EPISODE 7

Cen Wu noticed that Xie Guilan’s usual cold and gloomy demeanor had softened, but his expression still seemed a little off.

"..."

Cen Wu fluttered his eyes but didn’t dare to provoke Xie Guilan again, quickly shrinking back and turning around.

By the time the second class ended, the rain had intensified, and the wind was now blowing raindrops through the open window where Cen Wu and Lu Wang sat.

Lu Wang leaned closer to the window, savoring the cool breeze against his face.

However, Xie Guilan wasn’t as comfortable. The corners of his test paper got wet from the rain, but he remained seated, not wanting to disturb Cen Wu by closing the window. His cold expression remained unchanged.

The moment Cen Wu caught Xie Guilan’s icy stare, he jumped up and, ignoring Lu Wang’s annoyed look, quickly closed the window.

The thin, translucent fabric of the summer uniform clung to Cen Wu’s body, and as the wind lifted it, his slender waist and the pale skin beneath briefly came into view.

Xie Guilan glanced away after just a second.

Xie Guilan couldn’t shake the feeling that Cen Wu was afraid of him, even going out of his way to avoid upsetting him. But why would he feel that way?

-

At noon, the rain became even heavier, with bicycle tires half submerged, making it inconvenient to go home. Most of the students decided to have lunch in the cafeteria.

Only Xie Guilan left the classroom as soon as the bell rang, and Cen Wu didn’t have time to call out to him.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Wang waved his hand in front of him and hooked his arm, saying, "Let’s go to the cafeteria too."

Just thinking about the crowded cafeteria made Cen Wu’s legs shake. The students, ravenous and practically glowing with hunger, were already storming downstairs in a frenzy.

Cen Wu knew he wouldn’t stand a chance in that chaos. For others, it might just be a bruise or a scrape, but for him, it felt like it could be much worse.

But Lu Wang dragged him along, like a socially confident friend pulling a socially anxious one. Before Cen Wu realized it, Lu Wang had practically pulled him to the cafeteria.

Noticing Cen Wu’s quietness, Lu Wang figured he’d never been to the cafeteria before and probably didn’t know what to order. After getting in line and reaching the front, Lu Wang raised his hand and shouted, "We want braised chicken with chestnuts!"

The cafeteria at Huai Jing No. 1 High School was surprisingly good. The worker piled Cen Wu’s bowl high with rich, tender chicken and fragrant chestnuts, steaming hot and ready to eat.

Cen Wu’s always-watery eyes sparkled even under the dim, stormy light. He and Lu Wang lucked out and found a spacious table, giving them some breathing room amidst the crowded cafeteria.

"Isn’t it delicious?" Lu Wang said proudly, "You never come to the cafeteria with me. Actually, these few windows on the second floor are all tasty. Next time, I’ll take you to Window Nine for rice noodles."

Cen Wu nodded, "Okay."

Lu Wang wasn’t blind to the fact that Cen Wu used to act like he was too good for him, but today, something was different. Cen Wu actually seemed willing to hang out with him, even in the cafeteria.

Why would the pampered Cen family heir ever lower himself to come here? The old Cen Wu had always thought the cafeteria was nothing but a filthy, stinky mess.

But now, Cen Wu sat across from him. Outside, the rain poured down, and inside, the light was dim. Cen Wu’s black hair framed his face, creating a quiet, snow-like contrast.

Lu Wang felt a sudden urge to treat Cen Wu to something nice. He really did love having him around.

After lunch with Lu Wang, Cen Wu went back to the classroom and slept for over an hour.

-

In the afternoon, Xie Guilan arrived just on time, and Cen Wu noticed he had changed his uniform. He guessed Xie Guilan had gone to work during lunch, helping out at a small restaurant near the school, carrying plates. It was inevitable that he’d smell like smoke and cooking.

The school provided multiple sets of uniforms, and Xie Guilan always changed into a fresh one after his afternoon shift at the nearby restaurant.

Even so, it couldn’t stop people from picking fights. However, Cen Wu lost his temper that morning and had just confronted Zhou Ye, so no one bothered Xie Guiluan for the time being.

Cen Wu had been in class all day, only half understanding, and only remembered a few formulas and cell diagrams.

It was the start of sophomore year, and they didn’t have evening study sessions yet. School let out at 7:30 PM, and the last period was biology with the homeroom teacher.

Xie Shangjing detested Xie Guiluan. He didn’t want anyone at school to know they were brothers. Even when he came to Class 3 to find the original owner, he wouldn’t interact with Xie Guiluan.

So, Cen Wu felt relatively safe at school, but things were different after school. He planned to threaten Xie Guiluan into staying at the Cen family’s house for the night.

At least until he healed up.

That night, the rain was even heavier than when Yiping went to the Lu family to borrow money. Just before class ended, he turned around and realized his sharp but beautiful back-deskmate was gone again.

!!!

Cen Wu hurriedly shook Lu Wang. "Xie… where’s Xie Guiluan?"

"Huh?" Lu Wang looked up. "He left, just now."

He pointed outside the classroom. Xie Guiluan was carrying a black backpack with one hand and had already reached the stairwell with his long strides.

Cen Wu suddenly remembered that Xie Guiluan would be working at a bar that night. He earned his meal money at noon, but at night, he needed to save money to hire a nurse for Song Lingwei.

It was crowded at the school gate after school. Xie Guiluan always left a few minutes early to catch the bus.

Cen Wu: "……"

There were still five minutes left in class. Leaving now would mean skipping class. In the last class of the evening, the teacher had only lectured for twenty minutes before giving them an in-class quiz and then started grading assignments at the podium, occasionally looking up to monitor the class.

Cen Wu’s nose was beaded with sweat. As a socially anxious person, he just wanted to blend in and not be noticed. For a socially anxious person to skip class in front of everyone, it was as good as asking for their life.

His mind went blank, buzzing with anxiety. But if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t catch up to Xie Guiluan.

With trembling hands, Cen Wu started packing his bag. The moment the homeroom teacher looked down, he picked up his bag and, gritting his teeth, slipped out the back door.

But the teacher’s sharp eyes caught him, and she shouted from behind, "Cen Wu!"

Startled, Cen Wu almost dropped his bag. His heart pounded, and his legs felt weak, but he still ran downstairs resolutely.

However, by the time he reached the school gate, his pants were soaked from the splashes, and Xie Guiluan was already on the bus.

"Wai... wait!" He mustered the courage to shout, but in the heavy rain, the driver didn’t hear him and drove off.

Some first-year students who had just been dismissed saw Cen Wu’s anxious demeanor and, holding an umbrella, whispered to their friend, "He’s chasing after his girlfriend, right?"

"Ah, he hasn’t caught up yet."

Cen Wu: "……"

Annoyed.

With a numb expression, Cen Wu wiped the rain off his face and raised his hand to hail a taxi.

"Dri... driver, to Blue Night."

Luckily, he had memorized the name of the bar where Xie Guiluan worked. Even with the rain and traffic, it only took about twenty minutes to get there. It was only when he arrived that Cen Wu realized he was still wearing his school uniform, which looked out of place outside the bar.

He hurried to a nearby store, picked up a T-shirt, jeans, and a black baseball cap, and slipped on a black mask under the brim. Dressed head-to-toe in black, he blended seamlessly into the night.

But even after twenty minutes of psyching himself up at the bar’s entrance, his legs trembling, he still couldn’t muster the courage to step inside. So many people, crowded together—just thinking about it made it hard to breathe.

He told himself he’d go in after one more minute—no, make that three minutes—and then he’d definitely do it.

Ten minutes later, Cen Wu found himself back at the Roman pillar outside the bar, right where he started.

“……”

Back to square one.

Cen Wu fumbled to keep his baseball cap in place, pacing nervously outside the bar. Just as he mustered the courage to step forward, someone emerged from the bar, and he instinctively shrank back, quickly changing direction as if he were just passing by.

After repeating this countless times, a pair of hands suddenly landed on Cen Wu’s shoulders, nearly giving him a heart attack. He turned around to see a familiar head of flamboyant red hair.

“Hey, Second Master," Chu Zijian said, hooking his arm around Cen Wu’s shoulders. "What’s up? Why aren’t you going in?"

Chu Zijian had arrived about ten minutes ago and had since seen Cen Wu pacing back and forth. He considered calling out to him but was afraid Cen Wu would slap him in anger.

But he couldn’t help it and finally approached.

Still shaken, Cen Wu’s lips turned red from biting down, and he stammered, "I… I… have arthritis."

Chu Zijian: ?

"I can’t handle places that are too… too crowded or damp," Cen Wu mumbled.

Even before his social anxiety got this bad, he struggled at film festivals and red-carpet events. Once, he was standing next to a male celebrity with electric blue hair spiked high, towering over six feet, wearing a barely-there suit with only the bottom button fastened, deep blue glitter eyeshadow, and black lipstick.

The actor was the last to walk the red carpet, while Cen Wu, as part of the director’s team, was the first to arrive. Standing next to the actor, Cen Wu felt his toes curl in embarrassment when the guy flashed a creepy smile, like he was about to dig a hole and disappear into the ground.

Chu Zijian scratched his head, clearly confused. "Wait, are you actually here to hang out, or…?"

Cen Wu’s defenses went up. He didn’t want anyone to know how anxious he was. "What… what are you talking about?" he snapped, gripping the mask tightly. "Doesn’t it look like I’m here to hang out?"

Chu Zijian, noticing Cen Wu’s irritation, quickly backtracked. "Of course you do! You look totally ready to party. What are you talking about?"

Like someone who’s here to steal the show—or maybe just the snacks.

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