The performance ended.
There was still silence in the audience. It wasn’t until Shen Xingruo stood up that sparse applause began. Then, gradually, the applause grew louder. Finally, even Liu Fang started clapping, and the classroom erupted into a sea of applause, audible even to passing students outside the science building.
Though the performance didn’t immediately yield results, it seemed like nobody doubted that Shen Xingruo would be selected. Because the reference group was exceptionally strong, subsequent performances inevitably paled in comparison. It wasn’t until Chen Zhu took the stage to sing that the atmosphere was revived.
Shen Xingruo didn’t stay for Chen Zhu’s performance. After her performance, she sat for a while, then suddenly remembered that the math teacher, Liang Dong, had asked her to help grade the freshmen’s test papers, so she left with Shi Qin and Ruan Wen.
Seeing her leave, He Siyue also stood up. Lu Xingyan also wanted to leave. After sitting through two performances, he yawned, saying, “Alright, I’m tired. I’m going back to the classroom to sleep.”
Xu Chengzhou grabbed him, “Hey, it’s almost Chen Jie’s turn. Are you crazy to leave now?”
“What?”
Xu Chengzhou was full of question marks, looking around and asking in a low voice, “Damn, aren’t you going to chase after Chen Jie? Your behavior since the start of the semester has been off!”
Lu Xingyan glanced at him, “Stop instigating trouble in the future. Who said I like her?”
“Isn’t it… something you said yourself?”
Xu Chengzhou widened his eyes.
“What did I say?”
Xu Chengzhou was speechless.
It felt so unreal. Was this young master trying to deny it now? Was he in love with someone else but refusing to admit it?
But Xu Chengzhou didn’t dare to confront Lu Xingyan directly. Instead, he cursed him hundreds of times in his mind.
Being delayed by Xu Chengzhou, it was already Chen Zhu’s turn to take the stage.
Lu Xingyan was distracted, and he didn’t catch what she sang. After the performance, he clapped along with everyone else, intending to get up.
Unexpectedly, Chen Zhu came over to them after finishing her song.
She looked curious, tapping Lu Xingyan’s desk and asking, “Hey, the girl who played the piano, that’s the legendary Shen Xingruo, right? From your class?”
Li Chengfan interrupted, “And she’s Lu Ge’s desk mate.”
“Lu Xingyan, you’re so lucky!” Chen Zhu widened her eyes. “That girl is so ethereal. Introduce me to her, or at least ask her if she needs a friend. I’m lacking someone with such prestige to hang out with.”
Lu Xingyan looked at her expressionlessly, “You’re making a fuss. She probably doesn’t want to be friends with you.”
“?”
“You’re so temperamental, and she’s still your deskmate!”
“Shut up.”
During the afternoon classes, Lu Xingyan was completely out of it.
Of course, he was rarely fully present in class, but today felt especially odd.
He didn’t feel like sleeping either, occasionally glancing at his deskmate.
In the second period, the history teacher had some business to attend to, so he directly handed out a historical mock exam paper and asked them to complete the essay section. Halfway through, Shen Xingruo finally reacted. She stopped writing and asked, “Why are you staring at me?”
Lu Xingyan, not caught off guard at all, leaned back in his chair, casually twirling his pen, and teased, “Oh, I was just stunned by your unparalleled beauty.”
Shen Xingruo remained silent for three seconds and said, “Some people always like to hide heartfelt words behind jokes.”
…?
Lu Xingyan was stunned.
After a while, he regained his senses and blurted out, “You’re so non-mainstream.”
Shen Xingruo was about to retort but suddenly remembered that her phone balance was only fifty-three yuan left. She paused and didn’t say anything more.
After finishing the questions, she looked at Lu Xingyan’s mostly blank answer sheet and asked, “Are you planning to copy?”
Lu Xingyan glanced at her and said, “Spit it out, what’s the matter?”
“I’ve run out of money again.”
Lu Xingyan put down his pen and turned to look at her calmly, “Didn’t your mom leave all her property to you? And your dad also gave you a few properties and trust beneficiaries. What’s your situation?”
Shen Xingruo fell silent for a moment, “My dad has put all the cash into investments for me. I can’t get it out all at once. And it’s not possible to sell the houses now.”
Lu Xingyan understood.
So all those things she said that day—just nonsense.
“Why are you still so adamant about not using the living expenses your dad gave you?”
Shen Xingruo suddenly turned her head back, her voice cold and indifferent, “Forget it, I won’t borrow.”
Why did it seem like it was his fault again?
Lu Xingyan paused for a few seconds, then patted her pencil case, “How much do you need?”
Shen Xingruo thought about the maturity date of a certain investment and estimated, “About two thousand five?”
“Miss, are you asking me to use half of my living expenses to support you? You’re not my girlfriend.”
“…”
Lu Xingyan just said it casually.
But after saying it, both of them fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, Lu Xingyan took out his phone and silently transferred two thousand five to her.
Before the end of school on Friday, the results of the school celebration program selection were announced. He Siyue got the news and came back to tell Shen Xingruo.
“Shen Xingruo, the results of the school celebration program selection are out. Your piano performance… has some slight issues.”
Shen Xingruo looked up at him.
He scratched the back of his head and also felt that the school was not very reliable, “There’s nothing wrong with your performance itself, but the stage for this school celebration, the scheduling department said they couldn’t accommodate a piano…”
“…”
“But Liu Fang appreciated your performance, and the other teachers also thought your image and temperament were more suitable for the stage. So they asked if you could sing a song or recite a poem instead.”
After He Siyue finished speaking, he added, “If it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. Just asking.”
According to Shi Qin, in previous years, there would be awards for the school celebration program, with cash prizes for the top three. Although not much, for her, a temporarily impoverished girl, it would be a temporary relief.
She pondered for a moment and said, “I can also play the violin.”
He Siyue was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed, “You’re so talented!”
When Shen Xingruo said “can,” she didn’t say she only knew a little or played poorly. That must mean she was at a level where she could perform on stage.
He immediately followed up, “Then I’ll go talk to Teacher Liu Fang now—oh, have you chosen a piece? For this school celebration performance, the school said each performance should ideally be around five minutes.”
Shen Xingruo said, “I’ll think about it.”
He Siyue laughed again, “No rush, take your time to think. I’ll go find Teacher Liu Fang first.”
Unconsciously, another Friday passed by.
After cleaning up after school, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan were still deciding who would take out the trash by playing rock-paper-scissors.
A boy in class unexpectedly vomited all over the floor today, and the vomit was still in the garbage bag, emitting a strange smell.
“Scissors—hey, you lost.”
Lu Xingyan raised an eyebrow, proudly waving his scissors hand, almost putting it on his face and shouting “Eggplant.”
Shen Xingruo pursed her lips, not saying anything.
But her gaze towards Lu Xingyan was hard to describe in words as if she were disdainful—why was a boy like him so petty?
Lu Xingyan felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
He watched as Shen Xingruo reluctantly approached the trash can, then reached out her fair hand to grab the edge of the garbage bag, her expression as if she would immediately die if she touched the trash.
After watching for a while, he remembered how her hands danced on the piano keys in the music room—
Forget it.
Don’t argue with girls.
He grabbed Shen Xingruo’s wrist and pulled her back.
“Alright, Miss.”
“I’ll do it.”
This trash can was disgusting. He grabbed the edge, closed it, held it expressionlessly, and walked towards the garbage truck downstairs.
After throwing away the trash, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Shen Xingruo also went to the bathroom to wash her hands. The two met in the lobby on the first floor and walked outside together.
Halfway there, Lu Xingyan felt something was off, turned back, and asked, “Why are you keeping your distance from me?”
Shen Xingruo was very direct, “You have a smell.”
After speaking, she took a wet tissue and covered her mouth and nose.
Damn, was it necessary to be so exaggerated?
He helped her with the trash, and according to common sense, shouldn’t she endure even if it smelled bad?
Lu Xingyan didn’t feel anything at first, but after being openly repulsed by her, he lifted the collar of his school uniform and sniffed.
Whether it was psychological or not, he suddenly felt a slight odor on himself.
Seeing Shen Xingruo still maintaining a posture of keeping a three-meter distance from him, he suppressed his anger and asked, “Are you still coming? So I don’t deserve to share a ride home with you, and I have to walk home by myself?”
“Then you don’t need to worry about it. If you’re willing to take a cab home by yourself, that’s even better.”
“How can you say that? Why don’t you take a cab yourself?”
“I don’t have any money, remember?”
Lu Xingyan stared at her for a while but didn’t say another word. He felt like if he continued talking to her, he’d end up prematurely in an early grave.
In the end, the two didn’t separate to take different cars, but Shen Xingruo ended up sitting in the passenger seat, her disdain evident.
Lu Xingyan remained silent the whole way home, and when he got back, he went straight upstairs without saying a word.
Pei Yue happened to have called a manicurist to the house to do her nails. Seeing Shen Xingruo return, she quickly invited her over to pick a nail color and asked, “Hey, Ruoruo, what’s wrong with Lu Xingyan? He came in with such a dark face and went straight upstairs without saying a word.”
“He probably went to take a shower,” she replied, helping Pei Yue choose a marble color for her nails. “Auntie Pei, maybe you could add a silver accent in between. Your hands are very fair, and this style would stand out.”
Downstairs, Pei Yue and Shen Xingruo chatted happily, but upstairs, Lu Xingyan took a shower and didn’t come out of the bathroom for half an hour.
It was really strange.
Shen Xingruo could irritate him about thirty-eight times a day on average, but he didn’t feel the slightest annoyance or anger. If it were someone else nagging him like that, the grass would have grown three feet tall on their grave.
After the fourth shower, Lu Xingyan still felt something was off, so he used the shower gel again.
By the time he finally emerged from the bathroom, it was six o’clock.
Just as someone knocked on the door. The rhythm of the knock was unmistakably Shen Xingruo’s.
He was still drying his hair with a towel as he walked over.
Sure enough, it was Shen Xingruo standing at the door.
“Dinner’s ready.” Seeing his hair still dripping, Shen Xingruo asked, “Are you still showering?”
Lu Xingyan didn’t say anything, wearing a blank expression on his face.
For some reason, the way he looked now, sulking like a child in kindergarten, was very obvious. He seemed particularly afraid that the adults hadn’t noticed he was upset.
Shen Xingruo tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze, and unusually gently said, “I was just joking.”
“You still smell nice, with a hint of grass.” With that, she leaned forward and took a gentle sniff.