Another week down. After being completely drained by 8 a.m. classes, they were finally about to welcome their first break of the semester—National Day holiday.
Room 314 was already planning their seven-day itinerary. Li Yan was heading home—his cousin was getting married, and he was expected to be the muscle. Feng Zhenjie, on the other hand, decided to spend the break exploring the capital. He asked Qi Xu and Xie Huai for recommendations on places worth visiting.
Qi Xu helpfully listed out affordable restaurants and classic tourist spots.
But then the real local, Xie Huai, shot all of them down: “Don’t go to those places. They’ve turned into social media hotspots. During Golden Week, you’ll just be packed in with the crowds and waste an entire day.”
Instead, Xie Huai gave Feng Zhenjie a list of small hidden shops tucked away in alleyways and little-known parks—places where you could still see the beauty of the city without the chaos of popular parks.
Qi Xu had been in the capital for ten years, yet never really felt like he belonged. The city still didn’t feel like home. Like many young people chasing dreams in Beijing, he drifted like duckweed, never quite putting down roots.
Back in the day, Li Kaixing used to tease him—“You sure you’re a local? You don’t even know this or that place?”
So now, Qi Xu mentally took note of the places Xie Huai mentioned. If he had the time, he’d like to check them out too.
Seeing everyone chatting so excitedly, Qi Xu interjected, “Don’t forget about the adjusted work schedule. We’ve got an 8 a.m. class tomorrow.”
It was like dumping a bucket of cold water on a roaring campfire—sizzle—and the excitement vanished instantly.
“Adjusted schedules shouldn’t exist,” Li Yan muttered bitterly as he picked up his phone to set tomorrow’s alarm. “Pure evil!”
Qi Xu didn’t need to set an alarm. After replying to a work message on his phone, he suddenly noticed their usually lively five-person group chat had been dead silent. It was odd. Xu Yichen hadn’t messaged in a week. That guy was always buzzing with energy, whether there was a holiday or not—and especially right before one.
Xie Huai noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qi Xu replied, “Something seems off with Xu Yichen. He hasn’t posted anything in the group since orientation day.”
That reminded Qi Xu of the conversation they’d had that day. Could it be a failed confession? No way—Xu Yichen didn’t seem like someone who would spiral over something like that.
“He’s had some stuff going on at home lately,” Xie Huai explained. “Juggling school and family matters has kept him busy.”
Qi Xu nodded. “Oh, I see. I thought maybe after that day at orientation…”
He trailed off when he saw Xie Huai looking at him, waiting for him to finish.
“You hiding something?” Xie Huai asked.
Qi Xu considered that Xie Huai and Xu Yichen had been friends for over a decade, and Xu Yichen was terrible at hiding feelings. Anyone with eyes could see how he felt about Fang Qian.
…Except for Jiang Zimu.
Qi Xu scooted his chair a little closer to Xie Huai, lowered his voice like he was sharing some juicy gossip: “Xu Yichen and Fang Qian.”
Xie Huai, clearly not expecting Qi Xu to have picked up on that, couldn’t help the amused curl of his lips. “I thought you were as clueless as Zimu.”
Qi Xu noticed Xie Huai had started smiling a lot more lately. He studied that rare expression for a second, then propped his chin on his hand. “Hey, don’t diss our Master Jiang like that. His mind is just focused on art, that’s all.”
Xie Huai closed his laptop and replied in the same quiet tone, “He wants to confess but doesn’t have the guts. Xu-ge… trying to play matchmaker?”
Qi Xu caught the teasing in his voice—but what really struck him was the sudden, almost unintentional way Xie Huai called him Xu-ge. It wasn’t like when the others said it casually. He’d paused, just a second, before finishing the sentence, like something gooey stretched between the words.
Qi Xu ignored the teasing and said calmly, “Nope. Let them work it out on their own.”
As he spoke, his hand sneakily reached toward Xie Huai’s desk drawer and pulled out a packet of dried fruit.
The move was way too obvious—Xie Huai caught him red-handed, grabbing his wrist. His fingers pressed against the pulse point, warm and steady.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Qi Xu didn’t flinch. “Can’t you just pretend you didn’t see?”
Xie Huai was speechless. “If you’d waited till I stepped out, or at least waited till I was on the balcony washing my hands, I could’ve pretended I didn’t see anything. But I’m literally standing right here—how am I supposed to act like I didn’t see?”
Qi Xu shamelessly replied, “Just close your eyes. Then you won’t see it.”
Li Yan and the others noticed the commotion and turned to look. Xu-ge was caught red-handed stealing dried fruit.
“Ge, how could you personally do something like this? Next time, just let me steal it for you.”
Feng Zhenjie chimed in, “I’ll be the lookout.”
The whole dorm was clearly in on it. This wasn’t their first offense.
Xie Huai let go of his hand, allowing Qi Xu to snatch the fruit. Then he grabbed his phone and stepped out onto the balcony to reply to some messages.
With a victorious air, Qi Xu placed the dried fruit on top of a book and gazed at it in satisfaction.
There was a knock on the dorm door. Li Yan got up to open it and saw someone holding a textbook.
“Class rep, here to see Xu-ge again?”
Gao Wenjun smiled. “Sorry to bother you. Xu-ge solved the teacher’s question in class today—I wanted to ask him about it.”
He paused, then handed over a small bag of snacks. “Oh, and I brought you guys some snacks.”
Li Yan waved it off. “You’re too kind. You should give them to Xu-ge. I didn’t do anything to deserve that.”
Lately, Gao Wenjun had been dropping by their dorm a lot, always bringing classwork to discuss with Qi Xu. Maybe this was how top students bonded.
From the balcony, Xie Huai glanced at Gao Wenjun with an unreadable expression. The other boy met his gaze and smiled politely.
“Huai-shao, is there an issue with tomorrow night’s schedule?”
Xie Huai watched as Gao Wenjun walked over and stood beside Qi Xu, blocking his view, and frowned. “Go on.”
“Qi Xu, sorry to bother you again.” Gao Wenjun casually placed his textbook on Qi Xu’s desk—conveniently covering the dried fruit.
Qi Xu glanced at the textbook. He’d already explained this topic at least three times today and was getting a little fed up.
He was never someone who enjoyed playing teacher. He didn’t mind answering questions in class, but having his free time at the dorm invaded was starting to annoy him.
Gao Wenjun leaned in closer, one hand about to rest on the back of Qi Xu’s chair, like he was about to pull him into his space.
The unfamiliar scent on Gao Wenjun made Qi Xu uncomfortable. He and his chair scooted back all at once.
The chair legs screeched against the floor with an ear-piercing scrape.
Gao Wenjun was caught off guard by Qi Xu’s sharp reaction and froze in place.
Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie both looked over, eyes asking what was going on.
Qi Xu stood up and said to Li Yan, “Remember that problem I explained to you earlier? See if you still remember it—go over it with the class rep.”
Li Yan blinked. “Me?”
Qi Xu clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m not feeling great. You’re the village’s last hope.”
He moved Gao Wenjun’s textbook aside, grabbed his bag of dried fruit, and walked out onto the balcony—shutting the door behind him.
Li Yan cleared his throat and put on a mock-serious tone. “Class rep, allow me to enlighten you.”
He never thought there’d come a day when he’d be the one doing the teaching.
Gao Wenjun glanced twice toward the balcony. Two silhouettes stood side by side, a small gap between them. Qi Xu was leaning on the railing with both arms, cheeks puffed out with dried fruit in his mouth, grinning at Xie Huai with squinting eyes.
He looked relaxed, his usual cold demeanor nowhere in sight.
It was an expression Gao Wenjun had never seen before—not one directed at him, at least.
“Class rep?” Li Yan called out.
Gao Wenjun snapped out of it, turned back around, and placed the book on Li Yan’s desk.
The sun helped melt away Qi Xu’s earlier discomfort. He yawned and didn’t speak, not wanting to interrupt Xie Huai’s phone call.
Xie Huai didn’t bother avoiding Qi Xu while making business calls, giving instructions to his team as usual.
Ten minutes later, Qi Xu glanced back into the room. Gao Wenjun was gone, so he finally stepped inside.
He noticed two bags of snacks on his desk—one of them with more dried fruit inside.
Li Yan said, “Class rep left those. Said thanks for helping him out these past few days.”
Qi Xu wasn’t really a snack person. The only bad habit he’d picked up was a mild addiction to dried fruit.
He handed the snacks to Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie. “Take them for the road—some for your trip home, some for your day out.”
“All of it?” Li Yan asked as he dug through the bags. “Xu-ge, there’s even your favorite kind in here.”
“I don’t like dried fruit with additives,” Qi Xu replied.
Li Yan popped one in his mouth and made a face. “Yeah, it’s definitely not as good as Huai-ge’s. I wish I could ask him where he buys them—I’d bring some back for my mom.”
Feng Zhenjie was sorting through the snacks. “Xu-ge couldn’t even find out. I’m guessing it’s homemade? There’s no label or anything on the package.”
Qi Xu chuckled. “Yeah, looks pretty sketchy. We could probably report it and get the whole operation shut down.”
The one eating the most was also the first to suggest reporting them. But if it came to that, he’d be an accomplice too. No buyers, no black market.
—
Saturday. The infamous make-up day. After today’s classes, they’d finally start their week-long National Day break.
They had no evening classes, so once the afternoon session was over, they were free.
As soon as the bell rang, everyone instantly began packing up, unable to contain their excitement for the break.
Li Yan had a high-speed train to catch that evening. His suitcase was already packed and left in the lobby of the academic building, ready to head straight to the station.
He handed his books to Feng Zhenjie. “I’m heading out first. Happy National Day!”
Qi Xu gave a lazy wave in reply, eyes still fixed in irritation on a message from Shen Fengkai.
He skimmed it but didn’t bother replying. He had no intention of going back to the Shen family home this break.
“Heading to the old house?” Xie Huai asked.
Qi Xu glanced up at him. “Not yet. I’m going to Yunrui first.”
“Same direction. Give me a lift,” Xie Huai said.
Qi Xu lowered his phone. “Same direction, huh? If I were going back to the old house, would you tag along too?”
Xie Huai shrugged. “If you insist.”
Qi Xu shot back, “Unbelievable.”
Since they weren’t heading back to the dorm, Feng Zhenjie offered to take their books. Qi Xu gave him a quick thanks.
He had just picked up his messenger bag when Gao Wenjun approached, eyes fixed on Qi Xu’s sharp, delicate profile. “Qi Xu, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Qi Xu gave him a quick glance and turned to Xie Huai. “Chen Wei’s downstairs. Go ahead and get in the car?”
Xie Huai took the bag from Qi Xu. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Gao Wenjun didn’t want to talk in the classroom—too many people. This wasn’t something he wanted overheard.
They walked to the far end of the corridor, near a stairwell where no one else was around.
Qi Xu glanced up; this spot was out of the security camera’s view. Not that he was worried about throwing hands—if it came to that, Gao Wenjun wouldn’t stand a chance anyway.
Gao Wenjun seemed nervous, fingers digging into his palms without realizing.
Qi Xu instinctively took a step back. What, is this about to turn into a fight? We’ve barely even spoken.
Seeing Qi Xu retreat, Gao Wenjun looked awkward and forced a smile. “Qi Xu… I know you are. I am too. So… maybe we could try?”
Qi Xu blinked. What the hell is he talking about?
He frowned. “What are you even saying? Can you be a little clearer?”
Gao Wenjun clearly struggled to speak. He stayed silent for a long time, trying to work up the nerve—but couldn’t get anything out.
Qi Xu was done being patient. “If it’s nothing important, I’m leaving.”
Panicked, Gao Wenjun reached out to grab his hand—but Qi Xu sidestepped him instantly.
He was just about to curse him out when the other guy suddenly spoke in a strangled, low voice:
“I know you’re gay. I am too. I like you. Can we give it a try?”
Qi Xu: “…”
Of all the things that had happened since he was reborn, this had to be the most ridiculous. Where the hell did that idea even come from?
“I’m not.”
Gao Wenjun didn’t look surprised at his denial. In fact, he seemed weirdly encouraged by it.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Just give me a chance. Let’s get to know each other. I can be a really good… bed partner.”
Qi Xu: “…”
Qi Xu had gotten plenty of hints in his past life—from both men and women. That was back when he had fame and fortune, when people tried to use him as a ladder to climb higher. He could understand that kind of motive.
But standing in front of him now was an 18-year-old kid—pure and inexperienced.
Honestly, Xie Huai wasn’t wrong. Aside from his roommates, Qi Xu hadn’t really paid attention to anyone else in the class. Only now did he take a proper look at Gao Wenjun.
He had decent social skills—enough to be made class president. Around 6 feet tall, skin slightly tanned, wore basic black-rimmed glasses. His bangs were a bit too long, just barely covering his eyes.
And now, those eyes were shining like they were looking at the whole damn galaxy.
Qi Xu’s tone turned serious. “Sorry. I don’t like guys. I don’t like girls either. I’m asexual—I only love myself. You should focus on school at your age. Put your personal needs on hold.”
Gao Wenjun’s hopeful expression cracked like glass. His face twisted with disappointment and disbelief. “You could’ve come up with a better excuse to reject me. I know you look down on me. I can’t buy you anything fancy, so now you’re just humiliating me?”
Trying to be kind backfired—Qi Xu was done with patience. “Whatever. I’ve got somewhere to be.”
Seeing how decisively he turned to leave, Gao Wenjun’s sense of injustice swelled.
“Xie Huai’s not like that. Give up already.”
Qi Xu didn’t even look back. “What’s that got to do with me?”
Even after Qi Xu disappeared down the stairs, Gao Wenjun stood there, staring at empty space. He’d been so sure Qi Xu was just like everyone else—bottled up and waiting for the right moment to break free. He thought Qi Xu would say yes.
College was full of all kinds of people. Finding someone into the same sex wasn’t hard. But Qi Xu—whether in looks or physique—was a cut above the rest. Not to mention, he used to live in M City. Everyone knew what kind of place that was. Gao Wenjun was convinced Qi Xu was just hiding it.
He had made up his mind to take the plunge. Once he stepped forward, there was no turning back. Qi Xu would be his.
Suddenly, someone approached. Gao Wenjun tensed, but the moment he saw who it was, his guard lowered—somewhat.
Shen Zeyu looked him up and down, then gave a warm, friendly smile. “Class President Gao… do you like my second brother?”
Downstairs, Qi Xu reached the building entrance and saw Xie Huai holding his bag. Two girls stood in front of him, clearly trying to get his contact info.
Qi Xu suddenly remembered Gao Wenjun’s “Xie Huai’s not like that” line. Supposedly people with the same orientation had some sort of radar for each other.
Didn’t seem too accurate. How the hell had Gao Wenjun decided he was gay?
And honestly, what he’d said earlier wasn’t entirely a lie. In his previous life, he didn’t have any real interest in either men or women. Physical needs were few and far between—he wasn’t driven by desire. His life had been consumed by work. When the rare urge did hit, it was always late at night and dealt with quickly and mechanically.
To be honest, the satisfaction didn’t even compare to having a good smoke.
As for Xie Huai… Qi Xu suddenly recalled something Li Kaixing once told him—that incident with a popular actor getting kicked out of a private booth. That memory lingered.
Xie Huai noticed him at the stairwell entrance.
Qi Xu walked over, and just then, Xie Huai turned down the girls. “Sorry. Not a good time. I’m waiting for someone.”
Qi Xu happened to catch that cold, polite rejection. Under the disappointed gaze of the girls, Xie Huai turned and followed him out.
Once they were in the car, Qi Xu asked, “Where are you headed?”
Xie Huai placed his bag in the passenger seat. “Xie Group.”
That was along the same route.
Chen Wei focused on the road. “Would you like me to raise the divider?”
“No need,” Qi Xu replied. He then took off his prayer bead bracelet and started fiddling with it—his irritation making the motion clumsy and careless.
Xie Huai plucked the beads from his hand. “If you keep rough-handling it like that, you’ll grind those wood beads to dust in a few days.”
As soon as Qi Xu felt his wrist go empty, his heart followed—it felt hollow for a second. He muttered, unenthused, “Then just buy me another one.”
Right after saying it, he realized that probably wasn’t something he should’ve said. Xie Huai had no reason to buy him a new bracelet.
Qi Xu reached out. “Give it back.”
But Xie Huai didn’t hand it over. Instead, he started rolling the beads in his own hand. “What did Gao Wenjun say to you?”
Qi Xu pulled his hand back and leaned into the seat, answering casually, “Nothing important.”
“If it’s nothing important, why do you look so out of it?” Xie Huai pressed. “He asks you about calculus all the time and you don’t act like this.”
This wasn’t something you could compare to calculus. Qi Xu definitely wasn’t about to tell him I was thinking about your sexuality.
“Way harder than calculus. It’s one of those deep, philosophical questions.”
Xie Huai slipped right into his Mr. Helpful mode. “Tell me about it. I’ll help you break it down.”
Qi Xu: “…”
“No need. I can figure it out myself.”
Worried Xie Huai would keep pressing, he closed his eyes and pretended to rest.
Chen Wei’s driving was smooth. Qi Xu had already been a little drowsy, so what started as closing his eyes turned into a quick nap.
Yunrui’s office was a bit closer than Xie Group. As soon as the car slowed over a speed bump outside the building, Qi Xu jolted awake.
He had just unbuckled his seatbelt when Xie Huai reached over and gently held his hand.
Qi Xu turned in surprise, meeting Xie Huai’s gaze. Those amber-colored eyes still held a trace of sleepiness, but they looked straight into his, softening something inside him.
Xie Huai looked at him for a moment, then calmly slid the bracelet back onto his wrist. “Lifetime warranty. If it breaks, come to me for a replacement.”
Chen Wei glanced into the rearview mirror and immediately looked away. Why does this feel like they’re exchanging wedding rings…
He quickly erased that thought—for the sake of his own safety.
Everyone loves a product with a lifetime guarantee. Qi Xu was no exception. Great—one less thing to spend money on.
He walked into the building feeling good, only to run into Li Kaixing, who was also grinning—no, cackling like a comic book villain. “Jie jie jie!” His laughter echoed down the hallway, scaring the nearby employees away.
Guess the pressure finally broke Director Li…
An assistant came over and brought Qi Xu upstairs. The others assumed he was a client and politely reminded Li Kaixing, “Director, your client is here.”
As soon as Li Kaixing saw Qi Xu, he couldn’t wait to pull him into the office. The door shut behind them.
“Qin Sheng got reported,” he said with obvious glee. “Xunda just stripped him of his general manager title. They issued the announcement ten minutes ago.”
Qi Xu settled onto the couch and took the tablet the assistant handed him. Sure enough, there it was: an official dismissal notice from Xunda, timestamped just minutes ago.
Li Kaixing had endured endless drinking sessions with Qin Sheng, only to be treated like dirt. That one press release was enough to make his day.
“His wife posted photos of his messy private life online—then stormed the company and took it straight to the board. Demanded they do something about it. Good thing we’d already wrapped up our discussions with him. If this had happened a couple days earlier, we might’ve had to renegotiate everything.”
Qi Xu set the tablet aside, not interested in other people’s drama. “As long as the project isn’t affected, it’s fine.”
Qi Xu rarely showed up at the company in person. Only upper management knew he was one of the main people in charge. The regular employees were still in the dark.
The assistant placed a cup of tea in front of him and waited respectfully at the side.
Li Kaixing sat across from him. “By the way, someone took over your villa. The money should hit your account in a few days. I also found a few nice large apartments. With the National Day break coming up, want to check them out?”
Qi Xu nodded. “I’ll go in a few days.”
Li Kaixing asked, “You free for lunch later?”
Qi Xu glanced at the time. “It’s not off-hours yet. Hand me the files.”
Li Kaixing looked at him in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you came all the way to the office just to look at documents? Didn’t you just finish class? You don’t need to grind this hard.”
Qi Xu flipped open the folder. “If I don’t hustle, how am I supposed to support two floors full of staff?”
The boss was putting in this much effort—Li Kaixing had no excuse not to. He grabbed a document too. “Young Master Qi, where’s that assistant of yours? Haven’t seen him around.”
Qi Xu paused mid-turn of a page. “He’s not my assistant.”
Li Kaixing raised an eyebrow. “Friend, then?”
Something crossed Qi Xu’s mind, and he lifted his brows. “Warranty technician.”
