Their gaze held for several seconds. Suddenly, Lu Xingyan took a step back, casually strolling towards another guest room as if nothing had happened. After a few steps, he stopped, his reflexes kicking in as he turned back towards the room he had just left, leaning against the door frame.
“Who are you, coming to my balcony for a late-night visit?” His tone was unfriendly, his tall, slender figure clad in a dark hoodie. Leaning against the door, he revealed half his face, his fair skin betraying a hint of impatience in his expression.
Shen Xingruo quickly equated this unfriendly visitor with the name “Lu Xingyan.”
Without responding, she remained silent for a moment before descending from the bay window, nodding towards him.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Pei Yue was adjusting the desk lamp at Lu Xingyan’s desk, striving to find the perfect lighting for a selfie. Upon hearing the commotion, she quickly pocketed her phone and hurried out.
“What’s going on? Making a scene at a girl’s doorstep late at night. So, you knew I was waiting inside? I’ve never seen your brain work so fast when it comes to studying, but you sure have your way with me,” she said, advancing towards Lu Xingyan, grabbing his ear, and launching into a scolding.
“Mom, let go!” Lu Xingyan frowned.
Seeing Shen Xingruo emerge from inside, Pei Yue patted Lu Xingyan’s head, then put on a smile, turning to Shen Xingruo with concern. “Ruo, why are you still awake? Are you not used to this side yet, or is this boy bothering you?”
Shen Xingruo replied, “No, Auntie Pei, I just got up to drink water.”
Seeing Lu Xingyan’s face conveying “I’m freaking annoyed,” Shen Xingruo maintained her composure and politely nodded. It was only then that Pei Yue remembered to introduce them properly.
“Oh, right, this is my son, Lu Xingyan. I don’t know who he takes after, always in a bad mood and never knows how to talk. Ruo, I hope you don’t mind,” Pei Yue said.
“And this is Shen Shushu’s daughter, Xingruo. She came back to Xing City this year because she needed to take the college entrance exam in her registered residence. She’ll be staying with us from now on. Oh, and Xingruo also attends Mingli School. Please look out for her there,” Pei Yue continued.
Lu Xingyan remarked, “The college entrance exam is still a year and a half away. Why did she transfer so early?”
His unwelcoming demeanor was almost as if he wanted to start sweeping the floor in front of Shen Xingruo’s door with a broom. Pei Yue gave him another firm pat on the head and shot him a look that screamed, “Shut up.”
In Pei Yue’s eyes, these two could be considered childhood sweethearts. They were born on the same day, one in the early morning and the other at midnight. Their families even joked about them becoming in-laws in the future, with both their names containing the character “xing.” However, Shen Guangyao later moved his family to Huize for development, and while the adults stayed in touch, the kids never met again.
As Pei Yue delved into these memories, she underestimated the children’s memories, getting carried away as she enthusiastically recounted how “you two skinny kids were blowing bubbles in a small pool” until she noticed their expressions crumbling to varying degrees.
It wasn’t just a little awkward. It was double awkwardness.
“Cough, well, it seems it’s getting late. Ruo, you should rest early,” Pei Yue said, patting her freshly permed curls from this morning and giving Lu Xingyan a playful pinch.
Lu Xingyan remained expressionless, his face cold as stone, seemingly unaffected.
Amidst his mom’s comments about being “skinny” and wearing “matching split-crotch pants,” it finally clicked for him—
This girl was the same one from the high-speed train earlier today, the one who splashed a bottle of mineral water on the middle-aged man who was getting a bit pudgy. Yet, this “white peacock” seemed to have a memory as fleeting as a goldfish’s.
The shower poured down from above, streams of water converging at his neck and chest, trickling down his torso. Lu Xingyan faced the showerhead, memories flashing through his mind, some fleeting, some interconnecting.
No wonder Xu Chengzhou mentioned seeing his family’s car when they left the high-speed train station.
After stepping out of the shower, he towel-dried his hair while scrolling through his phone’s photo album. Among the photos was one of Chen Zhu, leaning on a guy’s shoulder, smiling brightly.
This morning, when he asked Chen Zhu about the photo, she was surprisingly candid. “Oh, that’s the boy next door. Haven’t I mentioned him before? Is he handsome or what?”
Before Lu Xingyan could react, she continued, “You haven’t seen him in person. He’s cool and cute! Stands straight as a pine tree! Even though he’s at the National Defense University now, distance doesn’t matter. I have to send him photos from time to time so he remembers his childhood sweetheart!”
Lu Xingyan didn’t know how to feel about it, but the term “childhood sweetheart” didn’t sit well with him.
Scrolling down, he stumbled upon another childhood sweetheart of his.
He chuckled softly, tossing his phone onto the bed.
Lu Xingyan didn’t sleep well the whole night. As dawn broke, casting a pale glow across the sky, he finally buried his face in his pillow and drifted into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, it was already noon. After freshening up, he headed downstairs.
As he reached the corner of the staircase on the second floor, he heard Lu Shan’s voice from below, “Green in color, fragrant in aroma, sweet in taste, and shaped like a sparrow’s tongue. What a good tea!”
“Dad said Uncle Lu, you love Longjing tea the most, so I brought it especially for you,” another voice replied.
Lu Xingyan smirked and tugged at the corner of his lips.
Shen Xingruo stood directly facing the staircase landing. With a glance upward, she saw Lu Xingyan descending in a loose black T-shirt and gray sweatpants, hands in his pockets, lazily making his way down.
She discreetly averted her gaze and poured another cup of tea for Lu Shan.
“Xingruo, do you like chicken?” Pei Yue’s voice came from the kitchen.
“I’m fine with anything, Aunt Pei,” Shen Xingruo replied.
Setting down the teapot, she greeted Lu Shan and then went to help Pei Yue in the kitchen.
Lu Xingyan walked to the fridge, poured himself a glass of milk, and grabbed a slice of toast. He then wandered around the living room in a circular motion, performing an act of sorts—
But nobody paid him any attention.
All he heard were calls of “RuoRuo” and “Xingruo” from one side, and even Lu Shan, in the middle of sipping his tea, got up to admire Pei Yue’s cooking.
His gaze drifted towards the kitchen, and he smirked slightly.
In truth, Pei Yue rarely cooked herself. If it weren’t for the fact that the family’s maid had gone back home for the Lunar New Year and hadn’t returned yet, it would have been rare to see her in the kitchen. Stir-fried vegetables, braised beef with potatoes, clear duck soup…
Lu Xingyan paused with his chopsticks in the bowl. None of these were his favorites.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Pei Yue brought out a small dish of diced chicken, surprisingly without any chili peppers.
It lacked soul.
“I heard the tastes over in Huize are still relatively mild. I met your dad in Nan City last time. He used to be a big fan of spicy food. He used to down three cups of water after eating chopped chili fish head,” Pei Yue remarked, placing the dish of diced chicken in front of Shen Xingruo. “Ruo, try this.”
Lu Shan pointed and said, “This is Aunt Pei’s specialty dish. Xingruo, Uncle is benefiting from your presence today.”
Shen Xingruo smiled softly. “Thank you, Aunt Pei.”
Seeing her gentle demeanor, Pei Yue became even more attentive. “And drink more of this duck soup. It’s good for your health. Look at you, so delicate. With the pressure of your sophomore year, you need to take care of yourself first. Don’t just focus on studying…”
Before Pei Yue could finish her sentence, Shen Xingruo coughed twice.
“What’s wrong, Ruo? Are you catching a cold?” Pei Yue asked anxiously.
Lu Shan added, “The weather has been changing a lot lately. You should wear more layers.”
“Aunt Pei, Uncle Lu, I’m fine… *cough cough*… It’s just a bit itchy in my throat. Some hot water will do the trick. *cough cough*…” Shen Xingruo said, turning her head away to cover her mouth as she coughed.
“…”
Pei Yue had just called her delicate, and now she was coughing.
Lu Xingyan held his chopsticks, lost in thought for a moment. In his mind, there was the arrogance of the “white peacock” splashing water yesterday, and then there was the sight of Shen Daiyu coughing delicately before him.
“Lu Xingyan, go pour a cup of hot water.”
“No, make it warm.”
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up.”
Finally acknowledged, Lu Xingyan felt like a person again.
By the time he returned with the water, Miss Shen Daiyu had already been comforted by his overly concerned parents.
*Bang*—the glass landed heavily on the table, emitting a crisp sound. A few water droplets splattered, one landing neatly on Shen Daiyu’s hand.
Shen Daiyu softly thanked him, grasping the cup and sipping from it.
Lu Xingyan stood by the table with his hands in his pockets for a moment, then licked the back of his molars, shaking his head slightly.
Well then.
It seemed a gem from the film industry had arrived in the household.
Throughout the meal, Lu Shan and Pei Yue lavished attention on Shen Xingruo. Lu Xingyan, feeling nameless and unnoticed, finished his meal in a few bites. He had intended to head upstairs, but he paused when he heard Lu Shan and Shen Xingruo discussing her transfer.
“All the paperwork is done. Originally, the head of the grade wanted her to take a little test first, but as soon as they checked her file, they arranged her into a class without a second thought.”
Lu Xingyan looked up.
Lu Shan’s gaze shifted slightly. “What are you looking at? She’s in the same class as you. You should learn from her. She ranked in the top five in the city’s third-tier exam. She’s never fallen out of the top five since she transferred to Huize First High School. What about you? Every time you take an exam, you’re just hanging around. Your mom and I are just grateful you’re not flunking.”
During exams at Mingli School, the seating arrangement was based on previous exam scores. The higher floors had worse testing conditions, with the top floor, affectionately called the “Peak of Enlightenment,” being the worst.
Unfortunately, Lu Xingyan was a seasoned resident of the Peak of Enlightenment.
Lu Shan took a few bites of his food and continued, “School starts the day after tomorrow. I’ll check my schedule for the day after tomorrow. If I’m free, I’ll take you both to school. If not, I’ll have Lao Liu drive you. Xingruo, since you just arrived, it’s better to move into the dormitory a day early to get acquainted with your roommates.”
Lu Xingyan didn’t respond, his face clearly expressing, “I hope you don’t have any free time.”
“What’s with that expression?” Lu Shan asked.
“The expression of hoping you’ll be too busy handling your affairs and making more money,” Lu Xingyan retorted.
Lu Shan fell silent.
“I’m full,” Lu Xingyan said lazily, pushing his chair back and standing up. With his hands still in his pockets, he sauntered upstairs.
As Lu Xingyan wished, Lu Shan indeed had no free time on the day of registration.
Driver Lao Liu parked the car in the front yard and got out to help with the luggage.
Without lifting his eyes, Lu Xingyan simply settled into the car, playing with his phone and absentmindedly chewing on gum.
Outside the car, Pei Yue was still talking to Shen Xingruo, reminding her to take care of herself, to remember to call if anything happened, and to make sure she stayed warm.
Even after finishing his game, Lu Xingyan saw no one coming into the car. He lowered the window, frowned, and looked outside, his eyes full of “Is this ever going to end?”
Shen Xingruo just locked eyes with him when Pei Yue also turned to look. “By the way, you have to take good care of Xingruo at school, do you understand? She’s a girl who transferred here all alone, unfamiliar with everything. You mustn’t let anyone bully her.”
“…”
“Heh.”
Who could bully this little fairy who could strike people with an icy chill just by saying a few words?
Lu Xingyan raised the car window.
Before her eyes were obscured, Shen Xingruo could still see the mockery on his face.
Shen Xingruo had no idea what she had done to earn the dislike of this immature young master. For her, being disliked by a boy was quite rare and peculiar.
Not knowing how to interact with him yet, Shen Xingruo remained silent.
Winter hadn’t fully receded yet; there were no flowers outside, and pedestrians were still wrapped in thick coats. She cracked open the car window just a tiny bit, but as soon as the wind blew in, she heard a sudden voice beside her, “Trying to freeze me to death?”
“…”
“Sorry.”
She promptly rolled up the window again.
Silence filled the car as Shen Xingruo continued to navigate, looking for the way. When they reached the junction where they had to turn right onto a one-way street, she tactfully informed Lao Liu in advance, “Uncle Liu, I want to get off up ahead. There’s a stationery store there, and I want to buy something.”
“Sure, I’ll pull over and wait for you,” Lao Liu replied.
“Uncle Liu, you don’t need to wait. I know the way, I can walk there myself,” Shen Xingruo said.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xingyan suddenly interjected, “I’ll get off here too, Uncle Liu. Don’t turn in; there’s traffic at the Mingli School gate today.”
Shen Xingruo glanced at him.
Both of them got out of the car and stood under the trees by the roadside, the leaves above rustling in the wind.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Xingruo politely said, “Then I’ll go buy things first,” as she dragged her suitcase a few steps away.
Suddenly, Lu Xingyan called out to her, “Hey, Shen Xingruo.”
Shen Xingruo turned back.
Leaning against the tree trunk, Lu Xingyan looked at her directly with a cold demeanor. “We’re already at school, can you stop pretending?”