Proactively Attracted chapter 3

Say Love Out Loud

By the time Lu Xingjia returned home after evening self-study, it was already past ten. The kitchen light was dimly on.

Hearing the door open, a slim woman in an apron poked her head out from the kitchen. “You’re home?”

Lu Xingjia suddenly remembered something. He threw his backpack on the sofa and hurried into the kitchen, where he saw the woman with gentle brows and eyes standing there, unharmed.

“Mom.”

Lu Xingjia’s nose tingled.

In his previous life, on a certain day in his second year of high school, He Xi had suffered a severe car accident.

A truck filled with cargo had slammed into her. She was too exhausted to dodge, and the truck ran over her legs, forcing them to be amputated. She had to constantly fight infections from the surgeries.

Two years later, when Lu Xingjia got into university, she could no longer bear it and passed away due to severe wound infections.

Now that he was back in the summer of his first year of high school, before the accident happened, Lu Xingjia swore he wouldn’t let anything happen to He Xi again.

“What’s wrong?” He Xi frowned with concern and asked, “Did someone bully you at school?”

“No, no!” Not wanting to worry He Xi, Lu Xingjia quickly shook his head, showing a bright smile. “It’s just… I’m a bit hungry.”

He Xi sized him up for two seconds to make sure nothing else was wrong, then smiled and glanced at the sink. “Wash your hands first. The rice congee will be ready soon. I’ll get you a bowl.”

“I’ll serve it myself!” 

Lu Xingjia quickly washed his hands, took the bowl from He Xi’s hands, and said, “Mom, go rest on the sofa for a while.”

Before He Xi could react, he gently pushed her out of the kitchen, guiding her to the sofa. Then, he quickly returned to the kitchen and efficiently served two bowls of congee, placing them on the coffee table.

“What’s going on today?” He Xi was a bit flustered by Lu Xingjia’s actions and jokingly asked, “Did you make a mistake? Is your teacher going to call me?”

“Cough, no,” Lu Xingjia choked for a moment, suddenly remembering the 3,000-word self-reflection, but wisely chose not to bring it up. He blinked his eyes like a little fox. “I just think I’m growing up now and should help out more with the housework.”

Afraid that He Xi would still worry, Lu Xingjia patted his chest and promised, “Really, Mom, I’ll do the dishes and clean the house from now on. You work so hard, you should get some rest.”

He Xi was momentarily stunned, but the smile in her gentle eyes grew even brighter. “Our Jia Jia has really grown up.”

Lu Xingjia felt a bit embarrassed for some reason, holding the bowl and sipping the congee with a “gulp,” his face almost buried in the bowl.

He was at that age when his body was growing quickly, and he had been hungry for a while. The congee was soft, sweet, and fragrant, and before he knew it, he had finished a whole bowl.

“It’s delicious! This congee is so good! So soft and fragrant!” Lu Xingjia put the bowl down with a smile in his eyes and, seeing that He Xi had finished as well, he took both their bowls to the kitchen to wash them.

In fact, Lu Xingjia wasn’t very good at expressing his feelings, but in this second life, he was learning not to hold back his compliments.

He only realized after losing everything that if he chose silence out of shyness or fear, there might never be another chance.

“Then I’ll make a little more tomorrow.”

He Xi’s smile deepened, still feeling a bit incredulous. “Our Jia Jia is really growing up. Now, I can be more at ease when I go out to work in the evening.”

Lu Xingjia froze for a moment. In his previous life, He Xi had had the accident while working a part-time job.

To help with the household expenses, besides her full-time job, He Xi also took up a part-time job. Every evening, she would go to a small restaurant to wash dishes.

He Xi worked as an accountant in a company. Though her salary wasn’t very high, it was enough to live on, and the monthly martyr’s allowance from Lu Xingjia’s father helped as well. They weren’t lacking in money.

It was just that He Xi worried that without a father, Lu Xingjia might suffer in the future when finding a job or getting married, so she worked hard to save up more money.

The water in the sink was still running, and Lu Xingjia quickly made up his mind.

He turned off the faucet, shook the water off his hands, walked over to He Xi’s side, and offered to massage her shoulders. “Mom, why don’t you stop going to that little restaurant? You won’t make much money, and it’s not safe at night.”

He Xi, unaccustomed to her son’s sudden maturity, felt warm inside and laughed. “It’s okay. We get off work early, and there’s nothing to do at home, so it’s better to go out and find something to do.”

She patted Lu Xingjia’s hand, clearly not taking his words seriously. “It’s enough that you care. I can still manage, I don’t think it’s hard.”

“But…”

Before Lu Xingjia could say more, He Xi shifted the topic. “The results of the final exams are out, right? Bring them to me, let me take a look.”

Lu Xingjia sighed inwardly.

Well, He Xi had an energetic personality, so it wasn’t realistic to keep her at home idle. It would be better to help her find a suitable part-time job, something she could do while staying at home and still be at ease.

He Xi urged him again from the side. “Go on, don’t drag your feet.”

With no other choice, Lu Xingjia temporarily gave up on persuading her and took his report card from his bag, handing it to He Xi.

Lu Xingjia’s grades had always been mediocre. In the high school entrance exam, he had gotten lucky and made it into the best school in the city, the No. 1 High School, but since then, he had become the lowest-ranked student. This time, his final exam results were just like before—no decline, but also no improvement.

He Xi looked at the report card and sighed helplessly.

Sometimes she wondered if her busyness and lack of time for Lu Xingjia had resulted in her intelligent and sensible son not receiving the best education.

Lu Xingjia guessed what she was thinking and quickly said, “Mom, I didn’t do so well this time, but don’t worry, I’ll study harder from now on.”

In his previous life, he had wasted many years. But now that he had the chance to live again, he didn’t want to waste any more time. Not to mention, the physics competition class had strict selection and exams. It wasn’t something that could be easily joined.

Lu Xingjia took a deep breath and spoke his mind. “Next semester, we’ll be divided into science and humanities tracks. I want to choose the science track and then join the physics competition class.”

“Physics competition?”

He Xi, having been out of school for decades, clearly wasn’t very familiar with this kind of thing.

“Yes,” Lu Xingjia said briefly, “It’s a kind of academic competition. It usually starts in the first year of high school, but second year isn’t too late. If you can get a certificate, it can also help with the college entrance exam later.”

In his past life, after choosing the humanities track, Lu Xingjia realized that he was actually better suited to a scientific mindset. It was just that he had fallen behind too much, and science subjects required continuity, which made learning feel difficult. Now that he had a clear plan and purpose, he believed he could catch up. Besides…

A spark of light flashed in Lu Xingjia’s eyes, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

He Xi clearly still had some concerns. “Isn’t this really tiring? I think I’ve heard a colleague say that her son is also doing some kind of competition, and it stressed him out so much that his hair was almost falling out…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Lu Xingjia hurriedly pulled out his secret weapon. “Mudong Ge is also doing the physics competition. If he does it with me, I’ll definitely be able to do well!”

He Xi was taken aback, then laughed. “Mudong Ge? Is it that Qin Mudong?”

He Xi had a deep impression of Qin Mudong, the boy from the neighboring family. Even at a young age, he was mature, composed, sensible, and smart, making him very likeable. Little Lu Xingjia also idolized him, often talking about how great and impressive “Mudong Ge” was to anyone he met.

When He Xi heard that the two children had gone to the same high school, she was thrilled. However, after they started high school, she never heard that name from Lu Xingjia’s mouth again. When she asked him, he just silently shook his head, unwilling to say anything.

“Yes!” Lu Xingjia nodded vigorously, as if grinding garlic, “It’s that super amazing Mudong Ge!”

Seeing the little fanboy version of Lu Xingjia return, He Xi’s doubts were mostly dispelled. She was now more at ease with the idea of these two kids being together.

He Xi said, “If you want to do it, then go for it. But don’t push yourself too hard. I’m not asking you to become rich and powerful. As long as you grow up safe and happy, that’s enough for me.”

Lu Xingjia felt a lump in his throat, and quickly nodded. “I understand, Mom.”

After settling the matter about the competition, it was getting late, and Lu Xingjia urged He Xi to go back to her room to sleep. He also returned to his desk, pulled out a notebook, and began to sketch and jot down notes.

The physics competition class started early, and the summer vacation was short. He needed to help He Xi find a less demanding job first, and then use the time to review the knowledge he had almost forgotten.

There was a lot to be done, and after making a study plan, Lu Xingjia felt confident and more fulfilled than ever before.

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a set of physics test papers, planning to try solving a question to get a feel for it… but he got stuck on the very first problem.

…Who is Oersted? Who is Ferrari? Isn’t that the car company? How is it related to physics?

Lu Xingjia slapped his own cheek and tried to comfort himself.

It’s fine. The first question is about the history of physics. It’s normal to forget this kind of memorization-based knowledge. I’ll just move on to the next one.

The second question, celestial motion, forgot that too. I’ll skip it.

The third question, force analysis, couldn’t figure it out either. Skipping.

The fourth and fifth questions…

Lu Xingjia’s face rested on the thin test paper, almost in tears. Why couldn’t he solve a single one?

After a moment, Lu Xingjia sighed in resignation. He pulled out his required physics textbook from the cabinet and started reading from the first page.

At his current level in physics, he couldn’t expect to solve problems directly. It was better to go through the book first.

It was easier to pick up knowledge he had seen before than to learn everything from scratch. Lu Xingjia picked up his pen, focused on the book, and began to underline key points and copy important content. Soon, he was absorbed in it.

At 11 p.m., He Xi came out of her room to get some water and noticed that the light in Lu Xingjia’s bedroom was still on.

She carefully walked over and peeked through the door crack. She saw Lu Xingjia hunched over at his desk, writing furiously, looking deep in thought, even more focused than he had been during his middle school exams.

When she came back today, He Xi noticed that her son seemed different. He had really grown up suddenly and had become very sensible.

While she felt happy and proud, there was also an inexplicable ache in her heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint the reason. In the end, she gently closed the door to his room.

……

In a nearby high-end residence, the lights were also on. The spacious room was empty. Qin Mudong turned off the living room lights, leaving only one light on in his room.

After his parents remarried separately, he had been living alone here. If it weren’t for the extra money that regularly appeared in his account, he would have almost forgotten about their existence.

But he didn’t need them. He didn’t need anyone. As long as he had his physics, that was enough.

The desk in his room was piled high with various books and calculation papers, with a large stack. On top of the pile was a form indicating his track selection preferences.

For some reason, a smiling face appeared in Qin Mudong’s mind, lingering and not going away.

A young boy, pulling at his sleeve with a nervous look on his fair face, asking if they could be together.

Qin Mudong irritably put down his pen and walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window. He looked at the distant lights below and the endless darkness in the distance.

He didn’t know what that person was up to.

A fleeting whim? Or was there something else behind it?

But it didn’t matter.

Everyone’s the same. Once they get tired of something or find it uninteresting, they’ll naturally leave, no matter how sad or painful it may be for him. They will disappear from his life without hesitation.

He didn’t need them.

Author’s Note:  

The professional content is referenced from the “National High School Physics Competition Regulations” and “University Physics.” Some parts are based on improvisation. Apologies for any mistakes (_(:τ」∠)_).