Chapter 38: Should I Take the Initiative to Find Him?

“Really, you didn’t kiss?”

Chen Shujie finally managed to break free from his clutches, and his first reaction was to confirm this point.

Lou Zhao also leaned in, his face full of gossip and curiosity.

Cheng Xingye was already too impatient to explain any further, and said irritably,

“Kiss my ass.”

She’s underage! Who do you want sent off to the sewing machine?

Chen Shujie let out a howl, deeply disappointed.

“Ye-ge, you’re being way too timid... When young people have a dream, it shouldn’t just stay in their hearts—they ought to act on it.”

Cheng Xingye sneered dismissively.

How was this being timid?

The little brat hasn’t even taken the college entrance exam yet! He couldn’t possibly ruin her whole life, could he?

Lou Zhao looked lost and bewildered. Just now, when Chen Shujie told him that the girl Cheng Xingye had supposedly pinned downstairs and kissed so passionately was Lu Yi’s younger sister, he hadn’t believed it at first. Now, seeing the impatience in Cheng Xingye’s face, he suddenly felt that the campus heartthrob of their medical school might actually be serious this time.

He hesitated for a long while, but curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but ask,

“Ye-ge, you’re flirting with Lu-ge’s sister right under his nose, and he hasn’t noticed anything?”

Normally, older brothers are very possessive and protective of their sisters.

Besides, Lu Yi always seemed like a forceful character. If his own dorm mate was after his sister, would he really be so completely unreactive?

Lou Zhao’s question made Cheng Xingye pause for a moment. He narrowed his eyes in thought. Had he really been that obvious?

But judging by Lu Yi’s reaction earlier, he seemed a little suspicious. He just didn’t have any proof and was too embarrassed to ask directly.

Lounging back in his chair, Cheng Xingye shot the two of them a lazy, icy glance and said,

“Can you two keep your mouths shut for once? Do you have to say everything that crosses your minds? What about the girl’s reputation?”

Lou Zhao replied, “Bro, we’re just thinking of you. If you really like her, let us know in advance, so we can help put in a good word with Lu-ge.”

Cheng Xingye thought to himself, what’s the point? The girl doesn’t even like me.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose in resignation and sighed,

“I know you mean well, but could you at least wait before jumping in?”

Anyway, even if he did like her, he had no intention of disturbing her life or thoughts in the next couple of years.

For teenagers, after all, the college entrance exam was the most important thing in their lives right now.

If it were him, an early romance would be no big deal.

But that little rascal was different.

She looked sharp enough, and in terms of wit, he might not even be her match. But girls were always more prone to throwing themselves into love without a second thought.

Besides, she was still so young, and already had someone she liked!

Thinking of this, Cheng Xingye suddenly grew silent.

He pondered quietly, thinking it would be best to keep things as they were, and not disrupt the current balance.

If she were to discover his feelings, she might just run away from him altogether.

He stayed silent for so long that Chen Shujie seemed to catch on to his thoughts, and pressed on even more persistently,

“But aren’t you afraid she’ll run off with someone else after graduation?”

Even if Cheng Xingye was willing to stay in Jiangcheng to work after graduation for her, what if she found someone else in the next two years, or wrote her university preferences somewhere else?

There were still two years left—who could say what might happen?

This question hit Cheng Xingye right where it hurt.

Wasn’t he afraid?

Of course he was.

Especially when he remembered how Lu Qingyue had confidently said she already liked someone, he felt an unexplainable discomfort, a strange surge of restlessness and frustration.

But what could he do?

Go shamelessly and play the role of the third wheel?

She’d probably even complain that he was too old for her!

Cheng Xingye curled his lips, tilted his head back, closed his eyes in weary self-mockery, and said with a wry laugh,

“Why worry about the future now? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!”

Seeing he really didn’t intend to pursue it, Chen Shujie and Lou Zhao gave up and sensibly dispersed.

...

The end of final exams marked the arrival of winter break.

Lu Qingyue had done well this term, and as a result, she became much more confident at home—so much so that no one cared if she slept until eleven every morning.

But after a few days of this comfortable life, she started to feel a bit bored.

After a week of aimlessness at home, Lu Qingyue couldn’t help opening the group chat with her two friends to complain.

[Lu Dot]: Winter break is so boring. Is there anything fun to do?

Hu Qiuyue, apparently also bored at home for the entire holiday, replied almost instantly.

[Hu Qiuyue]: Bored with nothing to do? Take a look at your homework and you’ll know what to play with.

[Lu Dot]: Pffft! Who brings up homework in the middle of a glorious holiday!

Not long after, Zhou Tingting chimed in.

[Zhou Tingting]: If you had a boyfriend, you wouldn’t feel bored anymore.

Is that really so? Lu Qingyue, never having dated, was half skeptical.

But the idea of a boyfriend...

She wouldn’t mind, but where was she supposed to find one?

For some reason, Cheng Xingye came to mind again.

Since seeing him once outside the boys’ dorm at Jiang University on the day vacation started, nearly half a month had passed.

In that time, she hadn’t so much as seen him, nor received a single message on WeChat. It was as if he had vanished quietly and completely from her world.

When she didn’t think about him, it wasn’t so bad—after all, he’d never been a regular presence in her life, and their boundaries had always been clear.

But once she did, her heart would itch, as if someone had taken a piece away, leaving her inexplicably empty inside.

Should she reach out to him first?

Lu Qingyue was tempted.

But the only connection between her and Cheng Xingye was her brother; apart from that, they had no common topics.

How could she start a conversation with him without it seeming forced?

Lu Qingyue fiddled with her phone, searching in vain for an opening.

After dinner that evening, she slouched on the sofa, phone in hand, still wondering how to start a chat with Cheng Xingye.

But what if he was out with friends?

What if she messaged first and he found her annoying?

So absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when Xi Yu sat down on the opposite sofa.

Xi Yu had assumed her recent listlessness was just due to too much time at home.

But seeing her holding her phone with such lack of interest, she began to sense that something was off.

Being glued to your phone was nothing unusual.

But when even your phone couldn’t hold your attention, that was a sign of real trouble.