High school classes weren’t easy. Lu Sili had been out of exam-oriented education for more than a decade, and after a full day of classes, he was so exhausted and dizzy that he could barely think.
But after school, he was still dragged off to play basketball.
Because they couldn’t make their relationship too obvious to their classmates, they had to take things gradually. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to explain that a year from now he would differentiate into an Omega and, ten years later, marry Su Yuan.
Lu Sili and Li Ya attended basketball practice as usual. As they left the classroom, Lu Sili looked back for Su Yuan and saw him pick up the broom as usual.
After training, the two boys packed up their things, drenched in sweat.
“I’m not going to your place today,” Li Ya said.
Lu Sili was still catching his breath. “Why not?”
“I just got back. I have to see my parents too, don’t I? It’s the weekend tomorrow. Get your husband to come out with us, and we’ll figure out how to get back.”
“Fine.” Lu Sili zipped his schoolbag shut. “I’m going back to the classroom first, then.”
“What for?”
Lu Sili smiled. “It’s my turn to clean.”
He recalled his original school days. The class labor representative, Su Yuan, had always assigned them to the same cleaning shifts. But despite the assignment being shared, Su Yuan quietly took on all the work so Lu Sili could freely enjoy his favorite extracurricular activities.
Li Ya rolled his eyes. “Go on, then. My family’s car is here. See you.”
August in Licheng was very hot. The sweat on Lu Sili’s body refused to dry, and he jogged back upstairs.
Just as he remembered, Su Yuan stood at the far end of the corridor in his school uniform. His thin frame could barely fill the oversized clothes, and the breeze made his hair and uniform flutter.
It was a scene he’d seen countless times before. Yet now, for the first time, Lu Sili understood how light and free life could feel.
He had another chance to experience the beautiful things he’d once missed.
“Su Yuan!” he called softly.
Su Yuan looked up. Still holding a soaking-wet mop, with brilliant goldenrain blossoms beside him, he smiled and waved.
“Finished basketball?” Su Yuan asked.
“Mm. Going home?”
The teaching building was nearly empty by then. Two youthful faces spoke with the familiarity of an old married couple as they picked up their schoolbags and went downstairs together.
“I suddenly remembered Grandma wanted me to go to her school and have dinner with her after class. Both my parents are away on business, so nobody’s home today,” Lu Sili said.
There were still plenty of students on the sports field. Walking with a little distance between them, Su Yuan nodded. “I know. I’d like to go home and see Auntie and my little sister too. We can meet somewhere tomorrow, since it’s the weekend.”
Mention of Zhan Kaijun made Lu Sili’s eyes light up. “Oh! How old is our little sister now?”
Su Yuan pictured Zhan Kaijun as the plump little child she used to be and smiled. “She should be nearly five this year.”
“I’d love to see her. She must be unbelievably cute.”
“I’ll bring her out to play with you someday.”
“Great!”
They were almost at the school gate when someone suddenly called Lu Sili’s name. Turning, he saw their homeroom teacher.
Lu Sili had always been an active student. He was good at his studies, came from a well-off family, and had an outgoing, unpretentious personality. He was popular not only with his classmates but also with his teachers.
The teacher approached with a stack of papers. “You haven’t gone home yet? Perfect. Take this list. It’s the registration sheet for next month’s basketball competition. Next week, collect entries from one senior-year class. We need a list of team members with the applications. Here, let me explain how to do it.”
“Yes, sir,” Lu Sili answered, noticing from the corner of his eye that Su Yuan had already begun walking away slowly.
They had been standing less than two meters apart, but it was almost as though the teacher had seen only Lu Sili and failed to notice Su Yuan at all.
Watching Su Yuan walk away, Lu Sili suddenly understood why he’d kept his distance all those years, not even daring to say hello.
Nobody had noticed the inconspicuous Su Yuan back then, including Lu Sili himself.
Only now did Lu Sili notice how badly worn the canvas shoes on Su Yuan’s feet were. Even his black schoolbag was old and misshapen.
Yingnan No. 3 High School required uniforms, so at a glance there wasn’t much difference between the students. But a closer look at their shoes told another story.
Lu Sili looked down at his own shoes. He no longer remembered which model they were, but the familiar brand mark and fine workmanship made it clear that they weren’t cheap.
The teacher spent a long time giving instructions. By the time he was finished, Su Yuan was nowhere in sight.
Carrying the documents, Lu Sili jogged out of the gate and looked left and right. He spotted Su Yuan still standing at the bus stop. Seeing Lu Sili come out, Su Yuan smiled and waved goodbye.
Their homes lay in completely different directions. As a student, Su Yuan had taken the bus to and from school every day. Lu Sili usually took a taxi or rode his bicycle, and Uncle Zou drove him when the weather was bad.
Even traveling back in time hadn’t changed those circumstances.
Smiling, Lu Sili waved back. He silently mouthed, See you tomorrow.
Two o’clock the following afternoon.
After lunch, Lu Sili told Grandma he was going out and shouldered his schoolbag.
“Come home early,” Grandma reminded him.
Lu Sili wheeled his bicycle out of the courtyard. “Okay!”
Before setting off, he checked his pocket to make sure he’d brought some money.
Li Ya had chosen a café as their meeting place. When Lu Sili arrived, Li Ya was already there, and Old Xu was sitting beside him.
Lu Sili sat down and gave Li Ya a pointed look.
Why did you bring Old Xu? How are we supposed to talk about time travel now?
Li Ya offered an artificial smile but said nothing.
Old Xu had already differentiated into an Alpha and was growing like crazy. He seemed hungry all day, every day. When Lu Sili arrived, he asked what he wanted to eat.
“Just an Americano for me,” Lu Sili said.
Old Xu was shocked. “An Americano?! Are you all right?”
To a high school student, drinking black coffee was hardly different from drinking medicine.
Lu Sili paused and glanced at Li Ya’s sweet cappuccino. Then he remembered he was a high school student again.
He corrected himself. “Make that a latte.”
“Want a platter of grilled sausages?” Old Xu asked.
Lu Sili went along with the situation. “Sure. Fries too.”
Once Old Xu went to the counter to order, Lu Sili turned to Li Ya. “Why’d you bring him?”
“Back then, we always went out together. He heard I was going out and insisted on coming. Where’s your husband?”
“He should be here soon. He’s taking the bus.” Lu Sili added, “For now, stop calling him my husband. We need to keep a low profile.”
Li Ya rolled his eyes and took a sip of coffee. “Then how are we supposed to explain everything to Old Xu?”
“Good point.”
“Why don’t we just tell him? He reads time-travel novels every day. It shouldn’t be hard for him to understand.”
“How do we tell him?”
“Tell him he’s going to marry Zhu Wen thirteen years from now. He’ll definitely believe us.”
Lu Sili burst out laughing.
Zhu Wen was the beautiful class belle next door. She was cheerful and straightforward and responded to Old Xu’s attempts to court her according to one simple principle: one punch and he’d behave himself.
“What are you laughing about?” Old Xu returned carrying the food.
Lu Sili and Li Ya exchanged amused looks. “Nothing.”
Old Xu had thought this would be an ordinary weekend gathering. They would eat, wander around the shops, play a few games, and call it a perfect day.
Then Su Yuan opened the café door.
Li Ya and Lu Sili both noticed him. Li Ya grinned impishly. “Hey, there’s your husband.”
Old Xu thought Li Ya was talking to him. Following his gaze, he spluttered angrily, “Your husband!”
Lu Sili looked positively lovestruck. “My husband.”
“What?!” Old Xu was dumbfounded.
“Sorry, traffic was bad, so I’m late.” Su Yuan carried his bag over one shoulder and sat down in the last empty seat.
Old Xu looked from one person to another. “What’s going on?”
Su Yuan looked at Lu Sili, who shrugged and looked at Li Ya.
“All right.” Li Ya had no choice but to explain. “The three of us traveled back here from fifteen years in the future. By then, you’re married and I’m still single. Lu Sili differentiated into an Omega, then later had his gland removed. And he and Su Yuan ended up falling in love after an arranged marriage.”
Old Xu: “…You’re insane.”
The three of them laughed at his reaction. Once the laughter died down, Su Yuan supplied the most important piece of information.
“The person you marry is Zhu Wen.”
“…” Old Xu very much wanted to call them insane again, but in the face of such wonderful news, he settled for asking, “Seriously?”
Over the next half hour, they explained what had happened across the next dozen or so years and that they’d gathered today to discuss how to return to their original timeline.
Well-read Old Xu immediately seized on the key point. “The thing you have in common is that you couldn’t sleep during a thunderstorm, then all got up at almost exactly the same time the next morning.”
“So what should we do?” Lu Sili asked.
Old Xu said, “Get… struck by lightning?”
Everyone shouted, “Get lost!”
For their otherwise boring high school lives, the situation was an irresistible novelty. The four chatted away in the café all afternoon, much longer than Lu Sili had expected.
More than learning he would marry the girl of his dreams, Old Xu was startled to hear that Lu Sili would differentiate into an Omega, go abroad to study, and lose touch with him.
Old Xu depended heavily on his friends and couldn’t accept that. He made Lu Sili promise they wouldn’t lose touch again, and assured him he’d keep his own pheromones under control.
Before they parted, Old Xu said to Su Yuan, with whom he’d barely interacted before, “No wonder. I thought you seemed completely different.”
“Different how?” Lu Sili asked.
“Smarter,” Old Xu said.
“What about me?” Li Ya asked.
“Recite the Memorial on Dispatching the Troops,” Old Xu replied.
Li Ya: “…”
The four went their separate ways. At last, Lu Sili and Su Yuan had some time to themselves.
Licheng’s streets were crowded on weekends. Two high school boys walking together were nothing unusual. Lu Sili reached over to take Su Yuan’s hand.
Su Yuan turned toward him, a little flustered. “What if someone sees?”
“Who would see? Why have you suddenly become so timid?”
Lu Sili teased him, but inwardly he found it fascinating. Despite their long familiarity with each other, Su Yuan had become shy again after returning to this younger body.
Their identities as high school students once more made even this ordinary closeness feel strangely secret.
Lu Sili deliberately leaned over and whispered beside Su Yuan’s ear, “Husband…”
“You!” Startled, Su Yuan immediately moved away and looked around to see if anyone had heard or noticed. Only when he saw that nobody was paying them any attention did he relax. Torn between laughing and crying, he said, “Stop teasing me.”
Lu Sili laughed without restraint.
For Lu Sili, returning to his school years was a happy thing.
Su Yuan was captivated by the open, sunny look of Lu Sili laughing. He reached for Lu Sili’s hand, but Lu Sili deliberately dodged him.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to?” Lu Sili replied haughtily, quickening his pace.
Su Yuan moved to catch up, but Lu Sili broke into a run. The fluttering hem of the boy’s clothes drew Su Yuan’s eyes. He pushed his glasses up gently, almost unable to conceal his feelings, and hurried after him.
Eventually, the two arrived at a shopping mall.
“What are we buying?” Su Yuan asked.
“Shoes.”
“All right, let’s have a look.” Su Yuan assumed Lu Sili wanted shoes for himself, so he agreed happily and went inside with him.
Before their time travel, the two had often gone shopping for clothes and groceries together.
Both Lu Sili and Su Yuan cared about how they looked, and their walk-in wardrobe was packed with clothes. They’d had plenty of money, too, with a wide choice of brands. Su Yuan had eventually grown used to shopping and was perfectly comfortable walking into luxury stores.
But when two high school students in T-shirts and schoolbags walked into a luxury-brand boutique today, the sales assistant gave them an unexpected look.
“Hello, students. Can I help you?” The assistant was friendly enough.
Seeing themselves in the mirror, Lu Sili and Su Yuan realized what the problem was. They exchanged a glance and tried not to laugh. “Sorry. Wrong shop.”
“We forgot we were high school students,” Lu Sili said, scratching his head.
“And we don’t have that much money,” Su Yuan added.
Lu Sili took out his pocket money. “Mm.”
He’d brought a little over a thousand yuan, everything he’d found in his drawer.
Growing up without financial worries, Lu Sili had never developed a habit of saving. He’d never needed to put money aside for anything expensive either.
“Let’s try that shop.” Lu Sili pointed toward a sportswear store.
Inside was a whole wall of sneakers to choose from. It really was a more suitable place for them.
Instinctively, Su Yuan began choosing shoes that would suit Lu Sili. He picked up a pair of pink-and-white canvas sneakers. “What do you think of these?”
High school students tended to like flashy, eye-catching colors like that.
“They wouldn’t suit you.” After a glance, Lu Sili turned away to inspect a different pair.
Su Yuan followed him. “You mean you’re buying shoes for me?”
Lu Sili smiled. “Of course. It’s not as if I’m short of shoes.”
Su Yuan lowered his head and looked at the faded, yellowing white canvas shoes he’d washed so many times. They weren’t even Converse, just an unknown brand he’d bought at a small shop.
At the beginning of the year, his uncle had injured his hand. The treatment had cost a great deal, and he’d lost his job as a chef. The family’s finances weren’t in good shape now.
“How about these?” Lu Sili asked.
Su Yuan looked over. They were plain white canvas sneakers, fairly narrow and long in shape, much like the style he often wore as an adult.
Holding them up, Lu Sili said almost to himself, “Simple, clean styles suit you. Canvas shoes can be washed often and won’t wear out so easily.”
“Thank you,” Su Yuan said.
Lu Sili turned toward him and saw Su Yuan silently mouth a familiar term of endearment.
Now it was Lu Sili’s turn to feel embarrassed.
The thought of two high school students using married-couple terms of address in public made his cheeks burn.
The shoes cost only a few hundred yuan. Lu Sili dragged Su Yuan off to buy another pair of black canvas shoes too.
Having returned to the past only to live on his wife’s pocket money, Su Yuan accepted the gifts frankly and thanked him.
The mall restroom was cramped. The two slender boys kissed quietly, with Su Yuan bracing one hand against the wall so Lu Sili wouldn’t bump into it.
As students with neither a home nor a car of their own, they had nowhere private to spend time together.
“Mm…” Lu Sili drew back.
He remembered how to kiss, but this younger body was unfamiliar with it. Lu Sili found himself unexpectedly clumsy.
“How come you’re not rusty?” Lu Sili asked, a little breathless.
Su Yuan smiled and whispered beside his ear, “Because I’ve been practicing in my head since high school.”
“Practicing?”
“Practicing how I’d kiss you.”
Just then, someone entered the restroom and slammed a stall door. The noise startled Lu Sili just as he’d been about to lean in for another kiss.
Su Yuan steadied him. “Shh.”
Lu Sili held on to him. “Why don’t we get a room at a hotel?”
Su Yuan’s heart began racing at the suggestion, and for a moment he struggled to collect himself.
“Well?” Lu Sili prompted.
But Su Yuan shook his head. “Give me two months.”
Lu Sili was puzzled. “Why?”
“I…” Su Yuan lowered his eyes, looking rather embarrassed.
The passionate young man was at an age when his body was both strong and highly sensitive—just one glance was enough to provoke a reaction. Lu Sili couldn’t fathom why Su Yuan kept refusing.
Lu Sili ventured, “I can pay.”
Su Yuan smiled helplessly. “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Lu Sili asked, sounding unintentionally coaxing.
“I’m not in very good shape right now. Let me work out for a while,” Su Yuan said.
“Hahahaha!” Lu Sili was still laughing as they walked along the street on their way home.
Su Yuan was mortified and caught Lu Sili by the wrist. “Please stop laughing at me.”
“It’s not as if I’d dislike you. You’re just thin, that’s all,” Lu Sili said.
“I know. I just want things to be better for you,” Su Yuan said.
Still so considerate, Lu Sili thought.
“Just look at me now. I’m not good-looking at all,” Su Yuan explained.
Actually, Su Yuan had already changed a little over the past two days. He’d tidied his hair and improved his posture. He no longer hunched over or lowered his head to avoid meeting people’s eyes.
His features weren’t as sharply defined, elegant or distinguished as they would be at thirty, but it was fair to call him good-looking.
Perhaps love made everything look lovelier. Lu Sili found him quite attractive.
But he understood Su Yuan.
It was just like the time Su Yuan had treated the entire class to McDonald’s just so he could invite Lu Sili.
Su Yuan gently squeezed the soft flesh of Lu Sili’s palm. “Last night, I looked online for jobs editing people’s papers so I could earn my own spending money. When the time comes, let me treat you to dinner and a hotel stay, okay? After all, by this timeline, it’ll be our first.”
Besides, if they couldn’t find a way back to their original time, Lu Sili would differentiate into an Omega in ten months and face his first heat. This time Su Yuan could be beside him and support him through it.
So earning money mattered too, because artificial pheromones weren’t cheap.
In Su Yuan’s heart, Lu Sili was the best person in the world: the one who had saved him, his precious treasure and the person he loved most.
How could he take advantage of Lu Sili’s love and let him suffer?
He had to get himself into better shape, determined to make this new beginning a happy experience for Lu Sili.
Lu Sili would treat Su Yuan’s insecurity with tenderness and patience, just as thirty-year-old Su Yuan had always treated him.
“All right.” Lu Sili looked around, pointed to a hotel in a nearby building, and said, “In two months, when your workouts have turned you into a handsome guy, you can treat me to a stay there.”
Su Yuan gazed at him affectionately, nodded, and said, “Okay!”