Chapter 6 — I’ll cover for you this time.
The last bell of the day rang—
In an instant, only a few students remained in the classroom.
Nan Xu ignored the bell, sitting upright at her desk, working on problems. The setting sun cast a warm glow across her profile, her eyelashes throwing delicate shadows. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, strands swaying lightly in the soft light.
She worked with focus. By now, an hour had passed since the end of class, and most of the students had already left.
Nan Xu guessed that Xie Hejing probably didn’t want to walk home with her. She had just run into a few tricky problems anyway, so she decided to stay a little longer.
Setting her pen down, she propped her head on her hand, bored, and wondered if Xie Hejing had already made it home.
Her thoughts gradually drifted away from the complex math logic, leaving her wrists and neck aching.
She rubbed her wrists and slowly straightened up, stretching her arms back, tilting her neck side to side, then leaning her head backward inch by inch.
A few strands of hair slipped past her ears, drifting softly in the breeze.
Soon, two figures appeared in her line of sight.
Xiang Weishi and Xie Hejing.
Her gaze settled on Xie Hejing, scanning from bottom to top: white sneakers, then a bright red basketball uniform, accentuating the defined lines of his muscles. He held a basketball securely under his right arm, probably just coming off the court.
The next moment, Nan Xu met Xie Hejing’s eyes. He raised an eyebrow playfully, looking at her with a casual, loose posture. His tone was relaxed: “Quite the coincidence…”
It was so late—yet she was still in the classroom.
Nan Xu froze slightly, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes. Her attempt to stand was clumsy, almost causing her to stumble.
Xiang Weishi quickly stepped forward to help, but Nan Xu’s reflexes were quick; she grabbed the nearby desk and steadied herself, though her heart still raced.
She gave Xiang Weishi a quick nod of thanks.
“Why haven’t you gone home yet? It’ll be dark soon,” Xiang Weishi said, tossing the broom aside and flopping onto the desk like a soft rag.
“I wanted to finish a couple of problems… didn’t realize time passed so fast,” Nan Xu replied, covering her workbook.
Hearing this, Xie Hejing lowered his gaze, shifting his eyes away.
He released the basketball, which bounced twice at the edge of the desk. He didn’t speak, but Nan Xu instinctively felt the message: hurry up and leave, don’t think about walking home with him.
She quietly sped up packing her things.
“The last bus No. 3 leaves at 7:30 PM,” Xie Hejing suddenly said.
7:30 PM!
Nan Xu glanced at the time—it was already 7:12 PM.
Xiang Weishi picked up a practice test and laughed, “Xie Hejing, what’s with your memory? The bus to my house is the No. 5, and the last one doesn’t leave until 10 PM. It’s still way too early.”
Xie Hejing didn’t respond, quietly continuing to pack his things.
Time was running out. Nan Xu decisively put down her workbook and packed away her review book. “I’m leaving. You…” She turned to the two of them. “…you should get home early too.”
Xiang Weishi was still lying lazily on the desk. “Where do you live? Maybe we can go part of the way together.”
“My home is—”
Clang!
Nan Xu glanced over. Xie Hejing had lifted his backpack, but the strap had caught on the desk, scraping the leg against the floor.
“I’m off!”
“Hey, didn’t we agree to go play games at my place later?” Xiang Weishi called out.
“…“ Xie Hejing just left, only his back visible.
“Well, that’s that.” Looks like the gaming plan was canceled. Xiang Weishi felt regret for barely two seconds before turning to Nan Xu. “Do you play games?”
“Ah! I don’t,” Nan Xu said, almost done packing her things, stuffing the last exercise book into her bag. “My home is very close, I’ll be there in no time. Thank you, and goodbye.”
Xiang Weishi: “…“
Sitting alone in the classroom, he pulled out his phone, about to complain that Xie Hejing left first, when he suddenly remembered what he had just said.
Wait a second!
Isn’t bus No. 3 route to Xie Hejing’s home?
He realized it!
Xie Hejing had planned to go home early and even reminded him of the last bus time.
Was that really necessary?!
When Nan Xu arrived at the bus stop, she happened to catch Bus No. 3 pulling in.
The last bus wasn’t empty. Nan Xu squeezed on but couldn’t find a handrail.
Before she could catch her breath, the bus jolted forward. She lost her balance and started to fall backward.
Panic surged in her chest—but suddenly, someone grabbed her backpack strap. The moment she was caught, she felt a wave of relief.
Turning around to thank the kind person, she found… Xie Hejing, the one who had left earlier. He frowned.
“Are you stupid? Handrails aren’t just for looking at.”
Nan Xu noticed the rare flicker of irritation between his brows. She paused, then squeezed closer to stand beside him, reaching out to share the same handrail.
The bus drove on as usual, the chatter of passengers rising and falling, but Nan Xu whispered softly, “It’s so crowded… don’t be so harsh!”
…He was harsh just now?
Xie Hejing’s eyelashes twitched slightly.
When they reached their stop, Nan Xu lagged far behind him, taking tiny steps, careful not to bring bad luck to this person.
Zhang Huiwan was sitting at the dining table. When the door opened and she saw Xie Hejing, she coughed twice and then sat back down.
The door opened a second time—finally, Nan Xu returned. Zhang Huiwan immediately stood and took her backpack.
“So, how was it? Getting used to things? If there’s anything uncomfortable, you must tell Auntie.”
Nan Xu immediately smiled and said, “I’m used to it already, and the atmosphere is really nice, but the food in the cafeteria just isn’t as good as what Auntie makes.”
Hearing this compliment, Zhang Huiwan couldn’t hide the smile on her face.
“Then how about this—Auntie can bring you lunch at noon?”
As soon as Xie Hejing heard this, he lifted his cold gaze.
Impressive, his mom was even going to bring her food now.
Nan Xu quickly waved her hands to refuse. She didn’t want to trouble anyone.
Zhang Huiwan insisted for a while, and Nan Xu kept trying to persuade her otherwise. Finally, they ended the discussion by citing Nan Xu’s short half-hour lunch break as the reason it might not be feasible.
Zhang Huiwan listened and still felt a little regretful.
At the dining table, while adding more food to Nan Xu’s plate, Zhang Huiwan said shyly, “Jiaojiao, I’m going on a business trip to Chengyu for three or four days this week. If there’s anything you want to eat or do, just tell Xie Hejing. And if there’s anything you like from Chengyu, just tell me—I’ll bring it back for you.”
Nan Xu quietly glanced up. Xie Hejing showed no particular expression, continuing to serve himself and eat as if he didn’t mind.
“I understand, thank you, Auntie. Please be careful and get some rest after your work. We’ll wait for you at home.”
Nan Xu’s voice was sweet and clear. Zhang Huiwan felt her heart soften and hurriedly replied, but when she looked at Xie Hejing, she immediately regained her composure.
Xie Hejing set down his bowl and chopsticks. “Got it. Be careful on the trip.”
“I’m done eating, you eat slowly.”
Indeed, he was used to his mother and Xie Hengzhi’s business trips. Even having the three of them stay together as a family for a full month was rare.
The next day after school, Zhang Huiwan had already left on her trip with her luggage.
At home, only Nan Xu and Xie Hejing were left.
“Can you cook?” Xie Hejing asked, sitting on the sofa and scrolling through his phone.
Nan Xu nodded slightly, then shook her head.
Xie Hejing narrowed his eyes. “Can or can’t?”
“I can,” Nan Xu paused for a second, then added, “but it’s terrible—really, really bad.”
Previously, Wen Qiu had taught Nan Xu to cook, step by step. Even though she followed the instructions exactly, her dishes always came out terrible. At best, they were just bland; at worst, inedible.
To avoid wasting food, Nan Xu had long since avoided the kitchen.
Hearing this, Xie Hejing stood, walked over, slipped his phone into his pocket, and looked down at her.
“How bad are we talking?”
Nan Xu pursed her lips. “I once ate my own cooking and got food poisoning.”
“…”
Xie Hejing walked past her and opened the kitchen door. “Go wait over there.”
Xie Hejing had inherited Zhang Huiwan’s cooking skills. Having spent most of his life at home, he was used to cooking for himself and was very proficient.
Nan Xu sat in the living room for a while, feeling a little guilty, and then got up to stand at the kitchen doorway.
“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked.
Xie Hejing heard this, turned to her, and said, “I don’t plan on poisoning myself anytime soon.”
Nan Xu: “…”
There were times when she did it pretty well—at least it was edible, not the kind that would send someone to the hospital.
Glancing into the kitchen again, she saw Xie Hejing standing sideways, head down, expertly cutting meat and stir-frying. Nan Xu abandoned the idea of helping, not wanting him to complain again.
When the dishes were served, they looked and smelled amazing. Nan Xu took a deep breath of the aroma and grabbed her phone to take pictures.
“What are you taking pictures of?” Xie Hejing asked.
“The food,” Nan Xu said as she sat down, looking satisfied with the photo in her hand. “I need to send this to Auntie. She specifically told me the night before last that we have to tell her what we eat at home every day. We can’t eat snacks or anything unhealthy.”
Hearing this, Xie Hejing almost laughed. He wondered when his mother would ever have that much patience, and couldn’t understand what could possibly make this girl so likable.
She was just an ordinary, well-behaved girl who could poison herself even with her own cooking.
He got up, grabbed a bag of chips nearby, tore it open, and popped one into his mouth. “Does this count as unhealthy? Should I take a photo for her too?”
Nan Xu froze for a moment, then earnestly scolded him, “We eat meals first. No snacks before food.”
Xie Hejing popped another chip into his mouth.
Nan Xu froze, but she put her phone down. She was a little angry, but considering how many dishes he had made, she said, “Then I’ll cover for you this time.”
The words had just left her mouth when Xie Hejing sneered and ate another chip.
This trick only works on her.
This time, Nan Xu stared at the chip in his hand for a few seconds, then picked up her phone and opened WeChat. She seemed to be sending a message to Zhang Huiwan.
Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow. “Sent it?”
Nan Xu nodded. “But I only sent pictures of the meals, not you eating this.”
“Why not?” he asked.
Nan Xu paused her typing, looked at him, and smiled. “Because I plan to cover for you one more time!”
Her face lit up with a bright, sunny smile that hit him straight in the chest. He froze for a moment before frowning. “Not necessary.”
The chips crunched loudly in his mouth, as if the sound alone could fill the moment he had been caught off guard.
Nan Xu looked at him, about to argue again, but Xie Hejing just glanced at her.
Unexpectedly, Nan Xu got up and stood in front of him, speaking in a negotiating tone: “Since I’ve covered for you twice already, can you at least let me have a little?”
Xie Hejing said, “Didn’t you say you weren’t supposed to eat snacks first? Aren’t you afraid my mom will find out?”
That was as well-behaved as it got.
Nan Xu blinked, her wet eyes looking up at him. “Then don’t tell Auntie either, okay?”
Xie Hejing took a deep breath, reached up, and tossed the rest of the chips straight into the trash, tilting his head slightly toward her.
“Dinner.”
Nan Xu: “….”
Completely unreasonable!
At the dinner table, Xie Hejing answered a phone call. The person on the other end said something, and he responded, “Okay,” then replied, “I’ll be right there.” He stood up, and just before leaving the table, he said, “Eat. I’m not interested in covering for you.”
After grabbing something from his room upstairs, he went downstairs. Seeing Nan Xu still eating, he put on his coat and headed for the door.
“Brother, where are you going?”
Xie Hejing walked straight out, leaving only the “slam” of the door as an answer.
Nan Xu was a bit distracted.
Her thoughts drifted again to that bracelet.
The door had been closed—
After waiting a while, she set down her bowl and chopsticks and went upstairs.
It had been rainy in Zhi’an these past few days, and by the time Xie Hejing reached halfway, it had started raining again. By the time he got to his friend’s shop, his clothes already showed signs of being soaked.
His friend Qin Yizhou saw him and teased, “Whoa, rushing to see me already? I just got back. I’m not going anywhere. Did you really need to get wet like this? I don’t even have an umbrella.”
“Cut the crap,” Xie Hejing said, handing him a box. “Fix this for me.”
Qin Yizhou took out the contents of the box and inspected them. “Oh, this is something the little girl likes, right? Nice taste—you picked well. Looks pretty good, and the material’s decent. But it seems to have cracked at least twice before. Fixing it will take some time. Are you in a hurry to give it to her?”
Xie Hejing snorted. “Give it to her? Me?”
Qin Yizhou smiled shamelessly. “Perfect, then. I like the beads on it. I’ll just take them off and put them on my necklace.”
Xie Hejing shot him a cold look. “Fix it properly. Not a single bead missing. Call me when it’s done.”
“Just kidding,” Qin Yizhou waved his hand. “Got it. I’ll do it as fast as possible, won’t hold up your grand gesture.”
“I’m not planning to give it away.”
Qin Yizhou blinked. “If you’re not giving it, what’s the point of keeping it? Clearly, it’s not for you!”
Xie Hejing didn’t bother to explain.
Meanwhile, Nan Xu stood hesitating between her room and Xie Hejing’s door for a long time.
On one hand, she knew she shouldn’t directly ask Xie Hejing where the bracelet was. But it was a birthday gift from her father, and until she found it, Nan Xu couldn’t feel at ease.
On the other hand, the room was Xie Hejing’s private space, and it would be wrong for her to go in without permission.
She stood there for a full three minutes before finally placing her hand on the doorknob of Xie Hejing’s room.
After hesitating for a while, she let go. But the thought of the bracelet made her lift her hand again, and slowly, her fingers pressed down on the handle.
Suddenly, laughter sounded from behind her, making her flinch. She hurriedly pulled her hand back and turned around.
Xie Hejing was standing not far away, and she had no idea how long he had been watching.
“You want to go in?”
Nan Xu jumped, caught off guard, and felt a pang of guilt. Forcing a nervous laugh, she said, “Brother, does your room need cleaning? I can help you with it.”
Xie Hejing’s thin lips curled slightly, his tone icy as he cut straight to the point: “I told you before, you are not allowed to enter my room again. Don’t you understand?”
Water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders as he took a deep breath.
“Move.”