When Tang Mian got up to leave, Liu Peilian from the next table called out to her, “Tang Mian~ I’ll give your hair tie back when we get to class later.”

Tang Mian smiled sweetly. “No need, you can keep it~”

Xu Xing didn’t pay much attention to the exchange. He held the utensils with mixed feelings, walking behind Lu Che but keeping a two-arm distance.

He really didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea that he and Lu Che were close.

When they arrived at the tray return station, only a few students were there. Everyone was taking their time dumping leftovers and placing trays in the bins, while the two cafeteria workers leisurely chatted as they collected the trays.

After Lu Che placed his tray down, he turned around to wait for Xu Xing to catch up and asked, “Class rep, are you heading back to the dorms?”

Xu Xing replied, “No.”

Lu Che said, “I’m going back to the dorms to grab a power bank.”

Xu Xing answered nonchalantly, “Oh.”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that their conversation was strange. Why does Lu Che need to inform me if he’s going back to the dorms to grab a power bank? And what’s with the “I’m going back to the dorms first”—it sounds like there’s more to come.

When Tang Mian and Wang Zicong caught up, they saw Xu Xing standing at the cafeteria entrance with a frown, waiting for them.

Tang Mian asked, “Hey, Xu Xing, where’s Lu Che?”

Her tone had a hint of excitement.

Xu Xing responded casually, “He left, of course.”

“Oh.”

Tang Mian was a little disappointed. She had hoped that if they walked back to class with Lu Che, they would receive envious glances from the girls.

The three of them walked leisurely back to the classroom, with Tang Mian chatting the entire way, discussing trivial and gossipy topics, eventually bringing up Huang Mengjiao.

Tang Mian asked, “Hey, do you think most guys like girls like Huang Mengjiao?”

Xu Xing replied absentmindedly, “She’s alright.”

Wang Zicong, on the other hand, thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t think I’d like her.”

When it came to matters of the heart, Tang Mian usually didn’t take Wang Zicong’s opinions seriously.

Even though Wang Zicong had a girlfriend, Tang Mian believed his world revolved around food. To her, Wang Zicong only found a girlfriend so they could take advantage of couple’s discounts at restaurants. She wouldn’t be surprised if his girlfriend won him over by offering snacks.

Tang Mian turned to Xu Xing and said, “Right? She’s delicate and soft-spoken, seems like someone you’d want to take care of, right?”

Xu Xing wasn’t particularly moved by Tang Mian’s description. Trying to avoid the topic, he asked, “Why? Did she offend you?”

Tang Mian shrugged and said, “I just can’t stand her.”

Huang Mengjiao and Liu Peilian lived in the dorm next to Tang Mian’s. Huang Mengjiao came from a wealthy family, and it showed. Every time it was her turn to carry the Water Jag for the dorm, she would always drag Liu Peilian along to help her.

Saying “help” was an understatement; it was more like Liu Peilian doing all the heavy lifting while Huang Mengjiao just stood around getting in the way. All she would do was say, “Peilian, you’re so strong! I can’t lift this on my own.”

Tang Mian also disliked Huang Mengjiao because of her thoughtless, tactless remarks. Last semester, Tang Mian had gone to visit Liu Peilian’s dorm, and they were all chatting and laughing. Tang Mian joked about how she had eaten nothing but steamed buns for a month to save up for a skincare set, and how she’d been using it for over a year, slathering it on her face to make sure it didn’t expire.

It was meant to be a funny story, but then Huang Mengjiao, with her soft, delicate voice, said, “Oh, I envy you all so much. My face is so small, I can never use up my skincare products. I’ve never even finished a bottle.”

Tang Mian: “…”

Your face is small, huh?!

So what, you use skincare products with a dab while everyone else uses a basin to scoop it on?

Even now, when Tang Mian talked about it, she still felt angry. She really couldn’t stand that “princess.”

Xu Xing and Wang Zicong couldn’t understand why girls got so upset when another girl made a comment about their face being big. Xu Xing said, “That was ages ago, why are you still hung up on it? How about you remember to wash your hair tonight instead?”

“…”

Tang Mian huffed, “Nope, it’s Saturday today. I’m staying home all day tomorrow, so I’ll wash it tomorrow night.”

Xu Xing gave her a look.

When Tang Mian used to have long hair, she was worse—she only washed it twice a week, once on Sunday night and again on Wednesday. With no classes on the weekends, she’d just embrace her oily hair for two days.

At least now that she had shoulder-length hair, she washed it every other day.

Saturday afternoon had only two classes.

As soon as the bell rang, over half the class scrambled to pack their things and head home for a breather. The school allowed seniors to stay in the dorms, so some students chose to stay and study.

Today, it was Xu Xing and Xiong Huan’s turn to do classroom duty.

Xu Xing took the chalk erasers, covered in a thick layer of white chalk dust, and squatted by the trash bin at the back of the classroom, banging them against the side to shake off the dust. Most of the class had already left, leaving just a few stragglers. Fu Dai, ever the eager helper, followed Xiong Huan around, moving desks and lifting chairs to make it easier for her to sweep.

Lu Che stood by the window, sipping on a carton of sweet milk. His white teeth held the straw in place as he glanced at Fu Dai, who was busy being helpful as always. He felt the urge to step in too but, watching Xu Xing slap the chalk erasers, he couldn’t find a way to offer his help.

Xiong Huan spoke to Fu Dai in her usual cool, distant tone: “Stop following me…”

Her voice was cold, pushing people away.

But only Fu Dai knew that beneath Xiong Huan’s aloof exterior was an even softer heart.

With a smile tugging at his lips, Fu Dai said, “I’m just helping out the class. We should be kind and helpful to one another.”

Ke Di, who was getting ready to leave for his sports training, chimed in with a teasing tone: “Fu Dai, you’re getting shameless. Xu Xing should really give you a gold star for your good deeds in the class log.”

Xu Xing heard this and glanced at Fu Dai, not too bothered. After all, everyone in the class was used to Fu Dai’s obvious efforts to chase after Xiong Huan.

Ke Di picked up his backpack, which held his gym clothes, and said to Fu Dai and Lu Che, “Che-ge, Fu Dai, wait for me after training. Let’s go all out tonight! Oh, and bring Jiang Jize along too.”

Lu Che nodded absentmindedly while still sipping his milk.

Fu Dai, walking beside Xiong Huan, replied, “All you think about is Jiang Jize. Do you even still have a girlfriend? You never bring her out to hang with us.”

Ke Di chuckled, “She’s not into that scene. But I’ll bring Zou Mang along tonight.”

Fu Dai let out a small laugh and didn’t ask further.

Ke Di rummaged through his desk, pulling out two packs of yellow-packaged Panda cigarettes that he’d stashed away.

Grinning, he turned to Lu Che, “Didn’t I say they were hard to find? Well, I managed to score two packs yesterday.”

He then casually asked Xu Xing, “Hey, Class Rep, do you smoke?”

Xu Xing looked up at Ke Di and frowned slightly, “I don’t. The smell of smoke is awful.”

Ke Di, hearing that, gestured towards Xu Xing with a welcoming motion, “See? This is what a proper class rep looks like—a model student for all of us.”

Xu Xing sighed, “You should cut back too. Won’t it affect your performance on the physical exam?”

Ke Di scratched his chin, laughing, “I guess it does a little. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have placed only third in the whole city.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Okay, sure, you’re the best.

Ke Di stuffed the two cigarette packs into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to Lu Che, “Che-ge, I’m heading down. Weekends are for unwinding, you know. Our homeroom teacher always says, when it’s time to study, study hard. But when it’s time to play, enjoy yourself to the fullest.”

Having memorized 20 vocabulary words earlier that day with Zou Mang’s help, Ke Di felt it was time to reward himself with some relaxation.

Once Ke Di left, the classroom fell quiet.

By the time Xu Xing finished his cleaning duties, it was just him, Wang Zicong, and Xiong Huan’s desk-mate. Xiong Huan had already left with Fu Dai, and Xu Xing deliberately avoided noticing when Lu Che had slipped away.

Xu Xing and Wang Zicong packed their bags and headed toward the school gate.

Wang Zicong asked, “Xing-xing, are you waiting for the bus? I can give you a ride home.”

There was a bus stop near the school gate, and Xu Xing usually took the bus home.

Xu Xing replied, “No need. My dad’s coming to pick me up.”

Wang Zicong nodded, said goodbye, and headed to the left of the school gate. His family always sent a driver to pick him up, and the car was always a luxury one. Wang Zicong preferred not to be the center of attention, so he usually asked the driver not to park right at the gate.

The school gate was spacious, so the driver waited in a quieter spot a bit further away. But it was still a bit of a walk, and Wang Zicong, feeling a bit sluggish, stopped halfway and pulled out a Snickers bar from his pocket for a quick energy boost to make it the rest of the way.

Not long after Wang Zicong left, Xu Xing’s dad arrived.

Xu Xing got into the front passenger seat, buckled his seatbelt, and immediately heard his dad ask, “Is there anything you want to eat? We can pick something up on the way home. But we have to be quick—your mom called and said your cousin is at our place, waiting to borrow the car.”

Xu Xing had wanted to stop by the supermarket to buy some candy for Xu Yin, but hearing this, he said, “Nothing really, let’s just head home.”

The supermarket Xu Yin liked wasn’t far from home, so he could walk there tomorrow.

Though it was a Saturday, they were lucky. Since Xu Xing got out of school early, the usual crowd was still out having fun, and they made it home without hitting much traffic.

When they arrived home, Xu Xing’s cousin was already sitting in the living room, legs crossed.

Xu Xing changed his shoes at the entrance and politely greeted him, “Hello, Uncle.”

Xu Xing’s mom, busy in the kitchen, popped her head out when she heard Xu Xing return and asked, “Xing-xing, do you want dinner or hot pot tonight?”

Xu Xing replied, “Hot pot, please.”

Xu Xing’s dad entered the living room, handed the car keys to his brother-in-law, and asked, “Where are you off to in such a rush? How about staying for dinner first?”

His uncle took the keys and said, with a hint of sarcasm, “I’m just saying, brother, Xu Xing is already this old, and you still drive to pick him up after school on the weekends?”

Xu Xing’s dad scratched his head and replied, “Well, I’m off on weekends, so I might as well.”

The uncle continued, “Aren’t you spoiling the kid? There’s a bus stop right at the city school’s gate, and the route goes straight home. Xu Xing’s a boy; how can you raise him to be so pampered?”

Xu Xing, listening, was completely bewildered: “…”

Before his dad could respond, Xu Xing’s mom came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face, but her words were sharp as she shot back, “It’s not that the kid’s spoiled. I’m the one who’s picky. I just can’t help spoiling my child, no matter how much I do. If I saw his dad just sitting around and not going to pick him up, I’d be upset.”

The uncle: “…”

She continued, “We bought the car back then specifically so we could easily pick up the kids from school. If we hadn’t, you wouldn’t even be able to borrow it now.”

The uncle: “…”

Feeling his sister-in-law was unreasonable, he didn’t wait for Xu Xing’s dad to insist further and left with the car keys.

After he left, Xu Xing’s dad complained to his wife, “Why did you have to speak like that…”

Even though Xu Xing’s dad felt that his wife’s words were a bit harsh, he hadn’t corrected her in front of his brother.

Xu Xing’s mom huffed, “My son—how I choose to spoil him is my business! Who does he think he is to have an opinion about it? He’s got a lot of nerve.”

She nudged her husband aside, then softened her tone when she turned to Xu Xing. “Xing Xing, are you hungry? How about having a bowl of soup first?”

Xu Xing agreed, put down his school bag, and followed his mom into the kitchen.

At Xu Xing’s house, “hot pot” didn’t mean the usual spicy, red soup base, but rather a clear broth where they’d dip beef and lamb, and eat it with spicy dry seasonings on the side.

Even though the hot pot was mild, after the meal, Xu Xing found himself in the bathroom for a long time, unable to go.

Constipation tends to irritate people, and as Xu Xing sat at his desk, the more he forced himself to focus on studying and doing homework, the more suffocated he felt.

He stood up and paced around the living room.

Xu Xing had a habit: whenever he felt restless, he would go for a run, sweat it out, then take a hot shower to feel much better.

He glanced at the big clock in the living room—it was 9:30. Nighttime was a good time for a run, so he called out to his dad from the inner room, “Dad, I’m going out for a run.”

Xu Xing’s mom hadn’t come back yet from dancing in the square. His dad, who was the only one home, replied from the study where he was watching the news, “Alright, but don’t come back too late.”

“Okay.”

Feeling like carrying his phone was a hassle, Xu Xing tucked a hundred-yuan bill into his pocket, put on his running shoes, and headed out for some fresh air.

On weekend nights, the streets outside were much livelier than the residential area.

Xu Xing ran along the riverside in the park for two and a half laps. When he felt the frustration inside him evaporate with his sweat, he slowed to a walk.

Before heading home, he took a detour to stop by the supermarket and pick up some candy for Xu Yin, planning to send it to her the next day.

That particular supermarket was located in a bustling part of the city’s entertainment district, near a cinema and KTV. Not far from it was the city’s most famous Evening Show bar, where the whole avenue remained brightly lit and lively all night.

Xu Yin had only asked Xu Xing to send her one box of candy, but when he reached the supermarket, he carefully checked the production dates on the candy boxes, estimating how many to buy based on how quickly she ate them.

After buying the candy, he carried the extra plastic bag he’d paid 50 cents for and headed home. Passing by the bar entrance, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Xu Xing slowed his steps.

It was someone he least wanted to meet, yet always seemed to run into.

Xu Xing hadn’t been paying attention earlier—after all, people drunk and causing trouble outside bars were a common sight. Passersby tended to keep their heads down, avoiding eye contact to prevent being mistaken for provoking a drunk. Although the bar had security at the door, it was always better to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

It wasn’t until he recognized the person in front of him as Lu Che that the two were only about three meters apart.

Lu Che stood under a streetlamp, the orange glow casting a soft light on his brown hair.

Xu Xing decided to pretend nothing had happened and casually (yet stealthily) walk around him, but—

Before he could act, a girl with a curvy figure strode past him and walked straight up to Lu Che. Her voice was sugary sweet, and she used the most practiced line to flirt, “Hey handsome, are you here alone?”

“…”

Xu Xing witnessed the whole scene, and the only question running through his mind was: “Sis, you saw us both from behind. Why’d you skip me and head straight for Lu Che? And how can you assume someone’s handsome just from their back?”

Xu Xing was speechless for a moment, but then quickly let it go. He figured it was probably because he was still wearing his high school uniform pants.

Lu Che, hearing someone flirting, lifted his head with an indifferent expression and turned around.

He squinted, his hair a bit tousled, and held a cigarette between his thin lips.

The girl who had approached him froze for a moment.

Lu Che’s cold, handsome face was partly obscured by smoke, making it even more mysterious and irresistibly attractive. Passersby couldn’t help but steal glances at him. Perhaps it was because of the cool autumn evening breeze, but his frosty demeanor seemed to put more distance between him and those around him.

However, Lu Che’s gaze didn’t stay on the girl. It shifted past her to land on the figure behind her—Xu Xing. His expression immediately became confused.

Lu Che was dazed for a couple of seconds before suddenly realizing something. He hurriedly took the cigarette from his mouth and hid it behind him.

Xu Xing: “…”

What on earth was this?

Seeing the handsome guy looking in her direction, the girl, thinking he was giving her the green light, tried to take another step forward and link arms with him, only to be startled by Lu Che’s cold “Get lost,” which left her standing frozen in place. Embarrassed, she quickly left.

It was only because of the girl’s sudden approach that Lu Che snapped out of his daze. Realizing it was too late to hide the cigarette, he awkwardly stubbed it out on the trash can beside him.

Xu Xing, who had nearly bolted at the first sight of Lu Che, had managed to suppress the urge to run. His conscience was clear—there was no need to flee.

Lu Che’s gaze fell on the supermarket bag in Xu Xing’s hand, and he greeted him with a small smile, “Good evening, Class President~^[1]Xu Xing is a Class monitor that also means, class president or class representative so please don’t get confused.”

His demeanor and attitude had completely changed, with no sign of the indifferent expression from before or the cold attitude he’d shown the girl.

Xu Xing responded perfunctorily, “Evening.”

As he tried to leave, Lu Che called out to him, “Class President, you live around here, right? Mind letting me crash at your place for the night?”

Without hesitation, Xu Xing replied, “No.”

Despite being flatly rejected, Lu Che wasn’t upset. He shamelessly added, “Just consider it an act of charity. You can do whatever you want to me tonight—how about it?”

Xu Xing frowned and snapped, “Are you crazy or something?”

He tried to walk around Lu Che, who blocked his path again. Xu Xing wrinkled his nose, detecting a faint whiff of alcohol mixed with a trace of cigarette smoke from Lu Che.

While Xu Xing usually hated the smell of smoke, the alcohol on Lu Che’s breath seemed to mask it a bit.

Lu Che, feeling a little weak after being bumped into by Xu Xing, realized that if he kept teasing, Xu Xing might actually leave, and he wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Weighing the pros and cons, Lu Che finally said seriously, “Class President, I’m being honest here. I lost my phone, don’t have any money for a cab, and the school locks its doors at ten. Without cash or an ID, I can’t even check into a hotel.” He sighed dramatically. “What do you think I was doing earlier? Staring at the traffic, stressing so hard I’m about to lose all my hair.”

Xu Xing listened, subconsciously reaching into his pocket, and then realized he also forgot to bring his phone. Frowning, he said, “Just borrow a phone from a passerby and call someone to come pick you up.”

Lu Che said pitifully, “How am I supposed to remember Ke di’s number? Besides, they’re all drunk, and they’ve already moved on to the next place.”

Xu Xing, being the class monitor of Class 7, knew that Lu Che wasn’t a local; he had transferred here for high school and only knew a few friends from school in the city.

Before Xu Xing could come up with something else to say, Lu Che added, “Zhou Mang didn’t come with us, though. He’s studying at school and can’t come out because of the curfew.”

“…”

Xu Xing frowned tightly and asked suspiciously, “Did you really lose your phone? Could it have been left at the bar? Why not go back and look?”

As soon as Lu Che stepped into the bar, he’d definitely turn around and run.

Lu Che said with a hint of sorrow, “I never took my phone out to play with at the bar. Sigh, I don’t even have a girlfriend or anything important to check, so it was probably stolen.”

At this moment, Xu Xing suddenly thought—damn! Lu Che’s phone was gone, and his recordings were gone too!

Was he an idiot? Why was he even encouraging Lu Che to go back to find his phone?

Once Xu Xing connected these dots, he felt a surge of happiness and tried hard not to show his schadenfreude. But he still pretended to care and asked cautiously, “It’ll be a hassle to change phones. What about the photos and stuff stored on your phone? Do you have iCloud backups?”

Lu Che tilted his head slightly and asked, “What’s that?”

Xu Xing instantly felt good: this lowlife doesn’t even know what iCloud is, ha ha, how funny.

Xu Xing reached into his pocket and realized he had only a little spare change left. While it was enough for Lu Che to take a taxi back to school, he also knew that there was a curfew. That little money wouldn’t even cover a hotel, and without an ID, who would let you stay?

After weighing the options again, he reluctantly decided to take Lu Che home. What bad luck he had! Maybe it was because Lu Che got into trouble that the red thread had pulled him over to help.

Thinking of the red thread, Xu Xing consoled himself: Who knows? When Lu Che falls asleep tonight, maybe the red thread will appear, and then it can be unraveled!?

Xu Xing thought it was a beautiful idea.

Meanwhile, Lu Che stood in the night breeze and coughed softly.

He had drunk quite a bit tonight, and the alcohol was starting to take effect.

The night breeze was indeed a bit chilly. Xu Xing reluctantly said to him, “Let’s go.”

Xu Xing walked ahead, and Lu Che held his fist to his mouth and coughed softly, a smile barely concealed at the corners of his lips as he followed Xu Xing.

After Xu Xing walked a few meters, he heard intermittent coughing behind him. He was annoyed and thought, how bothersome, and then he stopped at the roadside, seeing Lu Che looking at him in confusion. Xu Xing irritably said, “Take a taxi back.”

After explaining, Xu Xing added, “I just ran, and my legs are still numb.”

Lu Che agreed, his head gradually growing heavy, and he didn’t reply, waiting with Xu Xing at the roadside for a taxi.

Xu Xing hailed a cab, and when he and Lu Che got into the back seat, the driver glanced back in the rearview mirror and said, “Hey, buddy, your friend is drunk, right? You got your shopping bag ready? Just make sure he doesn’t puke in my car.”

Xu Xing finally turned to look at Lu Che under the streetlights and found that his complexion was indeed not good.

“Got it,” he replied.

Lu Che leaned against the cushion, turning his head toward Xu Xing, softly saying, “Class monitor, I can hold my liquor. When I get drunk, I just want to sleep, so I won’t be bothersome.”

After saying this, Lu Che chuckled lightly and said, “If Cody gets drunk, he hugs and kisses anyone he sees.”

While saying this, his gaze unconsciously fell on Xu Xing’s lips, catching the outline of those thin lips in the flowing light of the passing cars outside the window.

Xu Xing propped his chin on his hand, gazing out the window absently, casually replying, “We’re all in our senior year; how can they still act so recklessly?”

Lu Che chuckled softly, “Otherwise, what would I do if I stayed at school? It’d be boring.”

Xu Xing rolled his eyes at the view outside the window and replied, “Studying can fill all your emptiness and loneliness, thanks.”

Lu Che only smiled and didn’t answer, resting his head against the cushion with his eyes closed.

By the time Xu Xing brought Lu Che back home, it was nearly eleven o’clock. Xu Mom hadn’t returned yet, and Xu Dad was in the living room watching TV, passing the time waiting for her.

Xu Xing entered the house, changed his shoes, and casually pulled a pair of large indoor slippers off the rack and tossed them in front of Lu Che, turning to his dad and saying, “Dad, I’m back.”

When Xu Dad heard the door open, he turned to look, his gaze falling on the boy behind Xu Xing.

Xu Xing explained, “This is my classmate. He’s a boarding student, and he lost his phone when he came out. He almost ended up stranded on the street, but he ran into me. Our school has a curfew, and he can’t go back at this hour, so he’s going to stay at our place for one night.”

The way Xu Xing said “ran into me” was quite unwilling. If this were before, he wouldn’t have any doubts, but now that he knew about the red thread, he felt that any coincidence was highly suspect.

Lu Che followed Xu Xing and politely greeted Xu Dad, “Hello, uncle, I’m Lu Che.”

Xu Dad nodded in response, “Hello.”

Xu Xing led Lu Che back to his room, and all his earlier discomfort was washed away by his self-brainwashing: “If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?”

Lu Che’s head started to feel heavy, and he didn’t carefully examine Xu Xing’s room. He sat at the foot of Xu Xing’s bed and, feeling a bit frustrated, said, “I can’t believe I ended up meeting your dad while drunk for the first time.”

Impressions definitely dropped to a new low.

Xu Xing didn’t catch the meaning behind Lu Che’s words at first and busily pulled a sleeping bag from his wardrobe, tossing it to Lu Che, saying, “You’ll sleep in this. With that smell of smoke and alcohol on you, I don’t want to spend my rare day off tomorrow washing sheets and blankets.”

Lu Che had no complaints and gladly accepted the sleeping bag.

However, after giving the sleeping bag, Xu Xing suddenly regretted it: what if the red thread really appeared later? Wouldn’t he just be making it harder for himself to untie the red thread?

Xu Xing scratched his head in frustration, pushed open the door, and wanted to go to Xu Yin’s room to dig through the bedding, but was called back by his dad.

Xu Dad had brewed a cup of honey water and handed it to Xu Xing, saying, “Take it in for your classmate.”

Xu Dad could tell right away that Lu Che had been drinking; he didn’t mind too much. Boys will be boys; it’s fine to drink a little. He was starting to worry that since Xu Xing didn’t like drinking, there would be no one to drink with him at home in the future.

Xu Xing nodded and took the honey water into Lu Che.

When he entered, Lu Che had already wrapped himself in the sleeping bag. He was just a few centimeters taller than Xu Xing, so whatever Xu Xing could use, he could manage as well.

Xu Xing placed the honey water on the bedside and said, “My dad made this for you. Drink it before you sleep. You can hurry back to school tomorrow morning as soon as you wake up.”

Lu Che’s reaction was a beat slow, and he responded with an “Okay,” just as Xu Xing turned to leave.

Instead of going to Xu Yin’s room, Xu Xing took a turn into the bathroom.

Squatting down, he couldn’t help but marvel that he had been constipated for so long, but after running back, it all cleared up…

Indeed, life comes from movement.

After Xu Xing finished his business and took a shower, he returned to his room to find Lu Che quietly asleep, and the honey water he had left on the bedside was already finished.

Xu Xing took the empty cup to the kitchen. Before leaving, he turned off the lights in the room, leaving only a small nightlight on.

It was almost eleven-thirty, and Xu’s mom still hadn’t returned home. Xu’s dad sat in the living room, bored and flipping through channels repeatedly.

When he saw Xu Xing wake up, he said, “You should go to bed early.”

Xu Xing responded with a laugh and returned to his room. He initially thought that once his parents were asleep, he would sneak into Xu Yin’s bed for a quick nap. Although he felt confident, the idea of lying in the same bed as Lu Che was something he just couldn’t get past in his mind.

Xu Yin had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and had explicitly forbidden anyone from sleeping in her bed even when she wasn’t home. Even family members were excluded from this rule—only Xu’s mom was allowed, while Xu’s dad and Xu Xing himself were kept out.

If Xu Xing were to sleep in Xu Yin’s room in front of Xu’s dad, he would definitely be stopped. Xu’s dad wouldn’t understand why he was unwilling to sleep with Lu Che, and explaining it would only complicate matters further.

At this moment, Xu Xing felt drowsy. He quietly pulled out a small handbook of Chinese language notes from his backpack, sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, resting his chin on the bed surface. While trying to memorize some ancient texts, he listened to the sounds of the tv his father is watching outside.

The ancient texts had a naturally hypnotic effect, and Xu Xing was already sleepy, yawning continuously. As he continued to recite, his eyelids grew heavier, and he inadvertently fell asleep at the foot of the bed.

As Xu Xing was dozing off, the clock on his desk hit 11:45. At that moment, the red thread connecting the two of them slowly began to materialize, like a flower bud blossoming.

The red thread hung down over the bed, glowing faintly red.

Xu’s mom returned home just before midnight. Xu’s dad quietly asked where she had been, his voice low to avoid waking Xu and Lu Che.

As the large clock in the living room struck midnight, with the hour and minute hands overlapping, the red thread once again quietly disappeared.

The next day.

Xu Xing was awakened by a few intentionally suppressed coughs just as dawn broke.

Sitting on the floor, his arms and head resting on the bed, he found the position surprisingly comfortable and ended up sleeping through the night.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he lifted his head to see Lu Che also propped up, sitting up.

Xu Xing was awake but still a bit slow to react when he heard Lu Che’s slightly hoarse voice from last night, gentle as he said, “Class monitor, did you really sleep like this all night? I was just drunk, not bedridden…”

Xu Xing was momentarily stunned, not quite processing the situation. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “No, I didn’t.”

He felt around the bed, worried that he might have drooled on the mattress.

Lu Che unzipped the sleeping bag and reached out to touch Xu’ Xing’s cheek, his thumb gently stroking his face.

Xu Xing immediately snapped, “What are you doing!?”

He recoiled, avoiding Lu Che’s hand, his brows furrowed tightly.

Lu Che merely intended to give him a light rub on the face. Xu Xing had slept at the foot of the bed all night, and his face bore the imprints left by his arm and the bedspread.

As Lu Che looked at Xu Xing, his gaze was so gentle that it sent shivers down Xu Xong’s spine.

---

The author has something to say: In the last chapter, a friend mentioned that they couldn’t distinguish between the two girls in the love triangle, Huang Mengjiao and Liu Peilian. The latter sounds like “Liu Peilian,” which is quite sad, isn’t it?