Xu Xingye simply stared at Lu Siting without saying a word.
The guy was asking whether he wanted a beating, while inside his head he was thinking about eyelashes, beauty marks, and whether he could control himself.
Which of them actually deserved a punch here?
Xu Xingye tightened his grip on his pen and instinctively leaned back a little. In a flat voice, he said, “Nothing. Just trying to work out whether you took your medication today.”
Lu Siting's brows immediately drew together, though he left his hand planted on the corner of the desk.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
Xu Xingye adjusted his glasses. “If you're ill, get treatment. Don't miss the best time to deal with it.”
Several classmates pretending to sleep shook at the shoulders. They were clearly struggling not to laugh.
In all of Class Three, Year Two, he was the only person who dared speak to Lu Siting like that to his face.
Lu Siting's expression darkened further.
[He's worried about me.]
[He's even reminding me to get treatment early.]
[Such a sharp tongue, but such a soft heart. He's so cute.]
Xu Xingye: ...
He decided he had been wrong.
Some illnesses were beyond help, no matter how early you caught them.
Fortunately, the bell rang just then, and their math teacher, Wang Jianguo, entered with a leather bag tucked under his arm.
Lu Siting had no choice but to straighten up. Before leaving, he made sure to give Xu Xingye one last icy glare.
[That was my first conversation with my wife today. Sure, he insulted me, but he said three whole sentences to me.]
[Round it up, and our relationship's practically moving at lightning speed.]
Xu Xingye lowered his head and opened his workbook, deciding to stop trying to understand how Lu Siting's brain worked.
That wasn't a train of thought. It was a winding mountain road. Any normal person who drove in would probably never find their way out.
By the end of math class, he had finally figured out the range of his mind-reading.
As long as Lu Siting moved a little farther away, his head became peaceful again.
But the moment the guy came close, things he was never meant to hear came pouring into his mind.
When the bell rang, Wang Jianguo left the room carrying his insulated flask.
Zhao Fei called Lu Siting into the corridor too, and Xu Xingye's shoulders, tense throughout the entire lesson, finally relaxed.
He would have to keep his distance from Lu Siting from now on.
Preferably at least fifty meters.
He had only just put away his completed worksheet when a shadow fell beside his desk.
Looking up, he saw Lin Yubing standing quietly there with an exercise book in her arms.
Her school uniform was clean, her long black hair falling behind her shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly pink.
When she saw him looking, her hands tightened around the book.
“Xu Xingye, could I borrow your math notes? There were several steps in the problem Mr. Wang just explained that I didn't follow.”
Xu Xingye's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously sat a little straighter.
Lin Yubing.
The girl he had liked for so long in high school. The girl he had once put on a pedestal.
Even after eight years, seeing her standing in front of him again left him momentarily dazed.
But that familiar stirring in his heart faded as quickly as it came.
In his previous life, he and Lin Yubing had become fairly good friends after graduation.
Seeing her again now felt more like the novelty of reuniting with an old friend.
“Sure. I've just finished organizing them.”
Xu Xingye turned, unzipped his schoolbag, and took a blue-covered notebook from the very back.
He had spent nearly two weeks putting it together. Key concepts, worked examples, and commonly mistaken steps were all clearly separated. Plenty of classmates had wanted to borrow it, and he had turned down every one.
Lin Yubing's eyes curved into a smile as she reached for it.
“Thank you. I'll give it back before school ends.”
But just before her fingers touched the notebook, hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Before Xu Xingye could react, Lu Siting strode into the classroom, his face thunderous.
In a few large steps, he reached them and shoved Lin Yubing aside by the shoulder, quick and blunt.
She stumbled half a step, nearly dropping the exercise book in her arms.
Once she regained her balance and looked up, the blush was gone. All that remained was displeasure.
“Lu Siting, what are you doing?”
He ignored her completely.
He planted himself in front of Xu Xingye's desk, his broad shoulders blocking most of the light, his glare fierce enough to suggest he might overturn the desk at any second.
Still holding the notebook, Xu Xingye reached an immediate conclusion.
Of course.
Lu Siting liked Lin Yubing.
He had barely exchanged two sentences with her before the guy came rushing in, his face black as the bottom of a pot.
What else could that be but jealousy?
No wonder he had always come looking for trouble back in high school.
Xu Xingye frowned, about to explain that he was only lending her his notes, when that familiar voice exploded in his head.
[How dare she touch Xu Xingye's things?]
[He organized those notes himself. I haven't even gotten to borrow them. Why should she get them first?]
[And she's blushing. What the hell is she blushing for?]
[Stay away from my wife.]
The words Xu Xingye had been about to say lodged firmly in his throat.
Wait.
This wasn't quite what he had thought.
Lu Siting glared at him, his expression growing fiercer and the voice in his mind growing louder.
[Xu Xingye's eyes lit up when he looked at her.]
[He's never looked at me like that.]
[It's just borrowing notes. I can do that too.]
[No, wait. I scored thirty-seven in math. I wouldn't understand a thing.]
[So what? I can take them home and put them on a shrine.]
Xu Xingye's fingers twitched. He nearly dropped the notebook onto the desk.
A shrine?
What new species of creep talk was this?
Lin Yubing was still beside them. She looked from the gloomy Lu Siting to Xu Xingye, whose expression was slowly freezing, and puzzlement crept into her eyes.
Everyone else in the classroom fell silent too.
Zhao Fei had followed Lu Siting in. Seeing the situation, he immediately tossed his sports towel over his shoulder and came over, looking delighted.
“Siting, did this bookworm piss you off again? Want us to drag him outside and beat him up?”
Lu Siting whipped around, his glare even fiercer than before.
“Fuck off.”
Zhao Fei stopped, utterly bewildered.
Wasn't he trying to help?
Xu Xingye, however, had already heard Lu Siting's next thoughts.
[Beat up who? Look at those skinny arms and legs. I dare you to lay a finger on him.]
[Hurt him, and I'll fight you to the death.]
[Forget it. Can't let my wife know I care this much. I'll scare him off.]
Too late.
Xu Xingye didn't just want to run. He wanted to file for a school transfer that very night.
Linlan City was no longer a viable option. Another province would be best, preferably with two rivers in between.
Lu Siting was still blocking his desk, with no intention of leaving.
His face remained cold, but his left hand had risen to his earring. He rubbed it back and forth twice.
It was a little habit he had whenever he was nervous.
Xu Xingye had always thought it meant he was about to start trouble. Now that he could hear what was going on inside, that menacing shell cracked right before his eyes.
[What do I do? Would grabbing it be too obvious?]
[Maybe I could say I need a notebook for scratch work.]
[No. Using notes this good for scratch work—would he think I'm uncultured?]
No thinking required.
Xu Xingye had already confirmed it.
When he still said nothing, Lu Siting began to lose face. All he could do was reach out and press his hand onto the blue notebook.
Xu Xingye was thoroughly unnerved. Wave after wave of goose bumps rose along his arms.
The guy was a living bomb.
He looked as though he was packed with gunpowder, but inside he was stuffed with embarrassing nonsense. Who knew what might explode out of him next?
Xu Xingye snatched his hand back, grabbed the textbooks and workbooks from his desk, and frantically stuffed them into his bag.
He creased his math worksheet but couldn't be bothered to straighten it. All he wanted was to get out of here.
Lu Siting froze for a moment.
[He's leaving?]
[Was I too aggressive just now?]
[Shit. He definitely hates me now.]
[Can't let him leave. I haven't borrowed the notes yet.]
Xu Xingye had barely zipped his bag when Lu Siting planted a hand on the desk and leaned forward, blocking his way out completely.
The tips of his ears had gone a little red, but he forced a savage expression onto his face and deliberately lowered his voice.
“You're not lending those notes to her. You can only lend them to me. Got it?”