After dinner, as Xu Xing and Lu Che returned to the classroom, they were immediately blocked by Jiang Jize, who had been waiting by the door.

Xu Xing wasn’t surprised to see the red thread rooted in Jiang Jize’s chest extending all the way into the classroom. However, he was a bit puzzled about what Lu Che had said to Jiang Jize in the morning that made him grab Lu Che’s shoulder and shake him frantically the moment he saw him.

Ever since Lu Che ignored him that morning—leaving his messages unread and his calls unanswered—Jiang Jize even went to Lu Che’s dorm to look for him, only to be told by his roommate, “Brother Che isn’t on campus on Sundays.”

Jiang Jize was stunned, thinking: Could Lu Che really have found someone?

Before coming here, Jiang Jize was still half-skeptical.

The reason for Jiang Jize’s persistence was that he had known Lu Che for over two years, and the only thing he’d constantly heard was girls asking him to introduce them to Lu Che. Beyond that, he’d never heard of Lu Che being in a relationship. Now, Jiang Jize’s curiosity about Lu Che’s partner was as strong as the teasing he had once aimed at Lu Che for being too picky.

Plus, Lu Che had smugly dropped the words, “I’m taken,” that morning and then walked off with no further explanation, leaving Jiang Jize utterly exasperated.

Clutching Lu Che’s shoulder, Jiang Jize growled through gritted teeth, “You better explain this! If I don’t meet your partner today, I’m not letting you off!”

Xu Xing: “…”

Standing right in front of Jiang Jize as Lu Che’s partner, Xu Xing shot Lu Che a warning look, silently saying: If you dare talk nonsense, I won’t let you off either.

Lu Che calmly removed Jiang Jize’s hand, dusting off his clothes to smooth out the wrinkles Jiang Jize’s grip had left.

Except around Xu Xing, where he was sweet and soft, Lu Che retained his aloof, untouchable demeanor—the famous campus heartthrob known for his coldness.

There were also rumors that he had a bad temper, though only those close to him knew Lu Che had a mischievous streak.

Lu Che wrapped an arm around Jiang Jize’s neck, guiding him toward the classroom’s main door with a playful smirk on his face.

Instead of pointing anyone out directly, Lu Che leaned in and said in a seductive voice, “See that person at the second desk in the second row?”

Jiang Jize looked over, his gaze landing on a familiar figure: a quiet and well-behaved person sitting at their desk, focused on homework, with a clean, fair profile.

Lu Che could clearly see the red thread connecting Jiang Jize and the boy in the front row.

“…Are you talking about Xiao Shun?” Jiang Jize asked, not entirely sure.

Lu Che raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you think of him?”

Jiang Jize replied, “I think he’s… kind of interesting…”

The longer he spoke, the more Jiang Jize’s words trailed off as he looked back at Lu Che, frowning. “Wait a second. I asked you about your partner, and you’re telling me this instead?”

Lu Che shrugged, chuckling. “So, why do you think I’m telling you this?”

“…?”

Jiang Jize’s brain couldn’t quite keep up.

Lu Che gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and casually added, “We’re the same, after all.”

Jiang Jize: “???”

While Jiang Jize stood there, thoroughly bewildered, Lu Che walked into the classroom, feeling quite satisfied, ready to “report back” to Xu Xing.

As Lu Che passed by Xiao Shun, who was engrossed in his homework, Xiao Shun’s attention was briefly caught by Lu Che’s tall figure, and he glanced up absently.

Xiao Shun, who was naturally drawn to handsome guys, looked at Lu Che in appreciation, purely out of a sense of aesthetic admiration.

Just as he was about to lower his gaze, Xiao Shun caught sight of Jiang Jize standing outside the classroom.

If seeing Lu Che only gave Xiao Shun a sense of admiration, then seeing Jiang Jize made his heart race.

His gaze inadvertently locked with Jiang Jize’s. Trapped with no way to avoid it, Xiao Shun gave him a slight smile and nodded as a greeting.

Xiao Shun quickly looked away, afraid to meet his eyes again.

By the time Jiang Jize snapped out of his daze, Xiao Shun had already averted his gaze.

Trying to shake off Lu Che’s cryptic remarks, Jiang Jize felt an inexplicable urge to get closer to Xiao Shun, who was always so shy. Every time they spoke or exchanged glances, Xiao Shun would look away, which made Jiang Jize, who had a compulsion to make eye contact when speaking, want to lift Xiao Shun’s chin and make him look directly at him.

Scratching the back of his head, Jiang Jize fell back into a mental loop: What on earth did Lu Che mean by that?!

What did he mean by “what do you think of him”?!

What did he mean by “we’re the same”?!

…

When Lu Che returned to the back of the classroom, he overheard a conversation between Xu Xing and Wang Zicong.

Xu Xing glanced at the book on his desk, flipping a page casually, and said offhandedly, “By the way, deskmate…”

Wang Zicong turned to him, “Yeah?”

Wang Zicong was focused on studying, with a half-open can of chips and an English book on his desk. Since he’d set a rule of rewarding himself with one chip for every word he memorized, that can of chips had lasted this long.

Xu Xing mentioned casually, “I just saw your ex-girlfriend in the cafeteria.”

Wang Zicong froze but tried to act nonchalant. “Oh…”

Xu Xing continued, “I saw her order a four-meat rice bowl.”

Wang Zicong paused again but said nothing.

“And I overheard her say… she’s going to eat until she’s fat.”

Wang Zicong was dumbstruck.

Xu Xing left it at that. Wang Zicong’s feelings and decisions weren’t something Xu Xing could influence; it was best to let things unfold naturally.

The red string taught him about love through the ups and downs of everyone else’s emotions, mirroring the hurdles Xu Xing had faced himself. Since he had managed to mend things with Lu Che, he hoped others wouldn’t have lingering regrets.

Xu Xing still felt a twinge of guilt for every red string he’d severed, even though each time he had acted at the string’s request or urging. Now, with everyone’s strings mended, he finally felt at ease.

Lost in thought, Xu Xing suddenly felt a tug at his heart’s red string. Almost instinctively, he turned—

Only to meet Lu Che’s deep, affectionate gaze.

Lu Che looked at him with a tenderness and a hint of mischief.

Lu Che blinked innocently and asked expectantly, “Class president, is the hourly reward still on?”

Xu Xing huffed, “Yes.”

Lu Che’s eyes sparkled as he added, “So, does the three-hour evening class mean an upgraded reward?”

Xu Xing pinched Lu Che’s handsome face, denying him any room to negotiate. “No.”

Rubbing his now red cheek, Lu Che exaggerated his woes, portraying himself as the ultimate gentleman willing to endure anything.

Xu Xing couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “I don’t know why, but you look better in front of others. With me, you’re just… indescribable.”

Lu Che: “…”

This was too much! He’d barely shown a good face to anyone else, yet here he was, bending over backward for Xu Xing, only to get no appreciation in return.

Leaning against the desk, he brooded briefly before perking up. “So you like someone who’s more assertive?”

With a smile creeping up, he declared, “Got it.”

Xu Xing wasn’t sure what went through Lu Che’s mind but was certain it was something rated 18+. Xu Xing thought his past evaluations of Lu Che were spot on—with such an imagination, Lu Che would never lack love.

Motivated by the reward system, Lu Che was unstoppable in his studies during evening class, especially excelling in math and physics.

Their physics teacher and homeroom teacher, reviewing Lu Che’s flawless work, praised him repeatedly, saying, “This is all thanks to the class president.”

Xu Xing, caught off guard, said, “Huh?”

The teacher chuckled. “Caught you eavesdropping, didn’t I? How else could you respond so quickly?”

Xu Xing: “…”

Lu Che, grinning, said, “Please don’t scare my class president~”

After class, Xu Xing finally confronted Lu Che as they walked back to the dorm. “Lu Che, when you got my phone from the teacher, did you… say something?”

“Well…”

Lu Che said, “She asked first.”

Xu Xing frowned. “Asked you what?”

That night.

When Lu Che arrived at the office, the teacher was just preparing a cup of herbal tea to take back to the classroom, planning to sip it leisurely while working on lesson plans. As Lu Che approached her and mentioned he was there to retrieve the class president’s phone, the teacher looked at him for a few seconds before bluntly asking, “Are you two… crossing any boundaries in your relationship?”

The teacher, speaking in a roundabout way, expressed her doubts.

She wasn’t clueless. That afternoon, after confiscating Xu Xing’s phone, she’d given him some advice, thinking he was going through a breakup. When Xu Xing skipped his afternoon self-study session, she had imagined a variety of possibilities, with the most likely being that he had gone out to win back his girlfriend. Inwardly, she was marveling at how dramatic young relationships were, almost like scenes from a TV drama.

But instead of bringing back a girlfriend, Xu Xing returned with Lu Che…

The teacher’s reaction in that moment was one of utter shock.

And even now, she couldn’t shake that feeling, so she quickly took a sip of her herbal tea to calm her nerves.

Standing before her, Lu Che considered several possible responses, then grinned and said, “Teacher, don’t forget—you promised to set me up with someone.”

Earlier, in front of the entire class, the teacher had boldly declared, “With all sixty-eight students here as witnesses, if you fancy someone, just let me know, and I’ll match you up.” Her words had been loud and confident, and, of course, Xu Xing was one of those sixty-eight students.

The teacher: “…”

Lu Che continued, “I’m pursuing the class president. You don’t have to help, but please don’t get in the way.”

The teacher: “…”

She silently finished her cup of tea, the warm liquid trickling down, though her heart felt oddly cold.

---

Author’s Note: Many readers have asked if I’ve forgotten about Xiao Jiang…

I haven’t! But the supporting CPs (couple pairings) in this story are meant to be temporary CPs, so I’m intentionally keeping them out of the spotlight for now.

Their stories will come naturally in their time, so once they’ve served the main plot, I’m setting them aside for a bit. 😅