Xu Xing never expected that Lu Che would catch him “pushing” Xiao Shun into Jiang Jize earlier; even Xiao Shun, the person involved, didn’t suspect Xu Xing—after all, there’s usually a purpose behind actions, and Xu Xing had no motive for doing that.

Facing Lu Che, Xu Xing’s face paled slightly, his gaze evasive as he defended himself, “Don’t talk nonsense…”

Xu Xing’s eyes darted toward the empty seats not far away—he felt completely blind for not noticing that Lu Che and Kedi were sitting nearby.

He was so focused on diverting Xiao Shun’s attention that he had no idea he was being closely watched.

Xu Xing felt miserable, unable to express his feelings. Anyone who saw his earlier action would think it was strange.

Xu Xing was in a bind and unsure whether only Lu Che saw him push Xiao Shun or if everyone at Lu Che’s table saw it, so he didn’t dare easily contradict Lu Che.

It’s hard to argue, and words alone can’t quiet the crowd; moreover, even if Xu Xing’s push was under the influence of the red string (of fate), he still couldn’t escape responsibility: if he hadn’t been dazed, the pull of the red string wouldn’t have been irresistible.

Eager to settle the matter, Xu Xing was worried that Lu Che would make a scene in public, making it harder to resolve. After weighing it out, he spoke kindly to Lu Che: “You misunderstood; it’s not what you think…”

Xu Xing felt his own words lacked conviction. If he were to count the misunderstandings between him and Lu Che, he wouldn’t be able to keep track. However—previously, they were purely misunderstandings, and Xu Xing felt no guilt; but this time it was half-true and half-false, leaving Xu Xing uneasy.

Xu Xing was still holding a tray, making it hard to move. He held the tray with one hand and lightly tugged at Lu Che’s sleeve with the other, saying, “Let’s talk over there.”

Worried that Lu Che might resist, he barely pulled on the sleeve, but thankfully Lu Che was cooperative and followed him.

Xu Xing temporarily set the tray on the empty table opposite Kedi. Kedi, scooping a spoonful of scrambled egg rice, was about to eat when he looked up and said, “Oh, it’s the class monitor! Come, sit!”

Kedi was completely oblivious to the situation, which relieved Xu Xing.

Xu Xing replied, “You guys eat first; I need to talk to Lu Che about something…”

As Xu Xing lifted his head, he saw Lu Che with one hand in his pocket, his handsome face looking as sour as a rotten rag, his thin lips pressed together in silence. Xu Xing wasn’t sure if this was a sign of an impending eruption, so he quickly pulled Lu Che outside, finding a secluded spot before pleading earnestly, “We’re friends, I really have no feelings for Jiang Jize. I wasn’t trying to cause trouble; just trust me this one time.”

Lu Che still wore a sulky expression, sneering, “Why aren’t you using your own head as a guarantee this time?”

“Ah?”

Xu Xing didn’t immediately react to this but thought it over and still couldn’t make sense of it. However, since Lu Che had a demand, he agreed, “Alright, alright! I’ll use my head as a guarantee! I truly have no feelings for Jiang Jize! Can you believe me now?”

Lu Che huffed, “Didn’t you just say that Jiang Jize is more handsome than me? If you have no feelings for him, why do you think he’s handsome?”

Hastily, Xu Xing countered, “No, no, he’s not handsome at all.”

But Lu Che still wasn’t satisfied, frowning, “You clearly said he was more handsome than me, and now you say he’s not at all. Are you messing with me? So you’re indirectly saying I’m the ugliest?”

Xu Xing hadn’t anticipated Lu Che would be so relentless. He forced a smile, “No… you’re the most handsome! Super handsome!”

Xu Xing just wanted to placate Lu Che so he wouldn’t spill this incident to Jiang Jize and complicate things further. After all, Xiao Shun “accidentally” bumping into Jiang Jize was entirely different from Xu Xing “intentionally” pushing Xiao Shun to bump into him—one was a chance encounter, while the other was like saying, “Are you looking for a fight?!”

Xu Xing followed Lu Che’s thoughts, saying all the flattering things he could think of, trying to make Lu Che dizzy with praise.

But while Xu Xing kept complimenting him, internally he was rolling his eyes: why was this guy so difficult? Rambling on and on, when would it end?

After Lu Che went on and on, feeling he had pried Xu Xing’s true feelings from him, he finally seemed satisfied. The corners of his mouth, which had been pressed down for a long time, couldn’t help but curve upwards. He rubbed his nose and continued to wear a sour face, saying, “Oh, you said Jiang Jize isn’t handsome and that you have no feelings for him; then you think I’m super handsome, so you must have feelings for me, right?”

Lu Che’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous grin.

Xu Xing: “…”

At first glance, Lu Che’s words seemed very reasonable, utterly flawless. But upon reflection, Xu Xing wanted to yell: What kind of nonsensical logic is this?!

Xu Xing wanted to give Lu Che a good smack on the head to see if it would make a “thump thump thump” sound like a sweet, ripe watermelon.

Suppressing the rising anger within him, Xu Xing took a deep breath and said, “Brother Che, don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare have any thoughts about you. Let’s go back to eat; I’m starving.”

Xu Xing turned to look back at the cafeteria, which showed his exhaustion and reluctance to continue the conversation. However, in Lu Che’s eyes, it seemed like Xu Xing was awkwardly changing the subject.

Lu Che snorted and said mercifully, “Then let’s eat first.”

Xu Xing felt like he had received a great pardon, following Lu Che back to the cafeteria. Just as he was about to pick up his tray, he heard Lu Che say again, “Just sit here and eat.”

“…”

Lu Che was completely unpredictable.

Xu Xing was momentarily stunned and said, “No, my classmate is still waiting for me over there.”

Xu Xing still didn’t get permission and was pushed down into the seat opposite Kedi by Lu Che.

Ke di, sipping his drink through a straw, sat across from Xu Xing with a smile and curiously asked, “Class monitor, what were you discussing with Brother Che?”

Sitting next to Xu Xing, Fu Dai said, “Didn’t the class monitor say he wanted to introduce a girlfriend to A Che?”

“…”

Xu Xing hadn’t forgotten where this rumor started and clearly remembered that he was taking the fall for Wang Zicong’s girlfriend.

—Oh, no, it was Wang Zicong’s girlfriend’s friend.

Xu Xing didn’t want to continue this topic, so he dismissed it and lowered his head to eat. Suddenly, he saw a pair of chopsticks place a large chicken wing onto his tray.

The sound of the fried chicken wing landing in the tray made Xu Xing’s eyelids twitch.

Right now, Xu Xing felt completely bewildered. He looked up at Lu Che, who had another fried chicken wing in his own tray, and casually said, “Aren’t you hungry? I ordered too much and can’t finish it.”

Xu Xing used to not understand how to refuse others’ good intentions, but now that his partner has changed to Lu Che, he feels goosebumps all over and bluntly refuses, “I don’t like eating fried chicken wings…” After saying this, he couldn’t help but add, “But their braised fish is quite good.”

“…”

Lu Che frowned and said, “Why don’t you like it? Didn’t you just mention fried chicken wings in class?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xing realized that Lu Che was referring to the time when the homeroom teacher called him out for having a crush during class. He replied, “No, I was just joking that time. I often order their braised fish; it’s as popular as fried chicken wings. I was worried someone would snatch the braised fish from me, so I brought up the chicken wings.”

Lu Che: “…”

Kedi laughed heartily and said, “Class Monitor, you’re so cunning! If you guys aren’t eating, just give the chicken wings to me.”

Without a second thought, Xu Xing promptly handed the fried chicken wing to Kedi without any hesitation.

Kedi squinted and smiled, “Hey, I’m lucky to be eating chicken wings bought by Brother Che for his girlfriend.”

Xu Xing: “???”

Lu Che: “Shut up.”

Lu Che silently picked up the sweet milk next to him, turning his face away. He bit down on the straw, crushing its tip with his neatly white teeth.

Earlier, Lu Che had been queuing at the food stall and saw that only two pitiful fried chicken wings were left. He overheard someone behind him whisper, “Ah! How come there are only two fried chicken wings left… But it’s okay, even if the people in front ordered, I still have one left.”

Suddenly recalling Xu Xing’s mention of fried chicken wings during class, he blurted out, “I’ll take two fried chicken wings.”

The aunt serving food raised her ladle but didn’t scoop it out, saying in a loud voice, “You can only take one to leave one for the other students!” After she finished speaking and looked up, she saw that this young man was quite handsome, and she immediately smiled and changed her tune, “One for each person. You’re taking two to save one for your little girlfriend, right?”

It was rare for Lu Che to smile, and he raised the corners of his lips, saying, “Yes.”

The aunt responded, “Alright!”

She forcibly added drama to the situation and naturally scooped both fried chicken wings into Lu Che’s plate, leaving the students behind them speechless.

…

After Kedi finished telling Xu Xing this story with a laugh, Lu Che’s face grew even darker.

Xu Xing quietly picked at the food on his plate, not thinking too much about the situation. He was eager to finish his meal as he was still concerned about what was happening with Xiao Shun and Jiang Jize.

On the other side—

Wang Zicong was eating dinner alone with a pitiful expression, glancing back and forth occasionally, hoping Xu Xing would return soon and waiting for Xiao Shun to appear at the door…

Eating dinner alone felt truly lonely, like snow.

Wang Zicong sorrowfully opened his phone, tapped on WeChat, and sent a message to his pinned friend: “Sister, I’m eating dinner in the cafeteria alone, abandoned by my roommates qaq.”

A WeChat message pinged back almost instantly: “Where are you?”

Wang Zicong felt comforted immediately; if he told Xu Xing they wouldn’t believe it: Wang Zicong was being pursued by his girlfriend.

Xu Xing hurriedly finished a plate of food, using helping a classmate pack a takeaway as an excuse, so Lu Che had no reason to stop him. Xu Xing helped Xiao Shun order a sweet barbecue chicken to take back and, before leaving the cafeteria, remembered to say goodbye to Wang Zicong. He noticed a tall and beautiful girl sitting across from Wang Zicong, resting her chin on her hand and watching him eat. Wang Zicong looked shy while eating his meal.

Xu Xing was a mentally healthy male student; although he claimed not to be demanding, that didn’t mean he had no fantasies. Seeing such a scene, he still felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Classmate.”

Xu Xing walked over to Wang Zicong and said without glancing sideways, “I’m taking food for Xiao Shun back to the dorm, I’ll leave first.”

Wang Zicong turned his head upon hearing this and asked, “Oh, what happened to him?”

Xu Xing touched his nose and avoided eye contact, keeping it brief, “He just bumped into someone, and his food spilled.”

Wang Zicong didn’t ask further and replied, “Oh, okay, you go back first.”

Wang Zicong waved his little hand.

Xu Xing returned to the dormitory and knocked on Xiao Shun’s door. Hearing a voice from inside say, “Who is it? Come in,” he opened the door and asked, “Is Xiao Shun here?”

There were three people sitting in the dorm, some were on their phones, while others were reading books. One of the boys shouted toward the balcony, “Xiao Shun, the class monitor is looking for you.”

Xu Xing carried the packed bag and walked out to the balcony.

Xiao Shun was standing by the faucet filling a water bottle. The sound of running water drowned out his roommate’s voice. When he saw Xu Xing, he was surprised and turned the water down a bit, saying, “Class Monitor, thanks, I’ll transfer you the money on Alipay later.”

Xiao Shun was thanking Xu Xing for bringing him food.

Seeing that Xiao Shun was fine, Xu Xing felt a little relieved. His gaze shifted to the school uniform top and pants in Xiao Shun’s basin, which had noticeable stains.

Xu Xing felt a bit awkward and said, “Actually… I’m also responsible for you bumping into Jiang Jize. You go eat, I’ll wash the clothes.”

Xiao Shun didn’t suspect anything, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel that he fell towards Jiang Jize because of the push from behind. However, he naturally classified Xu Xing’s action as an “accident.”

Xiao Shun quickly shook his head and softly said, “I’m fine, Class Monitor. Jiang Jize is a nice person; he just got a bit fierce earlier but didn’t make it hard for me.”

Xu Xing noticed that Xiao Shun was gripping the basin’s handle a little tighter, as if afraid Xu Xing would snatch the task from him.

“…”

Xu Xing couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “What happened after you returned to the dorm with Jiang Jize?”

Xu Xing’s question was quite tactful—

What happened after the red thread disappeared? After forcibly having an intersection with Jiang Jize, what happened? After returning to the dorm with Jiang Jize and getting closer, what happened?

Xu Xing felt as if he had been possessed by the gossip spirit of Tang Mian, wanting to ask everything in detail.

Xiao Shun’s voice was gentle as he focused on the main points, “He changed out of his dirty clothes and gave them to me, saying I need to wash and dry them before returning them by tomorrow night, and then I came back.”

Xu Xing responded, “Oh, that’s good,” but inwardly he was thinking, “Is that it????”

Xu Xing didn’t know what else he wanted from that somewhat regrettable “Is that it,” but at least Jiang Jize didn’t develop any aversion towards Xiao Shun because of his intervention, which Xu Xing considered a blessing.

Xiao Shun lowered his gaze, his eyes resting on the water splashing in the basin.

He didn’t say it out loud, but inside he was secretly delighted: it was the first time Xiao Shun heard Jiang Jize’s deep, cello-like voice pronounce his name—

“You’re in the same class as Lu Che, right? What’s your name?”

“Xiao, Shun, right?”

“Okay, that’s easy to remember.”

Xiao Shun was still a bit dazed as he took Jiang Jize’s dirty clothes and was about to leave when he was suddenly called back. Standing at the dormitory door, he turned back to see Jiang Jize just putting on a shirt, turning his face to the side, and smiling exuberantly at him—

“By the way, Xiao Shun—”

“My name is Jiang Jize.”

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The author has something to say:

1. I fixed a bit in the previous chapter regarding Xu Xing’s non-initiative in pushing someone, qaq.
2. Jiang Jize clearly felt great after changing out of his dirty clothes.
3. I never expected that someone would mention Wang Zicong’s cp being a cross-dressing big shot… This was my initial idea, but it’s not suitable for the main text; it would overshadow it too much, and I’m a bit worried about being cliché. I might write a non-responsible side story later. [covers face]