Lu Xi didn’t know if Ji Kongqing had recognized him. The subtle awkwardness of a blind date with a high school classmate made it hard for him to find a topic of conversation. 

Moreover, perhaps because he had once harbored ill intentions towards Ji Kongqing, Lu Xi, the little pervert inside, was really afraid of saying something inappropriate. 

He focused on his feet, feeling like the path from the parking lot to the restaurant was incredibly long. 

Therefore, Lu Xi didn’t notice that after leaving the parking lot, Ji Kongqing’s gaze had been fixed on him. 

His gaze was deep, never leaving Lu Xi. 

The spring shower came quickly and went just as suddenly. 

The sound of rain outside gradually weakened, and the two of them reached the restaurant entrance. 

Two people, one umbrella. 

This resulted in a mirrored wet patch on each of their suit jackets. 

They walked under the restaurant’s eaves, and Ji Kongqing turned sideways to close the umbrella. 

Lu Xi looked at him. 

Ji Kongqing, holding the umbrella handle, also looked at Lu Xi. 

The two were silent for a moment, then suddenly both burst into laughter. 

“Long time no see.” Lu Xi smiled openly, stepped back, and extended his hand towards Ji Kongqing. 

Because of the rain, and because of the unexpected walk together, the originally awkward blind date with a classmate became much more relaxed. 

Perhaps, like this sudden rain, this sudden blind date wasn’t such a bad thing after all. 

Ji Kongqing reached out and took Lu Xi’s hand. 

He said, “Long time no see.” 

Leaving the rain-soaked umbrella in the lobby, the two were led by a waiter to their reserved private room. 

Lu Xi hadn’t worn a suit in a long time, and now he had found an excellent opportunity and excuse to take off his jacket, handing it to the waiter who reached out. 

Lu Xi liked to paint suits, and even understood the various accessories of a suit, such as cufflinks, collar stays, and the various ways to style shirt studs—but he didn’t like wearing these restrictive things himself. 

He usually preferred comfortable and casual clothes, and with that face, he looked like a college student full of collagen, but in a Western restaurant like this, and it being a blind date, it was still more polite to dress formally. 

Lu Xi unbuttoned the top two buttons of his collar, and immediately felt much more comfortable. 

Turning around, he saw Ji Kongqing, who had also taken off his jacket, but whose white shirt buttons were still neatly buttoned to the top, clearly someone who perfectly embodies abstinence and restraint. 

As expected of Ji Kongqing. 

In Lu Xi’s impression, Ji Kongqing, from middle school onwards, had always been the best at everything, perfect in every way, and extremely emotionally stable. 

—Even when he saw Lu Xi climbing over a wall to skip school, he remained calm and collected, without any surprise. 

Cough. 

Lu Xi recalled his embarrassing moment and couldn’t help but touch his nose. “When I saw you just now, I was actually quite surprised.” 

Ji Kongqing walked over, pulled out a chair for Lu Xi at the table, and the cufflinks on his wrist flashed in the light. “Surprised by what?” 

Lu Xi thanked him and sat down at the table. “I always felt that you wouldn’t be the type to go on a blind date.” 

But Ji Kongqing was here, and he was on a blind date with him. 

…Oh, right. 

On a blind date with him. 

Lu Xi realized something, looking at Ji Kongqing across the table in surprise. “You… also like the same sex? When did you…?” 

In junior and senior high school, they were both in the same school, and Ji Kongqing had always been a prominent figure, but Lu Xi hadn’t heard anything about Ji Kongqing’s sexual orientation. 

Moreover, Lu Xi tried to recall Ji Kongqing during junior and senior high school, and no matter how he thought about it, he felt that at least in high school, the other party was straight. 

Did he discover it after going to university? 

The man across the table unbuttoned one button of his jacket, changed his posture, and rested his hands on his crossed legs, lowering his eyes to softly reply, “High school.” 

“So coincidental,” Lu Xi’s mind went blank, and he blurted out again, “Me too, high school.” 

Under the soft light of the private room, Ji Kongqing’s expression showed a hint of strangeness, but quickly, it was obscured by a gentle smile. 

… 

Ji Kongqing’s posture was upright and elegant, his bearing so beautiful that it made Lu Xi, an artist, want to sketch him. His fingers twitched, feeling a strong urge to draw. 

“You don’t seem to have changed much, it’s like you’ve just been scaled up, only more mature.” 

Lu Xi started the conversation. 

“Have I changed a lot?” 

“Not really.” Ji Kongqing tried to keep his gaze from being too intense, trying to keep his tone calm and continue the conversation. “Your hair color is very pretty.” 

Compared to Ji Kongqing, who was like a refined and aloof gentleman in junior and senior high school, Lu Xi had indeed changed a lot. 

Young Lu Xi was a standard well-behaved young master, with hair that wasn’t long, short, permed, or dyed, always wearing clean and neat school uniforms. He was well-liked at school, but didn’t have much of a presence. 

But the current Lu Xi, although he still had the same gentle features that looked well-behaved when he wasn’t smiling or speaking, the light-colored hair and the ponytail undoubtedly showed a completely different temperament. 

Lu Xi turned to show the man his ponytail, his eyes and eyebrows full of smiles when he turned back. “Studying art, there will always be some changes. Do you think it’s ugly?” 

“Of course not.” 

Ji Kongqing paused, looking seriously at Lu Xi. 

“It suits you, it’s very pretty.” 

Lu Xi was slightly flustered by Ji Kongqing’s focused and serious gaze through his glasses, his fingers subtly scratching his leg under the table. 

“…Thank you.” 

Whoa. 

He was already good-looking, with broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and a great temperament, and now he’s added golden-rimmed glasses. 

That’s too unfair! 

He’s literally a gentle and refined gentleman, an unattainable flower, who could seamlessly transition into a cold and aloof master in ancient costume! 

He’d probably look good in red too, a wedding dress, etc.—help, the dimensional wall is about to break. 

Looking at Ji Kongqing, Lu Xi unconsciously sketched several panels in his mind. 

But thankfully, Lu Xi had a well-behaved face, so no one could tell what was going on in his head. 

Not long after, the waiter came to serve the food. 

When the steaks were placed in front of them, the subtle and strange atmosphere eased a bit. 

Ji Kongqing didn’t seem like a proactive person—exactly as Lu Xi remembered him. 

But he was very proactive about this blind date. 

Hearing the other party mention whether they should get to know each other’s situations, Lu Xi confirmed he wasn’t mistaken. 

Ji Kongqing was very proactive about this blind date. 

Lu Xi looked up at him. 

The man opposite was cutting his steak, his eyelids slightly lowered, his movements slow and deliberate. 

Lu Xi’s gaze shifted from the steak on Ji Kongqing’s plate to Ji Kongqing’s hands holding the metal knife and fork. 

The soft light in the private room caressed his hands, illuminating the faint blue veins under his skin, creating a sense of rationality and elegance from his extraordinary temperament. 

But Ji Kongqing had a mole on the outside of his right hand’s tiger’s mouth. 

A small, red mole. 

As he moved, the tendons on his wrist and tiger’s mouth appeared faintly, and the small red mole was like a small boat floating in the current, bobbing up and down, appearing and disappearing. 

Lu Xi’s fingers holding the knife and fork tightened, that itchy feeling came back. 

He forced himself to look away from Ji Kongqing’s fingers, but inadvertently saw the man’s dark gray suit cuff slip down half an inch, revealing a section of strong forearm. 

The cold bone structure and warm leather created a strange tension, making Lu Xi quickly withdraw his gaze, picking up a piece of steak and putting it in his mouth, chewing calmly. 

This turmoil only belonged to Lu Xi, and only a few minutes passed at the table. 

He heard Ji Kongqing introduce his profession, and for the umpteenth time, he looked surprised: “…Teacher?” 

Ji Kongqing nodded: “In the field of robotics research, I currently only teach structural mechanics, but I do supervise doctoral students.” 

Lu Xi didn’t understand robotics research and structural mechanics, but he knew what level a teacher who could supervise doctoral students was. 

Lu Xi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he slowly put his knife and fork back on the table. 

Oh my god. 

That ideal type not only broke through from the two-dimensional world but also came with the halo of a first love, and finally—even his profession had a 100% seductive bonus! 

But after the shock, Lu Xi quickly realized the gap between them. 

“As for me, I’m a painter, I sell paintings, take some commissions from acquaintances, and sometimes…” Lu Xi said, his voice slightly muffled, “I just paint whatever I want.” 

It wasn’t a difference in the high or low status or respectability of the profession, but Ji Kongqing seemed to be the type who was very traditional, serious, and demanded that life be orderly and under control. 

But Lu Xi clearly wasn’t. 

Although he had a well-behaved face, he was naturally rebellious. Coming out, studying art, studying abroad at his own expense, after high school, Lu Xi only ran towards the direction he wanted to grow, and there was no such thing as following a set path in his life. 

He could even do things like live-streaming suggestive drawings, which would be considered absolutely unconventional by his elders—even without showing his face. 

Lu Xi didn’t know what he wanted, but he knew what he didn’t want. 

Ji Kongqing keenly sensed that Lu Xi’s gaze had cooled down, no longer the bright and shining look he had when they first entered and chatted later. 

He frowned slightly, quickly reviewing the topics they had just discussed, and accurately pinpointed that Lu Xi’s change occurred after they exchanged information about their professions. 

But Ji Kongqing didn’t understand where the problem was. 

In his opinion, it was just a normal exchange of information. 

After that, the two simply chatted briefly, from their overlapping memories of junior and senior high school to their experiences after graduation.