After holding back the question for so long, Lu Xingyan blurted it out and found his heart starting to race uncontrollably.
Shen Xingruo, perhaps because she didn’t understand immediately or for some other reason, remained silent for several seconds. Suddenly, as if she had figured something out, she began a series of deep, soul-searching questions.
“Can being in a relationship help me become the top student in our grade?”
“Even though I can be the top student, can the other person also be the top student?”
“If he can’t, then his grades are worse than mine. If his grades are worse than mine and he still wants to be my boyfriend, shouldn’t he feel ashamed?”
Lu Xingyan was speechless.
—No, before you said these things, I didn’t feel ashamed, and I still don’t.
“So, you mean that if you were to date, the guy’s grades would have to be better than yours?”
Shen Xingruo didn’t respond.
Lu Xingyan collected his thoughts and continued to speculate, “So, there’s no chance of you dating in high school since there are no boys at Mingli with better grades than yours. Are you planning to wait until college to find a boyfriend?”
At the beginning of his reasoning, Lu Xingyan felt slightly relieved; after all, if he wasn’t good enough, neither were the other boys at Mingli. But as he thought further, he started to feel uneasy.
Shen Xingruo was indeed impressive, but there are always people better than you in the wider world. In college—
He was interrupted by Shen Xingruo again, who said, “Objectively speaking, it’s not that there’s no chance of dating in high school. Even though I’m the top student in my grade, there is also a top student in the science class. Besides, with the start of the new term, there will be new students in grades below us.”
…?
You are meticulous.
Lu Xingyan asked, “Aren’t you reaching a bit far with this?”
“It’s not that I think you’re wrong, Shen Xingruo, but love and grades aren’t related. You can’t use grades as a standard for choosing a boyfriend. Some people, even if their grades are poor…”
Shen Xingruo cut in, “Even if their grades are poor, they can’t even score four hundred points, but they’re good at fighting and wasting money, making them the perfect boyfriend?”
Lu Xingyan paused and quickly denied, “No, I wasn’t talking about myself.”
Ignoring him, Shen Xingruo stood up with the first aid kit. But Lu Xingyan suddenly stood up too, grabbing her wrist, and then, as if possessed, he said, “No, I was talking about myself.”
Shen Xingruo hadn’t expected him to admit it. To be honest, she had vaguely suspected it but wasn’t entirely sure. And now, she wasn’t sure what Lu Xingyan meant by this.
The warmth from his grip on her wrist was somewhat burning. The air was completely silent yet unsettling. Neither of them spoke.
At that moment—
A devilish knocking sound came from the door.
Both of them tensed up simultaneously. Luckily, to prevent Pei Yue from barging in as if no one was there, Lu Xingyan had locked the door.
Pei Yue twisted the doorknob a couple of times without success and finally stood at the door, whining, “Lu Xingyan, are you asleep? I wanted to talk to Xingruo, but I knocked on her door and there was no response, so she must be asleep.”
Instinctively, Lu Xingyan replied, “Mom, I’m also asleep. I just got into bed.”
Shen Xingruo was puzzled, “…?”
Lu Xingyan, committed to the act, pulled Shen Xingruo to the bedside and turned off the light.
Pei Yue continued, “It’s okay, you don’t have to open the door for Mom. I just watched a movie tonight, and it got me emotional.”
“I’ve been so harsh on you! Son, please don’t blame me. The more I love you, the stricter I am. Isn’t that right? I just want you to succeed and make something of yourself…”
Lu Xingyan was speechless.
Shen Xingruo was also speechless.
Pei Yue kept sobbing and mumbling at the door, showing no signs of stopping. Given her heartfelt monologue, Lu Xingyan couldn’t just tell her, “Mom, please be quiet, I’m really tired.” But he couldn’t open the door either. With Shen Xingruo right there, and even the bathroom door being a semi-transparent frosted glass, there was nowhere to hide her.
So, the two of them stood by the bedside, patiently waiting for Pei Yue to finish and leave.
The moonlight was beautiful that night.
As the room darkened, the sky outside became even clearer, like a piece of deep blue silk adorned with a bright moon and a few stars. The soft starlight and moonlight filtered into the room, casting a gentle glow on their faces.
They stood close together, despite the ample space. It felt as if they couldn’t move, standing face to face, each breathing in the fresh scent of grass from the other.
Shen Xingruo kept her eyes lowered, silently noting the rhythm of her heartbeat. Lu Xingyan also looked down, watching her. He reached out, wanting to touch her fingertips—
Suddenly, Mrs. Pei’s voice rose again, “It’s all my and your dad’s fault! We only have one son! We were too afraid to scold or punish you when you were little! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so unruly and irresponsible…”
Lu Xingyan withdrew his hand. Shen Xingruo looked up at him after hearing Mrs. Pei’s self-reproach from outside.
With Lu Xingyan’s head already lowered, their proximity increased as Shen Xingruo looked up, their breaths mingling.
Instinctively, Lu Xingyan leaned in closer, little by little…
Another loud interruption—
“Don’t worry! Mom will change! I won’t criticize you for not scoring four hundred anymore. I’ll help you reach four hundred…”
At that moment, Shen Xingruo took a step back.
Lu Xingyan felt frustrated. He was just one quiet moment away from kissing Shen Xingruo.
Unable to hold back, he interrupted, “Mom, if you’re so regretful, how about you return my allowance first?”
The sobbing from outside the door abruptly stopped.
It seemed Mrs. Pei had finished expressing her post-movie emotions, as her tone instantly turned cold, “The end-of-term exam results aren’t out yet. Who knows if you even scored four hundred? Anyway, you wouldn’t understand your mom’s complex feelings after watching this film. Go to sleep.”