Lu Xingyan couldn’t believe it himself when he recounted the dream. That night, he had another dream that didn’t align with the core socialist values.
In this dream, Shen Xingruo was still the female lead, and the overall plot was similar to the previous one, with added details. For instance, he was crazily squeezing her slender waist, demanding that she call him “brother” and asking her who was more handsome between him and He Siyue. He even threatened her, saying if she didn’t answer, he would stop the conversation, and so on.
But it was just a dream. Surprisingly, Shen Xingruo obediently clung to his shoulder, choking out the words “brother” and admitting he was handsome.
When he woke up, Lu Xingyan sat up, leaning against the headboard, staring at the spiral-patterned ceiling light for a good five or six minutes without moving.
It felt like his body had been hollowed out.
Familiarity bred acceptance; this time, Lu Xingyan wasn’t as shocked or unable to accept reality as before. After gathering his thoughts, he got out of bed, skillfully hiding the bedsheets in the bamboo basket in the closet, changing to new ones, then showering and going downstairs.
It seemed like Shen Xingruo had woken up early today. It looked like she and Pei Yue had gone shopping, as the two of them were in the living room, surrounded by a pile of shopping bags on the sofa and coffee table.
Stretching his neck, Lu Xingyan descended the stairs, casually asking, “You guys went out shopping early? Don’t the malls open at ten?”
Just waking up, his throat felt dry, his voice a bit hoarse.
Pei Yue turned her head, eyeing him up and down, feeling a sense of despair at having a son who was so idle and could sleep soundly until the afternoon. She pointed at the wall clock, her tone filled with the hopeless resignation of someone who had given up treatment. “Take a look at the time yourself.”
Lu Xingyan’s phone was dead, lying in his room charging.
He dragged his feet into the living room, glancing at the wall clock as he went, only then realizing it was already two in the afternoon.
His hair was messy, dressed in a black cotton T-shirt, his tall and slender figure leaning against the sofa, emitting a fresh scent of grass.
Taking notice of Shen Xingruo’s gaze, Lu Xingyan met her eyes for a moment before casually looking away. “What did you guys buy?”
“Well, since it’s almost summer, I bought three dresses, and a necklace, while Ruo Ruo bought two dresses and a pair of shoes. I also bought your dad a set of pajamas…”
Lu Xingyan listened for a while but didn’t hear anything about himself. Just as he was about to say something…
Pei Yue paused, bent down to pick up a bag from the floor, and said, “I didn’t plan to buy anything for you, but Ruo Ruo reminded me, so here, your shoes!”
Lu Xingyan hesitated to speak, so Shen Xingruo handed him the bag. Printed on it was the logo of a trendy brand, Lo. Lu Xingyan took out the shoes, which turned out to be the latest retro tennis shoes from the brand, a topic he had discussed with Li Chengfan during breaks.
Unconsciously, he smirked, then quickly straightened his face, and nonchalantly said, “Alright, I’ll wear them later when I have the chance.”
“Later when you have the chance? Don’t even think about it! You’re acting like a prince! Give them to me, give them to me! I’ll donate them tomorrow!” Pei Yue was irritated upon seeing Lu Xingyan’s reaction and reached out to grab the shoes.
Lu Xingyan reacted swiftly, holding the shoes away from her, “Alright, alright, I’ll wear them when I go back to school later. I just casually mentioned it. Why are you making such a big deal out of it…”
“Don’t you say I’m making a big deal out of it! Look at yourself, acting all arrogant!” Pei Yue retorted.
Mother and son bickered back and forth, each exchanging quips. Shen Xingruo, feeling awkward, silently turned around and went to the refrigerator to get some milk.
In the evening, Uncle Liu drove them back to school. Lu Xingyan leaned back in his seat, stretching out his long legs.
He turned his head to look at Shen Xingruo and casually asked, “Did you pick out these shoes?”
Shen Xingruo raised her eyes but remained silent.
Seeing her silence, Lu Xingyan assumed she agreed.
He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and then covered it, looking out the window. In a casual tone, he said, “Thanks.”
Shen Xingruo remained silent for a moment before taking something out of her bag and saying, “Aunt Pei bought me a pair of shoes from this store. When we were checking out, the salesperson said there was a promotion for the new collection, buy two pairs and get a canvas storage bag for free. I thought the bag looked nice, so I asked Aunt Pei if she wanted to buy you a pair of shoes too.”
“And the pair you’re wearing was recommended by the salesperson. It seems to be selling well recently.”
As she spoke, Shen Xingruo took out a storage bag for earphones from the canvas bag and shook it, “Isn’t it nice?”
Lu Xingyan remained silent.
Intentionally.
Lu Xingyan turned his head, seeming to see a slight smile on Shen Xingruo’s lips. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he instinctively followed suit and smiled slightly.
The car drove over a section of bumpy road under construction, but ahead, the road was smooth. Looking out the window, Lu Xingyan saw the spring cherry blossoms blooming along the road, their pink and white petals vibrant and beautiful.
As usual, they got off at the corner of Bookworm Street and went their separate ways.
Shen Xingruo went to the bookstore to buy magazines, while Lu Xingyan headed straight back to his dormitory. After putting away his things, he put on his new shoes and visited several dormitories.
Perhaps because he had been taught a lesson on Saturday, these guys were more enlightened now, speaking more appropriately. They all noticed his new shoes and praised them, saying they were stylish and trendy.
Back at the dormitory after his conversation with Xu Chengzhou and the others, Lu Xingyan pushed open the door and saw Bian He helping Zhao Langming lay out the bedsheets.
Zhao Langming was teasing him, “With your three sticks, you couldn’t even make a fart. But you’re the most insidious one. Look at this color… Isn’t there a saying? Which young man isn’t full of spring? I think you’re full of spring, summer, autumn, and winter all year round.”
They waved the bedsheet corners as they spoke.
The pastel blue stripes were eye-catching.
Lu Xingyan stood at the door, suddenly remembering something, and his smile gradually stiffened.
Damn… those were his bedsheets!
When he got up, he had intended to wash the sheets while his mother and Aunt Zhou were taking their afternoon nap.
But he got up too late and received new shoes, completely forgetting about washing the bedsheets.
Now that he remembered, Lu Xingyan subconsciously called Pei Yue.
On the phone, Pei Yue’s tone was ambiguous, saying that the sun had risen from the north since he took the initiative to call.
Lu Xingyan didn’t pay much attention to her tone and tried to indirectly ask about the bedsheets, but Pei Yue didn’t seem to catch on and didn’t mention anything about them.
After the call, Lu Xingyan still held onto a glimmer of hope, praying that Aunt Zhou hadn’t tidied up his closet.
But in fact, Aunt Zhou had found the bamboo basket in his room long ago.
Last time, she found it strange. When she was cooking, she mentioned to Pei Yue how unusual it was for Lu Xingyan, a spoiled young master, to change his bedsheets himself. Although they both thought of something at the time, considering that Lu Xingyan usually wasn’t interested in romance, they dismissed the idea.
This time, catching such evidence by chance, Aunt Zhou hurriedly took it to Pei Yue.
The two of them studied the bedsheets for a long time, their expressions inscrutable.
Aunt Zhou cleared her throat and said, “Actually, it’s normal at this age, but I feel like, isn’t it inappropriate to put his and Miss Shen’s rooms on the same floor? They’re so young…”
“What are you thinking?” Pei Yue disagreed. “They’re at home for no more than two days a week, and look at them. They may not behave too obviously in front of me, but I estimate that they don’t even exchange a few words at school.”
Pei Yue continued, “Xingruo is good in every aspect, but my son, I know him best. He’s just like his dad, how can he allow a girl to be better than him? It’s impossible, he’s very patriarchal! In the future, when he finds a girlfriend, he will look for someone petite, cute, obedient, who loves to pamper him.”
“Furthermore, what else does Lu Xingyan have besides his face? Oh, and money. But does the Shen family lack money? It’s not that I’m belittling my son. If I can find such a daughter-in-law, I’ll thank my lucky stars from my previous life.”
Aunt Zhou sighed, not knowing what to say in response to Pei Yue’s rant, and carried the bamboo basket to wash the bedsheets.
It was a sunny Monday.
Perhaps because summer was approaching, the sunlight seemed more intense. In less than ten minutes of walking from the dormitory to the teaching building, many people were already too hot and had taken off their uniform jackets.
Lu Xingyan and his group of male friends were no exception. They changed into their summer uniforms, light blue short-sleeved shirts with both buttons on the collar undone, revealing a hint of their collarbones.
Shen Xingruo watched as Lu Xingyan walked back to his seat casually from the doorway.
Then she watched as he put down his backpack, grabbed her milk, and asked teasingly while sipping from the straw, “Why are you staring at me? Haven’t you seen a stunningly handsome guy like me before?”
“…Your collar is folded in.”
Lu Xingyan paused, chin raised slightly, and straightened his collar, asking, “Better now?”
“Turn around.”
Shen Xingruo put down her English book and helped him adjust the back of his collar.
Today’s morning meeting was canceled, and everyone was studying in their respective classrooms during early self-study.
Lu Xingyan scanned the classroom and noticed that there was none of the relaxed atmosphere from last week’s school anniversary. Everyone seemed united, tense, and serious, but not lively.
After a while, he remembered that today was the day when the midterm exam results were released.
He also remembered something else and, while sucking on his straw, turned to ask Shen Xingruo, “By the way, did you tell Wang Youfu about last Friday’s incident?”
“I did,” Shen Xingruo recalled, then added, “Mr. Wang might ask you to come and recount it again. I told him that you happened to pass by, threatened them a bit, and they ran away. I didn’t say that you made them kneel or grab Yang Fang’s collar to force her to apologize. Don’t exaggerate things yourself.”
“…”
Lu Xingyan chuckled lightly.
Sure enough, not long after the morning self-study began, Wang Youfu came over to call Lu Xingyan to the office for questioning.
Lu Xingyan didn’t exaggerate, but he did embellish Shen Xingruo’s role, making her seem particularly pitiful. He said that she was trembling and pale, her lips trembling with tears in her eyes when he suddenly appeared and scared off the troublemakers, shielding her from harm.
As Wang Youfu listened, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
However, Yang Fang from Class 2 was not good at handling such situations.
After being scared by Lu Xingyan last Friday, she went home feeling mentally disoriented and didn’t dare tell her family. When she went to bed that night, she didn’t cover herself properly and ended up running a high fever. She had taken a sick leave today and didn’t come to school.
Wang Youfu went to talk to Zhang Guiyu, the Class 2 homeroom teacher, about the matter.
Upon hearing it, Zhang Guiyu’s head spun.
The incident with the bottle throwing at the school anniversary wasn’t over yet, and now their class had another incident involving finding street thugs to intimidate and beat someone up. And it was a girl from their class?
She couldn’t believe it. She immediately called Yang Fang’s family while Wang Youfu was still there.
Yang Fang seemed to be with her parents. As soon as her mother repeated what the homeroom teacher said, she burst into tears, blurting out everything.
“I… I was wrong, Mom, I was wrong. I didn’t mean it. I was just… just upset…”
Although Yang Fang was terrified, her mind was still clear. She knew what she could say and what she couldn’t. She didn’t mention anything about being jealous of He Siyue and Shen Xingruo’s close relationship, just kept repeating, “I heard… I heard before the school anniversary, that my performance was taken by Shen Xingruo… I went to participate in the selection, playing the violin, and then, the teachers said it should be fine, but the result didn’t include me… Originally… originally, Shen Xingruo was supposed to play the piano, but she switched to violin, and that’s why I was rejected…”
Wang Youfu thought a little deeper and asked, “Does this incident have anything to do with the bottle throwing at the school anniversary?”
Yang Fang’s heart sank when she heard this. Since they had investigated this far, she tearfully confessed everything about being bribed by Yu Zhiming to trip Shen Xingruo up.
She intended to make Yu Zhiming do something to embarrass Shen Xingruo during the performance, but Yu Zhiming’s family wasn’t well-off, and he was afraid of getting caught and having to pay for the violin if something happened. So he refused to do it.
Hearing this, Zhang Guiyu almost rolled her eyes and passed out on the spot.
By the time the second class ended, the news had spread from the office, and almost all the classes on the first floor knew about it.
However, Lu Xingyan’s slight embellishment made the incident sound more dramatic than it was:
“Did you hear? Last Friday, Yang Fang from Class 2 found some people to intimidate Shen Xingruo from Class 1, and Lu Xingyan happened to see it.”
“I heard about it. Shen Xingruo was so scared that Lu Xingyan carried her to the infirmary. It was like a princess carry!”
“The version I heard didn’t have a princess carry. It was that someone was going to hit Shen Xingruo, and then Lu Xingyan helped her out.”
“No, it was a princess carry… But normally, Shen Xingruo looks so goddess-like. Surprisingly, she was so scared.”
“It’s normal. If someone was threatening you, wouldn’t you be scared? But maybe she was pretending. If a hero saves a beauty, shouldn’t she act a bit weak so he can save her?”
“Hey, is Shen Xingruo interested in Lu Xingyan? I passed by Class 1 this morning and saw Shen Xingruo adjusting Lu Xingyan’s collar. It looked very intimate.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
…
Rumors are called rumors because they have nothing to do with the original facts.
When this matter reached Shen Xingruo’s ears, the story had already morphed into:
“Xingruo, do you like Lu Xingyan?” Ruan Wen asked cautiously, adding, “Everyone in the grade is saying that last Friday, Lu Xingyan saved you and you immediately confessed your feelings for him on the spot. Oh, and someone even said that this morning you helped fix Lu Xingyan’s collar.”
…?
Shen Xingruo, who was waiting for the scores of her last two exams, suddenly heard this and looked up. Only then did she realize that everyone’s gaze towards her today was a bit off.
Lu Xingyan also heard about this. He didn’t know how this version came about, but strangely, he felt quite good about it.
In the afternoon, when he entered the classroom, he sat down and ruffled Shen Xingruo’s hair, teasing, “Hey, what’s going on? Everyone in the grade is saying you like me, confessed on the spot and got rejected by me. Do you like me?”
Shen Xingruo brushed his hand away, her voice cold and indifferent, “Go to sleep, everything is just in your dreams.”
Lu Xingyan was slightly taken aback by her response, seeing her withdraw as if she wanted nothing to do with him. He chuckled lightly and muttered, “Indeed, dreams contain everything.”