Lu Che had never been sure of himself, and seeing Xu Xing’s surprised reaction stung his heart. He quickly averted his gaze, his eyelashes trembling, before lowering his eyes, looking away.

Luckily, after a brief pause, Xu Xing realized his reaction had already tacitly confirmed Lu Che’s words. He quickly clarified, “I like you, not because of the red string. I really like you.”

His hand slid down Lu Che’s wrist and tightly grasped his hand, not wanting to let go. Xu Xing finally confirmed that they both still liked each other, and he didn’t want to waste any more time on misunderstandings.

Hearing this, Lu Che raised his head and saw Xu Xing gazing at him earnestly. Xu Xing said, “Trust me.”

Trust me.

Those two words made Lu Che feel like his heart had melted into a puddle of syrup—sweet and sticky.

Xu Xing was waiting for Lu Che’s response when, suddenly, a force pulled him into Lu Che’s embrace. Xu Xing was caught off guard, and he heard a hoarse voice near his ear, choking up with emotion. Lu Che said, “I missed you so much, I really missed you so much…”

Lu Che kept repeating the same words, his low and hoarse voice echoing in Xu Xing’s ears. Each word was a desperate cry from the countless sleepless nights he had endured. He had been living in emotional turmoil, and now that the dam had broken, his feelings came rushing out like floodwaters.

Xu Xing responded with a tight hug, waiting until Lu Che’s emotions calmed down.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over everything.

The evening light stretched the shadows of two figures on a stone bench. The sound of a soda can opening rang out as Xu Xing opened one can and handed it to Lu Che, then opened another for himself.

The frost in Lu Che’s eyes had completely melted, replaced by a warm, unstoppable smile. He couldn’t stop staring at Xu Xing, and the more he looked, the happier he became, his smile spreading widely.

Xu Xing was initially pleased that the two of them had reconciled, but as Lu Che’s gaze getting intense it made his skin crawl, he took a sip of his drink, looked straight ahead, and finally got back to the point: “When did you start seeing the red string?”

Lu Che blinked and said, “I can’t see it.”

Hearing this, Xu Xing frowned and turned his head in confusion, “You can’t see it? Then how did you know about the red string?”

He replied, “Because you told me.”

Xu Xing: “??”

That night—

When Xu Xing knocked on the door, Lu Che was alone in the dormitory.

Lu Che had thought the time and place were perfect, and Xu Xing had even taken the initiative. He embraced Xu Xing passionately, his mind went blank by the thrill of their shared kiss. He followed his instincts, alternately pushing boundaries to become more intimate while cautiously testing Xu Xing’s reaction.

Before then, Lu Che hadn’t known about the red string. But as Xu Xing untied his bowtie, Lu Che suddenly remembered all of Xu Xing’s rejection and felt it was more intense that it should be, it was like he suddenly realized that Xu Xing liking him back is just his own illusions, and, as if shocked, he instantly let go. At the same time, he saw two red strings floating on Xu Xing’s body in astonishment.

Suddenly, his mind was flooded with chaotic fragments of memories, mixed with Xu Xing’s own subjective feelings and rejections:

Xu Xing had asked Lu Che, “What do you think of those girls who have a crush on you?”

Back then, Lu Che thought Xu Xing was claiming him as his own, but in the new memories, all he could hear was Xu Xing sighing: the red string on Lu Che’s ankle had an aggressive energy toward him. Even though he and Lu Che weren’t “like that,” he still had to deal with feelings of jealousy and resentment like he was a jilted lover.

It was maddening.

In front of a girl named Hou Ranmei, Xu Xing even stood in front of Lu Che protectively, holding his hand. The gesture had warmed Lu Che’s heart, making him think Xu Xing was showing his commitment. So Lu Che had written a confession for Xu Xing on the backboard: “As long as the class leader is here, Class Seven is full of love.”

But in the memory fragments, Xu Xing’s actual thoughts were: he hoped one day he could undo the red string on Lu Che, to free this young man who had been led astray by it. His tolerance toward Lu Che back then was merely due to his temporary compassion for this “deluded boy.”

Once, Lu Che saw a draft paper with a heart doodle tucked under Xu Xing’s pillow. He had assumed it was Xu Xing’s way of keeping a memento of their love.

The memory fragments, however, shattered his fantasy: Xu Xing had simply tucked the paper there in a rush after finding it in his textbook.

In a PE class at the start of the semester, Lu Che returned to the classroom to nap. Xu Xing had appeared before him, and he still remembered the breeze lifting the curtain, brushing gently across his heart. Nervously, he’d thought Xu Xing was about to confess.

Lu Che had always found Xu Xing’s behavior that day absurd.

But—

In the corrected memory, Xu Xing had said seriously, “There’s a red string tying you to me. I don’t know why, but I have to undo it, so that we both can be free. And I won’t accidentally fall into your arms again.”

…

With his head throbbing painfully, Lu Che held it in his hands, trying to escape the barrage of thoughts:

“Why would I like you?”

“Lu Che’s just an annoying nuisance.”

“Is he possessed or something?”

“He doesn’t believe it either, does he? Just because of this red string, he thinks he’ll like Lu Che? What a joke.”

Xu Xing thought to himself: he didn’t ask for much. If the red string wouldn’t mess things up, he’d appreciate the peace of life—except that Lu Che could be annoying; everything else was fine.

…

Lu Che, overwhelmed, crouched down in pain, his mind in chaos, until only one thought remained:

Xu Xing got close to him only to untie the red string between them and not because Xu Xing like him back, Xu Xing liking him is all just his own delusion.

…

When Lu Che came back to himself, the dormitory was empty; Xu Xing was already gone.

·

Listening to Lu Che recount everything, Xu Xing couldn’t bring himself to ask why he’d ignored him these past two weeks.

No wonder Lu Che’s behavior had suddenly changed, distancing himself from him.

Xu Xing explained, “At the start of the semester, I kept falling onto you because the red string forced us into interactions. Whenever I wanted to tell you about it, I couldn’t explain it and only made you misunderstand me more. But…after spending time with you, I found you were good to me, and I like you. It has nothing to do with the red string.”

Lu Che shifted closer, leaning on Xu Xing’s shoulder and trying to sound pitiful, “Class Leader, do you know how painful these past ten days have been for me? I wanted to ask you about this red string nonsense, but I was scared that confronting it would only make things more awkward.”

“I even went home last weekend, dug through my hard drive, and found a recording of when you first explained the red string to me. I’d thought you were just being ambiguous, but when I listened to it again, you really were talking about a red string.”

Xu Xing turned, gently poked Lu Che’s face, and said softly, “You should have come to confront me face-to-face, not just given me the cold shoulder.”

Lu Che raised his head, looking at Xu Xing seriously, and said, “I wasn’t giving you the cold shoulder. I was trying to get your attention all along, hoping you’d talk to me more.”

Xu Xing was confused, “Hmm?”

Lu Che sighed.

“I wanted to skip class the next day, but I went to the classroom with a sliver of hope. When Wang Zicong asked you to get my phone’s ID password, you guessed it yourself rather than talking to me.”

“I felt hopeless, I didn’t want to bother you, and decided to move my seat. But those days were so cold, and some idiots in class wouldn’t close the door. I worried you’d feel cold, so I made a scene, yelled at everyone to close the door.”

“Even when you returned my meal card, you asked Wang Zicong to hand it to me. I had no chance to talk to you. I even deliberately checked Wang Zicong’s seat number, thinking you’d confront me, but you ignored me.”

“I felt so miserable, and I thought clinging to you was pathetic. I decided to let you go the day we played Gomoku. I thought I’d won, but it felt like the biggest loss.”

On that day, Lu Che had deliberately made a bet with Ke Di: “The loser of Gomoku has to bring meals for a week,” agreeing to let Ke Di call for help because he assumed Ke Di would get Xu Xing, thinking Xu Xing was the only one who could beat him.

That day, Lu Che could finally steal a few extra glances at Xu Xing, upholding his decision to let him go through that game of Gomoku.

But a week later, Lu Che was offered a cigarette in the restroom by an acquaintance, which he usually declined. But when he saw Xu Xing enter, he took it. He silently hoped Xu Xing would tell him not to smoke or even just frown at him. That would have been enough to make him happy.

After washing his hands, Xu Xing left without looking back.

“…”

Xu Xing turned around to look at Lu Che, his gaze deep and intense. He leaned in and sealed Lu Che’s lips with a kiss.

He didn’t want to hear Lu Che continue. The more he listened, the more his heart ached. The more he listened, the more he feared that if they hadn’t opened up to each other, if he hadn’t taken the initiative this time, they might have missed each other entirely.

The greatest luck in life is a false alarm, and he felt grateful he could still embrace and kiss Lu Che.

The sun was halfway set, shyly hiding at the horizon, peeking at the two boys kissing in the corner.

Their shadows stretched long by the sunset, pressed tightly together, merging into one without a gap.

After a long, tender kiss, they parted slightly. Xu Xing opened his eyes and suddenly looked surprised—a red string connected his heart to Lu Che’s.

Following Xu Xing’s gaze, Lu Che looked down and asked, “Is this the red string?”