By the time they reached the South Gate of the academy, it was only four in the afternoon. It was still early to be back on campus, and there were only a handful of people at the entrance.
Xie Yun and Lu Yibing were the first to get out of the car. Yu Yu parked the car in the basement and bid them both farewell. Once again, the two of them stood together in awkward silence.
“I’m going to the library to read.”
Xie Yun gripped the shoulder strap of his backpack and spoke first. In his original world, he was accustomed to arriving at school this early; he usually buried himself in the library, where it was quiet and free of distractions. He liked staying there.
Lu Yibing watched him from the side, his thick, long lashes drooping, yet his response dodged the topic entirely: “Brother, why didn’t you want to sit with me?”
This question left Xie Yun stunned. Why is he bringing that up now?
Their two tall figures standing at the school gate were exceptionally eye-catching, drawing numerous glances from passersby.
“Is that Lu Yibing?” a girl whispered to her friend.
The friend replied, “It is. Then that handsome, unfamiliar guy opposite him must be the ‘XY’ from the forum, right? He’s really good-looking.”
“I told you, I get car sick.”
Xie Yun let out a helpless sigh, wondering why he had to explain himself to this unreasonable child again.
Hearing this, Lu Yibing lowered his lips and said softly, “I remember that you don’t get car sick, Brother…”
He sounded certain. His pitch-black eyes were now quietly staring at the person before him; his thin lips were pursed, making him look pitiful—not like someone interrogating him, but like a gloomy, neglected puppy. It felt as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
Xie Yun: ……
“I get it now, okay?” He tried to make his voice sound as patient as possible. “I’m going to the library.”
A warm hand clamped onto the wrist of the person trying to leave. “I want to go too.”
Xie Yun: “What are you going to do there? You don’t study.”
Lu Yibing: “Who says I don’t study?”
Xie Yun, who had watched him nap all morning, didn’t believe him for a second. Unable to win the argument and fearing that saying anything harsher might trigger a warning from the system, he let him come along. It was early, anyway.
Afterward, Lu Yibing followed Xie Yun to a convenience store to buy a vegetable and ham sandwich and an Americano for dinner. However, Lu Yibing swapped the coffee for a bottle of sweet milk.
Is he really that addicted to sweets? Xie Yun thought as he looked at the bottle. He found even a small piece of strawberry cake to be sickly sweet; bitter coffee was much better for refreshing the mind.
The Old Library.
After studying math, physics, and chemistry for nearly a whole day, Xie Yun just wanted to read some philosophical literature. After picking out his book, he pulled up a long bench and sat down. Seeing that Xie Yun was settled, Lu Yibing grabbed a random book and sat across from him.
The air fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the rustling sound of turning pages.
Clutching the unidentified book in his hand, Lu Yibing’s gaze frequently drifted toward the person across from him who was reading so intently. An old, heavy book was spread open on the table, and Xie Yun’s beautiful long lashes were cast downward.
No specific emotion could be read on his snowy complexion. Around his eyes—white skin with a hint of pale pink—were very faint, semi-circular dark circles. They were so light that they didn’t detract from his beauty; instead, they unintentionally added a touch of allure, looking as if he had applied eyeliner.
Did Brother not sleep well last night? the observer thought to himself.
Never mind whether the person across from him had slept well; Lu Yibing certainly hadn’t, not with such a huge beauty sleeping right next to him. The dark circles under his own eyes were much heavier than his brother’s.
Lu Yibing only remembered that the thick scent of cedarwood had kept him awake the entire night. He had spent the whole time staring at his brother’s face, nearly losing his mind, and had even had a nocturnal emission in his half-conscious state. A blush of shame once again flooded his face.
His gaze drifted along with his thoughts; his brother’s neck was very white, enough to see the faint blue veins beneath the skin. So tempting. I really want to kiss it.
The burning gaze felt so intense that Xie Yun finally couldn’t help but knit his brows, giving him a quiet reminder: “Why do you keep staring at me?”
The voice, cold as an icicle, fell crisply like heavy snow on a branch—a gentle shake, and it covered the ground. It was icy, sharp, and pleasant to the ear. Even his voice sounded beautiful.
“I’m not.” Lu Yibing instinctively touched his ear and looked away.
Xie Yun remembered that in the original book, the protagonist Lu Yibing would touch his ear when he was lying or felt awkward, though it didn’t happen often.
He slowly raised an eyebrow. “Also, did you come to the library just to read a novel?”
The youth’s gaze shifted to the colored cover facing the other way, which clearly displayed the title: The Melodramatic [Redacted] Me.
Following his brother’s gaze downward, Lu Yibing finally saw the words on the cover.
“Cuckoo!!”
A brown bird suddenly popped out of an ancient cuckoo clock, tearing through the silent space. The clock struck five-thirty; this old library usually closed promptly at six, and such a noisy clock was set specifically to remind students to leave.
Unaware of this, Xie Yun was startled.
His dinner remained untouched by his side. With a light sweat appearing at his temples, the startled youth calmed himself and began to eat.
Lu Yibing smiled and offered comfort: “No one has been to this library for a long time, so this cuckoo bird stayed here. I thought you knew, since you come here often, Brother.”
Xie Yun took a bite of his sandwich. “I forgot.”
The other’s long lashes swept down; he chewed his food while his gaze remained fixed on his book. Three simple, nonchalant words. Lu Yibing smiled.
“By the way, Brother, the party Cui Yiyang is hosting is tonight. Do you want to…” He glanced at Xie Yun, his tone somewhat tentative.
Chewing his salad-filled sandwich, Xie Yun replied carelessly, “Not going. Exams are coming; I’m busy.” He took a sip of his coffee.
If it were truly an essential party, his parents would have given him a thousand instructions over the phone. It was likely just that bored Eldest Young Master Cui throwing a party for fun. Anyone who went would be out of their mind.
Hearing the cold, crisp words, Lu Yibing watched Xie Yun silently, smiling without a word.
Without Cui Yiyang around for evening study, Xie Yun did indeed find things much quieter. Since the classroom wasn’t crowded, he was too lazy to head to the study hall today. The only thing was Lu Yibing occasionally glancing at him from the side.
Xie Yun was always very focused when studying, so it didn’t affect him much. After scolding him once or twice, he let him be. Lu Yibing smiled, propping his chin on his hand.
After a period of peaceful stalemate, Lu Yibing’s cold peripheral vision drifted toward the glass window. There, his eyes met several Alphas who seemed to have come to gawk at Xie Yun. Since his seat faced the corridor, Lu Yibing could see every student who lingered outside the window.
His pitch-black pupils were as dark as ink, and his cold gaze was completely different from his usual self. It was as if it were quenched in ice—so cold that no one dared to look him in the eye.
[Field Academy Forum]
[OP]: Good news: XY is in the Elite Class. Bad news: there’s a dog following him.
[2L]: How do we chase this dog away?
[3L]: I’m outside the window watching the dog protect his master; his gaze looks like it could devour people.
[4L]: Is XY his? Why is he protecting him? I’m the only puppy for Yun-yun. Master, woof. [/acting cute]
[5L]: ……
[6L]: ……
[7L]: It’s only human nature.
[8L]: Did you come to a noble academy to lick men? Is there a master-servant play activity? Woof woof woof.
[9L]: You can only truly feel his beauty by seeing him in person up close… Anyone saying my Yun-yun is average, come to the Elite Class and call him Master.
[10L]: What?! I thought XY would be in the study hall or library today, so I went there specifically to wait for him. ww. Turns out he’s in class? I’m heading back too.
[11L]: You’re lucky.
Cold, pale fingers lightly flipped through the pages. For some reason, several people entered the classroom every few minutes. Xie Yun thought evening check-out had ended and even checked his phone.
System: [It’s fine, study in peace, Host. They’re here for you.]
Fine, then let them look; it doesn’t matter as long as they don’t cause trouble for Lu Yibing.
Upon hearing this, the system suddenly popped up with a wicked grin: [Starting to feel possessive of your brother already, Host?]
[Did you also read that book, ‘The Melodramatic [Redacted] Me’, this afternoon?] Xie Yun countered coldly. He simply didn’t want any eyesore-related events that would require him to step in and interrupt his reading.
Throughout the entire evening study session, aside from several burning gazes fixed on him, Xie Yun remained unaffected. Birds chirped relentlessly on the branches; tomorrow’s weather promised to be exceptionally clear.
Xie Yun hadn’t finished the philosophical literature he borrowed yesterday, so he carried the books to return them today. Two rows of emerald-green trees opened up an asphalt path; there weren’t many people on the road at this hour. The leaves filtered the sunlight into scattered bits of orange-yellow that reflected off the youth’s face, brightening his amber pupils.
As he passed yet another snowy-white fountain, he saw a youth bent over picking up books by the side of the fountain. Black-and-white textbooks were scattered all over the ground, their covers dampened by the arching spray of water. The boy crouching there looked somewhat distressed.
Seeing this, Xie Yun went over and crouched down. Suddenly, a lean arm appeared in the boy’s vision. The youth looked up to meet the newcomer’s gaze.
The intense sun, which the thin clouds couldn’t hide, shone from behind Xie Yun. Inky bangs swept across his dark eyes, and half of the youth’s face was hidden in shadow. The orange light split him in two, leaving him bathed in warmth.
The other boy was dazed.
His well-defined fingers looked even whiter under the intense sun. Xie Yun knelt on one knee and quickly gathered several books to hand to the other.
“Thank you.” The other regained his senses and took them.
Xie Yun gave him a token smile, then stood up to leave. But the youth, clutching his books, called out to him: “Senior Xie.”
Those three familiar words made Xie Yun pause. He turned back and saw the youth standing up. Thick, dark bangs partially obscured his cool skin. The boy was half a head taller than Xie Yun and wore black-rimmed glasses and a black uniform, giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance.
“Are you the ‘A’ who added me yesterday?” Xie Yun looked at him.
A faint smile appeared on the youth’s somber face. “How did Senior Xie know?” His voice was raspy, sounding like grinding gravel.
Xie Yun: … He actually wanted to ask how the other had gotten his contact information in the first place.
“Senior Xie, my name is You Yu. I’m a junior, one year below you. I heard you were going to participate in the math, physics, and chemistry competition, so I added you from the registration list.”