Chapter 5

Jiang Qiao: [I don’t dare.]

166: [………………]

On the basketball court, freshmen who had changed into their sports uniforms were now playing a friendly match against the sophomores.

Jiang Qiao looked over and immediately spotted Lu Xun among them. He was half a head taller than the others, standing out like a crane among chickens—striking and captivating.

Lu Xun had long legs and a tall build, playing with smooth and steady technique. In the first three minutes, he scored two baskets.

The sophomores were getting anxious. Zhou Yue, the team captain, seemed distracted, constantly glancing toward the bleachers—only to find Jiang Qiao not looking at him at all. Instead, her eyes were fixed on someone else.

Following her gaze, he saw Lu Xun effortlessly raise his hand—swish—another basket.

Zhou Yue had heard the girls in class talking about a new student this year: a straight-A student with jaw-dropping looks, who had already caused a stir among all the girls in the senior high division on the very first day.

It didn’t take long for everyone to find out about him—Lu Xun. Orphaned, and deaf in his left ear.

Tch. Zhou Yue didn’t understand what Jiang Qiao saw in such a prideful, poor boy. Feeling displeased, his eyes lingered on the faint bruise at the corner of Lu Xun’s mouth. Serves him right, he thought maliciously, must’ve been punched for acting high and mighty.

He leaned over and whispered something to one of his teammates. Soon after, the sophomore players began deliberately approaching Lu Xun from his left side.

Jiang Qiao noticed Lu Xun hesitate for a moment. That short pause cost him a golden opportunity. By the time he tried to fall back and defend, the ball had already gone in.

Cheers erupted from the court.

This happened several more times. The sophomore team had clearly started to gang up on Lu Xun.

Zhou Yue didn’t directly participate, but it was obvious to anyone watching that he approved of his team’s dirty tactics.

Ye Qingqing caught on too, and she was both angry and embarrassed.
“Aren’t they obviously targeting him on purpose?”

At halftime, the cocky sophomores walked off the court triumphantly. In contrast, the freshmen looked gloomy, shooting annoyed glances at Lu Xun, muttering and cursing under their breath as they stepped down.

Jiang Qiao saw Song Qingying approach Lu Xun with a bottle of water and a worried expression. She said something to him, but he just shook his head. Disheartened, she walked away.

The second half began soon after. The sophomores stuck with the same tactic. The freshmen had practically given up—so long as Lu Xun was being swarmed, they didn’t stand a chance.

Just as another goal seemed inevitable, a sudden gasp echoed across the court.

Right at the edge of the hoop, the ball was intercepted.

In a seamless counterattack, before anyone could react, Lu Xun caught the falling ball with one hand and made a reverse shot—scoring in the opponents’ basket.

Truly worthy of being a high-IQ top student. Just one break at halftime, and he had already figured out how to turn the game around.
Jiang Qiao wasn’t the only one thinking it—others saw it too.

The whistle blew. Lu Xun’s team won the match, 17 to 13.

Zhou Yue, humiliated, forced a congratulatory smile. Inside, he was livid enough to want to tear Lu Xun apart as he walked off the court in defeat.

The entire field erupted with cheers—boys shouting excitedly, girls screaming with joy.

For someone with hearing loss in his left ear, such a noisy environment wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was painful. Beads of cold sweat formed on Lu Xun’s forehead, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with self-loathing.

Some girls, blushing and nervously psyching themselves up, tried to approach and offer him water. But when they looked up—he was gone.

Unaware that he had now become the target of envy and resentment, Lu Xun walked along the shaded paths and into the quiet, abandoned teaching building. His left ear was still aching faintly.

“Creak—”

A dried twig snapped under someone’s shoe.

He turned his head with a frown. When he saw who it was, his brows furrowed slightly, then he looked away and leaned casually against the wall.

Pretending not to notice his obvious disinterest, Jiang Qiao held out a freshly bought bottle of mineral water and blinked:
“I bought it especially for you.”

Lu Xun didn’t even lift his eyes. He pulled out a small vocabulary notebook from his jacket and started flipping through it.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the girl widen her eyes in a subtle but unmistakable look of frustration.

Condensation from the cold bottle was forming on her fingers, turning them red from the chill. But even so, she stubbornly refused to withdraw her hand.

Lu Xun felt a surge of irritation and snapped his vocabulary book shut.
“Buying me water? Got too much money to burn?” he said coldly.

“………………” Jiang Qiao couldn’t hold it in anymore and muttered in frustration,
“You’re the one helping Song Qingying. She’s just pretending in front of you! I didn’t even bully her—she insisted on taking my name!”

The guilty one complains first. Lu Xun had seen enough. He didn’t have the patience to argue with this pampered princess.
“Whatever makes you happy.”

“…………………” I’m not happy!! Jiang Qiao screamed inside.

“Let go,” Lu Xun said, trying to leave, but she blocked him. He looked down and saw his uniform sleeve tightly clutched in her hand, his irritation growing stronger.

But Jiang Qiao acted like she couldn’t read his mood at all.
“No. I haven’t finished talking. You can leave after I’m done.”

Such arrogance, such entitlement.

Except… she didn’t have much courage. One cold look from Lu Xun and she immediately let go—still trying to act tough:
“What are you glaring at?! I just want to say a couple things, it’s not like I’m asking for your life!”

All bark and no bite.

Lu Xun dusted off the wrinkled sleeve she had grabbed, then leaned back against the wall again. So annoyed he was beyond words, he actually let out a short laugh.
“Say it.”

Jiang Qiao had originally wanted to ask what the sleeve-dusting meant, but seeing him smile like that, she instinctively swallowed her question. Afraid he’d notice, she covered it up by pretending to clear her throat.
“Lu Xun, give me your contact info.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“I don’t have a phone,” he replied without hesitation.

“…………………” Jiang Qiao stared at him.

Is this guy a dog?
How could he lie with such a straight face? Couldn’t he at least come up with a more believable excuse?!

She was genuinely annoyed now, though she kept a blank expression and asked in a confused tone:
“How’s that possible? Then how do your friends contact you?”

“I don’t have friends,” Lu Xun replied flatly.

Jiang Qiao was left speechless, watching him turn and walk away. Finally, she spat out one word:
“Damn it!”

[Can I just fast-forward the plot and force him into the romance arc?] Jiang Qiao asked through gritted teeth.

166 chuckled: [Nope.]

On the way home after school, Ye Qingqing asked how it went. Jiang Qiao told her the whole story, even sighing sincerely about how Lu Xun had once again taken “being different” to a whole new level.

But Ye Qingqing looked at her strangely.
“Lu Xun’s in the class group chat, though.”

“No way. He said he doesn’t even have a phone…” Jiang Qiao said as she pulled out her phone. The group admin had already asked everyone to use their real names. She scanned the list—and there he was: Lu Xun.

“…………………” Jiang Qiao was fuming.

Her pretty face was twisted in anger. Ye Qingqing didn’t doubt she wanted to murder Lu Xun right then and there. Spotting her family’s car, she quickly said:
“Qiao’er, I’m heading off first. See you tomorrow!”

Leaving Jiang Qiao alone to rant at 166.

After dinner, lying on her bed, Jiang Qiao searched for Lu Xun in the class group and sent him a friend request.

Lu Xun rejected it.

She jolted upright like a carp flipping in water and immediately sent another request, refusing to give up.

She just didn’t believe he could ignore her forever.

Meanwhile, Lu Xun was riding his bike. His lean forearms were sharply defined, his short hair tousled by the wind. His features were handsome and refined, still full of youthful intensity.

There were no streetlights in the narrow alley—only darkness and silence. From his pocket, his phone occasionally buzzed and lit up faintly.

Lu Xun pressed his lips together and pedaled faster.