Xu Xing spent the entire first period of morning self-study sitting in a daze, his mind a tangled mess, filled with thoughts of that fluttering, overly flashy bow.

He even made two trips to the bathroom—

The first time, he was pale as a ghost, clutching his phone. Enduring the shame, he bent down awkwardly to snap a private photo. However, the red string didn’t show up in the photo. Instead, it was his first time seeing his own rear end, which he promptly deleted in embarrassment.

After returning to class and sitting uncomfortably for a while, he couldn’t resist borrowing a small mirror from Tang Mian. On his second trip to the bathroom, he confirmed through a mirror no bigger than his palm that the delicate string was indeed coming out of there.

Although Xu Xing could see the matchmaking strings, he couldn’t touch them anymore. He regretted not ripping it out earlier when he had the chance.

His mind went blank again. But the current situation forced him to think: between the unique way the red string was tied and where it was tied, Xu Xing had a rough idea of what it meant. Still, that didn’t stop him from clinging to a faint hope—What does this string even mean? Just because of this string, does it make me gay today?

Is Lu Che gay?

Is Xiao Shun gay too?

And what about that guy at the back door—could he be gay as well?

These rapid-fire questions exploded in his head, finally allowing Xu Xing to clear the thick fog clouding his thoughts. Whether Lu Che and the others were gay, Xu Xing didn’t know, but one thing was for sure—he was as straight as a velocity-time graph’s constant line: unwavering.

With his thoughts sorted, Xu Xing breathed a huge sigh of relief. Ever since gaining this unique power to see matchmaking lines, this was the first time he truly hoped he would remain single for life, content to go solo and peacefully rest in his coffin alone.

---

Though today was the official start of the new school year, it happened to be a Friday, and they’d have a day off in two days. For the students of Class 7, it felt like a reunion, and no one could get rid of their playful laziness.

When the bell for the first period rang, students started returning to their seats. Whispered conversations between seatmates and those in front and behind continued, a steady hum of chatter filling the room.

At that moment, a tall figure walked onto the podium, catching everyone’s attention. Mistaking him for the teacher, most students wisely quieted down. The brief silence was then broken by a low, magnetic voice laced with amusement, mingling with the sound of the chalkboard eraser tapping the podium: “Ahem, I need to take up a little of your time before class starts to say something.”

The boy standing on the podium was handsome, with a smirk that carried a teasing, roguish air.

Someone familiar with him from the back of the room called out, “Fu Erdai’s treating the whole class on Sunday to celebrate making it to the third year! Remember to show up!”

The boy on the podium was named Fu Dai, the only son of the general manager of a five-star hotel chain. He was definitely the “Fu Erdai” in every sense of the word.

Ignoring his friend’s teasing, Fu Dai stood on the podium, his eyes fixed on one person.

Xu Xing saw it clearly: the red string tied to Fu Dai’s chest was bright.

As for where the other end of the red string led…

Fu Dai, still smirking, said, “Xiong Huan, you look even prettier with your hair in a ponytail.”

“…”

The entire class froze for a second, and then, after someone blew a whistle and thumped the table, everyone started to cheer rowdily in unison.

The students in the front row all turned to look at the leading lady. Among them were boys who secretly admired Xiong Huan, their gazes filled with regret, girls who were either envious or indifferent, and then the onlookers who simply enjoyed the show.

Under the weight of everyone’s gaze, Xiong Huan appeared unbothered as she continued to solve her math problems. However, the tips of her snow-white ears quietly flushed with a pale pink.

The girl sitting in front of Xu Xing was none other than the protagonist of this high-profile confession—Xiong Huan, the class’s Chinese representative. She was beautiful, quiet, and highly intelligent. Despite her aloof demeanor, she had a close relationship with Tang Mian, the class gossip. In fact, Tang Mian was her only close friend.

Xiong Huan’s personality was cold, and some people secretly said she was arrogant and self-important. Although her performance in last semester’s finals was below her usual standard, keeping her out of the advanced class, she was still a future student of a prestigious university. It was natural for her to disdain interacting with others. After all, top students often carried an air of pride.

While Xu Xing knew that such emotionally charged comments were filled with malice, he couldn’t deny that Xiong Huan indeed distanced herself from others. Even though Xu Xing had been sitting behind her for more than half a year, with only an arm’s length between them, they never exchanged more than two sentences a day.

Another undeniable fact was that Xiong Huan was indeed very outstanding. Her academic performance was consistently in the top three of the class, and her beauty was unanimously ranked first. Her name frequently came up in conversations during the boys’ dormitory night talks, usually followed by a sigh: “As beautiful as she is, no one can win her over.”

This was because Xiong Huan came from a family of teachers. Her relatives and family friends filled her elementary, middle, and high school years, and her mother was the school’s strict year-two director, earning the nickname “The Fearsome Lady of Discipline.” Who would dare to approach her daughter under her watchful eye?

One wrong move, and your parents would be called in to discuss “how to deal with students dating too early.”

Yet today, someone as bold as the hotel heir, Fu Dai, seemed determined to go for it.

In the past, Xu Xing would have confidently predicted that Fu Dai had no chance, but today he was surprised to discover that the red string between Fu Dai and Xiong Huan was genuinely connected.

The first official class of senior year kicked off with Fu Dai’s bold confession, warming up the atmosphere. Although the leading lady remained silent, leaving the matter unresolved, it still ignited the students’ enthusiasm.

The physics teacher had originally expected to face a sleepy, lethargic class, but was instead startled by their unexpected engagement.

Ms. Xu, the physics teacher, was humorous and well-liked by the students. She had taught them since their second year and had now been promoted to homeroom teacher for their senior year, so they were familiar with each other. There was no need for the students to adjust to a new teaching style.

Because of this familiarity, Ms. Xu knew the typical behavior of Class 7: sleep through the first period, daydream through the second, snack through the third, and only in the fourth period were they fully awake and ready to engage. By the fifth period, they were already contemplating whether to eat noodles or rice for lunch.

Ms. Xu couldn’t help but marvel, “When I saw that I had the first class on the schedule, I thought I was doomed. I even tried to swap with another teacher, but it didn’t work out. I never expected that after moving up to senior year, everyone’s awareness would be so high.”

The students chuckled but didn’t comment, while Fu Dai modestly hid his contribution to the class’s energy.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Ms. Xu gathered her lesson materials and added, “Yang Yang from our class made it into the advanced class this semester, so I’ll need to find a new physics class representative.”

Many students were eager to be close to the physics teacher, making the position of class representative highly desirable.

Ms. Xu already had someone in mind and called out directly, “Lu Che, congratulations on being promoted to my little assistant. Let’s all give him a round of applause!”

A smattering of applause slowly grew louder, and the whole class turned to look at the back row near the window.

The newly appointed representative, who had been watching a basketball game outside, turned his head only after hearing his name. His immediate response was blunt: “I refuse.”

Ms. Xu firmly replied, “Refusal denied.” She then coaxed him, “Being the physics representative is a great position. Everyone who has held it has had a pleasant surprise. Look at Yang Yang, she made it into the advanced class. It’s even more effective than forwarding a hundred lucky koi memes!”

“…”

Lu Che rested his hand on his deskmate’s shoulder and lazily asked, “Can being the class rep get me a girlfriend?”

The whole class immediately erupted into a series of playful boos.

Ms. Xu was quick to respond with a big wave of her hand, “Girlfriends are included! There are 68 students in the class, as long as you’re not breaking up a couple, just tell me who you’re interested in, and I’ll set it up!”

Upon hearing this, Fu Dai, who sat next to Lu Che, raised his hand eagerly and shouted, “Teacher, I’d like to volunteer for that position!”

The boy sitting behind Fu Dai pounded the desk with laughter, and several others cast flirtatious glances at Xiong Huan, who sat in front of Xu Xing.

Sensing something unusual, Ms. Xu said to Fu Dai, “Let’s have a good talk after class.” Then she returned to the topic, “Lu Che, you can’t refuse anymore. You’re my physics representative, and if you don’t have a special someone yet, no worries. I’ll introduce you to someone.”

“Xu Xing—”

The entire class turned to look at Xu Xing, including Lu Che.

Xu Xing’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked up suddenly.

Ms. Xu, after teasing Lu Che and Fu Dai, was about to leave with her lesson materials when she remembered something else.

She smiled at Xu Xing, clearly pleased with the class leader, and said, “We’re missing our class log. Find some time today to go to room 309 in the science building and ask Mr. Zhang for a new one.”

“…”

Xu Xing, still shaken by the rapid turn of events, nodded stiffly, a small voice in his head whispering: It can’t be that bad, right?

The ten-minute break between classes was too short, and it would take at least fifteen minutes to go back and forth between Building A and the science building. Xu Xing decided to wait until the longer break after the second class to retrieve the log.

But compared to the 45-minute class period, this ten-minute break felt even more precious.

The girls left in groups to go to the bathroom, while the boys headed en masse to the school snack shop.

Tang Mian returned from the bathroom and sidled up to Xiong Huan, sitting down beside her. She opened her mouth to gossip immediately, “Do you guys know about Cai Xiangxiang from the art class? She’s the most beautiful girl in our grade!”

Wang Zicong stuffed two shrimp crackers into his mouth and raised his chubby hand enthusiastically, “I know, I’ve even seen her.”

Wang Zicong’s girlfriend was also in the art class, so it wasn’t surprising that he had some connections.

Although Xu Xing hadn’t met the famed beauty of the grade, he at least knew her name. While the boys’ dorm wasn’t as gossip-driven as the girls’, many boys could still rattle off the names of the most beautiful girls in the school without missing a beat.

Xu Xing couldn’t remember them all, but after hearing his roommates mention Cai Xiangxiang countless times, he could match the name to the reputation: “I know her too, I’ve heard about her.”

Tang Mian’s gossip instincts kicked into high gear, and she began eagerly detailing Cai Xiangxiang’s aloof personality and unapproachable nature. The climax of her story was the shocking revelation that shattered Cai Xiangxiang’s image: “Right after morning self-study, did you see the boy at the back door looking for Lu Che? I heard he used to go to the same school as Lu Che, and he just transferred here today. And guess what? He’s already dating Cai Xiangxiang!”

Tang Mian raised her voice for dramatic effect, trying to stir up the emotions of the three people in front of her, but her efforts were met with only mild reactions.

Xiong Huan had no interest in gossip, and Xu Xing swore to stay single and not get involved in bromance. Meanwhile, Wang Zicong had long exited the singles club, adding a girlfriend to his life of indulgence in food.

Xu Xing said, “Whether they’re together or not, it has nothing to do with us… Ah.”

As he spoke, Xu Xing’s thoughts drifted, and he instinctively glanced at Xiao Shun, who was sitting in the front row.

Xiao Shun and that guy were connected by a red string of fate, yet that guy already had a girlfriend. What was going on?

Xu Xing was puzzled.

Now he was like a Blind men feeling the Elephant ^[1]chinese idiom that means drawing a conclusion from incomplete data trying to understand the red strings purely through comparison and guessing.

He had seen most of the couples getting their marriage certificates at the civil affairs office, and their red strings, like his parents’, were all linked heart to heart. This made him believe that the red string symbolized a good and lasting relationship. As for the red strings that tied around wrists or ankles, those still required further observation. The most confusing and worrisome was the red bow tied around Lu Che’s waist — something Xu Xing couldn’t figure out. Luckily, he thought he might be able to get some answers from Xiao Shun.

Xu Xing made a mental note to get closer to Xiao Shun.

After the second biology class ended, Xu Xing made his way between Building A and the Science Building to get the class logbook from Teacher Zhang.

Along the way, he saw several people with red strings floating around their hearts, but even more had no strings at all. However, no one had anything as flashy as Lu Che’s flamboyant red bow.

Xu Xing furrowed his brow; just thinking about Lu Che was enough to ruin his mood.

After getting the logbook from the Science Building, Xu Xing still had plenty of time to return to the classroom before the next class bell rang, thanks to the 25-minute break.

A few boys in the back of the classroom were discussing the upcoming NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, while others were messing around and piling on top of the plump Wang Zicong, forming a human pyramid.

Seeing Xu Xing walk in, Wang Zicong flailed his chubby arms, calling out for help: “Xingxing, Xingxing…”

Teenage boys loved playing such roughhouse games, and Wang Zicong was often the one at the bottom of the pile. The reasons were simple: he was good-natured, round and soft, and didn’t mind being used as the base. Plus, his chest made for a convenient pillow…

The boy on top grinned at Xu Xing and said, “Class monitor, come join the fun. Let’s make it a four-person stack!”

Xu Xing, used to their antics, chuckled and said, “Take it easy, guys.”

As he sidestepped the pile of boys, his eyes fell on Lu Che.

Lu Che was sitting next to Fu Dai near the aisle, with his back to the window, focused intently on playing with an old-fashioned water ring-toss game — the kind that existed in Xu Xing’s childhood memories.

Lu Che pressed the cross-shaped button carefully, likely at a critical point in the game. The boy sitting behind Lu Che lay across the desk, humming a tune but gradually falling silent as he watched the rings inside the water game, captivated.

“…”

Xu Xing lingered on Lu Che for a moment, solely because he noticed the red bow tied around Lu Che’s waist was glowing a bit more brightly…

Was it because he was standing closer?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the pile of boys behind him collapsed as Wang Zicong, the plump boy at the bottom, finally managed to topple the others. The boys stumbled backward, and Xu Xing, caught off guard, was bumped into, causing him to lose his balance and fall sideways—

“Damn!”

Lu Che had just pressed the button to control the water pressure, managing to get the last stubborn ring to settle onto the peg. But just then, someone fell straight into his lap, shaking the entire water game so violently that the ring trembled and slipped off.

Xu Xing, meanwhile, suddenly found himself sitting on Lu Che’s lap.

The red string connecting the two of them had shortened to the closest possible distance.

Xu Xing: “…”

He could feel the heat radiating from Lu Che’s body through their contact, quickly spreading up to his neck and cheeks, his ears turning suspiciously pink.

Xu Xing’s brain momentarily shut down, but then he heard a voice from outside his thoughts.

“Don’t move!”

It was a sharp, frustrated command.