It started with a silence.
But not the usual kind—the kind that used to feel safe, full of unspoken understanding.
This one was sharp.
Thin.
Like a stretched thread seconds from snapping.
Shi Mu sat in the library, textbook open but unread. She hadn't turned a page in thirty minutes. Her mind, instead, replayed that second when Fu Yunshen had looked at her through the vending machine glass.
Tired.
Lonely.
And worse—disappointed.
Not in her.
But in the distance.
She knew she should talk to him.
Explain.
Confess.
But there were too many fault lines beneath the surface—secrets stitched into her mission, into her presence at this school.
If she spoke now, would everything fall apart?
Would he?
Or worse… would she?
Back in Room 415, Fu Yunshen was folding laundry. Mechanically. Shirt. Towel. Blanket. Fold. Stack. Repeat.
Zhou Zhi finally asked, "Why haven't you talked to her?"
Fu Yunshen didn't look up.
"I tried."
"When?"
"Three days ago."
"A message doesn't count."
"It does if she read it."
Zhou Zhi tossed a sock at him. "You're both exhausting."
Fu Yunshen said nothing.
But inside, something was already unraveling.
That evening, their paths crossed in the corridor between the dorms.
Shi Mu slowed when she saw him.
So did he.
Neither of them said anything at first.
Until she asked, voice quiet, "Can we talk?"
Fu Yunshen nodded.
They walked side by side in silence for a while. Past the vending machines. Past the old willow tree. To the bench under the lamppost.
There, she sat first.
He followed.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Fu Yunshen looked at her, surprised.
"For what?"
"For not replying. For disappearing emotionally even when I was right there."
He nodded slowly.
"I was waiting," he admitted. "But I wasn't sure if I had the right to."
"You did."
Another pause.
Then she asked, "Did I hurt you?"
"Not exactly."
"But something broke."
"…A little."
The wind rustled leaves around them.
Their eyes met beneath the soft light.
"Do you still want to talk to me?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
"Yes," he said.
No hesitation.
[System Notification]
Emotional Fault Repaired – Direct Dialogue Initiated
Brotherhood Value +85 (Acknowledgment of Hurt + Renewal of Trust)
Current Total: 2,260 / 1,000,000
They didn't fix everything that night.
But they sat longer than they needed to.
Spoke more than they had in weeks.
And walked back in sync, like the silence had shifted—
from distance,
to peace.