Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Even though Lu Xingshu hadn’t smiled once from beginning to end, the stream of people coming to “scout” the handsome guy remained endless.

The main reason was that he was a fresh face.

People like Cheng Xun, despite having a good appearance, had been seen for so long that everyone was familiar with him. Once familiarity set in, the “White Moonlight” turned into White Rice—he was just little Cheng Xun from Grandma Shen’s house.

After all, a small place like C County was only so big.

Lu Xingshu had never been to C County before, even as a child when the relationship between Grandma and his parents wasn’t quite so strained. After his mother gave birth to him, her health had been poor, and she spent most of her time recuperating at home; it was always Grandma who went to S City to visit them.

Xie Qiubai, that restless monkey, had slipped away home to play games in the afternoon. Fortunately, the milk tea shop wasn’t busy all the time; they could rest for a while when there were no customers.

Cheng Xun felt that the shop’s unique red apron looked indescribably awkward on Lu Xingshu.

Actually, it was pretty funny.

He naturally didn’t realize that Lu Xingshu was thinking the exact same thing about him.

They got off work around nine in the evening. Although small towns didn’t have a vibrant nightlife, there were still plenty of people on the streets at this hour.

The milk tea shop Zhou Li opened wasn’t far from Grandma’s house, so they didn’t buy any transportation and chose the most primitive method: walking.

The summer night was muggy and irritating, filled with the annoying buzz of biting mosquitoes.

Cheng Xun didn’t know what kind of constitution Lu Xingshu had, but it felt like every mosquito on the path was targeting only him. His fair skin would turn red after just a few scratches, yet the itch wouldn’t subside. He could only quicken his pace in frustration.

Walking behind him, Lu Xingshu stared at the back of Cheng Xun’s rounded head, feeling as though he could see a literal aura of “pouty anger” emanating from him. Judging by how he kept scratching, he must have been bitten badly.

Lu Xingshu lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Upon arriving home, Grandma had saved half a watermelon for them. Cheng Xun briskly sliced it and gave half to Lu Xingshu. It was sweet, ice-cold, and a perfect relief from the heat.

Seeing the obvious red welts on his legs, Grandma Shen brought over some Florida Water and Essential Balm from the counter, adding with a smile, Xiao Xun always attracts mosquitoes.

Cheng Xun took the supplies and applied them diligently. Soon, the air was thick with the scent of menthol and floral cologne.

While eating watermelon, Lu Xingshu looked down to reply to a message; an old classmate from his former school had reached out.

Grandma, I’m going to shower first.

Cheng Xun still felt itchy after applying the balm and figured a cold shower would be more comfortable. He glanced at Lu Xingshu after speaking, his eyes seemingly saying, I’m using the bathroom first, hope you don’t mind.

Lu Xingshu lifted his lids and gave him a look: “Oh.”

Would it kill you to say more than one word? Cheng Xun thought.

After finishing the watermelon, Lu Xingshu cleared the table and kitchen, then bagged the rinds and threw them in the outdoor trash can to prevent bugs overnight. Once the rolling shutters were down, he helped Grandma tidy up and turned off the first-floor lights.

Cheng Xun was half-asleep by the time Lu Xingshu walked in. He struggled to sit up, wanting to do the laundry.

He yawned and padded toward the bathroom in his slippers, only to find the hamper missing. After searching, he found it on the balcony and immediately ran back to the bedroom.

Lu Xingshu, did you wash all those clothes?

Cheng Xun pushed the door open. The cool air leaking from the room made him feel relaxed. The cold-faced boy just nodded, saying nothing.

You can just leave them in the future; I’ll handle the laundry, Cheng Xun added.

Lu Xingshu looked at him. Why?

Cheng Xun looked back, puzzled. What do you mean ‘why’?

I can help with things like laundry and cleaning, Lu Xingshu said, speaking more words than usual. There’s no need to keep troubling you.

Cheng Xun stared at him for a moment before suddenly saying, “These things aren’t a trouble at all. I do them because I want to.”

I know you think of me as an outsider, and that I’m doing these chores just to repay a debt, but… Cheng Xun paused, searching for the right words. It’s not what you think. I just want to do things for Grandma myself.

I didn’t mean to imply you’re an outsider. Lu Xingshu’s cold expression shifted slightly, his brow furrowing. You’ve misunderstood.

“Oh.” Cheng Xun scratched his medium-length hair and said, Fine then. If you’re so insistent, we’ll take turns on chore duty. Neither of us gets to be idle. How about that

Lu Xingshu considered the feasibility and eventually nodded.

High school is the prime time for growth spurts. Cheng Xun was already quite tall, but Lu Xingshu was a few centimeters taller. Two big boys squeezing into one bed inevitably led to bumping hands and legs. Even with Cheng Xun pressed against the wall, it was unavoidable. Replacing the small wooden bed became a priority.

On a weekend afternoon when they didn’t have to work, the three of them went to the furniture market. They looked from east to west, north to south, and finally settled on a simple, practical wooden bunk bed—the kind with stairs on the side that fit perfectly against the wall.

After paying the deposit and scheduling the installation, they finally bid farewell to the small wooden bed.

Not only did they get the bunk bed, but they also replaced the small desk with a new one. Two desks were placed side-by-side right by the window, and a second matching swivel chair was purchased. Though this left less room to move around, all three were very satisfied with the new setup.

“Do you want the top or bottom bunk?” Cheng Xun asked casually. I’m fine with either.

Lu Xingshu took a sip of water and looked at Cheng Xun with a neutral gaze. I’m fine with either, too.

Let’s flip a coin then. Heads for me, tails for you?” Cheng Xun nimbly pulled a coin from a small metal box in his drawer.

Lu Xingshu nodded in agreement.

In the end, Cheng Xun got the top bunk. Which was fine—it was closer to the air conditioner and cooler.

The summer passed at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow. Everything fell into a comfortable rhythm.

Lu Xingshu found a small spray bottle, filled it with Florida Water, and added a few drops of Essential Balm. He waited until the colors blended before handing it to Cheng Xun.

Can you actually mix these two things?

Cheng Xun voiced his doubt while his hands honestly gave himself two sprays.

Lu Xingshu put down the balm and thought seriously. “It works well enough.”

Alright then. Cheng Xun tucked the spray into his pocket and grinned at the boy. Thanks.

Lu Xingshu looked at him against the light, thinking that the dimples by Cheng Xun’s lips were a bit too noticeable.

While working at the milk tea shop, they naturally ran into many of Cheng Xun’s classmates—some he knew, some he didn’t. After all, there were so many people in the school.

But if a girl with a pretty face and a great figure—one who was somewhat famous at Ninth High—came by several days in a row to buy four or five cups of tea, it was hard not to notice her.

Seeing the girl’s eyes constantly lingering on Lu Xingshu, even Cheng Xun understood what was happening. Unfortunately, a certain someone was like a block of cold wood, offering no reaction whatsoever.

WeChat? Sorry, I don’t have WeChat.

Phone number? Sorry, my phone is broken.

The guy always kept that cold face, keeping everyone at a distance. Cheng Xun wondered what could possibly be so great about a piece of ice like him.

Yet, some people were into exactly that type.

The young boss, Zhou Li, was grinning ear to ear, his round, chubby face glowing with the joy of being nourished by money.

“I knew handsome guys would boost sales,” Zhou Li seemed to mutter to himself. Realizing Cheng Xun had overheard, he added naturally, “Two handsome guys, double the boost.”

Cheng Xun: “…” He makes it sound like I’m the ‘Buy One Get One Free’ cup of tea.

Xiao Cheng, you have to understand, your ‘type’ isn’t as popular these days, Zhou Li said, his desire to preach surfacing.

“…” Cheng Xun asked with a difficult expression, What is my ‘type’?

“The gentle, warm guy isn’t as sought after as the cool, distant one. The ‘badder’ they are, the better the luck with girls.”

Setting aside the fact that besides his harmless face, Cheng Xun’s personality didn’t overlap with “gentle and warm” at all, Zhou Li’s nonsense made him really want to punch him. Out of respect for the fact that Zhou Li paid well and didn’t skim wages, Cheng Xun let it slide.

Their part-time job ended about a week before school started.

The Grade 11 class assignments had been out for a while, and the school hadn’t forgotten to notify Lu Xingshu as a transfer student.

By a stroke of luck, both Cheng Xun and Lu Xingshu were assigned to Class 4.

Grandma was very happy about this. Being in the same class meant they could look after each other, and perhaps Lu Xingshu could help improve Cheng Xun’s pitiful grades. It was definitely a good thing.

Cheng Xun’s final exam results had been somewhat disastrous. If Ninth High hadn’t waited until Grade 11 to separate students into fast and slow tracks, he and Lu Xingshu would never have ended up in the same class.

Xie Qiubai’s move to the Arts track was also set in stone. That monkey-like fellow had already come to the store to announce it, along with his shameless self-proclamation as the Number One Most Handsome Guy in the Arts Track. Lu Xingshu and Cheng Xun both couldn’t be bothered to entertain his nonsense.

The only regret was that after the Science/Arts split, the school—perhaps intentionally—placed the two groups in two different teaching buildings far apart, as if to say Kings shall not meet.

Like many schools, Ninth High favored Science over Arts. The building for the Science track was newly built, while the Arts track was relegated to an older building, with the bottom two floors shared with the Grade 10 students.