Lunch ended with Xie Wenxing appearing calm on the surface but in truth a storm raged beneath his composure.
The hotpot had been genuinely delicious. Xie Wenxing patted his stomach, now slightly rounded.
He happened to catch Xu Huai’an looking at him, a hint of teasing in his gaze. Xie Wenxing froze for a moment, then pretended nothing was wrong and walked away.
Song Yuan was sweating profusely but looking thoroughly satisfied. “That was a great meal, Xingxing. I’m going to get some lemon tea. You coming?”
Xie Wenxing immediately kept his head down and walked ahead. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”
He was inwardly mortified.
He felt like patting his belly just now had made him look so foolish, he’d ruined his image!
He didn’t know that Xu Huai’an could read his thoughts. His image in front of Xu Huai’an had been long gone anyway.
“Brother Huai, I don’t know if it’s just me, but that kid seems really scared of you,” Zhou Yuan remarked with a teasing smirk. “Looks like your cake went to waste, huh, Brother Huai? Hahaha.”
Zhao Xu clenched his fist. “What? He dares?”
He looked fierce, as if ready to throw down.
But when the two of them turned around, Xu Huai’an was already far ahead.
At noon, the school required students to stay in their classrooms unless they had business elsewhere.
Xu Huai’an hadn’t rested well the night before and was about to lie down for a nap when a cold, refreshing lemon tea was placed on his desk. The chilled cup touched his arm.
He looked up.
Xie Wenxing grew nervous the moment he faced Xu Huai’an. He didn’t dare meet his eyes, his gaze lingering only on the bridge of his nose and the perfect, pale lips. “This is for you.”
Xu Huai’an found it amusing. This kid was clearly bursting with excitement inside, having stolen countless glances and thoughts of him, yet on the surface, he was so reserved and shy. It was hard to reconcile this with the things Xu Huai’an had overheard.
Xie Wenxing turned to go back to his seat, but Xu Huai’an called out to him. “Xie Wenxing.”
His name sounded as if it had been savored in Xu Huai’an’s mouth for a long time before being spoken, giving it an unusually intimate feel.
Xie Wenxing paused.
It really does feel different when he says my name (≧▽≦)/
Xie Wenxing pressed his lips together. “What is it?”
Xu Huai’an nudged the lemon tea with his index finger. “I don’t drink sweet things.”
Xu Huai’an was blessed with exceptionally well-proportioned hands, long and slender, with clearly defined knuckles. Under the sunlight, his skin looked extraordinarily fair.
Xie Wenxing stared for nearly a minute before finally digging his nails into his palm and swallowing hard. “It’s lightly sweetened. Not too sweet.”
Xu Huai’an’s captivating gaze swept over the crimson corners of Xie Wenxing’s eyes, the delicate tip of his nose, and his soft pink lips. “Well, thank you, then.”
The little man in Xie Wenxing’s heart clasped his hands together, twisting shyly with a proud, delighted smile. But on the outside, he remained composed. “You’re welcome. It’s a return gift.”
In case Xu Huai’an forgot, he repeated before heading back to his seat, “A return gift for the cake.”
Song Yuan had been watching the whole exchange with his jaw practically on the floor. When Xie Wenxing sat back down, he gave him a thumbs-up and whispered, “Impressive!”
Song Yuan shifted restlessly in his seat, unable to contain his curiosity. He desperately wanted to know what he had missed, how on earth had his friend gotten so close to the campus superstar?
He was dying to ask.
But Xie Wenxing had already put his head down on his desk and seemed to be dozing off. Song Yuan didn’t want to disturb him.
Meanwhile, as Xie Wenxing drifted off to sleep, a faint thought tugged at the back of his mind, that he had forgotten something. But he couldn’t remember what, so he simply fell asleep.
The person who had waited in the small grove for most of the afternoon, barely having had a bite to eat, had rushed back to the classroom just before the bell rang. Seeing Xie Wenxing return and casually fall asleep as if nothing had happened made her seethe. Her stomach growled with hunger, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted nothing more than to grab Xie Wenxing and give him a beating.
When Xie Wenxing woke up, his arm was completely numb from sleeping on it. He grimaced as he massaged it, then hurried to the restroom as soon as the bell rang.
On his way out, someone blocked his path.
Xie Wenxing looked at the long-haired beauty standing before him, the same girl who had once confessed to Xu Huai’an.
Thinking it was just a coincidence, Xie Wenxing stepped aside to let her pass. But to his surprise, Luo Yinyin extended her arm, blocking him.
He took a step back. “What do you want?”
Luo Yinyin was once again irritated by his standoffish demeanor. She clenched her teeth, forcing a smile. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Xie Wenxing declined, finding the situation bizarre. “I don’t even know you.”
He was about to leave when Luo Yinyin said, “It’s about Xu Huai’an.”
Xie Wenxing’s expression shifted as realization dawned. “Was that you at noon?”
“Heh.”
Luo Yinyin’s cheek twitched, her irritation evident. “So you did know. I thought you were deaf and hadn’t heard what I said.”
She had wasted an entire noon waiting in the small grove, afraid she might miss him, only for him to never show up.
Xie Wenxing raised an eyebrow, finding her utterly unreasonable. But he didn’t want to get tangled up in pointless arguments. All he cared about was what she had to say regarding Xu Huai’an.
He followed Luo Yinyin to the end of the hallway, where a small nook opened up, a kind of balcony space.
As they walked over, neither of them noticed that not far behind them, Xu Huai’an had just stepped out of the back door.
Zhou Yuan cautiously glanced at his expression. “Brother Huai, do you want me to teach them a—”
Xu Huai’an tilted his chin slightly, his expression unreadable. “No need.”
He wanted to know, would this timid little rabbit, after learning about his past, end up fearing and despising him like everyone else?
Or was he, like the others, merely infatuated with his appearance?