The most exciting thing for the freshmen was undoubtedly the legendary “Hundred Regiments Campaign“. On the 16th day after school started, the new year’s club recruitment at Nangang University began again.
Lu Zhaoshen wasn’t interested at all. He was someone who disliked socializing, but Xu Xingzhe was completely the opposite.
Xu Xingzhe had countless friends. Sometimes when someone greeted him on the street, Xu Xingzhe would rush over, hug them, chat warmly for a long time, and then come back to ask Lu Zhaoshen with furrowed brows, “Who was that?”
Lu Zhaoshen would usually just ignore him with a straight face and walk forward in silence.
“Lu Zhaoshen, Lu Zhaoshen, why don’t you join the roller skating club with me! I’ll buy you roller skates, okay?”
“I’m not going.”
“Can’t you grant my little wish? Why are you so cold and heartless? I promised to tone it down, haven’t I? Have you seen me bothering you these past few days? My roommate, Yan Xiao, laughed at me for joining the roller skating club, saying that with my body coordination, I wouldn’t be able to skate a single lap. It pissed me off,” Xu Xingzhe clenched his fists and swore, “I’m not only going to learn how to skate, but I’m also going to learn some fancy moves, and then I’m going to blind his narrow-minded eyes with my skills!”
At first, Lu Zhaoshen had been reading and hadn’t paid any attention to Xu Xingzhe. It wasn’t until he heard Yan Xiao’s name that he raised his head, “How does he know that you have poor body coordination?”
Xu Xingzhe huffed, “During our last class activity, the loser had to learn a dance. When I danced, I kept moving the same hand and leg. He could see it but didn’t tell me and made me a fool in front of the whole class.”
Lu Zhaoshen put the book aside, picked up his phone, and swiped it a few times. He casually said, “Seems like you two get along pretty well.”
“No way! I find him disgusting. He flirts around like a butterfly all day long,” Xu Xingzhe took advantage of the fact that no one was around and leaned over to kiss Lu Zhaoshen on the cheek, “You’re still the best.”
Lu Zhaoshen turned away, but Xu Xingzhe caught him again, wrapped his arm around Lu Zhaoshen’s neck, and leaned in. He threatened with false boldness, “Hurry up! Scan the QR code to join the roller skating club, or I’ll strip you right here!”
Lu Zhaoshen ignored him. Xu Xingzhe, unfazed, snatched Lu Zhaoshen’s phone. Before the screen turned off, he opened WeChat and scanned the picture saved on his own phone. The notification chimed, and Xu Xingzhe quickly clicked on the friend request.
It was the WeChat of the person in charge of the roller skating club. Xu Xingzhe had taken a photo and informed them that his friend wanted to join as well.
Lu Zhaoshen couldn’t retract the application even though he wanted to, so he just watched as Xu Xingzhe smugly wiggled his butt.
“Buy a pair of black roller skates for Zhaoshen baobei and get myself a white pair. Matching couple style!” Xu Xingzhe muttered to himself while browsing Taobao. Lu Zhaoshen grabbed another book nearby and continued reading.
Joining the roller skating club wasn’t too complicated. Lu Zhaoshen’s application was quickly approved, and he passed the interview with flying colors.
Xu Xingzhe dragged him to the club’s open area to practice all afternoon, and they happened to catch the club’s dinner that night.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
There were thirteen or fourteen new and old members present. They booked a private room at a restaurant near the school. The club president said they wanted the new students to try some of the famous local dishes in Nangang University town. Xu Xingzhe was initially excited, but upon closer inspection, 70% of the dishes were seafood. He couldn’t help but grumble.
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Lf tjvc’a abemtfv jcs rfjobbv flatfg.
Rjcujcu kjr xcbkc jr j mbjraji mlas, jcv lar rfjobbv kjr ojwber ojg jcv klvf. Tfa, Oe Itjbrtfc vlvc’a jqqgfmljaf la ja jii.
Xu Xingzhe’s mouth twitched as he silently cursed, “It’s true that the well-fed don’t know how the hungry suffer. If I weren’t allergic to seafood, I would have devoured it.”
As they neared the end of the meal, the club president suddenly asked, “Let’s do a little survey. Is anyone here not single?”
People chuckled, some lowered their heads, while others looked restless. The president was about to say something to further stir up the atmosphere when he saw Xu Xingzhe enthusiastically raise his hand and shamelessly shout, “I’m not single, I’m not! I’m taken!”
At first, the club president just wanted to liven up the atmosphere. Some of the older members of the club were secretly amused when they heard the president’s question, thinking that the new students would be embarrassed and blush, and would be unable to answer.
Who would have thought that there would be one shameless person who not only raised his hand but also proudly shouted, “I’m taken!”
The president snorted with laughter, “Xingzhe, you can’t brag in front of everyone!”
Xu Xingzhe was barely able to take it anymore, “I’m not bragging! My partner he… my partner… is incredibly good-looking, a real beauty, and has excellent grades…”
Xu Xingzhe, perhaps feeling hungry, impulsively spoke and raised his hand. Halfway through the words, he remembered that Lu Zhaozhen was sitting right next to him. He had to abruptly swallow the words he was about to say and replace them with some vague phrases, his voice becoming less and less confident.
The president had been impressed by Xu Xingzhe’s liveliness since their first meeting. Seeing the atmosphere become more lively, he eagerly continued, “Where does she study?”
“At our Nangang University, in the business school.”
The president exclaimed, “Wow, so awesome! I heard that this year’s score requirement for the business school hit a new high, almost 50 points higher than Nangang’s admission line. Simply evil.”
A senior girl on the side chimed in, “The business school has always been Nangang’s pride.”
The president teased Xu Xingzhe again, “Even a real beauty? I don’t believe it.”
Xu Xingzhe was indignant and raised his chin to retort, “What’s wrong with that? Don’t I deserve a real beauty?”
Then he discreetly nudged Lu Zhaoshen’s calf with the toe of his shoe.
Everyone burst into laughter, and a nosy senior asked Lu Zhaoshen, “Is student Lu still single?”
Xu Xingzhe hastily waved his hand, “He’s not. He’s just shy and didn’t dare raise his hand.”
Xu Xingzhe’s mouth always moved faster than his brain, and he regretted his words after he said them. When he forced Lu Zhaoshen to show him his college entrance exam preferences and swore an oath to Lu Zhaoshen not to pester him and not to reveal his orientation publicly, he had meant it sincerely. But less than 20 days into the new semester, he had almost driven Lu Zhaoshen crazy, even following him to the bathroom.
He didn’t know if his words would make Lu Zhaoshen angry. If Lu Zhaoshen denied it, he would be the laughingstock of the room.
But Lu Zhaoshen just sat there calmly, his face unaffected, as if the gossip had nothing to do with him.
The president didn’t care as he enjoyed the excitement, “I heard that you two went to the same high school. Is school discipline that liberal there? Do all top students have partners?”
Lu Zhaoshen smiled and tactfully replied, “Mn, we went to the same high school.”
Although he didn’t confirm it, at least he didn’t deny it, which relieved Xu Xingzhe.
After dinner, as they walked back to the school, they passed a small park with not many people. Xu Xingzhe suddenly stopped and said he had to go to the bathroom. So he grabbed Lu Zhaoshen and told the others, “You guys go ahead, no need to wait for me.”
The others naturally assumed that Xu Xingzhe and Lu Zhaoshen were friends and didn’t suspect anything. After exchanging goodbyes, they continued to walk ahead.
Once everyone had turned the corner and disappeared at the intersection, Xu Xingzhe finally made a move. His hand slid from Lu Zhaoshen’s forearm to his wrist, palms touching and fingers intertwining.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
The night made Xu Xingzhe’s pupils shine brightly, especially when he looked up from below, exuding a hint of seduction.
Lu Zhaoshen was about to leave, but Xu Xingzhe pulled him back. Xu Xingzhe exerted his strength to drag Lu Zhaoshen into a small grove. They almost ended up in a fight. The grove was pitch black with weeds and gravel under their feet. Xu Xingzhe stumbled but Lu Zhaoshen caught him before he fell.
There happened to be a tree behind him, so Xu Xingzhe leaned against it and grabbed Lu Zhaoshen’s hand around his waist without allowing him to let go. Then he tiptoed and kissed him.
“Xu Xingzhe!”
“It’s so dark here, and you can’t even see my face. Can’t you endure it for once?”
Lu Zhaoshen was taken aback, his body stiffening.
“You only know how to make me sad,” Xu Xingzhe deliberately said some mean words even though he wasn’t good at it. Pretending to be upset, he rubbed his forehead against Lu Zhaoshen’s neck and complained, “Can’t you have any crisis awareness? If you go on like this, I won’t want you anymore.”
Lu Zhaoshen was the type of person who would give in to persuasion rather than coercion, so as soon as Xu Xingzhe raised his head, his lips were sealed.
Lu Zhaoshen pressed Xu Xingzhe against the tree and kissed him. Xu Xingzhe’s head rubbed against the rough bark with some discomfort. After a few movements, Lu Zhaoshen’s hand reached up. But Xu Xingzhe was too dizzy from the kiss to notice Lu Zhaoshen’s actions. They rarely kissed so seriously, so after a short while, Xu Xingzhe’s lips and tongue felt numb. His mind and soul had flown away, and all he could do was hold onto Lu Zhaoshen’s neck tighter.
It was like going back to their high school days when the two of them had secretly tasted the forbidden fruit in Xu Xingzhe’s dim bedroom. At first, Xu Xingzhe was the one to take the initiative, while Lu Zhaoshen would give in step by step until he couldn’t take it anymore, then he would turn the tables and pin Xu Xingzhe down.
The same darkness, the same heat and surging emotions made Xu Xingzhe feel as if the discomfort and unfamiliarity of the past ten days had evaporated.
Lu Zhaoshen was still his Lu Zhaoshen.
The sounds of their kissing in the quiet grove were remarkably clear. Just as Lu Zhaoshen’s lips touched Xu Xingzhe’s neck, a strong beam of light suddenly shone on them.
Lu Zhaoshen reacted swiftly. He pressed Xu Xingzhe against his chest and shielded him with his jacket before looking at the source of the light.
It turned out to be an old man patrolling the park. When he heard suspicious sounds, he flashed his flashlight over and saw a tall young man holding someone against a tree. He knew what was going on without having to think too hard.
The old man changed the direction of his flashlight and walked on as if nothing had happened, muttering to himself, “Young people nowadays… morals are declining, sigh!”
After the old man left, Xu Xingzhe poked his head out of Lu Zhaoshen’s embrace and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no one around.
The romantic atmosphere was shattered, and Lu Zhaoshen regained his composure. He let go of Xu Xingzhe and said, “Let’s go.”
Xu Xingzhe angrily poked Lu Zhaoshen’s back with his finger from behind, “See, it’s like this every time. You kiss and then don’t acknowledge it! Scumbag!”
Lu Zhaoshen frowned, “What do you mean, acknowledge?”
“Acknowledging means that after kissing, you say, ‘I like you.'”
Xu Xingzhe didn’t have much hope for himself after saying this. He stuck out his tongue and didn’t bug Lu Zhaoshen anymore. He just held Lu Zhaoshen’s hand as they walked out of the grove and slowly made their way to the school.
T/N: Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧🐲
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人) Happy Lunar New Year to You ^^
Your soon to be boyfriend’s tsuntsun level is off the charts lol. Xing Xing jiayou!