Proactively Attracted chapter 7
Looking Forward to Tomorrow
Qin Mudong’s fingers were cold, and as Lu Xingjia held onto them, he felt an inexplicable sense of shyness.
He instinctively loosened his grip, his arm swinging, trying to break free from that cold hand.
“Sorry.” Qin Mudong took two long strides forward, walking side by side with him. His long fingers firmly grasped Lu Xingjia’s arm, not allowing him to pull away.
He repeated it again, speaking slowly, with great difficulty, but very clearly, “Don’t be angry.”
Though Qin Mudong had initially wanted to push him away, though he didn’t want him near, hearing Lu Xingjia’s aggrieved voice and seeing his eyelashes fluttering as they dropped, he subconsciously held onto his hand.
He didn’t want him to be upset, didn’t want him to feel sad because of him.
It was he who was hurt, but somehow, it seemed like Lu Xingjia was even more anxious, upset, wronged, and angry… After so many people approached him with various agendas, Lu Xingjia was the first person who truly cared about him, who cared about him as an individual.
It was as though he had suddenly lost his ability to describe this feeling in words. In an instant, he recalled the alcohol lamp burning brightly in the laboratory, its blue flame crackling, setting his heart aflame, knowing it was fire, yet still wanting to get closer.
So this was what it felt like to be cared for?
For the first time, Qin Mudong wavered.
His grip tightened a little more, leaving a faint red mark on Lu Xingjia’s pale skin.
The sound of the heavy rain hitting the umbrella was deafening, the noise making one feel restless, but feeling the strength in the arm around him, Lu Xingjia’s agitated heart miraculously calmed down.
“No, I’m not angry,” he muttered after holding it in for a long time, his voice flat, without much inflection.
But his thoughts were far from calm, his heart feeling as though it were being scratched by the soft paws of a kitten—tingling, aching, and uncertain of what to say.
Everything around them quieted down. The cicadas sang, birds chirped, the wind rustled through the trees, and the rain carried the scent of earth. Neither of them spoke again, and their footsteps unknowingly synchronized.
The school was in a somewhat remote location, and the nearest clinic was at least a ten-minute walk away. Walking side by side, the originally tedious journey seemed to shorten suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, the clinic door was right in front of them.
The doctor at the clinic was kind and friendly, using alcohol-soaked cotton balls to disinfect Qin Mudong’s wound, then carefully using tweezers to remove the iron filings from his wound.
Lu Xingjia sat on a bench to the side, watching.
Qin Mudong had a high nose and deep-set eyes, often wearing a stern expression, looking cold and difficult to approach. Now, with his eyes lowered, his face seemed to soften.
His lips were a light pink, making one almost want to…
Lu Xingjia shook his head, quickly pushing those impure thoughts out of his mind.
“It’s just a scrape, nothing serious,” the doctor said after carefully examining Qin Mudong’s hand, smiling. “It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Lu Xingjia was still concerned, asking, “Are you sure it’s nothing serious?”
The doctor glanced at him, noticing that both of them were wet and soaked in rain, then asked, “What’s going on? Did you hurt him? You’re so concerned about him.”
“No, no,” Lu Xingjia quickly shook his head, embarrassed. “I’m just worried…”
The doctor laughed heartily. “Are you brothers? Or just friends?”
Lu Xingjia instinctively glanced at Qin Mudong, confirming that he didn’t look disgusted or offended, before continuing, “We grew up together.”
“I see,” the doctor said, impressed. “You two really have a good relationship. Even an old man like me is envious.”
Lu Xingjia smiled a little awkwardly, feeling slightly guilty but still blushing unconsciously.
The doctor was skilled and soon had the wound bandaged. He reminded them, “Try not to get it wet for the next couple of days.”
“Thank you,” Lu Xingjia smiled as he replied, “I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him!”
The doctor nodded, sending them out.
The summer rain came down fiercely but left just as quickly. In the short time they were inside, the rain had lightened considerably.
The two walked in silence, Lu Xingjia holding the umbrella, hesitating before asking, “How are you getting home?”
By this time, the school gates had already been locked, and Qin Mudong’s hand was injured.
Even though he could ride a bike with one hand, he couldn’t push it back home.
“My home is nearby,” Qin Mudong replied indifferently.
Lu Xingjia’s eyes lit up. “My home is nearby too!”
Thinking of the slightly awkward situation from earlier, he lowered his gaze, feeling a little embarrassed. “Well… it’s getting late. Let’s head home.”
“Mm,” Qin Mudong nodded slightly, and after a moment, he quietly added, “…Thank you.”
Thank you for still offering your hand to me after I’ve treated you so coldly so many times.
“It’s… it’s nothing, really,” Lu Xingjia felt embarrassed, realizing that that outburst earlier had been pretty shameful. He felt a little shy and awkward. “Well… see you tomorrow.”
“…See you tomorrow.”
In the place where Lu Xingjia couldn’t see, Qin Mudong’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.
For the first time, he looked forward to tomorrow.
…..
The next morning, Lu Xingjia arrived at the classroom early. Qin Mudong had arrived even earlier.
As usual, there was no conversation between them in the morning, but the atmosphere felt much better than before.
By the time he got home last night, it was already past ten. He Xi had assumed that Lu Xingjia had been running around outside and was both worried and angry. It took a long time for Lu Xingjia to explain that Qin Mudong had accidentally gotten injured and that he had taken him to the clinic. Only then did He Xi let it go, even praising Lu Xingjia for being thoughtful.
Lu Xingjia wondered if Qin Mudong had gotten scolded by his family after he went home.
He wanted to ask but then remembered that Qin Mudong’s parents were divorced. Not wanting to bring up a painful topic, he decided to keep his question to himself.
Let this moment of peace last a little longer.
……..
After the rain, the sky cleared, and the heat wave once again swept across the land, turning the ground into a steaming furnace.
Lu Xingjia, always craving coolness, stubbornly wore only his short-sleeved summer uniform to school. No matter how many times He Xi tried to persuade him otherwise, it was useless. Unable to do anything about his stubbornness, He Xi could only let him be.
But Lu Xingjia’s stubbornness wasn’t limited to just clothing.
He had mentioned wanting to stay at school during lunchtime to study. At first, He Xi thought he was just saying it casually. But after a week had passed, rain or shine, Lu Xingjia still refused to go home no matter what.
As usual, after lunch, Lu Xingjia strolled back to the classroom.
Walking under the scorching sun right after a meal, he was soon covered in a thin layer of sweat. So, he simply stood under the air conditioner, enjoying the cool air.
There were few people in the classroom, so even the weak air conditioning and fans finally made a difference, making it a few degrees cooler than outside.
Only after his sweat had dried did Lu Xingjia contentedly return to his seat.
Qin Mudong, as always, was reading and working on problems.
He ate quickly, always leaving class later than Lu Xingjia but returning earlier, like a fleeting wind that came and went without a trace.
Lu Xingjia greeted him with a cheerful smile, to which Qin Mudong responded with a simple “Mm.”
Though still not warm, it was much better than when he had completely ignored him at the beginning.
Unlike Lu Xingjia, who was still struggling with high school textbooks, Qin Mudong was reading a quantum mechanics textbook. His pen occasionally moved across his scratch paper with a soft rustling sound, but most of the time, he remained silent, lost in thought. It was impossible to guess what kind of universe was unfolding in his mind.
In his past life, Qin Mudong had published many influential papers. Lu Xingjia couldn’t understand a single one, yet he treasured them, carefully cutting them out and collecting them alongside news articles about Qin Mudong.
Just doing that made him feel immensely satisfied.
In this life, Lu Xingjia was still content. Stealing glances at Qin Mudong, he found himself smiling before turning his attention back to his own books.
His physics foundation was weak, so keeping up with Chu Ge’s lessons wasn’t easy. Not only did he have to work on previous topics, but he also had to preview the upcoming material in advance.
Studying was inevitably dull and tedious, but because the person he liked was right beside him, Lu Xingjia didn’t find it unbearable at all.
Without realizing it, he became completely absorbed.
They say a calm mind naturally cools the body. With the fan humming overhead, Lu Xingjia actually started to feel a little chilly.
Maybe the air conditioning had been too strong earlier—he sneezed unconsciously. Before long, he sneezed again.
The classroom’s air conditioning was set quite high. Normally, during lessons, the presence of many people made it less noticeable, but now, with the room mostly empty, it felt particularly cold.
Lu Xingjia hadn’t brought his uniform jacket. Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, he could only rub his hands together and curl up slightly for warmth.
“Achoo—”
He sniffled, sneezing yet again.
A jacket suddenly landed over his head.
Qin Mudong’s indifferent voice followed. “Put it on.”
Lu Xingjia was momentarily stunned. Then, belatedly, he realized he was holding Qin Mudong’s school uniform jacket.
“For me?” He could hardly believe it.
Qin Mudong simply replied, “Noisy.”
“Sorry!” Lu Xingjia’s face turned a little red as he hurriedly put on the jacket.
The uniform had been kept in the desk drawer all day—Lu Xingjia hadn’t seen Qin Mudong wear it since morning—but he could still feel the warmth from his body lingering in the fabric.
Warm.
Qin Mudong had already lowered his head to continue reading. Lu Xingjia thought for a moment, then wrote a note and slid it over.
[Thank you! You’re so nice!]Qin Mudong glanced at it briefly, acknowledging it with a slight dip of his gaze.
He pressed his arm over the note for a moment before casually slipping it into his drawer—adding it to the pile of all the other notes Lu Xingjia had ever given him.