As expected of someone like Lu Chengxuan, he didn’t push for details, but the moment he and Lin Shen locked eyes, the atmosphere turned awkward real quick.
Good thing Lu Chengxuan didn’t come alone.
Fu Xuexue stepped out from behind him, holding a bouquet of carefully chosen flowers. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Lu Chengxuan and Lin Shen before finally settling on Lin Wangye. She looked like she wasn’t quite sure how to start talking.
In the end, it was Lin Wangye who broke the weird silence. He lifted his clear voice and greeted her with a smile, “Class rep, you came to see me! These flowers are so pretty—your taste is still amazing!”
Fu Xuexue placed the bouquet by his bed and gave a gentle smile.
“I wanted to visit you as soon as I heard you got hurt, but I was worried I’d bother your recovery. It wasn’t until I ran into the class monitor after school today that I found out you were already doing much better. Are you feeling okay now?”
Ever since Fu Xuexue switched classes before winter break, she hadn’t seen Lin Wangye and the others again.
But after sitting next to each other for so long, they’d always had a good relationship.
Even though they weren’t in the same class anymore, they still stuck with the old nicknames—they just never got out of the habit.
After getting through the worst of it, Lin Wangye was back to his usual cheerful self. He smiled at Fu Xuexue and said, “Thanks for checking in! I’ve been doing fine for a while now, nothing serious at all!”
“That’s good to hear.” Fu Xuexue nodded at Shi Yuan as a thank-you, then sat down on the chair he brought over. “When I first heard about it, I was so scared. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“It’s nothing serious—this kid’s just lucky like that.” Lin Shen, seeing that Lin Wangye had no time to play with him, grabbed the game console again and kept playing, speaking lazily with a look that said he didn’t care.
Like he wasn’t the one who’d been freaking out back then.
Fu Xuexue smiled with her eyes and added, “Actually, I didn’t pick these flowers by myself—Shi Shi helped me pick them. She told me to say hi to you.”
“Huh?”
Lin Wangye was a little confused. He and Shi Shi were just classmates, not exactly close.
Outside of school, he’d only seen her a couple of times when she was at the Lu house learning from Lu Wei. But since he was usually out and about on weekends, they barely ran into each other. Other than a quick hello, they hadn’t really talked much.
When he heard her name, Lin Wangye instinctively glanced at Lin Shen. Seeing that he was still focused on his game with no reaction, he turned to Fu Xuexue and nodded. “Alright! Got it. I’ll thank her in person when we’re back at school.”
Fu Xuexue nodded, then stood up.
“Okay, I won’t bother you for too long. I’m heading back to study.”
“Alrighty!” Lin Wangye grinned at her. “I saw your scores on the mock exam—really good! Keep it up!”
“Xiao Lin, you better work hard too!”
Fu Xuexue gave him a fist-pump cheer, then waved to the others before turning to leave.
The moment she walked out, Lin Shen—who’d been happily playing his game just a second ago—suddenly tossed the console onto the bed. His face darkened like clouds rolling in, but after a beat, he cracked a smile, rested his elbow on the bed, propped up his chin with his hand, and looked up at Lu Chengxuan.
“I called you after school and you didn’t show. I was wondering what you were up to. Turns out you were hanging out with our school beauty.”
The second he said that, the air in the hospital room shifted. Lin Wangye shot a look at Shi Yuan, then checked Lu Chengxuan’s expression, trying to smooth things over with a light tone.
“For real? For real? Bro Lu didn’t say anything—how’d you know?”
Lin Shen’s eyes locked right onto Lu Chengxuan. “Fu Xuexue and Shi Shi aren’t that close, definitely not close enough to leave school together or have lunch. So wasn’t it that she just happened to run into you and Shi Shi, and then decided to stop by with some flowers for Xiao Lin?”
Lu Chengxuan nodded, honest as ever. “Yeah, that’s what happened.”
Lin Shen nodded too, still smiling.
“So… when’s the engagement?”
The air dropped dead silent. It felt like the oxygen had suddenly thickened and thinned out all at once.
Shi Yuan watched both of them quietly, saying nothing. Lin Wangye sat there stunned for a long moment, totally lost, before blurting out, “Huh?”
Lu Chengxuan let out a sigh, sounding a little helpless, and met Lin Shen’s sharp stare as he said, “I told you before—nothing’s set in stone. Not even close.”
“Not even a start, but maybe there’s already a finish?” Lin Shen was still smiling, but the curve of his lips felt cold. “I remember hearing from her back in middle school that your families were planning to match you two up. It actually makes sense—same background, perfect fit.”
Thanks to everything he’d gone through over two lifetimes, Lin Wangye quickly realized how serious this situation was.
Back when his dad was yelling and cursing, at least you knew where he stood.
But this—silent glares, or worse, this passive-aggressive tone full of jabs and sarcasm—this was when he was really mad.
The problem was, he couldn’t figure out why it had blown up so suddenly.
In his last life, he didn’t even know his dad and Lu Chengxuan had been classmates—let alone anything about Shi Shi. To him, Lu Chengxuan had always just been the biggest rival in the family business, and Shi Shi? Just some celebrity.
He never cared much about the entertainment world anyway, and for stuff he didn’t bother to look into, his mind was just completely blank.
The only thing Lin Wangye knew for sure was that twenty years later, Lu Chengxuan was definitely still single. There was never any engagement, no talk of marriage with anyone. Same went for Shi Shi—also unmarried, and in all those messy rumors over the years, Lu Chengxuan’s name never came up once.
That future felt way too far off for him now.
And besides, Lin Shen had never mentioned any of this before.
Now suddenly finding out there was way more bad blood between these two than just that time someone got stood up, Lin Wangye was completely lost. It all happened so fast—he had no clue what was going on or what to even say.
And Lin Shen’s words hadn’t left any room for explanation.
Shi Shi’s family business in real estate needed money, and the Lu family was also looking to invest and make some returns. So yeah, it was true that the parents from both sides had plans for a marriage alliance.
And yeah, they were a good match on paper too.
Lin Shen hadn’t thrown a fit or made a scene, but he’d clearly held onto this. This whole thing had stuck in his heart like a knot, soft punches that still landed right where it hurt the most. Lu Chengxuan had no way to fight back—not even the chance to.
“You keep playing. I’m going out for a walk.”
With that, Lin Shen got up, handed the game console to Lin Wangye, and walked right out the hospital room without even looking back. He pulled the door shut behind him.
Staring at each other in shock, Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan blinked for a long moment before Lin Wangye finally snapped back to life. He sat up and turned to Lu Chengxuan. “Go after him, Brother Lu! Who cares if he’s overreacting or being dramatic—what matters is attitude! Right now, it’s all about the attitude!”
Lu Chengxuan had already explained everything clearly and couldn’t figure out why Lin Shen was reacting like this… but hearing those words suddenly clicked something in him, and without another word, he rushed out to chase after him.
But truth was, when Lin Shen didn’t want to be found, no one could find him.
His phone buzzed like crazy in his pocket, but he didn’t answer a single call. Eventually he just got fed up and turned the whole thing off. He walked all the way to the front of Qingsen Internet Café, then suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a second, turned around, and ended up wandering back to the school field, finding a quiet corner to sit down.
Honestly, even he didn’t quite know why he was acting like this.
When girls talk about their dreams of getting married in the future—about love and shy hopes and all that—it’s supposed to be something sweet. But every time he thought back to that one moment in middle school when Shi Shi brought up Lu Chengxuan in front of him, it just made his skin crawl.
He’d been annoyed about it for years—and he still was.
He could tell she’d said it to show off, could tell she probably picked up on something and said it on purpose from the start. But none of that really mattered. What mattered was—it was true.
She could say it, because it was real. She did have that right, to casually drop the fact that she might end up as Lu Chengxuan’s fiance one day.
So who was he to be mad?
In this lifetime, would he ever have a clear, solid place by Lu Chengxuan’s side like that?
The more Lin Shen thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He lowered his head, raked his fingers through his hair, and pulled out something from his pocket almost without thinking.
He was already holding the lighter when he suddenly remembered—he’d promised Lin Wangye he wouldn’t smoke anymore.
It’s not like smoking was ever that great anyway. Too much of it just left your mouth tasting bitter. Most people couldn’t quit not because it tasted good, but because the nicotine numbed them, made things feel easier.
Everyone knew that fake kind of comfort never lasted.
But sometimes, when emotions get too loud, that tiny bit of calm—even if it’s fake—starts to look real tempting.
There was a convenience store not far from the school gates. He could sneak a smoke, and as long as he didn’t go near the hospital, Lin Wangye wouldn’t find out. It wasn’t like he ever took those so-called oaths seriously, anyway.
But deep down, he really didn’t want to smoke anymore.
It just felt pointless.
Still, habits you’ve had for a long time are the hardest to quit. You can’t just say you’re done and be done.
He thought back to the little trick Lin Wangye had taught him to quit smoking.
When the craving hits, kiss someone if you can. If not, go buy some bubble gum.
Lin Shen let out a laugh and covered his face with one hand, eyes shut, smiling at the memory. Then he figured he’d go buy some gum. But the moment he looked up, he froze—right in front of him stood a pretty silhouette.
The weather was warming up, so the heavy winter coats were gone. Shi Shi was wearing a pure white jacket over a beige knit dress that came to her knees. Her long hair was tied in a low ponytail at the back of her head—just like the school rules said—and the loose strands around her face gave her a soft, gentle look.
This kind of outfit really showed off someone’s looks and figure.
Clearly, Shi Shi was the kind of person who could pull off anything she wore.
They were behind the little bamboo grove at the edge of the school field, a place barely anyone noticed. If Lin Shen hadn’t been parked there like some bad omen, chances were some couple sneaking around would’ve shown up to make out.
He couldn’t figure out why Shi Shi would be here of all places.
He sat there, thinking it over for a second, then realized—she was here for him.
Lin Shen didn’t like beating around the bush, so he just asked outright, “What’s up?”
Shi Shi didn’t answer right away. She walked a few steps and sat down on one of the exercise machines near the rock he was sitting on. She looked down, like she was choosing her words carefully, and only after a pause did she look up at him.
Something about her seemed different today. Lin Shen couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he held back and waited.
“Lu Chengxuan talked to me about a lot of things at lunch today,” Shi Shi said, pausing slightly before she went on. “I’ve been thinking about it since then, and I feel like… you and I need to talk.”
Lin Shen stood up on the spot. “Sorry. I don’t want to hear it.”
Shi Shi stood too, rushing to speak before he could walk away. “I’ve never liked him.”
Lin Shen froze in place, stopping mid-step.
Seeing that he hadn’t left, Shi Shi sat back down and started speaking again, her voice slower this time.
“During winter break, he came to me once. He told me he wouldn’t get engaged to me—and that he definitely wouldn’t marry me.”
After she said that, Lin Shen turned to look at her again.
She still looked just as graceful and beautiful as always—but something about her felt completely different now.
“Since I can remember, people around me have always told me how to be the perfect girl, so I could get married into a good family. The first time I went into the Lu family’s house, my mom pointed at him and told me that I should like him. As long as I acted like I liked him, everyone at home would be happy. I used to think there was nothing wrong with that.”
She paused there on purpose, her tone slowing down: “I used to think he and I were the same kind of people—that from the moment we were born, our lives had already been set.”
Lin Shen murmured, almost dazed, “Weren’t they?”
“It was.” Shi Shi turned her face toward the teaching building, the light on her features soft and open, like she was honestly relieved. “But I didn’t expect him to be the one to teach me how to fight back.”
Lin Shen reached for his pocket out of habit again. When he came up empty, he took a long breath, trying to stay calm. “What did he say to you?”
“Not much. Other than the engagement thing, he just told me not to be a puppet anymore. He said I should try to find myself again.” She gave a small shake of her head and sighed. “I haven’t found it yet. I’ve only ever done what my family told me to do. I never even thought to question it.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Lin Shen asked.
“Because I realized… when it comes to liking Lu Chengxuan, you’ve always had something against me. And because of that, I’ve shown the same kind of attitude back.”
Thinking back on how she’d been, Shi Shi gave a soft, self-deprecating smile and lowered her eyes. “It was a long time ago, but I still wanted to tell you properly—I don’t like him. I just thought I was doing the right thing.”
Lin Shen didn’t say anything for a long time. Or maybe he just didn’t know what to say.
The whole thing left him kind of scrambled inside too.
But Shi Shi now—she seemed a lot more grounded. Like she’d finally walked off stage and dropped the act.
“Alright,” Lin Shen said quietly, lowering his head and going back to sit on the same rock as before. “I owe you an apology. I used to hate you.”
“And that’s honestly one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you.” Shi Shi let out a dry laugh. “I get the feeling… Lin Wangye doesn’t really like me either.”
Lin Shen snorted. “I’ll apologize on his behalf too. He doesn’t mean anything bad, really. He’s just been around me too much…”
“I figured,” Shi Shi glanced at him, blinking once. “I’m guessing you came back to school this early because you saw the flowers I sent.”
Lin Shen often had to admit, the genes in these rich families really were something else.
Their brains just worked way too fast.
Too bad his mom’s good genes didn’t beat out his dad’s. He’d probably inherited a fair bit of idiocy over the years.
“Fighting with your family can’t be easy. Are you sure about this?” Lin Shen asked.
“It’s not too bad. It’s hard for him, but not for me.” Shi Shi didn’t seem particularly bothered and spoke calmly. “My family wants me to tie myself to the Lu family, but it doesn’t have to be Lu Chengxuan. Compared to him, Aunt Vivian can actually give me what I need—help me find myself again, and not let my family control me.”
Lin Shen couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.
“You’re seriously smart.”
Shi Shi smiled at him, completely composed. “Thanks for the compliment.”
“But speaking of—why’d Lu Chengxuan suddenly say all that to you…”
“I don’t know either.” Shi Shi shook her head. After glancing somewhere off to the side, she stood up and smoothed down her skirt. “He’s here. Ask him yourself.”
Lin Shen’s heart skipped a beat at those words. He jerked his head up, just in time to see Lu Chengxuan walking slowly toward them. Shi Shi gave him a polite nod and turned to leave.
As soon as Lin Shen met Lu Chengxuan’s calm, unreadable eyes, he suddenly forgot how to talk. His brain scrambled around trying to find something coherent to say, but came up with nothing.
So he gave up.
He tilted his head back and stared up at the sky. The sunlight was so bright it made him dizzy. He looked down and rubbed his eyes, and somehow managed to turn his double eyelids lopsided, making his eyes uneven.
“What are you doing here?” Lu Chengxuan asked.
“Wanted a smoke. Was craving one bad.” Lin Shen coughed, “I needed some air.”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t say much to that. He didn’t even ask what Lin Shen and Shi Shi had just talked about. He just said calmly, “Hold out. Once you get used to it, you’ll stop wanting it.”
“Lin Wangye says there’s a trick to quitting.”
“What trick?”
Lin Shen sat on the stone with his elbows on his knees, looking up at him. But Lu Chengxuan was standing right where the sun was glaring down, and the light hit his eyes again, making them sting.
His eyes were watering, and before his brain could even kick in, his mouth was already moving. He meant to ask Lu Chengxuan to go buy him some gum.
But what actually came out was—
“Find someone to kiss.”
*
Author’s Note:
Lin Shen(internally): I knew I inherited my dad’s defective genes!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
