All the students in Class 1, Grade 11 had gone to the cafeteria, leaving Xie Wenxing alone in the classroom.
When the school’s teaching building was designed, special attention was given to maximizing natural light, ensuring the classrooms remained bright from morning until evening.
Xie Wenxing was already very fair-skinned, and the white light reflecting off the classroom added a luminous glow, making his complexion look even more translucent.
He looked incredibly cute at that moment, a sly little smile tugging at the corners of his lips, his eyes sparkling brighter than the stars in the sky. The soft flesh on his cheeks was as fluffy and tender as cotton candy, making one want to give them a good, firm squeeze.
A mixture of nervousness and unease washed over him. After the brief moment of satisfaction, he immediately glanced around alertly, worried that someone might have seen him.
And, as if tempting fate, someone was standing at the back door of the classroom—Xu Huai’an. There was no telling how long he had been there or how much he had seen.
The pencil was so small, and the motion of slipping it into his pocket had been minimal. The chances of him noticing were practically zero.
Besides, Xu Huai’an hadn’t said anything, only giving him a faint, indifferent glance.
But Xie Wenxing’s guilty conscience made him feel as if Xu Huai’an was staring right at his pocket. His face flushed bright red in an instant.
Xu Huai’an’s expression was detached, as if nothing could truly capture his attention.
Without a word, his gaze briefly flicked downward.
Xie Wenxing’s nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. His mind was racing at a speed far beyond its usual pace.
What is he looking at? The floor? Or my pocket?
Like a startled rabbit, Xie Wenxing’s already large eyes widened even further. He struck first, demanding in a loud voice, “What are you looking at?! What’s so interesting?!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Xie Wenxing dashed past Xu Huai’an with the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter, fleeing with all his might.
Xu Huai’an stood in place, watching him hop and skip down the stairs. His phone buzzed.
It was Zhou Yuan.
【What’s taking you so long just to grab something? I already got your food for you.】
Xu Huai’an: 【Nothing. Just saw a funny little rabbit and played with it for a bit.】
Zhou Yuan: 【Damn, where the hell is this rabbit? Seriously, you have to call me next time. I haven’t pet something fluffy in ages, my hands are itching.】
Zhou Yuan: 【Hurry up and get to the cafeteria, the food’s getting cold.】
Xie Wenxing rushed into the cafeteria like a headless chicken.
Song Yuan raised his arm high and waved. “Xingxing, over here!”
Xie Wenxing had been gone for about ten minutes, and Song Yuan had already gotten food for him based on his preferences.
Looking at his favorite sweet and sour lychee pork on the plate, Xie Wenxing replayed what had just happened and felt a twinge of regret.
Oh no, Xu Huai’an definitely thinks I’m crazy now. He probably hates me! QAQ
Who just yells at someone for no reason like that?
Putting himself in the other person’s shoes—
If someone had yelled at him out of the blue when he hadn’t done anything, he would definitely think that person was out of their mind.
I failed before I even got started! How am I supposed to become friends with Xu Huai’an now?!
“What’s wrong? Is the food bad?”
Song Yuan was too thick-headed to notice what his friend was really thinking.
Seeing Xie Wenxing mindlessly mashing the tofu with his chopsticks, he almost felt bad for the food.
Xie Wenxing forced a dry laugh and spooned the tofu over his rice. “No, it tastes pretty good.”
Yancheng No. 1 High School was considered a prestigious private school. Apart from its strong teaching staff, it also put significant effort into student life to help them focus entirely on their studies.
The cafeteria was one such example. The chefs, specializing in various regional cuisines, had been specially recruited from top-tier hotels, so the food was naturally delicious.
Xie Wenxing was picking at his food when he suddenly heard Song Yuan gasp from behind him. “Ah!”
Xie Wenxing instinctively grew curious and was about to turn his head.
But Song Yuan’s expression turned serious as he pressed down on his shoulder. “Xingxing, don’t look back.”
Xie Wenxing was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“Brother Huai, over here!”
Xie Wenxing first heard the shout, then saw Zhou Yuan not too far ahead, standing up and waving enthusiastically in their direction.
Xie Wenxing immediately lost his grip on his chopsticks. A figure brushed past him, and the breeze that followed felt as though it carried the sensation of the first winter snow landing on the tip of his nose.
Although there was no physical contact, Xie Wenxing seemed to sense something, his fingers trembled uncontrollably, and the chopsticks rolled off to the floor.
He stared fixedly at Xu Huai’an’s retreating figure, unable to look away.
His tall and upright posture, and the smooth, well-defined muscles of his arms exposed beneath his sleeves, they were even more stunning than the protagonists in the manga Xie Wenxing secretly read under his covers late at night.
For a moment, Song Yuan felt that Xingxing looked just like a dog staring at a juicy bone.
“What are you staring at? You’re practically drooling.”
Bewildered, he started to turn his head.
Xie Wenxing panicked and instinctively reached out, slapping his hand right onto Song Yuan’s face.
Smack!
It was especially loud!
Song Yuan froze. “Why did you hit me?”
Feeling his mind had never raced so fast, Xie Wenxing said, “I thought I saw a bug.”
Song Yuan was skeptical. “Really? Let me see.”
Xie Wenxing: “…I must have been mistaken.”
Song Yuan fell silent for a moment, then grumbled under his breath, unable to eat in peace.
It wasn’t until Xie Wenxing promised to lend him the limited-edition manga he had been wanting to read that Song Yuan finally broke into a satisfied smile and took a big, hearty bite of his meal.
Meanwhile, Xie Wenxing picked up the fallen chopsticks and set them aside, eating with a spoon instead. One hand stayed in his pocket, fingers gently stroking the pencil, making his palm feel increasingly warm.
Xie Wenxing felt that Xu Huai’an had witnessed all his embarrassing moments, he must definitely hate him now.
So even though Xie Wenxing was deeply drawn to Xu Huai’an and longed to be friends with him, to laugh and chat freely with him like Zhou Yuan did, to sling an arm over his shoulder without a care—
Just like he did with Song Yuan, to become really close friends.
But after the incidents during the morning exercises and yelling at Xu Huai’an in the classroom, Xie Wenxing currently didn’t dare to approach him and could only secretly observe from a distance.
When his pen accidentally fell to the floor during class, Xie Wenxing would use the chance to steal a glance at Xu Huai’an’s long legs, cramped and curled up beneath the desk.
He also learned that Xu Huai’an most often wore various famous brand sneakers.
Whenever Xu Huai’an so much as shifted his legs, Xie Wenxing would flinch in fright and immediately sit up straight, accidentally bumping into the desk several times.
This had almost become a conditioned reflex. Even when walking with Song Yuan, if Xie Wenxing so much as saw Xu Huai’an move his hand, he couldn’t help but give a little jump, as if he was perpetually ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
Even Song Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really that scared of Xu Huai’an?”
At that moment, Xie Wenxing was racking his brains over a math problem. Upon hearing the question, he thought to himself.
It wasn’t that he was scared of Xu Huai’an, he was scared that Xu Huai’an disliked him.
Ah, what a worry.
Xie Wenxing felt that seeing Xu Huai’an was like when girls saw someone as beautiful as a Barbie doll, they’d be drawn in and want to get closer. It was the same feeling.
If he couldn’t become friends with Xu Huai’an…
Every time this possibility crossed his mind, Xie Wenxing would feel an overwhelming sense of regret.