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Xu Xing felt uncomfortable under Lu Che’s gaze, unsure of what had gotten into him, and said irritably, “What’ is it?”

Lu Che’s eyes were full of tenderness as he softly said, “I was just thinking, you’re really great.”

Xu Xing was caught off guard by Lu Che’s words, saying, “Are you crazy? What did I do? I just accidentally fell asleep while memorizing ancient texts! What’s so great about that?”

Lu Che thought Xu Xing was being stubborn and didn’t argue back, smiling helplessly as he said, “I don’t care; I just think you’re great. No matter what you do, I think you’re good.”

Lu Che’s brain wasn’t quite right after drinking last night, but he still remembered everything that had happened. Now, recalling the finer details, he realized that Xu Xing had decided to take a taxi because he was coughing and had specifically mentioned his legs were sore from walking and that he didn’t want to walk.

If Xu Xing hadn’t patient with him at some point, Lu Che might not have noticed.

Xu Xing: “…”

He felt a complex mix of emotions, for the first time wishing to hear someone say they like him.

Frustrated, Xu Xing pounded his thigh, too lazy to explain further to Lu Che.

The room’s window was only slightly open, and since the indoor temperature is not that cold, Xu Xing had managed to sleep without catching a cold, while Lu Che had broken into a light sweat.

The room was quiet for a while, only the sound of Xu Xing pounding his thigh could be heard.

Lu Che suddenly called out to him, “Class monitor.”

Xu Xing glanced at him, signaling with an impatient look for him to hurry up.

Lu Che dropped his playful teasing and seriously said to Xu Xing, “I really think you’re great, but I hope you can give me a bit more time to think about things, okay?”

Xu Xing paused his leg-pounding at this, looking confused: “What do you need to think about?”

Although Lu Che didn’t say it outright, the implication in his words was clear. Xu Xing’s inquiry aimed to confirm that he hadn’t misunderstood Lu Che’s intentions.

However, Lu Che heard Xu Xing’s response as something akin to, “If you think I’m so great, why do you need to think about it? Am I just giving you an easy opportunity here?”

It was simple and straightforward.

Lu Che chuckled, “It’s just because you’re too great; I feel insecure and worried that I might not be good enough for you.”

Only then did Xu Xing realize that his words could be misunderstood and bluntly stated, “Are you out of your mind? I don’t like you! What are you even thinking about?”

Lu Che said, “I won’t allow you to say that about yourself.”

Xu Xing: “You don’t have to think about it!”

‘I won’t allow you to say that about yourself.’

In essence:

‘I’m actually thinking about you.’

Once the logic was realized, Lu Che’s seemingly nonsensical words suddenly came off as incredibly endearing.

Xu: “…”

Suddenly receiving a ‘good guy card’ felt very complex for Xu Xing: probably no one would feel wronged to receive a good guy card, and no one would not feel good about getting one—just like him he found Lu Che somewhat more pleasing to the eye now after the compliment he said.

Xu Xing suddenly thought Lu Che’s temper was really good, and he felt a bit sorry for him: he was a perfectly cool school hunk, troubled by repeated encounters with the same sex, all while being entangled with a male admirer, which turned his life into a chaotic mess. But Lu Che still didn’t get angry but instead being careful to consider Xu Xing’s feelings, afraid of hurting his little heart.

Xu Xing then thought that while it was frustrating to be controlled by the red thread, Lu Che was an indirect victim. If they were in each other’s shoes, Xu Xing wouldn’t be able to handle it calmly.

Seeing Xu Xing not respond, Lu Che continued to coax, “You don’t need to avoid me deliberately anymore. Whether you act on impulse or let things happen naturally, it’s fine. Always avoiding me won’t help; the more you try to avoid it, the more you’ll care. Surely, your tired too, right?”

Lu Che’s last seven words really struck a chord with Xu Xing.

It was more than just mental exhaustion; it was almost despair.

Lu Che’s few sentences hit Xu Xing hard, stirring up an indescribable emotion within him. He felt that Lu Che was incredibly understanding and reasonable.

Xu Xing couldn’t imagine how the Red Thread would continue to create trouble, and he still couldn’t explain to Lu Che that it wasn’t his intention. But Lu Che’s words provided him with some breathing space.

The biggest impact the Red Thread had on Xu Xing was actually Lu Che’s reaction. Now that both parties had come to an understanding, what was there to worry about?

Xu Xing’s thoughts were racing, like a brewing storm, but eventually, everything settled down.

He sat on the floor, looking up at Lu Che, and all his gratitude condensed into one simple sentence: “I suddenly think you’re quite a good person.”

Lu Che couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Since you think I’m a good person, would you mind lending me some clothes? I’ve sweated through mine and want to take a shower.”

Xu Xing replied, “Sure.”

He got up from the floor, rummaged through his wardrobe for a set of sportswear for Lu Che, and went to the storage cabinet outside to grab a new towel and toothbrush for him.

While Lu Che took a shower, Xu Xing went to wash up in the bathroom outside.

Hearing the commotion, Mother Xu got up early too. When Xu Xing mentioned that his classmate was awake, she went to the kitchen to prepare a pot of millet porridge, remembering that Father Xu had mentioned it the night before.

After showering, Lu Che emerged from the bathroom, fresh and dressed in Xu Xing’s clothes, drying his wet hair with a towel.

When Xu Xing walked in, he glanced at Lu Che. The top fit well, but the pants were a little short. Xu Xing said, “Let’s go eat breakfast; my mom made millet porridge.”

Lu Che looked at the time—eight o’clock—and asked, “Did I wake your parents?”

Xu Xing shrugged. “No, we usually eat breakfast around this time.”

Only then did Lu Che relax.

Father Xu had also gotten up and was sitting in the living room watching TV, the sound of the morning news filling the air.

Lu Che walked over to greet him, “Good morning, Uncle.”

Father Xu smiled and replied, “Morning. Feeling better?”

Lu Che nodded, “Just needed some sleep. Sorry for bothering you last night.”

Father Xu responded, “Not a bother at all; it’s fine.”

Mother Xu heard the conversation and walked out from the kitchen with a pot of millet porridge, cheerfully saying, “Are you hungry? Come over and have some porridge; it’s good for your stomach.”

Xu Xing helped by grabbing bowls and chopsticks, walking behind her.

Lu Che was very well-behaved in front of his elders, politely saying, “Thank you, Auntie.”

After breakfast, Lu Che prepared to head back to school, claiming, “I need to go back to study.”

Xu Xing sent him to the door, teasing, “Wow, heading back to school to study, huh?”

Lu Che chuckled, “What can I say? Diligent high school students are the ones everyone loves.”

Lu Che felt that although Xu Xing’s parent’s were not bothered by his drunken state and even showed extra concern, he shouldn’t take advantage of their kindness. He had to at least pretend to be a good student to avoid leaving a bad impression on them.

Xu Xing intertwined his fingers behind his head and hummed, not responding.

Though Lu Che appeared carefree, he consistently ranked in the upper-middle of the class, especially excelling in math and physics, scoring high grades as if it were effortless. Otherwise, the homeroom teacher wouldn’t have directly asked him to be the physics representative at the start of the semester.

After sending Lu Che off, Xu Xing completed his task, waved goodbye, and went back to help Xu Yin sort out her things, asking his mom to send Xu Yin a package.

His mother inquired about Lu Che, saying, “So Lu Che is from City A? Isn’t it tough for him to study here alone?”

Xu Xing shrugged. “It’s not that bad.”

With today’s convenient transportation, it only takes about an hour on the light rail to cross two cities. The time and distance aren’t much of an issue; maybe Lu Che just doesn’t feel like going back.

Xu Xing didn’t think much of it.

That evening, His parent’s took Xu Xing to his aunt’s house for dinner, and Xu Xing sent a text to the homeroom teacher, asking for leave from evening study.

The next day.

His father drove Xu Xing back to school early in the morning. Xu Xing ran into Xiong Huan at the school gate. The two greeted each other and went to class together. Xiong Huan was quiet, while Xu Xing was distracted, leaving them walking in silence.

As soon as Xu Xing entered the classroom, he was taken aback: although the faces were familiar, the seating had been rearranged.

“Xingxing~”

Wang Zicong was sitting by the window, waving his chubby hand at Xu Xing.

Hearing his voice, Xu Xing turned and recognized Wang Zicong, making his way to the fourth row. But his gaze couldn’t help but drift to the last two desks in the first row: the two who used to sit behind Xu Xing were now seated behind Tang Mian.

Tang Mian waved goodbye to Xu Xing: “Xingxing, don’t forget to think of me…”

Xu Xing was puzzled about why the seating was so mixed up. As he reached the fourth row, he saw Lu Che leaning against the wall by the window, arms resting on the desks in front and behind him, holding a small box of sweet milk and sipping from a straw. Upon seeing Xu Xing, he smiled and said, “Good morning, Class Monitor.”

And Fu Dai greeted Xu Xing from behind him: “Good morning, Xiong Huan.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Xiong Huan: “…”

Although Xu Xing told himself to stay calm around Lu Che, he still felt a bit awkward when he unexpectedly found Lu Che sitting behind him. Furrowing his brow, he asked, “Why are you sitting here?”

Lu Che casually pointed to Fu Dai with his chin and said, “For my deskmate, of course.”

Fu Dai’s gaze followed Xiong Huan, and upon hearing this, he turned to Xu Xing and suggested, “Class Monitor, how about we switch seats?”

“…”

Xu Xing awkwardly chuckled, waving his hand, “No, no.”

He didn’t press further. Wang Zicong stood up to let Xu Xing sit in. As Xu Xing took his seat, he felt like there was a thorn in his back, feeling very uncomfortable.

Just as Xu Xing set his backpack down, the loudspeaker played the athlete’s march melody, signaling that Monday’s morning assessment would be on the playground to raise the flag. The homeroom teacher promptly appeared at the front door to gather everyone for the assembly.

Under the homeroom teacher’s urging, the classmates reluctantly began to move outside.

Xu Xing and Wang Zicong waited until most of the class had left before heading downstairs. As they walked, Wang Zicong said, “You didn’t come for last night’s study session, so the seating was rearranged. The first and second groups switched, while the third and fourth groups adjusted. However, because Ke Di and Zhou Mang’s desk didn’t need to move, Lu Che and Fu Dai said they wouldn’t switch, so only the last desk of the other three groups changed places.”

There were a total of 66 students in their class, with the first three groups each having eight desks, and only the fourth group had an extra desk for Ke Di and Zhou Mang.

Xu Xing muttered under his breath, “This is probably another mess caused by the Red Thread.”

As Xu Xing and Wang Zicong walked slowly, they found their class’s line on the playground and stood at the back of the boys’ line.

The athlete’s march echoed across the playground, and the classes that had arrived earlier were whispering among themselves.

The person at the front was Ke Di, who was hanging onto Zhou Mang’s back, almost clinging to her shoulder.

Xu Xing: “…”

Wang Zicong spoke softly and plaintively, “Tang Mian got moved. Since you didn’t come last night, I had no one to talk to.”

This directly led to Wang Zicong eating twice as many snacks last night.

Xu Xing replied, “I went to my aunt’s house with my parents for dinner last night.”

Wang Zicong’s look of grievance didn’t last long, as he continued, “When I went home on Saturday, my dad said I looked thinner. Did you notice?”

His tone lifted slightly, and happiness seeped through his words. This was because Dad Wang said that after he lost weight, he would treat Wang Zicong to a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

Xu Xing snorted in response, pinching Wang Zicong’s cheek and saying, “You know whether you’ve lost weight or not, don’t you?”

Wang Zicong’s face was plump, fair, and smooth, with a bouncy texture that felt nice to pinch.

At that moment, the broadcast of the athlete’s march stopped, and the director stood on the flag-raising platform with a microphone, asking everyone to be quiet and to maintain an arm’s length distance in formation. The students in front started to step back, and Xu Xing followed suit, only to accidentally step on the foot of the person behind him.

Xu Xing didn’t fall but was caught by the person behind him.

A magnetic voice, laced with laughter, said, “Class leader, you bumped into me.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Lu Che rested his chin on Xu Xing’s shoulder.

Xu Xing shrugged his shoulder, speechless. “Come on… this is too much, isn’t it?”

Lu Che kept his eyes closed and said, “Just let me lean on you, class leader; I’m about to fall asleep.”

“…”

Xu Xing impatiently said, “Get off.”

Lu Che sighed mournfully and said, “Class leader, you’re at it again. I’ve told you not to be overly cautious. Look at Ke Di and Zhou Mang; they’re so close together.”

Xu Xing felt a bit guilty after hearing this and replied, “I just don’t like being too close to others, okay?”

Lu Che replied with a “Oh” and obediently let go.

Just as Xu Xing was about to relax, he heard Lu Che say again, “But you just pinched Wang Zicong’s face. Why don’t you pinch mine too?”

With that, Lu Che tilted his head and leaned his face closer.

“…”

Xu Xing disdainfully avoided him, saying, “Get lost! My deskmate has flesh on his face, so it feels nice to pinch. What’s there to pinch on your face?”

Lu Che’s profile was well-defined, with strong lines, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and a very sexy curve to his lips.

Yet he was outright rejected.

Lu Che couldn’t help but chuckle but still claimed to be heartbroken.

Xu Xing ignored him.

Lu Che couldn’t behave himself for even three seconds; he leaned forward again, resting on Xu Xing’s shoulder, and softly whispered in Xu Xing’s ear, “Why don’t you pinch my butt instead? My butt has more flesh than my face.”

Afraid Xu Xing wouldn’t believe him, he quickly added, “Really.”

“…”

Xu Xing turned his head back, looking thoroughly disgusted. “Are you out of your mind?”

Lu Che laughed at his own words and, noticing Xu Xing’s reaction, was about to tease him by saying, “But definitely not as fleshy as yours.” However, he swallowed the words back down.

He scratched his nose, averted his gaze, and coughed lightly. “I was just joking.”