Proactively Attracted chapter 34

The ribs didn’t go cold

Lu Xingjia stared fixedly at his hand, slightly distorted from the force of Qin Mudong’s grip, his eyes welling with tears.

He wanted to hurl every curse word he knew at those scumbags.

He wanted to tell Qin Mudong that he was wonderful — it was those people who weren’t worthy of him.

He wanted to say that he was different from them. That he would never leave him.

But words were so pale. So powerless. So distant and lofty.

People always say they “understand your pain.” But most of the time, it’s just surface-level pity — the kind that barely skims the water.

Qin Mudong was still gripping Lu Xingjia’s wrist tightly, almost enough to shatter the bone.

His fingertips had gone white from lack of blood. Lu Xingjia slowly opened his own hand, turned his wrist, and grasped Qin Mudong’s forearm in return.

The movement was a bit difficult—his wrist was twisted into an almost impossible angle—but Lu Xingjia still tightened his grip, refusing to let go.

Qin Mudong’s arm stiffened. He instinctively tried to pull away, but Lu Xingjia wouldn’t allow it. His fair hand stayed firmly clasped around Qin Mudong’s wrist.

So Qin Mudong stopped moving. He didn’t resist, nor did he reject it.

The noisy student cafeteria was filled with clamor—the lunch lady’s shouting, the clatter of pots and dishes hitting the ground.

Amidst the constant coming and going at the tables, two boys gripped each other’s wrists tightly.

Their body heat passed through their skin, flowed into their bloodstream, and returned to their beating hearts.

Lu Xingjia stuffed braised pork ribs into his mouth haphazardly. The sweet and sour tenderness was laced with bitter sorrow.

After finishing their meal, he pulled Qin Mudong up to the rooftop. They both skipped their afternoon classes, sitting side by side on the roof. Lu Xingjia accompanied him, but neither said a word.

The weather was beautiful. The blue sky stretched endlessly, and massive clouds drifted slowly. The passage of time was only marked by the occasional ringing of the class bells.

One class passed. Then two. Then three.

The only sound was the wind, and then Qin Mudong finally spoke.

He said he had truly considered that person a friend—tutored him, brought him breakfast. He talked about the happy memories they once shared.

He said he’d sensed something odd about the guy before and had heard a few rumors, but still chose to believe in him.

He said that one day, he overheard the guy say that he had only befriended him because of a bet with friends. That he’d long since found him unbearable—thought he was sick, disgusting.

He said that’s when he threw a punch and smashed it into the guy’s head.

…

Lu Xingjia stayed quietly by his side, a silent listener.

Qin Mudong didn’t need sympathy or comfort. He just wanted to make peace with his scarred past.

So Lu Xingjia stayed with him.

After Qin Mudong finished speaking, a long silence followed. But neither of them minded.

They kept sitting side by side, in silence.

The bell rang for the fourth afternoon class—dinner time.

The camp buzzed with life again. Students walked in twos and threes toward the cafeteria.

Dusk had fallen. The evening breeze blew gently. Lu Xingjia stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

“Ready to go back?” he asked.

Qin Mudong gave a soft “Mm” and stood up too.

As if nothing had happened, they walked toward the stairs.

Passing through the rusted iron door, Lu Xingjia quietly said, “It’s all in the past.”

His voice was so soft it nearly blended into the wind, but he was certain Qin Mudong heard it.

“Mm, it’s all in the past,” Qin Mudong calmly repeated.

“We’re good friends,” Lu Xingjia said.

Qin Mudong didn’t repeat that. But when he stepped into the dim school building, he suddenly felt as if everything had become bright.

The old school building—with its faded stair railings and chipped paint—felt vivid and alive for the first time.

The foul and rotting past buried in his heart had been uncovered—not with fanfare, but mixed with the autumn wind and the scent of dust that hadn’t been cleaned in ages.

And just like that, it was exposed to the light. Like how foul water still evaporates under the sun.

They walked back to the classroom shoulder to shoulder. Lu Xingjia lagged half a step behind, letting out a deep, long breath—and finally wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

……

Back in the classroom, most of the students were still there, silently and diligently working on practice problems.

Lu Xingjia tiptoed back to his seat. His deskmate, a boy with thick-rimmed glasses, looked up at him silently.

Lu Xingjia gave him a polite smile and was about to sit down when the boy pushed up his glasses and slowly said, “Just now, a teacher with the surname Chu came by.”

“….”

Lu Xingjia’s smile froze at the corners of his mouth.

No way—skipping class and getting caught immediately?

He asked cautiously, “What… did the teacher say?”

The boy pushed up his glasses again and replied in a monotone, “Said to go find him once you’re back.”

Lu Xingjia: “…”

Suddenly, he remembered how in college, every time he skipped class, the teacher would definitely call roll.

Now he seriously suspected there was something wrong with his luck.

But it was no use saying anything now. Lu Xingjia thanked the boy with glasses, grabbed a jacket, and walked out of the classroom.

Zhang Chuchu was the lead teacher from their school but wasn’t responsible for any teaching. Lu Xingjia found him in the teacher’s dorm.

“Teacher Zhang.”

Lu Xingjia knocked respectfully and shuffled in, standing before Zhang Chuchu with his head bowed, looking like a well-behaved student ready to admit his mistake.

Zhang Chuchu was startled. “What’s with that look? Did you do something wrong?”

His expression wasn’t faked, nor was he being sarcastic. Lu Xingjia blinked and asked, “Wait… didn’t you ask for me?”

“Oh,” Zhang Chuchu nodded casually, “Yeah, I came by after class. I just wanted to chat with you.”

“After class?!” Lu Xingjia couldn’t help repeating the key words.

Zhang Chuchu looked at him suspiciously, confused by his strange reaction. “Is that a problem?”

So he hadn’t been caught!

Lu Xingjia couldn’t help but make a peace sign in his mind, then quickly shook his head and said, “No, no.”

Zhang Chuchu still had his brows furrowed. Lu Xingjia hurriedly smiled and asked, “Teacher, what did you want to talk to me about?”

His eyes sparkled, blinking innocently like he was completely harmless.

“…”

Zhang Chuchu rubbed his forehead and finally decided to drop the matter. He pulled out a stack of papers from the desk and started talking about the main topic.

“Actually, it’s not like I especially came to find you. The second round of the competition is coming up, and I want to have a chat with every student in the class.”

Zhang Chuchu had photocopied all of Lu Xingjia’s mock exams from the past week and began analyzing them one by one.

Compared to when he first joined the class a year ago, Lu Xingjia had made a remarkable leap in progress.

But the cruel part of competitions is that they don’t care how much effort you’ve put in—only the final score matters.

There’s less than half a month between the preliminary and final rounds, but the difficulty level is worlds apart.

There’s no doubt that the final round is much more difficult than the first.

And under the current college entrance exam policy, only those who win a provincial first prize are eligible for bonus points. Given Lu Xingjia’s current performance, that might not be easy to achieve.

“You know, with your current scores…” Zhang Chuchu hesitated as he spoke. Precisely because he knew how hard Lu Xingjia worked, he didn’t know how to phrase it.

“It’s okay, teacher. I know what you’re trying to say,” Lu Xingjia smiled, surprising him by taking the initiative. “I’m aware of my level. I’m not under any mental pressure.”

Zhang Chuchu was slightly stunned.

Lu Xingjia hadn’t shared his thoughts with anyone else yet. He smiled a little awkwardly. “Really, teacher, you don’t have to worry about my mental state. No matter what the result is—even if I don’t win anything—I won’t regret it or feel disappointed. Besides, I’ve learned a lot of approaches and methods this year. They’ll be useful when I return to the regular college prep class.”

The competition class at No.1 High School didn’t entirely suspend regular studies; other subjects still had to be studied simultaneously.

And over the past year, not only had Lu Xingjia not fallen behind in other subjects, he had actually made great strides.

In the end, high school competitions aren’t really “research”—they’re more about learning methods and different ways of thinking.

Physics competitions teach you to strip down complex phenomena in life to simple models and explain them. That kind of thinking is useful in any subject.

From the beginning, when he started learning physics for the sake of saving Qin Mudong, to now, Lu Xingjia had gradually started to enjoy it.

Of course, except when he was getting crushed by high-difficulty problems.

Since Lu Xingjia had said everything already, Zhang Chuchu had nothing more to add. The two of them ended up chatting about studies and some daily life topics.

Finally, Zhang Chuchu sighed, “Before, I just thought you were cheerful and sunny. Today I realized you’re much more mature than I imagined.”

On the surface, he looked carefree, but in reality, he was far more grounded than most kids his age. He knew what he wanted and was determined to hold onto it.

Lu Xingjia scratched his head bashfully. “Not really, maybe I just have better self-awareness. I mean, I am a bottom-tier student after all.”

Also, he had been reborn once. He’d experienced too many regrets.

“No,” Zhang Chuchu smiled and corrected him seriously, “You’re an excellent student. You always have been.”

His tone was unusually serious.

There was one more thing he didn’t say—for fear of giving Lu Xingjia pressure.

He had seen so many miracles happen with this child. He thought, maybe this time would be one, too.

…..

The autumn night breeze was a bit chilly. Lu Xingjia was just in time for the end of evening self-study when he got back.

It was Sunday, and the training camp had given them a rare night off—no exams.

This rare free evening passed just like that in conversation, but Lu Xingjia didn’t feel it was a waste.

He rarely had the chance to talk about dreams and goals with peers. He always felt that He Xi was too gentle, and in front of her, he hoped to remain a child forever.

Zhang Chuchu had given him a lot of good advice—about future development, adjusting his mindset—he gained a lot.

When he returned to the classroom, more than half the students were already gone.

The students at the training camp were very diligent. As soon as classes ended, most of them sprinted back to the dorms to keep studying.

The facilities here were good—bunk beds with desks underneath. Although lights were turned off at night, students were allowed to use desk lamps, and many studied until two or three in the morning.

Lu Xingjia had tried pulling a couple of all-nighters too, but by the third day his body couldn’t take it anymore. His heart kept beating irregularly during the day, and he almost missed a step going down the stairs.

So he stopped pushing himself. He paced himself, stayed calm, and adopted a “Buddha-style” approach to exams.

His bespectacled deskmate had already left, but Qin Mudong was still there. Lu Xingjia noticed him the moment he walked in.

At the same time, Qin Mudong’s eyes turned in his direction.

The instant their eyes met, Lu Xingjia instinctively flashed a bright smile, then looked away and returned to his seat to pack up.

The classroom gradually emptied. Qin Mudong slung his bag over one shoulder, walked over to Lu Xingjia, leaned casually on the desk of the boy with glasses, and asked:

“Wanna head back together?”

“Sure,” Lu Xingjia nodded.

And just like that, naturally, the two of them walked toward the dorms side by side.

The night wind lifted the hems of their jackets. Qin Mudong asked, “You weren’t at evening self-study?”

“Mm,” Lu Xingjia nodded. “Chu Ge asked me for a talk.”

The atmosphere was quite nice now. With both hands tucked in his jacket pockets, he felt a little more relaxed and casually asked, “How did you know I wasn’t there? Were you looking for me?”

Lu Xingjia swore he was just making small talk, without any ulterior motive. But when he looked up, he suddenly noticed that Qin Mudong was blushing.

They were walking side by side, and Lu Xingjia had a habit of looking people in the eyes while speaking. A casual sideways glance revealed a faint blush on Qin Mudong’s cheeks.

It was subtle, but under the glow of the streetlights at night, it was clearly visible.

Unconsciously, Lu Xingjia’s heart skipped a couple of beats.

And just like that, the atmosphere became subtly ambiguous.

A touch of awkwardness mixed into the ambiguity.

Qin Mudong lowered his eyes and tried to cover it up, saying, “No, I was just asking.”

But it didn’t help.

Lu Xingjia’s face also turned red, and the two walked to the dorm entrance in an awkward silence.

Lu Xingjia’s eyes wandered aimlessly until he noticed a boy walking past them who looked familiar.

Taking a closer look—wasn’t it Xu Feilong!

Lu Xingjia tugged on Qin Mudong’s sleeve, trying to signal him to slow down so they could avoid Xu Feilong.

But it was too late. Xu Feilong had already looked their way and recognized them.

Since things had already fallen out between them, there was nothing good to say. Xu Feilong sneered lightly. “Still hanging out together, huh?”

He leaned close to Lu Xingjia, but spoke loudly enough for Qin Mudong to hear: “Didn’t I tell you before? Qin Mudong’s a nutjob. Aren’t you afraid he’ll rub off on you?”

After saying that, he shot Qin Mudong a mocking glance.

Qin Mudong’s gaze darkened slightly, but he simply looked at him coldly.

After seeing through this person’s nature, he no longer cared.

His eyes only had room for the people he cared about.

And now, that person was only Lu Xingjia.

Lu Xingjia, on the other hand, felt a sudden surge of anger. That unyielding streak in his bones was instantly ignited.

Suddenly, he didn’t want to just “go with the flow” for exams anymore. He wanted to win a provincial first prize. He wanted to surpass this scumbag Xu Feilong. He wanted to completely crush him on all fronts!

“So what if we are?”

Lu Xingjia curled his lips in disdain. “Wanna compete?”

Xu Feilong was stunned. “Compete in what?”

“Let’s see if you can even beat two ‘nutjobs’ in the exams.”

In the dark night, Lu Xingjia’s amber-colored eyes sparkled brightly, a dazzling fire burning within them.

Xu Feilong even flinched instinctively. “W-Who wants to compete with you? So childish!”

Lu Xingjia sneered. “What’s childish about students competing in academics? Or are you just afraid?”

Xu Feilong had too much pride to tolerate provocation. His neck stiffened. “Who’s afraid!”

“Good, then let’s compete!”

Lu Xingjia dropped the words and didn’t give him another chance to speak.

He grabbed Qin Mudong by the wrist and strode into the dormitory building, taking two steps at a time.