And He Still Said He Didn't Like Him

No matter what Lu Xiao said, Cen Xia couldn't believe those were words he could have spoken.

Seeing that he didn't believe her, Lu Xiao changed the subject. "What's your name? Are you my brother's classmate?"

"My name's Cen Xia. Lu Mian and I take an elective together, but we're not in the same class."

"Your school sure has a lot of random classes."

Cen Xia didn't argue, because she was right.

"Were you admitted as a special recruit?"

"No."

"I couldn't tell you were rich." Lu Xiao looked him up and down, clicking her tongue in amazement.

Cen Xia looked down at what he was wearing too: a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. They were a little wrinkled from lying down all night, but still reasonably neat.

"You mean I don't dress like it?"

Lu Xiao shook her head. "No, you don't have the air of one."

Cen Xia: "..." So did he give off an air of poverty?

Lu Xiao explained, "You're different from the rich people I've met. They all have their eyes on top of their heads. You're much more normal."

It was a very blunt remark.

Cen Xia took a sip of soy milk and said, "I don't have money. My parents are the ones with money."

"There's another virtue you have that rich people don't: humility."

Cen Xia: "...Can we get rid of the stereotypes?"

Lu Xiao shrugged, unconcerned. "Everyone has stereotypes."

Cen Xia hadn't asked her name yet.

She said, "I'm Lu Xiao. Everyone in our family has the surname Lu."

In the original novel, after the nanny secretly switched Lu Mian at birth, she sold him to a child trafficker. But the trafficker quit before selling him and simply abandoned the child in a trash can. Later, an old woman collecting bottles early in the morning found him. Her surname was Lu.

The old woman had no children of her own, but she had picked up a grandson and a granddaughter.

At the thought, something stirred in Cen Xia's heart, and he sounded Lu Xiao out. "Why does your brother sleep in class every day?"

Lu Xiao leaned against the back of the sofa and cleared up his confusion. "He doesn't sleep at night. If he didn't catch up on sleep during the day, he'd drop dead."

"He doesn't sleep at night? What does he do, then?"

"Part-time jobs, all kinds of part-time jobs." Lu Xiao glanced sideways at his reaction and said dramatically, "My brother and I only have each other to rely on. To support us both, he goes to class during the day and waits tables at night. Sometimes the customers even harass and bully him..."

At that, she wiped away nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes.

Cen Xia: "..." You're overdoing it a little, little sister.

"If only someone would appear and lend my brother a hand, he'd surely offer himself in marriage..." Lu Xiao wiped her tears while sneaking a look at Cen Xia's reaction. When she saw that he remained unmoved, she could only sheepishly drop her hand, too embarrassed to keep acting.

The actress had gotten into character, but the audience clearly hadn't believed her.

Fair enough. Her brother hadn't even been admitted as a special recruit. Who would believe a story that far-fetched?

"Ahem, actually, I'm in my school's drama club."

"...Nice acting," Cen Xia said supportively.

The sound of Lu Mian opening his door put an end to the awkward atmosphere.

Lu Mian's eyelids were half lowered; he had only just woken up. Seeing the two sitting on the sofa, he said nothing and went straight to the bathroom to wash up.

The sound of water came from inside.

Lu Xiao nudged him with her elbow. "My brother's handsome, right?"

Her question brought to Cen Xia's mind the sight of Lu Mian emerging from his room just now.

His loose black loungewear made his skin look as white as carved jade. His hair was a mess from sleeping, but paired with that face, it looked like a style a hairstylist had deliberately designed. He could walk out the door and straight onto a fashion week runway.

His beautiful eyes were half narrowed, and his face was flushed from sleep. Even looking at him from a guy's point of view, Cen Xia had to admit he really was handsome.

So he nodded honestly. "Handsome."

A lecherous smile instantly spread across Lu Xiao's face. Though her sweet looks kept it from looking ugly on her, it still sent a chill down Cen Xia's back.

No matter how he looked at it, that smile meant no good.

Cen Xia didn't know exactly how Lu Xiao viewed the relationship between him and Lu Mian, but he was sure it wasn't anything normal.

Lu Mian was sick, and his sister's mind didn't seem normal either.

They weren't related by blood, but their condition made them closer than a real brother and sister.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

It was clear Lu Mian had washed his face by cupping water in his hands. He hadn't wiped all the droplets away, and they dripped from his chin. He raised a hand and casually wiped them off.

"Is there anything to eat?"

Lu Xiao spread her hands. "There were only three buns and a cup of soy milk left, and he finished them all."

"Why did you buy so little?"

"I only had eight yuan on me. It was out of the goodness of my heart that I even left you two three buns."

Cen Xia spoke up at the right moment, interrupting them. "Let's eat out. My treat."

After all, he had spent the night at their place, so he ought to pay for his lodging, even if he hadn't slept in a bed.

"Sure!" Lu Xiao readily agreed.

Lu Mian had no objections. As they were going out, he exchanged a glance with Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao understood.

See? I told you he likes me.

Lu Xiao rolled her eyes behind her brother's back.

Cen Xia found a hot pot restaurant nearby. Lu Mian didn't eat spicy food, so he ordered a divided pot.

Lu Xiao wanted meat, so Cen Xia gave her the menu and told her to order whatever she liked.

The two chatted as they ate. Lu Mian occasionally chimed in when the conversation turned to him.

Lu Xiao was also in her first year of high school and attended No. 3 Middle School. She said her grades weren't good, and that neither she nor her brother was any good at studying.

Lu Mian curled his lip and shot back, "That's because you're stupid. I just haven't studied seriously."

Lu Xiao rolled her eyes at her brother. "Fine, fine, you're the clever one."

The meal was very harmonious. Lu Xiao was the kind of person who never let a conversation fall flat and was very talkative.

Once he'd eaten and drunk his fill, Cen Xia said goodbye to them and headed back to school.

"Don't go yet. Hang out a little longer." Lu Xiao rose from her chair to urge him to stay. "What time is it? Why go back so early? It's Saturday, too."

Seeing him begin to waver, Lu Xiao sighed and continued, "I have a performance tonight. I was hoping to invite you to watch."

"A drama club performance?"

Lu Xiao: "...Singing."

Now that she'd said all that, if Cen Xia still refused, the girl would start crying for him to see. He had no choice but to agree.

Lu Mian cut in at that point. "Your band hasn't broken up yet?"

"A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory! Our band is doing just fine!"

Lu Xiao had formed her band in middle school. There were four members in all, and she was the lead singer.

The band members varied in age. The youngest, Lu Xiao, was only in her first year of high school, while the oldest had already started working.

Even Cen Xia was curious how the members of her band had met.

Lu Xiao had rehearsal that afternoon, so she left first. Before going, she told her brother to make sure he brought Cen Xia along.

Her brother nodded expressionlessly.

As soon as Lu Xiao left, Lu Mian said, "I'm going back to catch up on sleep."

Cen Xia: "...What about me?" Was he supposed to wander around on his own?

"You can sleep with me."

"Where? On the floor?" Cen Xia's tone was firm. "I want to sleep on the bed."

Lu Mian stared at him for a long while before saying, "Okay."

With that, he turned his head, his gaze falling on empty space.

He already wants to sleep in the same bed as me, and he still says he doesn't like me?

Cen Xia didn't know what he was thinking. If he had, he would never have agreed to share a bed with Lu Mian, even if it killed him, and would have cursed inwardly, What a terrifying danmei world!

Lu Mian gave him half the bed. Cen Xia hadn't slept well the night before, and he really was a little sleepy now.

Lu Mian didn't mind that he might dirty his bed after not showering the night before, and Cen Xia didn't mind that the covers were full of Lu Mian's scent.

He lowered his head and sniffed. It smelled quite nice. He wondered what laundry detergent Lu Mian used.

Just then, Lu Mian happened to turn his head and caught the whole sniffing motion.

A second before Cen Xia noticed, he looked away.

Has he already fallen for me so deeply that he can't pull himself free?