Love and Anticipation
It was clearly the hotel’s fault, so Lu Xingjia had every right to refuse.
But the front desk girl spoke in such a soft, apologetic voice—almost on the verge of tears. Lu Xingjia, knowing how tough that job could be, couldn’t bear to make things harder for her. His heart softened, and he agreed.
Fortunately, Qin Mudong had a room to himself, making it easy for Lu Xingjia to stay with him for the night.
The hotel normally didn’t allow non-exam takers to stay—no exceptions, not even family members—but since Lu Xingjia was young and had several people vouching for him, they turned a blind eye.
While registering his information, Qiu Ruifeng casually asked, “Doesn’t the school still have classes? What excuse did you use to come here? Did Aunt He Xi agree?”
Lu Xingjia paused mid-form and smiled, “She knows—it’s the weekend, after all.”
Well, she did know he was going out with classmates. What she didn’t know was how far they were going.
It wasn’t that Lu Xingjia didn’t want to be honest. He Xi was actually a very reasonable parent—she wouldn’t normally object to him going out with friends, even in senior year. But if he told her directly where he was going? She definitely wouldn’t have agreed.
Besides, even the closest of friends rarely reached this level of closeness. Explaining it all would just seem too ambiguous.
He Xi was already starting to suspect something. At this critical point—before they’d even graduated high school—Lu Xingjia wasn’t ready to go public.
Qiu Ruifeng didn’t press the matter and quickly moved on. Still, Lu Xingjia felt a little guilty and, once he got to the room, texted He Xi several times to reassure her he was safe.
The hotel room was quite spacious—clean, tidy, warm, and comfortable. After stepping in, Lu Xingjia casually pulled the curtains open, letting in the light.
Satisfied, he smiled. But when he turned around, he was met with a startling sight:
There was only one large bed in the middle of the room.
“How come…” Lu Xingjia was stunned. “Didn’t they say it would be a twin room?”
Sharing a room was one thing, but now they had to sleep in the same bed?!
Qin Mudong followed Lu Xingjia’s gaze and looked over, his expression calm. “Maybe there weren’t enough twin rooms, and since I’m staying alone, they just arranged it this way.”
His expression was so calm, not a hint of emotion, that it made Lu Xingjia feel embarrassed instead.
Lu Xingjia coughed awkwardly twice and mumbled, “I see, well, that’s fine then. I—I’ll go wash up first.”
Carrying his toiletries into the bathroom, Lu Xingjia silently scolded himself for having such dirty thoughts.
They were still in high school after all—how could things possibly go that far?
After riding the train all night and spending the afternoon walking around the lake, he hadn’t felt tired during the day, but the exhaustion hit him in the shower. He finished up quickly, and the fatigue flooded over him.
Dressed in his pajamas, Lu Xingjia walked out, all soft and sluggish, and told Qin Mudong to go shower.
Qin Mudong gave him a couple of glances but didn’t say anything. He just went straight into the bathroom.
Lu Xingjia dried his hair. He originally planned to sit on the bed and wait for Qin Mudong. He casually picked up a book from the bedside table but couldn’t even get through a few pages before yawning several times.
So sleepy.
He tossed the book onto the bed and, without realizing it, snuggled under the covers and closed his eyes.
By the time Qin Mudong came out, Lu Xingjia was already fast asleep.
He wasn’t a very neat sleeper. In just a short time, his arms and legs were sprawled out, his face buried in the blanket with only half of it visible, his pale cheeks tinged with a soft red.
His pajama pants were loose, and during sleep, they had ridden up. His fair calves were exposed, one slim ankle dangling slightly off the bed and gently swaying. Qin Mudong’s eyes darkened as he walked over and called out hoarsely, “Xingxing?”
Lu Xingjia was deeply asleep, but still faintly responded to outside sounds. He let out a sleepy hum and turned over. His legs retracted, but the blanket got completely kicked off. His pajama shirt was thin and loose, clinging to his body. As he curled up slightly, the curve of his waist and neck formed a graceful line.
“Xingxing.” Qin Mudong called out again, his voice still hoarse.
Still no response.
He slowly climbed into the bed, carefully wrapping his arms around Lu Xingjia from behind—his movements gentle and cautious.
It was cold in the room, and since the blanket had been kicked off, Lu Xingjia instinctively sought warmth, snuggling right into his arms. He even mumbled sleepily, “You took so long… I was dying of sleepiness.”
Despite his slim frame, Lu Xingjia was surprisingly soft. His arms and legs brushed against Qin Mudong, completely unaware and unguarded in his slumber.
Qin Mudong’s body suddenly stiffened. Something inside him was quietly changing.
After a while, he kissed Lu Xingjia’s earlobe, got out of bed, and took another shower—with cold water.
……
The next morning, Lu Xingjia woke up and, as usual, washed up and changed clothes. But Qin Mudong’s reaction left him feeling oddly unsettled.
He wouldn’t even look in his direction, and when he started changing clothes, Qin Mudong made an excuse about needing to head to the meeting point and left without waiting for him.
Watching Qin Mudong’s hurried back as he left, Lu Xingjia wondered in confusion—had his sleeping posture been that bad? Had it scared him?
But he was too embarrassed to ask, so the answer remained unknown.
Still, that was a minor issue. A more important matter awaited them—the experimental exam.
The finals’ experimental exam followed a similar format to the preliminaries. Students were divided into groups A and B, and no one could leave until all tests were complete, so the process took quite a while.
Spectators weren’t allowed inside the lab building, so while Qin Mudong took his test, Lu Xingjia found an empty pavilion nearby to sit in and absentmindedly played Tetris on his phone.
He played without focus, just to pass the time, and didn’t even notice someone sitting down beside him.
“Young man, what a coincidence—we meet again.”
The sudden voice startled him, and his hand slipped. The screen flashed “Game Over.” He looked up reflexively and saw the old man from yesterday smiling beside him.
Startled, Lu Xingjia quickly put away his phone and politely greeted, “Hello, Grandpa.”
“Hello,” the old man chuckled, “What are you doing here?”
“My friend’s taking an exam in there, so I’m waiting for him outside,” Lu Xingjia explained. As he looked up, he suddenly noticed a conspicuous blue lanyard around the man’s neck. On closer look, the badge clearly read: “Chief Examiner – Peng Huarong.”
That name!
Lu Xingjia instantly remembered—this was none other than the renowned physics professor, Peng Huarong, a leading figure in China’s physics community.
He was an honorary professor at Che University. According to the trajectory from his past life, Qin Mudong should have met him during his university years and then received an invitation to join his research team.
Peng Huarong’s team was known for its advanced philosophy, strong capabilities, and most importantly, for valuing ability over seniority. Qin Mudong, still an undergraduate at the time, was exceptionally recruited due to his talent and soon became a core member of the team.
That bold recruitment proved successful. Within a few years, a project led by Qin Mudong achieved a major breakthrough in astrophysics and won that year’s Science and Technology Progress Award. At the time, Qin Mudong was just 22, having just graduated from university.
It was precisely that one photo taken unintentionally by a reporter during the awards ceremony that made Qin Mudong a household name as the “most handsome physicist.”
No wonder he had found the two of them standing together yesterday somewhat familiar. The photo taken back then had actually been a group photo of the team—Qin Mudong had been standing right next to that Elder Peng.
But Lu Xingjia had cropped the photo when he saved it, leaving only Qin Mudong in the image. That’s why he hadn’t recognized the old man at first.
Lu Xingjia’s gaze was so intense that it was impossible not to notice. Peng Huarong naturally glanced down at his own name badge, smiled, and generously introduced himself: “I’ve been meaning to introduce myself—my name is Peng Huarong. I’m the chief examiner for this year’s physics competition.”
Lu Xingjia paused for a moment, quickly pulling himself out of his memories, then respectfully said, “Hello, Elder Peng. My name is Lu Xingjia—‘Lu’ as in land, ‘Xing’ as in stars, and ‘Jia’ as in commendation.”
“Lu Xingjia, Lu Xingjia…” Peng Huarong repeated the name a few times, smiling. “A beautiful star on land. What a lovely name.”
Even the way a cultured person explains a name sounds poetic. Lu Xingjia smiled and thanked him, then chatted a bit more casually.
Peng Huarong had other matters to attend to, so the two didn’t talk for long before he politely took his leave and walked into the lab building.
The strict security guards saw his badge and let him pass politely. Lu Xingjia stayed seated where he was, but didn’t continue playing his game. His mind was full of memories from his previous life, flashing past one by one.
In his past life, after Qin Mudong won the award, he was invited to participate in many more projects. Because of confidentiality agreements, there was rarely any news about him in the media. The few mentions were all about new discoveries or honors he’d received.
But two years later, Qin Mudong’s name appeared in the media again—not for another award or breakthrough, but for his obituary.
Lu Xingjia had always remembered that. So as soon as Qin Mudong came out, the first thing he asked was whether he had seen that grandfather again from yesterday. Trying to suppress the unease and worry in his heart, Lu Xingjia said, “Do you know who that grandfather we met yesterday is? He’s the chief examiner here!”
“Yeah,” Qin Mudong nodded calmly. “I saw him again after the exam. He asked me if I was interested in joining one of his research projects.”
“A research project?” Lu Xingjia couldn’t help but repeat.
“It’s related to astrophysics,” Qin Mudong explained. “I haven’t had much exposure to that field, but he said the addition of younger minds might bring new perspectives to the team. The conditions he offered were also good, so I’m thinking of giving it a try.”
Lu Xingjia hesitated and tentatively threw out a few physics terms. Qin Mudong frowned slightly. “Yes, that’s exactly the direction… but how do you know that?”
Lu Xingjia’s heart sank. He didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
How could he not know? This was the very project their team had won awards for in the previous life.
Things weren’t unfolding exactly the same this time, but somehow they had still ended up back on the same track.
But unlike last time, Qin Mudong now had him by his side. Everything seemed different. And it was precisely because of him that they’d gone to the lake together, that Qin Mudong had met Peng Huarong earlier, and had now joined the research team—he would undoubtedly win awards in the future again.
But what would happen after that?
After that… it would only be a short two years before Qin Mudong’s suicide.
Lu Xingjia suddenly panicked.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Mudong asked when he saw Lu Xingjia frowning so deeply.
“Nothing.” Lu Xingjia shook his head. He really didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing and could only try to suppress his anxious feelings for now.
Things will be different this time, Lu Xingjia told himself. They must be different from the last time.
Even if they had to go through some dark days, with him here, Qin Mudong wouldn’t reach the point of taking his own life.
He didn’t know what had happened back then, but this was the only way he could comfort himself.
The experimental exam concluded smoothly, and the supervising teacher returned everyone’s phones.
With barely any battery left, Qin Mudong casually turned his phone on. The first thing to pop up was the message Lu Xingjia had sent when he arrived.
His fingers slowly slid across the small screen, and a barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
After closing Lu Xingjia’s message, another one sat just below it, sent by Pu Shulan.
[Mudong, is your exam over? I didn’t want to bother you before. How do you think it went?]Qin Mudong replied with a simple “It was okay.” Pu Shulan’s call came almost immediately.
Her voice was gentle, her attitude humble. First, she explained once again why she hadn’t come with him. Then she expressed deep regret, and finally, she cautiously asked if he’d like to meet up again—make up for not being there with him earlier.
Qin Mudong agreed.
After hanging up, Lu Xingjia asked who had called. Qin Mudong said it was Pu Shulan. He paused for a moment, then suddenly said, “I think… she’s really changed.”
Lu Xingjia quickly understood what he meant. Seeing the hope and trust in Qin Mudong’s eyes made his heart ache.
On the outside, Qin Mudong looked cold, but inside, he was unbelievably soft. As long as someone treated him even a little kindly, he was willing to offer up his whole heart without complaint.
That’s just the kind of pure, gentle person he was—even covered in wounds, he still held kindness for the world.
So please—don’t hurt him again.
Lu Xingjia tried hard to put on a smile. “That’s really great.”
…..
The next day was Monday, and Lu Xingjia had to attend classes, so he needed to take the afternoon train back.
After the practical exam ended, the exam portion was officially over. What remained were meetings and award ceremonies. With no psychological burden, after lunch, Qin Mudong accompanied Lu Xingjia to the train station.
They arrived a bit early, and there was still some time before Lu Xingjia’s train departed. Since there was no rush, the two of them strolled around the station, chatting as they walked.
The train station was crowded, with people selling all sorts of things on the roadside, shouting to attract attention.
Lu Xingjia wasn’t very interested in accessories, but he still helped He Xi pick out a hair clip.
The clip was shaped like a butterfly, adorned with light blue rhinestones that sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight—very eye-catching.
He squatted down, holding the clip in his hand and playing with it. Suddenly, he noticed another one of the same design but in a different color—darker and more elegant.
The vendor quickly chimed in, “If you like them, just take both. They’re not expensive—just the cost price.”
Lu Xingjia hesitated a little. “But… buying so many feels unnecessary.”
“You don’t get it,” the vendor gave him a sidelong glance and said with a smile, “Are they for your girlfriend? Or a family member? Girls never think they have too many of these things.”
Seeing Lu Xingjia still hesitate, the vendor roped in Qin Mudong. “Or how about this—you two each buy one. If you buy two, I’ll give you a discount.”
That actually gave Lu Xingjia an idea. He looked up at Qin Mudong. “Why don’t… you buy one for your mom too? This color is more subtle. I think she’d look good wearing it.”
Qin Mudong crouched down and picked up the other hair clip.
It felt heavy in his palm, and the rhinestones sparkled under the light.
After a moment, Qin Mudong clenched the hair clip in his hand and said softly, “Yeah, I think she’d like it.”
His eyes carried a hint of expectation.