Because he gave Lu Che a candy during English class, Xu Xing had trouble falling asleep that night.

Here’s what happened at the time:

Halfway through the class, Wang Zicong, feeling drowsy, sneakily reached into Xu Xing’s desk to steal a candy. Xu Xing caught him red-handed, smacked his chubby hand lightly, and whispered, “What are you doing?”

Wang Zicong grinned sheepishly, “I’m so sleepy, I need a little energy booster.”

Rolling his eyes, Xu Xing handed him a candy. Then, as Xu Xing sat up straight and focused on the blackboard, his hand absentmindedly played with the wrapper of another chocolate candy under the desk. After a moment of hesitation—his brain seemed to stall—he reached out and gave Lu Che a candy as well.

Xu Xing couldn’t recall what he was thinking the second before deciding to give Lu Che that candy. He couldn’t understand why he had impulsively done it. He placed the candy in the top left corner of Lu Che’s desk without turning his head. But not three seconds later, he immediately regretted it and wished he could take it back.

After class, Xu Xing righteously told Lu Che multiple times, “That candy was a reward for keeping quiet for two whole periods and not bothering me. I hope you can keep up the good work and continue staying quiet. Understand?”

Lu Che just smiled mischievously and said, “Class monitor, one piece of candy might not be enough to keep my mouth shut. Want me to teach you a foolproof way?”

From Lu Che’s tone, Xu Xing knew it was going to be something cheeky, so he firmly declined, “No thanks.”

But Lu Che, ignoring him, leaned closer to his ear with a smirk and said, “If you kiss me, I’ll keep quiet for one whole period. Promise, no tricks.”

Xu Xing, thinking Lu Che was just teasing, angrily pushed him away, “Get lost!”

·

That night, lying in bed in the darkened dorm room, Xu Xing stared at the ceiling. If he were at home, he’d probably be kicking his bed and blanket out of frustration. He was furious at himself—he must have been possessed at that moment!

Grumbling inwardly, he shut his eyes and tried to recite The Teacher’s Discourse to calm himself: “In ancient times, scholars always had teachers. A teacher is one who bestows knowledge, answers doubts, and passes on wisdom…”

As Xu Xing drifted off, his mind lingered on a small correction: “It’s ‘imparts’ not ‘bestows’…”

The next morning.

On Wednesdays, the senior classes did morning exercises. Students from several classes crowded the staircase, pushing and shoving. It was packed.

As usual, Xu Xing and Wang Zicong waited for most of their classmates to go down first before getting up. But today, Lu Che also stayed seated, waiting with them.

Xu Xing, pretending to be unfazed, turned and began copying the homework exercises on the blackboard at Lu Che’s desk. He raised his head to look at the board, then lowered it to write, all while ignoring the person opposite him.

Lu Che propped his face on his hand, staring at Xu Xing’s face without blinking.

Finally losing his patience, Xu Xing slapped his hand on Lu Che’s desk and snapped, “What are you staring at!”

Lu Che couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course, I’m looking at you. Turns out the cafeteria ladies calling you ‘handsome’ every day weren’t just flattering.”

The cafeteria staff often called every student ‘handsome’ or ‘pretty,’ regardless if they are one or not.

Xu Xing shot him a look. “Then why don’t you give me the title of school heartthrob?”

Lu Che chuckled. “How about I package myself up and give the real heartthrob to you? Sound good?”

Xu Xing gave a cold laugh, “I’m not interested, thanks.”

Still smiling, Lu Che continued, “I’m good at keeping you warm, skilled, presentable, and obedient. Really, you don’t want that?”

“Get lost!” Xu Xing shouted and turned his notebook, choosing to ignore him.

Wang Zicong sat nearby, happily munching on a box of chocolate sticks, watching Xu Xing and Lu Che banter. He thought to himself, Their relationship is really something.

Xu Xing marked his place in his notebook, planning to finish copying after the morning exercises.

As Xu Xing and Wang Zicong descended the stairs side by side, Lu Che lazily followed behind them.

One hand casually rested on Xu Xing’s shoulder, occasionally tweaking his ear or brushing his cheek. Xu Xing, at first irritated, would swat Lu Che’s hand away, but soon resigned himself to the playful teasing with only a few half-hearted pushes.

Lu Che, smiling, had figured out the rhythm of interacting with Xu Xing.

Meanwhile, Xu Xing was slowly realizing that Lu Che had been clinging to him more and more lately.

During lunch, Lu Che even insisted on paying for Xu Xing’s meal, following him to the cafeteria and pushing Wang Zicong aside to sit across from him like a child claiming a spot.

Despite this, Lu Che still maintained his image in front of others. When switching seats, he even gave a legitimate reason: “Wang Zicong, you sit over here. Girls might feel awkward sitting next to me while eating.”

Xu Xing had chosen a seat in the middle of a long table, with two empty spots on either side. Wang Zicong had originally sat across from Xu Xing, with a boy on one side and an empty spot next to a girl on the other.

Wang Zicong, always easygoing, simply moved his tray and sat elsewhere.

Lu Che handed Xu Xing a set of sterilized utensils, replacing the ones in his hand, and said, “Class monitor, from now on, just sit and wait for me to get your utensils.”

Xu Xing, at a loss for words, hesitated. He had intended to tell Lu Che, Who said there will be a ‘next time’ with you? But before he could, he found himself accepting the warm utensils. The residual warmth from Lu Che’s hands transferred to the metal spoon handle, making Xu Xing feel strangely flustered.

Swallowing his words, Xu Xing muttered, “After lunch, hurry back to your dorm and stop bothering me in the classroom.”

Xu Xing focused on his meal, spooning rice into his mouth.

Lu Che chuckled, “Aww, class monitor, worried I’m not sleeping well in the classroom?”

Xu Xing paused, glaring at him, then looked away, too annoyed to argue further.

After lunch, Lu Che didn’t follow Xu Xing back to the classroom but obediently returned to his dorm for a nap.

In the midday quiet of the classroom, with the warm sun beaming outside, everything inside seemed calm and drowsy.

Xu Xing turned around to finish copying the exercise from the backboard onto Lu Che’s desk, twirling his pen between his fingers, and his gaze fell on the practice sheet lying on Lu Che’s desk.

He picked up the sheet casually to take a look. Lu Che had excellent handwriting, and the overall presentation of the paper was neat enough that even the Chinese teacher might be tempted to give an extra two points when grading the essay.

Xu Xing glanced at it for a few seconds before putting the sheet back on the desk.

When he looked up, he saw Tang Mian walking over and asking, “Xing Xing, you copied the daily physics problem, right? Lend it to me, I’m up for turning in the assignment today.”

Xu Xing responded with a “yeah” and handed his notebook to Tang Mian.

Tang Mian sighed dramatically, “Can’t you talk to Lu Che privately and ask him not to pick number 5 next time?”

Wang Zicong chimed in, “Me too, me too~”

Xu Xing shot back, “You’re overthinking it. Do you really think he listens to me?”

Tang Mian nodded repeatedly, “Of course! I feel like if you ask, he’ll definitely listen to you. Aren’t you guys really close?”

“…”

Close, my foot.

Xu Xing frowned, irritated, and shooed them away. “Go finish your homework! You procrastinators! If they don’t check your homework, whose would they check?”

Tang Mian stomped her foot in frustration but unwillingly returned to her seat to continue her homework.

Though Tang Mian had left, her words echoed in Xu Xing’s mind for a long time.

Xu Xing felt bothered, though he couldn’t quite figure out why. After some careful thought, he attributed it to a sense of crisis—if even side characters like Tang Mian and Wang Zicong could notice how close Lu Che and he had become, surely Lu Che’s many admirers were watching even more closely.

Xu Xing sighed wearily, thinking, We’re not even that kind of relationship, yet I still have to bear the burden of being envied and resented like the legitimate partner.

What a pain.

Xu Xing turned back to glance at the sticky note tucked inside the first page of his mistake notebook. It simply summarized the pattern of the appearance of the red thread.

Unlucky red thread show up soon.

Xu Xing had a feeling the red thread would definitely reappear today.

However, the otherwise uneventful afternoon passed, with Lu Che’s usual teasing, as the sunset slowly sank outside the window.

The last class of the day was P.E.

During the free activity period, Xu Xing played two rounds of badminton with Tang Mian and Wang Zicong. Since Liu Peilian had also joined Tang Mian, the four of them took turns, and with an outsider involved, Xu Xing didn’t feel right hogging the court, so he voluntarily stepped down to rest.

Xu Xing sat on the steps of the bleachers, hearing applause and cheers from the basketball court. His eyes naturally turned toward the game, where he saw Lu Che just finishing a jump shot and landing. He high-fived Fu Dai and exchanged a few words before stepping off the court.

Xu Xing: “…”

Xu Xing quickly shifted his gaze away, deliberately watching Tang Mian and Wang Zicong play.

He thought to himself that you can never escape fate. Sure enough, Lu Che soon walked over to where he was sitting, standing right in front of Xu Xing and blocking his view.

Xu Xing, thoroughly annoyed, looked up at him and said, “What do you want?”

Lu Che crouched down in front of him, his handsome face outlined by the orange glow of the sunset, and with a grin, he said, “Class monitor, teach me how to play badminton~”

Xu Xing scoffed, clearly unimpressed by Lu Che’s predictable attempt at small talk. “I’m too lazy to teach you. You wouldn’t get it anyway. Go play basketball and show off your skills instead. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

Lu Che’s smile deepened, and he replied, “So you’re roundaboutly saying I’m good at basketball, huh? In that case, I’ll go back to the court and keep playing for you~”

Xu Xing: “…”

Bullshit! Since when did I say you were good at basketball?

With that, Lu Che turned to walk back toward the basketball court.

But just then—

The red thread reappeared in Xu Xing’s field of vision.

Xu Xing: “…”

Lu Che had only taken a few steps when he heard Xu Xing call out his name: “Lu Che—”

Lu Che stopped and turned around.

Xu Xing had immediately called out to Lu Che as soon as he saw the red thread, but now that he had, he couldn’t think of an excuse to keep him. Feeling slightly awkward, he fiddled with his ear, his eyes wandering, lips pursed as if he were chewing on his tongue.

Lu Che felt like something was wrong with him—just hearing Xu Xing say his name made his heart skip a beat. After all, the word Xu Xing said to him most often was “get lost.”

Xu Xing cleared his throat lightly, avoiding Lu Che’s gaze, and tried to sound calm as he said, “Come here.”

Without asking why, Lu Che turned around and walked straight back to him.

Xu Xing nodded toward the seat next to him, and though his words were harsh, they carried a hint of exasperation: “Sit here. You’re not actually good at basketball, so stop wasting your energy. Don’t go back to show off.”

Lu Che couldn’t help but chuckle as he sat down next to Xu Xing.

Xu Xing, however, was laser-focused on the red thread tangled around Lu Che’s shoes and hadn’t noticed that the red thread around his own feet had faded significantly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Xu Xing hadn’t yet thought of a plan but knew the time for action was limited. He hesitated, then made a sudden decision.

Both of them were seated on the third step of the bleachers, but Xu Xing slid down to the second step where Lu Che’s sneakers were resting.

Lu Che raised an eyebrow at this, not quite understanding Xu Xing’s sudden move, when Xu Xing reached out and started untying his shoelaces.

Lu Che’s brow arched a little higher.

Xu Xing, not in the mood to explain, used the shoelaces as a cover while subtly tugging at the red thread that was wrapped around Lu Che’s feet. The red thread were easier to deal with than Xu Xing had expected—most of them dissolved as soon as he touched them, leaving only a few thin strands that he couldn’t quite reach.

As for the thread he had “untangled,” it was more accurate to say they recoiled like shy mimosa plants at the slightest touch of his fingers.

Where they retreated to, Xu Xing could only guess—perhaps back to their owner’s heart.

After successfully loosening the red thread on Lu Che’s right foot, Xu Xing didn’t bother tying his shoelaces and immediately reached for the other foot.

At that moment, Lu Che shifted slightly, bending his right leg around behind Xu Xing and moving into a new position.

Lu Che was now sitting behind Xu Xing, his legs on either side of Xu Xing’s body, and leaning forward to wrap his arms around Xu Xing’s shoulders, resting his chin on Xu Xing’s head.

Xu Xing: “…”

Xu Xing found the posture far too intimate, and with classmates all around the field, it would be hard not to notice if they turned around. Uncomfortable, he tried to shake Lu Che off, frowning as he said, “What are you doing? Get off.”

Lu Che, playing the part of a scoundrel, muttered, “No.”

Xu Xing grew more irritated. “No what? Get lost. Can’t you stop sticking to me all the time?”

Xu Xing lashed out as usual, not thinking much of it. After all, he was used to Lu Che laughing off his harsh words and coming up with some cheeky retort.

But this time, the person holding him suddenly fell silent.

Xu Xing couldn’t see Lu Che’s expression behind him, but he pressed his lips together and also fell into a brief silence.

After a while, Xu Xing heard a low voice from above him, quiet and restrained. “I’m starting to lose control of myself. Being close to you has become a reflex for me, and even holding you like this isn’t nearly enough…”

Xu Xing: “…”

Dude, calm down.

With his back pressed against Lu Che’s chest, both their body temperatures rising, Xu Xing felt awkward and stiffened completely. He struggled to find something to say: “Just, um, calm down for a second… How can you lose control…”

Lu Che buried his face in Xu Xing’s neck, rubbing it slightly, and mumbled with a hint of grievance, “It’s really hard to hold back.”

“…”

Xu Xing was speechless, thinking to himself, “Great, this is clearly one of the symptoms of the red thread’s forced pull.” He remembered when he had been forced by the red string to sketch a whole page of… doodles. The red thread really was a nuisance.

Xu Xing carefully thought about what to say, racking his brain, but in the end, all he could squeeze out were a few dry words, “Buddy… you’ve got to hang in there. You can’t cross the line… If you do, you’ll definitely regret it.”

Lu Che murmured, “Class leader, are you afraid of pain?”

“…”

Xu Xing was so taken aback by this question that he almost lashed out, but he quickly held his tongue and took a deep breath, trying to avoid starting an argument that would veer off-topic.

However, Lu Che interpreted Xu Xing’s silence as agreement, and continued, “I’m actually really pure, you know. I wasn’t even thinking that much. But hugging you a little can’t be too much, right? Maybe even a kiss… that seems fine too.”

Xu Xing tried to keep his cool as he listened, but when he heard the second part, he couldn’t help but snap, “Get lost! Not even half a kiss is allowed.”

Lu Che sighed dramatically and said, “Then I’ll just stick to hugging you, is that okay?”

Xu Xing: “…”

Silence fell between them once more.

Xu Xing didn’t answer, but instead, with a low, frustrated growl, he broke free of Lu Che’s arms. He didn’t get up and leave, though. Instead, he channeled all his irritation into aggressively pulling at the shoelaces on Lu Che’s left foot — pulling the laces and the red thread tangled with them at the same time.

Once he saw that all the visible red strings had been untied, and they had disappeared from his sight, Xu Xing finally stood up and walked away, leaving Lu Che behind on the bleachers.

Both of Lu Che’s shoelaces had been tugged loose by Xu Xing, but instead of being upset, Lu Che smiled contentedly as he tied them back. He had picked up on a crucial detail: Xu Xing’s silence was a form of surrender, an indirect answer to his earlier question—

“Is it okay if I just hug you?”

“Okay…”

---

Author’s Note: Have you guys tried the 2017 music diary quiz? Let me recommend my most-listened-to song of 2017, Ed Sheeran’s Photograph. I listen to it all the time while writing. It gently sings what some people’s hearts are feeling. 😳