Chapter 46
Before the bell rang, Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu returned one after the other, carrying Liang Jing and Li Rui's school uniforms.
Finally able to cover his backside and save his face, Liang Jing breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, tied his school uniform around his waist, and looked up: "Hey? Brother Xiao, what happened to your mouth?"
Because he wasn't satisfied, Jiang Huaiyu bit him.
Of course, he couldn't tell the truth, so Lu Mingxiao coughed and mumbled, "I'm a little feverish."
Liang Jing, a typical straight man, didn't think too much about it. He glanced at Jiang Huaiyu again and asked, "Hey? Genius, why did you wear a mask when you went to the equipment room?"
Jiang Huaiyu lowered her eyelids, a faint blush appearing at the corners of her eyes. A black mask covered half of her face. She didn't even raise her head when she heard this. She walked past Liang Jing and tossed out a sentence: "Too much dust."
His voice was a little hoarse.
After Jiang Huaiyu had walked a short distance, Lu Mingxiao suddenly raised his hand and patted Liang Jing's shoulder forcefully: "Why did you throw the school uniform so high?"
"Huh?" Liang Jing scratched his head: "I threw it up on purpose. Last time I put it in the middle few layers, and someone knocked it down and stepped on it, leaving several big footprints. This time I jumped up and threw it up. What's wrong, Brother Xiao? You can't reach it? You can't, right?"
"Yes, you're really good." Lu Mingxiao patted his shoulder again, his young and handsome face full of smugness. He laughed so unrestrainedly that his cracked lips twitched, and he couldn't help but gasp. "Hiss~ I just wanted to say that you put these clothes in such a wonderful way. I'll treat you to dinner later."
Liang Jing: "Is that so? Then I'll aim higher next time."
Lu Mingxiao: "...It's not that bad. People will think you're under a lot of academic pressure and are having suicidal thoughts."
After Lu Mingxiao hurried off to catch up with Jiang Huaiyu, Li Rui clumsily finished tying his clothes. He leaned over and asked Li Rui, "What did Brother Xiao say to you? Hey? Why are their ears so red?"
...
Hearing footsteps behind him, Jiang Huaiyu subconsciously slowed down. As the familiar warmth drew near, Lu Mingxiao draped an arm over his shoulder and asked, looking down at him, "Um... are your lips really swollen? Let me take another look?"
"No thanks." Jiang Huaiyu's voice was muffled through her mask, and she glanced at him with her narrow eyes: "Lu Mingxiao, are you a dog?"
It's still the kind that hasn't been weaned, licking and biting, trying so hard as if it wants to swallow him whole.
Lu Mingxiao's ears were burning. He awkwardly cleared his throat and managed to stammer, "...I'm a dog."
Jiang Huaiyu was rendered speechless by his words, and gave him a helpless yet amused sidelong glance: "Your self-awareness is good, but your technique needs improvement."
"It's my first time kissing, I'm so excited..." After entering the teaching building, Lu Mingxiao released Jiang Huaiyu and hummed softly in a low voice, "I'll practice hard, you know..."
Jiang Huaiyu's face under the mask was almost burning hot. Her heart was pounding, and when Lu Mingxiao told her that she needed to practice even harder, it started beating even faster, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.
He strode into the classroom, feigning composure as he tossed out, "Go practice with jelly."
Lu Mingxiao: ...
No way! Jelly is nowhere near as delicious as ginger fish.
The class was math. The two returned to their seats one after the other. Zhang Cunmiao noticed that they both had their school uniforms tied around their waists and couldn't help but tease them: "Xiao-ge, Yu-ge, what kind of trendy look is this? Matching outfits? You two look incredibly handsome..."
"You're so cheeky, aren't you?" Lu Mingxiao raised an eyebrow, grinned mischievously, and turned to the math teacher who had just come in, saying, "Teacher, Zhang Cunmiao says he's really good at solving problems now and wants to come to the front to show off."
The math teacher's eyes lit up: "So enthusiastic! Come on up here and solve the first big problem on page 31."
Zhang Cunmiao: ...
Brother, I was wrong, I'll never be so cheeky again.
...
When evening class ended, it was already dark. The two of them walked out of the school gate, keeping their distance as usual. As the torrent of school uniforms of the same color around them gradually merged into the crowd and finally disappeared completely, Lu Mingxiao then subtly moved closer and closer.
Jiang Huaiyu glanced at his furtive expression and found it amusing. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, asking, "What are you doing?"
Lu Mingxiao looked around and, seeing that there was no one on this stretch of road, took Jiang Huaiyu's hand and gently squeezed it.
"Jiang Xiaoyu, you've been acting awkward all afternoon, not even looking at me properly. What's wrong?" Lu Mingxiao leaned closer, his deep-set eyes full of a sly smile, his gaze moist and bright: "Still embarrassed?"
How could Jiang Huaiyu admit that he had indeed been experiencing a rapid heartbeat? But it was absolutely impossible for the young master Jiang to show weakness.
He turned his head to look at Lu Mingxiao, raising an eyebrow slightly: "You're the one who should feel bad. You haven't dared to look me in the eye all afternoon. If you're so capable, then don't look away now."
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The next second, the two of them turned their heads together, their faces flushed red.
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud, thinking the two of them were really childish, and pulled Lu Mingxiao's hand to continue walking forward: "Young Master Lu, so innocent~"
Lu Mingxiao followed him, his face still flushed, and chuckled softly, "Why don't you look at yourself before you criticize others, Young Master Jiang?"
They reached the alley entrance in just two steps. A cluster of newly gathered food stalls lined the roadside, and there were quite a few people there in the evening. Five or six of them were wearing their school uniforms. Lu Mingxiao felt that the alley was too short, so he reluctantly squeezed Jiang Huaiyu's palm twice before letting go.
But you can hold hands in the next alley. Thinking about it this way, even something as simple as going home can be full of anticipation.
They had already eaten dinner before evening classes, but Jiang Huaiyu ate very little. It's not that his little fish is a picky eater; the food in the cafeteria is indeed terrible. If Li Qing hadn't been away from home recently, he wouldn't have dragged his young master to eat in the cafeteria.
Looks like I'll have to learn to cook during winter break.
"Didn't you eat enough tonight?" Lu Mingxiao tugged at Jiang Huaiyu's wrist. "See if there's anything you want to eat. Let's eat our fill before we go back."
When he said that, Jiang Huaiyu did feel a bit hungry. The two of them strolled around the stalls side by side and finally went into a bright and clean little prefab house.
The stall owner was a nimble old man who used a small electric tricycle to pull his small prefab house out to set up his stall. He sold "Bo Bo Chicken" (钵钵鸡). After Jiang Huaiyu selected the skewers she wanted, the old man even gave her two extra.
This was enough for him as a late-night snack, but it was clearly not enough for Lu Mingxiao. He went to another stall to buy baked flatbread, while Jiang Huaiyu sat in the small prefab house, eating and waiting for him.
He had a bamboo shoot in his mouth, but his gaze pierced through the glass window and landed on Lu Mingxiao.
My lips are a little swollen, and eating chili oil will sting a bit. I can't help but think of that afternoon, the dust floating in the dim light, the refreshing smell of laundry detergent on Lu Mingxiao, and that clumsy yet passionate kiss.
"So stupid..."
He mumbled something indistinctly, his cheeks burning from the spiciness of the bamboo shoots.
Lu Mingxiao stood amidst the lively atmosphere, his school uniform sleeves tucked into his waistband, smiling and talking to the stall owner. The warm yellow light of the stall accentuated his handsome profile, highlighting his strong and attractive features.
Seemingly sensing that Jiang Huaiyu was watching him, he stood amidst the everyday life, tilted his head, and gave Jiang Huaiyu a sly smile.
Jiang Huaiyu also smiled.
At the pancake stall, the owner handed over a freshly baked pancake: "Young man, what are you looking at? Why are you smiling so broadly? What's up? Got a girlfriend?"
Lu Mingxiao wished the whole world knew that Jiang Huaiyu was his boyfriend, but not now. Until they really grew up, it could only remain a secret.
He took the flatbread and smiled politely at the uncle, saying, "Look at my little brother."
The elder brother was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed: "Oh no!"
Lu Mingxiao: ? ? ?
Suddenly, the surrounding vendors efficiently packed up their things, clearing away all the pots and pans in less than two minutes. The old man selling the Sichuan-style boiled chicken stepped on the gas, and his electric tricycle sped away first, followed by grilled cold noodles, hand-pulled pancakes, takoyaki...
Lu Mingxiao, who also had plenty of experience running a stall, realized that the urban management officers had arrived. He even helped the barbecue vendor lift his table. The surrounding customers started complaining, while his pancakes were ready. He leisurely took a bite, feeling like he had forgotten something...
Well……
"Grandpa!" He jumped up and chased after the old man's electric tricycle: "My...my brother, you have to stay here with me!"
Jiang Huaiyu sat in the small prefab house that had sprung up like a whirlwind, holding a string of lotus root slices in her hand.
He has ridden in many sports cars, experienced racing, and even tried driving a yacht...
But the stalls that were rushing to get out of the way still brought a little shock to the young master's world. He even felt that he might have accidentally entered another world. Otherwise, why would the seats at the food stalls have a push-back feeling?
The stall owner, an elderly man riding an electric tricycle, could still comfort him with ease, raising his voice in a way that was quite impressive.
"Don't worry, young man. You have a cell phone, right? You can contact your girlfriend later. You eat your food, and I'll take you for a ride."
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
Your grandpa will always be your grandpa. He has a sharp eye, is knowledgeable, has a stable mindset, and is a first-class driver.
Seeing that Lu Mingxiao couldn't catch up, Jiang Huaiyu took out her phone and sent him a WeChat message to let him know she was safe.
...
Lu Mingxiao stopped in his tracks when his phone vibrated. He knew it was a message from Jiang Huaiyu. He opened WeChat and checked the pinned post, and sure enough, it was her.
【Little Fish Swims Fast】: Brother Xiao, the old man said he'd take me to the entrance of our alley. I'll wait for you under the willow tree.
Lu Mingxiao smiled and was about to type a reply when he vaguely heard footsteps behind him.
Those were deliberately soft footsteps, almost blending into the night breeze.
He switched out of WeChat, subtly opened the camera, and saw a hunched middle-aged man behind him. Beneath his unkempt hair and beard were a pair of triangular eyes that he recognized very well.
Those eyes that always appear in his nightmares.
Great, his bait got a response; the rotten fish in the stinking ditch finally couldn't resist taking the bait.
Author's Note:
It's okay, don't be afraid, it's not cruel. [heart emoji]
100 random small red envelopes!
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