AAWOMAHI Chapter22

The next day, Lu Xingmian left on time as usual. However, after going down one floor, he remembered his phone was still in his room.

 

So, he went back to his apartment to get his phone, then headed to the breakfast stall at the complex entrance.

 

It was the same as always: a bowl of tofu pudding and two fried dough sticks.

 

After eating half of the smooth, white tofu pudding, Lu Xingmian suddenly remembered he hadn’t added anything to it. So, he put in a spoonful of white sugar. Sweet tofu pudding was indeed delicious.

 

Sitting on the bus, Lu Xingmian gazed at the scenery outside the window. His face was expressionless, but his heart was incredibly excited. He had known Lu Ge online for over three months, and today he would finally see him.

 

Lu Ge, with such a pleasant voice and such a gentle demeanor, must be a very kind person.

 

–

 

After taking Lu Xingmian’s call yesterday and returning to the private room, Lu Shiran told his friends that he had something to do tomorrow and wouldn’t be joining them.

 

His friends were surprised. He’d just said he was free but suddenly had plans after one phone call? It seemed this call was significant, so one friend immediately bet that Lu Shiran would break his single status before turning thirty.

 

In the morning, Lu Shiran left punctually. An hour and a half later, after entering SS City, Lu Shiran suddenly remembered that his persona to Lu Xingmian was that of a struggling office worker, one who even needed a part-time job.

 

Upon arriving at Lu Xingmian’s school, Lu Shiran had his driver park the car far away and told him to find a place to wait, only to come if he called. The driver drove the multi-million dollar luxury car far away, making sure not to appear in front of Mr. Lu unbidden.

 

With five minutes left before class ended, Lu Xingmian felt his phone vibrate. His intuition told him it was a message from Lu Ge, who surely must have arrived. Taking advantage of the teacher’s distraction, Lu Xingmian stealthily pulled out his phone. It was indeed a message from Lu Ge, saying he was already at the school gate.

 

Lu Ge had really come, and he was at the school gate right now! The moment he saw the message, Lu Xingmian’s hand trembled slightly.

 

But class was still in session. Lu Xingmian quickly messaged Lu Ge back, saying they had five more minutes until class ended and asked him to wait a bit. Lu Ge replied, telling him not to rush, as considerate as ever.

 

Lu Xingmian was both excited and nervous, excited to see Lu Ge soon and nervous because he would see Lu Ge soon.

 

On stage, the teacher had finished the lesson content, leaving a minute or two for students to digest the material.

 

Chen Che suddenly noticed that his deskmate’s ears had turned red. He knew Lu Xingmian had been getting sick on and off recently, so he thought Lu Xingmian was ill again.

 

Chen Che lightly nudged Lu Xingmian with his elbow. “Are you sick again? Why are your ears red? Do you have a fever? Want to go to the infirmary?”

 

Lu Xingmian unconsciously touched his ears; they were a little warm. “I’m fine, just feeling a bit hot.”

 

Chen Che thought about it. The classroom temperature had always been the same, neither cold nor hot. Why were Lu Xingmian’s ears suddenly red from heat? Was he really not sick?

 

Just as Chen Che was wondering, the bell for class dismissal finally rang.

 

Lu Xingmian mumbled, “I’m off,” then hurried out of the classroom as if he were going to meet someone very important.

 

Chen Che called out from behind, “Lu Xingmian, you forgot your jacket! It’s cold outside!”

 

But Lu Xingmian had already run far away and didn’t hear him at all. He rushed out of the teaching building and headed straight for the school gate. The closer he got, the more nervous he became.

 

Perhaps it was because he was running too fast, but Lu Xingmian’s heart was pounding.

 

He finally reached the school gate and stopped in a corner, taking a moment to compose himself and steady his breathing.

 

Standing at the entrance, Lu Shiran spotted Lu Xingmian instantly. He watched him sprint all the way over, then suddenly stop and pat his chest. He seemed to have run too fast; Lu Shiran wished he had sent the message later so Lu Xingmian wouldn’t have rushed out so anxiously.

 

There were many people at the school gate, and students were continuously pouring out, making the crowd grow.

 

Lu Xingmian scanned the crowd, searching for Lu Ge.

 

His eyes landed on a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black wool coat standing a short distance away. The man’s posture was like that of a finely sculpted statue, instantly capturing Lu Xingmian’s attention.

 

The moment he saw him, Lu Xingmian’s heart gave a sudden jolt. Could that be… Lu Ge?

 

The man looked at him and smiled.

 

Lu Xingmian froze, watching the man walk toward him step by step.

 

He forgot to move forward and also how to speak.

 

It wasn’t until the man stood directly in front of him and asked, “It’s so cold today, why aren’t you wearing a jacket? Aren’t you cold?”

 

The incredibly familiar voice, the incredibly familiar tone, and the incredibly familiar concern.

 

It was Lu Ge!

 

It was undeniably Lu Ge.

 

Lu Xingmian had once imagined what Lu Ge might look like, picturing all sorts of appearances, but he had never, ever thought Lu Ge would be this handsome! Not only was he good-looking, but he was also so tall, at least 188 cm. At that moment, he suddenly understood why Lu Ge had such a pleasant voice.

 

Lu Xingmian, nervous and stammering slightly, introduced himself: “Lu Ge, I, I’m Lu Xingmian.”

 

Lu Shiran smiled and said, “Hello, my name is Lu Shiran.”

 

Lu Shiran—even his name sounded good.

 

Having rushed out in haste, Lu Xingmian hadn’t had time to put on a jacket and was now feeling a bit cold. Lu Shiran took off his own overcoat and draped it over Lu Xingmian. “Why did you come out without wearing enough clothes?”

 

There was no blame in his tone, just a touch of concern. Dressed in his school uniform, Lu Xingmian looked even thinner, his face a little pale from the cold, and his lips red.

 

The overcoat was warm, carrying a faint scent of tobacco that was surprisingly pleasant.

 

Lu Xingmian explained, “I was afraid you’d be waiting anxiously, so I forgot to put on my jacket.”

 

In such cold weather, Lu Xingmian felt cold, and Lu Shiran must have felt it too, as he didn’t seem to be wearing much either. Lu Xingmian seemed to want to take off the coat and return it to him.

 

Lu Shiran gently pressed his shoulder. “Be good, keep it on.”

 

Lu Shiran’s voice was simply too pleasant. Lu Xingmian hummed in agreement. “Lu Ge, our homeroom teacher is in the office now. Can we go to the office?”

 

Lu Shiran assented with a simple “En.”

 

Lu Xingmian first returned to his classroom to put on his own jacket, then gave Lu Shiran’s coat back to him.

 

On the way to the office, Lu Xingmian remained very quiet.

 

After meeting Lu Shiran, Lu Xingmian became a little less talkative. As they walked, he kept walking with the same arm and leg forward, almost bumping into Lu Shiran several times.

 

Lu Shiran noticed. “Are you nervous?”

 

Lu Xingmian admitted, “En.”

 

Lu Shiran chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person.”

 

At this, Lu Xingmian became even more flustered. “That’s not what I meant. I, I’m really just a little nervous. I’ll be fine in a bit.”

 

Lu Shiran noticed that Lu Xingmian’s ears were consistently red from nervousness. It was then that he also spotted a small piercing on Lu Xingmian’s right ear.

 

Lu Shiran asked him, “What should I say when I meet your teacher later?”

 

Lu Xingmian seemed a bit embarrassed by the question. “The homeroom teacher wanted to call our parents because we skipped class. Just respond to whatever she says; you don’t need to say anything special.”

 

Lu Shiran replied, “Okay.”

 

Lu Shiran’s voice was, in fact, several times more pleasant than it sounded over the phone.

 

Lu Xingmian couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Lu Shiran. Lu Shiran happened to look back and smiled, as if all the winter sunlight had settled on him. Lu Xingmian quickly looked straight ahead, nearly walking out of step again.

 

“Ge, the office is just ahead.”

 

Inside the office, Lu Shiran and the homeroom teacher sat facing each other, with Lu Xingmian standing obediently beside Lu Shiran.

 

It had to be admitted that Lu Shiran possessed an effortlessly parental air, evident in every movement and expression. The homeroom teacher appeared entirely unsuspicious of him, which made Lu Xingmian wonder if Lu Shiran had taken on such “meet-the-teacher” tasks in the past.

 

However, standing beside Lu Shiran and listening to the homeroom teacher discuss his truancy made Lu Xingmian incredibly embarrassed.

 

The teacher’s intention in calling parents wasn’t to criticize the students, but rather to encourage parents to pay more attention to their children, especially those nearing the college entrance exams.

 

Lu Shiran assured the homeroom teacher that Lu Xingmian would not skip class again.

 

After addressing Lu Xingmian’s truancy, the teacher then praised him, saying that Lu Xingmian performed very well at school and his grades were stable too. If he could maintain such performance, getting into Yancheng University would be no problem at all.

 

Li Mei didn’t know why Lu Xingmian had transferred schools so frequently before, so she subtly expressed to Lu Shiran that the college entrance exam was less than six months away. It was crucial to provide the child with a stable learning environment and avoid frequent transfers, as this would affect the child.

 

Hearing the teacher mention frequent transfers, Lu Shiran glanced at Lu Xingmian, who was beside him. Lu Xingmian kept his eyes down, like a child who had made a mistake, staring at the ground. Even his long lashes couldn’t fully conceal the subtle trace of melancholy in his eyes.

 

Lu Shiran likely understood the reason behind the constant transfers. Despite Lu Xingmian being at such a critical stage, the Lu family not only moved him from school to school but also left him to live alone here.

 

Lu Shiran stated, “Teacher, please rest assured, I won’t let the child transfer schools again.”

 

Lu Xingmian looked at Lu Shiran in surprise.

 

Hearing this, Li Mei felt relieved. This older brother was indeed reliable.

 

After chatting with the homeroom teacher for over twenty minutes, Lu Shiran and Lu Xingmian left the office, then encountered Chen Che and his mother, who were about to enter.

 

Once outside, Lu Xingmian was about to say thank you when his stomach let out a long rumble.

 

Lu Shiran suggested, “Hungry? Shall we go eat first?”

 

They went to a beef noodle shop near the school.

 

Lu Xingmian actually wanted to treat Lu Shiran to something better, but their lunch break was so short, it was less than an hour before their next class, so he could only take Lu Shiran for noodles. It was a bit too rushed and simple.

 

Soon, two steaming bowls of beef noodles were served. Lu Shiran noticed that Lu Xingmian picked out all the cilantro.

 

Lu Xingmian looked at Lu Shiran. “Ge, if you’re not in a hurry to go back, can I treat you to dinner tonight?”