Time flew by, and Saturday arrived. Qian Wei followed Liu Shiyun to gather at the school gate.
Qian Chuan wasn’t usually this enthusiastic, but for this event he’d really gone all out. By the time Qian Wei and Liu Shiyun reached the meeting point, he was already standing off to the side, dressed to the nines, holding a steaming milk tea and a couple of egg tarts. He was craning his neck toward the gate, eagerly watching for Mo Zixin, and didn’t even notice Qian Wei walk up until she snatched the items right out of his hands.
“So this is what having a real little brother is like—how thoughtful, getting your big sister all these treats first thing in the morning. Well, I’ll gladly accept.”
“Qian Wei?! Give it back! That’s not for you!” Qian Chuan was practically sputtering with anger, scrambling to grab the snacks and drink back from her.
Qian Wei knew perfectly well these were meant to help Qian Chuan curry favor with Mo Zixin, which was exactly why she couldn’t let him keep them. Without a shred of dignity, she crammed all four egg tarts into her mouth at once and forced down a gulp of milk tea on top of it.
When Lu Xun arrived, this was the spectacle that greeted him. He seemed genuinely stunned by the sight of her, freezing for a moment before he came back to his senses. Right about then, Qian Wei—choking it all down—finally managed to swallow the last of the egg tarts. Qian Chuan didn’t have time to keep bickering with her either, because that was exactly when Mo Zixin arrived.
“Everyone on the bus, on the bus!”
The other students filed onto the chartered bus one by one. Qian Wei had meant to board too, but having just inflicted heavy losses on herself along with the enemy, she’d eaten too fast and felt thoroughly wretched. She could only stand there for a moment to recover. Even so, she didn’t forget her mission: intercept Qian Chuan, and make sure Lu Xun and Mo Zixin got seated together before Qian Chuan could wedge himself in between.
But things rarely go as planned. As Lu Xun passed by her, he actually bent down and stopped—tying his shoelace, unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. Mo Zixin had deliberately slowed her pace, hoping to board with him, but she was a girl, after all, and couldn’t make it too obvious. With Lu Xun stopped like that, she couldn’t very well stop too, so she boarded the bus with some reluctance. The moment she did, Qian Chuan naturally hurried on right after her. Given how relentlessly opportunistic Qian Chuan was, it was a foregone conclusion that the seat beside Mo Zixin would be his.
Qian Wei glanced at Lu Xun, utterly composed as he was, and felt a thousand kinds of exasperation. His shoelace hadn’t even been that loose a moment ago—why pick this exact moment to crouch down and tie it?
The thought that Qian Chuan would get to sit close to Mo Zixin for the entire trip left her half-deflated before she’d even boarded. And sure enough, once she got on, she saw with despair that Mo Zixin was indeed sitting beside a positively glowing Qian Chuan, while Lu Xun sat in the row behind them, the seat next to him still empty.
“Qian Wei! Over here!” Liu Shiyun waved at her, calling out warmly, patting the empty seat beside her. “There’s a spot here!”
Qian Wei hesitated. Qian Chuan was chatting away animatedly at that moment, while Lu Xun sat with his earbuds in, staring coldly out the window, showing no intention whatsoever of joining the conversation between Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin.
This wouldn’t do at all. If Lu Xun wasn’t going to go on the offensive, wasn’t he just handing Mo Zixin over on a silver platter? If she wasn’t around to keep watch, Qian Chuan would be even more shameless. And in his current state, how was Lu Xun any match for him?
After a moment’s internal struggle, Qian Wei waved off Liu Shiyun and stammered, “Oh—I won’t sit there, I’ll sit here, closer to Qian Chuan.” With that, she brazenly sat down beside Lu Xun.
Alerted by her movement, Lu Xun finally turned, sparing a precious sliver of his attention to glance at her—though he still wore that indifferent, couldn’t-be-bothered expression, offering no warmth whatsoever. After that one glance, he turned back to the window.
Everyone else, however, was far more enthusiastic in their attention. Never had the Student Union’s annual events seen this kind of turnout. And on this particular bus, aside from the couples, a good eighty percent were girls—and it was obvious enough who they’d all come for.
Sitting beside Lu Xun, pinned under the weight of so many complicated stares, Qian Wei felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Out of nervousness, she took another hard pull on her milk tea, and a boba pearl went down the wrong way—she nearly choked. To cover her embarrassment, she pretended to complain: “Too sweet! I actually prefer thirty percent sugar, and oolong milk tea with extra pearls is the best, hahaha…”
Her answer was the back of Lu Xun’s head, radiating disdain.
The bus started moving. Amid the engine noise, Qian Wei glanced over at Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin, then gave Lu Xun a light poke.
He finally turned to look at her, though his expression remained as smug and unimpressed as ever.
Qian Wei looked around, then leaned toward him, lowering her voice. “Lu Xun, this is no time to be playing hard to get. The horns of battle have sounded! The Chinese nation stands at a critical juncture! Once Qian Chuan sets his mind on something, he never backs down. He said he’s going after Mo Zixin, and he won’t give up—and worse, the man has zero moral standards. Even if Mo Zixin ends up with you, he’ll still try to be the other man! So you have to step up. First, go all in and win Mo Zixin over, but don’t get complacent afterward either, or someone might steal her away. Don’t worry, I’m your ally. I know Qian Chuan’s weaknesses inside and out. With me holding down the fort and you cooperating, we can definitely beat him! Defeat the forces of evil!”
Having said all that nonsense, Qian Wei’s mouth had gone dry. “As for the specific tactics, I’ll improvise as we go. I’ll do everything I can to sabotage any chance Qian Chuan gets to be alone with Mo Zixin! If it’s inconvenient to talk directly later, I’ll text you—so keep a close eye on your phone!”
“Also, a few of Mo Zixin’s close friends are here today too. You need to build good relationships with them, so you can get firsthand intel on Mo Zixin. I can already see Qian Chuan buttering up her friends—you’d better watch out. You know how it is: at critical moments, in critical positions, we need our own people in place!”
Qian Wei rambled on in a low voice, thoroughly worked up. She looked at Lu Xun, her heart swelling with a sense of mission. She felt wonderful, just wonderful—because Lu Xun was finally listening to her! Not once during this entire speech had he argued or interrupted. He hadn’t said a single word, obediently watching her the whole time. It was almost unnervingly quiet.
“Wow, look at you, finally willing to set your pride aside and take my advice properly,” Qian Wei said, moved. “This really is the power of love…”
Before she’d even finished speaking, the silent Lu Xun across from her finally stirred. Qian Wei straightened up, bracing herself to hear his response to everything she’d said.
Under her expectant gaze, Lu Xun pulled out his earbuds—and only then did she hear the blaring heavy metal music that had been playing in them. He gave her a faint smile. “What did you just say?” He shook his head, utterly without sincerity. “My earbuds were turned up a bit loud.”
“…”
Lu Xun! I hope you go deaf while you’re still young!
“Do you have any idea how much risk I’m taking sitting next to you?” Qian Wei finally swallowed her rising fury and tried appealing to both reason and emotion. “There are at least eight, if not ten, girls on this bus who came for you. Everyone’s been maintaining this delicate, unspoken balance, all of them eyeing you covetously, but not one of them dared take the empty seat beside you. Now that I’ve sat here, I’ve thrown off that whole equilibrium—it’s practically an act of defiance against the world. Who do you think I’m doing this for? Can’t you show a little consideration?”
“If you wanted to sit next to me, you could’ve just said so. No need for excuses.”
“…” Lu Xun, can you please get on the same wavelength as me for once? I don’t want to sit next to you!
“Is the AC on this bus broken? It’s so hot.” Lu Xun, utterly unbothered by her reaction, undid a button on his shirt with some irritation, revealing a fair, alluring collarbone.
Much as Qian Wei hated to admit it, Lu Xun really did have a fantastic body. Even now, having undone just one button with no intention of showing off, there was a particular effect to it—sometimes restraint is more alluring than a full reveal, and this was one of those times. What Qian Wei’s eyes landed on was the elegant curve of his fair neck. Apparently thirsty, Lu Xun pulled out a bottle of water and started drinking, his throat bobbing with each swallow. The bus hit an uneven stretch of road; the sudden jolt made his hand tremble slightly, tilting the bottle, and a thin trail of water slipped from his beautifully shaped lips, winding down his chin, tracing along his slender neck, following the line of his collarbone, and disappearing slowly beneath his collar. There were plenty of handsome guys around, but few could manage to be as handsome and as seemingly chaste as Lu Xun while radiating such raw, primal magnetism.
Qian Wei coughed awkwardly and looked away, suddenly feeling that Lu Xun had a point—it really was stifling on this bus.
The drive from University A to the theme park wasn’t short, but everyone on board was in high spirits, chattering away and already planning the order in which they’d tackle the attractions once they arrived. Though it was called a theme park, it was really just a large amusement park modeled after Disneyland—one of City A’s big-budget tourist projects for the year.
“I heard there’s a 4D movie inside, super fun. The line’s always packed, so we should head there first thing to beat the crowd.” Qian Wei pricked up her ears, pressing her face close to the back of the seat in front of her, straining to make out what Qian Chuan was saying over everyone else’s chatter.
“A 4D movie? What’s that?” Mo Zixin sounded genuinely curious.
In 2009, 4D movies were still far from common domestically—quite the novelty. Qian Chuan had clearly done his homework, and he explained with an air of great erudition: “Basically, it recreates things from the movie in the theater itself—vibrations, water sprays, wind, even scents and set pieces. Like, if the main character’s riding a horse on screen, the seats we’re sitting in will actually jolt up and down like we’re riding along. Or if it’s drizzling in the movie, there’ll be a system up top that mists a bit of water on us, so it feels like we’re really inside the film.”
“That sounds amazing.”
The two of them went back and forth, and though Qian Wei only caught fragments, she got the gist.
The moment they got off the bus, Qian Chuan was planning to take Mo Zixin straight to line up for the 4D movie.
That absolutely would not do, Qian Wei thought. There was no way she could let Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin sit together in a dark theater—accidentally brushing hands, leaning in close to whisper so as not to disturb the neighbors, sharing the thrill of a first 4D experience—all of that was far too easy a breeding ground for romance!
“Lu Xun, the second we get off, let’s go watch the 4D movie!”
Lu Xun glanced at her, seeming about to speak, when Mo Zixin’s voice rang out at the same moment: “Lu Xun, Qian Chuan says the 4D movie is really fun. You two should come along too.”
Apparently Mo Zixin’s invitation carried more weight, because Lu Xun paused, then said lazily, “Sure, okay.”
A great weight lifted off Qian Wei’s chest. As long as Lu Xun was willing to go, with her help, Qian Chuan wouldn’t stand a chance!
Before she knew it, they were nearing the theme park. Qian Wei braced herself, ready to grab Lu Xun the moment they got off and stick close to Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin. She’d already worked out the plan: she’d hold Qian Chuan back, letting Mo Zixin and Lu Xun get in and sit together first. No matter what, she couldn’t let Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin end up together—she’d play third wheel and wedge herself right between them if she had to.
Unfortunately, maybe because she was too keyed up, as they drew closer to their destination, her stomach began churning uncomfortably. Before boarding, in her desperate bid to keep Qian Chuan from currying favor with Mo Zixin, she’d forced down four egg tarts and a cup of milk tea, and her stomach had been uneasy the whole ride. The road seemed to have it out for her too—bumpy stretch after bumpy stretch, plus traffic, stop-and-go, sudden braking—it all left her feeling increasingly dizzy.
Hold on, hold on, victory’s within reach! Qian Wei kept telling herself. But apparently there was no escaping Murphy’s Law—if you worry something will happen, it will.
Just as the theme park’s massive billboard came into view through the bus window, before Qian Wei could even feel a flicker of joy, the bus slammed on the brakes—and her stomach, unable to hold on any longer, betrayed her spectacularly. She threw up right then and there.
Almost the instant she did, Lu Xun’s furious voice rang out: “Qian Wei!” The tremor in his voice sounded almost disbelieving, as if he’d just witnessed something beyond comprehension—he’d even abandoned his usual composed elegance entirely.