10. Friends

When Lu Mi arrived at the classroom, there were still a few minutes before class started—just the right amount of time.

He found an empty seat and had barely sat down for a minute when a boy, a class committee member, sat beside him.

Lu Mi hadn’t interacted much with him before, but the class committee member was clearly someone skilled at conversation. Catching Lu Mi’s glance, he smiled and said, “Lu Mi, you remember my name, right?”

“Yeah,” Lu Mi nodded.

Though he rarely socialized with classmates over the past year, his memory was sharp. He remembered that the class committee member was Gao You, who had transferred into their class this semester. Their original committee member had taken a leave of absence, and since Gao You had experience as a committee member before, he stepped into the role.

Gao You exhaled in relief. “Good. Do you want to participate in next month’s winter sports meet? Here’s the registration form.”

He handed Lu Mi a sheet of paper.

Lu Mi paused, then looked down and said, “I’m not athletic.”

He hadn’t expected Gao You to approach him.

Since starting university, Lu Mi had hardly taken part in any group activities, especially events like sports meets. He disliked crowded places.

Anticipating Lu Mi’s refusal, Gao You hastened to add, “It’s fine. Most people just use the event as an excuse to go out and have fun anyway. It’s a waste of time to participate. The sports students always sweep first place, and the school doesn’t offer any credit incentives, so nobody’s really motivated.” As he spoke, Gao You’s eyes unintentionally lingered on Lu Mi’s face. Realizing he’d stared too long, he quickly turned away to hide his expression and then asked, “Mind if I sit here?”

Anyone could sit anywhere, so Lu Mi naturally didn’t refuse.

After returning the form to Gao You, Lu Mi lowered his head to check his phone. There was still a minute before class. He scrolled through his messages.

Shen Tan hadn’t messaged him, so he must really be on a business trip.

Seeing Lu Mi absorbed in his phone, Gao You couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. “Your outfit today looks great—it really suits you.”

Lu Mi was wearing an off-white sweatshirt, layered with a baseball jacket in off-white and blue stripes. The sweatshirt featured a sheep motif that complemented his demeanor perfectly.

Gao You had noticed as soon as Lu Mi entered the classroom—this style was completely different from his usual random choice of clothes. Today, his outfit was carefully coordinated.

Hearing Gao You’s compliment, Lu Mi held his phone, stunned for a few seconds. “Thanks... my family bought it for me.”

The words “my family bought it” felt strange coming from Lu Mi.

He paused for a moment, then opened WeChat and entered Shen Tan’s phone number in the search bar.

Soon, a WeChat profile appeared, displaying a photo of the view outside a floor-to-ceiling window.

Lu Mi immediately recognized it as the shot Shen Tan had taken from his bedroom.

The window’s reflection showed an off-white bed inside the room.

It looked like the profile picture had been changed recently.

“Then he must know you pretty well,” Gao You said, unable to stop staring at Lu Mi’s handsome profile, trying to find more things to talk about.

As soon as he spoke, Lu Mi quickly exited the friend request screen and put his phone back into his bag.

Seeing Lu Mi’s strong reaction, Gao You felt embarrassed and didn’t continue the conversation. After class ended, when Lu Mi started packing up, Gao You asked, “Want to grab lunch together?”

Having transferred to this class recently, he’d noticed Lu Mi rarely socialized, only speaking when necessary. Despite being good-looking, Lu Mi kept to himself, seemingly trying to lower his visibility or avoid unnecessary troubles and interruptions.

Like someone approaching him now.

Lu Mi glanced at the time and shook his head. “No, I’m going home.”

The driver had said in the morning that he’d wait outside. Although Lu Mi had initially refused, the driver explained he was there not to control him but to make his trips more convenient.

He could go wherever he wanted.

Shen Tan didn’t restrict his freedom.

But Lu Mi had nowhere else to go.

Previously, when he had no classes, he would go to the library or return to his rented room.

“You don’t live on campus? No wonder I haven’t seen you around the dorms. Are you from around here?” Gao You talked a lot, trailing behind Lu Mi as they left the classroom.

Lu Mi wasn’t used to walking with others and slowed his pace, but still politely answered, “I’m local.”

---

“I’m local too, but I stay in the dorm. My brother lives near the school. Speaking of which, I think I’ll go visit him later,” Gao You said, eager to keep the conversation going. “Do you play games? There’s a really popular one called Destination. Quite a few in our class are playing it.”

Lu Mi hesitated. “I don’t play games.”

He’d never told anyone he was a game streamer.

Except Shen Tan.

“Actually, I don’t play either,” Gao You chuckled. “But my brother does. He’s a big streamer. If you ever want to play, I can ask him for tips and we can play together.”

The corridor was bustling with students coming and going. Lu Mi stopped and turned to look at Gao You.

The moment their eyes met, Gao You’s face flushed.

Lu Mi pressed his lips together.

Gao You’s meaning was clear, but it was hard to tell if it was just friendly or something more.

“What’s up?” Gao You scratched his head, sensing Lu Mi wanted to say something.

“Nothing,” Lu Mi shook his head.

Gao You didn’t press further. They’d only exchanged a few words today; there was no need to force the issue.

He rarely socialized and had no close friends.

People were warm to him at first, as they had been since childhood, but when they saw how cold and quiet he was, how he never reached out, they drifted away.

They would gossip behind his back, saying he was just a pretty face and too arrogant.

Lu Mi didn’t know why he was like that.

On the way out of school, Gao You had little chance to talk—being outgoing and popular, he kept running into acquaintances and stopping to greet them.

Lu Mi didn’t wait for him, but it wasn’t long before Gao You caught up.

At the school gate, the driver must have been watching because the moment Lu Mi stepped out, the car pulled up right in front of him.

The door opened. Lu Mi hesitated briefly, then glanced back at Gao You.

Gao You looked at the expensive car and, by the time he registered it, Lu Mi had already gotten in.

“Mr. Lu, are you heading home or somewhere else?” the driver asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at the boy still standing outside.

“Home,” Lu Mi said without looking outside. He settled in and adjusted his jacket.

Noticing his movement, the driver smiled as he started the engine. “The clothes suit you well.”

Lu Mi blinked. “...Thank you.”

He stopped adjusting and pulled out his phone.

The WeChat profile of Shen Tan was still open.

After staring for a while, Lu Mi turned off the screen.

The driver glanced again in the mirror but said nothing more.

Outside the gate, Gao You used a search app to check the price of the car that had just picked up Lu Mi, then ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

Was Lu Mi’s family really that wealthy?

Feeling a bit disheartened, Gao You headed to his brother’s place as planned.

He hadn’t initially meant to visit, but since he’d mentioned it to Lu Mi, he wanted to keep his word.

As expected, when he arrived, his brother was still asleep, and the house was a mess. Women’s clothes were scattered on the sofa.

Gao You frowned. He knew his brother often changed partners, sometimes men, sometimes women, unlike himself, who only liked men.

Putting on gloves, Gao You resigned himself to tidying up the place before going out to buy groceries and cook.

By the time he finished, voices came from the room—it sounded like his brother had started streaming.

But the voice wasn’t his brother’s; it sounded more like Lu Mi’s.

Lu Mi’s voice was easy to recognize—clean, fresh, and somewhat soft.

After listening for a few seconds at the door, Gao You couldn’t resist knocking.

“Come in. Why the sudden visit?” Gao Mo didn’t even turn his head but didn’t try to hide Gao You’s presence. On the computer screen was the game Destination, live-streaming.

But the streamer wasn’t speaking anymore.

“Worried you’d starve yourself if you didn’t eat? Are you watching the stream, bro?” Gao You looked at the screen.

He didn’t play games and only watched Gao Mo play, so he didn’t really understand it—just saw the hero selection screen.

Gao Mo hummed. “What’s up? Suddenly interested in games, nerd?”

“No, I was just wondering if that streamer said something. The voice sounds like my classmate, but he doesn’t play games.”

Just then, the streamer's voice came through again.

It was quiet and calm: “I can play support.”

Gao You was stunned, then excited. “It really sounds like my classmate! But he said he doesn’t play games.”

“You seem really concerned about this classmate,” Gao Mo raised an eyebrow. “Why? Is he good-looking?”

Gao You didn’t think much about why Gao Mo asked, just nodded with a smile. “Very pretty.”

“Then go after him. Want me to teach you?” Gao Mo glanced down at a message on his phone.

The message was from someone connected to higher-ups: [No info found, almost got caught, but looks like a college student. I just glanced quickly, seems to be from the same school as your brother. Not sure if I’m right. I won’t do this again, got scolded badly when caught.]

Gao Mo’s expression faltered.

“No, I’m not saying I’m going after him,” Gao You said with a laugh. Unlike his brother, he had never dated and knew Lu Mi probably didn’t like things to move too fast.

Besides, Lu Mi’s car was too expensive.

Gao Mo chuckled. “You cooked, right? I’ll come out to eat later. What’s that classmate’s name? I want to remember, so next time you blush talking about someone, I’ll know it’s him.”

Gao You didn’t hesitate. “Lu Mi.”

When Lu Mi finished streaming, it was just dinnertime. He had made up for the afternoon’s lost hours, so he could sleep before ten o’clock.

The rule Shen Tan had initially proposed... was actually doable.

Perhaps because of new equipment—the keyboard, mouse, and the computer’s resolution were all much better than before—Lu Mi wasn’t completely familiar with them yet. His first few games weren’t great, even though he had warmed up with some casual matches.

Fortunately, he won the last few games, recovering his points and climbing one rank higher overall.

Dinner, prepared by Aunt Wang, consisted of homemade dishes Lu Mi liked, similar to lunch but lighter.

After eating, Lu Mi couldn’t help but glance toward the front door.

Outside was very quiet. The villa community was peaceful, and most people were probably busy, rarely returning home.

Seeing this, Aunt Wang smiled warmly. “You could ask Mr. Shen when he’ll be back.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Lu Mi immediately stood and went back to the study.

He had only glanced toward the door out of habit.

Without Shen Tan around, he felt even more at ease.

After sitting at the computer for a moment, Lu Mi opened WeChat.

In the contacts section, a friend request had appeared from Shen Tan—though he wasn’t sure when.