After that, Qin Yuanxi seemed absent-minded for the whole day, drifting through the day in a daze. His desk mate could sense something off about him and wanted to ask what was wrong several times. It felt like he’d been drained by a vampire or something. Despite attempting to pry something out of Qin Yuanxi’s mouth, all attempts failed, and he ultimately gave up, sighing softly, “Are you in love or something?”
After saying this, he looked genuinely concerned, “This won’t do, the teacher said no dating, it affects studies.”
Qin Yuanxi was already feeling awkward, and hearing his desk mate’s words made it worse. He casually replied, “You’re the one in love, not me.”
“I have no hope.” His desk mate chuckled, “I’m nowhere near as popular as you. You and Lu Bohuan are just something else. Having two campus hotties in our class, I bet the girls from other classes are jealous. And you have such a good relationship with Lu Bohuan, not only eye candy but also jealousy-inducing.”
After finishing, he added to himself, “Indeed, the handsome guys are self-sufficient.” He didn’t see anything wrong with this statement.
As soon as his desk mate finished speaking, Qin Yuanxi glanced at Lu Bohuan. The diligent student, Lu Bohuan, was earnestly taking notes, always focused and diligent. Sometimes, his excellence made people feel sorry for him.
Actually, Qin Yuanxi and Lu Bohuan weren’t originally in the same class.
Qin Yuanxi remembered the years in elementary school when he was always desk mates with Lu Bohuan. Despite Lu Bohuan being quiet and cold towards others, he was different with Qin Yuanxi. Maybe it was Qin Yuanxi’s warmth, like a little sun, that had melted the ice around Lu Bohuan long ago. Or perhaps it was his own enthusiasm that had unilaterally brought Lu Bohuan into his world.
In any case, their relationship was closer than with others.
Because of this, other kids were jealous. They couldn’t accept that Lu Bohuan, a newcomer, could become the closest person to Qin Yuanxi. That was unacceptable; they wouldn’t allow it! There had to be an order of things, right?
However, because of Qin Yuanxi’s excessive closeness to Lu Bohuan, it did cause Lu Bohuan some minor trouble.
This minor trouble was that others began to form groups and ignore him, making Lu Bohuan appear even friendless, with only Qin Yuanxi by his side. Qin Yuanxi consciously took on the responsibility of being a good friend to Lu Bohuan.
He continued to carry this responsibility.
By the time they reached junior high school, they were still attending the same feeder school, but they weren’t in the same class anymore from that point onward.
Once in junior high, the school started to focus more on its high school placement rate. The annual high school entrance exam became a covert competition, leading to strict screening of new students like them. They were then grouped according to their grades, and naturally, Lu Bohuan fell into the top tier.
Lu Bohuan being a top student wasn’t something Qin Yuanxi had felt strongly about before. Back in elementary school, nobody paid much attention to it since they were all more or less the same in the three main subjects – Chinese, Math, and English. Whether you scored 200 or 210, nobody really cared about the difference.
But things changed in junior high.
The workload suddenly increased, and students like Lu Bohuan who excelled saw their scores jump from around 200 to over 500, while Qin Yuanxi’s remained around 200. Not only did this make him look bad, but it also widened the gap between him and Lu Bohuan.
From being inseparable friends, they became a good student and a poor student, separated by a whole floor. Qin Yuanxi couldn’t even sneak a glance at Lu Bohuan during class anymore. He felt like he had lost a very important friend all of a sudden, and it made him feel really down.
When they first entered junior high, Lu Bohuan’s class began extra classes. Whether it was after school or during breaks, their class would stay an extra hour longer than Qin Yuanxi’s. Worried that Lu Bohuan would be lonely going home alone, Qin Yuanxi steadfastly waited for Lu Bohuan after school every day. Neither wind nor rain could stop him from waiting for Lu Bohuan to finish school. This continued from the first year of junior high to the second, until finally, when it was time to enter the third year, they both successfully entered the same class.
At that time, the happiest person was Qin’s mom.
With her son’s grades improving so much, Xiao Lu next door was undoubtedly a big contributor. Qin’s mom treated Lu Bohuan even more kindly and warmly, especially when she found out that Lu Bohuan grew up in a single-parent household with strict parents. Knowing that he grew up in a loveless environment, her heart softened, and she raised Lu Bohuan almost like her own son.
During those three years, Qin Yuanxi gradually understood a truth: if he wanted to be friends with Lu Bohuan, he first had to stand by Lu Bohuan’s side. Lu Bohuan was a good student, so he couldn’t afford to be too bad; otherwise, they wouldn’t belong in the same world, and they would inevitably drift apart someday.
To prevent this from happening, Qin Yuanxi worked hard on his studies. He knew Lu Bohuan would definitely aim for the city’s best high school, so he studied relentlessly, striving to enter the same high school. While others might study until 10 or 11 o’clock, he pushed himself to 11 or 12. Finally, with his relentless effort and Lu Bohuan’s individual guidance, Qin Yuanxi’s grades soared. He finally fulfilled his wish to attend the same high school as Lu Bohuan during the high school entrance exam.
Standing at the entrance of the high school, Qin Yuanxi’s belief grew stronger.
He knew he had to become even better to continue being friends with Lu Bohuan.
This thought motivated him step by step, following in Lu Bohuan’s footsteps until he reached the key class in their senior year. He even went to the teacher to put in a good word to transfer from the first key class to the second just to be in the same class as Lu Bohuan. His wish came true, and he found himself in the same classroom as Lu Bohuan.
Until today, Qin Yuanxi hadn’t fully understood why he did all this. He just wanted to be closer to Lu Bohuan, to be good friends with him, to see Lu Bohuan every day, to feel Lu Bohuan ruffling his hair and talking to him. No matter what Lu Bohuan said, Qin Yuanxi was eager to listen.
But that dream…
Thinking about that dream made Qin Yuanxi lower his head.
That dream was too vivid. He could clearly feel Lu Bohuan’s hand touching him, the electrifying sensation, the warmth when they were together, the softness of Lu Bohuan’s kiss. Everything in that dream drove Qin Yuanxi crazy.
It was only later, after much reflection, that he finally understood the real reason behind all those years of following Lu Bohuan.
He liked Lu Bohuan. He had liked him for a long time, but he had been ignorant, mistaking his feelings for friendship, thinking it was just a biological urge. That dream had finally made Qin Yuanxi realize his true feelings.
The moment Qin Yuanxi realized he liked Lu Bohuan, he felt a heavy, hot sensation in his chest, accompanied by a sour feeling every time he stole a glance at Lu Bohuan.
So, when Ah Tuo had that kind of dream, who was the person he dreamed of?
Qin Yuanxi wanted to know, desperately.
But he didn’t dare to ask Lu Bohuan.
For several days, Qin Yuanxi’s mood was off. He often spaced out and sometimes deliberately avoided Lu Bohuan. At first, Lu Bohuan didn’t pay much attention. But when Qin Yuanxi avoided him once again, Lu Bohuan frowned and rode home alone.
They had always been inseparable. Whether Lu Bohuan had extra classes or stayed behind for tutoring, rain or shine, Qin Yuanxi would always wait for him without fail. But now, just because of a dream, was it really necessary?
Lu Bohuan thought it wasn’t necessary, but Qin Yuanxi truly felt it was.
During those days, he searched through his biology textbook, hoping to find some answers. Unfortunately, he found nothing. So, he turned to the internet, trying to understand what was going on. Was it just teenage hormones? Or was he actually interested in the same sex? Qin Yuanxi looked at many attractive photos of boys online. As he lay in bed looking at those photos, his heart remained calm, but inevitably, his thoughts turned to Lu Bohuan.
Thinking of Lu Bohuan’s face, he had to admit, it was really handsome. He had never seen anyone as good-looking as Lu Bohuan. Lu Bohuan’s face had become the standard of beauty for him. Whether it was his eyes, nose, eyebrows, or mouth, Qin Yuanxi found them all attractive, even more so than those of celebrities.
Turning over, Qin Yuanxi sighed.
The next day, he walked alone once again.
Carrying his uneaten breakfast and pedaling his bike, he watched the traffic light in front of him, its numbers ticking slowly. His mood fluctuated like those numbers, changing rapidly, especially after realizing his true feelings. It intensified the sensations even more.
“Are you on duty?” Suddenly, there was someone beside him, and Qin Yuanxi almost lost his footing on the pedals. He turned to see Lu Bohuan with his usual expressionless face walking behind him.
“Y-yeah.”
That was the excuse Qin Yuanxi had sent to Lu Bohuan. He didn’t want to go to school together, so he deliberately avoided Lu Bohuan. He had even left nearly half an hour early and skipped breakfast, only to find out that Lu Bohuan had left early too.
“Is that so?” Lu Bohuan responded indifferently, not saying anything else. “Let’s go, the green light’s about to change.”
On the way, the two of them remained silent. Qin Yuanxi felt a bit awkward and just smiled at Lu Bohuan. As they were about to return to the classroom, Lu Bohuan suddenly grabbed him. “Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not.” Qin Yuanxi immediately denied. “Why would I avoid you? That’s impossible, heh.”
“When you lie, your eyes tend to look down. It’s obvious.” Lu Bohuan mercilessly exposed him. “Just like now.”
Qin Yuanxi rubbed his feet on the ground and remained silent for a moment. Lu Bohuan seemed to not want to pressure him further, just ruffled Qin Yuanxi’s hair and softly said, “Let’s go to class first. After the exams, we can talk properly.”
Sometimes, Qin Yuanxi felt like Lu Bohuan knew everything—his little movements, his habits, everything. It made Qin Yuanxi feel like he couldn’t hide anything from Lu Bohuan. He became even more nervous, wondering what would happen if Lu Bohuan found out about his thoughts. How would he see him? Would he think he was weird?
How could he like a boy, especially his best friend?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
