The Monday after the winter festival, the classroom felt strangely loud. Meiyu stepped inside and immediately noticed the source—Chen Haoran, the new transfer student, surrounded by curious classmates.
He had soft brown hair, an easy smile, and the kind of politeness that made everyone instantly like him.
"Liang Meiyu, right?" he said when she passed by. "I'm still figuring out where everything is… do you mind showing me the library later?"
She blinked. "Oh—sure, no problem."
From the back of the classroom, Zhao Yichen's gaze narrowed. He didn't miss the way Haoran's smile lingered just a little too long, or the way Meiyu actually smiled back.
---
At lunch, Yichen dropped his tray onto Meiyu's table with a loud clatter.
"What's with you?" she asked, startled.
"Nothing," he said flatly, stabbing at his rice. "So… you and the new guy are friends now?"
She frowned. "I just met him. He asked for help finding the library."
"Oh, the library," Yichen muttered, as if the word itself was suspicious. "Right. Totally innocent."
Her brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," he said, leaning closer, "guys like him don't ask for directions unless they're interested in the person giving them."
She rolled her eyes. "Not everything is about you, Zhao Yichen."
---
That afternoon, she kept her promise and walked Haoran to the library. They chatted about classes and the upcoming sports festival. Haoran was easy to talk to, and Meiyu found herself laughing at a joke he made—
Right as Yichen appeared in the doorway.
He leaned against the frame, his expression unreadable. "Funny, I didn't know the library doubled as a comedy club."
Meiyu's smile faded. "We're just talking."
"Mm," Yichen said, his tone cool. "Make sure you don't talk too much. Wouldn't want you to lose your voice before class."
Haoran raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet. The tension in the air was sharp enough to slice paper.
---
The rest of the day, Yichen was quieter than usual. Not his normal "too cool to talk" quiet—this was simmering, dangerous quiet.
After school, he fell into step beside Meiyu without asking.
"You know," he began, "I don't like sharing."
She glanced at him. "I'm not yours to share."
He stopped walking, forcing her to stop too. "You are," he said, voice low but firm. "Or did you forget the part where you said yes to being my girlfriend?"
Her chest tightened. "Yichen, you can't just—"
"I can," he interrupted, stepping closer. "Because I know the way he was looking at you."
"That doesn't mean anything," she protested. "And even if it did, you can't control who talks to me."
He exhaled slowly, the edge in his eyes softening just a little. "I'm not trying to control you. I just…" He hesitated, a rare moment of vulnerability slipping through. "I don't like the idea of someone else making you smile like that."
The honesty caught her off guard. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she sighed. "You're impossible, you know that?"
A small smirk returned to his lips. "Yeah. But you still like me."
---
They walked the rest of the way in silence, their hands brushing occasionally but never fully intertwining.
Still, Meiyu noticed that when they reached her street, Yichen stayed just a moment longer than usual before saying goodbye—like he wasn't ready to let her go.