The scene fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Zhengxu was the first to react. He raised his trembling hand, pointed at Xu Fang, and said in a reproachful tone, “Xu Fang, how can you be like this!”
“…”
Lin Xiche suddenly snapped back to reality, but the first thing she noticed was her hand held by Xu Fang. Her eyes blinked, and she tightened her grip on his hand.
She thought, how did Xu Fang beat her to the hand-holding part? It made her feel like she had no role in this relationship at all.
The three of them had been in the same class since the beginning of high school. Due to their heights, Xu Fang and Jiang Zhengxu often sat in the last row, becoming desk mates for two years, and their relationship naturally improved.
Lin Xiche, on the other hand, often went to find Xu Fang for no apparent reason. Over time, she also developed a good relationship with Jiang Zhengxu, who sat next to Xu Fang.
Xu Fang’s secret crush on Lin Xiche was not something Xu Fang had told him; Jiang Zhengxu had discovered it on his own.
During the first semester of their freshman year, the school sports meet lasted for two days. The evening of the first day was reserved for the freshmen and sophomores, while the seniors had their regular evening self-study.
As required, each class had to prepare a performance.
Their class didn’t have strong cohesion, and they only started preparing hastily in the last week. Due to the lack of time, they could only choose the simplest performance – having two people go on stage to sing a song.
The head of the arts committee initially chose two classmates who could sing well and planned to present it this way. However, their class teacher thought it was too simple. Fortunately, Lin Xiche had casually filled in “piano” in the “special skills” section of her high school resume.
So, Lin Xiche inexplicably became the third performer in this performance, sitting at the piano on the left side of the stage, serving as the backdrop for the two singers.
After the school sports meet ended, she inexplicably became popular on the school’s online forum. Many boys from other classes were asking for her contact information. At the time, Jiang Zhengxu, who had friends in other classes, often asked him to deliver snacks and drinks to Lin Xiche.
Only for two days, Xu Fang discovered this.
At that time, Xu Fang didn’t say anything, but after that, every day when Jiang Zhengxu brought something back to the class, Xu Fang would snatch it and return it to his friend without changing his expression.
This continued for a whole week, and rumors started to spread among their grade about Xu Fang pursuing his friend. Jiang Zhengxu’s friend couldn’t bear it anymore, and the matter was eventually dropped.
This incident left Jiang Zhengxu feeling somewhat strange.
In his observations, he found that Xu Fang was like this with any male student who got close to Lin Xiche. He would rather be mistaken for being in a same-sex relationship than let other boys near her.
Over the past few years, Jiang Zhengxu had become a witness to their relationship.
Now, hearing Lin Xiche say that she had been chasing Xu Fang for a long time and that it had been hard work, he simply couldn’t believe it. Moreover, Xu Fang kept coming to him every few days, looking as if he were in the same predicament. It only added fuel to the fire.
Jiang Zhengxu suddenly felt that all his previous comforting words to Xu Fang had become a joke.
In his understanding of the situation, Xu Fang liked Lin Xiche but enjoyed the process of being pursued by her, so he kept stringing her along.
His righteous anger flared up, and for the moment, he cast aside his brotherly feelings for Xu Fang. He just wanted to rescue Lin Xiche from this unfair situation and tell her the truth.
“Lin Xiche!” Jiang Zhengxu shouted loudly as he ran a few steps in the opposite direction from them, away from Xu Fang.
“Xu Fang has been secretly in love with you for hundreds of years!”
Lin Xiche instantly perked up. “Huh?”
Xu Fang: “…”
Regarding Xu Fang’s request for her to be his girlfriend on her birthday, Lin Xiche had always interpreted it as his confusion or impulsiveness.
After all, when she looked back at anything that had happened in the past, there was no sign whatsoever that Xu Fang had any feelings for her.
Because of this, she had been working hard to ensure that he wouldn’t regret it the next day.
After half a minute passed.
“Really?” Lin Xiche tilted her head and asked slowly, “For hundreds of years?”
“…” Xu Fang averted his gaze awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He shifted his gaze forward and redirected the conversation to the previous topic. “When did you start pursuing me?”
Lin Xiche didn’t hide anything and replied honestly, “I’ve been pursuing you all along.”
She didn’t seem to be joking with her current demeanor. Xu Fang hesitated, glanced at her, and began to recall the events of the past two months. The only thing he could think of was the time when she intentionally let him win in the card game against Ye Shaowen.
But apart from that, he couldn’t come up with anything else.
Seeing that he still seemed incredulous, Lin Xiche widened her eyes, counted on her fingers, and listed each action one by one, “I brought you water during the freshman basketball game, often talked to you, bought you gifts with the money from my part-time job, and even gave you rides on my bicycle. Plus, I’ve been much gentler in my attitude toward you…”
Xu Fang: “…”
Honestly, he didn’t want to hear anything beyond the first item on her list.
That five-liter bottle of water?
But he was quite relieved that this eccentric girl with her quirky ways hadn’t driven him away with these actions. If it were anyone else, even if he were interested in her, he would probably have put her on his blacklist after the first incident.
Noticing Xu Fang’s contemplative expression, Lin Xiche continued to ask about the earlier topic, “What did Jiang Zhengxu just say…”
Before she could finish, Xu Fang used one hand to pinch her chin and rubbed the soft flesh beneath her chin with his fingertip, as if petting a dog. His eyelashes drooped, and he softly replied, “Yes.”
Seemingly surprised that he agreed so quickly, Lin Xiche stared at him in a daze.
Xu Fang felt uncomfortable under her intense gaze, so he pinched her chin with his hand and twisted it to make her look away. Then he said in a slightly harsh tone, “Any objections?”
The basketball friendly match between S University and Z University was more official than the previous freshman basketball game at S University, and there were many more spectators, including students from both universities who came to watch.
Before the match started, representatives from both schools gave speeches, and after introducing both teams on the broadcast, the fifteen players from each team had to shake hands and express the sentiment, “Friendship first, competition second.”
The front rows were mostly reserved for the players who were about to participate in the game. Lin Xiche was assigned to the third row, next to three other members of the sports department.
Xu Fang was a substitute player and sat in the second row, just in front of Lin Xiche.
There were too many pre-match activities, and during this idle time, most people were on their phones. Lin Xiche sat there, feeling bored, and leaned closer to Xu Fang, playing with his hair.
Xu Fang found it a bit ticklish and used his palm to rub his head, saying coldly, “Stop it.”
Lin Xiche ignored his warning and continued to play with his hair.
His temper flared up, and he suddenly turned his head, his black eyes fixed on her without any emotions, exerting an unspoken pressure.
Lin Xiche stared back at him with her round, large eyes, not blinking.
Time seemed to stand still.
Ten seconds later.
Xu Fang took a deep breath and, with a sullen expression, turned back around. “Forget it.”
“Nah,” Lin Xiche said with a mischievous smile, rubbing his head vigorously. “You like me, so you have to be nice to me. You can’t always let me indulge you.”
Xu Fang: “…”
She sounded like she was giving him a lecture. “In relationships, it’s important to give and take. That way, our feelings won’t become cold, and we can maintain the honeymoon phase for a lifetime.”
Her words seemed to make perfect sense.
With a faint smile, Xu Fang said, “Alright, next time it’s my turn.”
Lin Xiche readily agreed, “Deal.”
The girl sitting next to Lin Xiche, while they were in the same department, didn’t know much about their relationship. She observed their interaction and asked curiously, “Hey, Lin Xiche, is this your boyfriend?”
Lin Xiche turned her head, delighted, and replied, “Yes! My boyfriend!”
Xu Fang turned his head to look at her, and his previous annoyance vanished instantly. He raised an eyebrow and politely introduced himself to the girl, saying, “Hello, I’m Xu Fang.”
Lin Xiche’s mood was exceptionally high at this moment.
To be precise, after hearing Xu Fang admit that he had secretly admired her for a long time, her mood had soared. Her attitude had shifted from cautious to spoiled, from apprehensive to fearless.
Without much thought, Lin Xiche responded casually, “The nonsense kind of Xu Fang.”
“…” Xu Fang’s lips curved slightly, and he looked at her with an expressionless face.
It seemed that he found their interactions quite cute, and the girl laughed without saying anything more.
Lin Xiche suddenly felt something was amiss, and she looked at Xu Fang with a puzzled expression, starting to explain, “Oh, I forgot… I just said it casually. Can you please help me ask for forgiveness? I hope the curse won’t come true this time…”
“Sure,” Xu Fang agreed nonchalantly, relieving her anxiety.
A few minutes passed.
Several male players who had gone to the restroom to change into their uniforms returned and sat down next to Xu Fang.
One of them was tying his shoelaces and casually asked, “Xu Fang, is this your girlfriend?”
There were quite a few players on the school team, and their training schedules varied. Lin Xiche occasionally went to watch Xu Fang’s training, so some of the players knew that Xu Fang had a girlfriend, but they didn’t know what she looked like.
Xu Fang responded with a simple “yes.”
Lin Xiche took the initiative to introduce herself, saying, “Hi, I’m Lin Xiche.”
Then, Xu Fang spoke again, seemingly nonchalant and as matter-of-fact as before, as if he were replaying the previous scene. The only difference was that their positions had reversed.
He said, “Oh, the one who’s always late.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiche intended to explain to them which “Xiche” and which “late” she was, but before she could speak, Xu Fang, in the same casual tone, added, “The one who’s always late and eats shit.”
“…”
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