Xu Xing’s eyes widened in shock. The string was gone! In a panic, he looked around and saw that everyone else’s red strings had disappeared as well.

It felt like a dream.

His mind went blank, though the searing pain from his wrist grounded him in reality—his hand was still reaching toward Lu Che’s waist, and he’d been caught red-handed by the very person.

This was the reality he had to face now. Anyone who saw this would think he was up to no good, with an inappropriate motive.

His hand throbbed painfully as Lu Che twisted his wrist, the numbing pain reaching his nerves.

Lu Che, still groggy from sleep, gazed coldly at Xu Xing. His eyes no longer held any trace of drowsiness, just a sharp, probing look. He smirked and said, “So that’s why you’ve been throwing yourself into my arms the past few days, huh?”

His voice was raspy, laced with a teasing tone.

Xu Xing, still in shock, couldn’t fully grasp Lu Che’s insinuation.

Lu Che continued mockingly, “What’s the matter, class monitor? Are you really that desperate?”

Desperate enough to harass him publicly in class.

As Lu Che’s words sank in, Xu Xing shuddered. His brain processed the meaning: You’re gay.

In a panic, Xu Xing blurted out, “No! I’m not! Don’t misunderstand! I swear on my life! I don’t mean that! I just…”

Xu Xing’s voice rose in agitation, catching the attention of nearby students.

He wanted to explain that he was only trying to untangle the red string between them, not that he was interested in Lu Che. But he knew Lu Che couldn’t see the string, and now it had disappeared, leaving him even more confused.

Seeing no way to explain, Xu Xing wilted, his words stuck in his throat.

Lu Che, uninterested in his excuses, coldly said, “Get lost.”

After a pause, he added, “Next time you throw yourself at me, I might just punch you.”

Xu Xing grimaced. Throwing himself at Lu Che was an inevitable consequence of the red string between them, something beyond his control.

He silently hoped that the red string effect had disappeared along with the string itself.

The two sat in an awkward silence, their breathing no longer in sync.

Lu Che’s command for him to leave didn’t carry across the room, but the nearby students overheard.

Xu Xing couldn’t help but think: At least Lu Che telling me to get lost is a good sign. It means he’s not gay. And the red string hasn’t made him gay either.

Realizing he couldn’t stay beside Lu Che anymore, Xu Xing moved quietly to an empty seat in the back.

Lu Che glanced at him before turning away to rub his temples.

Xu Xing stared blankly at the paper in front of him, lost in thought. His eyes wandered to Fu Dai, who was playfully teasing Wang Zicong. Even without the red string, Fu Dai’s fingers were still entwined in Xiong Huan’s hair, unwilling to let go.

Xu Xing shuddered, fearing the red string crisis wasn’t truly over. After all, just because the strings had vanished didn’t mean people’s feelings had disappeared too.

As the class quieted down again, a nagging question tugged at Xu Xing’s mind: when he pulled Lu Che’s red string earlier, had Lu Che felt any pain?

When Xu Xing had tried to pull his own string, it didn’t budge, and the pain had been unbearable. But Lu Che had shown no sign of discomfort.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Xu Xing tapped Lu Che on the back. “Hey…”

Lu Che turned around coldly.

Xu Xing hesitated before asking, “Did you… feel anything just now?”

Like, did it hurt?

Hearing this, Lu Che gave Xu Xing a strange look.

No matter whether he had been taken advantage of just now, being followed and asked such a question by the suspect would hardly make anyone happy. Lu Che, of course, wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t exactly disgusted either.

However, Lu Che didn’t have the mental space to dwell on his subtle feelings at the moment. Instead, he was amazed at Xu Xing’s shamelessness and thought that this class president was truly something else. The corners of his lips curled into a mocking smile as he sneered, “Class president, still looking for feedback? Sorry, I can’t give you a good review. I didn’t feel a thing.”

He emphasized the last six words, drawing them out.

Lu Che was mocking Xu Xing for lacking both skill and charm, but Xu Xing only felt more relieved — if Lu Che didn’t feel anything, then there was no concern about untying the knot at his waist.

Unfortunately, the red string was no longer visible.

A look of regret unconsciously appeared on Xu Xing’s face. If he had known, he would have acted more decisively earlier and untied the knot in an instant!

Lu Che looked at Xu Xing: “…”

What was with this “give me one more chance” vibe?

Just as Xu Xing was feeling regret, Lu Che snorted, “Have some shame.”

Xu Xing: “???”

Xu Xing felt quite wronged.

But, after all, it did seem like he had just tried and failed to harass Lu Che, and his reputation as a straight guy was now in tatters. No matter how much he swore to the heavens, it was hard to be convincing. Xu Xing quickly grasped the situation and drew an important conclusion: before untying the knot, the top priority was to stay away from Lu Che. If he ended up falling into Lu Che’s lap again, there would be no way to clear his name.

·

Although the red string had disappeared, Xu Xing still held on to a glimmer of hope, thinking, “Maybe if I sleep on it, I’ll be able to see the string again tomorrow.”

The next day.

The sun rose as usual, the alarm clock buzzed as usual, and as soon as Xu Xing opened his eyes, he lifted the light blanket and checked between his legs. However, the red string he had been expecting was nowhere to be found.

Xu Xing was restless, feeling anxious and on edge throughout the morning, as his hopes began to fade.

“Class president—”

During physics class, Xu Xing, absentmindedly resting his cheek on his hand, was suddenly pulled back to reality by the sound of the physics teacher calling on him. The whole class’s attention was now focused on him as the teacher stood at the front and asked, “What does the formula on the blackboard represent?”

Xu Xing stood up in a daze, seeing the formula written in white chalk on the green blackboard: F = k·x, with the rough texture of the chalk letters.

He was momentarily confused but quickly regained his bearings. Clearing his throat, he answered, “That’s the formula for Hooke’s Law. It defines that within the elastic limit, the force exerted by a spring is proportional to the displacement of the spring. The displacement includes both stretching and compression.”

The physics teacher smiled and said, “You’ve memorized the definition well, but you need to apply what you’ve learned. It’s a bit early to be daydreaming about romance—focus on the lesson.”

Xu Xing hurriedly replied, “Teacher, I’m not daydreaming about anything, regardless of season. I was just thinking that since it’s Tuesday, the second food stall in the cafeteria should be serving fried chicken wings today.”

Xu Xing and the physics teacher had a good rapport, so he felt comfortable joking around.

Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and the teacher, not one to hold them back, said with a smile, “I won’t keep you from rushing to get your chicken wings. Class dismissed.”

The entire class burst into laughter, clapping and cheering.

After class, Xu Xing and Tang Mian headed to the cafeteria. They stood in line at the second stall, where Tang Mian loved the fried chicken wings, while Xu Xing preferred the stall’s palm-sized braised fish.

Both lines at the stall were long, and it would take a while before they could place their orders. Xu Xing looked down at his phone while Tang Mian stood beside him, chattering away about trivial gossip and marveling at how Wang Zicong was such a good boyfriend, rushing to the school gate after every class to pick up his girlfriend’s food delivery.

Just as Xu Xing put away his phone and looked up, he saw Lu Che walking toward him. Instinctively, Xu Xing took a step back, avoiding eye contact. He was still wary of the red string’s compulsive effects.

Fu Dai, Ke Di, and Zhou Mang were with Lu Che. All of them were tall, good-looking, and popular in class, often referred to by Tang Mian as “the bright lights of our class.”

In fact, Xu Xing wasn’t bad-looking either, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose bridge. Though not exceptionally handsome, he was definitely above average and would stand out in a group photo, earning compliments like “Wow, he’s quite good-looking.” It would leave people wanting to see more of him rather than forgetting him like a background character.

The reason Tang Mian wasn’t interested in Xu Xing was mainly that they had known each other for too long. When Tang Mian thought of Xu Xing, her mind was filled with memories of him running away crying, chased by his father wielding a feather duster. No matter how handsome he might be, those memories ruined his image for her.

Around them, many people openly or secretly watched Lu Che’s group.

Xu Xing used Tang Mian as a shield, while also sneaking glances at Lu Che and the others for two reasons: to guard against any sudden, uncontrollable forces, and because his attention was drawn to the white trays they were carrying — each piled high with golden, crispy fried chicken wings, and Lu Che had two.

At that moment, Lu Che also noticed Xu Xing in the queue.

Their eyes met, and Xu Xing could distinctly see a smug expression of pride on Lu Che’s otherwise blank face.

Xu Xing: “…”

It had to be just his imagination.

Lu Che walked past without a word, and Ke Di, trailing behind, cheerfully greeted Xu Xing and Tang Mian. “Hey, class president! Why so late? Che-ge treated us just now and made us all take extra chicken wings. He’s really something, isn’t he?”

Xu Xing didn’t know how to respond, unsure whether Lu Che was being childish or just overly defensive, letting his feelings affect his actions.

Ke Di grinned brightly, and Tang Mian peeked at his tray, sincerely remarking how perfectly golden the fried wings looked that day.

By the time it was Xu Xing and Tang Mian’s turn to order, the fried chicken wings had already sold out.

Tang Mian sighed in disappointment over missing the big chicken wings, while Xu Xing peacefully ate his braised fish.

In the south, September was still far from autumn. The afternoon wind was warm, not the cozy warmth of fall, but the stifling heat of midsummer.

That afternoon, Xu Xing and Wang Zicong stood in the hallway cooling off, watching younger students play basketball below to pass the time. The morning sun hadn’t yet heated the front playground, and by noon, the western sun was blocked by the school building and shade, leaving the hallway and front playground cool.

Wang Zicong leaned on the iron railing, not minding the dirt, resting his smooth chin on it. He pouted and muttered, “I’m so envious of them being able to play ball without a care. Or even those playing shuttlecock or badminton. But, love requires restraint, and that’s the reality of senior year.”

Xu Xing gave him a sidelong glance — this was a classic case of Wang Zicong’s “grass-is-greener” mindset: back when they’d invited him to play ball, he never wanted to. Now that he’s been told to focus on his studies, his desire to play was bubbling up. Yet deep down, Wang Zicong understood the guilt of wasting time in senior year. Hearing the words “senior year” made him tense up, but he remained calm, always carrying with him a small booklet that contained all the texts for their language exams. It was his talisman, a little booklet to ease his worries.

Just like now, Wang Zicong leisurely watched others play, his booklet still open to the first page of the table of contents, yet he felt a strange sense of satisfaction and self-assurance.

This was Wang Zicong’s senior year.

——Hopeless.

Xu Xing left Wang Zicong to continue wallowing in his own melancholy and turned toward the back door of the classroom, just as the homeroom teacher coming down the stairs called out to him.

“Xu Xing, I was just looking for you.”

Xu Xing stopped and looked at her. “Oh? What’s up?”

The homeroom teacher said, “Go to the printing room in Building B; a shipment of textbooks has arrived. Find a classmate to help you bring them up.”

Without hesitation, Xu Xing replied, “Sure.”

The homeroom teacher was about to look for someone to help Xu Xing when she noticed Lu Che coming up the stairs toward Class 7.

Catching him in her sights, she said, “Class representative, perfect timing. Help Xu Xing bring up the books from downstairs. Thanks.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Lu Che still wasn’t used to being called “class representative” and sluggishly nodded, mumbling an “Oh.”

Lu Che didn’t seem to mind, but Xu Xing desperately wanted to back out.

Under the watchful eyes of the homeroom teacher, Xu Xing reluctantly led the way. When they reached the first landing, he ran into the class labor commissioner coming up. Xu Xing quickly stopped him, gripping his shoulders as if entrusting him with a crucial task, saying, “Brother Kai, could you help me out? Go with the physics rep to the printing room in Building B to get the textbooks for our class. The teacher asked us to go, but I really need to go to the bathroom…”

Xu Xing furrowed his brow and clenched his jaw, putting on an exaggerated expression that looked like he was barely holding it in.

The labor commissioner, seeing how uncomfortable Xu Xing appeared, agreed without hesitation. Xu Xing patted him on the shoulder and quickly diverted down the second-floor corridor, avoiding eye contact with Lu Che.

The labor commissioner smiled sheepishly at Lu Che, saying, “The class president must really be in a hurry. Maybe he ate something bad at lunch.”

Lu Che glanced at Xu Xing’s retreating back and let out a soft chuckle, not bothering to expose Xu Xing’s poor acting skills.

.

After Xu Xing relieved himself and leisurely strolled back to class, the textbooks had already been brought up by Lu Che and the labor commissioner.

Lu Che was handing out the textbooks and happened to stop at Xu Xing’s desk, placing a physics workbook in front of him. He paused beside Xu Xing’s desk.

Xu Xing’s heart skipped a beat as he looked up, only to see Lu Che towering over him with an indifferent expression. “Class president, make sure to pay attention in class, or you might end up with a stomachache again.”

His tone was dripping with mockery.

The others didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind the words, but in Xu Xing’s ears, it translated directly into: “Stop obsessing over me, will you?” and “Seriously, could you come up with a better excuse than a stomachache?” It was clear that Lu Che was teasing him about zoning out in class earlier and his poor excuse to avoid helping.

Xu Xing’s face flushed—not from embarrassment, but from sheer frustration.

After Lu Che finished handing out the books and returned to his seat, Wang Zicong curiously asked Xu Xing, “Xing Xing, when did you and Lu Che get so close? Close enough for the campus heartthrob to care about you.”

Xu Xing, flustered, responded, “We’re not close! Not close at all!”

Wang Zicong sighed, disappointed, “Oh, I thought you two had become buddies. I was hoping to get some inside scoop on him.”

Xu Xing asked, “Why do you need info on him?”

Wang Zicong stuffed a crunchy snack into his mouth and mumbled, “My girlfriend asked.”

Xu Xing was even more confused. “Why would your girlfriend want to know about him?”

Wang Zicong, chewing on the crispy snack, said, “I dunno. Probably for one of her friends.”

Xu Xing gave a nonchalant “Oh” but then realized that he knew next to nothing about Lu Che.

---

Author’s note: The “red string effect” can be explained by Hooke’s law. The more Xu Xing avoids, the more Lu Che will take the initiative.