Proactively Attracted chapter 30
Then Let’s Give It a Try
Unnoticed, the sky darkened. The vendors by the street hung up lights that cast a warm orange hue along the narrow street.
At night, there were far more people on the streets than in the afternoon. Kids darted between adults’ legs playing hide-and-seek, while couples stuck close in their sweet, sticky little worlds.
Lu Xingjia dragged Qin Mudong up and down the street several times. Even when his belly was full and rounded, he was still unsatisfied. He then pulled Qin Mudong into a small wonton shop and ordered a bowl of mini wontons.
Qin Mudong didn’t say a word, dutifully paying for everything.
There were small stools inside the wonton shop, so they sat down to wait. Lu Xingjia rested his arms on his knees and leaned toward Qin Mudong. “Does the food here taste good?”
“It’s okay,” Qin Mudong replied.
Lu Xingjia leaned in closer, his beautiful eyes reflecting only one person. “Then… are you happy today?”
The sudden closeness made Qin Mudong a little uncomfortable, and he unconsciously tugged at his collar. “Mm.”
Happy. Very happy.
It had been a long time since he’d felt at ease, even if the surrounding crowd was what he usually hated the most.
Lu Xingjia secretly exhaled, then beamed brightly.
He waved at the vendor still working in the back, “Boss, pack our wontons to go!”
The owner’s cheerful voice called back from the kitchen, “Got it!”
……
Soon, the packed wontons were brought out. The milky-white soup had a few sprigs of green cilantro floating on top. Even with several plastic bags wrapped around, the rich aroma couldn’t be contained.
“Thank you, boss.” Lu Xingjia took the bag and stuffed it into Qin Mudong’s hands. “Thank you for treating me today. I was really happy, so I’m giving you my favorite wontons.”
Though it was Qin Mudong who paid, it ended up feeling like Lu Xingjia was offering a gift with borrowed flowers.
Yet Qin Mudong actually bought into it. After a moment of silence, he softly said, “Thanks.”
Their homes were close by, so they took the same bus back. Along the way, Lu Xingjia kept emphasizing just how sad he had been before and even made Qin Mudong promise several times that he would never ignore him again. Only then was he satisfied enough to say goodbye.
Walking home, the soup inside the plastic bag gently swayed. Qin Mudong couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips.
He entered the elevator, unlocked the door, and was greeted by the same cold and lifeless silence.
It was quiet all around. Living on a high floor, he couldn’t even hear the sounds of birds or insects.
In his ears still lingered Lu Xingjia’s soft and sweet voice. Qin Mudong’s smile slowly faded as he casually poured the wontons into an empty bowl.
The rich aroma filled the air, but suddenly, he had no appetite.
It felt like waking from a beautiful dream only to be slapped back into a cold, harsh reality.
He held his head and returned to his room, sitting at his desk and closing his eyes in pain.
What had he done?
Because of a single sentence from Lu Xingjia, he couldn’t help but draw close to him again, even returning to how they were before.
Qin Mudong slammed a fist on the desk. The wooden surface trembled violently, and with a thud, something fell to the floor.
It was the wooden box!
It wasn’t very sturdy. When it fell, it shattered completely. Tiny slips of paper scattered like snowflakes across the floor.
Qin Mudong’s pupils shrank suddenly. He frantically pushed back the chair, crouched down, and hurriedly scooped up all the pieces of paper into his arms.
The box was gone, so he pulled a book from his desk and began flattening and placing the slips between its pages, stuffing the book until it was thick.
…..
After doing all that, he slumped back into his chair like all the strength had been drained from him.
Everything was spiraling out of control. He knew it, yet still couldn’t stop himself from getting close.
Qin Mudong stared up at the pale ceiling, then slowly closed his eyes.
……
Once the line was crossed, their relationship completely slipped out of Qin Mudong’s control.
The next morning, Lu Xingjia used the same old trick: brought breakfast made by He Xi and clingily asked him to explain problems again.
Qin Mudong couldn’t say no. Before he knew it, they were back to how things used to be.
Their tacit understanding returned too. Lu Xingjia always found the perfect moment to ask questions when Qin Mudong was resting, and Qin Mudong could always read his intentions and quietly made time for him.
Sometimes when they looked up, their eyes would meet, and both of them would shyly turn away.
It had only been two or three days, yet it already felt like the six-month “cold war” between them had never happened. Occasionally, Lu Xingjia would still feel dazed and wonder if it was all real.
So, he would sneak a little pinch to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, then grin to himself like a fool.
Six months had changed a lot. Many students chose to quit the competition class and return to their original classes. Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran had grown closer, and whenever Lu Xingjia teased them, Ji Angran’s face would turn bright red.
Everything changes. Flowers bloom and fade, geese come and go, but what remains unchanged is the heart of a young person, pure and sincere.
After class, Lu Xingjia, as usual, went to find Qiu Ruifeng to have dinner. Qiu Ruifeng was arguing with Ji Angran about a question, his face flushed with embarrassment.
“This question should be C. Look at this magnetic force…”
The two had a great relationship, often competing against each other in their studies, neither giving in.
Qiu Ruifeng looked up at Lu Xingjia, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his meal card, tossing it to him. “Jia Jia, I won’t be going tonight. Can you bring me a pancake?”
The meal card traced a perfect curve through the air, and Lu Xingjia reached out and caught it steadily.
“Sure.” It was common for them to bring each other food, so Lu Xingjia nodded in agreement.
In September, the other grades were just starting their school year, and the campus was mostly filled with students strolling leisurely.
Having just finished the exam, Lu Xingjia rarely relaxed. He went to the cafeteria, bought two pancakes—one to bring to Qiu Ruifeng and one for himself to eat slowly on the way.
A breeze began to pick up, and golden leaves rustled and fell, swirling in the wind. It was a picturesque scene.
The pancake was finished just as he strolled down to the teaching building.
The teaching building was the same as usual, but it felt slightly different. As he neared the classroom door, Lu Xingjia heard a burst of noise coming from inside.
As if anticipating it, Lu Xingjia’s heart rate suddenly quickened.
He quickly tossed the empty pancake wrapper away, pushed the door open, and walked into the classroom.
Qin Mudong wasn’t there, but his seat was crowded with people. No, to be precise, it was Ji Angran’s side that was crowded.
“Let me see! Let me see!”
“You’ve already passed, what are you looking for? Let me see mine!”
“Hey, hey, hey! Be careful, the paper’s going to get torn!”
…
In the noisy chaos, Ji Angran, the class monitor, was in a tough spot: “Stop fighting. I’ll post it on the back blackboard, then everyone can see it.”
“Let me see one more time!”
“I want to see too!”
“Just one glance!”
“Quiet! What’s all the noise about!” Qiu Ruifeng slammed the desk angrily.
Qiu Ruifeng was tall and imposing, with an intimidating expression. At the loud sound, the classroom fell silent.
Qiu Ruifeng gave Ji Angran a look, signaling for the papers. “Give them to me.”
“…Oh, okay.” Ji Angran froze for a moment before obediently handing over the report card.
Qiu Ruifeng strode over, took the two pieces of paper, and posted them on the back blackboard.
“There, now everyone can see them, right?”
After a brief silence, the crowd gradually moved away from Ji Angran and gathered around the back blackboard, scrutinizing the papers.
There were too many people in the back, so Lu Xingjia couldn’t squeeze in. He returned to his seat and dryly asked, “So… the preliminary round results are out?”
“Yeah,” Qiu Ruifeng replied, still annoyed by the earlier scene. His tone was a bit sharp. “Otherwise, would they be in such a rush? Pushing and shoving like that.”
The worry that had been deliberately suppressed finally erupted. After hearing the confirmed answer, Lu Xingjia’s heart leaped into his throat.
“By the way,” Qiu Ruifeng’s tone softened, remembering something important, “I checked for you, first prize, bro.”
The accumulated tension in Lu Xingjia’s heart burst like a balloon popped by a needle, deflating silently.
Suddenly, Lu Xingjia felt as though he were walking on a vast, airy cloud. After a two-second silence, he groggily spoke, “Really?”
“Why would I lie to you? The results are right there on the board,” Qiu Ruifeng gave him a sideways glance and extended his hand, “Where’s my pancake? I bring you such good news and you’re not going to reward me?”
Lu Xingjia instinctively raised his hand, only to realize that all he had left was an empty pancake wrapper.
“…I’ve got some bad news,” he muttered.
He opened his mouth reluctantly, “It looks like I accidentally threw your pancake in the trash outside the classroom.”
Qiu Ruifeng: “…?”
“Damn it,” After two seconds of silence, Qiu Ruifeng pretended to hit him, “This is how you repay kindness!!!”
Before he could make a move, Lu Xingjia threw the plastic bag in his hand away, grabbed Qiu Ruifeng’s shirt, and nearly jumped up.
“This is amazing! Qiu Ruifeng! This is amazing!”
The preliminary round, for those studying physics competitions, was just the beginning, an entry point.
But no one knew how difficult the road had been for Lu Xingjia to go from failing physics to passing the preliminary round.
He always greeted others with a smile, looking so confident and optimistic, but late at night, he would question himself, hiding under the covers, quietly crying.
Thankfully, thankfully…
Everything was worth it.
“Hey! Your snot’s on my clothes!” Qiu Ruifeng made a face of disgust but silently gestured for Ji Angran to bring a tissue and hand it to Lu Xingjia.
“Enough, crying like a little girl. It’s so embarrassing.”
Lu Xingjia took the tissue, rubbing it in his hand, his eyes slightly red. “You’re the little girl! Look, I’m not crying!”
“Alright, alright, whatever you say,” Qiu Ruifeng, too lazy to argue, was genuinely happy for him. “Okay, okay, you’ve finally passed. Stop crying, you’re going to get crushed by physics again, you’ll have more time to cry.”
Lu Xingjia: “?”
Was he really comforting him?
For a moment, Lu Xingjia let out a deep breath and sincerely thanked both Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran.
They had helped him a lot, explained problems to him, and selflessly shared study methods.
Returning to his seat, Lu Xingjia’s heart was still racing; he wanted to share his joy with someone else.
As if he knew what Lu Xingjia was waiting for, Qin Mudong silently walked into the classroom.
“Qin Mudong!”
Lu Xingjia immediately waved and called his name.
There were so many things he wanted to tell him, so many emotions to express, but at that moment, the bell rang, and the classroom quickly fell silent.
The words got stuck in his chest.
Qin Mudong returned to his seat. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, the preliminary exam results came out,” Lu Xingjia muttered, pouting. The bell had totally ruined the atmosphere.
“Did you pass?” Qin Mudong asked.
Lu Xingjia nodded silently. “Mm.”
“Not surprised,” Qin Mudong nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.
…And with that, the last bit of the atmosphere disappeared.
Lu Xingjia lay on his desk, watching Zhang Chuchu walk into the classroom to start summarizing the results of the preliminary exam.
There were 53 students in the competition class, and 40 of them had passed the preliminary exam. It was a great start, but as Zhang Chuchu spoke passionately, Lu Xingjia lost interest and started doodling absentmindedly.
After class, Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran stayed behind to discuss a problem, while Lu Xingjia headed to the garage to ride his bike, just in time to run into Qin Mudong.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Mudong asked him. “Not happy?”
“No,” Lu Xingjia shook his head.
Qin Mudong frowned slightly. “You were distracted during self-study for quite a while.”
Lu Xingjia’s face flushed a little, feeling a bit embarrassed. He met Qin Mudong’s dark eyes and could only admit it.
“I just… wanted to tell you I passed, wanted to hear you praise me.”
“Based on what I know about you, considering the difficulty of this exam…” Qin Mudong began, but then he saw Lu Xingjia’s pouty expression.
He opened his mouth, but the rest of the words stayed inside.
“You’re amazing,” Qin Mudong said, “You’re amazing.”
This wasn’t flattery.
In the past six months, he had sneaked peeks at Lu Xingjia’s homework and notes countless times. At first, he couldn’t help but frown, but later, sometimes he’d smile knowingly.
Talent is something to be admired and praised, but effort should be even more respected.
Lu Xingjia pursed his lips. “This won’t do, it’s too perfunctory!”
“What do you want me to do?” Qin Mudong asked.
What did he want him to do?
Suddenly, Lu Xingjia had a bold idea, and his heart skipped a beat.
Heat rushed to his face, and his body moved faster than his thoughts.
“Like this!” He spread his arms and rushed to hug him.
Lu Xingjia’s heart was racing as he buried his head in Qin Mudong’s neck.
Qin Mudong’s body froze, his heart thumping wildly in his chest, the air filled with the distinct scent of a young man.
He was familiar with this scent—whenever he lent his school uniform to Lu Xingjia and got it back, it always carried this fragrance.
He had tried various brands of laundry detergent, trying to find a similar scent, but none of them were quite right.
Later, he realized—it was the unique scent of this bright star.
The tension he had been holding onto for so long snapped, and Qin Mudong slowly closed his eyes, his fingers trembling as they opened and closed, finally holding Lu Xingjia, who had eyes full of stars.
First, he held him gently, as though afraid he might break, then tightened his arms, trapping him in his embrace.
Desire gave way to the yearning for light.
This star would light him up.
Let’s give it a try.
Author’s note:
Tonight’s late-night snack suggestion: Small Wontons.