’s boring looks albeit with a warm smile that differentiates them.
“Whatcha doin?”, she said with a honeyed voice. “Did you draw stuff or something? Can you draw me?”
To which Xingqiu smiled, and chimed, “You know… if that’s how you usually approach someone, it’s no wonder you got no boyfriend until now”.
Then both of them were staring at each other silently. And then… the two of them burst into laughter.
“It’s nice to see you, Hu Tao”, said Xingqiu as he slumped back and relaxed a bit.
“You really are something else, huh?”, said Hu Tao, as she took a peek and held one of Xingqiu’s design prototypes.
“Hey don’t touch-”, said Xingqiu as he reached out to his sketch that was being held by Hu Tao;
Before he was being interrupted by Hu Tao, “How long until the deadline?”
Xingqiu then retracted his hands, putting them on the table as he slumped.
She then repeated, “How long until the deadline, Xingqiu?”
“Safe and sound, long and quiet”, said Xingqiu.
Hu Tao then frowned as she said, “Tell me how long you have until the deadline”.
“Can’t remember…”
“Tell me”
Xingqiu swallowed his own tongue, and then he mumbled “sixdeyslef…”, he said.
“6 days left okay”, Hu Tao then clapped her hands and said, “How many prints have you done this time?”
Xingqiu tapped his fingers on the table, with Hu Tao waiting for his answers. Then, he answered, “nen…”
“Xingqiu, I can’t hear you…”
“None”
“None! Ladies and gentlemen!” Hu Tao jumped a bit before coming back to sit again while smirking.
“But, I’ve got some sketches with the prototypes, it should be enough”, defended Xingqiu.
Hu Tao then gave out a pinched expression, “By this time, you should’ve been printing out stuff and testing if your whole design works. You’ve been chastised by Zhongli yesterday, haven’t you realized your laziness?! ”.
Xingqiu nodded, “Yeah, I know”.
“6 days left, Xingqiu. It’s next week, and you still messed around with your sketches?!”, said Hu Tao as she grimaced and crossed her hands.
Xingqiu then held his breath and then gave it out as he glanced at Hu Tao who was just staring at him with vicious looks.
“Do you know what makes me take it slowly?”, argued Xingqiu as Hu Tao shook his head, wanting to know his answer.
Xingqiu then held one of his prototypes, he then folded it to create a box that was hollow on the inside. Xingqiu then handed it over to Hu Tao and said, “What do you see here?”
Hu Tao examined the box, despite the unique shape with a hollow space right in the middle of it, she looked quite confused. “A box… With an empty space inside it…”
“What do you think this means? All of this?”
Hu Tao shrugged, “I don’t know, professor… You tell me, you’re the expert one”.
Xingqiu then gave out a jutting chin, as he felt warmth radiating through his body. He held the box with a smirk, as he fixed his posture and said, “See? You don’t know what it means. All you just know is that this is a box”.
Hu Tao then furrowed her eyebrow as she pondered on what Xingqiu meant.
He then continued, “How do you know if a food tastes good… or a watch that looks beautiful, hmm? You know, people say a lot about: ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’; but with a packaging, people will”.
Hu Tao kept listening to Xingqiu as she rested her head on her palm.
“It’s with this box people actually do the judging. By its cover, its design… The more good-looking the design is, the more people think that the content is delicious, or expensive, or more appealing. It’s crazy how people can change their decision by just the design like that”.
Hu Tao shook her head, “Well… It’s not always-”
“And what do other people think? A simple design… that’s it. People can open everything, we’re smart; give us some time. But if they saw a wonderful design, they would snap their eyes onto that product like magic”, Xingqiu put down his prototype and put his hand up in the air, “That’s how you know a design is great”.
Hu Tao sighed, as she rolled her eyes and said, “Well, what if I want to buy something just because it’s delicious? Not for its packaging? What if I don’t care whether the packaging is good or not?” Hu Tao then grabbed the prototype that Xingqiu held, “And even if I do, what if it’s because I can’t open the damn packaging?”
Xingqiu then slackened his mouth, and then said, “Then you are not smart enough to open the box”.
Hu Tao laughed, “You think I’m dumb because you came up with all that excuse about sketching your design? You think your reasoning is good enough for the assignment that is already 3 weeks in and you are still at the sketching part?”
Xingqiu kept his composure as he crossed his hands.
“And with all… your so-called reason. Why can’t I just buy a more easily opened packaging, rather than trying to pry my hands open with yours?”, pointed Hu Tao.
Xingqiu still kept his silence, as he blinked his eyes multiple times.
“Xingqiu, have you not heard any single thing from Mr. Zhongli yesterday?”
Xingqiu looked down. Silent for a while, until he scratched his neck and then said, “That’s why I chose drawing instead of-”
Then suddenly, Hu Tao slammed her hands on the table, “Now you choose another thing?!”
Xingqiu gave out a pinched expression and then said, “What’s with you that gets all upset about?”
“Xingqiu, didn't you realize that this is not the time to make excuses? It’s too late for that!”
“Hu Tao I only-”
“You should come up with a plan, not an excuse. Accept your concept as it is and move on, you don’t want to fail another class!”
“I don’t fail-”
“You said you want to make a lecturer proud. If you just listen to me for a while, you will-”
“Hu Tao!!”
Xingqiu screamed and made the whole park go silent for a while. As leaves stopped falling, the air got colder, and people from all around the park, as far as the eye can see, were looking at Xingqiu and Hu Tao.
Both of them then took their breath as Xingqiu sat with hands on her hips and Hu Tao scratched her head while wiping her face at the same time.
“That’s not my reason, by the way…”, expressed Xingqiu, as he opened up the conversation.
Hu Tao sneered, sighing heavily, “Then what is it?”
Xingqiu, however, felt empty inside of him. As he stared down and fidgeted his hands were on the prototype. As leaves started to fall again from the tree above them, Xingqiu felt the realization kick in, with the deadline that looms in each and every second. And yet, he has the idea that he wants to pour into the design. Trouble is, he doesn’t even know how to execute it.
With Hu Tao waiting for his answer right in front of him, Xingqiu examined her flowery pupil that always caught his attention since day one meeting her.
Then, Xingqiu smiled at her and said, “Hu Tao there’s a lot of things that made me do what I do. But just know that I have my reasons, and you have to trust me”.
“Xingqiu, I can’t always be by your side and remind you”.
Xingqiu then closed off his eyes as he exhaled, “I know… But as long as you’re here, please do me a favor… and help me”.
Hu Tao sighed dejectedly. As she felt the inability to comprehend what was in Xingqiu’s mind. Even though she has known him for as long as the universe allowed them.
It’s one past fifteen in the afternoon as class is filled with students, tinkering with their designs and prototypes. Waiting for their turn to have an inspection from the lecturer. At least, that’s what they were thinking if not for the lecturer coming unusually late for today’s appointment.
Xingqiu was sitting beside Hu Tao in the middle of the room as suddenly, they heard a thumping noise of oxford shoes, the signature of Zhongli, as he came into the class, along with a young girl in lilac hair.
As the class went silent after Zhongli came in, Zhongli then put down his laptop on his table and then said, “Well class. There’s something I should say before we continue. Because I have an appointment next week, the deadline for the packaging assignment will fall this Friday”.
And then the class went bizarre.
“What? Why so sudden?”
“So when should we submit the prototype?!”
“I can’t stand waking up late this week!”
Zhongli then smiled as he admitted, “I realize it will be harsh to you all because of this. For that, I will make sure the next assignment will start much later as the bonus”.
Chongyun, the person sitting in front of Xingqiu and Hu Tao, mumbling to himself, “Urrghh, that is not the right answer, Mr. Zhongli”.
Zhongli then continued, “For today, we will be checking the prototype as scheduled. But tomorrow, I need you all to print all the little details, and we will be conducting the initial score the day after”.
Albedo, who is sitting in front of the class, then said, “Sir. Would it be wise if the scoring would be conducted next week. I don’t think we can maintain our quality well enough if we have to submit it by Friday”.
“Unfortunately due to some circumstances, I already bought you guys some time just for this assignment. It’s sufficient for me to say that I have no choice but to move the submission to this Friday”.
The chatter in the class went a bit loud, as Xingqiu and Hu Tao looked at each other worryingly. Knowing that Xingqiu had to climb a mountain to finish this task.
“For this time, due to the urgency of time, I will be helped by Keqing, here…” Zhongli pointed to the lilac-haired girl who was standing right next to him, “...as my assistant to help give you assistance with your assignment. So if you’re ready, please submit your progress and let us see what we can help”.
This feels like time was moving forward by force. And there’s nothing that Hu Tao and Xingqiu can do. Time was cruel to everyone, but for some that wasn't ready, it can be deadly.
Xingqiu kept looking at the prototype, or sketches to be exact. He was speechless… he can’t say anything…
The pressure is on.