Proactively Attracted chapter 19

Don’t Ignore Me

That evening, Lu Xingjia once again brought Qin Mudong’s school uniform home.

Qiu Ruifeng’s comment had really gotten to him. Just before stepping inside, he sneakily stuffed the uniform into his backpack like a guilty thief, even rubbing his flushed cheeks.

It was pouring rain outside, and He Xi was waiting in the living room. The moment she heard a knock, she rushed to open the door.

“You’re back?” she asked with concern. “It’s raining—did you catch a chill?”

“I’m fine!” Lu Xingjia raised his arms dramatically, showing off his nonexistent muscles. “My body’s super strong! Not cold at all!”

Maybe it was psychological, but even though the school uniform was thin, after putting on Qin Mudong’s, Lu Xingjia didn’t feel cold anymore. The thin layers felt like a thick fur coat that blocked out all the wind and rain.

Only a faint scent of mint remained on him, making him feel completely at peace.

He Xi eyed him suspiciously, still not fully convinced. “Go take a shower first, it’s damp and chilly.”

Lu Xingjia nodded obediently, went to his room, dropped his bag on the bed, and changed into his pajamas.

Then, carefully closing the door, he tiptoed over to take the still-warm uniform from his bag and carried it along with his own clothes into the bathroom, placing them in the laundry basket.

Warm water flowed down with a splash, soothing his skin and muscles after a cold day.

He closed his eyes in comfort, lathering his body with soap while humming a cheerful tune.

Outside the bathroom, He Xi’s voice called out through the wooden door, sounding soft and far-off:
“Jia Jia, are you done? The congee is ready!”

“Got it! Coming out now!” Lu Xingjia replied, turning off the shower, grabbing a towel to roughly dry his hair, then stepping out in his wet slippers. The moment he opened the door, the rich aroma of rice hit him.

He Xi had made eight-treasure congee, its sweet scent filling the air. Lu Xingjia eagerly helped set the table, completely forgetting the clothes still sitting in the laundry basket.

……

After dinner, Lu Xingjia hurried back to his room to study. He Xi went into the bathroom and spotted the mountain of clothes in the basket.

Ever since the second year of high school started, Lu Xingjia seemed like a different person—washing dishes, mopping the floor, and doing all his own laundry.

With so much housework taken off her hands, He Xi often found herself with nothing to do.

Seeing the pile in the laundry basket, she finally caught a glimpse of the clumsy son she used to know.

She smiled gently and quietly started sorting the clothes.

Wool sweaters and other delicate items had to be hand-washed; the rest could go into the washing machine.

As she sorted the pile, she soon noticed an extra school uniform.

It was clearly a size larger than Lu Xingjia’s, folded neatly and placed at the very bottom of the basket, without a single wrinkle. Whose it was… was obvious.

He Xi paused for a moment, then smiled with a soft, teasing expression in her eyes.

It’s good for two kids of the same age to be close. She didn’t say anything, just washed the clothes and hung them neatly on the balcony.

……

Midnight.

Lu Xingjia finally finished his homework.

He stretched lazily in his chair and suddenly realized… he had forgotten something.

He quickly opened the door and ran to the bathroom, only to find the laundry basket completely empty—the clothes he had changed out of were already gone.

When he looked up toward the balcony, he saw two school uniforms of different sizes hanging side by side. Under the moonlight, their outlines were clearly visible.

Lu Xingjia’s heart skipped a beat.

For some reason, even though there was absolutely nothing going on between him and Qin Mudong, he couldn’t shake the feeling of having been caught in some secret high school romance.

He tossed and turned in bed for a long time before he finally managed to fall asleep. The next morning, the moment his alarm rang, he instantly woke up.

It was still dark. Lu Xingjia got out of bed and tiptoed toward the balcony in the dark, not even turning on the lights, hoping to retrieve the clothes before He Xi noticed.

But of course, part of the balcony was connected to He Xi’s master bedroom, separated only by a glass sliding door. The moment he stepped onto the balcony, He Xi noticed the movement.

“Jia Jia, up so early today?”

As Lu Xingjia took down one of the school uniforms, He Xi’s smiling voice called out.

Lu Xingjia smiled awkwardly and explained, like a thief caught in the act, “I… I was just casually looking at the view.”

“Hmm? Is the view outside nice?” He Xi smiled and didn’t call him out on it.

He Xi’s voice was gentle, but for some reason, Lu Xingjia felt a little choked. “…Yeah.”

He quickly grabbed the other uniform hanging and awkwardly scampered back to his room.

The school uniform was very thin, and even though it was autumn and winter, it dried completely in just one day.

He Xi didn’t ask anything, but Lu Xingjia’s face slowly turned red, eventually blushing all over.

He Xi’s smiling expression… It was as though she could see right through his little feelings for Qin Mudong.

In fact, Lu Xingjia himself didn’t know exactly when he had developed feelings for Qin Mudong. It seemed like, from childhood to now, he had just naturally followed that person’s figure. By the time he realized it, he was already filled with thoughts of him.

Back then, he didn’t even understand what “liking” someone was. He only knew that every time he saw Qin Mudong, his heart felt like it was soaking in lemon water—sour and swollen.

He didn’t remember how many dreams he had about him, or how many times he secretly watched him in the hallway, passed by his classroom when fetching water, or ran to the back of their class just to catch a glimpse of him.

It wasn’t until later, when he went to university and learned about relevant concepts, that Lu Xingjia realized his feelings for Qin Mudong were an innocent, bittersweet crush. But by then, it was too late—they had completely lost contact.

After being reborn, Lu Xingjia thought he had become mature enough not to act like a naive teenager anymore. Yet whenever it came to anything related to Qin Mudong, he still acted like a real high schooler, awkwardly blushing.

…It was really embarrassing!!!

….

In the following days, Lu Xingjia behaved much more properly, returning Qin Mudong’s school uniform and wrapping himself up tightly every day.

The weather in autumn was always unpredictable. On rainy days, even wearing a thick cotton jacket still felt like wind was blowing through, but when the sun came out, wearing just a thin coat felt too hot.

Once the last drop of water on the ground evaporated under the relentless sun, Lu Xingjia’s drowsiness came back.

Whether it was because of Zhang Chuchu’s soft teaching voice or just lack of sleep, during every morning’s Biology class, Lu Xingjia couldn’t help but struggle to keep his eyes open.

He pinched his thighs, bit his hand, rubbed his temples with balm… he tried every method he could think of, but still couldn’t stop himself from nodding off like a chick pecking at grains.

Lu Xingjia’s old habits resurfaced, and he once again thought about wearing less clothing.

This time, he was fully prepared. Although he wore fewer clothes, he carried a paper bag with him, packed with a thick cotton jacket.

The temperature had dropped two degrees from the previous days. It was a little cold as soon as he stepped outside, but Lu Xingjia insisted, carrying the bulging bag back to his seat, then hanging it on a hook by his desk.

Qin Mudong glanced over with a subtle, unreadable expression in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Xingjia felt inexplicably guilty but still gave a bright smile.

He was wearing thin clothes, and his figure seemed to have slimmed down compared to the previous days. The school uniform, which had been stuffed under thick layers before, now hung loosely on his body, outlining his slender and upright back.

In just a few days, he had grown a little taller, like a young sapling, full of vitality.

Qin Mudong’s black eyes narrowed slightly, his tone rising: “Was it intentional?”

“Huh?”

Lu Xingjia blinked, not understanding what he was talking about at first.

Qin Mudong lowered his gaze and repeated word for word what Qiu Ruifeng had said that day, without missing a beat.

“Qiu Ruifeng said he has a cousin who likes a boy from the same class. Every day, she finds excuses to wear his school uniform, always saying…”

“No, don’t say it!”

Qin Mudong’s tone was flat, like he was reciting lines from a textbook, but Lu Xingjia’s face immediately turned red, the flush spreading all the way down to his collar.

His face was so red it looked like it could drip blood. He stammered, “I didn’t…!”

He then hurriedly showed Qin Mudong the jacket he brought: “Look! I brought a jacket!”

“Why aren’t you wearing it?”

“Because I’m not cold!”

Lu Xingjia said this with such certainty, yet the window was wide open, and the wind was blowing through. He sniffled, unable to stop himself from sneezing.

Lu Xingjia: “…”

The awkwardness was palpable.

Qin Mudong paused for two seconds, then murmured, “Seems like it was intentional.”

After saying that, he reached for his school uniform’s zipper, pretending to take it off.

“No, no!” Lu Xingjia hurriedly waved his hands, panicked, as he quickly put his jacket back on.

He was moving too fast, and the sleeves of his clothes got bunched up inside his arms.

A mischievous glint flashed in Qin Mudong’s eyes. He lightly moved his fingers away from the zipper’s clasp, the pendant on the zipper swaying slightly, not moving at all.

“Good boy,” he said softly.

Lu Xingjia was even cuter than all the little animals he had seen, making him want to tease and get closer.

“You, you, you…!” Lu Xingjia only just realized that Qin Mudong was actually teasing him!

He was angry at himself for being so easily fooled, but at the same time, he was embarrassed and flustered. Turning his head away, he pouted, “I’m not talking to you!”

As he looked away, he missed the fleeting look of panic that flashed in Qin Mudong’s eyes.

Qin Mudong’s bright black pupils dimmed, thick and sticky like ink that couldn’t be dissolved.

After a moment, his low voice sounded again: “It’s cold.”

His lips moved as he awkwardly explained, “I was worried you’d be cold.”

With such a cautious tone, Lu Xingjia’s heart immediately softened, collapsing into a gentle, mushy heap.

“I know…” he muttered softly, “I’ve already put on the jacket.”

“Hm,” Qin Mudong’s voice was as light as a small cloud drifting in the sky, barely audible, “Don’t ignore me.”