Chen Xuerong temporarily settled in City A and visited Shang Jue every couple of days. However, as an older expecting mother, Shang Jue worried about her overexerting herself and agreed to visit her at the hotel she was staying in over the weekend to spare her the trouble of traveling back and forth.
During this time, Shang Jue's class organized a team-building event with Class Four, resembling a social gathering mainly for taking pictures and checking off tasks. Students from both classes found the idea of mingling with the neighboring class uninteresting and made excuses to avoid it. To attract participants, the class committee went to great lengths, buying snacks and gifts, and saying all the right things, but on the day of the event, the first snowfall of the year arrived, causing temperatures to plummet. Everyone was unprepared for the harsh winter, making it even harder to get people to show up. Shang Jue had missed the class committee elections because he was at the hospital caring for Lu Yuxing, so he was relieved to find he only had to be present on time.
That day, the mathematics department had no classes, so the team-building event had to be held in the evening. Shang Jue initially didn't want to attend, but the class leader dismissed his excuses by insisting that the class's top student had to show up.
In Room 323, everyone except Shang Jue was from Class Four. Ge Zhicheng and Lin Xuying stayed holed up in their dorms, complaining about the cold, while the usually anti-social Lu Yuxing surprisingly decided to attend.
The class committee, likely extroverted, designed several games that were particularly cringe-inducing. Shang Jue drew the short straw during a game of musical chairs and was called up to sing in front of students from both classes. He reluctantly stepped up to perform a song. While he played the piano well, he lacked vocal talent, and his rendition was full of pitch issues, making it a chaotic experience that drew laughter from the classroom.
After his performance, Shang Jue returned to his seat, feeling his ears growing warm from embarrassment. He had experienced similar situations in high school when Wang Yuanzhou dragged him to karaoke, but the camaraderie felt different from this new class where he had recently separated from old friends.
Sitting there became a bit torturous for him. No one enjoys making a fool of themselves, but if it was unavoidable, he might as well put on a brave face. A little while later, he stood up and went to the restroom to gather his thoughts.
After splashing some water on his face, he looked up in the mirror and saw a figure standing at the door.
Shang Jue took a paper towel to dry his face and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Lu Yuxing replied, "Looking for you."
After a moment, Shang Jue suppressed his irritation and complained, "What kind of ridiculous game is this?"
Without hesitation, Lu Yuxing came over and hugged him.
Shang Jue...
He had grown used to these embraces, now accepting them almost numbly. During school, with so many eyes around, they couldn't kiss, so Lu Yuxing seized any opportunity to hug him.
He rested his head briefly on Lu Yuxing's shoulder before lifting his chin and leaning back against the sink. His ears, already slightly red, were illuminated by the warm light behind him, making the fine veins under his skin quite visible.
"Why are you here, though? I noticed your roommates aren't around," Shang Jue asked.
Lu Yuxing replied, "It's snowing today."
"Uh-huh." And so?
Lu Yuxing continued, "I didn't know if you had an umbrella, so I came to check on you."
Shang Jue looked at him as if he were foolish. "I brought one. Why didn’t you just text me instead of making a special trip?"
Lu Yuxing had to admit, "I didn’t see you today because there were no classes, and I missed you."
"..." Shang Jue turned his face away, unable to look at him. He really didn't know how this guy would react to remembering what he just said later.
"Uh... okay," Shang Jue replied.
"Actually, you sang pretty well," Lu Yuxing added after a pause. "Except for being off-key."
Shang Jue sighed in disbelief. "Should I thank you for the compliment?"
With a forced smile, he responded, "Haha, it really touches me that you can say that, baby."
He exhaled deeply, feeling his mood lift. Everyone has their embarrassing moments, and Shang Jue was surprisingly accepting of his own.
Lu Yuxing continued to list his virtues: "Your rhythm was spot on, and your breath control is stable."
"..." Shang Jue found it amusing how seriously he was trying to comfort him and let out a light laugh, looking at him with playful eyes. "What else?"
Feeling a jolt in his heart from Shang Jue's gaze, Lu Yuxing replied earnestly, "And your voice is pleasant to listen to."
His compliments were sincere. Shang Jue had been learning piano since he was young, so he had excellent timing and breath control. As for his voice... he truly had a beautiful voice that was captivating up close.
Though Shang Jue hadn’t taken his words to heart initially, hearing Lu Yuxing's detailed analysis surprisingly made him feel a bit better. He looked up and asked, "Really?"
There was a hint of charming self-importance in his tone, and Lu Yuxing chuckled softly in response.
"Otherwise..." Lu Yuxing started.
"Huh?"
"Why don’t you come with me?"
"..." Shang Jue replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Baby, do you think we're acting in a coming-of-age movie? You come with me, I go with you... It sounds like we're eloping."
Lu Yuxing laughed and said, "I meant let's go together and not go back."
Shang Jue thought to himself: Going with you wouldn’t be much better than staying there and making a fool of myself.
The guy had been annoyingly flirtatious lately, smiling at him randomly during class and meals.
Shang Jue weighed this in his mind, thinking: well, it's still slightly better than before.
Who knew what other devilish games awaited? His luck in probability games was always terrible.
"Then... let's go."
The first snowfall of winter was heavy.
As they exited the teaching building, large snowflakes sparkled with a golden glow under the streetlights, and miraculously, there was little wind.
The campus was covered in a thin white blanket, shrouded in silence. Both umbrellas were oversized; as they walked closely, they inevitably bumped into each other, the ribs of their umbrellas creating a rustling sound.
After a while, Lu Yuxing folded his umbrella and shamelessly moved under Shang Jue's.
"..."
"Thanks for holding your grandpa’s umbrella."
Shang Jue expressionlessly elbowed the person next to him.
"Hmm?" Lu Yuxing turned his head.
"Can you hold the umbrella for me while I tie my shoelace?"
Lu Yuxing took the umbrella handle without suspicion.
He quietly waited as Shang Jue crouched down to tie his shoelaces.
When Shang Jue stood up, he brushed against Lu Yuxing. Lu Yuxing had been tilting his head to watch, and their faces suddenly came close.
He saw Shang Jue smile, his dimples softening his features, looking especially... sweet.
Lu Yuxing felt a sudden tightness in his chest, filled with a light, budding affection.
That swelling emotion surged up, creating a series of dazzling sparks that burst in his mind...
Then "bang—" a handful of cold snow landed on his head, extinguishing it.
"..."
The temperature dropped instantly, the snow cooling him from his forehead to his brain.
He shivered and stared blankly at the person in front of him.
Shang Jue revealed a clean smile, even sweeter than before.
Lu Yuxing: "..."
He stared in shock for too long, prompting Shang Jue to stifle his laughter, thinking he might have genuinely annoyed him.
"Hey..." Shang Jue called out.
Lu Yuxing remained silent.
Shang Jue only intended to tease him; after all, this guy had shamelessly ducked under his umbrella, enjoying the shelter.
He noticed the snow accumulating on Lu Yuxing's hair and the collar of his hoodie, slowly melting from his body heat. Concerned about him catching a cold, Shang Jue decided to help clear it off.
He reached up to brush away the snow from Lu Yuxing's collar, but before he could finish, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Shang Jue was startled, almost thinking it was some kind of restraint.
But the next moment, the black umbrella above them lowered heavily.
Under the umbrella, their figures overlapped for a few seconds.
On the road, the few pedestrians paid no attention to this scene.
Lu Yuxing slowly lifted the edge of the umbrella. The night was too deep; he took the opportunity to hold Shang Jue's hand, which was a bit cold.
He pressed his slightly damp lips together and smiled. Some of the snow on his hair and neck melted away, leaving him partially wet.
His moist brows and skin seemed to emit cold air, but his gaze towards Shang Jue was warm. The contrast of temperatures made his eyes appear even more gentle.
A breath of warm air escaped Shang Jue's slightly parted lips, and he suddenly felt the icy ground beneath his feet become incredibly hot.
Damn...
This was bad...
Being single for so long made even dogs look charming.
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