Every time his heart stirred, the other person was always texting or waiting for a text… The young hero riding with the heroine across a vast grassland, with a vast sky, low clouds, and calls of wild geese on the western wind, the hero in white and the heroine in red. At that moment, they wished it could last forever, but instead, the heroine’s lips moved slightly as she sang a love song to her boyfriend far to the south, using “thousand-mile sound transmission.” What kind of crappy plot is this? Only a trashy writer could write such a lame male lead.
But if Lu Mingfei were living in a book… then this book was indeed written by a trashy author… and he was the utterly pathetic male lead.
No, not even the male lead, just an extra character.
Sometimes he felt that Nono and Caesar didn’t talk much and didn’t seem to have a deep relationship… His heart stirred. But come on, they were a couple… When they were together privately, they probably held hands, hugged, even kissed, right? Damn, Caesar looked exactly like one of those handsome, rakish ladies’ men!
The saddest thing in the world is having a crush on a girl while she happily spends time with someone else. When you are walking alone in the moonlight, filled with literary sorrow, missing her, she is under the same moonlight, holding someone else’s hand, leaning on their arm, and kissing their lips… The air swirling with the scent of mutual affection…
Lu Mingfei picked at the gaps between the floor tiles, filled with a sense of sadness, feeling that at this moment, there was no one more tragically sentimental in the world than himself. Then, suddenly, he remembered he was in a restroom, and the thought of the filthy floor tile gap instantly dispelled his melancholic mood.
Just then, a “ding” sounded; a text message had arrived. Lu Mingfei raised the finger that had been poking the floor, pinching his phone with a delicate gesture, and opened the message:
“Happy birthday, wishing you happiness every day of your life, no matter how you spend your birthday… I have learned Zheng Zhihua’s ‘Happy Birthday,’ the first Chinese song I can sing. Attached is the recording, a birthday gift for you. You know how broke I am, so no expensive gifts.”
—Sender: “Useless Senior Brother”
It was from his roommate, Finger. In Lu Mingfei’s contact list, he was named “Useless Senior Brother” as a form of payback… In Finger’s contact list, Lu Mingfei appeared as “Idiot Junior Brother.”
Lu Mingfei was touched; it was rare that Finger remembered his birthday with that chaotic mind of his. But the feeling didn’t last long… because he couldn’t resist opening the attachment. Finger’s German-accented Mandarin, described by the phrase “out of tune,” was indeed fitting for this birthday song, though each word was sung with effort, showing he had put in the work. However… this “Happy Birthday”… was it that old song from some 1980s sentimental singer?
“Your birthday reminds me of an old friend, it was a cold winter, and he was wandering the streets. I thought he was going to beg for something, but he just kept shaking his head…” Finger sang passionately.
Was this sad song really meant to wish me a happy birthday? Or to be played on my grave? Lu Mingfei covered his face and sighed deeply.
He closed the attachment and, lifting his shorts, stood up. As he raised his head, he saw a line of small, neat writing on the partition: “I’m very boyish… seeking a female friend… phone number 138XXXXXXXX.”
“Seeking a female friend in the men’s restroom?” Lu Mingfei was puzzled.
Wait!
There was a buzz in his head as he realized something was wrong! Seeking a female friend in the men’s room clearly defied normal logic, but if you change your perspective… everything made sense!
Damn it! He had been too downcast when he came in to pay attention to the sign on the door!
Lu Mingfei clutched his shorts, still half-crouched, his legs weak, unable to stand up. No way! Another mistake? Once could be a coincidence, twice meant he was a natural fool, but three times… that had to be fate!
He quickly formulated a strategy. At this point, he couldn’t afford to hesitate. From the stall to the door was only a few meters; if no one noticed, he could sprint the distance and escape within three to five seconds. Lu Mingfei tried to brush his hair forward, letting it hang down to cover his face. Maybe this way, he could pass as… a “tomboy”?
He perked up his ears; outside, everything was quiet, seemingly safe. He felt a bit relieved, fastening his shorts and loosening his ankles as if preparing for a hundred-meter dash.
“Did you tell her or not?” A girl’s voice came from the hallway outside the restroom.
“It’s none of her business. What’s there to say?” a boy replied impatiently.
“She’ll find out sooner or later anyway, it’s not like you can avoid seeing her forever.”
“You don’t know her, do you? She’s such a nuisance, whining all the time. What good would it do if I told her? She’d just cling to me, acting like I owe her something.”
“Don’t talk about her like that… You used to say she was great when you were with her,” the girl’s voice softened.
“How could I know her personality at first? She’s overly sensitive, sometimes acting melancholic, sometimes playing pitiful, and other times just being obnoxiously bossy, like the world revolves around her. Anyone who wants to deal with her can do it; I don’t have the patience!”
“If we ever break up… would you say the same things about me?”
“Oh, come on, you’re nothing like her. I’d never talk like that about you, I always say you’re amazing… Damn, I mean, that day will never come. We’re not breaking up! I’d have to hit my head to leave you.” The boy laughed, trying to appease her.
“Ugh! Why are you clinging to me?”
“This dress is pretty… did you buy it in Yunnan?”
The disorganized sounds—kisses, clothes rubbing, footsteps, whispers—all gradually faded away, and Lu Mingfei was left petrified, his head buzzing.
Zhao Menghua and Liu Miaomiao had just walked by in the hallway.
“Are you serious? Kissing and hugging as if I don’t exist?” Lu Mingfei muttered.
Back then, there were three class beauties—Chen Wenwen, Liu Miaomiao, and Su Xiaoyan—and Zhao Menghua had two of them. Truly a “laughing among the blooming class flowers” situation… The winner of life. Realizing this filled Lu Mingfei with indignation! Not just for himself, but for all the boys in the class. There were already more boys than girls, and Zhao Menghua was hogging so much! What was that? A waste of resources!