I was out shopping with my sister. Her gigolo boyfriend mistook me for her side piece and kicked me into a ditch. I said I was fine, but in reality, after running into him at school, I bagged him and beat him up that very night. Feeling satisfied, I walked away dusting off my hands. The next day, the campus forum exploded. The Physics Department's heartthrob, sporting a battle-worn face and holding a limited-edition sneaker, posted a bounty online. "Whoever can find the owner of this shoe will be heavily rewarded!" Everyone joked that Cinderella and her crystal slipper had become reality. Meanwhile, I was hiding the other shoe while calling the "Old Witch"—my sister. "Sis! You didn't tell me your gigolo had a twin brother?!" 1 The post instantly shot to the top three trending topics. Students hungry for gossip were all making jokes. [How is the Physics Hunk going to find them? Are we lining up to try on the shoe? Hahaha] [Who is this Cinderella! Please tell.] [To the person above, no obligation to tell, thanks. But seriously... who is it? Who dared to beat up our Physics God?] [Are there any more detailed clues, like body shape?] Lucas replied to this comment: [It's a man. In the chaos, I hugged him. He's about three or four inches shorter than me. Felt... okay to the touch. And he smelled a bit... fragrant.] The students exploded: [Bro, what exactly are you reminiscing about?] [Who describes a man like that? Especially one who beat you up.] [Is this revenge or romance? Hard to guess.] [I know this type. It's giving gay vibes.] [Don't say it, don't say it.] The comment section weirdly spiraled in a certain direction. Someone asked: "There are tons of people who wear size 8 shoes. How do you know which one is him?" Lucas: "I'll know him as soon as he appears." Smack— My phone slipped from my hand and smashed heavily onto the floor, just like my shattered heart. I've heard of Lucas. He was the top scorer in the college entrance exams. But I'm a recluse. Aside from classes and eating, I hole up in my dorm. Let alone knowing Lucas, I don't even know what he looks like. At most, I've heard his name praised by professors or gushed over by lovestruck girls. Supposedly handsome, rich, and has good grades. But you didn't tell me he looks exactly like the gigolo my sister is dating?! I quickly dialed the "Old Witch." "Yo, the sun rising from the west? You actually contacted your sister voluntarily?" I didn't waste words, whispering: "Does your gigolo happen to have a twin brother or something?" "How did you know he has a brother? I think he goes to your school, what's his name... Lucas? Yes!" Me: "......" The person looks alive, but inside, he's been dead for a while. I wondered why it was such a coincidence. Just got kicked, then ran into him at school. Turns out it wasn't even the same person! Looking at the limited-edition sneaker I saved my allowance for four months to buy, my heart was bleeding profusely. If I don't confess, at worst I'll get beaten up? No, no, too humiliating. Might even get a demerit from school. While I was pondering, the dorm door handle turned from the outside. I quickly hid the plastic-wrapped shoe under my quilt. My roommates, Old Wang and Xiao Lin, were grinning at their phones. "Bao, did you see the campus forum?" Xiao Lin asked. I nodded guiltily. "This guy's got something. He actually made Lucas open a special session for him." Old Wang rubbed his hands excitedly like a fly: "Reward is five thousand. Don't let me catch him." I swallowed silently, probing tentatively: "What if you find out it's someone you know?" Both clapped and cheered: "Even better! Drag him directly to claim the bounty!" "......" Some plastic brotherhood this is. Seeing money, they can't even walk straight. Old Wang's eyes shifted, suddenly remembering: "Bao, I remember you wear size 8 too." My heart instantly jumped to my throat. I raised my voice as much as possible to hide my panic: "Don't get any ideas about me. I don't even know Lucas." "That's true. Every day, aside from class, you're lying in bed watching anime. Thinking with my toes, it couldn't be you." Hearing this, I let out a long sigh of relief. But the next second. 2 Xiao Lin frowned in thought: "Wait, I seem to have seen this shoe somewhere..." Haven't you? I specifically asked you to help me choose the color back then. Luckily, I like collecting all kinds of sneakers. Xiao Lin probably wouldn't remember this specific pair right away. Seeing him looking like he wouldn't give up until he remembered, I immediately asked. "Want to play 5v5?" Hearing about the game, he stopped thinking and logged on directly. I slept extremely restlessly that night. In the first half of the night, I dreamed I was dragged by my roommates to confess before Lucas. "Summer, my foster father! Brothers are relying on you to get rich!" In the second half, I dreamed Lucas chased me with a whip for two miles. "Running? Still running? Hmm?" "Not running, not running!" I jolted awake from the bed. Six eyes met. Xiao Lin and Old Wang looked confused. "What did this kid dream about? Scared like this?" "Definitely a wet dream, probably zombies." I was about to speak, but saw an existence more terrifying than a zombie. Why is Lucas here?! "He he he..." Old Wang looked in the direction I pointed, "Oh right: New roommate. Don't need me to introduce, right?" Lucas nodded slightly at me, a bruise still visible at the corner of his lips. It's over. The counselor told our dorm a few days ago that a new roommate was coming. Never expected it to be him. My vision went black, and I lay back down. When my toes touched the plastic bag at the foot of the bed, my heart contracted sharply. This thing must be removed, or there will be trouble later. Taking advantage of no one in the dorm, I sneaked out of bed. Before I could stuff the plastic bag into my backpack, a voice came. "Going out?" Lucas was like a ghost that comes and goes without a trace, standing behind me unbeknownst to me. I jumped, and the thing in my hand fell to the ground with a clatter. "What is this?" Just as his hand was about to touch the plastic bag at my feet, I snatched it back. "Don't touch my stuff!" Lucas lowered his eyes: "Sorry, I just wanted to help you pick it up." Realizing I overreacted, I tried to squeeze out a smile: "I just don't really like people touching my things. I didn't mean to blame you." "I thought you didn't like being friends with me." "How could that be? Who wouldn't want a genius friend?" "As long as you like it." When Lucas smiled, his eyes curved. There was a mole on his left cheek. Looking closely, he was different from his brother. If his brother was a prickly hedgehog, then he was a gentle golden retriever. Since he's so easy to get along with, should I just confess? But this thought was quickly extinguished. Since ancient times, a brother pays for a brother's debt. It's only natural. His brother kicked me into a stinking ditch! The little guilt in my heart vanished instantly. At worst, I lose a shoe. A man's dignity cannot be lost! Just as I was about to get up and leave, Old Wang burst in loudly. "Tomorrow is Saturday. How about our dorm have dinner together tonight? Just right, as a welcome for the new roommate, how about it?" Everyone raised their hands in agreement, so I couldn't refuse. Glancing at my beloved shoe on the bed, I planned to find a time to take it home for safekeeping. Inside the hotpot restaurant. This place was viral online; we waited a long time for a table. As we ate, someone started gossiping about Lucas getting beaten up. "I say, Lucas, what kind of grudge did that person have with you to ambush you from behind?" Xiao Lin tsked. Lucas shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe I accidentally offended him somewhere." I don't know if it was an illusion, but his gaze seemed to linger on me for a moment when he said this. 3 Old Wang pondered slightly, "I think the most likely possibility is that the person was jealous of your beauty and talent." I almost choked on a piece of tofu, subconsciously blurting out what was in my mind: "Is there a possibility that the person mistook you for someone else?" Three pairs of eyes stared straight at me. I swallowed: "What are you looking at? Can't rule out that possibility." "Something's wrong, very wrong." Old Wang circled me. "Usually, you would have turned into Detective Conan and started analyzing. Why so quiet this time? You have issues!" "How is that possible?" I grabbed the cup next to me, drinking water tactically. Damn! My face twisted in pain instantly: "Who ordered alcohol?" Xiao Lin raised his hand proudly: "A little drink for tonight." I can't touch alcohol. Just one sip and my face starts burning. "Eat slowly." My face was cupped, and Lucas gently wiped the oil stain from the corner of my mouth. This sudden move scared me stiff. This guy is a bit too considerate, isn't he? Luckily, I only had one sip. Plus, being scared by Lucas, I already have some trauma about this small cup. Thinking we see each other every day, if I can't run, can't I hide? I'll avoid him as much as possible in the future. Just like that, the shoe matter was thrown to the back of my mind. The following weeks were full of classes, everyone busy with their own things. Just when I thought everyone had forgotten about it. Returning to the dorm one night, I unfortunately saw that shoe brought back by Lucas again. Xiao Lin looked left and right, rubbing his chin in thought: "This shoe... I really have seen it somewhere." Lucas looked at him expectantly: "Think carefully." Afraid he would suddenly remember, I quickly stuffed snacks into his mouth. He patted Lucas's shoulder: "I'll definitely tell you when I remember." Lucas's disappointed expression was captured by me. It's been so long, and he's still looking. Seems he's really angry. Then I should hide the other shoe even better! Thinking this, I quickly confirmed the foot of the bed, then felt relieved. Rushing to 8 AM classes for weeks, I was like a walking corpse, grabbing pants and putting them on. When putting on shoes, I groggily put on one, but couldn't find the other no matter where I looked. Looking up again, I met Lucas's scrutinizing gaze. "Summer, you fit in it." ???!!! I reacted violently, feeling my feet burning. To avoid being beaten, I could only bite the bullet and quibble. "I'm not the only one in the whole school with size 8 feet. Why do you think it's me?" "Besides, we didn't know each other before. I have no reason to beat you." Lucas didn't speak. After a long time, he got out of bed. "Can I hug you?" I crossed my arms, looking at him in shock: "In broad daylight, two grown men hugging, what is this!" "No, I just want to confirm." "There are tons of people who feel the same. Anyway, I didn't do it, means I didn't do it..." My voice got smaller towards the end. I used the 8 AM class as an excuse and fled. Bored in class, I accidentally clicked into the campus forum. That post was still hot. I looked through the latest comments. Someone asked: "Did you find your Cinderella?" Lucas: "Have a suspect, but not sure yet." "Then may I ask, if you find him, what do you plan to do?" Lucas: "Punish him." Punish! Him! These two words were like a thunderbolt, frying me tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The scene of him chasing me with a whip for two miles in my dream involuntarily surfaced in my mind. Ew, this is too weird. Because of this, I ate two fewer bowls of rice for lunch. Listlessly returning to the dorm, Xiao Lin rushed towards me excitedly holding that shoe. "I remember!" 4 "Didn't you ask me to help you choose a new shoe color before? It seems to be this... mmmph?" I covered his mouth, quickly checking the surroundings. Luckily, it was just the two of us in the dorm. Seeing my panic, Xiao Lin was a bit surprised: "It really is you?" "Aiya." I messed up my hair irritably: "I just simply mistook the person. My original target was his twin brother." Then, I told him the whole story: "Remember to keep it a secret." Xiao Lin made a zipping motion: "But you're too irresponsible. If you do something wrong, you have to admit it, right?" "Do you think I don't want to admit it? If Lucas doesn't forgive me and kicks me, wouldn't I suffer a big loss?" Thinking of this made me angry: "The bruise on my waist hasn't faded yet!" "Real or fake?" Xiao Lin lifted my clothes in disbelief. Because I landed on my butt, the marks were all below my waist. Just as Xiao Lin was about to pull my pants down to look, the door banged open. At this moment, I was supporting myself on the corner of the table with my back to Xiao Lin. And Xiao Lin had one hand lifting the hem of my shirt and the other pulling at my waistband. The posture of the two people had an indescribable ambiguity... Lucas stood at the door, the emotions in his eyes changing from shock to anger and finally to grievance. "I wondered why you wouldn't let me hug you. Turns out it's because of him?" Stop, stop, stop. Compared to our posture, his words seem more likely to be misunderstood, right? Sure enough, Xiao Lin immediately bounced meters away, shouting: "Injustice! Injustice!" He even dragged Old Wang, who had just returned and looked confused, out of the room. The door slammed shut with a "bang". Immediately followed by a message in the dorm group chat saying the two of them weren't coming back tonight. A fierce operation, leaving me messy in the wind. Four eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward. "Um... I'm not coming back tonight either!" I hugged my backpack and tried to dash out the door. Lucas stepped forward with his long legs, blocking me: "Are you dating Xiao Lin?" "No, he's straight as steel." "What about you?" Lucas pressed step by step, "Do you like men?" "I, I'm naturally straight too. Do I look gay?!" Okay, actually I'm pansexual for beauty. As long as it's a beautiful person or thing, I accept them all. But he seemed to only hear "gay", his eyes sparkling. No way, could he really be the gay guy the alumni talked about?! Lucas was about to speak when the surroundings suddenly went dark. His heart sank violently, and his breathing became rapid. I realized something was wrong with him and quickly asked about his condition. "What's wrong with you?" "Summer..." Lucas's hands grabbing me were sweating, "Hug me, please?" He's trembling... I couldn't care about anything else and hugged him directly to comfort him. A buzzing sound passed, and his vision gradually cleared. I was holding a flashlight, looking at him anxiously. The wailing of ghosts and wolves came from next door: "Auntie, the power is out in the dorm, dark and scary..." After drinking the water I handed him, he finally recovered. Finding himself held tightly, his ears inexplicably heated up. He gently pushed me away: "I'm fine..." Just as he stood up, his legs went soft and he fell back. Our lips accidentally touched, and both of us froze. Lucas licked his dry lips, his Adam's apple rolling up and down: "Summer, I..." Snap— The originally dim dorm lit up again. The strong light made people unable to open their eyes, so much so that I didn't know when the shoe in my bag fell out. I wanted to kick the shoe back in, but unexpectedly hooked it out. Before I could stop him, Lucas had already picked up the shoe. Since it has come to this, I had to accept my fate completely: "That's right, the one who ambushed you that day was actually me. Punish me."
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