The Price of Skipping Class

Qiyu’s fingertips trembled, his gaze fixed on the words on the screen, utterly bewildered. He had envisioned several scenarios for what he might find upon opening his phone.

His first thought:

[.: No reply?]

[.: Add five more test papers.]

His second thought:

[.: Have you forgotten what you’re afraid of?]

His third thought:

[.: Be a good boy, reply quickly.]

Evidently, the third scenario was entirely impossible. Yet, what was even more apparent was that Qiyu had never considered a fourth possibility: being captured alive by Lu Xingye.

His heart pounded furiously, though his face remained impassive. He forced himself to divert his attention, but that single message felt like a blade, suspended directly above his head.

He felt trapped, unable to escape.

‘Wasn’t Lu Xingye home sick with a fever? How could he possibly know where I am? Or perhaps, he’s just bluffing?’

Clinging to that last possibility, he tried his best to reassure himself. However, Lu Xingye clearly didn’t share his sentiment, choosing precisely that moment of fleeting calm to deliver the final blow.

[.: Do I need to come fetch you myself?]

This message shattered the last vestige of peace. The live stream on the computer screen was no longer engaging, and the heated game between Jian Lin and Wen Nuo next door suddenly seemed jarringly noisy.

Qiyu straightened up, picked up his phone, typed, deleted, and retyped, but ultimately sent no message at all.

“Yuyu! What exactly is wrong with you?” Wen Nuo hung his headphones around his neck, turning to look at him with concern.

Distracted, Wen Nuo’s character had been killed by an enemy, riddled with bullets from behind, yet he paid it little mind.

Between a friend and a game, which was more important? He could still discern priorities.

“You’ve been off since earlier!”

“Are you hiding something from us?”

Qiyu parted his lips, about to wave his hand and say, “It’s nothing,” but Wen Nuo cut him off before he could speak.

Wen Nuo nodded, as if a sudden realization had struck him. “Are you thinking of doing test papers?”

Qiyu: “…”

Jian Lin, who had been listening quietly nearby: “…”

The air thickened with awkward silence.

Wen Nuo remained entirely oblivious to how foolish his remark was, and, still thinking he was being considerate, added, “Should I order takeout for you?”

Wen Nuo picked up his phone, looking at Qiyu with a naive expression. “How many do you want to write? Or maybe order some ‘Five-Three’?”

Qiyu: “…”

Jian Lin: “…”

“You’re adorably foolish.”

Qiyu hooked his heel under his chair, giving a light push, and the chair’s wheels scraped across the floor, sliding half a meter away. He picked up his phone and stood, dusting off imaginary specks from his clothes.

Reaching the door of the private room, he turned to meet their confused gazes, explaining, “Just going to the restroom.”

Jian Lin and Wen Nuo offered no objection, merely responding, “Are you really not hiding in the restroom to do problems?”

Qiyu: “?”

It wasn’t their fault for thinking that way. After all, when someone who dislikes studying suddenly dives into an endless sea of problems daily, anyone would become sensitive.

Qiyu’s heart pounded faster the closer he got to the internet cafe’s entrance. Even he didn’t know why he was so nervous.

****

Lu Xingye was casually dressed in a black Adidas jacket, leaning against the internet cafe’s door frame. The young man, tall with long legs, was a natural clothes hanger, drawing frequent glances from passersby, yet the person in question seemed utterly unconcerned.

The summer breeze occasionally rustled his clothes. Growing impatient from waiting, he half-closed his eyes, idly twirling a lighter between his fingers.

The moment Qiyu appeared, his eyes met Lu Xingye’s. In that instant, he wished his heart would beat just a little slower, if only for a moment.

“Why are you skipping class?” Lu Xingye’s fever hadn’t broken, and his voice was slightly hoarse.

That was the first thing Qiyu heard as he reached the doorway. He dared not meet Lu Xingye’s gaze, experiencing a profound sense of shame for the first time in ages.

“Qiyu, look up, look at me.”

Lu Xingye took in all of Qiyu’s panic. “Why aren’t you speaking?”

The street was in the busiest part of Haishi, bustling with pedestrians, their voices threatening to engulf the two of them in the noisy marketplace.

Qiyu mustered his courage and looked up, retorting stubbornly, “You’re the one! Why aren’t you resting properly at home?”

‘You ruined my fun…’

“Ruined your fun?” Lu Xingye asked, his arms crossed, his tone unhurried.

Qiyu was stunned. “You understand me a little.” ‘He could actually read his inner thoughts.’

“You’re exactly the same as when you were a child.”

Lu Xingye hadn’t come here for a casual chat. He looked directly at Qiyu. “Go back now.”

“The exams are in a couple of days.”

“And you still have the nerve to skip class to play games at an internet cafe?”

“Or do you feel so confident that you won’t drop out of Class A?”

These words thoroughly exasperated Qiyu. This Lu Xingye always had to talk about studying, studying, studying!

He only cared about his grades, not his mental well-being! After hearing those words, he felt like packing his bags and finding Sun Wukong, to be trapped under the Five-Finger Mountain together. He would rather be crushed under the Five-Finger Mountain, eating peaches every day, than be controlled by Lu Xingye.

“Why should I go back? It’s not like I play all the time.”

Qiyu lifted his head stubbornly. “I haven’t even blamed you for running around while sick…”

“How dare you still blame me for skipping class?”

“You’re truly shameless, brother.”

The last two words were practically gritted out. Qiyu was the type of person who would always blame others rather than himself.

Lu Xingye listened to this twisted logic, almost laughing in exasperation, but he maintained his patience. “Go back now.”

“Finish the problems I marked for you.”

“Alright?”

Qiyu mimicked him, crossing his arms. “No, why should I listen to you?”

“Do you care about my mental well-being?”

“Are you addicted to being a brother?”

In truth, the two were born on the same day, at the same time; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been swapped, leading to such a melodramatic true-and-false young master scenario.

Before this, Qiyu and Lu Xingye’s quarrels had always been mere playful squabbles.

Then Jian Lin emerged, his sharp eyes catching sight of Qiyu standing at the entrance. He called out loudly, “Xiao Yu!”

Upon hearing that address, Lu Xingye let out an impatient “Tsk,” but said nothing more.

Jian Lin approached, his face a picture of shock. He pointed at Qiyu, then at Lu Xingye, his slightly parted lips saying nothing, yet seeming to say everything.

“Are you two very close? You look so ‘loving’.”

Qiyu felt a flicker of nervousness, afraid Lu Xingye might reveal something. He quickly blurted out, “No, we’re not.”

“Just desk-mates in the same class.”

Jian Lin nodded upon hearing Qiyu’s answer, displaying a ‘that’s more like it’ expression. “I knew it, how could the great scholar Lu get along with our Xiao Yu?”

Qiyu swallowed hard, only able to pray Lu Xingye didn’t understand the full extent of that sarcastic remark.

‘Jian Lin had, at some point, developed a unilateral dislike for Lu Xingye,’ Qiyu mused. ‘Perhaps, this was the protagonist’s halo buff? Easily attracting same-s*x animosity?’

Lu Xingye wasn’t foolish; how could he not understand? He merely scoffed at being called a mere classmate, not even a friend.

He had no desire to expose Qiyu’s little game. He simply cast a glance at him, then walked away without a word.

After Lu Xingye left, Jian Lin continued to muse aloud, “The great scholar is so aloof.”

Noticing Qiyu still in a daze, he explained, “I saw you were in the restroom for a long time and thought you’d left, so I came out to look for you.”

“I didn’t expect to see you two together.”

“Tell me, why would someone like Lu Xingye pass by an internet cafe?”

Jian Lin continued to ramble. “He wouldn’t live in the residential buildings on that street, would he?”

“No wonder he smells poor.”

The street Jian Lin referred to was Qingwu Street, named for the梧桐 (wutong) trees lining both sides. After its association with Shenglin Xinglan Noble Academy, property prices had truly soared in recent years.

At the very least, an ordinary person might not be able to afford a home there even after a lifetime of effort.

So why did Jian Lin constantly refer to it as having a ‘poor smell’? One reason was that the prices were indeed negligible for those who could attend such a school, and the other was simply his lack of manners and his disdain for Lu Xingye.

“Don’t talk about him like that anymore.”

“Lu Xingye is a good person.” Qiyu frowned upon hearing these words, a hint of displeasure in his voice.

“Seriously, stop badmouthing people. You’re not bad-natured, so turn over a new leaf.” Qiyu patted his shoulder, then walked back to the private room, his mind elsewhere.

That much was true; aside from occasionally dissing Lu Xingye, Jian Lin had no other major flaws.

“Ah?” Jian Lin followed Qiyu back to their seats.

Once Qiyu sat down, his mood for playing had completely vanished. Far from feeling relaxed, he was now burdened by a new emotion: guilt.

He picked up his phone, logged into the forum, and recalling the recent encounter, posted a sincere message:

Today 11:23

[It’s all your fault, you caused a conflict between me and my husband! ‘Even if there’s a rift, it won’t benefit you all.’]

1L

[Life is Short, Why Rush?: My favorite romance blogger has updated!]

Reply: Don’t let me find out you’re the楼主’s alt account.

2L

[I’m Not Cute and Very Naughty: Didn’t you promise us kiss photos?]

3L

[Leave Me Alone: Could it be that you couldn’t keep up the act and got exposed, and now you’re just posting text to change the topic?]

4L

[Just Occasionally a Little Naughty: If what the upstairs commenter said is true, that would be so embarrassing.]

5L

[,.: I hope the楼主 can meet their own ‘Lu Xingye’, instead of being lost in fantasy all day long.]

Reply: You’re too kind, baby!

楼主 Reply: You’re the fake one.

Closing the post, his mind replayed Lu Xingye’s icy expression. ‘Perhaps Lu Xingye, being sick, just wanted to rest comfortably in bed.’

Two tiny figures rushed before his eyes and began to fight. The little angel said, “Isn’t Lu Xingye worried about you, doing it for your own good?”

The little devil pinned down the angel, retorting, “But Lu Xingye is clearly selfish, only looking out for himself! Isn’t he tutoring you just to get a reward from his mother?”

After speaking, the little devil punched the angel again. “Do you really think he cares about you? You’re far too naive!”

The little angel mustered all its strength, once again overpowering him. “Are Lu Xingye’s efforts and time fake? Do you even have a heart?!”

Qiyu suddenly felt a dizzying sensation. He reached out, trying to dispel the illusion.

….

Ultimately, the little angel triumphed.

Qiyu bid farewell to his friends first, heading back to the classroom early. On the way, he rehearsed several apologies for Lu Xingye.

He even asked himself: ‘Do you hate Lu Xingye?’

The answer was: ‘No, he understood Lu Xingye’s actions, but not hating didn’t mean liking. He still didn’t want such a deep connection, nor did he like the ‘child-fiance’ identity, even if he seemed to have brought it upon himself…’

Upon reaching the classroom, he expected to see Lu Xingye in his usual seat, but instead, an empty chair awaited him.

It turned out Lu Xingye hadn’t returned; he’d merely gone to the internet cafe to catch him and bring him back.

That made sense. His state earlier clearly showed he hadn’t recovered from his fever; his earlobes and cheeks were still faintly flushed.

‘What a terrible person I am…’

Embracing the ‘since I’m already here’ mentality, he picked up the test papers Lu Xingye had stuffed into his backpack and began to work on them.

As he thoughtfully tackled the problems, people all around observed him, and even the teacher on the podium cast him approving glances.

Qiyu: “…”

‘Was all this fuss really necessary?’

‘It was as if he was usually some fierce brute.’

Though not fierce, he usually ignored his studies. Everyone knew the school’s big bully cheated on exams!

Only Qiyu, this fool, thought he was subtle. No one dared provoke or expose him. Now, his serious studying was truly a beautiful sight.

All the unfamiliar or difficult problems Qiyu encountered could easily be found in the book, thanks to Lu Xingye’s markings. These were all highlighted by Lu Xingye for him.

It was a truly dedicated effort.

He could only transform his guilt into effort, frantically solving problems.

When he encountered another difficult problem, he instinctively opened the book, but then froze, lost in thought for a long time.

A strange bank card was tucked between the pages.

He had opened this book just last night and hadn’t seen it then, meaning it had only recently been placed inside.

Next to the bank card was a small note, written in a familiar Slender Gold script, but with unfamiliar words:

[Reward, password is your birthday, the amount is exactly 100,000.]

‘His guilt intensified.

Qiyu had expected Lu Xingye to blame him, scold him, or give him the silent treatment.

He’d even mentally prepared how to shamelessly beg for forgiveness if Lu Xingye exhibited any of those behaviors.

He never, in any circumstance, expected this outcome.

From last night until now, he’d been enveloped by awkwardness. For him, pride was paramount.

Yet, Lu Xingye hadn’t fantasized about anything, nor had he brought up the incident of Qiyu wearing a wig and secretly kissing him.

Qiyu finished writing those few test papers in one go. When he finally looked up, he realized it was almost time for school to end.

Just then, Wen Nuo slowly returned to the classroom. Qiyu called out to him, and they exchanged an awkward glance.

Finally, Wen Nuo couldn’t resist, breaking the silence first. “What’s wrong? Do we have to stare at each other so lovingly?”

Qiyu clutched the card in his hand and blurted out, “I’ll treat you guys to dinner, what do you want to eat?”

Wen Nuo dragged his chair over and sat down. “Is there something big to celebrate today?”

Qiyu replied, “Uh, not really.”

Wen Nuo pouted. “Then I’m not going.”

Qiyu was exasperated. “Actually, there is. My pet turtle’s tenth birthday. I want to treat you to soft-shelled turtle soup.”

He didn’t actually own a turtle; this was just a spontaneous fabrication to retort to Wen Nuo, and he didn’t expect Wen Nuo to believe him.

While Wen Nuo wasn’t the brightest, he wasn’t stupid.

To Qiyu’s surprise, Wen Nuo slapped the table upon hearing this. “Great! I love birthday parties!”

Qiyu: `’I take it back.’`

“But I have one request, I wonder if you can grant it?”

Seeing his hesitant expression, Qiyu assumed it was something major and replied, “Please state it, I’ll consider it.”

Wen Nuo said, “Let’s not eat soft-shelled turtle soup, okay? I feel bad eating your beloved pet’s relatives.”

Qiyu: “…Mm.”

It had just been a casual remark anyway; he hadn’t planned on actually eating turtle soup.

Qiyu thought for a moment, then patted the excitedly chattering Wen Nuo. “Let’s invite Jian Lin too.”

Wen Nuo was busy stuffing homework into his backpack. Hearing this, he casually replied, “He’s busy today; his mom called him back to the old family home.”

“It’s more lively with more people; just the two of us would be boring.” Qiyu’s slender, pale fingers lightly tapped his phone screen. He scrolled through his entire contact list but couldn’t find a suitable person.

In truth, it wasn’t just about a lively crowd; he wanted to drink to get drunk and act out towards Lu Xingye.

They say alcohol gives courage, and today, Qiyu wanted to try it too. But alcohol wasn’t suitable for a two-person dinner, at least, for Qiyu, that was the case.

“I know! I have a friend who just returned from overseas, he can come too.” Wen Nuo stopped tidying his backpack, looking at Qiyu as he added.

“He’s really funny; you should get to know him too.”