He was that smart—if Lu Xianyan liked him, how could he possibly not have noticed?
Back then, Lu Xianyan had been called the “academic god” in class, largely because of that distant, cold aura of his. Aloof and indifferent, completely lacking the restlessness typical of adolescence.
And now this same person was saying he often had dreams about him…
The more Shu Ci thought about it, the more confused he became. He decided to message their mutual friend, Zhou Mingran.
But it turned out Zhou Mingran had already sent him a message half an hour ago.
Half an hour ago, Lu Xianyan had still been kissing him.
Shu Ci touched his burning face and opened the chat.
Zhou Mingran: 【What’s going on between you and Lu Xianyan? Did you say yes to him?】
Shu Ci’s eyes widened.【You noticed too?】
Zhou Mingran replied instantly, as if he’d been waiting.【His eyes were practically glued to you.】
【That thing you mentioned before—about being held and sitting on someone—that was him too, right?】
【When did you two get together?】
Shu Ci typed back:【We’re not together.】
After thinking for a moment, he asked what he really wanted to know:【Could you tell that he liked me back in middle school?】
Zhou Mingran:【Nope.】
As expected. Even Zhou Mingran hadn’t noticed. So it wasn’t just him being oblivious.
Before Shu Ci could reply, Zhou Mingran sent another message:
【That guy’s too good at pretending. What an actor.】
【Think about it—he secretly liked you for that many years without anyone finding out. That takes serious scheming! We’ve been brothers for so long and I barely recognize him anymore!】
【Did he confess to you? You weren’t replying earlier—was he clinging to you and doing stuff?】
Shu Ci flushed.【Stop talking nonsense.】
Zhou Mingran:【You better think carefully about this. If you’re not together yet, why did you give him perfume?】
Shu Ci:【It’s his birthday. Of course I gave him a gift.】
Zhou Mingran:【Since when do bros give each other gifts?】
Shu Ci:【But you give me one every year.】
【What are we, then?】
Zhou Mingran, seemingly holding back for too long, quickly vented:
【No wonder he was like that tonight. He smelled so strong I thought he was trying to gas everyone. If we didn’t have a private room, I’d have been afraid we’d suffocate other people and have to apologize one by one.】
Shu Ci blinked.【That exaggerated?】
He’d noticed Lu Xianyan’s toiletries were all sweet orange scented, so he assumed he liked it and chose a light citrus fragrance.
It had smelled pretty mild to him.
Zhou Mingran’s chat box showed “typing…”
But before another message came, there were two knocks at the door.
Shu Ci got up to open it.
Lu Xianyan stood outside.
He was probably here for an answer.
Shu Ci had just been about to say, “I haven’t decided yet,” when Lu Xianyan spoke first.
“Can I pursue you?”
Lu Xianyan’s pursuit wasn’t dramatic, which relieved Shu Ci. He was terrified of those social-death confession scenes online—candles arranged into hearts and all that.
They still interacted much like before.
But this time, Shu Ci started paying closer attention.
He realized that Lu Xianyan’s care and attentiveness were even more detailed than he’d imagined.
After helping him collect his clothes, he’d casually remove lint. The oranges he cut were already peeled at the edges. Bottles handed to him were always pre-twisted open. Drinks bought during walks were always his favorite flavor.
Even if Shu Ci hadn’t noticed these things before, Lu Xianyan would never have pointed them out.
In early December, amid a soft, drizzling first snowfall, Shu Ci finally heard—
“I was afraid someone else would take you away,” Lu Xianyan said.
It took Shu Ci a few seconds to realize “someone else” meant Fu Zhiheng.
“Didn’t I already say he’s straight…” Shu Ci sounded exhausted, his voice weak. “I mean—when did you start buying my books? Did you buy them because of me, or have you always been reading my comics?”
“I bought them because I like them. You draw really well.”
Shu Ci didn’t know how to react to praise like that. He murmured softly, “Oh… When did you start reading?”
“A long time ago.”
Lu Xianyan’s tone was calm. He didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he popped a small piece of red grapefruit into Shu Ci’s mouth.
Shu Ci’s lips were stained slightly red, glistening under the light. His shoulders were being kneaded comfortably. He let out a few soft hums as his breathing gradually evened out.
And just like that, completely defenseless, he fell asleep.
Like a cat rolling over and purring with its belly exposed.
Lu Xianyan’s movements grew even gentler. Veins stood out along his neck and arms, a thin sheen of sweat forming at his temples.
Only after Shu Ci was fully asleep did he gaze at him for a long time.
Then he gently touched that soft, pale cheek.
When Shu Ci woke up, he was lying in the middle of the bed, neatly tucked under a blanket.
The air conditioner had been adjusted to a comfortable temperature. He’d slept deeply.
Water sounds came from the bathroom. Lu Xianyan was probably showering.
His shoulders felt much better. Shu Ci picked up his phone to check reader comments.
Instead, he saw a new friend request on WeChat.
【Hi, I’m Li Wei from your middle school class. Do you remember me?】
Shu Ci did remember her—a lively girl.
After accepting, Li Wei immediately messaged him, amazed that the comic artist she’d been following turned out to be her former classmate.
She’d switched to the liberal arts stream in senior year and, worried Shu Ci might not remember her, added:
【Do you remember? In first year we rehearsed a stage play together. You played the princess—your skin was so fair, no one in class was whiter than you!】
Shu Ci’s memories resurfaced.
Back then, cross-dressing roles had been trendy, and everyone unanimously voted for him to play the Sleeping Princess.
He’d worn a dress. Even lipstick.
At the time, he’d treated that stage play as black history—ready to fight anyone who brought it up.
Now that he thought about it, it was actually a fun experience.
Shu Ci replied:【You wrote the script back then, didn’t you?】
They started chatting.
Li Wei had majored in art in college and now worked as a jewelry designer at a large foreign company.
Shu Ci was genuinely impressed and praised her.
Li Wei replied:【I’ve been interested in that stuff since middle school. I even picked out the accessories you wore when you played the princess.】
She sent some photos of the jewelry from back then. The image quality was low—clearly old pictures.
Shu Ci scrolled through them.
Then his movement froze at a photo of a pair of pearl clip-on earrings.
That pearl looked… familiar.
He tried to recall—
His eyes suddenly lit up.
It looked very similar to the one Lu Xianyan wore around his neck.
And he vaguely remembered that one of the earrings had gone missing…
The thought that surfaced made his heart pound wildly.
Maybe Lu Xianyan had just bought it himself.
Who would possibly keep something he’d lost for that many years?
No.
Impossible.
But…
What if?