Half an hour later, Xu Xing took the empty fruit plate to the kitchen and went to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

Standing in front of the half-length mirror, he looked at his reflection. His lips were stained a vibrant reddish-purple from the dragon fruit juice. He lightly rubbed the corner of his mouth with his thumb and muttered with a hint of embarrassment, “Shameless.”

Earlier, on a whim, Xu Xing had asked Lu Che to kiss him, and the result was Lu Che playfully teasing him. Instead of giving a proper kiss, Lu Che had mischievously bitten a piece of dragon fruit and fed it to him mouth-to-mouth.

The sweet, juicy dragon fruit quickly dripped its reddish-purple juice down the sides of their mouths. To keep it from getting on his clothes, Xu Xing had to lick and suck at the juice, his lips and tongue moving in a messy, uncoordinated kiss.

Sitting in the chair, Xu Xing tilted his face up to match Lu Che’s kiss, and the bright juice trickled down his jaw to his neck. Lu Che held his hand to prevent him from wiping it away, instead burying his face in Xu Xing’s neck, licking at his skin, and even giving him a playful nibble. The gentle bite, followed by a soothing touch from Lu Che’s tongue, sent a pleasant little jolt of electricity through Xu Xing’s entire body, catching him off guard.

Instinctively, Xu Xing covered his neck and cleared his throat awkwardly.

On the sink stood five rinsing cups. Xu Xing picked up his own, rinsed his mouth, and used a towel to wipe his lips and neck repeatedly. The red stain on his lips faded a bit, but a vibrant hue still lingered on the inner part.

Xu Xing frowned, recalling his recent interaction with Lu Che—

“Have you had enough? Move away!”

“Not yet~ I’ll help you clean it all off.”

Lu Che was insistent, nibbling away at the red color on Xu Xing’s lips, only stopping once he had fed Xu the entire plate of dragon fruit, piece by piece.

Xu Xing stood awkwardly in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Lu Che was in a great mood, lounging in the bedroom. Leaning against the headboard with a satisfied smile, he picked up his phone to find a flood of messages on the lock screen.

Jiang Jize, shocked by a new revelation, had bombarded the chat with expletives, while Fu Dai, a bit jealous after seeing their closeness, couldn’t resist poking, “Isn’t dating someone as serious as the class monitor kind of boring?”

Fu Dai tried to hide his jealousy with a nonchalant tone.

Lu Che smirked at Fu Dai’s message, licking his lips in satisfaction.

He replied, “The scariest thing is when he’s serious about flirting with me; he’s always on target. You could’ve had a shot at understanding that, but now you never will.”

Fu Dai: “…”

Lu Che’s message not only flaunted his relationship but also reminded Fu Dai of his missed opportunity. The comparison to Xiong Huan, the “good” student, added a sting, mocking the fact that things had never worked out between Fu Dai and her.

Back in the north, Fu Dai was fuming, nearly bursting with frustration and wishing he could jump through the screen to confront Lu Che.

When Xu Xing returned from the bathroom, his face was expressionless, hiding his lingering embarrassment. Fortunately, Lu Che caught on quickly; as soon as Xu entered, he saw Lu Che intently reading a book, without a single teasing remark or sidelong comment.

Xu Xing felt a wave of relief as he returned to his desk.

Lu Che’s lips curved slightly, eagerly anticipating the next time he could check in like this.

By four o’clock, it was time for Xu Xing and Lu Che to head back to school. At the entryway, as they changed shoes, Xu Xing’s mom said, “Lu Che, come by again next week, alright? You missed two weeks, and I was wondering if you and Xu Xing had a falling out.”

Xu Xing’s mom was naturally warm and welcoming; she had become accustomed to Lu Che visiting weekly and felt that something was missing when Xu Xing came home alone. Part of it was her genuine affection for Lu Che, and part was that she had noticed how Lu Che’s presence always lifted Xu Xing’s spirits.

Xu Xing stayed silent.

Lu Che smiled and replied, “No way~ I’d take any scolding happily and never let myself quarrel with him.”

Xu Xing’s mom laughed along, “You’ve got a great temperament!”

Xu Xing gave Lu Che a sidelong glance and said, “Let’s go.”

After saying goodbye to Xu’s mom, Lu Che followed Xu Xing out the door.

They took the bus back to school, with Xu Xing even treating Lu Che to a sweet milk tea. The thick sweetness filled the air as Lu Che offered the cup to Xu by habit. Xu Xing wrinkled his nose and declined, “No thanks.”

Without insisting, Lu Che took a sip, savoring the sweet flavor. “Class monitor, a little sweetness now and then can be good for you. They say sweet food can lift your mood, though it’s probably just a myth.”

Xu Xing suddenly asked, “Do you still need milk tea when you’re with me?”

Lu Che turned, puzzled. “Huh?”

Xu Xing said nonchalantly, “Walking with you makes me happy; I don’t need sweets.”

Lu Che: “…”

Struck by Xu Xing’s words, Lu Che felt the urge to toss his milk tea.

With a mischievous grin, Lu Che linked his hand with Xu Xing’s, exclaiming, “I’ll throw it away right now!!”

Xu Xing glanced at him, knowing full well Lu Che wasn’t really going to ditch the tea. Still, he said, “Go ahead and drink it.”

Lu Che, smiling wide, said, “I don’t need it to be in a great mood!”

Xu Xing scoffed, “Consider it storing up some sugar for me.”

Lu Che looked confused. “Huh?”

Xu Xing, looking straight ahead, his ears turning red, replied, “You’re sweet when I kiss you.”

So—when I crave something sweet, kissing you will do just fine.

“…”

Suddenly, Lu Che squatted down right where he was, holding the milk tea out in one hand while burying his face in his other arm.

Xu Xing stopped, staring down at the crouched Lu Che, asking, “What’s wrong with you?”

Lu Che mumbled into his arm, lifting his bright, sparkling eyes, and said, “If we were at home right now, I’d definitely pounce on you!”

But unfortunately, they were walking down the school path…

Xu Xing, unfazed, replied, “Wait until the acceptance letter is in my hand.”

Lu Che, disappointed, whined, “Can’t we break the rules just once?”

Xu Xing simply answered, “No.”

Lu Che, undeterred, muttered, “Guess I’ll just have to resort to force…”

Xu Xing asked calmly, “Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

Lu Che: “No…”

Xu Xing: “Are you going to hit me?”

Lu Che: “No…”

Xu Xing: “Do you dare to hit me?”

Lu Che: “No way!!”

“…”

Lu Che buried his face into his arm in frustration.

Xu Xing glanced away, covering a smirk with his hand. He suddenly realized that teasing Lu Che was actually quite fun.

“Ah…” Lu Che’s sigh drifted across the empty sports field, carried away by the wind.

---

Evening.

As they stood in line at the school cafeteria, Lu Che, unable to resist, leaned over, placing his chin on Xu Xing’s shoulder. With a playful breath against his ear, he whispered, “Class monitor, why don’t you take the lead this time…”

“…”

Xu Xing turned around, gave him a long look, and replied, “I couldn’t bear to.”

Lu Che: “…”

What was going on with his class monitor today? Why did every other sentence sound like flirting?

But Xu Xing wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “I couldn’t bear to” was entirely genuine. He had thought of this last night when he’d been helping Lu Che clean his ears. Even with the tiny ear cleaner, Lu Che had winced in pain. Xu Xing realized he’d never want to cause Lu Che any discomfort.

He gave Lu Che’s cheek a gentle pinch, then looked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure at the nearby counter—it was Wang Zicong’s ex girlfriend, ordering from Wang Zicong’s favorite food stall.

Xu Xing’s gaze lingered on her because he noticed a red thread floating gently from her chest. The red thread had appeared two weeks ago in the same spot; however, it was tied in a simple knot now instead of the previous bow.

Xu Xing was slightly surprised.

But given the precedent with Fu Dai, it was natural for the red thread between Wang Zicong and his girlfriend to return to normal. Xu Xing had already anticipated this possibility.

Following Xu Xing’s line of sight, Lu Che saw the familiar woman and commented casually, “Wow, she and the chubby guy are meant to be, too?”

—Completely unlike before, when Lu Che would get irrationally jealous whenever Xu Xing’s gaze landed on her.

Now, Lu Che was brimming with confidence, almost to the point of blind pride, feeling invincible as Xu Xing’s number one in his heart.

Xu Xing nodded, “Yeah, my deskmate and her.”

The line was shorter at the neighboring stall, so Wang Zicong’s ex girlfriend got her food and, along with her friend, passed by Xu Xing and Lu Che’s queue.

Xu Xing overheard her friend exclaim, “Oh my god, you ordered a four-entrée meal! Can you really eat that much?”

The beautiful girl replied nonchalantly, “I want to gain weight.”

Xu Xing: “…”

Xu Xing suddenly worried that, someday, if Wang Zicong managed to lose weight and, with newfound charm, returned to look for his first love, he might instead find a two-hundred-pound beauty…

In a way, that would be a true testament to love.

---

Author’s Notes:

1. To douse everyone’s excitement about a possible role reversal. 😀
2. Don’t worry, side characters will get a few hundred or even a thousand words in their own side stories. [Handshake]
3. Lu Che has been given nicknames by the comments section: Sweet Che, Milk Che (haha, does Brother Che have no shame?)
4. For the award ceremony for Xu Xing and Lu Che, after internal discussions between “Light Breeze,” “Hard Day Worker,” and “Hard Iron,” it’s been suggested that “Hard Iron” will drive a tractor to the ceremony. [Respectful Bow]