Chapter 51: “I think I liked you earlier than I told you last time…”

Lin Zhi and Lu Liu’s first meeting wasn’t particularly special. It was during the high school registration for freshmen, right after the middle school entrance exam results were announced. The temperature in J City was scorching, and the summer heat made people restless and impatient.

Lin Zhi did exceptionally well on the entrance exam, with a decent score, and went to register at the No. 2 High School by himself, since Lin Qingye had to work.

The registration window faced outdoors, and a long line had already formed. The small area under the eaves, which offered some shade, was completely packed.

In fact, Lin Zhi arrived quite early, hoping to finish quickly so he could go home and relax on the couch with some ice cream. However, there were plenty of others who were even more eager than him.

The teacher in charge of registration was not very efficient, and many students cut in line by claiming they were saving spots for friends. By 11 AM, Lin Zhi still hadn’t reached the front.

At noon, the sun was at its strongest. The girls in line took out umbrellas, and the boys who came with their parents hid under the umbrellas of their female relatives. Lin Zhi, all alone, could only use a flyer from the entrance to shield himself from a bit of the sun, his arm exposed to the scorching heat and his back drenched in sweat.

As the line in front of him grew shorter, Lin Zhi saw a glimmer of hope, but the girl ahead of him let two of her friends cut in. They squeezed so much that Lin Zhi had to step back to avoid stepping on the white sneakers of the boy behind him.

Damn it. Lin Zhi, already impatient from the heat, couldn’t hold back and muttered a few words under his breath.

The girls who cut in probably felt embarrassed, so they pretended not to hear and squeezed into the narrow space quietly.

It’s true that three women make a drama. In less than three minutes, the girls in front started joking around, which soon turned into playful pushing and shoving. One girl’s umbrella tilted, and its exposed rib almost poked Lin Zhi in the eye.

“Damn it!” Lin Zhi quickly dodged, leaning backward. Fortunately, the boy behind him caught him, or he would’ve definitely fallen.

The girl in front heard the sound and turned around. Lin Zhi first thanked the boy behind him, then turned around and shouted, unable to hold back any longer. He raised his voice, criticizing the girls for cutting in line, being rude, and even almost injuring him, but they didn’t apologize. It was rude…

His voice attracted the attention of several people around them. The girls, in the middle of the crowd, felt embarrassed. Their faces turned red, their ears burned, and tears welled up in their eyes. Biting their lower lips, they finally whispered, “Sorry.”

At that time, Lin Zhi hadn’t fully realized his sexual orientation yet, and with the hot weather, he wasn’t in the mood to show any sympathy. He felt no sincerity in the apology, so he lowered his gaze and didn’t want to hypocritically reply, “It’s okay.” As his gaze dropped, he saw a stain on the white sneakers behind him, probably from when he almost fell earlier.

For a moment, Lin Zhi forgot his own grievances and turned around, repeatedly apologizing to the boy behind him. He searched his pockets but couldn’t find a wet wipe, only a crumpled napkin. He pinched it and crouched down to clean the stain on the boy’s shoes.

The boy’s affection for his shoes was hard to gauge, but the extra shoe print on the toe of his pure white sneakers made it look quite amusing.

The boy behind him saw Lin Zhi crouching down in front of him and almost jumped in surprise when he looked down. He wanted to step back, but there wasn’t much space behind him. He had to reach out and pull Lin Zhi up. Their palms and arms were sweaty and hot.

On the first day of school, when the homeroom teacher asked everyone to introduce themselves, Lin Zhi found out that the boy who had saved him from falling and whose white sneakers he had dirtied was called Lu Liu. By coincidence, they were in the same class. He was the top scorer in the entrance exam and introduced himself confidently.

Once everyone had finished introducing themselves, they had a simple understanding of each other, though Lin Zhi didn’t remember most of their names. Afterward, the homeroom teacher asked for volunteers to form the class committee. Lu Liu was the first to raise his hand and, with a smile, recommended himself for the class president. When the teacher asked for the class’s opinion, Lin Zhi’s voice was the loudest in support, causing Lu Liu to glance at him a few times.

“Hey…” Lin Zhi sighed deeply. If this were any other novel, with their kind of fate, they would have definitely become good friends after high school started, or even rivals. Eventually, they would discover they liked each other, test each other, struggle, break free from their constraints, and create a forbidden love story that would astonish classmates, make teachers advise them to break up, and parents try to separate them, but they would end up together.

But for some reason, Lin Zhi and Lu Liu just couldn’t get the timing right. They both thought the other didn’t like them, and their attempts to test each other turned into keeping their distance. Breaking free from constraints became wishing each other well, and it took them so many years to finally confess their feelings.

Lin Zhi’s elbow was gently nudged, and he turned to see Lu Liu glancing at him, silently asking with his eyes, “What’s wrong?”

It was now the end of the semester, and the library had become their usual dating spot. As a top student who had never fallen out of the top ten in his grade, Lu Liu not only had the confidence to win a national scholarship, but also the determination to keep his boyfriend from failing.

Lin Zhi shook his head, pointing toward the bathroom, and stood up to leave his seat. After taking care of his needs and washing his hands, Lin Zhi looked in the mirror and saw his boyfriend entering through the door.

Lu Liu stood next to Lin Zhi at the sink, looking at him in the mirror and asking, “Are you tired?”

“Not really,” Lin Zhi replied. “I’m not tired, but I think my problem with drifting off whenever I open a book is probably incurable.”

“Alright, then take a rest if you’re tired,” Lu Liu said. The bathroom was a shared space, and since the door might open at any moment, Lu Liu didn’t have much opportunity to say anything particularly heartfelt. “If you don’t understand, just ask me.”

In fact, these years of suppression weren’t without their benefits. At least now, they were both adults, and there were fewer concerns. They didn’t have to worry about parents or teachers finding out, and they could openly love each other.

Lin Zhi smiled, feeling relieved. “Alright.”

“Happy?” Lu Liu was infected by his smile, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. “Starting to act cute now?”

“Cute, my foot.” Lin Zhi rolled his eyes, drying his hands, and pushed Lu Liu out of the bathroom. When they reached the hallway and saw no other students, Lin Zhi leaned into Lu Liu’s ear and whispered, “I just figured something out while reading.”

Lu Liu cooperatively asked, “What is it?”

“I think I liked you even earlier than I told you last time.”