Jie had seen it all—every moment of Lin Zian and Di's interaction.
The feeling in his chest was strange. Not sharp, not sudden, but a quiet, sinking weight, as though a layer of fog had crept in, wrapping around him and sealing him inside a gray, airless space.
Inside his head, it felt like an endless tug-of-war with no referee. Was this just ordinary friendship? A friend's instinct to keep someone close? Or… was it jealousy, the kind he didn't even want to name?
On the surface, Jie was the kind of person who could laugh at anything, easygoing and quick to brush things off. But when it came to friendship or love, he held on tight. Too tight. And this time, he wanted both.
That, he knew, was the problem.
The more he thought about it, the more it felt like there was something ugly in him. He'd known for a long time that Di's feelings for him had gone beyond friendship. He'd chosen to act blind, to leave it unanswered—because he wasn't sure what he could give back.
And then there was Lan. His feelings for her were different—direct, almost reckless. But Jie didn't want her to say yes out of pressure, or because his persistence cornered her into it. He didn't want something that came from obligation.
Through the shifting crowd, his eyes found Lan and Di.
It was an easy picture—two people sitting together, talking in low voices. Every now and then, Di would drop his gaze in shyness, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. The air around them felt pure and effortless, so natural that Jie suddenly felt like an outsider looking in.
His mind flicked back to last night—how, by some strange twist, he'd ended up holding Di for the entire night. And how, in the end, all it did was make Di feel worse. Bad enough that he'd cried. That memory lingered in him like a pebble tossed into still water, sending out ripples that refused to fade.
He knew he had to choose. And yet…
He was afraid. Afraid that once he did, he would lose the other. Afraid that no matter what the choice was, the three of them would never go back to the way they used to be.
The thought pressed harder with every passing second, until it felt like this trip itself was quietly herding him toward that moment—when he would have no choice but to decide.
The train's announcement cut through his thoughts.
"Passengers for this stop, please prepare to get off."
The high-speed train began to slow, the scenery outside the window blurring into softer shapes.
Jie took in a long breath and let it go. He didn't look back at them. Didn't let himself.
He followed the movement of the crowd, his steps led more by inertia than intent.
He didn't think. Or maybe, he simply didn't dare to.
And so, he stepped off the train, letting the wind from the far end of the platform rush toward him, cool and fleeting, as though it could carry those tangled feelings away for now.
For now, he wasn't ready to face any of it.