To be fair, Xu Xing felt that Lu Che labeling him as “having a sharp tongue but an honest heart” was not without reason. After all, this situation was his fault. No matter how loudly he protested or swore to the heavens, even if he plastered his face with “straight guy” labels, if he got pushed into Lu Che’s arms in the next second due to some unforeseen force, who could he possibly complain to?

Xu Xing let out a soft sigh, too tired to waste more energy on arguing to maintain his “straight guy” image. The bell signaling the start of class had already rung, so he grabbed his books and walked into the classroom. As he passed by Xiao Shun’s seat, he couldn’t help but glance at him.

Xiao Shun’s seat was near the aisle, and he was engrossed in organizing his notes. Suddenly, someone beside him said, “Wow, Xiao Shun, your handwriting is really nice.”

Xiao Shun looked up and saw Xu Xing smiling at him as he glanced back.

“…”

Xu Xing quickly turned his head, pressed his knuckles to his nose, and coughed awkwardly, enduring the cringey feeling of forced small talk. He acted calm and returned to his seat.

·

The next morning.

Right after the second class, the classroom speaker system played the Athlete’s March with a lively rhythm. The biology teacher had to raise his voice to finish explaining the practice problem they were halfway through.

As soon as the biology teacher announced the end of class, the homeroom teacher appeared at the back door and called out, “It’s the third-years’ turn to do morning exercises today. Hurry up, get down to the field quickly.”

Since the school was building a new gym over the summer and space was limited, the morning exercises this year weren’t school-wide. Instead, each grade took turns. First years went on Mondays and Thursdays, second years on Tuesdays and Fridays, and third years were assigned to Wednesdays.

Xu Xing hurriedly closed his notebook and squeezed his way out of the aisle, pushing Wang Zicong along past Tang Mian.

The rhythm of the Athlete’s March was clear and forceful, blending with the noisy, bustling crowd. Xu Xing and his group moved slowly through the crowded corridor. It was narrow at first, barely wide enough for people to pass, but fortunately, their classroom was on the third floor, and soon enough, they made it to a more open space.

Tang Mian, holding Xiong Huan’s hand, looked back and asked Xu Xing, “Where did little prince get squished to?”

Xu Xing turned his head to look, and amid the throng of students, Wang Zicong—though larger than most—was still no match for the crowd. He was soft like a sponge, easily squished and pressed by others, his chubby white face scrunched up in a frown, falling further behind them.

The gathering spot for morning exercises was just behind the teaching building on the big sports field. Everyone knew the way, so Xu Xing and his group didn’t wait for Wang Zicong and continued following the crowd.

In the midst of the crowd, a streak of bright red caught Xu Xing’s eye. His gaze followed the red thread trailing on the ground and effortlessly recognized the boy connected to Xiao Shun by that thread.

The boy had a handsome face and a tall, strong build. His short-sleeved school uniform couldn’t hide his muscular arms, making the two girls beside him look especially petite and cute.

The two girls, arms linked, were chatting about something, occasionally turning their bright, smiling faces up to ask the boy a question. He responded with a casual smile, the kind that might not satisfy the girls, but his roguish charm was enough to captivate their hearts.

The scene was rather picturesque—if not for the red thread awkwardly tied around the boy’s crotch.

Xu Xing couldn’t help but ask Tang Mian, “Hey, do you know the name of that guy over there?”

Tang Mian, while helping Xiong Huan adjust her bangs, turned to look in the direction Xu Xing indicated and asked, “Where?”

Xu Xing didn’t want to be too obvious, so he tried to describe him instead, “You mentioned him to me before. The one who transferred here and immediately started dating the school beauty.”

Tang Mian tilted her head, trying to remember. “His surname is Jiang… Jiang something… His name has three characters…”

Xu Xing eagerly waited for Tang Mian to dig up the name from her memory, when suddenly a deep voice came from behind, “Jiang Jize.”

Instinctively, Xu Xing turned his head and saw Lu Che walking leisurely behind him, smiling, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Next to him, Fu Dai also glanced over, his indifferent expression instantly softening into a bright smile as soon as he spotted Xiong Huan standing next to Tang Mian. “Morning, Xiong Huan.”

The boy’s smile was radiant, like the morning sun piercing through the clouds, openly expressing his fondness for the girl.

Xiong Huan avoided his gaze and replied calmly, “Mm.”

Lu Che approached Xu Xing, pointing at the tall boy in the distance and asked, “My friend? The one from yesterday.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Caught in the awkwardness of being called out, Xu Xing could only feign ignorance in the face of Lu Che’s knowing smirk.

Lu Che, unfazed by being ignored, simply shouted ahead, “Jiang Jize!”

Lu Che’s deep voice was attention-grabbing on its own, but his striking looks made passersby take a second glance. Standing in the morning sunlight, his handsome face bathed in golden light, even the girls walking by couldn’t help but sneak shy peeks at him, their gazes filled with girlish admiration.

Jiang Jize, who had been chatting with the two girls, hadn’t noticed Lu Che’s call until one of the girls beside him pointed it out. Only then did he turn around. Seeing that it was Lu Che calling him, Jiang Jize stopped and waited for him to approach. When Lu Che finally got closer, Jiang Jize, hands in his pockets, asked, “What’s up?”

Lu Che simply walked past him and threw a casual, “Just messing with you.”

Jiang Jize: “…”

Xu Xing silently memorized the name “Jiang Jize,” keeping his expression casual as he headed off to find where his class was supposed to assemble. He hadn’t walked far when he heard Wang Zicong’s voice calling from another staircase, “Xingxing, wait for me!”

Xu Xing turned toward the sound and immediately spotted Wang Zicong’s large figure, standing out like a chubby snowball. Beyond him, a little further ahead, Xiao Shun was walking slowly down the side corridor.

The red thread tied around Xiao Shun’s waist dangled on the ground, snaking its way all the way into Jiang Jize’s pants.

Jiang Jize was walking just behind Xu Xing, while Xiao Shun was heading in from the side. As the distance between them closed, Xu Xing couldn’t help but wonder if something would happen—if Xiao Shun would stumble into Jiang Jize’s arms, just like he had.

Xu Xing stood still, using the excuse of waiting for Wang Zicong to discreetly observe the two.

However, neither Xiao Shun, who was walking with his head down, nor Jiang Jize, who was approaching from behind, seemed to notice each other. The red thread between them remained calm and obedient, not as mischievous as Xu Xing’s had been.

As the two were about to pass each other without incident, Xu Xing, growing impatient, impulsively shouted, “Hey, Xiao Shun!”

At the sound of his voice—

Xiao Shun looked up in confusion, and Jiang Jize, curious, turned as well. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and in that moment, the red thread connecting them seemed to awaken. The dull red, like rust, peeled away in layers, revealing a vibrant blood-red hue underneath.

Surprised by Jiang Jize’s gaze, Xiao Shun quickly withdrew and turned his attention to Xu Xing, his naturally gentle voice asking, “Class rep, what’s the matter?”

The scarlet thread between them quickly faded again.

Though the change in the red thread had been brief, its sudden brightness confirmed to Xu Xing that his shout had triggered it. He quietly pondered this while outwardly keeping his composure, smiling back at Xiao Shun, “Nothing, just saying hi.”

Xiao Shun returned his smile.

Though the two weren’t exactly close, Xiao Shun didn’t find Xu Xing’s behavior strange. After all, they had been bumping into each other in the classroom or hallway every morning recently, often greeting each other or exchanging small talk.

Lu Che, lagging behind, let out a barely perceptible “hmph” and naturally assumed that the class monitor’s mimicry was meant to grab his attention.

Xu Xing, seizing the opportunity, began chatting with Xiao Shun about mundane things like “What time did you arrive at class this morning?” Without noticing, Lu Che walked over towards them.

Instead of walking through the spacious area on either side, Lu Che purposely squeezed through the narrow space between Xu Xing and Xiao Shun, deliberately bumping into Xu Xing with his firm shoulder.

“Hey…”

Xu Xing, caught off guard by Lu Che’s intentional “provocation,” stumbled back a step, about to get angry when Lu Che stopped, turned around, and apologized with a half-smile, “Sorry about that, class monitor.”

Lu Che’s smile appeared innocent.

“…”

Even though Lu Che’s apology lacked sincerity and came across as half-hearted, Xu Xing’s first reaction upon hearing the familiar apology was: is the red thread acting up again?

Only this time, he and Lu Che seemed to have switched places—after all, the red thread couldn’t just affect him one-sidedly, right?

The moment this thought solidified in his mind, Xu Xing felt like he no longer had any reason or position to be mad at Lu Che. If Lu Che, unaware of the thread’s existence, misunderstood him, it was understandable. But knowing the thread’s uncontrollable force, Xu Xing felt it would be unfair to blame Lu Che for it.

The spark of anger in his heart quickly extinguished. Xu Xing rubbed his sore shoulder and generously said, “It’s fine.”

Lu Che, who had deliberately picked a fight: “…”

That’s it? He’s just letting it go?

---

Author’s note: Xu Xing has completed his internal mental process √

Since Xu Xing is so understanding, everything can just be blamed on the red thread—it’s never Lu Che’s fault, so Lu Che can do whatever he pleases 😀