Chapter – 65
Apart from the profile picture, Luo Shuxin couldn’t get any information about Jiang Jian.
The messages Jiang Jian had sent earlier were ambiguous. All day long, Luo Shuxin wanted countless times to ask how he was doing, but every time he typed two characters, he felt it would be crossing a line and deleted them.
He stayed tangled in that hesitation until school ended. On the way home, even while chatting with Luo Yue, he was absent-minded.
After getting home and taking a shower, he sat at his desk as usual to do practice questions.
His bedroom door wasn’t fully closed. Yi-ge leisurely squeezed through the gap and circled around his feet.
As a former tyrant among campus cats, Yi-ge rarely meowed, but it had its own way of acting spoiled.
After rubbing against him a few times and only getting a casual pat from Luo Shuxin, Yi-ge became dissatisfied. It jumped straight onto the desk and sprawled across his test paper.
Its huge cat face was full of arrogant provocation — the entire cat seemed to read in bold capital letters: What can you do about it?
Luo Shuxin stared at Yi-ge for two seconds.
Then, expressionless, he flipped the cat over, parted the fur on its belly, and took a photo of the little bumps there.
Yi-ge: ?
After taking the photo, Luo Shuxin switched from camera to WeChat and sent it to Jiang Jian, asking in a very dumb way what it was.
[Crayon Shin-chan]: Just found this on Yi-ge. Shouldn’t be parasites.
[Crayon Shin-chan]: Could it be sick?
After sending the message, Luo Shuxin waited for a reply.
Sure enough, the top of the chat soon showed “The other party is typing…”
He kept typing for a long time, yet no message came.
After dozens of seconds, even the typing indicator disappeared.
Luo Shuxin: ?
The next second, his phone vibrated — Jiang Jian was calling a video chat.
The buzzing also caught Yi-ge’s attention; its ear fur twitched.
After connecting, Jiang Jian’s enlarged handsome face filled the screen, his expression complicated — almost speechless.
First thing he asked:
“Where’s the cat?”
Luo Shuxin glanced at it. “Here.”
Jiang Jian: “You didn’t pull at it, did you?”
Luo Shuxin: “?”
Jiang Jian: “You checked for parasites — you definitely pulled it! That’s where mother cats nurse kittens, genius, what are you doing?!”
Of course Luo Shuxin knew, but he dutifully pretended not to and argued:
“It’s a male cat.”
Jiang Jian: “You’re a man too — don’t you have them?”
Luo Shuxin: “……”
Jiang Jian: “Show me the cat.”
Luo Shuxin switched cameras so Jiang Jian could see the black cat flattened across his papers.
Cat: ?
Jiang Jian watched the cat through the phone. Luo Shuxin watched Jiang Jian.
Jiang Jian: “Waaah, it’s swollen.”
Luo Shuxin: “?”
Jiang Jian: “I mean the face. What did you feed it? It’s so fat. Yesterday at your place I didn’t notice — but on camera its face is like a plate.”
Luo Shuxin: “That’s fluff.”
Jiang Jian: “Prove it.”
Luo Shuxin: “?”
Jiang Jian: “Pet it!”
Luo Shuxin resignedly reached out to pet the cat while Jiang Jian directed him — scratch the chin, rub the head.
He felt like a remote-controlled device.
On the other side, Jiang Jian lay on his desk with his chin resting on his arm. He had probably just showered; his hair was still wet, his face softened and clean from the lingering moisture.
He stared at Yi-ge intently.
You stand on the bridge watching scenery; the one watching the scenery watches you from above.
As Luo Shuxin kept looking, his heart suddenly stirred. He withdrew his “remote-control petting” hand and took a screenshot.
In the screenshot, Jiang Jian looked lazy and casual, a faint smile at the corner of his lips — gentle like a breeze.
Chapter 29
Jiang Jian stayed home for a week before returning to school. The result of the previous fight was still a demerit. He was used to it — not his first one anyway.
Vice Principal Fei, however, looked worried whenever he saw him. Three out of five encounters turned into lectures.
Since Jiang Jian and Luo Shuxin spent so much time together, Luo Shuxin also knew the situation.
In the vice principal’s mind, Jiang Jian’s “strike counter” was already full — one more incident, even being late or chatting in class, and he’d probably be expelled if caught.
Despite the old man talking himself dry, Jiang Jian only behaved obediently on the surface; once he turned around, it was as if he’d forgotten everything.
One day, as they walked back from the cafeteria, Jiang Jian spotted the vice principal from afar and prepared to escape.
The vice principal shouted his name, but he pretended not to hear.
By the time the man caught up, only Luo Shuxin remained. Bent over and panting, he glared in Jiang Jian’s direction before turning that leftover anger toward Luo Shuxin.
Luo Shuxin: “……”
Luo Shuxin: “You can tell me — I’ll pass the message along.”
Vice Principal Fei: “……”
The man poked him twice, feeling this good student had also been led astray.
When Luo Shuxin returned to the classroom, Jiang Jian was offering cola to his desk like an altar.
Next to it were several small bread rolls stacked into a triangular tower — just missing three incense sticks.
A passing classmate joked whether Jiang Jian finally strangled the top student to death and was making offerings.
Jiang Jian thought: If that really happened, it’d definitely be Luo Shuxin’s own fault. I wouldn’t worship him.
He was about to retort — then saw the “guilty party” standing at the door and immediately swallowed his words.
