It was right after morning exercises, and nearly half the school’s students were still gathered here.
When Xu Huai’an had first entered high school, he had delivered a speech as the representative of the new students in front of the entire school. It was fair to say that almost everyone in the school knew him.
And they all knew just how aloof and distant Xu Huai’an had been throughout his more than a year of high school. Apart from one or two friends, he kept his distance from everyone, without exception.
It wasn’t as though no one had ever tried to get close to him. But Xu Huai’an had an unbreachable sense of boundaries, and his gaze alone was enough to deter anyone.
Take just a few steps toward him, and a single look from him would make your heart race and stop you in your tracks.
Whether they were top students or struggling ones, outstanding in appearance or ordinary, no one had ever received special treatment from Xu Huai’an.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Xu Huai’an an unattainable flower.
And now, this boy who never bothered with anyone, who treated everyone the same, was standing right there, willingly handing out a bright red strawberry cake to another boy.
Countless people cursed under their breath, stunned speechless.
“Who is that?”
“Why is Xu Huai’an giving him a cake?”
Finally, Xie Wenxing snapped back to reality. Hearing the chatter from the surrounding students, he found it just as unbelievable. He pointed at himself in disbelief. “This is for me?”
Shouldn’t receiving a gift make someone happy?
Xu Huai’an wasn’t entirely satisfied with the little rabbit’s expression at the moment. He simply shoved the bag into Xie Wenxing’s arms and watched him fumble to catch it. Perhaps thinking Xie Wenxing hadn’t heard him clearly the first time, he repeated, rare for him, “Yeah, it’s for you.”
The way he said it made it sound like the two of them were quite familiar.
Who would have guessed that Xie Wenxing hadn’t even introduced himself yet? They were just classmates, strictly speaking, they had barely exchanged a few words.
Xie Wenxing could hardly contain his excitement. His adrenaline was surging, but he didn’t want to accept the gift without understanding why, so he asked, “But… why?”
As if recalling something amusing, a slight smile tugged at the corner of Xu Huai’an’s lips. “Yesterday.”
Xie Wenxing quickly raised his voice to cut him off. “Okay, you don’t have to say it.”
The events of yesterday were far too embarrassing. Xie Wenxing didn’t want to revisit them.
Just thinking about Xu Huai’an knowing he had taken his pen made Xie Wenxing feel utterly mortified.
If anything, he was the one in the wrong.
So how did it end up with Xu Huai’an giving him a gift instead?
Xie Wenxing’s heart melted into a puddle.
Why is he so nice?
If Luo Yinyin and Chen Yun heard Xie Wenxing say that Xu Huai’an was nice, they’d probably be so furious they’d spit blood.
Him? Nice?
For the first time in his life, Xu Huai’an felt a hint of helpless amusement. Some people called him a born troublemaker; others said he was an ungrateful wolf. Even those who claimed to admire him, after being rejected, would curse him in their hearts for pretending to be aloof, acting high and mighty, just because he was decent-looking and had a bit of money.
Even Zhou Yuan and Zhao Xu, who had grown up with him, wouldn’t dare say he was a good person.
And yet this person, whom he had only known for a few days, thought he was nice?
Xu Huai’an’s thoughts grew distant. He thought coldly to himself, in a while, when he finds out about the things I’ve done, he’ll be just like everyone else. He won’t think I’m nice anymore.
Xie Wenxing didn’t notice how Xu Huai’an’s gaze suddenly became hollow and cold, as if he had momentarily disconnected from the world. Seeing Xu Huai’an turn to leave, Xie Wenxing felt a surge of panic, he didn’t even know his name yet.
Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Xu Huai’an’s wrist.
Beneath the thin layer of skin, the muscles were firm and defined. The prominent bone pressed against Xie Wenxing’s palm.
Xie Wenxing froze for a full ten seconds before finally meeting Xu Huai’an’s gaze. He took a sharp breath and suddenly declared in a loud, clear voice, “You probably don’t know my name yet. It’s Xie Wenxing!”
He said it as if trying to drill the name deep into Xu Huai’an’s ears, his voice resounding and full of energy.
Xu Huai’an was genuinely taken aback for about three seconds. His eyebrow twitched slightly. “I know.”
Then, after a brief pause, his gaze drifted downward.
Xie Wenxing followed his eyes and realized he was still gripping Xu Huai’an’s wrist. As if scalded by boiling water, he let go abruptly.
Xu Huai’an caught a glimpse of the tips of his ears turning red before turning and walking away.
The little episode had lasted only a few minutes—Xie Wenxing even had plenty of time to leisurely walk back to the classroom.
But the impact it caused was immense.
Within just one class period, news of it had spread across most of the campus.
Everyone was curious about the person who had received such special treatment from Xu Huai’an, and they came in droves to catch a glimpse.
Song Yuan pointed at the students lingering in the hallway outside the door. “They think they’re hiding it well? They’ve walked back and forth at least four or five times.”
Xie Wenxing, resting his head on his arm, ignored him. His eyes were fixed, unwavering, unblinking, on the hand that had just gripped Xu Huai’an’s wrist.
How did you ever deserve to have such close contact with him?
This hand shall not be washed. Not for the next half month!
Song Yuan kept chattering. “Xingxing, you’re famous now. But I’m really curious, when did you even get to know Xu Huai’an? How come I didn’t know about it? And why did he give you a cake?”
Song Yuan was basically Xie Wenxing’s constant companion. When exactly had his best friend gotten involved with that ridiculously handsome guy?
But when he didn’t get an answer after waiting a while, he glanced over and saw Xie Wenxing staring blankly at his hand.
His eyes narrowed mischievously, and he stealthily reached into Xie Wenxing’s desk drawer.
Slap!
Xie Wenxing grabbed a textbook and smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch it. I’m going to eat this myself.”
No, there was no way he would eat it. He was going to enshrine it and pay homage to it every morning!
Song Yuan hugged his arms, feeling inexplicably dazzled—Xie Wenxing seemed to be radiating some kind of glow.
Meanwhile, over where Xu Huai’an was, he was also being grilled by Zhou Yuan and Zhao Xu.
Zhou Yuan was dying of curiosity, like there were ants crawling all over him. He couldn’t hold it in for long. “Hey, Brother Huai, when did you get to know Xie Wenxing?”
Zhao Xu was even more curious. “Who exactly is this Xie Wenxing? Is he someone Brother Huai likes? The class belle in my class asked me to find out if Brother Huai has anyone he likes right now. If not, she still wants to give it a shot.”
Zhou Yuan slapped a hand on Zhao Xu’s shoulder. “You don’t need Brother Huai to answer that—I can tell you. Tell your class belle to give up. Brother Huai just wants to stay single!”
Zhao Xu shoved his arm off. “As if I don’t know that? But the whole cake thing has spread like wildfire, so I thought maybe Brother Huai had changed his mind.”
The two of them chattered away like a pair of noisy birds. Xu Huai’an shot them a glance. “You two have nothing better to do?”
“Uh, ah, class is about to start. I’m out, see you.”
Zhao Xu checked the time and immediately took off.
Zhou Yuan let out a dry laugh, and just then, the bell rang, saving him.
Because he had made contact with Xu Huai’an and Xu Huai’an now knew his name, Xie Wenxing was in high spirits the entire day. Even in class, his good mood helped him focus better.
He stayed happy all day. Even at night, he fell asleep with a blissful smile on his face, his hand still curled as if holding something. No one knew what he was dreaming about, but it was clearly a good dream.
But while his mood was soaring, the mood of the “missionaries” was far less pleasant.
Luo Yinyin and Chen Yun both felt a sense of crisis. No, they couldn’t just sit around and wait any longer. They needed to take action.