Proactively Attracted chapter 12

I Don’t Want Him to Wait

Hearing that half-joking question, Lu Xingjia felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

He was terrified of Qin Mudong misunderstanding him.

He had worked so hard to gradually mend their relationship. If a rift formed between them now, all his previous efforts would be in vain, and it would be even harder to get close to him in the future.

Lu Xingjia bit his lip, hurriedly trying to explain. “I’m sorry, I made a joke with Qiu Ruifeng before—I didn’t mean to use you to show off. I—I…”

He wanted to say he just wanted to be friends with Qin Mudong, that he just wanted him to be happy. But in his flustered state, his words got jumbled, and the more anxious he became, the harder it was to put his thoughts together.

Unconsciously, a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead.

The summer night was hot and stifling. The ceiling fan hummed above them. Qin Mudong raised his eyes, watching the panicked boy in front of him.

His heart, once still like dead water, felt as if two stones had been thrown in.

The stones sank, rippling across the surface, shaking something loose.

That lingering uncertainty inside him disappeared the moment he met those desperate eyes.

Qin Mudong was sure of it now—Lu Xingjia truly feared being misunderstood by him. He was truly afraid of his coldness and indifference.

After a pause, Qin Mudong spoke softly. “I know.”

With just those two words, he pulled Lu Xingjia out of the depths of despair and back into the light.

He widened his eyes in disbelief, his voice hesitant: “Really…?”

“…Yeah.”

His eyes were too bright, so Qin Mudong had no choice but to look away.

“Then… can we sit together?” Lu Xingjia asked tentatively.

He counted on his fingers, trying hard to list his strengths: “I don’t talk in class, I won’t disturb your studying, I won’t touch your stuff, if you’re willing to explain questions to me, I’d be really happy, and even if you’re not, I won’t mind. My grades aren’t great right now, but I’ll work hard, and try not to drag you down…”

Worried that Qin Mudong would dislike him, his voice grew softer and softer. His eyes, still sparkling, cautiously stayed on Qin Mudong.

“Up to you,” Qin Mudong lifted his eyelids slightly, a faint smile curling on his lips where Lu Xingjia couldn’t see.

The class bell rang right on time. Chu Ge packed up and left the classroom. Qin Mudong also put his books into his bag and walked out in a few quick steps. Lu Xingjia remained at his desk, the smile on his face growing wider and wider.

“Jia Jia, coming or not?”

Qiu Ruifeng turned around at the right moment to call him.

“Coming, coming!”

Lu Xingjia nodded eagerly, slinging on his backpack and bouncing out of the classroom with Qiu Ruifeng.

“What’s got you smiling like that?” Qiu Ruifeng couldn’t help asking, “Did the study god agree to sit with you?”

“Yup!” Lu Xingjia nodded cheerfully, his tone light and happy.

“You’re so shameless,” Qiu Ruifeng scoffed. “Anyone hearing this would think you two just started dating. Seriously though, buddy, I get it now—you’re his number one fanboy.”

Lu Xingjia mumbled softly, “I really do like him though…”

“What’d you say?” Qiu Ruifeng didn’t catch it and raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Lu Xingjia quickly shook his head, then remembered something important. He kicked at a pebble on the ground as he explained to Qiu Ruifeng: “Honestly, I wouldn’t say we’re really close. We just played together when we were kids. Then in middle school we lost touch, and only reconnected in high school. It’s always been me pestering him.”

Even though Qin Mudong never explicitly said if he minded or not, lying didn’t feel right. After some thought, Lu Xingjia decided to come clean.

A single lie needs a hundred more to cover it up. Eventually the story would get twisted beyond recognition, and when it reached Qin Mudong’s ears, it might really upset him.

“Come on, you don’t expect me to believe that,” Qiu Ruifeng said, clearly unconvinced. “What’s the point of downplaying your relationship in front of me? Are you two secretly dating or what?”

Lu Xingjia choked and coughed, completely speechless.

These days, telling the truth is the hardest thing to get people to believe.

Qiu Ruifeng continued his analysis: “Ji Angran and Qin Mudong were middle school classmates. He said that even back then Qin Mudong sat alone at the back of the class, and no matter how much the teachers tried, they couldn’t convince him otherwise. The only person he ever sat with was you, and you’re telling me you weren’t close?”

“…Wait a second!” Lu Xingjia sharply caught the key point in his words: “They were middle school classmates?”

He’d always wanted to know what happened during Qin Mudong’s middle school years, but never had the chance. And now, after all that searching, he stumbled upon the answer effortlessly.

“Yeah.” Qiu Ruifeng nodded, confused about why Lu Xingjia was suddenly so excited. “Same class, no lie.”

Lu Xingjia took a deep breath: “Did he say anything else? About middle school?”

“That, I don’t know,” Qiu Ruifeng shook his head. “When I talk to him, I’m not exactly chatting about some other guy all the time.”

Lu Xingjia: “…”

You guys are just desk mates, not lovers. What’s wrong with talking about another guy?

He didn’t know why, but every time Qiu Ruifeng mentioned Ji Angran, Lu Xingjia felt this strange sense—like he was just about to remember something important.

But the moment always passed too quickly, and he could never quite grasp it.

“Wait, I was seriously analyzing this,” Qiu Ruifeng brought the topic back again. “He explains questions for you, even lends you his jacket—forget good brothers, I’d believe it if you said he had a crush on you.”

Lu Xingjia: “…”

I almost believe it myself.

But since he got the key info, Lu Xingjia didn’t feel like arguing over Qiu Ruifeng’s nonsense: “Are you still planning to sit with Ji Angran?”

“Yeah,” Qiu Ruifeng scratched his head, sounding a bit embarrassed for some reason. “Ji Angran’s really smart. He always finds simpler ways to solve problems, and he’s super disciplined. Being around him, I’ve learned a lot.”

“That’s great. Then we don’t need to split up our group.”

Lu Xingjia had always liked Ji Angran—he might be a bit introverted, but he was steady, capable, and easy to get along with. Now that he also knew Ji Angran was Qin Mudong’s classmate from middle school, he was even more eager to build a good relationship, so he could ask more about the past.

….

The next morning, Lu Xingjia woke up to a delicious smell. Following the aroma to the kitchen, he discovered that He Xi had made egg-stuffed pancakes from scratch.

He Xi was great at cooking. In her hands, even the most ordinary ingredients could turn into something special.

She spread oil paste over the dough, kneaded it again, then placed it on the electric griddle. In no time, it puffed up like a balloon. She poked a small hole with chopsticks, poured in the egg mixture, sprinkled some scallions—and just like that, a fragrant, golden egg-stuffed pancake was ready.

Paired with the sweet bean paste sauce he stir-fried himself—at this age when boys are growing—Lu Xingjia could eat two big egg-filled pancakes all by himself, followed by a large bowl of congee.

After breakfast, there was still one egg pancake left on the table. Lu Xingjia suddenly thought of Qin Mudong, who had gone hungry the other day.

After a week of getting to know each other, he realized that Qin Mudong’s stomachaches weren’t just by chance—it was because he often skipped breakfast out of laziness.

“Mom,” Lu Xingjia said, “can I bring the leftover pancake with me?”

He Xi frowned. “You’re not full?”

Lu Xingjia rubbed his nose and tried to dodge the question. “Maybe… maybe I’m growing.”

He Xi didn’t say anything, just found a fresh-keeping bag and packed the pancake for him, then handed him a bag of milk. “Just a pancake is too dry. Drink some milk too.”

“Okay.” Lu Xingjia took the milk and the packed pancake and put them into his backpack, feeling like He Xi might have figured something out.

But she didn’t ask anything, so he just pretended nothing was going on.

With his bag weighed down by food, Lu Xingjia’s heart also felt full as he pedaled quickly to school.

The school used old-fashioned metal hot water dispensers that weren’t well-insulated. The outer surface of the machine would be warm from the hot water inside, and students often used it to warm their milk.

It was summer now, so not many people were heating milk. But since Qin Mudong had a sensitive stomach, Lu Xingjia still took the milk out of his backpack and placed it on the machine to warm it up.

Having done all that, he returned to class in a good mood.

It was rare for him to arrive early. The classroom was still sparsely populated, but the moment he walked in, he noticed a girl sitting in his seat.

The girl was named Xia Shu, cheerful and outgoing, well-liked by everyone in class.

She was sitting right next to Qin Mudong, holding a workbook, looking very focused—apparently asking him questions.

With his seat taken, Lu Xingjia could only casually find another spot nearby, propping one hand under his chin as he spaced out.

Xia Shu’s voice was high-pitched, while Qin Mudong’s was deep and magnetic. Sitting close by, Lu Xingjia couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.

He felt a bit wronged. Qiu Ruifeng said Qin Mudong treated him differently, but honestly, it didn’t seem that different. He helped others with homework, let them sit next to him—maybe he even lent his school jacket to others too.

Lu Xingjia never thought of himself as a petty person, but he just felt a little stuffy inside, uncomfortable.

“I get it now, thanks,” Xia Shu said sweetly, her voice laced with a girlish shyness. “Also…”

Lu Xingjia pouted.

Why isn’t she done yet? He’d been waiting so long. And here he was, bringing him a hot egg pancake—now it’s probably going cold.

“Let’s leave it at that,” Qin Mudong interrupted her.

Xia Shu was momentarily stunned and bit her lip. “But I… I still have questions I haven’t asked.”

“The questions you’re asking aren’t hard,” Qin Mudong replied. “You could solve them if you think a bit. Besides…”

He looked up in Lu Xingjia’s direction. “My deskmate is here. You’re sitting in his seat.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Xia Shu quickly recovered, looked toward Lu Xingjia, and smiled sweetly. “Jia Jia, could you wait a little bit? You don’t mind, right?”

Lu Xingjia opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Qin Mudong’s lips parted.

“I mind.”

He said, “I don’t want him to wait.”