Old Xu’s Chinese medicine did have some effect. During military training, Qi Xu no longer tried to keep one eye open while standing guard.
After a few days of the medicine, Qi Xu had grown accustomed to the taste. Plus, the lingering scent of the agarwood bracelet made him the subject of teasing in class — the cold, untouchable “sickly beauty” who seemed otherworldly.
Especially with his habit of lowering his gaze and looking indifferent to everything. Everyone loved that aloof attitude of his.
Then Qi Xu shattered his image with those weak moans while drinking the medicine, desperately needing Xie Huai’s candied fruit to save him.
Drinking the medicine totally broke Qi Xu’s mystique, but at the same time, people couldn’t help but view him through tinted glasses, seeing him stumble over the same things repeatedly.
For example, Xie Huai was selected for the flag-raising team and didn’t train with the others in the afternoon, so the instructor called Qi Xu out to demonstrate the moves.
Every time people saw his crisp, precise movements, they couldn’t help but admire him.
One time, while they were resting under the shade of a tree, a few students claiming to be from the photography club came over to shoot pictures of the freshmen during military training. The camera deliberately—or maybe unintentionally—focused on Qi Xu, who was squatting by the curb like a street kid.
Li Yan gulped down half a bottle of water and wiped the sweat off his forehead messily. “What’s so great about a daydreaming Xu-ge? They should be photographing my brother with his gun looking fierce.”
Feng Zhenjie said, “Besides us, who else even knows he’s daydreaming? How can daydreaming be so cool?”
Not satisfied with just photos, after dismissal, a reporter approached Qi Xu to ask if he had time for an interview. Qi Xu flatly refused with an even cooler reason:
“Sorry, I’m sick. I’m rushing home to take medicine.”
While Qi Xu came across as a rebellious bad student, Xie Huai was the obedient good student, agreeing to the school’s interview and filming promotional videos for the upcoming military training awards ceremony.
Xie Huai had a higher profile than Qi Xu during military training and quickly became one of the most talked-about freshmen.
In a forum dedicated to Xie Huai, several students from his high school—but different classes—shared information about him.
[Three-time consecutive campus heartthrob of Hai Zhong High, top of the grade, first prize in the physics competition—truly a genius.]
[Didn’t take the college entrance exam and got in by recommendation? That’s lame. Real men should take the exam.]
[His test scores were actually hidden, and he gave up the recommendation spot. What’s wrong with today’s world? People still look down on recommendation admissions? Stop being salty—you probably couldn’t even get in that way.]
[If he got into Q University, his scores can’t be that bad. I only want to know one thing: Does Xie Huai have a girlfriend?]
[As far as I know, no. The only close person to him is a girl who’s been his childhood friend. Oh, and she’s in this school too, was in his high school class.]
[Is she another popular figure? I see them hanging out together all the time. Handsome guys have handsome friends. I’m jealous of the class that gets to do military training with them.]
[Actually, she’s not in the same class anymore. She’s the class monitor of another finance major class. They hung out a lot in high school.]
[Huh? Who’s that?]
[Look at the photos—they’re good-looking too.]
[Off topic, is anyone here from the same school as Qi Xu? The neighboring forum post has no one who knows him. Aren’t they neighbors with Xie Huai?]
[Where did that rumor come from? The few close to Xie Huai are also well-known figures at Hai Zhong. Everyone in our high school knows them. Where did Qi Xu even come from?]
[I have a friend who once heard the name Qi Xu on the news in M City. He was the top science student there. But I can’t find that report anymore, so I can’t verify it.]
[M City? That’s the poorest city in the country, highest crime rate, no airport, no high-speed rail—only trains. Half the criminals in the country hide there.]
[That can’t be true. Does Qi Xu’s vibe look like he’s from M City?]
Discussion on the Xie Huai forum had completely derailed. Another mysterious figure was now drawing attention. In this day and age of the internet, it was impossible to find any information on Qi Xu, which only made people more curious.
Someone even posted links from Hai Zhong forums, showing school and off-campus gatherings — but no photos of Qi Xu appeared.
With his striking looks, if he studied at any high school in the capital, there’d be no question about who he was.
University wasn’t like high school; crowds were a gathering place for information. Everyone came from all over, and information was scattered, making it impossible to tell what was true.
The post grew viral, reaching almost 300 comments, but nothing conclusive emerged.
Every new semester, the school’s forum exploded with activity, unveiling the big names in each freshman class.
Maybe the people involved were secretly reading their own posts.
In fact, Li Yan had immediately told both Xie Huai and Qi Xu when he saw the posts.
One of them clicked open Qi Xu’s post with curiosity, while the other was busy negotiating with Xie Huai.
“Only two pieces of candied fruit at a time? You’re such a cheapskate.” Qi Xu said, holding a piece of candied fruit in his mouth, shouting to the dorm.
Qi Xu had tried the candied fruit available on the market—either too sour or too sweet. The apricots Xie Huai gave him had no brand name, clearly homemade.
Xie Huai guarded the apricots like treasure, keeping quiet for days despite Qi Xu’s questions.
Xie Huai’s fingers scrolled casually as he replied to Qi Xu, “Rare things are precious. One bite of medicine, one bite of apricot. How long are you gonna stall on the medicine?”
Li Yan leaned against the balcony door and handed his phone to Qi Xu. “Xu Ge, do you want to come out and clear things up? The rumors about you are getting crazier and crazier.”
Qi Xu took a quick glance. He hadn’t expected anyone to actually dig up his background. After all, M City wasn’t a developed place. He had never given any interviews, and getting into Q University from M City was rare.
It wasn’t unusual for nearby cities to have seen news reports—news was the most colorful thing in M City. Who stabbed whom, which village had a big fight, vendors being chased by city inspectors—stuff like that happened almost daily.
The only positive news was during college entrance exam results day. He heard from Zhao Wen that on that day, the school hung a banner outside to congratulate the students, and reporters from across the city gathered.
Qi Xu had previously searched online for news related to him; all the reports had long disappeared. He didn’t think it was the Shen family manipulating things—after all, the Shen family had publicly said he was a diligent, hardworking kid, and these reports helped prove that.
Could it be the old master who erased traces of Qi Xu’s life in M City to protect him from outside gossip, so he could live peacefully in the capital?
But the eighteen years he lived in Qi’s family village couldn’t be erased. Every thug in the streets knew the name Qi Xu—not for anything else, but because of his fearless spirit. Every thug who tried to rob him ended up with bruises.
Even every shop on the night food street knew Qi Xu—working multiple jobs every day, to the point his fingertips bled.
Lost in thought for a moment, Qi Xu realized that those days felt like a long time ago, and the faces of those people were blurry in his memory.
“It’s not a rumor. I lived in M City until I was eighteen. Only after the college entrance exam did I move to the capital.”
As soon as he said this, through the balcony glass, his eyes met Xie Huai’s. The ripple of emotions was like waves in a still pond.
Xie Huai was the only person who knew the truth.
His face was indistinct, but the image flashed clearly in Qi Xu’s mind immediately.
In their previous life, they wouldn’t even toast each other; now, they faced each other calmly.
Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie exchanged glances. They had questions but felt awkward asking. Digging into someone’s private life was low-class, just like the people on the forums.
After much inner struggle, Li Yan finally asked, “Qi Xu, you’re a rich heir who got lost, and on your eighteenth birthday, your parents flew in on a helicopter and personally took you home?”
A typical college student with a drama-influenced imagination.
Qi Xu actually nodded. “You guessed it all? Amazing.”
Li Yan was excited. “I never thought the thing I daydreamed about as a kid would happen to my college roommate. I always said art comes from life.”
Qi Xu asked, “Want to hear my legendary story?”
Li Yan nodded eagerly.
Feng Zhenjie admired Li Yan’s innocence. It was obvious Qi Xu was joking.
Xie Huai exited the forum and opened a chat with a contact: “Lost heir, finish your medicine first, then tell the story.”
Qi Xu held his breath and drank the rest of the bitter medicine. After rinsing his mouth at the faucet, he went into the dorm and tore open a piece of candied fruit from the table, popped it in his mouth, and only after swallowing the indescribable taste did he begin to speak.
“I was lying.”
The three words shattered the hopeful look on Li Yan’s face instantly. “What? Don’t joke like that.”
Feng Zhenjie looked at the guy staring at his phone. He didn’t doubt the neighborly relationship between Xie Huai and Qi Xu. They were clearly familiar at the start of school, sharing a tacit understanding.
“Now the posts say you were the school bully at some school in M City, undefeated against all the thugs. Some even say you’ve been to jail—how do these people just blurt this stuff out?”
Qi Xu was surprised that so many people had dug up these details but still nodded, “It’s true. I’m undefeated everywhere I go.”
By now, Li Yan no longer believed Qi Xu. Legendary stories like these were just jokes—there are no fairy tales in this world.
He grabbed a bag of snacks and tossed it to Qi Xu. “Xu Ge, cut the talk. Just eat something.”
Qi Xu opened the bag of chips and glanced at Xie Huai, who seemed like he had eyes on the back of his head—though focused on his phone, he noticed Qi Xu’s look immediately.
Xie Huai flipped his phone over. “Quite popular, Mr. Qi.”
Qi Xu pinched a chip between his fingers. “So-so. Should be more in the future.”
Xie Huai tapped the phone screen and, once again, asked randomly, “Don’t care?”
Leaning back in his chair, Qi Xu replied casually, “It’s not made-up. Don’t underestimate human curiosity. In such a short time, they’ve found some info—maybe they’ll dig up something big. The one who should be worried isn’t me.”
Xie Huai’s gaze roamed over Qi Xu’s face but couldn’t figure out his attitude toward his privacy being invaded.
Indifferent, carefree—no one could truly guess what he was thinking.
It reminded Xie Huai of what his uncle said about Qi Xu: not one to fight or scramble for things.
At the door, Xie Huai overheard Qi Xu talking to Shen Zeyu. Qi Xu clearly knew what had happened back then—that the swap was intentional, not a mere mistake. Didn’t he feel any desire for revenge?
Whether it was against the Qi family or the Shen family, everything the Shens did looked extremely biased from an outsider’s perspective. And for those involved, the feeling was even deeper.
“They care?”
“They probably do,” Qi Xu looked at Xie Huai with a teasing glint in his eye. “Especially for your childhood friend who grew up with you.”
Because in the previous life, rumors about origins also centered on the forums—not about Qi Xu, but Shen Zeyu.
Qi Xu had gotten some attention for his looks for a while but gradually lost it due to his aloof and gloomy personality.
Meanwhile, Shen Zeyu got a lot of attention for hanging out with Xie Huai.
So many things had changed this time around—when the butterfly flaps its wings, it affects more than just one person.
With a thud, the phone hit the table hard. Xie Huai looked straight at Qi Xu. “They moved out of the old house when they were six and lost contact. After ten years, they’re just high school classmates. How did you figure out it was a childhood friend? Or do you have some kind of formula? Care to share it with me?”
Qi Xu hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from Xie Huai. For a moment, he almost wanted to say, “In my last life, I almost drank your wedding toast.”
He was just about to speak when Xie Huai’s phone rang. He got up with the phone in hand and, in one smooth motion, placed a preserved apricot on Qi Xu’s desk.
Qi Xu was momentarily speechless but finally said, “Charity?”
Xie Huai replied, “Hey, pig.”
Qi Xu snorted coldly and watched Xie Huai walk out of the dorm room.
Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie were too scared to breathe after Xie Huai’s serious tone just now, exchanging wide-eyed looks of mutual fear.
Xie Huai actually carried a colder aura than Qi Xu. Qi Xu was the type to joke with everyone he met, but Xie Huai was the ice prince. When he kept a straight face, his presence was overwhelming—only when facing Qi Xu did he show a hint of expression.
Li Yan cautiously asked, “Xu Ge, did you guys just have a fight?”
Qi Xu belatedly realized, and muttered under his breath, “He called me a pig!”
Well, that’s just kids bickering.
Both of them breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Why’d he call you that? I’ve never seen such a handsome pig.”
Qi Xu put down the chips and tore open the preserved apricot on the desk, already calming down a lot. “No idea. Maybe he’s a little afraid of…”
Same?
Or maybe it’s love he doesn’t realize.
Qi Xu couldn’t explain Xie Huai’s earlier attitude—it was like he was in a hurry to distance himself from Shen Zeyu.
Li Yan asked, “Afraid of what?”
Qi Xu bit into the apricot, and the sweet and sour flavor instantly filled his mouth.
“Afraid of the sweet and sour taste, maybe. Anyway, I love it.”
