Flirt First, Run Later [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Liang Chu widened his eyes and scrutinized carefully before confirming, “It really is for me.”

Xie Shenxing slowly lowered his hand, and Liang Chu’s gaze followed his movement from high to low, bowing his head to take the love letter. However, Xie Shenxing held it tightly. Liang Chu didn’t dare to snatch it forcefully, afraid of damaging the first love letter in Jing Ke’s life.

“Let go,” Liang Chu said, “I’m waiting to read it.”

Xie Shenxing’s expression was icy. He had painstakingly nurtured this tender cabbage, watering and fertilizing it every day, unable to bring himself to take a bite, enduring the torment while waiting for it to grow up. And now, it actually wanted to read someone else’s love letter—how dare it even say that.

Xie Shenxing reluctantly replied, “You took all of mine, shouldn’t you compensate me with yours?”

Liang Chu reflexively thought of the letters he had secretly kept from Xie Shenxing. The only thing he felt guilty about and immediately became alert, denying it: “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I haven’t taken anything from you.”

Liang Chu forced himself to look directly at Xie Shenxing, avoiding any glance under the bed.

Xie Shenxing let out a soft laugh, leaning in closer: “What’s so interesting about it? If you like, I can write you as many as you want.”

Liang Chu froze for a solid moment, sensing something off. He retreated while feeling his way along the desk: “Why would I want you to write them? That’s just absurd.”

Liang Chu touched the beaver bear and asked it, “Did you hear what Xie Shenxing said? He wants to write me love letters. What’s going on? Is Xie Shenxing gay?”

The beaver bear replied, “I don’t know, but I haven’t seen him in any early relationships. He’s probably asexual.”

Liang Chu said, “…Can you be any more unreliable? Just because no one likes you doesn’t mean others are asexual.”

The beaver bear hugged its eggshell and said, “Nonsense! I like our eggy. Eggy is the cutest!”

Liang Chu: “…”

Xie Shenxing noticed the slight change in Liang Chu’s expression and knew he wasn’t completely clueless. Without spelling it out, Xie Shenxing said gently, “You’re too young. You shouldn’t be distracted right now. Focus more on your studies.”

Liang Chu had no time for his old-fashioned lecturing; he was also sizing up Xie Shenxing. Xie Shenxing smiled slightly, appearing relaxed and natural as if that misleading remark hadn’t come from his lips. Liang Chu almost doubted whether he had imagined it.

He must be joking… Liang Chu pondered the question, wanting to press for an answer, but his subconscious warned him it wasn’t a wise choice.

Liang Chu cleared his throat and replied, “I don’t even know who it’s from. What’s the harm in taking a look?”

Moreover, the more Xie Shenxing refused to let him see it, the more he actually wanted to. Everyone has a rebellious streak!

Xie Shenxing watched him for a moment before placing the other two letters on the table. He toyed with the elegant light blue envelope in one hand and said softly, “Coco, don’t regret it.”

Liang Chu thought, What do I have to regret? Who are you trying to scare?

Xie Shenxing walked over slowly, extending his left hand to offer it. Just as Liang Chu was about to take it, something suddenly covered his eyes—the man’s warm, broad palm shielding his vision.

Liang Chu’s right hand grasped at empty air.

“What are you doing?” Liang Chu angrily swatted his hand away and snatched the envelope. This time, Xie Shenxing cooperated and let him have it.

Liang Chu shot him a glare, then lowered his head to examine the envelope, wondering whether he should reply. Should he phrase it gently or bluntly? Either way, he couldn’t give anyone false hope. He also pondered who had given him this letter, racking his brain for a long while only to realize he had no recollection at all. Such things were all too common for him, and with his notoriously lazy memory, why would he bother to remember? Most likely, someone had handed it to him, and he had casually tossed it into a drawer without even glancing at the cover. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have mistakenly given the letter to Xie Shenxing.

The colorful envelope was a common, readily available style, exuding a somewhat pungent, cheap fragrance. On the surface, only the name “Jing Ke” was written, with no additional signature.

Must be a rather shy girl, he thought.

Liang Chu turned the envelope over to open it, only to find it had already been unsealed. He froze for a moment, fiddled with the torn flap, and looked up at Xie Shenxing. Xie Shenxing had already finished reading the contents and was leisurely folding the letter back to its original form, handing it to him with a smile.

“How could you do this? I haven’t even read yours!” Liang Chu snatched the letter from him. “You should apologize to me right now!”

Xie Shenxing readily said, “Sorry.”

Liang Chu’s expression soured even more. Your apology is so casual it doesn’t help me feel better at all.

Fuming, Liang Chu walked away and flopped onto the bed. The envelope contained only a single sheet of paper, its content brief and innocent—hardly what one would call a love letter. It recounted an incident: the writer described herself as an insecure, impoverished girl who lacked confidence and struggled to make friends. She felt lonely every day. One day after school, her textbook had fallen, and Liang Chu picked it up and returned it to her. Because of that, she thought he was a kind person and hoped he would always remain a good man.

There wasn’t even a single “I like you” in the letter.

And now, Liang Chu didn’t need to agonize over whether to reply. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t—the envelope bore no signature, the letter was anonymous, and it revealed nothing about the sender. He had no idea who had sent it.

Liang Chu let out a long sigh. He had long forgotten about picking up someone’s book, though he vaguely recalled something like that happening on the stairs.

So, the moment a girl’s heart flutters really is quite mysterious.

He slipped the letter back into the envelope and stood up, only to see Xie Shenxing leaning against the headboard, arms crossed, watching him with an amused smile. Liang Chu kicked him angrily. “Who said you could get on the bed? Get off!”

No wonder Xie Shenxing had been so agreeable earlier. He must have known Liang Chu wouldn’t remember who it was, which made the whole situation a bit embarrassing.

He thought the matter would fade away quietly. But as the peak of summer drew nearer, the countdown to the college entrance exams shrank from three digits to two, then to one, and finally to zero.

The exams lasted two days. During this time, Jing Wenwu treaded carefully, keeping a wide berth from Xie Shenxing. Liang Chu asked him, “Why are you so scared?” Jing Wenwu replied, “I’m afraid he’ll get stressed and take it out on me.”

It took Liang Chu a moment to respond, “Why would he hit you?”

Jing Wenwu grimaced. “I don’t know either.”

Liang Chu hadn’t been nervous originally because he knew all the good outcomes would go to Xie Shenxing. Even if Xie Shenxing messed up, he wouldn’t end up in dire straits. Besides, being the top science student wasn’t just an empty title. Xie Shenxing had weathered countless exams and was unlikely to underperform.

But he was infected by Jing Wenwu’s nervousness. During meals, he kept piling food onto Xie Shenxing’s plate. At bedtime, he would lie down early, turning his back to Xie Shenxing. Then, standing tall on the bed with an air of condescending generosity, he declared, “Today, you may sleep in my bed. You must do well in the exams and not embarrass me…”

Xie Shenxing did not let him down. When the results were announced, Yunxin No. 1 High School had claimed 36 of the top 50 spots in the city’s college entrance exams. Xie Shenxing took the top score in the sciences, essentially giving him the freedom to choose any prestigious university in the country.

After the exams, every student was hailed as a hero. Yunxin No. 1 High School posted the photos of the 36 students who had made it into the top 50 on the bulletin board and the school website, both to update parents and to showcase the school’s academic strength to the public.

At the same time, this marked the beginning of Xie Shenxing’s departure.

Though he had always attracted attention before, it had been within a smaller circle—within the school and among his peers. Now, as the face of the school on public platforms, his ID photo circulated online and even appeared in a local, low-circulation newspaper, boosting its sales for a time. Suddenly, everyone, no matter who they were or how they came across it, could catch a glimpse of him.

When Xie Shenxing was just twelve years old, Jing’s father, who had only seen the eldest son of the Xie family once, could already detect a resemblance between the two. As Xie Shenxing grew older, the likeness became even more pronounced.

Over the past six years, Xie Shenxing had grown increasingly outstanding by Liang Chu’s side, and the mission progress bar had slowly inched forward with time, stalling at 39% for several months without any movement. Recently, however, it had been frequently active, advancing by one point almost every day, leaving both the human and the bear utterly bewildered.

Liang Chu shook its egg. “Are you broken?”

The bucktoothed bear retorted, “I don’t break!”

Liang Chu asked, “Then what’s going on? I haven’t noticed anything unusual about Xie Shenxing. Even if he scored high, the progress bar shouldn’t jump by one point every day. Either it doesn’t move at all, or it surges all at once. This incremental ticking—is it lagging or something?”

“You’re absolutely right,” the bucktoothed bear agreed with him.

Liang Chu: “…”

The mission progress finally settled at 45%.

After the college entrance exams, the high school entrance exams would follow in just over twenty days. One day, Xie Shenxing came to pick up Liang Chu from school. As they walked downstairs side by side, they passed a frail girl carrying a large, worn-out backpack. In the moment they brushed past each other, she accidentally dropped a book. Liang Chu paused, and the girl gave him a shy smile. Seeing that it was awkward for her to bend down, he instinctively moved to pick it up for her.

“I’ll get it,” Xie Shenxing said, gripping Liang Chu’s shoulder and locking eyes with the girl before picking up the book for her.

“Thank you,” the girl said, her cheeks flushing bright red. She seemed extremely nervous upon seeing Xie Shenxing, her breathing so loud that Liang Chu could hear it. Liang Chu wondered if she was about to confess her feelings right then and there. If so, you’re quite brave, he thought. Should I step away?

“Let’s go,” Xie Shenxing said.

“Please wait!” the girl called out.

She lowered her gaze, avoiding Xie Shenxing, but when she quickly lifted her eyelashes again, her eyes turned to Liang Chu.

“My name is Sun… Sun Yun,” she said earnestly and with effort. “Two years ago, right here, you picked up a book for me.”

Liang Chu suddenly recalled the love letter from a few months earlier. Sun Yun gave a hurried smile and continued, “I wrote you a letter. Do you remember?”

Liang Chu thought to himself, I only received that one letter. Could it have been a confession meant for me instead of Xie Shenxing?!

“Sorry, I’m really nervous,” she blinked, her voice trembling. “I know if I don’t tell you now, I might never get another chance, so… I want to be friends with you. Could you give me your contact info?”

It really was a confession…

Liang Chu instinctively glanced at Xie Shenxing, whose expression was cold and rigid as he said with forced calm, “Jing Ke…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Liang Chu interrupted, “don’t make decisions on my behalf.”

Liang Chu tactfully replied, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think the timing is right. We should focus on our studies and exams…” He glanced at Xie Shenxing, his palms sweaty, silently apologizing to Sun Yun in his heart. I’ll explain it to you later while painting an optimistic picture: “If we graduate from high school and get into the same university, maybe we could go on a date then.”

Sun Yun was taken aback and softly interrupted, “I think you might have misunderstood… I don’t like you that way.”

Liang Chu: “…Huh?”

Sun Yun said, “I just want to be friends. I think you’re a really good person.”

Liang Chu suddenly felt aggrieved. Why was he being given a “good person card” when he hadn’t even done anything? He thought sadly, Why don’t you like me? I’m a fresh-faced young guy who’s grown to 1.7 meters now.

After this huge misunderstanding, Liang Chu’s brief excitement faded, and he left his home address before walking away. Sun Yun seemed happy, smiling as she said, “Good luck with your exams. I’ll write to you.”

Liang Chu told Board Tooth Bear, “Just hearing the word ‘letter’ makes me sad now.”

Board Tooth Bear hesitated and said, “I’m not sure what to say. How about I let you play with Egg for a while?”

Liang Chu replied, “No, thank you.”

On the way home, Liang Chu still felt deeply sorrowful, sighing every now and then.

Xie Shenxing asked hoarsely, “Do you like her?”

Liang Chu glanced at him and looked at the trees by the roadside. “I really think Sun Yun is a great girl, really great, yeah.” This statement was half-true. Sun Yun was indeed a good girl, but not to the extent that he would sigh so frequently over her. He didn’t actually have feelings for her.

It was just that after meeting her today, Liang Chu couldn’t help but recall Xie Shenxing’s reaction when he first received Sun Yun’s letter. He couldn’t resist testing whether Xie Shenxing was straight or not and how he felt about Jing Ke.

Xie Shenxing said slowly, “She’s not right for you.”

Liang Chu chuckled, “How can you be so sure? I’ve never even been with her. How do you know we’re not compatible? Maybe we’re a perfect match. That’s what I think.”

Xie Shenxing curled his lips slightly, a faint, almost nonexistent smile in his eyes, and said flatly, “How would you even date her? Women are naturally more delicate than men and need to be taken care of. And you want to take care of someone else? Jing Ke, you’re even more delicate and harder to raise than a woman. Who could possibly put up with you?”

Liang Chu felt annoyed. I’m not hard to raise; I eat a lot every meal but he was also slightly relieved. Did Xie Shenxing’s words mean he wasn’t gay? Had he been overthinking things before?

Liang Chu said, “Don’t speak so definitively. I know myself better than anyone. How could you possibly understand me better than I do? You sound so sure of yourself.”

Xie Shenxing remained calm, leaning close to his ear and breathing softly, “I’m the one who washes your underwear. Who could know you better than me?”

The sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the light, cheerful chirping of birds. Liang Chu thought to himself that there was no way to continue this conversation.

That night, Liang Chu had a vague and ambiguous erotic dream, something he hadn’t experienced in years. With Jing Ke’s youthful body and Xie Shenxing constantly by his side, he hadn’t had the chance to watch any adult films to broaden his horizons. Perhaps it was because of the discussion with Xie Shenxing the day before about whether he liked Sun Yun that he was still mulling it over before falling asleep. But he didn’t dream of Sun Yun; instead, he dreamed of a massive mountain.

That mountain pressed down on him, sucking on his lips while caressing him. His young body couldn’t withstand even the slightest provocation. Before Liang Chu could process more, he woke from the dream and felt discomfort in his lower body. Reaching under the blanket, he discovered his underwear was damp.

His face flushed red, and the sticky sensation beneath him was unbearable. He lay motionless in bed, glaring at Xie Shenxing with growing irritation.

Xie Shenxing was reading a book. Liang Chu wondered why he hadn’t left yet. He desperately wanted to change his underwear, but the wardrobe where his clothes were kept was too far away. Whether he wrapped himself in the blanket or went naked, it would be too easy to get caught.

Xie Shenxing noticed Liang Chu was awake and walked over to ask, “Getting up?”

“I’ll be up soon,” Liang Chu replied without looking at him, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Could you bring me something to eat? I’ll get up after I eat.”

“Mm,” Xie Shenxing agreed and turned to leave.

He didn’t close the door completely, leaving it slightly ajar. Liang Chu’s heart raced, afraid Xie Shenxing might suddenly return. After waiting a moment, he dared to crawl out of bed. But just as he jumped down, the door was pushed open. Xie Shenxing stood at the doorway, holding milk and pastries.

Liang Chu thought in despair, How is he back so soon? He immediately leaped back into bed and burrowed under the covers.

Xie Shenxing’s eyes flickered slightly as he slowly closed the door. The click of the latch made Liang Chu’s heart skip a beat.

Xie Shenxing placed the food on the table and walked to the bedside, watching him quietly.

Liang Chu said, “I don’t want this. Is there any rice?”

Xie Shenxing didn’t respond. His expression darkened as he gripped the edge of the blanket. Liang Chu’s pupils constricted. “Don’t move!”

Xie Shenxing yanked the blanket to the floor. Liang Chu cursed at him and scrambled to pull the bedsheet over himself. But Xie Shenxing grabbed his ankle and dragged him back, his large, rough hand moving up to grip Liang Chu’s calf, forcing his legs apart.

Xie Shenxing closed his eyes briefly. The body he had never dared to examine closely was even more beautiful than he had imagined—unbelievably so. The first wet dream, the first ejaculation… it meant his treasure was growing up.

But why today? Just yesterday, a girl had expressed interest in being friends with him, and he had mistaken it for a confession, even considering being with someone else. And now, this happened. How could he possibly be happy about it?

Who was he thinking of when he came?

In his mind, Liang Chu was screaming, Xie Shenxing, you lunatic, let me go!

In reality, Liang Chu’s face was burning red. Covered in goosebumps, he couldn’t utter a word, only struggling and kicking wildly. Xie Shenxing held his calves firmly, pulling him closer. No matter how hard Liang Chu fought, he couldn’t break free from Xie Shenxing’s grasp. His pale, delicate buttocks squirmed in front of Xie Shenxing’s eyes, the white underwear stained with a damp patch.

Xie Shenxing couldn’t control himself as he reached out to touch. Liang Chu sensed danger and noticed the bulge in Xie Shenxing’s crotch. With a scream, Liang Chu kicked him with his free leg and scrambled away frantically in a random direction. But Xie Shenxing’s fingers had already hooked onto his underwear, and with a tug and a pull, he yanked it off.

Tears welled in Liang Chu’s eyes as he tumbled off the bed, bare-bottomed. Grabbing the bedsheet, he yanked it hard, sending everything on the bed crashing to the floor. Wrapping the sheet around himself, his eyes red-rimmed, he pointed at Xie Shenxing from across the bed and shouted, “You—you—you—you’re insane!”

Xie Shenxing studied him anew. He was no longer a child—his once plump limbs had grown slender, like a young tree sprouting fresh green leaves, tender and endearing. This little tree flourished freely, its branches and leaves swaying unrestrained. Xie Shenxing had never dared to prune it, hoping it would grow into its own unique form.

Someone so cherished shouldn’t like anyone else.

Xie Shenxing’s emotions were in turmoil. He had always been indifferent to people and things around him—cold and detached, like unfeeling mountains, rivers, blue skies, and white clouds. To him, everything in the world was the same, none of it mattered.

But with Liang Chu, over six years, every extra hour, minute, and second made him more acutely aware that he was alive. Otherwise, how could he entertain such selfish thoughts? Why send him to school? Why let him meet others? This adorable yet infuriating little creature shouldn’t be seen by anyone. He ought to be hidden away in an unknown paradise, cradled in his hands, where only he could see him and hear his voice.

When he turned eighteen, Xie Shenxing would teach him about adulthood himself.

Xie Shenxing had long recognized how pathological and abnormal he was. But who was to blame? Who was it that clung to him relentlessly? Who declared with conviction that he belonged to him? Who plunged headfirst into his world? He had brought this upon himself.

Sometimes Xie Shenxing wondered—if his life had taken a different path, if he had family or others to love, perhaps he would be more tolerant, more generous, more like a normal person. But fate had given him only one treasure, his very eyeballs. The thought of others even glancing at him made him uneasy—how could he ever tolerate him liking someone else?

A dark, fierce intensity burned in Xie Shenxing’s eyes. He picked up the underwear, brought it to his nose, and took a deep breath, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Liang Chu.

Liang Chu trembled from head to toe, his scalp prickling with fear as he stood frozen, unsure what to do.

Xie Shenxing softened his voice, restraining himself as he said, “What are you afraid of? You’re still so young. I won’t touch you.”

Liang Chu stared at him in disbelief. Even though he had braced himself, Xie Shenxing’s response still shocked him. Had they crossed a point of no return?! What kind of talk was this? How had Xie Shenxing become so terrifying? Wasn’t everything fine just yesterday? He had thought Xie Shenxing was straight!

Xie Shenxing moved around the bed, step by step, approaching him. Every slight movement felt like a slow torture to Liang Chu. He leaped back onto the bed and yelled, “Stay away from me!”

Xie Shenxing’s breathing grew heavy as he reached out. “Coco, you can’t like anyone else. Come here, let me look at you.”

Liang Chu thought, Do you think I’m stupid? Why would I go to you? He dashed off the bed, grabbed his clothes, and bolted out of the room. The housekeeper was cleaning the hallway and looked at him in surprise. “Coco, why are you coming out like that?”

Liang Chu noticed someone letting out a sigh of relief, but he had no mood to deal with the nanny. He hastily said he was fine, threw on some clothes, and rushed out.

Hailing a taxi at random, Liang Chu distanced himself from the Jing residence. He had no idea where to go, his mind foggy and unable to focus on anything. How would the two of them get along from now on? He couldn’t just kick Xie Shenxing out, but keeping him at home. What difference was there between that and keeping a wolf by his side?

Just then, Bucktooth Bear repeatedly called out: “Mission value +2, current mission value 47.”

“Mission value +5, current mission value 52.”

“Mission value +3, current mission value 55.”

Before Liang Chu could process what was happening, his phone rang urgently. Irritated, he answered, only to hear Jing Wenwu’s panicked voice on the other end: “Jing Ke? Where are you? I couldn’t find you. Come home quickly—something big has happened!”