Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Cheng Xun jerked his knee upward with force, attempting to buck the guy off of him.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingshu finally snapped awake at that exact moment. His silent eyes regained their usual cold clarity, but before he could say a word, he took Cheng Xun’s knee straight to the abdomen.

Lu Xingshu frowned, the elbow that had been pinning Cheng Xun already loosening. As he tried to retreat, his height betrayed him, and he slammed the back of his head hard against the bed frame.

A sharp pain radiated from the back of his skull. This time, his expression finally cracked; it was clear he’d taken a nasty hit.

Cheng Xun completely forgot his own predicament. Seeing Lu Xingshu like this, he almost burst out laughing, but he managed to suppress it, resulting in a rather comical expression.

“Uh, you okay?”

He propped himself up on his elbows, trying to sit up.

The two of them ended up tangled in a bizarre posture on the narrow bed for a long while, neither of them realizing just how awkward they looked.

Lu Xingshu shook his head, stepped over with his long legs, and got off the bed first.

“What were you doing on my bed?” Lu Xingshu’s voice carried a hint of confusion.

He was still rubbing the back of his head; it seemed that collision had been truly painful.

“Uh…” Cheng Xun’s cat-like round eyes darted around as he scrambled for an excuse to scold him. “I just wanted to wake you up. Who knew you weren’t just a heavy sleeper but also had such a nasty morning temper? You almost strangled me, do you know that?”

Lu Xingshu lowered his eyes in silence, seemingly trying to recall the events. Unfortunately, it had all been subconscious instinct; now that he was fully awake, he had no memory of it.

The dull ache in his stomach, however, was very real. He could tell Cheng Xun had put 100% of his strength into that knee-strike.

Seeing that he’d successfully bluffed his way through, Cheng Xun blinked and looked at his watch with exaggerated urgency.

“It’s all your fault. It’s so late now, we’re definitely going to miss breakfast at school.” He complained, his voice sounding quite helpless. “What are you still standing there for? Aren’t you going to wash up?”

Lu Xingshu finally snapped out of it and replied, “Oh.”

Watching his retreating back, Cheng Xun shouted after him, “I’ll wait for you so we can go to school together. Hurry up!”

Lu Xingshu was indeed very quick.

Cheng Xun sat on his bed waiting for him, playing on his phone. When he looked up, he realized Lu Xingshu was standing right in front of him changing clothes.

Then again, the room was only so big; where else was he supposed to change?

Waistline, abs, and V-taper were all on full display—a physique so good it would make any boy his age feel insecure. Just before Lu Xingshu pulled on his shirt, Cheng Xun suddenly noticed a long scar on his side. The color had faded, and since he hadn’t looked closely last time, he hadn’t noticed it until now.

It looked like… a knife wound?

Lu Xingshu dressed quickly, giving Cheng Xun no chance to investigate further.

Cheng Xun indifferently retracted his gaze; staring at someone for too long might make him look like a pervert.

He subconsciously rubbed his neck. The movement caused a flare of pain.

Is Lu Xingshu a dog? He’d used way too much force when he grabbed him earlier.

On the way downstairs, Cheng Xun checked his watch several times, calculating the time in his head. They definitely wouldn’t make it for the “Moon Buns,” but if they walked fast, they could still grab something else.

Lu Xingshu had received his campus card yesterday. It was pre-loaded with 200 yuan, more than enough for the cafeteria.

Cheng Xun walked briskly, his mind occupied with what to eat for breakfast.

Because his neck was still aching, he kept rubbing it subconsciously.

Lu Xingshu finally noticed the marks on Cheng Xun’s neck. Reflecting on the morning’s events, he slowly pieced it together.

Although he was gradually getting used to his new life, some bad habits weren’t so easy to break.

Like oversleeping, the foul mood upon being woken up, and… other things.

Cheng Xun noticed his gaze. When he looked back, his eyes were filled with a hint of “murderous intent.”

Lu Xingshu: “…”

He was silent for a moment before speaking: “I did that?”

He pointed to Cheng Xun’s neck.

Cheng Xun gave a disgruntled “Mm” and tapped his own neck. “Your masterpiece.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lu Xingshu was impressively quick to apologize.

Cheng Xun glared at him again but didn’t say anything more. He wasn’t actually that angry.

In the end, if he hadn’t tried to pull a prank, he wouldn’t have been this unlucky.

“I’ll buy you dinner,” Lu Xingshu added.

Cheng Xun couldn’t help but laugh, his dimples faintly appearing. “What, are you trying to eat No. 9 Middle School’s cafeteria into bankruptcy or buy out the mini-mart?”

Lu Xingshu looked at him silently for a while and actually gave a soft, “Mm.”

Cheng Xun: “…”

Speechless.

Did this guy forget his own family runs a grocery store? Why waste money at the school shop?

“Then I’ll settle for you buying me breakfast,” Cheng Xun said casually. Looking at Lu Xingshu who had fallen slightly behind, he urged, “Walk faster! You have to fight for breakfast in the school cafeteria.”

Without waiting to see if Lu Xingshu followed, he took off running.

Lu Xingshu: “…”

The running boy’s figure was lean and tall. The breeze caught his loose summer school pants, flipping them up to reveal long, straight calves.

Dazzlingly white.

If Lu Xingshu didn’t have incredibly long legs and a fast running speed, he might have actually lost track of Cheng Xun.

The two engaged in a spontaneous race, finally bursting into the first floor of the cafeteria.

“Soup dumplings, preserved egg and pork congee, and a fried egg.” Cheng Xun succinctly stated his order, adding, “I’m not trying to scam you.”

Lu Xingshu agreed: “Okay.”

He didn’t know what to eat himself, so he simply ordered the exact same thing as Cheng Xun.

They grabbed their trays and found a random spot to sit. Cheng Xun looped back to buy two cups of soy milk, giving one to Lu Xingshu.

Taking advantage of someone always left him feeling a bit uneasy.

“If we were a bit earlier, I could have taken you to the second floor for a Moon Bun,” Cheng Xun muttered while eating his congee.

Lu Xingshu looked up at him while drinking his own congee and asked, “Are they that good?”

“The crowning achievement of the No. 9 Middle School cafeteria,” Cheng Xun gave it a very high rating.

“Then I’ll get up earlier tomorrow,” Lu Xingshu replied.

Cheng Xun was mid-sip of his soy milk and nearly choked. He looked at him with great skepticism and couldn’t help but mock: “You? I don’t believe it.”

Based on Lu Xingshu’s performance this morning, believing he could wake up early was like believing the sun would rise from the West.

Thinking of the morning, Cheng Xun’s neck felt like it was aching again.

It was rare for Lu Xingshu to be looked down upon, but finding no point to argue, he could only eat his breakfast in silence.

They finished breakfast and arrived just in time for morning self-study. Today was English reading. The English class rep was leading the class in reciting texts at the front, while the rest of the students were either slacking off or daydreaming—a scene of total chaos.

Lu Xingshu actually read quite seriously, though his voice was low.

Cheng Xun, on the other hand, used the morning study time to catch up on sleep. As soon as he reached his seat, he slumped over and passed out.

He slept with his face resting on his arm, facing Lu Xingshu, his breathing long and steady.

Lu Xingshu glanced at him, then at the rest of the class, understanding the situation.

The academic atmosphere at No. 9 Middle School was worlds apart from the provincial key school he came from. He used to consider himself a “troublesome” student who didn’t like studying, but it seemed at No. 9, there was always a higher mountain.

Cheng Xun didn’t know why he was so tired. Throughout the morning classes, he remained in a half-dreaming state. Even though he was in the science stream, he couldn’t escape the world of Chinese and English.

In his boredom, he secretly observed Lu Xingshu. This guy kept an icy, quiet face the entire time and was actually quite attentive in class.

Truly a good student.

Of course, Cheng Xun didn’t realize that his misunderstanding of his first impression of Lu Xingshu had deepened even further.

Finally, the bell rang for the end of class. The boys rushed toward the cafeteria like arrows released from a bow, terrified they’d miss out on the best food stalls.

Indeed, the cafeteria at No. 9 Middle School was quite famous among the county schools—cheap, high quality, and plenty of variety.

Each stall provided different food. To cater to different tastes, two stalls specialized in snacks like pork congee and fried skewers, while others offered stir-fry, rice bowls, and more.

The snack stall always had the longest line.

When Cheng Xun had a poor appetite, he liked to wait in that line for congee, but most of the time, he wasn’t a picky eater.

Cheng Xun naturally had lunch with Lu Xingshu. However, he wasn’t in a rush; he was too lazy to fight for food since he’d eat anything.

“Lu Xingshu, I’m going to the rice bowl stall. If you want something else, just go join another line.” Cheng Xun threw the words over his shoulder and headed straight for Stall No. 5, giving Lu Xingshu no time to react.

Lu Xingshu: “…”

He took a quick look around, found nothing he particularly craved, and ended up following Cheng Xun to Stall No. 5.

There were two or three people between them, so Cheng Xun didn’t initially notice Lu Xingshu was behind him.

His entire focus was on adding a fried ham sausage to his rice bowl.

It was only when Cheng Xun was carrying his lunch to find a seat that he realized Lu Xingshu was in the same line. He jerked his chin toward the seating area, signaling that he’d find an empty table and Lu Xingshu should find him when he was done.

Without waiting to see if Lu Xingshu understood the gesture, he walked away.

It was peak hour, so they had to share tables.

Cheng Xun finally managed to find two empty spots. Seeing Lu Xingshu had gotten his food, he waved him over.

The summer was scorching, and there was no AC in the cafeteria. Only the old-fashioned ceiling fans creaked as they spun, and it was deathly hot.

Cheng Xun sped up his eating, calculating this month’s living expenses in his head, even factoring in the cost of drinks.

Anyway, I’m tall enough now. Maybe I should cut out the milk expense. Rounded up, I’m basically 1.8 meters.