Chapter 20: Master Xu Has No Feelings

Xie Xu furrowed his brows almost imperceptibly, then let out a self-mocking laugh.

Of course.

What sort of relationship could there possibly be between them?

At best, they were just classmates—maybe a little closer than most; at most, they were also neighbors. They weren’t quite friends. Even walking to and from school together only happened because he’d tempted her with food until she agreed.

So what answer was he waiting for? In the end, he’d probably only hear things he didn’t want to hear, so he might as well just go over and ask her if she was done packing.

She thought he was offering her a way out, but in truth, he was giving himself one too.

He took a drag of his cigarette, then stubbed it out carelessly.

He felt restless and agitated.

What exactly was he thinking? It wasn’t as if he was hoping to hear her define their relationship in a way he wanted.

He, Xu, never had feelings for anyone.

Not long after, Xie Xu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window and dialed a number.

“Help me look into an account. I’ve already sent it to you.”

A man’s voice answered on the other end, “Xu, can’t you just check something this minor yourself?”

“Cut the nonsense. I want to know who it is in half an hour.”

“Alright.” After He Shi got over his initial surprise, he continued, “Xu, I’ll be back in the country in a month. I should make it in time for your birthday. How about I come to your school and attend classes with you? Consider it my birthday gift to you?”

“Get lost.” Xie Xu didn’t bother wasting words on him and hung up directly.

...

Meanwhile, Lu Yiqi sat at her desk, eyes fixed intently on her phone.

Her screen was still on the chat page with Xie Xu.

That line—"You have added Xu, you can start chatting now"—stood out starkly on the empty page.

Xu.

His WeChat ID was so simple, just the pinyin for the “Xu” in his name. It made Lu Yiqi think of her own ID: "LetMeSleepALittleLonger."

Instantly, she felt her username was way too flashy.

But since she’d already added Xie Xu, should she send him a message?

But what should she say?

Maybe she could just ask how the progress was on what he’d agreed to check. After all, he’d said if she had any questions, she should ask.

Having decided, Lu Yiqi picked up her phone. Even though she’d made up her mind about what to send, she hesitated over how to begin.

She tilted her head and pondered for a while, and what she finally came up with was: “Are you there?”

She hit send, then waited for Xie Xu’s reply.

Not long after Xie Xu hung up the phone, he heard a notification—WeChat.

He picked up his phone absentmindedly and saw that “LetMeSleepALittleLonger” had sent him an “Are you there?”

He frowned slightly, then remembered that this must be Lu Yiqi’s WeChat ID. After accepting her friend request, he hadn’t gotten around to updating her contact name.

Xu: If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be here for the next few decades.

After sending the message, he changed her contact name to Lu Yiqi.

Just as he returned to the chat page, a new message from Lu Yiqi popped up.

Lu Yiqi: ...

Xu: Is there something you need?

Lu Yiqi: Nothing much, I just wanted to ask how your search into that person’s account is going.

Xu: Almost done. I’ll tell you the result tomorrow.

Lu Yiqi: Okay.

Xu: Nothing else you want to ask?

Seeing this message from Xie Xu, Lu Yiqi couldn’t quite figure out what he meant—did he want her to ask more, or was he hoping she wouldn’t?

To be safe, Lu Yiqi typed two words on her phone.

Lu Yiqi: That’s all.