Proactively Attracted chapter 25

Pat The Head

Speeding home on his bike, Lu Xingjia’s heart was still pounding fast.

As soon as he got home, he rushed to his room and pulled out that informed consent form, gently placing it on his desk like it was something fragile.

“Jia Jia! Come out for a snack! Mom made seafood congee today!”

He Xi’s voice called out from outside the room.

Lu Xingjia had made a lot of progress lately. At the parent-teacher meeting, the homeroom teacher even publicly praised him. He Xi was in an especially good mood. As she carried the bowl over, she couldn’t help but hum a little tune.

“Coming, coming!”

Lu Xingjia lovingly patted the slightly wrinkled form on his desk before quickly closing the door behind him and heading out.

On the coffee table in the living room, there were two big bowls of steaming seafood congee. The warm steam wafted up, bringing a rich and enticing aroma.

The congee was packed with ingredients—at a glance, you could see plump pink shrimp balls and finely chopped celery sprinkled in, adding vibrant color. The rice had cooked down into a translucent texture, clinging to the sides of the bowl and sparkling beautifully. It was an instant appetite booster.

Lu Xingjia scooped up a shrimp and a spoonful of congee, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Fresh out of the pot, the congee was piping hot—so hot that his eyes watered. He sucked in air through his mouth, while mumbling through tHe Xiat, “Mmm! So good!”

“Don’t rush, take it slow.”

He Xi laughed, sitting down beside him.

The porcelain spoon clinked crisply against the bowl. She scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and then tasted it.

“Mmm,” she nodded in satisfaction, “Tastes pretty good.”

Lu Xingjia gave a big thumbs-up and praised without hesitation, “Of course! My mom made it—it’s gotta be delicious!”

He Xi smiled. “Why’s your mouth so sweet today? Afraid your teacher told me something bad about you?”

“No way!” Lu Xingjia put his spoon down against the edge of the bowl and widened his eyes. “I’ve been doing great at school! Didn’t the teacher praise me?”

His cheeks were still puffed out, making him look especially cute.

“Alright, alright.” He Xi laughed even more brightly. Leaning back on the couch, she stopped teasing him. “Your homeroom teacher praised you in front of all the parents—said you have a diligent attitude and have made great progress.”

She added proudly, “My son is amazing!”

Lu Xingjia’s eyes turned into little crescent moons. Sensing the timing was right, he started to carry out his plan.

“Mom,” he wriggled out from He Xi’s arms and casually asked, “Didn’t you say the teacher talked a lot about the competition? What did he say?”

“He talked a lot,” He Xie squinted as she recalled. “He mentioned the school’s achievements in previous years, the entire process and schedule of the preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals, and how this competition will impact your future.”

Lu Xingjia blinked and listened attentively. As soon as she finished, he quickly asked, “Did they have you sign some kind of informed consent form?”

“Informed consent form?” He Xi thought for a moment. “You mean that paper they asked us to sign?”

Lu Xingjia nodded like a pecking chick. “Mhm!”

“I signed it,” He Xi gave him a puzzled look. “Why are you asking all of a sudden? The school said preparing for competitions might affect your regular classes. If we didn’t sign, you couldn’t stay in the competition class. All the parents signed it.”

Lu Xingjia paused for a second and quietly said, “Because… someone hasn’t signed yet.”

“Who hasn’t signed?” He Xi asked instinctively.

“Qin Mudong,” Lu Xingjia answered.

“What happened?” He Xi was taken aback, and something occurred to her. “Right, during the parent meeting, I thought it was strange—doesn’t he sit next to you? His parents didn’t come? …Did they not agree?”

“Mm…” Lu Xingjia’s voice involuntarily dropped, “His mom and dad were too busy to come, they don’t even want him to study anymore!”

He Xi frowned slightly. “His parents are so irresponsible.”

“Exactly, exactly!” Lu Xingjia nodded vigorously and added with a bit of exaggeration, “Mudong Ge was really upset when he found out no one would sign for him. He was down the whole night!”

As expected, He Xi’s frown deepened with worry. “Then what happened? Did he explain the situation to the school? They should be understanding, right?”

Lu Xingjia’s voice remained low. “He signed it himself.”

He Xi was silent for a moment, then sighed lightly. “What a pitiful child.”

Sensing the timing was right, Lu Xingjia carefully tested the waters. “Mom, I just suddenly thought… could you sign it for him?”

“Me?” He Xi was stunned. “But I’m not his parent.”

“His parents don’t deserve to be called that,” Lu Xingjia pouted, presenting a reason he’d long thought out. “Besides, didn’t you always say you saw him as half your own son? Then signing for him shouldn’t be a problem!”

…Come to think of it, that actually made a bit of sense.

He Xi chuckled, unsure where he’d picked up such twisted logic. She asked, “Would your school even allow that?”

Seeing she was wavering, Lu Xingjia quickly added, “Well, he was going to sign it himself anyway.”

The school had made the consequences of not signing sound serious, but the fact that they let Qin Mudong take the consent form home implied they were okay with him signing it himself—or even having someone else sign it.

After all, he was the top student in the competition class; the school wouldn’t want to let him go.

“But still…”

He Xi was about to object, but Lu Xingjia lowered his gaze in a pitiful way, long eyelashes casting faint shadows on his cheeks. In a soft voice, he said, “I just don’t want Mudong Ge to be so sad. He’s never had parents since he was little…”

Though he was acting, the emotions were real.

As he spoke, two genuine tears rolled down.

He Xi’s heart softened. She couldn’t resist his persistent pleading and relented. “…Alright, but—”

“Thanks, Mom! You’re the best!” Lu Xingjia didn’t even give her a chance to finish. He darted back to his room, grabbed the form, pulled a pen from his backpack, and quickly returned.

Seeing the paper and pen in his hands, He Xi finally understood. “So you planned this all along? Sudden idea, huh? Then why did you bring everything back in advance?”

Lu Xingjia smiled slyly like a little fox and said coyly, “I was afraid you’d say no. And besides, there really is no one else to sign for him.”

He Xi shook her head with a sigh and signed her name, “He Xi,” on the parent signature line. “Alright, alright. Our Jia Jia has a kind heart.”

“Hehe, thanks Mom!” Lu Xingjia carefully took the paper and pen from her hands and cradled them like a treasure.

…..

The next morning, Lu Xingjia got up early and pedaled his bike to school.

It was already quite cold, their breaths visible in the frosty air. There were only a few people in the classroom, and as usual, Qin Mudong sat quietly at his desk.

Lu Xingjia figured Qin Mudong probably didn’t like being alone in that empty house. That’s why he’d rather give up extra sleep to come to school early.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Xingjia smiled and greeted him, “Good morning!”

“Morning.” Qin Mudong gave a slight nod, the usual coldness in his eyes unconsciously softening.

“Here’s breakfast! My mom made buns!” Lu Xingjia casually pulled breakfast from his backpack—then suddenly remembered the consent form tucked between his books.

He had bragged so confidently last night when getting He Xi to sign it, but now he was stuck—what excuse could he give Qin Mudong?

Qin Mudong was always reluctant to accept kindness. After spending so much time together, Lu Xingjia knew that if he wanted to give him something, he had to offer a reason—or exchange it for something else.

Qin Mudong hated owing anyone.

But what kind of reason could justify a parent’s signature?

It wasn’t like the second-child policy had even been relaxed yet. He couldn’t exactly say, “My mom wants another son,” could he?

Qin Mudong took the buns and thanked him. Meanwhile, Lu Xingjia was still tangled in his thoughts, mindlessly pulling out his books.

The consent form, wedged between two books, somehow fluttered out as he moved them.

The white paper twirled through the air, looped once, and landed right by Qin Mudong’s feet.

“What’s this?” Qin Mudong casually picked it up and immediately saw his own name in the student section.

It was a consent form—and in the parent signature section below, in neat, elegant handwriting, was the name “He Xi.”

Lu Xingjia froze, panicking. “I—I…”

He stammered for ages, then blurted out on impulse, “You’re my brother, so my mom is your mom too!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Lu Xingjia felt so awkward he wanted to disappear.

It sounded just like a cringe-worthy proposal from a low-budget romance novel.

And the kind that’s destined to get rejected!

Feeling mortified, Lu Xingjia lowered his eyes and admitted, “I’m sorry… don’t be mad, I didn’t mean anything weird. I just wanted to tell you… your parents might not treat you well, but you still have me…”

His voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke, until it was almost inaudible: “My mom and I both really like you…”

The winter atmosphere was tinged with cold tones. The school uniform was white, and Lu Xingjia’s skin was fair as well. He lowered his head slightly, the slender curve of his pale neck forming a beautiful arc—like a stunning white swan.

Such a soft and pure image, but when it entered Qin Mudong’s heart, it burned red like a fire—intense and pure.

Qin Mudong’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. He suddenly despised the awful thoughts he’d had the night before.

He had actually thought about making him cry.

“Dummy,” Qin Mudong’s voice was low and hoarse. “Don’t be so good to me.”

I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from hurting you.

I might pull you down into the abyss with me.

Lu Xingjia’s face was flushed red. He instinctively ignored the second half of the sentence and muttered softly, “How am I a dummy?”

Qin Mudong didn’t respond, but the corners of his lips lifted slightly. He couldn’t help but gently ruffle Lu Xingjia’s hair.

The sensation in his palm was just as he imagined—soft, warm, like the fluff of a kitten. It made his heart tremble.

“Thank you.” Qin Mudong quickly withdrew his hand and mumbled the words.

The sudden movement left Lu Xingjia frozen in place. By the time he snapped out of it, Qin Mudong had already turned his gaze away calmly.

Lu Xingjia’s face was so red it looked like it could drip blood. Quietly, he reached up and patted the spot on his head that had just been touched.

…but the feeling from earlier, like a jolt of electricity, was gone.

Author’s Note:
Mudong is unintentionally seductive.