Nearly a week had passed since Xu Changxing transferred, and the number of people lingering around the entrance of Class 2-1 to catch a glimpse of him had gradually decreased.
Finally, the long-awaited weekend had arrived, though as one of the city’s key schools, Gaoyang No. 2 Middle School required students to attend six days of classes with only one day off.
On the Saturday afternoon of the first week of the semester, following the conclusion of the final weekly exam, the campus buzzed with activity once more.
“Big Brother Dai, going to play basketball?” Several boys in jerseys crowded around the doorway of Class 2-1.
“Can’t you see my leg is hurt? Not going, not going.” Dai Li waved them away impatiently.
Xu Changxing was packing his school bag to leave when Dai Li called out to him.
“Deskmate, where are you going this weekend? Heading home?”
“Not going back.” Xu Changxing had zero desire to return to that unpleasant place.
“Then where are you going?” Dai Li pressed further.
“The library,” Xu Changxing casually fabricated an excuse to brush him off.
“Such a show-off, boring.” Dai Li let out a couple of huffs, slung his large black backpack over one shoulder, and headed straight out the door.
Too tired to argue back, Xu Changxing stuffed his books into his white backpack, returned to the dorm first, and only swiped his card to leave once the crowd of students exiting the campus had thinned out.
However, he found himself followed by another person.
The moment Lin Guo saw Xu Changxing heading out, he chimed in and insisted on tagging along.
“Xingxing, you have no idea how lonely I was living by myself before you came.” Lin Guo’s mouth ran nonstop without stopping, while Xu Changxing occasionally nodded in agreement.
“It is a rare weekend, so I’m treating you to milk tea!” Lin Guo happily reached out to grab Xu Changxing’s hand, only for his wrist to be intercepted by another hand.
Looking up, who else could it be than Dai Li, who had supposedly left long ago?
Dai Li instantly released Lin Guo’s wrist, while Gu Nansong stood right behind him with a gritted-teeth expression.
“What are you doing?” Lin Guo pointed right at Dai Li’s nose.
“He’s allergic to other people’s skin, so don’t touch him.” Dai Li took a slight step forward to shield Xu Changxing.
“Eh, I didn’t know about that. Xingxing, why didn’t you tell me?” Lin Guo leaned his upper body sideways to look past Dai Li at Xu Changxing.
“Sorry, I forgot.” Xu Changxing offered an apologetic smile.
“Xingxing?” Dai Li rolled the nickname around in his mouth. “Not bad, Xingxing.” Dai Li turned his head and flashed a grin at Xu Changxing.
“Don’t call me that.” Xu Changxing raised his eyes expressionless as he looked at Dai Li. Since their heights were nearly identical with Dai Li being just a fraction taller, Xu Changxing could almost meet Dai Li’s gaze levelly, which lent him a sudden, quiet pressure.
“I will too. Xingxing, Xingxing, little Xingxing.” Dai Li wore a wicked smile, intentionally teasing him.
“It sounds like you want the whole world to know your nickname,” Xu Changxing threatened.
“Whatever, am I the type to care about that?” A flash of panic flickered across the bottom of Dai Li’s eyes, but he immediately recovered his usual arrogant and smug demeanor.
Xu Changxing let a slight smirk touch the corner of his lips, brushed past Dai Li, and headed straight for a small street vendor behind him.
Dai Li froze in place. Did Xu Changxing just, what, smile?
“Got shut down, huh?” Gu Nansong watched Dai Li’s reaction. “Rare sight, Big Brother Dai.” Gu Nansong shook his head with a smirk.
“Hey! Xiaoguo, wait for me!” Seeing that Lin Guo was following right behind Xu Changxing, Gu Nansong hurried to catch up.
Dai Li remained rooted to the spot. “Hmph, forgetting your friends for a pretty face!” he spat out an insult under his breath before chasing after the other three.
Xu Changxing stood beside a small street stall with a sign reading “Teppanyaki Tofu,” looking down at the sizzling, golden-brown tofu frying in front of him.
“Even an untouchable high-ridge flower eats this kind of street food?” Dai Li sidled up right next to Xu Changxing and said with a grin.
“I have no money.” A single sentence completely choked off every single sarcastic remark Dai Li had prepared in his throat.
“Master Dai here can sponsor you.” The words slipped out of Dai Li’s mouth before he belatedly realized how inappropriate they sounded.
“Deskmate, we’ve only known each other for a week.” Without even lifting his eyes, Xu Changxing watched the vendor pack up his tofu.
Xu Changxing raised the bag of tofu up to eye level, smiling at Dai Li. “If Young Master Dai has the cash, I suppose you could.”
Behind the transparent plastic bag, Xu Changxing’s stunningly gorgeous features beamed warmly back at Dai Li.
Finding an empty spot shortly after, they sat down, though the area was terribly cramped and crowded. Xu Changxing pulled up his long legs, stuffing himself uncomfortably onto a tiny plastic stool at a miniature table.
A moment later, Dai Li and Lin Guo arrived carrying various snacks and sat down as well.
Gu Nansong arrived empty-handed, taking out a piece of tissue to vigorously wipe down the stool and the table surface in front of Lin Guo. “Xiaoguo, sit here.”
Then, he wiped his own stool and table area over and over again before sitting down with an expression of utter fastidiousness.
“Are you always this delicate?” Dai Li unknotted his plastic bag to reveal the exact same teppanyaki tofu Xu Changxing had ordered.
“Even Young Master Dai eats this kind of street food?” Xu Changxing threw Dai Li’s exact words right back at him.
“I have no money either,” Dai Li replied with a straight face.
Hearing that, Gu Nansong let out a disdainful chuckle. “Young Master Dai, be careful or you’ll get struck by lightning for lying.”
“If lightning strikes anyone, it’ll hit you first.” Dai Li popped a piece of tofu into his mouth, the intense heat forcing him to open his mouth and pant. “Not bad, actually.”
“I never imagined the legendary school bully could have such a cute side.” Lin Guo popped a takoyaki into his mouth, propping up his chubby cheeks with a bright, cheerful smile.
Beside him, Gu Nansong looked ready to grind his back molars to dust. He swiftly shifted expressions, adopting a pitiful, aggrieved tone. “What about me, little Guoguo?”
Lin Guo turned his head toward Gu Nansong. “Young Master Gu is also a living person.”
“Pfft, hahaha!” Dai Li laughed so hard he started pounding the table, completely forgetting it was just a flimsy folding wooden table that nearly flipped over under his weight.
Fortunately, Xu Changxing reacted quickly and pressed his hand down on the table, casting a cold glance at Dai Li. “Try moving it one more time.”
The culprit Dai Li could only awkwardly bury his head back into his tofu, stealing sideways glances at Xu Changxing with a look that clearly screamed, “I won’t dare do it again!”
Watching from the side, Gu Nansong found it hilarious and felt a rare sense of schadenfreude seeing someone actually keep Dai Li in check, though he immediately sensed something slightly off about the underlying atmosphere and forced himself to suppress the corners of his mouth.
“I’寧 heading out.” After finishing the tofu in his container, Xu Changxing stood up to leave, but suddenly caught a hint of a sweet, clean fragrance drifting through the air. It stood out prominently amidst the mixed, tangled aromas of various street foods, and for some reason, that unique scent compelled Xu Changxing to halt his departure.
Xu Changxing scanned his surroundings for the source of the smell, looking out over the bustling crowd of passersby.
“I’m leaving too.” Dai Li suddenly stood up as well. At that instant, the strange fragrance intensified dramatically, flooding straight into Xu Changxing’s nasal passages like a physical hand striking him heavily, leaving him nearly breathless.
That scent was coming from Dai Li.
Xu Changxing covered his nose, frowning as he asked Dai Li, “Are you wearing perfume? It’s so strong.”
“No way. I’m not some pretentious guy like Gu Nansong,” Dai Li scoffed, dismissing the idea entirely.
“Hey! How are you talking?!” Gu Nansong took offense, having dressed up meticulously precisely to win over Lin Guo.
Xu Changxing stepped closer to confirm it for himself, but the scent surged straight from the back of Dai Li’s neck toward his head, causing Xu Changxing to turn his head away and break into a cough.
“Cough, cough…”