While Lu Xingyan was at home, unaware that Shen Xingruo and Wang Youfu had already discussed the seating arrangement issue, he finished answering the multiple-choice questions and then opened his phone to check the latest messages in the group chat with his friends. Initially, everyone was talking about the houses they rented near the school and how they were, but suddenly someone mentioned the seating arrangement, which made Lu Xingyan realize something—
With the new semester starting, the class would rearrange the seating, meaning he and Shen Xingruo probably wouldn’t be able to sit together anymore.
Bian Hejin was also at school today, helping Wang Youfu. He chimed in the group chat, “Actually, the seating arrangement chart is already out. I saw it when I passed by the classroom; it’s posted on the podium. I’ll be sitting with Zhai Jiajing.”
Messages flooded the group chat, praising his luck for sitting with Zhai Jiajing.
Lu Xingyan, who had been lurking in the chat, finally spoke up.
“Hey Bian Hejin, buddy, could you take a picture of the seating chart for me?”
“I’m out buying things for Teacher Wang right now. I’ll take the picture when I get back to school,” replied Bian Hejin.
Lu Xingyan couldn’t wait, so he sent a message to Shen Xingru.
“Shen Xingru, what are you up to?”
Shen Xingruo happened to be attaching his comment to his paper. Wang Youfu had tried his best, reluctantly finding a few positive points for him and even embellishing them quite insincerely.
The comment stated, “This student is cooperative and friendly,” which she felt was originally intended to imply he was forming cliques with his friends.
The comment also stated, “He has a lively and cheerful personality,” which was true enough; he was always ready to start a fight with his friends at the drop of a hat.
And then there was, “He takes his studies seriously and has made significant progress in the second half of the sophomore year.” The improvement space was indeed vast for a score in the three hundred.
As she silently criticized, she quickly finished reading and used glue to fix the comment sheet in place.
When she picked up the next student handbook, she noticed her phone, which had been placed beside it, was constantly buzzing with new messages.
“Shen Xingru, what are you doing?”
“Shen Xingru, I heard the seating chart is out. Can you go to the classroom and take a picture of it for me? I want to see who my deskmate will be this semester.”
“Shen Xingru???”
Putting down the glue stick, she replied, “Have you finished your paper?”
Lu Xingyan replied with two curt words, “Almost.”
Shen Xingruo suggested, “You take the papers, I’ll take the seating chart.”
“Lu Xingyan…”
Why did it sound like handing in the paper while receiving payment? It would be better to wait for Bian Hejin to return to the classroom.
He replied to Shen Xingruo with a “goodbye” emoji, tossed his phone aside, and continued working on his exam paper. Half an hour later, it was Bian Hejin who first sent him a photo of the seating chart. Lu Xingyan squinted as he scanned it, and at a glance, he saw his name in the front row next to Shen Xingru—quite a striking and fitting arrangement. Wang Youfu was truly a miraculous homeroom teacher. It seemed like the purchases he made last semester around the school were not in vain.
He then bothered Shen Xingruo again.
“Shen Xingru, we’re desk mates again.”
“This is what they call a destined connection over a thousand miles, you know?”
“Shen Xingru…”
“Shen Xingru, have you finished your paper?”
“Lu Xingyan…”
“Lu Xingyan, can you stop being a buzzkill? Besides, I need some rest. I only have a few more big questions left.”
“Why don’t you go take a rest in the exam hall during the college entrance examination? What’s the difference between that and taking a break in the enemy’s artillery nest during a battle? Do you also want to brew a pot of Luo Han Guo chrysanthemum tea for your health? Do you enjoy seeking death like this?”
“Ok, ok, I’ll mute myself.”
“Lu Xingyan, calm down, fairy goddess.”
Seeing Shen Xingruo chatting so seriously on her phone, Zhai Jiajing couldn’t help but ask, “Xingru, what are you doing?”
Shen Xingruo raised her head, suppressing the unconscious curve of her lips, and replied softly, “Nothing.”
Her phone was running out of battery, so she didn’t reply further, putting her phone aside and continuing to attach comments to the papers.
The weather in Xingcheng during the summer was always unpredictable.
When Shen Xingruo went out, the sun was still shining brightly, scorching the ground, and the leaves drooped lazily from being sunburnt.
But in the blink of an eye, as evening approached, while the red clouds had not yet faded from the sky, heavy raindrops began to fall.
Originally seeming like a sunshower, the dark clouds soon obscured the glow, the sky turned a leaden gray, and then lightning and thunder followed, and the rain grew heavier.
Zhou Yi was preparing dinner when she suddenly saw heavy rain pouring outside. She hurriedly took off her apron and muttered, “Xingru didn’t bring an umbrella when she went out. I’ll go pick her up at the school gate. Oh, where’s my phone…”
Lu Xingyan had just finished his exam paper and came out of the bathroom, also hearing the sound of rain. So he picked up where Zhou Yi left off, “I’ll go get her. Auntie Zhou, don’t get yourself wet and catch a cold. Plus, I need to buy some stuff anyway.”
Zhou Yi thought about it, “That’s fine. If you go get Xingru, come back quickly, and I’ll cook dinner for you guys.”
Lu Xingyan nodded, grabbed his phone, changed his shoes at the entrance, and went out with an umbrella.
He originally intended to take the big black umbrella, but it was too big, enough to shelter three people. He thought about it and decided to take a smaller one so that they could get closer to it. In the end, he chose a dark green umbrella nearby.
After getting off the elevator, he called Shen Xingru.
But a mechanical female voice on the other end of the phone said, “The number you dialed is powered off, the number…”
He didn’t need to think twice; he knew it was out of battery. Shen Xingruo was good with everything else, but she never liked to carry a power bank or charging cable when she went out. However, since she wasn’t fond of chatting or playing on her phone, her phone rarely ran out of battery halfway. He called Bian Hejin instead.
Bian Hejin said he had left a while ago, and Wang Youfu’s matters were almost finished, so he and Shen Xingruo were probably leaving soon too.
Lu Xingyan didn’t delay any further, opened his umbrella, and walked outside, paying special attention to places where he could take shelter from the rain under the eaves.
Whether it was the rain falling heavily or mixed with mist, everything seemed hazy, making it hard to see clearly. As Lu Xingyan approached the gate of Mingli School, someone suddenly called out to him, “Lu Xingyan!”
It was a girl’s voice.
Lu Xingyan turned towards the voice and saw the girl standing near the communication room, looking at him. She looked familiar, and after a few seconds, he remembered her as Zhai Jiajing from their class. Zhai Jiajing seemed to have gathered her courage before calling out to him. She held a stack of books, looking delicate and timid.
Lu Xingyan raised his hand in greeting, considering that he and Zhai Jiajing were not acquainted at all. Initially, he thought a simple greeting would suffice, but then he remembered that she used to be Shen Xingru’s roommate. So, he walked closer and greeted, “Zhai Jiajing.”
Zhai Jiajing’s lips curved gently, her eyes sparkling. She wanted to say something, but Lu Xingyan didn’t feel like engaging in small talk. After exchanging greetings, he went straight to the point and asked, “Have you seen Shen Xingru?”
A slight stiffness appeared in the smile at the corner of Zhai Jiajing’s lips, but it quickly returned to normal. “Xingru? Yes, I saw her. She’s also helping out in the office today.”
“Where is she?” Lu Xingyan inquired.
Seeing him holding an umbrella, Zhai Jiajing suddenly asked, “Are you… here to pick up Xingru?”
Lu Xingyan didn’t respond, but Zhai Jiajing had already made a judgment in her heart. She had wanted to say that Shen Xingruo had already left, but she wasn’t sure if Lu Xingyan would be willing to share the umbrella with her for a while. So, her words changed as they reached her lips.
“Xingru might still be a while. He Siyue is looking for her. They seem to have something to discuss.”
Lu Xingyan listened without much change in expression. He simply shifted his gaze away from her face, as if he couldn’t be bothered to say another word, and walked straight ahead.
“Lu Xingyan…”
Zhai Jiajing didn’t expect him to leave like that and called out after him. But Lu Xingyan had long legs and took big strides, so he had already walked a considerable distance after a momentary pause. Moreover, the sound of the rain drowned out most of her voice.
Watching Lu Xingyan’s retreating figure, Zhai Jiajing bit her lip.
When Lu Xingyan reached the intersection between Building Two and Building Three, he stopped for a moment. Today, he was moving things from Building Two to Building Three, so if Shen Xingruo was done, there was a higher chance she’d be in Building Three. He was about to head in that direction when his gaze suddenly froze.
—Shen Xingruo was sharing an umbrella with He Siyue, chatting and laughing as they walked out together. They were talking; you couldn’t share an umbrella silently.
However, Lu Xingyan’s imagining of laughter was completely his embellishment. Shen Xingruo hardly ever laughed twice in a day, let alone with someone else. Lu Xingyan stood at the intersection.
He Siyue and Shen Xingruo quickly noticed him. He Siyue smiled and greeted, “Lu Xingyan.”
Lu Xingyan glanced at him and then looked towards Shen Xingruo beside him. Shen Xingruo was also looking at him, their gazes meeting. He maintained his usual expression, while she displayed an unusual coldness.
He Siyue asked again, “Why did you come to school in such heavy rain?”
Lu Xingyan’s gaze subtly shifted back to He Siyue, then moved upwards from below to meet his eyes. He replied calmly, “To pick someone up.”
He Siyue nodded knowingly, not probing further. “Well, we’ll be going now. See you tomorrow.”
Then he said to Shen Xingru, “Let’s go.”
Lu Xingyan heard Shen Xingru’s soft acknowledgment, and soon the two of them walked past him towards the school gate.
Shen Xingruo hadn’t expected Lu Xingyan to come and pick her up. While she appeared calm, the further they walked, the more she felt something strange in her heart. She also felt somewhat absent-minded while talking to He Siyue.
Lu Xingyan watched their receding figures expressionlessly. After a while, he slowly started to walk, following them from a distance.
When passing by the school gate, Zhai Jiajing was still waiting there. Seeing him coming out, she eagerly called out.
As soon as Zhai Jiajing saw He Siyue and Shen Xingruo come out, she quickly guessed something and intentionally hid, not wanting to draw their attention. She only called out when Lu Xingyan came out.
Lu Xingyan’s gaze was indifferent. “What’s up?”
Zhai Jiajing seemed a bit embarrassed. She hesitated in her speech, “Um, Lu Xingyan, can you take me out? I forgot my umbrella… I’ll just buy one from the boutique across the street.”
“The umbrella is small, inconvenient.” With that said, he directly handed the umbrella to Zhai Jiajing.
He had planned to share the umbrella with Shen Xingruo before leaving. Since that didn’t happen, and he had to witness Shen Xingruo sharing an umbrella with someone else, he simply discarded it. Out of sight, out of mind.
Zhai Jiajing was taken aback. But Lu Xingyan didn’t spare her an extra glance, he just walked directly into the rain.
Lu Xingyan always kept a distance, neither too close nor too far, following behind Shen Xingruo and He Siyue. Watching He Siyue escort Shen Xingruo to the entrance of the unit building, and then seeing them reluctantly wave goodbye, he tugged at the corner of his lips.
Shen Xingruo didn’t go upstairs directly. She waited downstairs for almost ten minutes. Just as she was about to enter the elevator, Lu Xingyan, with a cold expression and soaked all over, suddenly walked in.
“Where’s your umbrella?” Shen Xingruo asked.
“It’s broken.” Without even glancing at Shen Xingru, he walked into the elevator, brushing past her.
It was Lu Xingyan who opened the door. Aunt Zhou was cooking in the kitchen, she only heard the two of them come back, greeted from the kitchen, and didn’t come out to see.
Shen Xingruo wanted to say something to Lu Xingyan, but he changed out of his damp sneakers, went straight into the room, and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Lu Xingyan didn’t eat dinner either. When Aunt Zhou knocked on the door, he only said he was a bit tired and hungry and would come out to reheat later. Aunt Zhou nagged a bit but then put the food in the electric cooker and set it to keep warm.
The rain in midsummer came and went quickly. By the time dinner was ready, some parts of the ground had already dried up. Aunt Zhou was going to the supermarket in the evening. There were only Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan left at home.
Shen Xingruo had been watching TV in the living room, but when Aunt Zhou left, she turned off the TV and went to knock on Lu Xingyan’s door.
“Lu Xingyan.”
The room had good soundproofing, and she leaned against the door to listen carefully but didn’t hear any response. She tried the doorknob—
It opened.
Lu Xingyan hadn’t locked the door at all.
Shen Xingruo took two steps inside, looking around for him. Suddenly, she heard the sound of the bathroom glass door being pushed. She instinctively turned her head and was caught off guard to see Lu Xingyan wearing only a bath towel around his lower body, with his upper body bare, drying his hair and walking out.
Shen Xingru’s entry into the room was slightly unexpected to Lu Xingyan. But he was already so pent up inside that he didn’t show any surprise on his face. He casually passed by Shen Xingru, went to the wardrobe, picked up a T-shirt, and put it on in front of her.
In his mind, he thought, what’s there to fear? A good figure should be shown off.
Perhaps Lu Xingyan was too casual, and Shen Xingru, who should have been shy and evasive, also failed to make a proper reaction.
Lu Xingyan glanced at her provocatively. “What, do you still want to watch me change pants?”
Shen Xingruo turned around, wanting to leave.
But Lu Xingyan suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed her wrist, pulled her towards him, and pressed her against the wardrobe, with a slightly unpleasant tone, “Hey, Shen Xingru, don’t you have anything to explain? I specially came to pick you up, but you walked with that little white face. Seems like you have quite a few backup boyfriends.”
He got very close, emitting an unusual aggressive vibe, like a little lion about to lose its temper.
Shen Xingruo stared at him for a moment and then pushed his shoulder, “You change your pants first.”
“I’m not changing. I want you to explain.” Lu Xingyan was determined.
Shen Xingruo retorted, “Explain what?”
The rain had come suddenly, and her phone was out of battery. It wasn’t suitable to stay in the teaching building for too long. He Siyue happened to have an umbrella, and when he asked where she lived now, after hearing that she lived in Xinghe Bay, he mentioned that his rented place was on the way to Xinghe Bay and offered to drop her off. She naturally agreed.
“I didn’t know you were coming to pick me up. Do you want me to tell He Siyue that I live with you and that you came to pick me up?”
“And besides, Xinghe Bay is only a few minutes away.”
She felt that these explanations were redundant. After explaining, she wondered why she was even bothering to tell him these things. Just because he wasn’t her boyfriend didn’t mean he had the right to question her like the Pacific police.
Lu Xingyan stared at her, “Why do you have so many reasons?”
“I had reasons to begin with,” Shen Xingruo pushed Lu Xingyan’s chest, intending to leave. “Alright, let me go. I want to take a shower.”
“Then answer me one more question.” Lu Xingyan stopped her. “Do you like that little white face, He Siyue?”
“Why do you call him a little white face? He’s not whiter than you.”
Lu Xingyan frowned, “Alright, then little black face. Don’t say these things. Just answer me directly.”
The two of them were very close, and Lu Xingyan wrapped her in his arms, speaking with an aggressive tone. His breath was landing on her face.
She pushed his chest, intending to say “It’s none of your business.”
But she felt like she was being too affected, knowing exactly what Lu Xingyan meant by asking such a question. So she responded affirmatively with the answer Lu Xingyan wanted to hear, “I don’t like him.”