Bo Jin added him?
Xie Ruan’s brain hadn’t quite caught up, but his hand quickly hit accept.
He stared at the message, “We are now friends. You can start chatting!” for a long time before it sank in that Bo Jin had really added him.
But why?
Xie Ruan thought about it but couldn’t figure it out. Then he decided it didn’t matter. Who cares why; he’d added him. The process and the reason didn’t matter—the result did.
He lifted his gaze and scanned the surroundings, only feeling relieved enough to click into Bo Jin’s feed when he confirmed no teacher was nearby. He intended to see Bo Jin’s updates.
To his surprise, Bo Jin’s feed was unusually empty—no posts, no diary entries. At first, Xie Ruan thought maybe it was a network issue, so he refreshed the page, but it remained blank.
He even suspected that Bo Jin had added him using an alternate account, but when he checked, it was a nine-digit ID with an eight-year account history—clearly not a dummy account.
So, either Bo Jin had never posted anything, or he’d deleted all his posts afterward. It seemed getting to know him online was a dead end. Exiting the feed, Xie Ruan casually searched the web and shared a link with Bo Jin: “Shocking! These books will renew your will to live!”
Then he pocketed his phone and entered the classroom.
Inside, the students of Class 11 were huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves. The moment they saw Xie Ruan, the chatter dropped, and dozens of eyes, bright with interest, darted his way, as synchronized as sunflowers following the sun.
Xie Ruan: “…”
He suddenly felt like he had “BREAKING NEWS” written all over him.
Although he’d expected that breaking up with Shen Xingyun would cause a stir, he hadn’t anticipated that the ones lurking in the gossip vines would be his own classmates.
Whatever, let them talk.
After all, he’d be switching classes soon; in a new class, he’d be a perfectly blank slate again.
“What’s going on?” As soon as he sat down, his deskmate, Song Xinghe, leaned over eagerly. “Did you break up with Brother Yun?”
After saying this, Song Xinghe glanced around as if realizing something, then checked to make sure Shen Xingyun and his friends weren’t at their desks. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and lean in closer for more gossip.
“What happened? Tell me! Spill it!”
Xie Ruan was now more than happy to distance himself from Shen Xingyun. Since someone was asking, he saw no reason to hide the truth. With a casual nod, he confirmed, “Yep.”
Song Xinghe had been Xie Ruan’s classmate for a year and had witnessed his long and persistent pursuit of Shen Xingyun firsthand, so he knew how deeply Xie Ruan had liked him. Even though rumors were spreading like wildfire that Xie Ruan was the one who had initiated the breakup, Song Xinghe had been skeptical.
Now that Xie Ruan confirmed it himself, he gaped, needing a moment to regain his voice. “Wha…why? You just spent a fortune on his birthday present a few days ago, didn’t you?”
He paused, giving Xie Ruan a once-over. “Is this on purpose?”
After he said this, it was as if the floodgates of insight burst open, and he became more convinced, nodding thoughtfully. “Letting him sweat a little to understand your importance? Pretty smart, Little Xie. I see you’ve got some game.”
You couldn’t blame Song Xinghe for jumping to conclusions—Xie Ruan had been so visibly devoted that the entire class thought he was just putting on an act.
Xie Ruan shot him a dry look. “No act here. It’s over for real.”
Though Song Xinghe was still doubtful, he observed Xie Ruan for a moment. Noticing that he wasn’t blushing or looking away when mentioning Shen Xingyun, Song Xinghe finally believed he wasn’t just being dramatic.
He was speechless for a moment before stammering, “B-But… didn’t you say you couldn’t live without him?”
Xie Ruan felt a chill run down his spine at that.
He grabbed all the books on his desk and shoved them into his drawer. “Ever heard of a saying?”
Song Xinghe, caught off guard by the abrupt topic shift, mumbled an uncertain “Uh?”
Xie Ruan didn’t mind embellishing: “A man’s words are lies; the things said during love are the biggest lies.”
Song Xinghe: “???”
Song Xinghe felt his worldview shake.
What happened to the pure-hearted, undying loyalty? Was this a break-up or a character transformation?
“So…” Song Xinghe said, finally managing to choke out a single question, “You really don’t like Brother Yun anymore?”
Xie Ruan dropped a bomb without blinking: “That’s right.”
The biggest uproar often came from silence.
Staring at Xie Ruan’s unnervingly calm face, devoid of any trace of affection, Song Xinghe stared blankly for a long moment. Then he finally muttered, “D*mn…”
Xie Ruan ignored his classmate, pulling out his phone to go through his contact list and one by one remove anyone related to Shen Xingyun.
Next to him, Song Xinghe saw his quick, decisive motions and had to ask, “Hold on, you were practically obsessed with him yesterday, all about Shen Xingyun. How did you just stop liking him overnight?”
Xie Ruan, still scrolling through his contacts, didn’t bother looking up. “You wouldn’t get it, you eternal bachelor.”
Song Xinghe: “???”
Seriously? They were just talking and Xie Ruan just took a personal shot?
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Xie Ruan responded, “Love is delicate; in a blink, it’s gone.”
Song Xinghe: “…”
Well, that was certainly a refreshing perspective.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Song Xinghe pointed at Xie Ruan with an approving smile. “Impressive.”
Then, seeing he wasn’t the least bit down about the breakup, he couldn’t resist teasing, “Be honest, Brother Yun wasn’t that bad. With such high standards now, are you aiming for someone like Bo Jin next?”
Xie Ruan frowned, about to tell him to cut it out, when suddenly his desk was knocked sharply to the side, scraping loudly as it was shoved into the aisle. His wrist hit the desk corner painfully, making him hiss in pain.
“Li Mingliang, what’s your deal?” Song Xinghe steadied Xie Ruan’s desk, whispering, “You okay?”
Xie Ruan shook his head, rubbing his wrist, then looked up coldly at Li Mingliang. “Can’t even walk straight? Got Parkinson’s?”
Li Mingliang wasn’t bothered by being scolded and even grinned as he offered a fake apology: “Oh, sorry about that—I just overheard someone talking nonsense and got a little startled.”
Li Mingliang was one of Shen Xingyun’s underlings, though not as close to him as Wang Zhao or Zhao Hongfu. While others assumed he hung around Shen Xingyun for perks, Xie Ruan knew he had a more secretive interest in Shen Xingyun.
Unlike Xie Ruan, who openly pursued the person he liked, Li Mingliang hid his feelings, preferring to stay near Shen Xingyun under the guise of friendship, constantly lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake and targeting Shen’s admirers whenever he could.
Over the past year, Li Mingliang had caused Xie Ruan no end of trouble. Once, Xie Ruan was even cornered outside school by a few shady figures, narrowly escaping serious harm—all thanks to Li’s handiwork.
“So this is why you suddenly broke up with Brother Yun,” Li Mingliang sneered. “You’ve set your sights on Bo Jin.”
Song Xinghe shot him an angry glare. “Cut the nonsense. Xie Ruan never said that.”
Song Xinghe was filled with regret. It was all his fault for not keeping his mouth shut and blurting everything out. Xie Ruan was already in the spotlight, and now he was likely to become everyone’s target.
When Xie Ruan chased after Shen Xingyun, people would, at most, watch the show, laugh a bit, and move on. But Bo Jin was different—he stood too high, admired by too many people. If this rumor got out, the sheer weight of public scorn could drown Xie Ruan.
Li Mingliang, ignoring Song Xinghe’s words, seemed to have found the perfect opportunity to mock Xie Ruan mercilessly. “If you’d eaten just a few more peanuts, you wouldn’t be this drunk. And you’re thinking of chasing Bo Jin? What a joke. You really think Bo Jin has any interest in paying attention to you?”
He deliberately raised his voice, and even in the noisy classroom, his words were loud enough for others to catch. Shocked reactions quickly followed.
“No way! Did I hear that right? Xie Ruan is going after who? Bo Jin? Is it that Bo Jin?”
“He’s finally lost it. Explains why he suddenly broke up with Shen Xingyun…”
“I’ve seen it all now. Xie Ruan wants to chase Bo Jin? He’s out of his mind.”
“Is he sick? As long as he doesn’t drag Bo Jin down with him, I don’t care what he does.”
“Relax, it’s one thing for him to want it, and another for Bo Jin to care.”
Sneers and mockery erupted from all directions. Smiling with satisfaction, Li Mingliang tapped on Xie Ruan’s desk. “Just a word of advice, since we’re classmates: the most important thing in life is self-awareness.”
In the past, Xie Ruan had put up with Li Mingliang because he was Shen Xingyun’s friend. Now that Shen Xingyun no longer mattered to him, someone like Li Mingliang mattered even less.
Xie Ruan stood up, shoved his chair back under the desk, and before Li Mingliang realized it, grabbed his arm and slammed him onto the desk. “I was ignoring you, but you just had to keep running your mouth, huh?”
With a cold smile, he added, “You’re barely as tall as a green onion, yet here you are lecturing me on self-awareness. Where do you get your confidence?”
Li Mingliang’s face flushed red with embarrassment.
He wasn’t unattractive—no match for Xie Ruan, but decent-looking—yet he was stuck with his unfortunate height of just about 160 cm.
He looked fearful at Xie Ruan’s outburst, and having hit a sore spot, was quickly flustered and furious. “Am I wrong? Shen Xingyun was only toying with you out of boredom. Bo Jin would never give you the time of day. If you had a shred of dignity—”
A slow, deliberate knock at the door interrupted him.
Without thinking, Li Mingliang glanced toward the entrance and then froze, his eyes wide.
The other students in Class 11 followed suit, looking over in confusion.
Instantly, the noisy classroom went silent.
The boys ceased their horseplay and straightened up, while the girls restrained themselves from screaming, covertly checking their reflections and tidying their hair. The atmosphere turned into one of intense excitement.
“Excuse me.” Bo Jin stood at the doorway, one hand in his pocket, ignoring the heated gazes from all directions. His expression was calm and his demeanor effortlessly composed. “I’m looking for Xie Ruan.”
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