Before long, Li Chongwen came back, and Lu Xun went right back to guzzling chrysanthemum tea…

Fortunately, once Li Chongwen returned, Lu Xun buried himself in his food again, and the atmosphere between the three of them settled into something reasonably warm and harmonious.

“Oh, right, Qian Wei, no need to bring me fruit anymore,” Li Chongwen suddenly remembered. “The family I’m tutoring now treats me really well — every time I go to help their kid with schoolwork, they set out a huge plate of fruit for me, so there’s no need for you to trouble yourself preparing and slicing it anymore.” He looked a bit bashful. “Thank you, really, for bringing me breakfast for so long too.”

The moment Li Chongwen finished speaking, Lu Xun practically shot his head up, eyes blazing, staring at Li Chongwen, his voice rising several notches — even the elegant, aloof air he usually maintained had completely evaporated. “She’s been bringing you breakfast for a long time?”

Li Chongwen nodded. “Yeah. Qian Wei said it was to force herself to get up early to study, so she’d buy breakfast for me, and in return, I’d tutor her in criminal law. At first I thought she was joking, but she kept it up for over two months.”

Lu Xun’s expression turned ugly. “And she brought you sliced fruit too?”

Li Chongwen looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m tutoring Qian Chuan in English, and every time, she has Qian Chuan bring it over for me — she said it was to show respect for the teacher. Though honestly, I’m hardly a real teacher in any strict sense, just an amateur.”

Qian Wei felt a sense of impending doom. Lu Xun’s expression was setting off major alarm bells in her, and for no clear reason she felt a pang of guilt. She tried hard to change the subject. “Come, come, try this white-cut chicken, it’s really good! Everyone, dig in!”

Lu Xun, instead of eating, simply put down his chopsticks. He glanced at Qian Wei, then fixed his stare on Li Chongwen. “Did she also give you pineapple?”

Li Chongwen blinked, then nodded. “Yeah, she did.”

“From the pineapple’s sprouting, to its growth, all the way to its glorious blossoming and fruiting, it stays wholly focused, undeterred by any obstacle, and even within its own small patch of soil, it digs deep to the very essence, carrying the belief in pursuing perfection — so the pineapple symbolizes flawless perfection?”

Li Chongwen looked a bit taken aback. “Huh? You know that too? Is that some kind of pineapple ad slogan? Am I just really behind the times not knowing it?”

Qian Wei: “…” Just let me die right here… She never would have guessed that Lu Xun would apply his photographic memory for legal statutes to everyday life too — he actually remembered, word for word, that offhand bit of flattery she’d once made up on the spot…

Even though, technically, there was nothing really wrong with being caught out on a bit of flattery aimed at two different people, in this atmosphere Qian Wei still found herself breaking into a cold sweat. Lu Xun’s expression was foul, like he was about to explode, making Qian Wei feel like she’d committed some unforgivable crime.

Lu Xun said nothing, just glared venomously at Qian Wei, then started chugging chrysanthemum tea again…

The atmosphere grew a bit strange for a moment. Qian Wei sat carefully, not daring to make any sudden moves. Li Chongwen, apparently unaware of the undercurrents between Qian Wei and Lu Xun, kept talking about some funny anecdotes from his tutoring work. But for the first time, Qian Wei found herself distracted — her mind was in disarray, and only now did she realize, somewhat to her own surprise, just how much power Lu Xun’s moods held over her. He looked absolutely furious, his face shifting between shades of pale and dark.

Despite the good dishes, by the end of the meal Qian Wei couldn’t really taste any of it.

When it came time to pay, Li Chongwen took out his wallet, ready to settle the bill, only to be told it had already been paid.

Li Chongwen looked stunned. “Lu Xun, you paid?”

“Yeah.”

Li Chongwen looked rather embarrassed. “This meal was supposed to be my treat, and instead you ended up paying.”

Lu Xun’s voice was stiff. “This meal was originally meant for just the two of you — I was the one who insisted on tagging along and turned it into three people. You two were the ones chatting the whole time, I was the only one eating. Just the tea alone, I went through several pots. It’s only right that I pay.”

Something about how that sounded felt off, somehow…

Fortunately, Li Chongwen didn’t have time to dwell on it — the three of them had just walked out of the restaurant when his phone rang.

“Okay, okay, don’t worry, I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up, his expression turned anxious. “I just got a call from my sister’s homeroom teacher, saying she just got hit by a bicycle. It’s nothing serious, but the scrape is pretty bad, they’ve taken her to the city hospital. I have to go right away.” He gave Qian Wei an apologetic smile. “I can’t walk you back to school today, and I didn’t even get to treat you two to this dinner. We’ll set something up again next time!”

Qian Wei waved him off quickly. “Go, go, hurry!”

“‘Set something up again next time,’ he says.” Once Li Chongwen was gone, Lu Xun — who had stayed silent this whole time — seemed to flip a switch, letting out a cold snort.

“Lu Xun, what’s going on with you being all sarcastic today? Is there something you wanted to tell me? Are you in a bad mood? What’s wrong?”

Lu Xun kept his face stony. “You know exactly what’s wrong.”

Qian Wei was utterly baffled. I know? What am I supposed to know? Was it still about Mo Zixin? Because her own brother Qian Chuan had stolen her away from him?

Unfortunately, no matter how Qian Wei tried to coax it out of him, Lu Xun refused to open his mouth again. The two of them walked side by side back toward campus. It was Sunday evening, and the people coming and going were mostly couples — whether official partners or something not-quite-yet, they all walked along chatting happily, intimate with one another. Only Qian Wei and Lu Xun walked in this strange, silent atmosphere.

But even with such a sour expression, thanks to his striking looks, Lu Xun still managed to draw glances from passing women — even angry, he was still good-looking. Qian Wei could only sigh at the unfairness of life; good-looking people, even when inexplicably annoyed, still looked great doing it.

There was still a bit of a walk left before they reached school, and this drawn-out, strange silence was really too awkward. Qian Wei tried hard to find a topic to break the tension.

“Have you noticed? As we’ve been walking, so many girls have been looking at you — even ones who already have someone with them keep sneaking glances at you. Lu Xun, this just proves you’re a genuinely charming guy, you deserve the very best! I’m sure you’ll be off the market in no time!”

“Are you free next weekend? Want to go out and hang? Liu Shiyun said the student union is holding an event, and both the medical school and dance school will be participating. Those two colleges have a high ratio of girls, and a lot of pretty ones too — I heard a bunch of girls there have heard of you and are pretty curious to meet you, want to come along?” Qian Wei thought for a moment, then added, “Like I said before, for us law students, there’s really no need to look for another law student as a partner — as long as one person in the household understands the law, that’s enough to protect your rights. If both of you know law, what’s the point? Honestly, if two law majors end up marrying and things go bad and they get divorced, they could each use their legal expertise to trap the other, professional versus professional, just like when we did those mock scenarios for the career competition — how bad would that be, right? Actually, I think for us law students, finding someone from medical school would be great. Medical resources are so scarce these days, having someone in the family who’s in medicine means if anyone in the family or the kids gets sick, you can immediately pull some strings and get them seen right away. You know how it is — if you don’t have connections at a hospital these days, even a serious illness might not get you a bed…”

Unfortunately, once Qian Wei finished all this, Lu Xun’s expression didn’t ease at all — if anything, it grew even darker. If a moment ago he’d been like a dormant volcano stirring back to activity, then now he seemed like an active volcano ready to erupt at any moment…

Qian Wei tested the waters carefully. “You don’t like girls from the medical school?”

This time Lu Xun finally spoke, his voice still calm, though clearly the result of great restraint — he seemed to be trembling slightly with anger. He glared venomously at Qian Wei. “So is a medical school graduate somehow safer as a partner? A law student, at worst, would use professional knowledge to fight dirty in a divorce, but what if a medical student uses their professional knowledge to poison you? Qian Wei, by your logic, you shouldn’t look for a partner at all — you’re not even together with anyone yet, why do you keep assuming everything will end badly?”

Fine, fine, so we’re ruling out medical school students too, is that not okay?

Qian Wei pressed on. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, the event Liu Shiyun organized also has dance school students attending. Dance school is great — dancers have such great posture and figures, brings a lot of face when you take them out! And technically speaking, dance falls under the arts, so if you find someone from dance school, that’s basically like finding an artist, so refined!”

But no matter what Qian Wei said, Lu Xun’s face only kept getting darker and darker, with no sign of turning back…

Qian Wei glanced at Lu Xun’s expression and decided she’d better stop talking. She felt like the more she said, the more it backfired. It seemed like a fire had been lit inside Lu Xun, and she’d thought she was pouring water on it to put it out, but somehow, the more she poured, the more it turned out to be gasoline she was carrying, not water — and Lu Xun’s condition was already close to burnt to a crisp…

The two of them had just reached a small alley — cutting through it would be a shortcut back to campus. But very few people knew about this route, and in the night, the alley was empty, with only the occasional bark of a dog breaking the silence. Lu Xun kept his lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing, and the space between the two of them was thick with darkness and silence.

Lu Xun’s footsteps suddenly slowed. When they reached the deepest part of the alley, he abruptly stopped.

Qian Wei was surprised, but before she could ask what was wrong, Lu Xun turned to face her. His expression was hidden in the dim yellow light of the streetlamp, leaving only the outline of his face visible — handsome and sharp.

Qian Wei stood there dumbly, staring at him. In the next instant, Lu Xun moved. He walked toward Qian Wei with a cold expression, and then roughly pushed her against the red brick wall of the alley.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Qian Wei was caught completely off guard, and by the time she registered what was happening, she had nowhere left to retreat. Behind her was the wall, its faintly cool texture against her back, and in front of her was Lu Xun’s face, enlarged in her vision, so close that Qian Wei felt as if they were sharing the same breath. Lu Xun stared at her fiercely, his two hands braced against the wall on either side of her, completely pinning her in place — she couldn’t retreat, couldn’t turn away, could only face him like this.

“Qian Wei, are you trying to make me lose my mind?” Lu Xun’s forehead hair drooped slightly, his long lashes casting impossibly long shadows in the lamplight, fluttering as he blinked. His gaze stayed fixed on Qian Wei, his voice edged with something like gritted teeth, though his expression carried a trace of helplessness.

At this moment, Lu Xun looked like a datura flower blooming in the night — beautiful, but deadly. Qian Wei heard the violent pounding of her own heartbeat again, and some instinct told her this wasn’t good at all.

Without quite understanding why, Qian Wei suddenly grew flustered. She stammered out an explanation, the words tumbling out incoherently: “I… I didn’t help Qian Chuan steal your heart, I really didn’t mean to make you angry…”

But before she could finish, the rest of her words dissolved against soft lips.

Lu Xun kissed her.

It was a strangely contradictory sensation — Lu Xun’s posture was so fierce and aggressive, and yet the kiss itself was careful and gentle, as if handling something precious.

In that moment, Qian Wei had absolutely no idea how to react. She didn’t know where to put her hands; everything felt chaotic, everything left her at a complete loss. Her mind felt like a supernova exploding, leaving her dizzy and disoriented in the blinding light.

The kiss came so suddenly that Qian Wei completely forgot what reaction she was even supposed to have. She could only stare blankly at Lu Xun’s face up close — his softly closed eyes, his lashes trembling gently like a fan, the beautiful line of his jaw, his nose brushing lightly against hers before pulling slightly away, and the dizzying rush of hormones so close at hand. Qian Wei felt like the temperature of her whole body was rising along with the meeting of their lips. She felt like she could barely breathe, all her senses seemingly concentrated in the intertwining of their lips and tongues — that moist, faintly mint-flavored, fervent, restless sensation…

This kiss was like a tango, with Lu Xun leading and Qian Wei unconsciously following in his domineering, forceful rhythm — tongues testing, touching, retreating, then gently intertwining again, primal teasing and provocation of emotion, filled with hormones and adrenaline. Qian Wei felt her own breath growing rapid, following Lu Xun’s.