AS CH 24

Chapter 24

Lü Chenyue thought that for this graduation trip, he would be seated on the bus with Xiao Yuqi, and their hotel room would also be arranged together.

But when he saw the finalized seating and room assignment chart, he was so furious and annoyed that he wanted to storm straight to Xu Wenhao.

Xu Wenhao must have done this on purpose!

He clearly knew that the only person in the class Lü Chenyue was close with was Xiao Yuqi, and yet, from start to finish, every arrangement paired him with Xu Wenhao!

As class monitor, the teacher had entrusted Xu Wenhao with the task of pairing up students in twos. The bus seating was directly tied to the hotel room assignments—it made roll calls more convenient. If anyone wanted to change, they had to first report it and get approval before any adjustments could be made.

Xu Wenhao had clearly taken advantage of this fact. Since no one else in the class wanted to share a room or a seat with Lü Chenyue, he had arranged for the two of them to be together.

Which meant that for the entire five days and four nights of the trip, he would be stuck with Xu Wenhao in the same room. Just the thought of it made Lü Chenyue’s heart pound with nervous unease.

Time flew quickly, and soon it was the day of the trip. After roll call in front of the school gates, all the graduating students boarded their assigned buses.

As soon as Lü Chenyue stepped onto the bus and found his seat, he froze on the aisle, staring at the two empty spots before him. Xu Wenhao came up right after him, chuckling softly at his dazed, cute expression.

“You take the inside seat, I’ll sit on the outside,” Xu Wenhao said lightly. “That way, if the teacher needs me, it’s more convenient.”

Lü Chenyue stiffly slid into the seat, turning his gaze toward the window. Once Xu Wenhao sat down beside him, his whole body inexplicably tensed up.

“Does sitting with me make you that nervous?” Xu Wenhao sighed, watching him with an amused expression.

Yes—Xu Wenhao had once again used his authority as class monitor to decide the trip’s arrangements.

Since the teacher had left it to him, he had happily completed the assignment list, submitted it, and once approved, it was final—no changes allowed.

Instinctively, Lü Chenyue shrank back, even though there was no space left behind him to retreat. “I–Idiot, don’t talk to me at school,” he muttered, face slightly flushed with embarrassment. Xu Wenhao’s nearness made his thoughts scatter, leaving him flustered and unable to think clearly.

“What does it matter? If people see, then let them see. I don’t care what they say about me.” Xu Wenhao shrugged, letting out a soft laugh, as if he found Lü Chenyue’s fussing amusing. “It’s so early in the morning—if you’re tired, just sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive,” he added gently.

He really didn’t care how their classmates saw him.

Xu Wenhao knew that the overly sensitive Lü Chenyue only worried about dragging him down, but in truth, he never needed to.

That simple, natural reassurance from Xu Wenhao made Lü Chenyue’s heart ripple with a faint warmth. Still, he remained stiff and uneasy, unable to stop caring about how others looked at them. He feared that Xu Wenhao might one day become like him—an outcast.

“Or… do you want to lean on my shoulder to sleep?” Xu Wenhao suddenly leaned in, his face mischievous with a teasing grin.

Suddenly, Xu Wenhao’s handsome face appeared less than three centimeters away, making Lü Chenyue instinctively lean back. His already flushed cheeks burned all the way up to his ears, and even his neck turned crimson. In the end, he could only turn his face toward the window, saying nothing.

Watching Lü Chenyue’s awkward, evasive reaction nearly made Xu Wenhao burst out laughing.

Since it was the first day of the graduation trip, the schedule wasn’t packed. At each sightseeing stop, the first person Lü Chenyue sought out was Xiao Yuqi, which made Xu Wenhao—watching from behind—feel extremely sour inside.

Even during the lunch break, Lü Chenyue deliberately sat with Xiao Yuqi to eat, completely ignoring Xu Wenhao beside him, as if treating him like an invisible man.

Even someone as dense as Xiao Yuqi could sense a pair of sharp, piercing eyes watching them. He assumed Xu Wenhao was staring at Lü Chenyue, but in truth, those eyes were fixed on him.

Xiao Yuqi found it puzzling—wasn’t it Xu Wenhao who had begged him to convince Lü Chenyue to join the trip? Now that Lü Chenyue had come along, why was Xu Wenhao’s gaze so strange? Even if he disliked Lü Chenyue, why would he arrange for the two of them to share a room?

Lü Chenyue kept his head down, not daring to meet those burning eyes that followed him everywhere. He deliberately avoided Xu Wenhao and tried to act as naturally as possible in front of Xiao Yuqi, not wanting his friend to notice anything unusual.

By the time the day’s activities ended and they got back on the bus, Xu Wenhao immediately leaned in close with an irritated expression, his voice tinged with grievance:

“Why do you keep avoiding me?”

“I–I’m not…” Once again that handsome face loomed in front of him, and Lü Chenyue instinctively shrank back.

“You’re much more obedient in private,” Xu Wenhao drawled lazily, giving him a mischievous glance.

“You… y-you shut up!” Lü Chenyue panicked, glancing around to make sure no one in class had overheard. His cheeks turned pink again, and he scolded him in a flustered, embarrassed whisper.

“It’s fine either way.” Xu Wenhao shrugged, then teased with a sly smile: “Besides, tonight in our room, we’ll have plenty of time together.”

Lü Chenyue couldn’t believe Xu Wenhao would say something so ambiguous and suggestive—it left him completely at a loss for how to respond.

He decided it was best not to take Xu Wenhao’s words seriously. The more he paid attention, the more Xu Wenhao would find excuses to tease him. So he chose silence, turning his head back toward the window.

A moment later, a carefree laugh rang out beside him. It made Lü Chenyue want to get angry, yet he had no idea where or how to vent his frustration.

Xu Wenhao was definitely doing it on purpose!

(To be continued…)