AS CH 10

Chapter 10

Xu Wenhao burst out laughing without a shred of courtesy. He kindly scooped a bowl of luwei and shoved it into Lü Chenyue’s hands.

“I knew you were hungry. Come on, eat. Don’t torture your stomach.”

Lü Chenyue turned his face away, flustered. “I—”

Before he could finish, Xu Wenhao cut in, “Eat first. Talk later. You’ll need energy if you want to argue, right?”

Did Xu Wenhao really think he just wanted to argue with him?

He just… didn’t want to accept even the slightest bit of charity from Xu Wenhao. He just—

Growl… gurgle…

A flush of red spread quickly across Lü Chenyue’s cheeks.

Fine. He gave up.

He really didn’t want to keep fighting with his own stomach. He’d gone too long without food, and the churning of acid in his belly was getting hard to bear. Swallowing his pride—and a mouthful of saliva—he turned his back to Xu Wenhao and began eating the luwei in the bowl.

Xu Wenhao looked at Lü Chenyue’s stubborn, prideful ways and shook his head with a chuckle. He deliberately added, “There’s more where that came from. I bought a lot. I can’t finish it all by myself.”

Maybe it was because he’d gone too long without food… or maybe the food was just too fragrant. But after one bowl, Lü Chenyue didn’t feel full. He wanted to ask for more, yet refused to lower himself by asking Xu Wenhao directly.

A hand reached out from behind him, took his empty bowl, filled it up again, and placed it back into his hands.

“I… I owe you twice now. I’ll definitely pay you back,” Lü Chenyue muttered stiffly, still with his back turned. He simply couldn’t bring himself to face Xu Wenhao directly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be waiting,” Xu Wenhao replied, clearly humoring him.

Twenty minutes later, the giant plate of luwei was wiped clean—finished off by one generous soul and one begrudging recipient whose stomach betrayed him in the end.

After cleaning up the dishes, Xu Wenhao went to the kitchen, washed everything, and returned to the room. Without asking, he plopped himself down in Lü Chenyue’s chair and casually flipped through the notebooks on the desk.

For some reason, staring at the stack of notebooks made Xu Wenhao feel strangely sour inside.

“So serious, huh?” he said, his voice tinged with jealousy.

“Why are you still here?” Lü Chenyue asked calmly, with less of his usual coldness.

Completely missing the subtle bitterness in Xu Wenhao’s tone, Lü Chenyue tensed up. He really didn’t want to be alone with Xu Wenhao any longer.

The food’s been eaten, the dishes are done… shouldn’t he be leaving now? It was already late.

“If you need help, just ask me directly. No need to go looking for someone else,” Xu Wenhao said, feeling a bit jealous of whoever owned those notes.

“N–No need!” Lü Chenyue instantly bristled, growing visibly agitated. “Can you leave already?”

Xu Wenhao scoffed, “You just finished eating the food I brought, and now that you’re full, you want to kick me out? My kind gesture of warmth is treated like garbage. I’m honestly heartbroken,” he said, flashing a playful, mischievous grin.

Lü Chenyue could hardly believe how thick-skinned this person was.

“I want you to leave. Immediately. Right now,” he snapped.

But instead of leaving, Xu Wenhao boldly stretched out his long legs and leaned back like he owned the place.

“But I don’t feel like going yet. I want to stay and help you study. What are you going to do about it?”

Right now, Xu Wenhao really did feel like a thug. But he was more than willing to play that part.

Lü Chenyue stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Was this really the same Xu Wenhao who always treated people with gentleness and grace? This cocky guy sitting in front of him was a far cry from that image, leaving him completely dumbfounded.

“Xu Wenhao!” Lü Chenyue shouted, furious, calling his full name without thinking.

“What?” Xu Wenhao grinned like a total delinquent, completely unfazed. “I’m right here. No need to yell so loud.”

“You—!” Lü Chenyue was so angry he couldn’t get the words out.

“What about me?” Xu Wenhao shrugged, feigning innocence.

“You hate me, don’t you? So why are you even here?” Lü Chenyue finally voiced the question that had been eating away at him.

“I never said I hated you. Why would you think that?” Xu Wenhao asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

Well… he couldn’t deny it.

Xu Wenhao admitted to himself that at first, it was true. Since the rest of the class didn’t like Lü Chenyue, he’d gone along with it and distanced himself too. But after spending time with him over the past few days, his curiosity had only grown stronger—especially about that night when Lü Chenyue’s face twisted in sheer terror.

Back then, Lü Chenyue looked like he was being haunted by some vicious ghost, screaming and trembling uncontrollably. That image had stuck with Xu Wenhao, stirring a deep sense of sympathy. Could it be that Lü Chenyue had experienced some painful trauma in the past?

And today—when Xu Wenhao saw Lü Chenyue, who normally kept his distance from everyone, suddenly approach Xiao Yuqi—it sparked a strange, unexpected irritation inside him.

“The reason’s obvious, isn’t it?” Lü Chenyue said, lowering his eyes.

“From the very first year in this class, I’ve never socialized with anyone. I don’t like being part of a group. As time passed, everyone in the class started to dislike me. You were no different, were you?”

He remembered it clearly. Over the course of their three years together, Xu Wenhao had barely spoken to him beyond a few basic words. He never looked his way, always kept his distance.

But ever since that day Xu Wenhao made him stay after class to redo his homework, Lü Chenyue couldn’t figure him out anymore.

Was he trying to bully him? Just messing around? Or was he simply bored and looking for entertainment?

“I told you—I’ve never hated you,” Xu Wenhao repeated, his gaze unwavering.

“That’s enough. Get out. And don’t come back again!” Lü Chenyue grabbed Xu Wenhao by the arm, hauled him off the chair, and struggled to drag him toward the door.

Xu Wenhao didn’t resist and let himself be dragged. Lü Chenyue opened the door, shoved him out, and threw all his things after him. With a loud BANG, the door slammed shut and was immediately locked.

Inside, Lü Chenyue clutched the doorknob tightly, as if afraid Xu Wenhao might barge back in any second.

“I’ll come again!” Xu Wenhao shouted from outside before actually walking away.

Only after hearing his footsteps fade into the distance did Lü Chenyue loosen his grip on the doorknob.

That line—“I’ve never hated you”—left a strange warmth blooming in his chest. A little sharp, a little bitter… but still warm.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Why did Xu Wenhao have to come and disturb his life?

He thought being alone was enough. He didn’t care what the others in class thought about him. He’d already grown used to three years of isolation.

So why, of all times, did he have to cross paths with Xu Wenhao now?

Yes, that’s right—nothing good ever happens when Xu Wenhao is involved!

So Lü Chenyue made up his mind: he absolutely did not want to have anything more to do with Xu Wenhao. They would each live their own lives. Even if Xu Wenhao said he’d come looking for him again—Lü Chenyue would never let him set foot in his house again. Every second spent around Xu Wenhao made it harder and harder for him to breathe.

But… why?

He had already decided he didn’t want anything to do with Xu Wenhao anymore. After graduation, they would just be strangers. No one would remember there was ever someone named “Lü Chenyue” in their high school years. Wouldn’t that be ideal?

By then, Xu Wenhao would forget who he was. And he, too, would completely forget Xu Wenhao.

Because from beginning to end, he had always been alone…

(To be continued…)