For the next two days, Xu Xing and Lu Che, once intersecting lines, abruptly became parallel—completely separated. Even someone as oblivious as Wang Zicong could sense the rift between them, so he and Tang Mian agreed not to mention Lu Che’s name in front of Xu Xing.

The only remaining connection between them appeared in the “special circumstances” section of the class duty log, where Lu Che’s name showed up frequently. Xu Xing recorded it with care, and he even noticed that the characters in “Lu Che” each had seven strokes.

Seat number 11, name with double sevens in strokes.

Xu Xing found bittersweet amusement in this meaningless discovery.

With Lu Che skipping classes frequently again, the homeroom teacher took note and, frowning over Xu Xing’s log entries, asked, “Class president, what’s going on with Lu Che? Is something bothering him?”

Xu Xing paused for a moment and shook his head, saying, “I don’t know.”

The teacher sighed, realizing that Lu Che’s good behavior from the first half of the semester had just been a front.

Fortunately, the upcoming midterms took up most of Xu Xing’s focus, leaving him little time to feel sentimental.

On Saturday after school, Xu Xing waited alone at the school gate for his dad’s car and, inevitably, heard him ask, “Where’s Lu Che?”

At some point, Lu Che and Xu Xing had become a packaged pair, bundled together like a combo deal, only available together. Now, with them separated, it felt unexpectedly odd.

“He had something to do,” Xu Xing replied absently.

This answer, like a quick fix, quieted his dad. But at home, his mom pressed, “What could he possibly have on a Sunday off?”

Xu Xing shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t know” had become Xu Xing’s common response to questions about Lu Che lately. Sometimes he was pretending, but other times, he genuinely didn’t know. And gradually, the things he didn’t know only grew.

Xu Xing lowered his gaze to hide his thoughts and went directly to his room.

He tossed his backpack beside his desk, collapsed onto his bed, and, with nowhere to fix his empty gaze, closed his eyes, burying his face in his blanket.

Only one thought filled his mind: Let the college entrance exams come soon. We’ll go our separate ways, and maybe we’ll never meet again.

At the start of the school year, his wish had been, I hope that after graduation, every year’s class reunion will have full attendance. Now, he wanted only to be the first deserter.

After a day at home, Xu Xing returned to school on Monday morning. During exam week, the class atmosphere of Class 7 was notably tense, driven largely by last-minute studiers like Wang Zicong.

Even among the not so smart students, there was a clear divide: the left side crammed at the last minute, while the right was truly hopeless. Wang Zicong was in the former, while Ke Di fell in with the latter, unable to focus even now, playing Go alone with sunflower seeds during study time.

Xu Xing returned from the office during a break and, as he shut the classroom door, heard Ke Di calling him from across the room, “Our class prez, come on over!”

Ke Di loved turning English phrases into slang and had way too much fun with it.

Xu Xing turned his head, spotting Lu Che nearby, and froze momentarily before acting casual. “What is it?” he asked.

Ke Di was lounging by Lu Che’s desk, beckoning Xu Xing in an exaggerated, playful manner.

Lu Che leaned against the wall, long legs propped up on the crossbar of his desk, idly twirling a pen.

When Ke Di called out, Lu Che lifted his head as well, casting a quick, indifferent glance at Xu Xing. His deep, dark eyes were void of warmth.

Their eyes met for just a moment before Xu Xing quickly looked away. This brief encounter marked the first time he and Lu Che had exchanged a glance in a week.

Keeping his composure, Xu Xing asked, “What do you need?”

He focused straight on Ke Di’s face, refusing to let his gaze stray.

Ke Di clasped his hands together, pleading, “Class prez, play a game of Gomuko with Che-ge for me! This will decide who has to pick up meals next week—please!”

Lu Che had made a bet with Ke Di, and the challenge of Go had Ke Di scrambling. Lu Che suggested, “You could have Zhou Mang play for you,” and Ke Di’s eyes lit up, seeking assistance from Xu Xing, the only one who could beat Lu Che.

Startled, Xu Xing said, “Me…?”

He glanced at Lu Che involuntarily, his hesitation giving Ke Di the impression he was thinking, Playing Gomuko with Lu Che? Isn’t that a bit unfair to him?

Grinning, Ke Di encouraged him, “Yep, you! Che-ge doesn’t mind, right? Right, Che-ge?”

Lu Che scoffed, a cold smirk crossing his lips. “Whatever.”

The cool tone from Lu Che’s magnetic voice felt oddly unfamiliar to Xu Xing.

A bit dazed, Xu Xing sat across from Lu Che, holding the black pen Ke Di had given him.

Without looking at him, Lu Che said, “I’ll use X’s.”

Xu Xing nodded, placing a black circle on the paper, while Lu Che quickly marked a red X—bold and unforgiving, like a final judgment.

The red X’s on the page felt like the final conclusion to their story.

Lu Che had once let himself lose to Xu Xing. Now, just a few moves later, he could easily secure victory.

Xu Xing realized something: he hadn’t won the games before because he was better; he had won because of Lu Che’s feelings for him. If Lu Che no longer liked him, winning was as hard as winning his heart.

After losing three rounds, Xu Xing put down his pen and said, “You win.”

Lu Che said nothing.

Ke Di slumped in despair beside them.

From start to finish, Lu Che had only spoken two phrases to Xu Xing: “Whatever,” and “I’ll use X’s.”

---

The midterms passed in a whirlwind, and afterward, Tang Mian mentioned that the weather was forecasted to warm up. She and Wang Zicong planned a weekend get-together and invited Xu Xing, but he declined.

Even after exams, Xu Xing remained absorbed in his intense study schedule. It wasn’t that something had triggered him; he just knew that if he relaxed, his thoughts would drift to Lu Che. Memories find their way into the cracks, and what once warmed you can just as easily hurt you.

On Saturday, when Xu Xing went home, his dad and mom both asked after Lu Che’s whereabouts. Xu Xing could only reply casually, “He went home too.”

His mom didn’t press further, letting Xu Xing put away his things before dinner.

Lu Che wouldn’t be going home with him anymore, and Xu Xing knew he wouldn’t be able to hide their separation from his parents forever. He was already considering staying at school on weekends to avoid making excuses.

---

On Sunday evening, as Xu Xing packed his things to return to school, his mom slipped a small jar of dried shrimp into his bag, saying, “Lu Che likes this. Bring it back for him.”

Xu Xing: “…”

He had seen his mother rummaging through the cabinets earlier that morning, finding this little jar—it turned out to be for packing dried shrimp for him to give to Lu Che.

Xu Xing responded with a “got it,” unable to refuse his mother but unsure how to deliver it to Lu Che.

Would Lu Che accept it?

Xu Xing wasn’t sure.

Returning to school meant another week of torture for Xu Xing.

After the midterms, Lu Che’s absences and tardiness became even more frequent. From Monday to Thursday, Xu Xing only saw Lu Che once—on his way to the restroom.

Lu Che was standing by the window with a few boys from other classes. Xu Xing walked in, attracting their attention.

Xu Xing paused, just in time to see Lu Che take a cigarette from someone else, hold it between his lips, and light it with a lighter. Lu Che clearly saw Xu Xing but ignored him.

The restroom had six stalls, five of them occupied. The only empty one was near the window, right behind Lu Che and the others. Originally, Xu Xing had intended to use it, but seeing the situation, he simply washed his hands and left.

Xu Xing suddenly missed that time outside the bar when he caught Lu Che smoking—how Lu Che panicked, trying to hide the cigarette behind his back. Looking back, that memory was oddly heartwarming.

Hopefully, one day, someone will make Lu Che hide his cigarette again.

Xu Xing hoped someone would help Lu Che quit smoking, knowing how bad it was for his health.

The jar of dried shrimp his mother had prepared sat in Xu Xing’s bag for a few days. Finally, on Thursday night after self-study, he got the chance to sneak it into Lu Che’s desk.

Xu Xing’s midterm scores weren’t ideal; he dropped from the top of the class to somewhere in the 13-20. His homeroom teacher had pulled him aside for a talk, but Xu Xing’s gaze had drifted to the class rankings on the computer screen. Lu Che was doing fairly well, ranking mid-to-high, with especially strong scores in math and physics. Xu Xing thought to himself, Lu Che really is amazing.

Friday afternoon.

At exactly two o’clock, the school’s broadcast system started playing music.

Xu Xing was trying to focus on a problem but eventually put down his pen, picked up his thermos, and stopped when he heard a familiar song playing from the speakers.

Clearly, you loved me too

So why couldn’t we be together?

…

The longer the night, the more dreams will haunt

So please think of me

…

Do think of me

Until it drives you insane

“…”

Every lyric felt like it was pulling at Xu Xing’s heart. He realized that in this sentimental state, any song could feel like it was speaking directly to him.

Xu Xing admitted that he missed Lu Che. He regretted not being able to be with him, though he’d never doubted his choice to untie Lu Che’s knot. Yet, in the quiet hours of the night, his selfish thoughts would torment him.

Staring off blankly, his gaze fell on a printed sentence in his notebook of mistakes: “There’s a kind of regret you can never make up for, like getting the same question wrong twice, the second time on the college entrance exam.”

But.

Letting Lu Che go was the best choice for him. Xu Xing had done nothing wrong.

·

Afternoon.

Between classes, Xu Xing and Tang Mian stood outside in the corridor. Tang Mian was looking at Xiong Huan, who sat inside by the window, head down, studying, and sighed softly.

Hearing her sigh, Xu Xing looked into the classroom. He glanced over Lu Che’s empty desk in the back row, then shifted his gaze to Xiong Huan’s figure.

Xu Xing: “What’s wrong?”

Tang Mian: “I just feel sorry for Xiong Huan.”

Xu Xing was puzzled. “Shouldn’t the one you pity be Fu Dai?”

Fu Dai had chased after Xiong Huan for almost a year, only to be met with her saying, “Fu Dai! If you don’t let go, I’ll never speak to you again!”

Tang Mian sighed. “You don’t get it.”

Only Tang Mian knew how much Xiong Huan liked Fu Dai.

Xiong Huan was the quintessential top student and beauty. When she started high school, she’d been placed in the advanced class. However, due to an illness during finals, she’d missed two subjects, which affected her placement, leading her to join Class 7.

In their second year, Xiong Huan deliberately bombed her finals to stay in the same class as Fu Dai, even though she had to face her parents’ scolding afterward.

Xu Xing asked, confused, “But since Fu Dai left, Xiong Huan’s been acting as if she doesn’t care at all, right?”

Tang Mian chuckled. “What, you think she should be sobbing hysterically? Everyone puts on a brave front.”

Tang Mian wanted to laugh at Xu Xing’s naïveté; whether it was Liu Pei Lian or Xiong Huan, who could entirely erase feelings after a breakup?

It’s not that they didn’t care or weren’t hurt; it was just an act to appear unbothered. Life had to go on, even without the people they loved.

“…”

Xu Xing was left speechless.

But honestly, he wasn’t surprised that Xiong Huan still liked Fu Dai, considering he himself still liked Lu Che.

Just like Xiong Huan, the thread connecting him to Lu Che had been severed.

Xu Xing didn’t dwell on it too much.

The bell for class rang, cutting off the conversation between Tang Mian and Xu Xing.

The second period was math, and the teacher’s rapid pace left the majority of the class drained, slumped over their desks.

Rarely was there such calm in the classroom, but Ke Di and Zhou Mang, the two sports students, gathered their things, ready to head to training.

Xu Xing lifted his gaze, noticing the language teacher handing a grade sheet to Xiong Huan and asking her to gather the high-scoring essays.

Xiong Huan nodded.

The teacher left.

Shortly after, Xiong Huan suddenly stood up. Xu Xing looked at her curiously and saw her call out to Ke Di, who was about to leave.

“Ke Di!”

Xu Xing, accustomed to Xiong Huan’s reserved, quiet demeanor, found her unusual behavior strange.

Ke Di, caught off guard, froze. “What?”

Holding the grade sheet tightly, Xiong Huan looked nervous.

“Why did you get a 9?”

She bit her lip, looking intently at Ke Di.

Xu Xing was stunned, finally understanding when Ke Di answered with a grin, “What else? Someone called me in the middle of the night to remind me not to get more than ten points on the test!”

“…”

Xu Xing’s mind went blank.

A month ago, Fu Dai had scored 13 points in language and was teased mercilessly by Ke Di. Now, far away in the north, Fu Dai had asked Ke Di to aim for 9.

A month ago, Fu Dai had only worried about class jokes involving photos, so why now…

Xu Xing’s question was quickly answered when Ke Di explained, “That fool thought we still played the ‘class photo’ game~”

“…”

Xu Xing froze.

So… Fu Dai still liked Xiong Huan?

But what about Lu Che?

If Fu Dai still liked Xiong Huan, then why didn’t Lu Che still like him?

Questions raced through Xu Xing’s mind, leaving him uneasy.

And to top it off, Lu Che was absent that afternoon.

The bell for self-study snapped Xu Xing back to his senses: even if Lu Che were here, would it change anything?

“…”

The question made Xu Xing calm down completely.

The homeroom teacher had already walked into the classroom with the integrated science test papers. Xu Xing steadied his emotions, tidied up the items on his desk, and reached into his desk compartment to grab his backpack.

Suddenly, he felt something heavy pressing on top of it.

Curious, he glanced down and saw a bag of something heavy that had somehow ended up under his desk. He pulled it out, opened it, and found a bag of dragon fruit.

“…”

During the National Day holiday, Xu Xing and Lu Che had gone back to City A together, and Lu Che had taken him to visit his grandparents in the countryside. At that time, Xu Xing had casually asked about the dragon fruit tree in front of the yard, and Lu Che’s grandmother had said, “In about a month, they’ll be ready to pick. Come visit again with Lu Che then!”

Xu Xing snapped out of the memory, feeling a rush of heat in his head, as he fumbled through his bag for his phone. He quickly sent a message to the contact with the plain black profile picture: “Where are you?”

His mind was a whirlwind, his heart caught in suspense.

Lu Che didn’t reply for a while, so Xu Xing couldn’t help but open Fu Dai’s chat and send a question that had been brewing in his mind, without any preamble:

“Fu Dai, do you still like Xiong Huan?”

Fortunately, this time the message didn’t sink into silence.

FD: Why do you ask?

Xu Xing: Just answer me first.

The chat stayed quiet for a moment, then Xu Xing watched as a new message popped up at the bottom of his screen.

FD: I’ve always liked her.

Xu Xing felt a little thrill at this definite answer. Before he could think of a reply, two more messages popped up in quick succession.

FD: I also know that Ah Che likes you.

FD: He told me himself just a few days ago…

Xu Xing’s heart pounded wildly. This was the first time he’d used his phone in class, and combined with his inner turmoil, his hands were trembling as he typed.

Xu Xing: What else did he say?

Just then, he felt a nudge on his arm from Wang Zicong. Xu Xing looked up, panicked, and saw the homeroom teacher walking toward him. But instead of hiding his phone, he quickly glanced down at Fu Dai’s message. Below the green message bubble, another white bubble appeared:

FD: He said he had a broken heart.

“…”

---

Author’s Note:

1. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
2. Hoping for clouds to break and sun to shine! Or at least, let it be cloudy but not gloomy!
3. Fun fact: Lu Che’s seat number is 11, but his name has two characters with seven strokes each. He’s been quite “bent” for a long time, while Xu Xing only ever knew him as number 11. [bows]
4. Coincidentally, this is the 77th chapter.