On Wednesday afternoon, after lunch, Lu Xing presented a sick leave note from the infirmary and asked his teacher for permission to leave class.
Lu Xing's excellent grades and good character earned him immediate approval, along with a warm wish for a good rest.
What his teacher didn't know was that Lu Xing wasn't sick at all—he was skipping class to visit Yi Xuecheng.
At first, Chu Han hesitated to skip class, but upon learning that Lu Xing had already done so, he couldn't resist and decided to join him, taking a sick leave as well.
The two of them hailed a taxi and headed straight to the event venue.
During the ride, Chu Han sat in the back seat, visibly anxious.
It was his first time skipping class, and he felt uneasy about it.
But the thought of meeting his idol soon reignited his excitement.
Lu Xing reassured him, "It's just half a day off. If you're worried, you can make up the classes you miss tonight. Just don't let it affect your finals."
Chu Han considered this and nodded in agreement.
Studies could always be caught up later, but idols like Yi Xuecheng only came around once!
With that, Chu Han's hesitation melted away.
As they arrived at the event, Lu Xing and Chu Han prepared to enter with their tickets when a familiar figure caught their attention.
It was Chu Ci. Why was she here too?
Seeing Chu Ci stopped by security, Lu Xing quickly approached to help.
"She's with us. We have tickets!" he said, showing his ticket to the guard, who then let them through.
Chu Han felt a surge of irritation at first, but remembering that he himself was skipping class, his anger dissipated.
He recalled how Chu Ci wanted a full set of badges featuring alliance hairstyles and thought maybe she really was a fan of Yi Xuecheng.
"No, thank you," Chu Ci said politely but firmly as she declined Lu Xing's offer to accompany her.
"No problem. I ended up ordering extra tickets anyway," Lu Xing replied.
He had bought a few extra tickets anticipating that other basketball team members might come, but in the end, only he and Chu Han showed up.
Lu Xing then asked Chu Ci, "Do you like Yi Xuecheng too?"
Having seen her basketball skills, Lu Xing assumed she was a fan. Yi Xuecheng was, after all, one of the country's most famous basketball players.
"Not really," Chu Ci replied, her tone as succinct and indifferent as ever.
Her cold demeanor made it difficult to tell whether she disliked Yi Xuecheng or simply wasn't very interested.
Lu Xing, who had never been in a relationship and had little interest in girls, found himself bewildered by Chu Ci—perhaps the first girl he genuinely wanted to get to know.
"Since you're here, come join us! This guy next to you is Chu Han, a freshman on our basketball team," Lu Xing said enthusiastically, unaffected by Chu Ci's aloofness.
Chu Han glanced at Chu Ci with a somewhat awkward expression.
Noticing this, Lu Xing asked, "Xiao Han, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Chu Han replied, though his eyes lingered on Chu Ci with a hint of curiosity.
Lu Xing smiled and said, "I'm glad you're okay. By the way, this is Chu Ci, a new transfer student in my class. She also has the surname Chu. Seems like we're connected somehow."
Knowing Chu Han was an only child, Lu Xing didn't expect him to assume any familial relationship with Chu Ci just because of their similar last name.