The next morning, Xie Ruan couldn’t shake the feeling that Song Xinghe was giving him strange looks. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off, but it was definitely there.
Unable to bear it any longer, he caught Song Xinghe sneaking another glance and asked directly, “What exactly are you staring at?”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Song Xinghe, caught red-handed, choked on his egg pancake and had to gulp down some soy milk to recover.
“You….” he looked at Xie Ruan with a complicated expression, “Tell me honestly. What did you do the night before last?”
He had assumed Xie Ruan had just skipped curfew to play games, but after hearing his dream talk, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Would gaming involve kidneys?
Definitely not.
To be muttering about someone being “the best” in his sleep—just what had he been up to?!
Right now, Song Xinghe only wanted to ask one thing: “Dude, is your butt okay?”
No wonder he’d suddenly broken up with Shen Xingyun; Song Xinghe felt like he finally understood. Would Plato’s ideals hold up against someone with, well, “excellent stamina”?
Lost in thought, Song Xinghe’s gaze toward Xie Ruan grew even more cryptic.
Oblivious to his friend’s wild imagination, Xie Ruan calmly put down his spoon and wiped his mouth, then replied, “Just being a hero and saving someone from a disaster.”
Song Xinghe wanted to ask if the “fire” he saved someone from was of a particular kind, but he didn’t dare, so he simply advised, “Take care of yourself. Health first, you know?”
Thinking his friend had bought his story, Xie Ruan smiled, “Noted.”
Song Xinghe: “…”
So, he’s not even trying to deny it?
And who exactly is his secret lover?
Song Xinghe waited expectantly for Xie Ruan to reveal more, but Xie Ruan had already gone back to his phone.
Defeated, Song Xinghe sighed and returned to his breakfast.
After finishing, Xie Ruan sent him a quick message: “Transfer complete; check your balance.”
Earlier, he’d realized he didn’t have enough on his card to pay and had borrowed from Song Xinghe.
“Dude, really…” Song Xinghe protested, “I told you, breakfast is on me.”
It’s just breakfast, only three to five bucks—he can certainly afford that.
But knowing Xie Ruan, if he didn’t accept, his friend would just keep insisting. Sighing, Song Xinghe pulled out his phone and hit confirm.
“Whoa, why’d you send so much?” he asked, surprised by the amount.
“The cafeteria is packed at the end of the month. I’d rather borrow your card than wait in line,” Xie Ruan replied, half-joking.
That was part of the reason, but mostly, he was running low on funds. After buying those organic wolfberries, his allowance had been wiped out.
Instead of asking his family—who likely wouldn’t help anyway—Xie Ruan turned to his last option.
He opened the school forum and posted an ad:
“Brand new H sneakers, size 44. Original price 1900. Selling for 100 less. Act fast.”
He’d bought them as a birthday gift for Shen Xingyun. Although they were on the cheaper side for him, they were the best Xie Ruan could afford.
With a wry smile, Xie Ruan set his phone aside.
Today was Shen Xingyun’s birthday. Good thing he came to his senses in time, or he would’ve lost more money. Now that would have been a real waste.
Song Xinghe took his answer at face value and agreed, “Alright.”
After breakfast, the two of them entered the school building together. Class Eleven was on the far side of the third floor, and even from the stairwell, they could hear the commotion inside. Amid the noise were voices wishing Shen Xingyun a happy birthday, creating quite the lively scene.
Song Xinghe glanced at Xie Ruan and saw his expression remain unchanged, confirming that he truly didn’t care anymore. Relieved, Song Xinghe turned into the corridor and entered their classroom.
Shen Xingyun, despite his less-than-stellar character, was attractive and generous, so he had many friends. All morning, people came by with gifts, creating a mini-mountain of elaborately wrapped presents that almost ran out of space.
Normally, Shen Xingyun loved this kind of display, enjoying the attention and showing off. But today, even with all the cheerful well-wishes around him, he only felt irritated, his gaze drifting now and then toward Xie Ruan’s former seat.
Last year, Xie Ruan had been the first to give him a birthday gift. Determined to be first, Xie Ruan had waited in the classroom from four in the morning. The dorm gates weren’t even open at that time, so he had begged the dorm supervisor to let him out just this once.
“Hey, Brother Yun,” Wang Zhao’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, “If Xie Ruan comes over to give you a gift, are you going to talk to him?”
Shen Xingyun was caught off guard, his tone unwittingly eager. “How do you know he’s coming? Did he tell you?”
“No,” Wang Zhao shrugged, “But I know he bought you a present. H-brand basketball shoes. He’ll probably bring them over.”
Suppressing a smile, Shen Xingyun sneered, “What kind of cheap brand is that?”
“Fine, if you don’t want them, I’ll take them,” Wang Zhao replied, unfazed. In the past, most of Xie Ruan’s gifts for Shen Xingyun ended up with Wang Zhao anyway—Shen Xingyun was too picky to wear “cheap brands.”
But after a while, when Shen Xingyun didn’t respond, Wang Zhao nudged him, “Brother Yun?”
“Let’s wait and see,” Shen Xingyun replied, frowning slightly.
Taken aback, Wang Zhao went back to his seat without pushing further. Shen Xingyun was known for his temper, and Wang Zhao didn’t want to be on the receiving end.
After that conversation, Shen Xingyun’s mood improved. When he saw Song Xinghe enter, he even flashed a rare smile.
Song Xinghe flinched, quickly looking down to avoid eye contact. Why were people acting so strangely today?
Shen Xingyun waited all morning, but Xie Ruan didn’t show up. Frustrated, he was about to ask Wang Zhao how he knew about the gift when he overheard classmates talking about H-brand basketball shoes.
Unable to help himself, he eavesdropped.
“Someone’s selling brand-new H-brand basketball shoes for just 1800. Should I buy them?”
“You think they’re legit?”
“Yeah, he said he bought them from the official website. He has the order number and a screenshot of the chat with customer service, so it’ll be easy to verify.”
“Alright, go for it then. Might as well check them in person.”
Listening to them talk, Shen Xingyun’s mouth twitched into a smile. So he had competition for the gift before he even received it—Xie Ruan really knew how to pick presents.
Still, this was just like him. Unlike other admirers who were full of sweet talk, Xie Ruan had only ever followed him around, clumsily trying to please him.
Lost in memories, Shen Xingyun’s heart softened. Sure, he hadn’t been the best to Xie Ruan in the past. A little sulking was understandable.
Maybe… if Xie Ruan came over with a gift, he could forgive and forget.
Meanwhile, Xie Ruan had been flooded with messages about the basketball shoes all morning. Just before class ended, someone confirmed they wanted to buy them.
As luck would have it, the buyer was from Class Eleven.
Xie Ruan really didn’t want to set foot in Class Eleven, but he couldn’t say no to money. A moment of discomfort for a month of financial ease was a trade anyone would make.
He pocketed his phone, grabbed the shoes, and headed downstairs.
When he arrived, he bypassed knocking and walked straight into the classroom.
Having kept an eye on the door, Shen Xingyun noticed him immediately and approached, hand outstretched. “What took you—”
But before he could finish, Xie Ruan walked right past him, placing the shoes on another classmate’s desk. “Here are your shoes.”
Shen Xingyun, left standing there with his hand outstretched, felt his face fall.
“Hey, it’s you!” The classmate exclaimed, surprised and then delighted as he examined his new shoes. After a thorough check, he transferred the money to Xie Ruan.
Xie Ruan pocketed the cash, nodded, and left without so much as a glance in Shen Xingyun’s direction.
Shen Xingyun’s face darkened.
Unbothered, Xie Ruan left Class Eleven, pleased with his new earnings, and immediately sent a message to Song Xinghe as he walked back.
Suddenly coming into a small fortune, Xie Ruan decided he had to go out for lunch to celebrate.
Song Xinghe replied instantly with an “ok” sticker.
Xie Ruan closed the chat app, put down his phone, and looked up to see Bo Jin walking toward him. His cheerful expression instantly soured.
After dreaming all night of Bo Jin interrogating him, his mind still felt fuzzy. Wasn’t it enough that Bo Jin tortured him during the day? Now he couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep? Was this even human?
Xie Ruan’s annoyance was justified. As if he didn’t even see his deskmate standing right there, he kept walking, ignoring Bo Jin entirely.
Bo Jin noted his expression and understood.
So, he doesn’t want to talk to me? No problem. If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.
He took a long step sideways, smoothly blocking Xie Ruan’s way. “Ignoring your own deskmate, huh? Feeling pretty cocky, aren’t you?”
“Sorry,” Xie Ruan tilted his lips in a forced smile. “I don’t usually chat with people I’m not close to.”
Bo Jin raised an eyebrow. “Not close?”
Xie Ruan didn’t respond, just tilted his chin at Bo Jin defiantly.
Yeah, not close. What’s he going to do about it?
Bo Jin, watching his sassy attitude, suddenly laughed.
“Two days ago, we were under the same blanket, and now we’re not close?”
Pausing, he looked directly into Xie Ruan’s eyes and spoke slowly, “What, did we become distant just because we got out of bed?”
