"I've known him since we were kids," Jie replied to Lin Zian's question, his tone calm, as if nothing had happened. "Of course I have the right."
Even as he said it, his gaze fell on the blood at the corner of Lin Zian's lips, and a faint pang of regret flickered in his chest—he probably shouldn't have thrown that punch.
Jie extended a hand toward him.
Lin Zian didn't refuse. He simply lifted his eyes, locking his gaze onto Jie's face, and let himself be pulled up.
—
From start to finish, the female cashier at the convenience store had been watching the entire scene unfold, her mind already rewriting it into an intense and ambiguous BL drama.
In her imagination, the earlier shove and grab had transformed into—Jie pinning Lin Zian hard against the wall, their foreheads pressed together, breath mingling, eyes burning with both fury and suppressed longing, the next second tipping into a heated kiss.
She even added a close-up—Jie's thumb brushing away the blood at the corner of Lin Zian's mouth, his finger lingering along the curve of his cheek, the air between them so charged it could melt the store's air-conditioning.
In her fantasy, their confrontation wasn't about warning or provocation at all—it was about fighting for each other's attention, like a love confession trembling on the edge.
A broad-shouldered, 185-centimeter athlete, and a 183-centimeter, K-pop-idol-faced campus heartthrob, colliding like two heat waves in the cramped aisle of a convenience store—her brain simply refused to stop replaying the scene.
—
Just as she was enjoying herself, the automatic door chimed open and a man in uniform—clearly the store manager—walked in.
The cashier instantly wiped the "auntie smile" off her face, quickly dabbing at the corner of her mouth as if to erase any nonexistent drool, before striding over with forced seriousness.
"Gentlemen, if you want to fight, please do it outside," she said, trying her best to hide the excitement in her voice. "Not inside the store, okay?"
—
At that moment, Jie had just pulled Lin Zian to his feet, their hands still clasped.
Hearing the cashier's words, they both turned toward her, looking slightly embarrassed.
Her eyes dropped to their joined hands, and she couldn't help but smirk inwardly—in her mind, their grip had already transformed into fingers interlaced, bodies leaning closer. She even mentally added a line of cheesy dialogue: Don't go. I can't live without you.
—
Moments later, Jie and Lin Zian were "escorted" out of the store.
Behind them stood the puffed-up female cashier and the store manager glaring through the glass.
They stood at the edge of the road, as if the fight from earlier had completely slipped their minds.
Their eyes met, and in perfect sync, the corners of their lips curved upward—sharing a knowing smile.
—
From behind the counter, the cashier watched their backs as they walked away side by side, her heart quietly sighing—
If only they could have the beautiful ending they deserve.