Xu Xing spent a whole day agonizing over the meaning behind the bow tie but couldn’t figure it out. All his idle guesses were impossible to confirm.

This time, the red thread appeared for about ten minutes. Xu Xing marked it down in his notes and stared blankly at the blue ink on the white paper.

Xu Xing suddenly felt lost.

Initially, after seeing Xiao Shun’s red thread appear alone, Xu Xing was determined to untangle Lu Che’s bow knot, hoping to sever any ill-fated ties between them. However, due to frequent insurmountable obstacles in the process, he temporarily gave up on untying the knot.

Later, observing the tangled red thread of Liu Peilian and Lin Peisang, Xu Xing subjectively assumed that red thread tied around the ankle signified unrequited feelings, and those wound around Lu Che’s ankle bore hostility toward him, so he chose to cut them.

Now that Fu Dai and Xiong Huan’s red thread had broken, and he regained the ability to see all the red thread, Xu Xing suddenly didn’t know what he wanted to do.

Untie Lu Che’s bow knot?

That question had once been his ultimate goal, one he would have nodded to without hesitation. Now, he was starting to waver.

Xu Xing’s gaze landed on the girl in front of him. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, no longer tied into a ponytail. Xu Xing recalled hearing Tang Mian complain about ponytails pulling painfully on the scalp, which she disliked. Perhaps Xiong Huan, like Tang Mian, didn’t like ponytails but had tied one because of Fu Dai’s compliment. But Fu Dai had left, the red thread had broken, and Xiong Huan probably forgot why she even tied her hair that way.

Xu Xing had to admit that Fu Dai and Xiong Huan’s response gave him a sense of loss: emotions that had once been impossible to severe vanished with the snapping of the red thread, as if time had reversed and all the feelings that had overflowed were neatly sealed again, not a drop escaping.

Xu Xing couldn’t say if this outcome was good or bad for the people involved, but that didn’t stop him from feeling lost, regretful, with a lump in his throat.

---

Saturday.

After school, Xu Xing and Lu Che waited at the school gate for Xu Xing’s dad. Xu Xing stared absentmindedly into the distance while Lu Che leaned against the wall, playing on his phone.

Xu Xing’s gaze fell on a girl wearing an external school uniform, standing out in the crowd at the gate. She had a cute animal backpack, long flowing hair, and looked down at her clean white sneakers or glanced around the gate, carrying a warm, gentle presence.

Just a minute earlier, Xu Xing had regained his ability to see red thread, and his gaze lingered on this girl. She had three red thread: one grew from her heart, one tied to her ankle, and the third to her wrist.

The colors varied too. The thread from her heart was the brightest red, followed by the one on her wrist, while the one around her ankle was faint, almost translucent.

Xu Xing, seeing a red thread around someone’s wrist for the first time, took notice. When the girl glanced up again, her delicate, fair face blossomed into a gentle smile.

She seemed to have an aura that even the breeze softened around, as if not to disturb her warmth.

Xu Xing wondered who she was waiting for and, following her gaze, his face showed surprise—

Ke Di and Zhou Mang were approaching from the school gate.

Standing by the guard booth, Xu Xing and Lu Che watched as Ke Di and Zhou Mang walked toward the girl, not noticing them. Xu Xing had never seen red thread on Ke Di or Zhou Mang before, but now he saw a faintly translucent red thread from Zhou Mang’s heart tied to the girls ankle, while Ke Di’s thread connected from his heart to the girl’s wrist, and her heart’s thread to his wrist.

Xu Xing was bewildered.

According to his earlier understanding, the brightness of the red thread showed the depth of feeling. In this case, Ke Di and the girl liked each other, but Ke Di’s feelings were no longer as intense, while Zhou Mang’s crush was nearly over?

“Class leader?”

“Hm?”

Xu Xing turned, finding Lu Che had also noticed Ke Di.

Lu Che narrowed his eyes, puzzled, “That girl must be Zhou Mang’s childhood friend. But she’s Ke Di’s girlfriend?”

As Ke Di and Zhou Mang got closer, the girl naturally took Ke Di’s arm, confirming their relationship.

Xu Xing asked, “Childhood friend?”

Lu Che shrugged, “Fu Dai once said Ke Di’s girlfriend is shy, which is why he never brings her to gatherings. But if she’s Zhou Mang’s childhood friend, he could accompany her, right? No reason to be awkward once Ke Di leaves.”

Xu Xing frowned, wondering if it was Ke Di who didn’t want to make Zhou Mang uncomfortable…

A phone call interrupted Xu Xing’s thoughts. His dad was parked just ahead, near Ke Di.

Aware of the red thread, Xu Xing felt a little awkward, but Lu Che casually approached Ke Di.

With his girlfriend by his side, Ke Di greeted them, “Hey, Che, class leader, heading somewhere?”

Zhou Mang and the girl looked over.

Zhou Mang’s expression was calm, unfazed.

“Going home,” Xu Xing replied.

“Going to the class leader’s place,” Lu Che added.

Ke Di, confused, raised an eyebrow. He noticed the two had become inseparable lately but didn’t dwell on it. Changing the subject, he introduced his girlfriend, “This is Jiang Lian. And this is our school’s heartthrob and class leader, Lu Che and Xu Xing.”

Jiang Lian smiled warmly, and Xu Xing returned a polite smile.

Xu’s father was waiting, so Xu Xing and Lu Che quickly said their goodbyes.

On the way home, Lu Che and Xu Xing’s dad talked freely while Xu Xing remained quiet in the passenger seat. Resting his head against the window, he glimpsed his side profile reflected faintly in the glass. He looked down at his left palm, where the red thread intersected with the fate line, glowing bright red, connecting to…well, down below. He clenched his fist, feeling an itch in his heart, and idly tugged at another red thread extending from his seat to the person behind him.

When he looked up, his gaze met Lu Che’s in the rearview mirror—a curious, almost magical moment.

Xu Xing quickly looked away, trying to seem unbothered.

When they arrived, Xu Xing’s mother had prepared a lavish dinner, with dishes leaning toward Lu Che’s tastes, as if he were a regular guest. Xu Xing’s parents had come to expect Lu Che for dinner on Saturday evenings.

Afterward, Xu Xing worked on homework in his room alone, not noticing Lu Che.

Though Lu Che usually liked to be around, he respected Xu Xing’s study time and left him in peace.

In the dining room, Xu’s father sat alone, nursing his drink. Even though it was the same drink, his changing mood made each sip reflect a different taste of life.

‘Drinking Alone to Drown Sorrows, But the More You Want to Get Drunk, the Harder It Becomes‘

Lu Che walked over, pulled out a chair, sat down, and met Xu Xing’s father’s gaze with a smile. “Uncle, is there more wine?”

·

When Xu Xing put down his pen after finishing a test paper, he finally noticed Lu Che was gone. Slipping on his indoor slippers, he took his cup to the living room for some warm water, only to find Lu Che sitting at the dining table, drinking and chatting with his father, both of them in a lively conversation.

Xu Xing walked into the dining area, frowning with displeasure. “Dad, what are you two doing?”

Xu Xing looked at Lu Che’s eyes, wondering how much he’d had to drink. His dark eyes were calm, yet beneath the surface, an intense emotion simmered. Seeing Lu Che like this, Xu Xing knew he was drunk. After all, his dad had a habit—when he hit it off with someone, he’d match them drink for drink with every word.

Xu Xing issued a command to Lu Che, “No more drinking, or you’re sleeping on the floor.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Che obediently put down his glass, his dark eyes blinking innocently as he replied, “Alright.”

With a look of annoyance, Xu Xing turned to grab his clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Once Xu Xing left, his father raised his glass, holding his forehead with a smile. “Let’s finish this one, but we really shouldn’t drink more.”

Lu Che raised his glass to clink it with his and smiled. “Alright.”

Xu Xing’s father took a sip, the strong liquor burning down his throat. He scratched his head and began to chat aimlessly again, subtly praising himself, “I wonder if drinking tolerance is something you can inherit. Don’t be fooled by how Xu Xing doesn’t like drinking; he can handle it.”

Lu Che picked up his chopsticks to grab a fried meatball, but they slipped, and the meatball rolled away.

Startled, he looked up. “Oh?”

Xu Xing’s father raised his glass again, saying, “This glass of baijiu? He can down it in one go, no problem.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

Lu Che’s tone was lazy and relaxed, his words clear. He rested his face on one hand, gently swirling his wine glass with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Xu Xing’s father’s glass was filled about seven-tenths full—enough to hold around two taels of baijiu. However, during the last National Day, when Xu Xing had gone to City A with him, they’d visited a bar where Xu Xing had a small half-glass of brandy and ended up completely out of it. That night, he’d been so affectionate, kissing him, licking his fingers, even biting his lips in return…

Tsk.

So he was just pretending to sleep.

And pretending to be drunk?

---

Author’s Note:

1. In the outline, Ke Di and Zhou Mang aren’t a couple, and Ke Di has a red string connecting to his heart. But, seeing how popular they are in the comments, I’ve quietly changed it to a string tied around their wrists, planting a seed of hope to bloom later (an official compromise, I admit…).
2. A little heads-up: Lu Che’s bow will be untied, used to treat Xu Xing’s tsundere attitude—instant cure, no “long-lost reunion after years apart” drama involved.
3. A reassurance: Xu Xing’s wish is actually for a “one-second revival” for all the members, so don’t worry. No one’s current situation is set in stone!