Chapter 32

The one-week vacation passed quickly, and when Fan Xing returned to school, the buzz around the incident involving Lu Chi had surprisingly not died down.

As soon as Fan Xing entered the dormitory, he was stopped by Qin Xiuming and others who wanted to know the details of the lecture that day. They had seen the news online about Lu Chi working at the Imperial Palace, but they were unaware of the fact that Lu Chi had intentionally approached Fan Xing to get the attention of He Qingmo.

Fan Xing, however, didn’t like talking about such matters behind someone’s back, so he shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.

After spending more than twenty days with him, they understood his character, so they didn’t press him further. Qin Xiuming even advised him to avoid contact with Lu Chi in the future.

Just as Qin Xiuming finished speaking, Fan Xing’s phone rang, and it was Lu Chi calling.

Qin Xiuming looked utterly surprised and said, “Damn, from now on, I can’t talk bad about people behind their backs anymore. What Cao Cao said was true; it’s too scary!”

Fan Xing found Qin Xiuming’s exaggerated reaction amusing, shaking his head in response, and went to the balcony to answer the call.

Lu Chi had arranged to meet Fan Xing at the best cafeteria on campus, the same place they had gone together last time. When Fan Xing arrived, Lu Chi had already ordered his favorite dishes, as per Fan Xing’s previous preferences.

Since it was no longer the peak dining time, the corner seats were relatively quiet. Occasionally, people would glance over with looks of mockery and disdain, but Lu Chi’s feminine appearance exuded a goddess-like aura that made those onlookers appear rather bored and gossipy.

Fan Xing felt more at ease seeing Lu Chi’s calm demeanor and even admired Lu Chi’s ability to handle the intense public scrutiny. He couldn’t help but think that he might not have been able to endure it if he were in Lu Chi’s shoes.

“Senior, you…”

“Let’s eat first! I overslept and just woke up. I missed breakfast and lunch. I’m starving,” Lu Chi interrupted him, burying himself in his meal.

Fan Xing watched him for a moment and obediently focused on his own food. Even though he had eaten dinner before coming to school, he didn’t want to waste the food on his plate.

After Lu Chi had finished all the dishes on his plate, he finally spoke up again. “I’m sorry. I knew from the beginning that I approached you on purpose because you are He Qingmo’s new lover, hoping to get his attention. If you’re angry or can’t forgive me, I won’t contact you again, and you can pretend you never met me.”

Fan Xing still had a lot of food left on his plate but looked up at Lu Chi with a gentle smile. “Actually, I think about this matter differently. Even though you approached me intentionally, it didn’t harm me in any way. While it’s true that I felt a bit uncomfortable after finding out, it didn’t make me angry. I… actually…”

Fan Xing suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and ran his hand through his hair. “I actually want to be friends with Senior.”

Although he had initially told He Qingmo that he wanted to distance himself from Lu Chi, he had changed his mind after talking to Lu Chi on the phone during the vacation.

Lu Chi stared at him without blinking for a while before suddenly reaching over and lightly tapping his forehead. “You’re really naive. Aren’t you afraid that I’m pretending to be pitiful? You’re so naive that if you fall into He Qingmo’s hands, it will be even worse for you. Let me give you some advice: leave him as soon as possible, the farther, the better. He’s a heartless monster!”

Fan Xing was about to reply with a sarcastic comment, but he fell silent after hearing Lu Chi’s last sentence.

Even though Lu Chi appeared fine on the surface, his heart must have been hurting. That’s why he spoke so harshly about He Qingmo, with a hint of bitterness in his voice. So, when it came to He Qingmo, Lu Chi couldn’t help but speak with disdain and anger.

Fan Xing gazed at him silently, and Lu Chi, annoyed, shot him an irritated look. “Don’t look at me with that expression, as if I’m so pitiful. In fact, it’s really not a big deal. It’s good this way, as it allows me to see his true colors clearly, and I don’t have to waste any more time on someone like him.”

“Does that mean you’ve… given up?” Fan Xing asked.

Lu Chi rolled his eyes at him. “I’m joking. I’m not a masochist. After the way he treated me, if I don’t give up now, I’d be a psycho, right? In fact…”

Lu Chi’s voice suddenly softened and carried a hint of melancholy. “I knew I should have given up long ago. After me, he continued to change partners one after another, and he never looked for me again. I even think he might have forgotten about me. But I can’t accept it. When we were together, he was so gentle, so doting, even when I was sick, he stayed up all night taking care of me, as if he cared more about my illness than I did. Why, after just three months, did he become a different person? Were those three months all a lie?”

For some reason, Fan Xing’s heart trembled slightly, and he found himself at a loss for words.

Lu Chi sighed and, in a more somber tone, continued, “Is he treating you the same way now? Three months, at most three months, and he’ll lose interest, then kick you to the curb and find someone new.”

“I think… he’s not that kind of person,” Fan Xing’s voice was soft, so soft that even he felt uncertain.

Lu Chi laughed, “You, wanting to be friends with someone like me, you’re indeed a little fool. Right now, you’re probably so charmed by him that you don’t even know which way is up. How can you listen to my words? But forget it, when you get dumped by him one day, feeling heartbroken and miserable, I’ll accompany you for a drink. A night of drinking can dispel a thousand sorrows, and then we’ll completely forget about that scumbag and start over!”

Fan Xing smiled but didn’t say anything, and Lu Chi didn’t dwell on the topic any longer. They chatted casually for a while, and realizing it was getting late, they headed back to their respective dormitories.

On the way, Fan Xing received a call from Gu Mingyu.

This surprised him greatly, and he even doubted whether Gu Mingyu had his number. In his phone, Gu Mingyu’s number had been added without his knowledge by Fan Meixi. At that time, he thought he might never use that number.

He stared at the three words “Gu Mingyu” on his phone for a while, making sure he wasn’t mistaken, and finally pressed the answer button. Gu Mingyu’s voice immediately came through, “I’m at your school’s gate. Come out now, I need to talk to you.”

After saying this, he didn’t give Fan Xing a chance to speak and hung up.

Fan Xing glanced at the time; it was almost eleven o’clock, and it had started drizzling from the sky at some point. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to go back to the dormitory first to get an umbrella. This way, when he arrived at the school gate, it would be almost half-past eleven.

It was raining, and the school gate was about to close. There were hardly any people at the entrance at this hour.

So, from a distance, Fan Xing saw Gu Mingyu standing on the roadside, not carrying an umbrella, smoking, and blowing smoke rings. He seemed to be enjoying himself, making it hard to imagine that he was just a sixteen-year-old teenager.

Fan Xing walked slowly towards him and stopped about five meters away from him. “Hey, you looking for me?”

As soon as Gu Mingyu heard the voice, he turned around. The moment his gaze fell on Fan Xing, he suddenly became incredibly fierce, like a starving wolf. He roared, “I told you to mind your own business!” Then, he threw a punch at Fan Xing, along with the still-burning cigarette butt held between his fingers.