Proactively Attracted chapter 17

Accompany Him

Even on Saturday, the classroom remained lively.

The school required both day and boarding students to stay for Saturday morning self-study, further shrinking the already short weekend.

They had just changed seats, and the excitement hadn’t worn off. Small whispers kept popping up now and then.

Ji Angran, being the class monitor, was in charge while the teacher was away. Though he had a gentle personality, Qiu Ruifeng helped out by occasionally yelling:

“Shut the hell up, can’t you see someone’s trying to study?!”

Boring yet vivid little events like these stitched together the never-ending days of high school life.

Before long, the lunch bell rang—cheerful and melodic.

Qiu Ruifeng quickly packed up his bag and turned to Lu Xingjia:
“Heading home?”

“Nope,” Lu Xingjia shook his head. “I’ll eat at school and finish my homework before going home.”

“Damn, that’s dedication.” Qiu Ruifeng was impressed.

Eager to leave, he didn’t push the topic. He slung his bag over his shoulder and strode out the door.

It was the weekend, and students and parents moved through the school in scattered groups.

Unknowingly, nearly a month had passed since the school year began. Next week, students from the other regular classes would start returning too.

From the classroom to the cafeteria and back again, Lu Xingjia roamed the school, seeing lots of students dragging suitcases or carrying large bags, hurrying in and out.

After lunch, back in the classroom, only a few students sat scattered around. Lu Xingjia wasn’t close with any of them, so he went straight to his seat.

He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now realized—Qin Mudong’s books were still neatly spread out on the desk.

Was Qin Mudong staying at school to study over the weekend?

That meant… they could be together!

The thought lifted Lu Xingjia’s mood. He twirled his pen around, eagerly waiting for Qin Mudong to return.

….

In the blink of an eye, it was 2 PM.

The sun outside blazed fiercely. Qin Mudong’s books were still there, untouched, but the person himself had yet to appear.

Worried, Lu Xingjia stood by the window and tiptoed to peer into the distance—and sure enough, he spotted a familiar tall figure walking toward the small pond behind the school.

The boy seemed to be holding something, but it was too far away to tell what.

Lu Xingjia hesitated for a second, then bam bam bam, dashed down the stairs.

The school was large. Aside from study spaces, it had thoughtfully created a small garden, filled with various flowers and plants, and even an artificial lake roughly the size of two classrooms.

Stylish hanging chairs surrounded the area, and a wooden bridge stretched across the lake. It was a beautiful corner of the school—and a popular dating spot for student couples.

Qin Mudong was heading straight for the garden.

Racing down the stairs, Lu Xingjia couldn’t help but let his mind spiral with wild guesses.

Does Qin Mudong have a girlfriend?

Was someone confessing to him?

Was someone going to bully him again?

His thoughts went in circles with no clear answer. Soon, he reached the bottom step.

At the entrance to the garden stood a dense row of trees. Towering trunks blocked out the sun above, while lush bushes and flowering plants flourished below. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering dappled light on the ground, where tiny flowers bloomed bright and delicate.

Lu Xingjia followed the stone path into the depths of the garden—the direction where the artificial lake lay and where Qin Mudong had disappeared.

Compared to the wooded area, the artificial lake was a wide, open space with great visibility.

The midday sun scorched the ground, making the air shimmer with heat. Even through his shoes, the ground felt hot. Under the blinding white glare, the figure of a teenage boy stood out clearly.

Qin Mudong stood casually beside the wooden railing of the lake, his arms resting on it, body bent slightly forward at the perfect angle.

This time, Lu Xingjia finally saw clearly—those slender, bony hands were holding a steamed bun from the cafeteria.

Piece by piece, Qin Mudong expertly broke the bun into small chunks and tossed them into the water.

The moment they hit the surface, the lake, once still, erupted with ripples. Fish tails stirred the water, waves radiated out, and the more eager ones even leapt into the air, scrambling to devour the floating bread chunks.

Qin Mudong stood still, the blinding sunlight shining on him, and his tall, handsome silhouette seemed to blur under the light, radiating a gentle warmth.

Under the sunlight, his cold and distant expression softened, and it even looked like there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Lu Xingjia was momentarily stunned, slowing his movements unconsciously as he walked forward in a daze. As a result, he didn’t notice a step and accidentally stumbled.

He staggered forward a few steps, rustling the leaves around him.

“Who’s there?”

Qin Mudong instantly raised his head and looked over.

Lu Xingjia had nowhere to hide. He carefully stepped out from the bushes, inching his way toward him and blinked, “G-Good afternoon…”

He tried his best to put on a bright smile, but the moment his eyes met Qin Mudong’s calm, indifferent gaze, he blurted out a lie without thinking, “I just finished lunch and was wandering around.”

Qin Mudong lifted his wrist and looked at his watch: “The cafeteria stops serving food at one.”

It was already 2:30 PM. Given Lu Xingjia’s usual eating speed, there was no way he had been eating for an hour and a half.

Lu Xingjia pressed his lips together and subconsciously touched the tip of his nose with his finger. “I…”

“You touch your nose when you’re nervous.”

Qin Mudong saw through him instantly. After a pause, he furrowed his brows slightly and asked softly, “Am I that scary?”

“No, not at all!” Lu Xingjia couldn’t stand that kind of indifferent yet clueless look on his face. His fair cheeks were slightly flushed from the scorching sunlight. “I… I just saw you hadn’t come back to class, and I happened to see you from the window, so I…”

So I followed you quietly.

He didn’t have the courage to say the last part. Put nicely, it was out of concern; but bluntly, it wasn’t much different from stalking.

Fortunately, Qin Mudong didn’t seem to want to dig into it. He just gave a low “mm” and broke the remaining half of the steamed bun in his hand into small pieces, scattering them into the water.

The small white lumps landed on the water like delicate little snowflakes.

As soon as the “snowflakes” hit the water, they became soaked and lost their whiteness. The previously calm surface of the lake became lively again, as goldfish about the length of a finger joyfully swam over and snapped up the pieces.

Qin Mudong remained silent, and Lu Xingjia didn’t speak either. The two of them stood quietly at the side. The red goldfish churned the water, quickly eating all the bun pieces. Not long after, the surface returned to its peaceful state, calm and still.

Around them, it was both noisy and quiet. In the distance, the faint sounds of students and parents coming and going could be heard, along with chirping sparrows in the branches and the constant buzz of cicadas. The atmosphere between the two was a bit awkward.

Lu Xingjia’s toes nudged the railing subconsciously. After hesitating a moment, he asked, “Should we head back?”

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Qin Mudong shoved both hands into his pockets and turned toward the small grove. Lu Xingjia paused for a moment before following.

Back in the grove, Qin Mudong retrieved a white plastic bag from a low-hanging branch and turned back toward the depths of the garden.

He had long legs and walked fast. Lu Xingjia had to half-jog to keep up with him.

Past the artificial lake and deeper into the garden was the very edge of the school grounds.

The tall wall stood bare and white, covered in thin electric wires. This part was clearly old and worn down, located in the farthest corner of the school. The ground was cluttered with overgrown weeds.

If he hadn’t been following Qin Mudong, Lu Xingjia would never have come this way.

He looked around aimlessly and soon noticed movement in the distant weeds.

A dark gray tabby cat emerged from the grass and ran straight toward Qin Mudong like it had done so many times before.

But after just a few steps, it noticed Lu Xingjia standing off to the side and immediately stopped.

Its pointed ears perked up, tail held high, and it bared its teeth at Lu Xingjia with a hostile expression.

Qin Mudong didn’t say anything. He gently shook the plastic bag in his hand. The rustling sound made the cat look around nervously, but in the end, it ran up to him and rubbed against his pant leg.

Clearly, it was used to doing this.

Qin Mudong squatted down and scratched the cat’s neck. The cat obediently rolled onto its back, letting him rub it.

That’s when Lu Xingjia noticed the cat’s hind legs were uneven. One leg was clearly thinner than the other.

After petting it for a bit, Qin Mudong opened the plastic bag. Inside was a cooked chicken drumstick.

He peeled off the salted skin, shredded the meat into small strips, and placed them on the ground with the bag as a mat in front of the cat.

The cat sat obediently, waited for his hand to move away, then pawed at the chicken.

Its round little head bobbed up and down as it ate, occasionally shaking side to side—it was clearly enjoying the food.

Most animals are possessive over food, but this cat clearly trusted Qin Mudong deeply. Even as he checked its injured leg while it was eating, it wasn’t angry at all. It even meowed softly with food in its mouth, acting all cute and friendly.

Lu Xingjia slowly squatted down too. The cat glanced at him, then looked back at Qin Mudong and seemed to accept his presence, continuing to munch on the chicken.

“You come feed it often?”

The cat was eating so happily that Lu Xingjia’s gaze softened, and his voice naturally became gentler.

The little tabby cat had a long body and legs, already resembling the size of an adult cat, yet it was so skinny that its skin clung to its bones. Its legs were as thin as the chopsticks in the cafeteria. It devoured the entire chicken leg hungrily and then sat down next to Qin Mudong, meticulously grooming its fur, purring contentedly.

The sunlight poured down on the boy and the cat, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.

“Sometimes I do,” Qin Mudong said, eyes lowered as he watched the cat eat, his tone cool and calm. “This cat got its hind leg caught in a mousetrap. All the other kittens around school were adopted by kind people—only this one was left behind.”

The cat world was unfair, just like the human world.

Some beings born were never meant to be loved—just like him.

“But… it was lucky to meet you.”

Lu Xingjia looked at the cat still grooming its fur and smiled brightly.

Everyone said Qin Mudong was cold and emotionless, aloof and uninteresting. But beneath that frosty exterior was a gentle heart.

He was still the same Mudong Ge who once gave him a piece of milk candy. He would always be his Mudong Ge.

How could someone like that ever hurt others for no reason?

Lu Xingjia believed that firmly.

Qin Mudong didn’t respond. After playing with the cat a while longer, he stood up, and the little cat obediently darted back into the bushes.

From behind, its limp gave it a slightly awkward walk, wobbling a bit with each step—but it was still so lively, so adorable, not beaten down by life at all.

“Let’s go.”

Qin Mudong said quietly.

“Okay.” Lu Xingjia nodded and followed.

They walked along the side stairway of the school building toward their classroom. Right then, the cheerful chime of the school bell rang out.

It was Saturday—no classes were being held—but the bell still reminded Lu Xingjia of the school routine. He asked, “Do you usually stay at school on weekends?”

Qin Mudong nodded slightly. “Mm.”

“You’re so hardworking,” Lu Xingjia said with admiration.

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere suddenly grew silent.

“My family… there’s no one at home.”

Just before they reached the classroom door, Qin Mudong suddenly spoke.

Since starting high school, his parents had each remarried. The original home was left empty, and he had been living alone ever since.

The man he called “father” was always busy—he barely saw him once a year. On the other side, after he had injured that woman’s son, she never came to see him again.

Her family was happy and whole, while he was just a dog she had thrown away.

In the past, Qin Mudong hated talking about these things. They were like an indelible stain, a brand of shame he couldn’t wash away. But for some reason, he told Lu Xingjia.

He didn’t know what he was thinking, or what he wanted.

Comfort? Sympathy? Or…

Qin Mudong closed his eyes slightly, suddenly regretting his impulse.

“There’s… really never been anyone?” Lu Xingjia, clever as he was, quickly pieced together the situation from what he knew.

Qin Mudong pressed his lips together and said nothing.

“Then it’s perfect,” Lu Xingjia said with a wide smile. “I find studying at home over the weekend really unproductive, and I’ve been wanting to study at school too.”

“I want to study with you—can I?”

It wasn’t comfort, nor was it pity. He just wanted to keep him company.

Qin Mudong’s hands unconsciously clenched into fists. A moment later, he slowly relaxed them.

His cool voice sounded, “Sure.”

Author’s Note:

Progress of the romance route: +++