Song Yuan and Xie Wenxing grew up together as close friends. They attended the same school until the second semester of their first year of high school, when Song Yuan’s parents had a job transfer, and he moved to Yancheng No. 1 High School.
During the summer break, Song Yuan tearfully bid farewell to Xie Wenxing, thinking it would be a long time before they saw each other again. But just a few days into the start of their sophomore year, he unexpectedly reunited with his old friend, overjoyed with excitement.
However, he never expected Xie Wenxing to tell him to shut up?!
A bucket of cold water instantly extinguished the enthusiasm in Song Yuan’s heart, and he protested indignantly, “It’s only been a short while, and you’ve already changed your heart? Hah, men.”
Although he knew it was impossible, Xie Wenxing couldn’t shake the intense presence he felt from the spot diagonally behind him. He had the nagging sensation that someone’s gaze was sweeping over him, burning even hotter than fire.
Xie Wenxing sat up straight, his back stiff and tingling with unease.
Breaking out in a sweat from the heat, he didn’t dare to turn his head. After neatly arranging his books, he flipped open his textbook with a serious expression and said, “I need to focus on the lesson. Let’s talk after class.”
His solemn and studious demeanor made Song Yuan almost suspect that his friend had been possessed by someone else.
After all, they were both academic slackers, who didn’t know how each of them usually acted in class?
Could a single summer break have completely changed his personality?
On the podium, Chen Yan had already started the lesson, his voice rising and falling in a rhythmic, distinctive style.
Song Yuan quickly became absorbed in the lecture and stopped pestering Xie Wenxing.
Xie Wenxing let out a huge sigh of relief. In just this short span of time, his palms had grown sweaty, whether from the heat or other reasons, he wasn’t sure.
He kept his neck stiff and straight, his seat next to Xu Huai’an’s.
After what felt like an eternity, he secretly, slower than a tortoise, shifted ever so slightly toward the window.
His peripheral vision caught the person he had anticipated.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glow that illuminated half of his face.
His profile was flawless, with chiseled features and an especially prominent nose, casting a small shadow on his cheek. One of his eyes was hidden in the dimness.
An extraordinary aura enveloped him entirely.
Xie Wenxing’s gaze lingered on his long, straight eyelashes, then wandered to the bridge of his nose, before finally, almost unconsciously, settling on his lips, which were extremely pale and light in color.
Without even realizing it, he had gradually become entranced.
So handsome! Even better-looking than the male leads in manga.
Those eyes, those eyelashes, that nose, those lips.
Ahhhhh! Every single feature is absolutely perfect!
Xie Wenxing’s eyes practically turned into stars. As a devoted aesthete, he simply couldn’t help but be drawn in, his heart felt as if a claw was scratching at it, itching uncontrollably.
Compared to Xu Huai’an, those manga protagonists were merely average in looks!
Xie Wenxing had no idea how long he had been staring. The moment he noticed the faintest frown on Xu Huai’an’s brow, he quickly snapped his head forward, looking even more studious than a model student.
And because of that, he missed the look Xu Huai’an gave him.
Xie Wenxing’s ear, as smooth and white as mutton-fat jade, looked translucent in the sunlight. Now, it was tinged with a blush that spread extensively down his neck.
Xu Huai’an lowered his gaze, his eyes slipping out from beneath his downturned lashes, seemingly lingering there for a few seconds. Then, just as quickly, he withdrew his attention, letting it fall onto the open textbook on his desk.
A few words drifted leisurely through his mind: Like a little rabbit.
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
The break after second period was the long recess, when everyone had to go to the playground for morning exercises.
After most of the students had already left, Xie Wenxing finally headed downstairs with Song Yuan. The two arrived late and stood at the very end of the lineup.
Unfortunately for Xie Wenxing, the person directly in front of him was Xu Huai’an.
Now feeling bolder, Xie Wenxing openly gazed at his back.
His mind elsewhere, he went through the motions of the exercises by instinct, lost in thought.
Xu Huai’an barely spoke. Half the morning had already passed, and aside from hearing his voice earlier when that girl confessed her feelings, Xie Wenxing hadn’t heard him say a single word.
Xie Wenxing scratched his ear.
He wanted to hear him speak, and he wanted to be friends with him.
What should I do?
Xie Wenxing was lost in thought, and before he knew it, the broadcast calisthenics had ended. Just as he was deeply engrossed in his own mind, someone seemed to approach from the front. Instinctively, Xie Wenxing flinched backward.
Anyone could see the look of avoidance in his movement.
Anyone in Class 1, Grade 11 who saw it would say the new student had some nerve.
To make a face in front of Xu Huai’an, to act like he was avoiding him, this new student was a real tough guy.
But no one knew that Xie Wenxing was actually frozen in place.
He had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even noticed the person approaching him was Xu Huai’an; his body had just instinctively recoiled.
It looked exactly like he was avoiding Xu Huai’an, and when he finally realized what had happened, he was at a loss, fumbling with the urge to apologize.
Xu Huai’an was half a head taller than Xie Wenxing. Now, keeping a distance of about a meter, he looked down at him from above, his eyes betraying no emotion.
Xie Wenxing was completely enveloped in his gaze. Strangely, the panic in his heart gradually gave way to another emotion that welled up in its place.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Song Yuan thought Xu Huai’an might be angry. He knew all about Xie Wenxing’s little quirks and understood why he kept a certain distance from people.
It all traced back to elementary school, but the reason was too personal, of course, Song Yuan couldn’t just blurt it out. He had only arrived at the school a few days earlier than Xie Wenxing, but he already knew what kind of standing Xu Huai’an held in the class.
Nervous, he tried to help smooth things over. “Xingxing didn’t mean it.”
Zhou Yuan walked over with his hands in his pockets, looking as casual and carefree as ever. “He didn’t mean it? The way he flinched, everyone saw it.”
Xie Wenxing glanced at him, then realized that Xu Huai’an might have misunderstood and thought he was avoiding him.
Just as he was about to explain, Xu Huai’an suddenly spoke. “Let’s go.”
The voice sank into Xie Wenxing’s ears, sending a shiver down his spine, making his hair stand on end.
So his earlier feeling hadn’t been his imagination.
Xu Huai’an’s voice, to him, seemed almost magical.
He stood there, watching Xu Huai’an’s retreating figure.
Song Yuan followed his gaze and waved a hand in front of his face. “Xingxing, are you okay?”
Xie Wenxing clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. The slight sting suppressed the feeling, and he shook his head. “I’m fine.”
He had just confirmed one thing, he really was, a little bit, a weirdo. QWQ