He’s looking for Xie Ruan!
For Xie Ruan!
Xie Ruan!
Everyone was floored.
What had Xie Ruan done to actually make Bo Jin come looking for him in person?
The entire class turned toward Xie Ruan in unison, their stares so intense they could practically burn a hole through him.
Their attention was so obvious, and with Xie Ruan already standing, Bo Jin quickly spotted him and motioned with a nod. “Come over here.”
Bo Jin’s sudden appearance and grand entrance were so overwhelming that it took Xie Ruan a few seconds to react. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he let go of Li Mingliang and walked out of the classroom.
The moment he stepped out, the class erupted in a frenzy.
“What the heck just happened? Xie Ruan and Bo Jin—what’s going on between them?!”
“Am I dreaming? Did Bo Jin really come looking for Xie Ruan?! AAGGHHHH!!!”
“Oh my god, first Shen Xingyun, now Bo Jin—Xie Ruan needs to publish his memoirs! I’d buy ten copies right now!”
“How are these two even connected? I’ve never seen them interact before. What happened that we don’t know about?!”
“I’m done doubting Xie Ruan. He’s officially a legend.”
The thick wooden door shut, isolating the classroom from the hallway.
In the corridor, Xie Ruan looked at Bo Jin, puzzled. “What’s up?”
He ran through their few interactions in his mind but still couldn’t figure out why Bo Jin wanted to see him.
Without answering, Bo Jin pulled a tube of ointment from his pocket and tossed it to him.
“What’s this?” Xie Ruan looked down, reading the label on the tube. “Burn ointment… Why are you giving me this?”
Bo Jin looked at him with a bit of surprise, “Your hand doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Xie Ruan was startled for a moment and then opened his hand, revealing the red burn mark in his palm. He got it from grabbing Bo Jin’s still-burning cigarette butt earlier.
He had noticed it already but hadn’t really cared; he figured it would heal on its own.
He didn’t expect Bo Jin to actually bring him some medicine.
Guess he has a conscience, Xie Ruan thought, a faint smile appearing on his lips. But he quickly suppressed it, inwardly scolding himself for getting so happy over something so small.
Clearing his throat, he said to Bo Jin, “Thanks. I’ll treat you to bubble tea.”
“No need, it’s only right.”
“But I insist,” Xie Ruan frowned, “I don’t want to owe you favors.”
Bo Jin saw the clear delight in Xie Ruan’s face, though he was trying hard to hide it. For some reason, Bo Jin suddenly felt an urge to tease him.
“Favor,” Bo Jin leaned against the hallway window, glancing at Xie Ruan’s lips as he held back a laugh, “Just take it and take responsibility afterward.”
Xie Ruan froze, only realizing a moment later that he was being flirted with. Clutching the ointment in his hand, he muttered in embarrassment, “You wish!”
“Pfft,” Bo Jin finally laughed out loud, “I was joking. No need for bubble tea; I don’t even like it.” Besides, Xie Ruan got hurt because of him. Bringing some medicine was the least he could do; accepting a thank-you gift wouldn’t feel right.
Bo Jin glanced at the time and told Xie Ruan, “Class is about to start; you should head back. I’m off.”
“Hey, wait!” Xie Ruan tried to grab him, but Bo Jin’s long legs had already carried him away, widening the distance in a flash.
He didn’t stop, only waved casually at Xie Ruan before continuing on his way.
Xie Ruan hated owing people, so he was still trying to think of a way to repay him when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Pulling it out, he opened the message—
[Bo]: Shared link “Being Tsundere Is a Mindset That Makes You More Adorable.”
Xie Ruan clenched his teeth, almost crushing his phone.
Who the h*ll was tsundere? Ever heard of mature, stoic, and composed?
As soon as Xie Ruan returned to the classroom, Song Xinghe pulled him aside, bombarding him with questions, “Why was Bo Jin looking for you? Come clean; do you two have some unclear, ambiguous relationship?”
Xie Ruan glanced at the eavesdropping people around him and frowned, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Song Xinghe scooted closer, “If you don’t want me to, then explain.”
“Nothing much, I just did him a small favor, and he came to thank me.”
“You helped God Bo?” Song Xinghe’s eyes widened. After a pause, he leaned on Xie Ruan’s shoulder and let out a sigh, “Bro, what other surprises are you hiding from me?”
Xie Ruan gave him a sidelong glance, “Plenty more.”
Even after a year of being classmates, Song Xinghe was still a bit dazzled by Xie Ruan’s face. Clutching his pounding heart, he finally asked, “So what exactly did you do for God Bo?”
Xie Ruan asked, “You really want to know?”
Song Xinghe nodded vigorously.
Xie Ruan: “Then keep wondering.”
It wasn’t worth mentioning that he accidentally stumbled upon Bo Jin smoking, and he wasn’t about to tell anyone either.
Song Xinghe: “…”
D*mn it, this friendship is hard to maintain!
Curiosity was eating at him, but Xie Ruan kept his mouth sealed. And with the teacher coming in to start the lesson, Song Xinghe had to give up for now.
Xie Ruan waited all afternoon, but there was still no news about transferring classes. Holding back his impatience, he tried focusing on the lesson.
Only to find that, except for language arts, he was completely lost in every other subject.
Xie Ruan had done well in middle school, not at the top, but at least in the upper middle. But ever since he entered high school, he’d become more of a tool, putting all his energy into chasing Shen Xingyun and none into his studies.
Now, keeping up with the teacher’s pace was out of the question; he couldn’t even locate the right concepts for an open-book test.
Sadly, he recalled that even Shen Xingyun had better grades than him.
This was unacceptable. At the very least, he had to improve academically. In the original novel, Shen Xingyun later went to a good university. Though he didn’t attend, choosing to go abroad with Ye Haiqiong after the college entrance exams, his score was still impressive.
Xie Ruan, on the other hand, had barely scored over 300. It was a terrible comparison.
With a sigh, he picked up his math book.
Five minutes later, he closed it with a blank expression, muttering to himself, “What is this stuff? Why can’t I understand any of it?”
It couldn’t be his fault; he had scored a hundred on his elementary school exams, after all!
It must be because he hadn’t learned any of the first-year material.
Realizing this, he felt a sense of relief. That evening, he even dug through his old things, searching for his first-year textbooks.
“What are you doing?” Song Xinghe, fresh from a shower, saw him digging around under his bed and couldn’t help but laugh.
The dorms at Shijia High School were quite nice. Each room had four beds, an en-suite bathroom, and air conditioning.
Xie Ruan’s dorm had originally been full, but one roommate transferred shortly after the semester started, and another took a leave of absence for medical treatment. So now, 509 was just him and Song Xinghe.
“Looking for my first-year textbooks,” Xie Ruan’s muffled voice came from under the bed.
Song Xinghe had been watching his behavior all afternoon, so he wasn’t too surprised. Crouching down, he sifted through the pile Xie Ruan had found and asked, “Is this everything? If not, I have mine too.”
“No need,” Xie Ruan replied as he emerged with several brand-new Tianli Thirty-Eight practice books, dusting off his hands. “I found everything.”
“Alright then,” Song Xinghe sat back on his bed, plugged in his phone charger, and said, “I’m going to play some games. Let me know if you need any help.”
Xie Ruan flashed him an “OK” sign and went back to sorting his textbooks.
These books had been under the bed for a long time and were covered in dust, so he wiped each one clean and stuffed them all into his bag.
Once everything was set, it was nearly lights-out in the dorm. Xie Ruan quickly took a quick shower and got to bed just before the dorm monitor came by.
A lot had happened that day, and Xie Ruan’s mind was still filled with thoughts of that book. After tossing and turning for a while, he finally fell asleep.
The next day, when he woke up, Song Xinghe was already gone. In a daze, he vaguely remembered hearing him say he had to do morning duties and had to leave early.
Xie Ruan sat on his bed in a daze, then half-heartedly tidied up. Only after he washed up did he feel more awake. Locking the door with his bag over his shoulder, he headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.
It was peak time, and every counter had long lines. Xie Ruan was just on time; any later, and he wouldn’t have had enough time to eat before morning study hall.
At other schools, students could pack food and eat it back in the classroom, but at Shijia High, eating in classrooms wasn’t allowed. Getting caught meant a two-point deduction.
Xie Ruan didn’t care about the rules before, but now that he was in the process of switching classes, he didn’t want to get in trouble. He patiently found a relatively short line.
While waiting, he looked around out of boredom.
Before, when he came to the cafeteria, it was always to grab food for Shen Xingyun or for him and his friends, always stressing about how to carry it all. Now, he could just relax and do as he pleased.
Breaking up really did have its perks.
Breakfast options were simple, but the line was long. Three minutes had passed, and he was still at the back.
Getting impatient, he leaned forward to check how many people were ahead when he caught a glimpse of Bo Jin entering the cafeteria from the corner of his eye.
Dressed in the Shijia High uniform, Bo Jin’s tall frame and distinct features made him stand out. Even in the bustling crowd, he was hard to miss. With a sleepy look still in his eyes, he looked a bit lazy, which only made him more attractive. Nearby, a few girls blushed as they watched him.
Bo Jin seemed to dislike the long line and, after a quick glance around, was ready to leave. Xie Ruan thought for a moment and decided to call him, “Bo Jin!”
If nothing else, Xie Ruan prided himself on paying back kindness. Since Bo Jin didn’t like bubble tea, he could treat him to breakfast instead.
Bo Jin looked over, saw Xie Ruan, and smiled, walking over. “Up this early?”
“Not really; I just got here,” Xie Ruan stepped out of line, offering his spot to Bo Jin. “Here, you take it.”
“No need,” Bo Jin didn’t move, clearly uninterested in cutting in line. “You can go ahead. I’ll grab a sandwich at the store later.”
But the store would also be crowded; whether he’d even get one was questionable.
“I’m not saying you cut the line,” Xie Ruan thought Bo Jin’s sense of principle was amusing. He adjusted his slipping backpack and said, “They don’t have anything I want here anyway, so I was going to leave. You got here just in time.”
With that, he nudged Bo Jin into the line and started to walk away.
But just as he took a step, he was held back by his collar.
Xie Ruan turned around, visibly annoyed, “Are you seriously into pulling me around like this?”
“Nope, just worried you’d run off,” Bo Jin let go, didn’t argue over breakfast, and handed Xie Ruan his bag. “Go sit back there and wait for me.”
Xie Ruan didn’t like his calm, in-control attitude and didn’t want to listen. Challenging him, he said, “Why should I wait?”
“You don’t have to,” Bo Jin replied, surprisingly agreeable. But that raised Xie Ruan’s suspicion; it seemed like he had something up his sleeve.
Sure enough, Bo Jin added in the next breath, “I can just go to your class and let everyone know how we know each other.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
Alright, you win!
“Fine, I’ll wait!” he grumbled, extending his hand. “Give me the bag!”
Bo Jin ordered a large fried rice, a plate of cold kelp salad, two savory pancakes, two cups of soy milk, and two boiled eggs. Carrying the tray out of the crowd, he quickly spotted Xie Ruan standing by a table, playing on his phone.
He walked over and set the tray down. “Why aren’t you sitting?”
“I didn’t want you to miss me,” Xie Ruan sat down across from him and put his phone away. “You needed something?”
Bo Jin took a spoon from the tray and handed it to Xie Ruan, asking in return, “Do you have any aversions to sharing?”
The question caught Xie Ruan off guard, and he shook his head. “No.”
“Good,” Bo Jin pushed the tray between them. “Let’s eat together.”
They could eat like this?
Xie Ruan was taken aback and didn’t know how to start, holding his spoon without moving.
Bo Jin cracked an egg on the table. With his long, graceful fingers, he skillfully peeled the shell in a flash. “What’s wrong?” he asked, putting the egg in the tray’s side compartment and looking at Xie Ruan. “Not to your taste?”
“No,” Xie Ruan replied. He’d never shared a tray with anyone like this, and it felt odd. Seeing Bo Jin take a casual spoonful of rice, he finally raised his spoon. “Alright, then I’ll dig in?”
“What else would you do?” Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, giving Xie Ruan a once-over before breaking into a smile. “What, you want me to feed you?”
“True,” Bo Jin nodded. “With your hand hurt, it’s probably hard to hold the spoon. You do need someone to feed you.”
Bo Jin made a show of rolling up his sleeves, looking at Xie Ruan with feigned mischief. “How does feeding someone work, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to sit on my lap first?”
“Cough, cough!” Xie Ruan choked violently.
Watching him, flushed and coughing as he held the table for support, Bo Jin’s lips curved into a smothered laugh.
