TMWYGD CH97

97

Here is how the story goes.

Xie Jianwei and Lu Li were in the same school, even the same class.

Sixteen or seventeen is precisely the age of first awakenings. While other boys couldn’t tear their eyes away from girls, Xie Jianwei was a bit special; he didn’t like girls, he liked boys.

Especially Lu Li, from whom he simply couldn’t look away.

With Lu Li’s face and figure, he was the center of attention wherever he went. There wasn’t a single girl in the school who didn’t like him; he was just reticent and rarely interacted with people.

Xie Jianwei was also a resounding candidate for school grass, but his personality was more active. He loved to talk and laugh, and mingled well with many girls, which ironically stripped away some of his mystery.

Human psychology is generally like this.

Given two equally outstanding individuals—one cold and unapproachable, the other amiable and approachable—they would involuntarily feel that the cold one was cooler and more handsome.

This probably fell under the old proposition of “the unattainable is more desirable,” hence the extra points.

Initially, Xie Jianwei didn’t like Lu Li. The girls he hung out with would always scream: Lu Li is so handsome! Lu Li is too cool! Lu Li looks exactly like a model!

He heard it so much his ears grew calluses, and he even grew somewhat resentful.

What’s so handsome about him? It’s not like Lu Li is that much better than me.

Feeling unresigned, Xie Jianwei began to secretly appraise Lu Li, and that appraisal led to trouble.

Passing by the basketball court and seeing Lu Li jump up to shoot a basket, Xie Jianwei stared blankly for a full two seconds.

The summer sun was bright, making the youth look exceptionally dazzling.

His expression was focused, his jumping posture was perfect, the curve of his arms and his slightly raised chin… even the drops of sweat flying through the air were so handsome it was impossible to blink.

With a swish, the sound of the ball going through the hoop triggered a wave of screams from the surrounding girls.

Xie Jianwei almost screamed along with them… which was truly too embarrassing. He walked away briskly, but the image from just now seemed etched into his mind, refusing to fade.

He wasn’t good at sports and his basketball skills were mediocre, so he rarely stepped onto the court, but just now he actually wanted to properly practice basketball.

What the hell!

Xie Jianwei took a deep breath, telling himself not to do things he wasn’t good at, and not to let his imagination run wild.

But the more he reminded himself not to pay attention, the more attention he paid.

During math class, the teacher assigned a problem that went beyond the syllabus, which would be considered an advanced-level geometry problem even in the Math Olympiad.

The teacher called on Lu Li to go up and solve it.

The tall boy stood up. Xie Jianwei finally managed to hold himself back from looking, but because Lu Li sat in the back, he walked right past him on his way to the front.

Looking at his long legs, the scene from the basketball court resurfaced in Xie Jianwei’s mind.

Those are truly very powerful legs. He jumped with ease, and it seemed he could have jumped even higher.

Xie Jianwei’s face felt inexplicably hot, and he stiffly averted his gaze.

He tried his best to focus his mind on the math problem. He knew how to solve it. Although it looked complicated—lines drawn hither and thither, dividing a perfectly good square into seven or eight pieces—as long as one properly utilized the properties of similar triangles, finding the answer was a breeze.

After solving the problem, he looked up and saw Lu Li was still working on it.

Lu Li’s handwriting wasn’t exactly beautiful—it fell far short of his looks. But his appearance was simply too eye-catching. He didn’t have many expressions, even appearing somewhat cold, but it suited his features unexpectedly well, making one unable to resist looking again and again.

The math teacher seemed to notice Xie Jianwei’s gaze. Having a very favorable impression of this top student, he smiled and asked, “Does Xie Jianwei have a different method?”

Xie Jianwei actually did…

The math teacher encouraged, “Come, step up here.”

Xie Jianwei hesitated for a moment but still walked up to the podium.

Lu Li was right next to him. Because he was wearing short sleeves, his raised arm perfectly displayed captivating, powerful lines.

Xie Jianwei quickly withdrew his gaze and earnestly wrote down his answer.

The two of them put down their pens almost at the same time. Lu Li seemed to have just noticed Xie Jianwei, tilting his head slightly to look over.

Xie Jianwei met his gaze, but after just one glance, he turned his head away.

Lu Li didn’t seem to be looking at him. He stared at Xie Jianwei’s neat and elegant handwriting, seriously examined his answer, and then said in a low voice, “Your approach is better than mine.”

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that although both had solved the problem, Xie Jianwei’s method was simpler and clearer, evidently slightly superior.

Being praised was a matter of course, but hearing Lu Li say it made Xie Jianwei inexplicably self-conscious.

Lu Li suddenly stepped closer, raised his hand, and pointed right in front of him. “Shouldn’t this be an E?”

Xie Jianwei jolted violently, almost thinking Lu Li’s hand was going to touch him.

Fortunately, he quickly registered what was said. Xie Jianwei hurriedly looked up and saw that he had indeed made a slip of the pen. It should have been ‘OE:FD=1:2’, but he had written ‘OF:FD=1:2’.

This slip of the pen was quite fatal; it would directly lead to all his subsequent propositions being wrong. Xie Jianwei quickly said, “It is wrong.”

Lu Li smiled faintly.

Xie Jianwei happened to catch it, and his heart skipped a beat.

Usually, Lu Li rarely smiled and his demeanor was very cold. But when he smiled, the slight upward curve of his lips actually carried a trace of warmth, as if a playful flame had suddenly been ignited amidst thousands of meters of icy mountains and snow, melting the frost and causing the vibrant plants hidden in the earth to instantly bloom with the brilliance of life.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t even figure out how he returned to his seat, or rather, he couldn’t figure out how he managed to finish the rest of the class.

It wasn’t until he got home that evening and took a cold shower that Xie Jianwei finally cleared his head.

There must be something wrong with me!

“Weiwei, time to eat!” His mother’s voice came from downstairs.

Xie Jianwei threw on a T-shirt and went downstairs, still looking a bit dazed.

The TV happened to be broadcasting a news segment: “On August 30, 2056, XXX officially legalized same-sex marriage…”

Mother Xie cast a glance at it and said disdainfully, “I thought I wouldn’t live to see this news in my lifetime.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Mother Xie started nagging again, “I said it would be legalized when I was a kid. Look at this, your mother is already fifty-six, and I’m only just seeing it…”

The TV was still broadcasting: “…Now we can say that all people are created equal!”

Mother Xie didn’t say anything, merely rolling her eyes dramatically.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but smile.

Mother Xie glared at him. “What do you know? When I was young…” She blabbered on and on about how restricted and uncomfortable things were back then, the “terrifying” life where whatever you wanted to watch was banned.

Xie Jianwei had heard it so many times his ears had calluses, but he could only listen obediently.

Mom was the leader of the household; absolutely not someone to offend.

After dinner, Xie Jianwei went to do practice problems. While he was at it, a girl called him, wanting to check answers with him.

Xie Jianwei generously shared his answers with her.

The girl was a class representative, and to return the favor, she said, “I heard the teacher is changing the seating arrangement tomorrow.”

Xie Jianwei was genuinely curious. “We just changed them at the start of the term. Why change again so soon?”

The girl said, “I heard someone reported our school, saying what era is it that boys and girls still aren’t allowed to share a desk, saying this is an insult to freedom, a destruction of human nature, and unhealthy…” The girl blabbered on, putting on quite a show.

Xie Jianwei was amused listening to her.

The girl added, “So you see, Old Huang will definitely make sure boys and girls share desks this time.”

Hearing the joy in her voice, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but ask, “Who do you want to share a desk with?”

The girl said shyly, “Lu Li, of course.”

Xie Jianwei: “…” Why does that make me inexplicably uncomfortable?

The girl hurriedly added, “Sharing a desk with you would be great too.”

That brush-off is way too obvious, Miss!

Xie Jianwei thought the person who reported the school had too much time on their hands. Freedom this, freedom that; a boy and girl sharing a desk is freedom, but a boy and a boy sharing a desk isn’t?

The girl chatted for a while longer before hanging up. With nothing else to do, Xie Jianwei had no choice but to continue doing practice problems.

He was naturally gifted. While doing practice problems was quite painful for others, he generally treated it as a pastime. Finding five or six ways to solve a single problem was also a fun thing to do.

As the girl had said, after the first morning class the next day, Old Huang walked into the classroom, pushed up his glasses, and said, “Don’t leave yet, we’re changing seats.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Huang began “pointing out the landscape.”

Whoever he pointed at quickly went to their new seat to stand by. At first, the students were still nervous, thinking, Why change again? We just got close with our bros (or sis), why change seats?

But soon everyone was beaming with joy. Mother of god, I get to share a desk with a girl, this is bliss!

By the end of the assignment, two students were left single.

Their class had a total of thirty-four students: eighteen boys and sixteen girls—a classic case of too many wolves and not enough meat. Old Huang, strictly adhering to the “banner of freedom,” was determined to have one boy and one girl per desk, so two “bachelors” were left behind.

Old Huang was still quite cunning; the two boys left behind were the most handsome.

The girls whimpered in various ways, but he played innocent: “Can’t be helped, we have more boys in our class, so this is how it has to be. Xie Jianwei, you share a desk with Lu Li.”

Xie Jianwei: “…” I never expected that I just complained about boy-boy desks not being freedom yesterday, and Old Huang serves me up some freedom today.

Lu Li had already moved to the new seat, so Xie Jianwei quickly moved as well.

He didn’t have many things. Nowadays, with environmental protection promoted, paper books had long been abolished. Everyone had a USB flash drive; plugging it into the desk allowed you to “take out a book” at will.

He took his USB drive to the new desk, and Lu Li said, “You take the inside seat.”

The inside of their desk was next to the window. Although the room had an air circulation system and the windows were rarely opened, occasionally looking at the garden outside the window could relieve eye fatigue.

Xie Jianwei felt quite grateful and smiled at Lu Li. “Thanks!”

Who knew Lu Li would avert his gaze, staring intently at his own desktop as if there were some treasure on it.

Xie Jianwei didn’t pay it much mind, so he didn’t notice Lu Li’s slightly reddened ear tips.

And so, their life as desk-mates began.

Xie Jianwei increasingly felt like he was going to fall hard.

Lu Li looked unapproachable, but he was actually a very good person, especially good at taking care of others.

Xie Jianwei didn’t like eating breakfast and always came to class on an empty stomach. The first class was fine, but as soon as class ended, it was over. He had low blood sugar, and once hunger struck, his face would instantly turn pale, and he would lie half-dead on his desk.

Keenly noticing this, Lu Li asked, “Are you not feeling well? I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

Xie Jianwei waved his hand weakly and whispered, “I’m fine. Didn’t eat breakfast, just hungry.”

Lu Li froze for a moment, then abruptly stood up.

Xie Jianwei thought he had an urgent need to use the restroom, but when he returned, he held a fluffy, soft bun and a carton of hot milk in his hands.

Xie Jianwei blinked.

Lu Li said, “Eat. Don’t rush, there’s still a little time before class.”

He was panting slightly as he spoke, clearly having run there and back to save time.

Xie Jianwei looked at the hot milk and asked, “Did you buy this at the East Gate?”

If he remembered correctly, only the supermarket at the East Gate had hot milk…

Lu Li: “Mm.”

Xie Jianwei was instantly touched beyond words.

The distance from the teaching building to the East Gate supermarket was not close. To be able to run back so quickly… that was Lu Li for you. An average person really wouldn’t have this kind of physical fitness.

Lu Li said, “Eat quickly, class is about to start.”

Xie Jianwei nodded repeatedly, picked up the bun, and took a bite. The fluffy texture almost melted his heart.

Hot milk with a soft bun was simply fantastic.

Xie Jianwei was hungry to begin with, and faced with such delicious food, he ate very quickly.

Lu Li urged him again, “Don’t rush, slow down, there’s still time.”

After finishing, Xie Jianwei thanked him, “Thank you so much.”

Lu Li looked at him, his dark eyes flickering, and then, like magic, he produced a piece of chocolate.

Xie Jianwei was taken aback.

Lu Li’s gaze shifted away as he explained, “I used cash and they didn’t have exact change, so they gave me this. Do you want it?”

Xie Jianwei said in amazement, “You actually carry cash with you?”

Paper currency had been nearly phased out over ten years ago. It was truly rare to still carry cash nowadays.

Lu Li said, “I left in too much of a hurry and forgot my watch, and happened to have cash in my bag.”

Xie Jianwei, however, thought Lu Li’s family might be quite wealthy, because with the extreme scarcity of paper currency, most people treated it as a collectible and rarely used it…

Lu Li asked him again, “Do you want to eat it?”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes curved into crescents. “Yes!”

Lu Li actually unwrapped it for him. Xie Jianwei leaned in and snatched the chocolate right out of his hand with his mouth.

Lu Li pulled his hand back as if he had been burned.

Xie Jianwei was melted by the sweetness of the chocolate.

People with low blood sugar mostly had a love-hate relationship with chocolate. They didn’t necessarily love eating it normally, but when their blood sugar dropped, they truly craved it desperately.

Eating a piece was more effective than taking medicine.

Xie Jianwei was instantly revived with full health and brimming with energy.

He thanked Lu Li again.

Lu Li said, “There’s no need to be so polite.”

He stared straight at the desktop, his voice deep and pleasant to the ear. Xie Jianwei actually felt his ears tingle listening to it; it was truly something else.

Morning classes ended, and at noon Lu Li took the initiative to ask him, “Are you going home for lunch?”

Xie Jianwei said, “No. My parents both eat at the company, so there’s nothing to eat if I go home.”

Lu Li said, “I’m not going home either.”

Xie Jianwei thought for a moment and said, “Really?” He had always made do with lunch off-campus with friends, and had basically run into everyone who didn’t eat at home, but he had truly never seen Lu Li.

Lu Li nodded with utmost certainty. “My parents eat out too.” He was telling the truth; his parents might not necessarily be home, but the nanny would definitely have the food ready and waiting for him.

Xie Jianwei smiled. “Shall we eat together then?”

Lu Li’s eyes lit up. “Okay.”

Xie Jianwei’s mood inexplicably soared, only feeling that Lu Li was truly likable.

As the two walked out of the room together, Xie Jianwei’s friend came over and slung an arm around his shoulder. “A-Wei, let’s have spicy noodles for lunch today, Uncle Wang is back!”

Xie Jianwei said in surprise, “Uncle Wang was discharged from the hospital?”

His friend said, “Exactly, he’s alive and kicking again. Been pulling noodles all morning.”

Xie Jianwei suddenly felt a bit of a craving.

He looked at Lu Li. “Can you eat spicy food?”

A trace of disappointment flashed quickly through Lu Li’s eyes, but he quickly replied, “I can.”

Xie Jianwei said, “That’s great. Let’s go eat spicy noodles then. I’m telling you, it’s incredibly delicious…”

Only then did his friend notice Lu Li, looking surprised.

Lu Li was notoriously unsociable, and they rarely spoke to him.

Xie Jianwei made the introductions. Lu Li was very polite, but the few young men felt a bit constrained and uncomfortable.

Noticing this, Xie Jianwei said, “You guys go ahead, I’ll head over a bit later.”

His friend quickly scampered off.

Lu Li said, “Am I interrupting your…”

“No.” Xie Jianwei smiled. “I made plans with you first today.”

Lu Li froze for a moment, then averted his gaze and said, “Mm.”

Xie Jianwei felt he might really be sick. Why did he find Lu Li so fun and interesting?

Uncle Wang’s spicy noodles were legendary off-campus. The noodles were chewy, the sauce was spicy and fragrant; for those who loved spicy food, it was an absolute delicacy.

Xie Jianwei was thoroughly enjoying it, but Lu Li was suffering miserably.

Xie Jianwei finally realized: “You… can’t eat spicy food?”

Lu Li’s eyes were red from the spice, but he maintained a calm facade: “I can.”

Can my ass! You’re almost crying from the spice!

Xie Jianwei took his bowl and said, “If you can’t eat spicy food, just say so, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. There’s mushroom noodles here too, they’re very savory. I’ll order one for you.”

Lu Li was stunned for a moment. “But this bowl…”

Xie Jianwei said, “It’s fine, I didn’t have enough anyway!”

Lu Li was even more stunned. “But I already ate from it.”

Xie Jianwei said, “It doesn’t matter, why be so fussy.”

Saying that, he directly picked up his chopsticks, lifted some noodles, and took a bite.

Lu Li was completely mesmerized. Not only were his eyes red, but even the tips of his ears turned red.

Xie Jianwei truly could handle spicy food. His mouth was completely red from the spice, yet his expression didn’t change at all.

Lu Li stared for a long time, only feeling that his forehead was so hot it was about to catch fire.

Xie Jianwei is so good-looking. Red lips, white teeth… he’s truly beautiful…

Lu Li felt as if he was on fire from head to toe due to the spice.

After the mushroom noodles were brought over, Lu Li’s head was entirely hot, and he had absolutely no idea what the noodles tasted like.

Xie Jianwei asked him, “Is it good?”

Lu Li said earnestly, “It’s extremely delicious.”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes curved into crescents. “That’s good.”

Lu Li felt even hotter from his smile.

The next day, Xie Jianwei bolted out the door amidst his mother’s yelling: “You little brat, your mother worked hard to make breakfast for you and you won’t even eat it! I think you haven’t been starved enough!”

He knew skipping breakfast was bad, but it wasn’t that he didn’t want to eat; his mother’s boiled noodles were truly unpalatable to a certain degree.

Only his dad could stomach them. Anyway, he would rather go hungry than subject his stomach to that.

After the first class, Xie Jianwei was lying flat with hunger again.

Lu Li bought breakfast for him again, making Xie Jianwei feel incredibly guilty. “You really don’t have to, it’s fine once the hunger pangs pass.”

Lu Li said, “How can that do? You’ll ruin your stomach.”

After three consecutive days, Xie Jianwei genuinely felt too guilty! He decided to bravely face his mom’s noodles, at least eat a little to fill his stomach so he wouldn’t have to trouble Lu Li.

The result was that he ate until he doubted the meaning of life, and unable to hold it in, he still bolted out the door.

There is no harm without comparison. Compared to the fluffy, soft, and fragrant pineapple bun, his mother’s cooking was simply a weapon of mass destruction!

This time, Xie Jianwei prepared his own breakfast, figuring he would just make do if he got hungry. Under no circumstances could he make Lu Li run errands again.

But unexpectedly, right after the first class ended, just as Xie Jianwei took out his rock-hard bread and before he could take a bite, Lu Li pulled out an exquisitely crafted bento box from his desk.

Xie Jianwei was a bit puzzled.

Lu Li said, “Eating bread all the time isn’t good either, I brought you something else.”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes widened in surprise. Lu Li had already opened the bento box, and the steaming bento inside left Xie Jianwei absolutely dumbfounded!

Lu Li said, “It’s still hot, eat up.”

Clearly, this bento box had a self-heating system, thus maintaining the deliciousness and warmth of the food.

Xie Jianwei was so touched he didn’t know what to say: “This… this…”

Lu Li said, “Try it. If it doesn’t suit your taste, tell me.”

Xie Jianwei said, “This is too embarrassing.”

Lu Li said, “It’s nothing.”

Xie Jianwei simply couldn’t resist the temptation of the food. He politely declined once before digging in.

After finishing, Xie Jianwei went to wash the bento box and praised, “That was too delicious!” Compared to what his mother made, it perfectly illustrated the difference between heaven and earth.

The corners of Lu Li’s lips curled up, his smile very reserved.

Over the next half-month, Xie Jianwei felt he had gained about half a pound…

Every morning, Lu Li brought him a bento. No matter how much he said it was too much trouble, Lu Li would bring it without fail.

Feeling very guilty, Xie Jianwei treated Lu Li to lunch every day.

But there was actually a big difference between the two. Lu Li’s breakfasts were exquisite, delicious, and nutritious, while the lunches he took him to eat seemed to not quite suit Lu Li’s taste.

Xie Jianwei asked him, “What do you like to eat?”

Lu Li said, “Anything is fine.”

“Anything is fine” and “Whatever” are absolutely among the most headache-inducing answers in history!

Over the course of a month, Lu Li and Xie Jianwei were inseparable. The two went from not knowing each other to being best bros in a flash.

However, there was a girl blessed with piercing insight. She messaged Xie Jianwei that night: “Are you there?”

Xie Jianwei thought she was coming to “check answers” again. Just as he was about to share his answers, the girl asked, “Are you and Lu Li dating?”

Xie Jianwei stared at this message for a long time.

The girl sent a string of emojis: first anger, then jealousy, then a shrugging emoticon, and finally a flower.

Xie Jianwei was bewildered.

The girl explained, “Although I’m angry, jealous, and hateful, we have a good relationship, so I can only offer my blessings.”

Xie Jianwei was torn between tears and laughter. “It’s not like that.”

The girl said, “Alright, alright, what era is this? Even our country has legalized same-sex marriage, what the hell are you afraid of?”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

But it’s truly not like that, me and Lu Li… I…

Xie Jianwei pondered it for a moment, his heart suddenly beating a bit fast.

Oh no. I think I really might like Lu Li.

Once this thought was punctured, Xie Jianwei could hardly sit still.

He liked Lu Li, but what about Lu Li?

Xie Jianwei wasn’t sure.

Lu Li was a very good person, extremely considerate, and they got along exceptionally well. However, male-male relationships weren’t like male-female relationships. People always said there was no friendship between men and women—if they got close, they were bound to date—but it was different between men. There was true brotherhood between straight men!

Xie Jianwei thought about it and felt he could test the waters.

After school that day, Xie Jianwei asked him, “Do you have club activities later?”

Lu Li actually did, but he lied, “No.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Do you want to come to my house to do homework together?”

Lu Li’s heart pounded, but outwardly he remained calm: “Sure.”

Xie Jianwei blinked and said, “My parents aren’t home, we can play games after we finish our homework.”

Lu Li’s heart beat even faster: “Mm…”

They went to the Xie household together.

Xie Jianwei’s family background was quite good. His dad ran a small enterprise; although not huge, they were quite wealthy, and their small Western-style house was uniquely built.

Mother Xie managed the finances for Father Xie. The old couple were busy together, so they had common ground, but it also meant they occasionally left their son at home.

Xie Jianwei didn’t mind too much. The family atmosphere was good, his parents loved each other deeply, and he actually felt quite free being home alone occasionally.

He and Lu Li went upstairs and into his study.

Xie Jianwei said, “Make yourself at home, I’ll go pour you some juice.”

Lu Li nodded, feeling somewhat constrained: “Mm.”

Xie Jianwei brought out two glasses of juice, placed them on the desk, and said, “Alright, let’s write our homework first.”

Lu Li assented, clearly somewhat distracted.

They actually started doing their homework seriously. By 2056, the college entrance examination was still of paramount importance. Although everyone could go to college, the distinction between good and bad universities was even more pronounced. Anyone with a bit of ambition wanted to test into a tier-one university, not only for a better education but also for a much brighter future.

Xie Jianwei and Lu Li were already in their third year of high school, taking classes even during the summer vacation, which gave a glimpse into the pressure.

Xie Jianwei had never taken homework seriously. In no time at all, he had finished more than half of it. He looked at Lu Li, who was seriously doing his homework, and a thought suddenly struck him, giving rise to a mischievous idea.

He poured two glasses of juice and placed them both on the left side of the desk.

The one closest to the wall was Lu Li’s, the other was Xie Jianwei’s.

Lu Li’s glass was half empty, while Xie Jianwei had only taken a sip. It was actually very easy to tell them apart.

But Xie Jianwei picked up Lu Li’s glass and asked, feigning nonchalance, “That formula you wrote is incorrect, isn’t it?”

Lu Li looked at it for a while but couldn’t find anything wrong. He looked up at him: “Hmm? What’s wr…”

Before he could finish, he saw Xie Jianwei holding his glass, his lips resting right where he had drunk from.

Lu Li: “…”

Xie Jianwei took a sip of juice. Because a few drops lingered on the rim, he even lightly licked them off.

With a boom, Lu Li’s mind was completely filled with the tip of his pink tongue.