Lu Yuxing was stunned for a moment.
The transfer record was from a few days ago, and aside from this, he had no further communication with Shang Jue.
There was only this single message in their chat history, making it easy to infer what had transpired between them.
It’s common for couples to argue, and when things get serious, it’s not unusual to take childish actions like "removing each other from friends." But Lu Yuxing never expected he would actually do something like that.
He had indeed argued with his boyfriend and deleted the other’s contact.
Looking again at the transfer message he had sent…
Was he the one to initiate the reconciliation? How much did he like that guy?!
Lu Yuxing’s expression twisted in a rather unsteady manner.
Thinking of Shang Jue’s somewhat frivolous face, he couldn’t help but feel a bit breathless.
In just three years, how did he end up becoming that kind of person… a "love-struck fool"?
Noticing that Lu Yuxing was staring at the screen without moving, Lu Yunsheng cast a puzzled glance at him, only to freeze in place.
Lu Yuxing had always had a deadpan expression, and it was rare to see any emotional fluctuation on his face as he grew up. But now, his younger brother’s expression was… quite rich.
Incredulous, questioning life, and a bit disgusted.
Lu Yunsheng asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell, Xiao Xing? Is your head hurting?”
“……” Lu Yuxing tightly shut his eyes.
“It’s fine, Brother. I’ll look again tomorrow.”
If he kept looking for too long, he really didn’t know what horrifying memories he might recall.
—
A few days later, Lu Yuxing underwent several brain examinations at the Fourth Hospital of City A.
The hospital had decent medical facilities, but they were still powerless regarding Lu Yuxing’s memory loss.
These matters had nothing to do with Shang Jue.
He had made a cruel joke with Lu Yuxing and then, without realizing it, forgotten about him in the hospital for almost a week.
As a “boyfriend,” he hadn’t even visited him, let alone sent a greeting on WeChat. He was playing the role very poorly.
Shang Jue figured that, given Lu Yuxing’s personality, he probably wouldn’t believe he was really dating a guy. Maybe he had already figured it out.
So, he continued attending classes and studying, occasionally running into Ge Zhicheng in the classroom.
Shang Jue was in a different class from the other three guys in dormitory 323, but sometimes they would take public classes together in larger lecture halls.
At first, Ge Zhicheng would ask about Lu Yuxing’s condition when he saw him, but later, their encounters became nothing more than friendly greetings.
Shang Jue suspected that he and Lin Xuying had probably visited Lu Yuxing at the hospital.
As for how Lu Yuxing was doing now or whether he had improved, that was no longer his concern.
On the weekend, Shang Jue attended a small offline event at school, after which he remained at his rented apartment.
That night, a call came in. Shang Jue glanced at the caller ID and answered it casually.
As soon as he picked up, an impatient voice came through. “Hello, hello, hello?!”
The boisterous male voice was loud enough to hurt Shang Jue’s ears. He threw the phone back onto the table and switched it to speaker mode. “Did Young Master He get dumped again?”
On the other end, He Yang sounded a bit annoyed. “What do you mean, got dumped again? I haven’t even started anything yet!”
“Didn’t you break up with that junior you added last month?”
“Ugh, don’t even mention it. He looked so pure and innocent… Yesterday he asked me to go to the mall to watch a movie. After the movie, he dragged me downstairs, and after just a few steps, he turned into a boutique, pointing at a six-figure watch, saying he liked it. Damn, I’m just rich, not a cash cow! Are people nowadays so brazen? We haven’t even held hands, and he thinks I’m an idiot…”
“……”
Shang Jue listened absentmindedly to He Yang’s complaints, aimlessly doodling long lines on the paper in his hand.
After about ten minutes of grumbling, He Yang seemed to have exhausted his complaints and took a breath.
“By the way, do you have any plans tonight?”
“I do.”
“Ah? You have an event? Or is it a class?”
“Studying.”
“What kind of plan is that? You’re already the top student in your department, so securing a graduate program is a sure thing. Now that you’re in college, why do you feel the need to do everything perfectly?”
Shang Jue replied nonchalantly, “I’m just used to it.”
“Stop studying. Come out for dinner later. I’ll treat you.”
“No…”
It was as if He Yang had gone deaf. Just as Shang Jue uttered a “no,” He Yang immediately shouted, “We agreed on this! I’ll drive to pick you up downstairs! Five minutes!”
With that, he quickly hung up the phone.
“……”
Shang Jue let out a helpless sigh, stood up, put on a black jacket, and headed downstairs.
At the entrance of the residential area, a low-key gray sedan was parked. As he approached, the driver’s side window slowly rolled down, revealing a handsome guy with a slightly flashy pair of sunglasses resting his elbow on the window frame.
He waved at Shang Jue when he saw him.
Shang Jue got into the passenger seat.
He Yang immediately began his incessant chatter again. “You know, my car is pretty low-key, just two hundred thousand. How can anyone tell I’m rich? I thought I was blending in just fine…”
“It’s not about how low-key the car is.”
“Hmm?”
“Anyone who can afford a car in their sophomore year isn’t exactly poor.”
A two-thousand-yuan electric scooter was rare on campus, let alone a two-hundred-thousand-yuan sedan.
Moreover, He Yang was the son of the richest man in City A. He didn’t go abroad for his undergraduate studies but chose to stay and study locally. People at the school would surely know about He Yang to some extent.
“……” He Yang paused, processing this obvious truth for a moment.
“Oh…”
Before he turned on the navigation, He Yang glanced over and asked, “How about seafood?”
“I'm allergic.”
“Oh right, I think you mentioned it a few times. I forgot. How about hotpot? Coconut chicken?”
They finally settled on coconut chicken soup.
As they waited for the pot to boil, He Yang was still preoccupied with his worries about the watch-wearing junior. He sighed dramatically, “Is it because I’m rich that I’m destined to never find true love?”
He wished for someone to appear in his life and say with disdain, “Who cares about your filthy money!”
Shang Jue replied calmly, “If you can’t find true love, I can keep you company after you die.”
“……Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”
He Yang leaned back in his seat. “But seriously, with your good looks and not being as rich as me, why don’t you date?”
Shang Jue ignored the underlying sarcasm in his words. “I’m not interested. Besides, I’m not suited for dating.”
“Why’s that?”
Shang Jue smiled. “Because I’m insecure?”
“……”
He Yang silently studied Shang Jue's face, which could be considered a work of art, for two seconds.
"Self-conscious? Oh, go to hell with that!"
He Yang clicked his tongue. "Man, not dating during college is such a waste! You’re just bitter because you’ve never tasted the grapes, thinking they’re sour. I figured you’d meet more girls while in school. Uh… you do like girls, right?" He met Shang Jue's icy stare and cleared his throat before continuing, "Anyway, instead, you moved out to live off-campus."
Speaking of Shang Jue renting a place, He Yang couldn’t help but ask, "You didn’t move out just because of Lu Yuxing, did you?"
Shang Jue paused. "Who told you that?"
"No one needed to. Everyone knows you two didn’t get along in high school. It’s not exactly a secret."
Shang Jue and He Yang had gone to the same high school, but they didn’t meet through school. Their first encounter was at He Yang’s birthday party.
Shang Jue had attended the party with his mother. Toward the end of the event, he was gently nudged toward He Yang.
Being friends with the child of the richest man in City A might not bring any direct benefit, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
He smiled and made small talk with He Yang, who was pleasantly surprised to learn that they attended the same school.
Shang Jue hadn’t intended to form a close friendship at first, but over time he found He Yang’s personality quite agreeable, and they gradually became good friends.
The chicken soup in the pot started to boil, and the waiter came over to add the other ingredients.
He Yang continued, "And don’t forget, back in high school, you used to complain about the 'dumb dog' that transferred into your class."
Shang Jue thought for a moment. "That can’t be true, can it?"
Was my mouth really that nasty in high school?
"You must be remembering wrong."
"..." He Yang glanced at Shang Jue’s expression and thought to himself, I definitely didn’t remember wrong. One time, the guy even overheard you, but I didn’t tell you to save you the embarrassment.
"Moving out wasn’t a bad idea anyway. He clearly doesn’t like me. Living under the same roof would be troublesome."
"That’s all?" He Yang muttered, "I thought you disliked him too, considering how fast you moved out."
Shang Jue smiled faintly. "Why would I hate him?"
"I don’t know, just a vibe. Maybe your energies just don’t mesh?"
Energies that don’t mesh...
That wasn’t far from the truth.
Shang Jue recalled the first time he met Lu Yuxing.
Lu Yuxing had transferred into their school during their second year of high school, supposedly due to a family member’s job relocation. Looking back, that family member who relocated because of work was likely his older brother.
When Lu Yuxing first stood on the podium of the classroom, he was already a tall figure, only a few centimeters shorter than he is now, standing well over 1.8 meters.
His expressionless face, identical to what it is today, was devoid of any emotions as he gave a formal and perfectly rehearsed self-introduction.
However, the girls in the classroom erupted in excitement, their cheers lasting a good two minutes before the homeroom teacher gestured for them to calm down.
Shang Jue's deskmate, the type of guy every class seems to have—humorous and prone to cracking jokes during class—nudged him playfully, grinning, "Class rep, looks like your top spot is in jeopardy."
Shang Jue merely smiled, indifferent.
He lifted his gaze and looked at the tall boy standing on the podium.
The new student certainly had good looks—cold and distant, the perfect embodiment of a romance novel male lead. It was no surprise the girls were excited.
But his personality seemed too dull.
Shang Jue noticed Lu Yuxing's bright yet emotionless black eyes and spent a few seconds contemplating what kind of person this new classmate might be.
Uptight, rigid, boring, cold, and maybe a bit socially awkward? Shang Jue speculated, wondering if he was also one of those math enthusiasts who liked overanalyzing things.
Leaning his chin on his hand lazily, Shang Jue stared at Lu Yuxing, amused by his own superficial guesses. How accurate could these random judgments be? This wasn't some crossword puzzle...
Just as he was lost in thought, for a brief moment, their eyes met.
For some reason, the boy on the podium stared at him for a few seconds, then frowned slightly.
That expression—proper, rigid, boring, and cold—but somehow, not at all awkward.
Suddenly, another label popped into Shang Jue’s mind that seemed more fitting for this new classmate: weirdo.
When Lu Yuxing stepped down from the podium, Shang Jue gave him a friendly, habitual smile and greeted him, "Hello, I'm Shang Jue."
"…"
Lu Yuxing remained silent, only staring at him with a somewhat complicated expression. Smoking, fighting, a chaotic mess.
"I'm the class monitor of Class 7. If you have any problems, feel free to come to me," Shang Jue kindly extended his right hand.
"…"
The look in Lu Yuxing's eyes grew even more subtle. Smoking, fighting, a chaotic mess, and yet he’s the class monitor. This school is doomed.
He barely grunted a response, didn’t shake Shang Jue’s hand, and directly turned around to sit in his seat, leaving Shang Jue with nothing but a cold back.
Shang Jue, stunned, stood there for a few seconds before lowering his raised hand.
Narrowing his eyes, a faint and sharp intuition struck him: he might not get along with this new student.
And indeed, that was the case.
This new student, whose aura clashed with Shang Jue’s, took the top spot in the grade, which Shang Jue had held for the entire year, just three weeks after transferring to the school.
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