TECSBRO-(57)
Because Lu Xu's words were a bit vague, Rong Que couldn't recall which specific statement Lu Xu was referring to. During his childhood, he had said quite a few things to appease Lu Xu.
"Which one is Xiao Lu talking about?" Rong Que asked directly. He wouldn't beat around the bush with Lu Xu on such matters.
"It's...” Lu Xu hesitated a bit, "the one about always being there for Xiao Lu."
"Of course, it still counts." Rong Que naturally remembered that one. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Satisfied with the answer, Lu Xu rubbed against Rong Que's arm and whispered, "Because it feels like Brother Rong Que is getting farther away from me."
For the first time, Rong Que heard Lu Xu speak like this, and he momentarily froze.
Looking at the child in his arms, who relied on him entirely and trusted him wholeheartedly, he felt a pang of heartache.
Rong Que proactively embraced Lu Xu, gently patting his back as he did when Lu Xu was younger. Comfortingly, he said, "No, Xiao Lu, you're the person I love the most."
Lu Xu tightly closed his eyes, burying his face in Rong Que's embrace, greedily enjoying the warmth that Rong Que brought.
After returning to regular school life, with Cai You accompanying him, Lu Xu gradually adapted to this routine. However, he found himself yearning for holidays more than when he was younger.
Cai You joined the school's basketball team, conveniently with Rong Que also being a part of it, allowing Lu Xu to attend both of their games.
But in middle school, there were noticeably more classmates experiencing their first crush. During Cai You and Rong Que's games, many girls would cheer, bring water, and surround them.
After attending once, Lu Xu didn't like sitting in the spectator seats anymore. He preferred watching from the upstairs of the art studio and would always leave the window when the game ended, not wanting to see the scene of many people surrounding Rong Que.
Rong Que would ask him why he didn't come to watch the games, but Lu Xu always claimed that he preferred painting in the art studio.
Little did Rong Que know, Lu Xu watched every game of his very attentively, even from upstairs where everyone appeared tiny. Despite the crowd, Lu Xu could always spot Rong Que at a glance.
Lu Xu's appearance was outstanding, but in reality, he had very few pursuers. His beautiful features were androgynous, making anyone standing next to him feel inferior. His frequent presence in the art studio also gave off the impression that he was an artist immersed in his own world, akin to a character from a novel.
As time went on, Lu Xu became less inclined to make friends. Whenever he spoke with boys or girls, they would all react as if they were honored, which made him uncomfortable.
All of these factors made Lu Xu even more dependent on Rong Que. Except for talking to Cai You, his old friend, Lu Xu stuck to Rong Que at all other times.
After the mid-term exams, the school organized a soccer match between classes. Lu Xu only attended the matches of Class One and Class Six, watching from the art studio as usual.
Unexpectedly, the final match turned out to be between Class Six and Class One.
After some thought, Lu Xu decided to go to the venue. Otherwise, the classmates from Class One might think he wasn't fitting in.
However, that day was a bit special. Cai You nervously asked Lu Xu to accompany him to the activity room early for preparation, leaving Lu Xu puzzled.
In a hushed tone, Cai You said, "The girl I like will be there today. If we win, I'm going to confess."
Lu Xu was momentarily stunned, feeling a sense of being abandoned by the whole world at that moment. Perhaps he was too oblivious to the people around him; he had no idea that Cai You had someone he liked.
Still, Lu Xu smiled and agreed, casually asking who the girl was.
Cai You mysteriously replied, "You'll know when the time comes."
Curious, Lu Xu asked, "What if you lose?"
It wasn't to discourage Cai You, but considering their previous matches with Rong Que, where their class was overwhelmingly defeated.
Cai You had mentioned before that the chances of winning were slim.
Smiling, Cai You said, "If we lose, I'll go to her for comfort and take the opportunity to confess."
Lu Xu found Cai You's smile just now very attractive and full of confidence.
And he felt a bit envious.
Ever since he became aware of such matters, he had read numerous novels and manga on his own.
Lu Xu probably understood that he couldn't express his true feelings. At the same time, he had no one to confide in, which made him increasingly suppress his inner emotions.
But how could Rong Que in Class Six know about this?
He could only see Lu Xu being as warm and affectionate towards him as usual every day.
On their way to the playground, Lu Xu asked Cai You again if he wasn't afraid of rejection.
Cai You playfully hit Lu Xu's back, pretending to be angry. "What's wrong with you today? You've been saying depressing things all day."
Lu Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm sorry. I'm probably not in a good mood."
This time it was Cai You's turn to be surprised. He walked in front of Lu Xu with concern. "I was just kidding. You seem a bit off lately."
Lu Xu smiled and said, "I was kidding too."
Seeing that Lu Xu seemed genuinely fine, Cai You continued to answer Lu Xu's question, "If she rejects me, then so be it. As long as there's a little bit of affection, I'll keep pursuing. I don't want to have any regrets."
After saying this, Cai You looked at Lu Xu's eyes, fearing that Lu Xu might think he was in unrequited love. He hastily added, "But don't worry, I'm not the kind of guy who will be strung along. She's a really nice girl."
Lu Xu was amused and happily wished Cai You success again, "Hope you succeed."
"Thanks." Cai You cheerfully put his arm around Lu Xu's shoulder and then teasingly said, "You care so much about my love life. Did you also encounter some relationship problems?"
Cai You always had the instincts of a little dog. Lu Xu felt his ears getting warm, unsure if he was blushing, "No, not really."
"No, not really?" Cai You dragged his tone, "Your face is all red."
Lu Xu touched his face and indeed felt it was warm. He had no choice but to casually say, "Well, there is something, but he needs to focus on studying. Let's talk about it in university."
"High school hasn't even started, and you're already thinking about university?" Cai You was a bit dumbfounded, "Are you serious?"
Lu Xu nodded seriously, suddenly feeling a bit pitiful about himself.
But they had reached the playground, and Cai You needed to change clothes and warm up. He found Lu Xu a seat in the front row and left.
Lu Xu sighed, feeling bored sitting alone. He took out his phone and sent a message to Rong Que, "Are you changing clothes?"
He didn't expect an immediate reply from Rong Que, but to his surprise, he received one almost instantly.
Rong Que: Yes, I am. [Attached: Picture.jpg]
Lu Xu's eyes almost instantly turned red.
Because this wasn't Rong Que's usual tone, and the attached picture was taken from someone else's perspective. It showed Rong Que just putting on a basketball jersey, revealing the beautiful lines of his arms.
Lu Xu clenched his phone, unsure of what to reply. Who was this person, and why were they using Rong Que's phone?
The next second, a video call came through. Lu Xu didn't want Rong Que to see his expression, so almost instinctively, he declined the call.
Shortly after, Rong Que initiated a voice call.
Lu Xu finally answered the call but remained silent. Rong Que called him "Xiao Lu."
Lu Xu still didn't speak.
Sensing that Lu Xu wasn't in a good mood, Rong Que quickly explained, "A classmate borrowed my phone to call his mom, and he replied to your message."
"Xiao Lu, are you upset?"
After a two-second pause, Lu Xu responded with an artificially cheerful tone, "No, why would I be upset? It's just that Rong Que has better friends now, and Xiao Lu is happy for him."
Lu Xu didn't intend to say the second half, but the pent-up frustration made him unable to resist being sarcastic.
He felt like he might come off as annoying.
"Xiao Lu, you're my best friend," Rong Que said, understanding Lu Xu well. It was clear that Lu Xu was feeling jealous, but Rong Que thought it was just a normal possessiveness between friends.
Because Lu Xu respected Rong Que's privacy, he had rarely touched Rong Que's phone. Now, there was someone using Rong Que's phone to send messages to Lu Xu without Lu Xu's knowledge.
Rong Que earnestly said, "Xiao Lu, I'm also upset about him replying to your message without my permission. I've already talked to him about it."
Hearing this, Lu Xu felt a bit relieved. "Then don't let others use your phone."
"Okay." Rong Que immediately agreed when he sensed Lu Xu's tone relaxing. "Will you come to watch the match today?"
"I'm sitting in the front row." Lu Xu felt a bit happy when Rong Que asked him again. Even if Rong Que only saw him as a little brother, Lu Xu was surely the person closest to Rong Que.
"Is it that little brother of yours again?"
A voice with a tone that was neither close nor distant came from the other end of Rong Que's phone. Lu Xu instantly recognized the voice—it was Rong Que's desk mate he had met on the first day of school.
Lu Xu's tone became heavier, and this time, he didn't even attempt to hide his feelings. "Didn't Rong Que say he wouldn't sit with him anymore?"
Ignoring the other guy, Rong Que explained to Lu Xu, "We're not desk mates anymore, but he's on the team for this basketball match."
Lu Xu pursed his lips. "I remember he wasn't there for the previous matches."
"One of the team members got injured, and he's the substitute," Rong Que explained. Then he asked, "You didn't come to watch, so how did you know?"
"Cai You told me," Lu Xu casually lied. "Xiao Lu really dislikes him. Rong Que, please don't have any more contact with him."
"Okay, after this match, there won't be any more," Rong Que promised.
Indeed, this guy deliberately annoyed Lu Xu every time, and Rong Que was not someone who couldn't see through that. Moreover, Lu Xu, who was treated like a precious treasure, getting angry because of this guy, was not worth it.
At the beginning of the match, Rong Que greeted Lu Xu, and Lu Xu waved in response, wearing a sweet smile that he himself wasn't aware of.
The surrounding girls didn't know who the idol was waving to, but seeing the other person looking in their direction, they also became excited.
Cai You was also waving to the girl he liked, and unlike Rong Que's reserved manner, he was very enthusiastic, almost jumping up like a golden retriever.
Cai You was popular, and the girls in that area screamed, but Lu Xu still guessed which girl it was.
The class monitor in their class.
Because only the class monitor didn't scream; instead, she smiled in that direction. It seemed like the two of them had some private connection.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Lu Xu wondered if guys were more likely to like such an excellent and steady girl.
The match continued, and the team on Rong Que's side, due to a substitute coming in, had some initial coordination issues, falling slightly behind in the score.
However, after the halftime break, it seemed like they had discussed something as a team, and in the second half, everyone quickly found their rhythm, cooperating seamlessly and managing to level the score in the final moments.
During the overtime, the performance of Class One visibly declined, leading to their defeat in the match.
But for Lu Xu, he couldn't applaud because he belonged to Class One; he could only watch Rong Que's side.
However, at just the right moment, he saw that annoying person opening his arms naturally, preparing to embrace Rong Que.
Lu Xu bit his lip, staring fixedly at them.
Suddenly, Rong Que turned naturally in Lu Xu's direction, took a couple of steps, picked up his water bottle for a sip, and flashed a comforting smile.
Lu Xu looked at the awkward guy who missed his hug attempt behind Rong Que and couldn't help but smugly curl up the corners of his mouth.
After all, Rong Que's brother wouldn't care about anyone other than him, right?
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