The air was so heavy that Liang Meiyu thought it might crush her lungs.
Zhao Yichen stood just a few feet away, his tall frame blocking the fading light. His sharp eyes flicked between her and Lin Qian, narrowing with suspicion. His presence always carried weight, but now it felt suffocating.
Her fingers curled around the crumpled paper in her pocket—the note that had lured her here. She had expected a stranger, maybe even someone faceless from the crowd of students who whispered behind her back. She hadn't expected Lin Qian.
The girl's smirk was razor-thin, her voice smooth as silk. "Well? Aren't you going to explain to your… knight in shining armor?" She tilted her chin toward Yichen mockingly.
Meiyu's throat tightened. All her life, she had learned that silence could be safer than words. That if you kept your head down and endured, the storm would eventually pass. But every time she stayed silent, the rumors had grown louder, crueler. Her so-called silence had become a canvas for other people's lies.
And now, if she stayed silent again, Lin Qian would win.
Her pulse roared in her ears.
"She's the one," Meiyu said, her voice trembling but clear.
The smirk on Lin Qian's lips faltered, just for a second. "What did you just say?"
Meiyu forced her eyes up, meeting Yichen's sharp gaze for strength before turning back to Lin Qian. Her heart hammered so violently she thought her chest might crack open, but the words poured out anyway.
"She's the one spreading the rumors. She's the one who plastered those photos all over the board. She's the reason I can't even walk into class without everyone whispering."
The silence after her confession was deafening. Yichen's expression darkened, his jaw tightening like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Lin Qian scoffed loudly, snapping the tension. "You're unbelievable." She took a step closer, her perfume sharp in the air. "You think you can just point your finger at me and everyone will take your side? You're pathetic. You've been acting so sweet, so innocent, while leading both of them on—" she cut a glance at Yichen "—and now you want to pin your mess on me? How convenient."
Meiyu flinched, but she didn't back down.
Her hands shook, but she clenched them into fists, digging her nails into her palms until the sting steadied her. "I never asked for any of this. I never asked for their attention. I never pretended to be something I'm not. The only person twisting the truth is you."
Her voice cracked on the last word, but her eyes didn't falter.
Lin Qian's nostrils flared, her smirk curdling into a sneer. "Listen to yourself. Do you think anyone believes you? Everyone saw the photos. Everyone knows you've been stringing them along. You're nothing but trouble—"
"Enough."
The single word cut through the night like a whip.
Yichen stepped forward, his presence radiating like a storm breaking loose. He towered over Lin Qian, his voice low and dangerous. "I've had enough of your garbage. You think you're clever, but all you've done is prove how desperate you are."
Lin Qian's bravado wavered. "I—"
"I heard enough just now," Yichen said coldly. His eyes, sharp and merciless, locked on her. "If you try anything else against her, I'll make sure the entire school knows exactly what you've done. And believe me, they'll believe me before they believe you."
The venom in his voice was chilling.
Lin Qian froze for a beat, her mask slipping. Then, she let out a hollow laugh and tossed her hair. "Fine. Take her side if you want. But this isn't over."
She spun on her heel, disappearing into the shadows of the gym.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Meiyu's knees weakened as the adrenaline drained from her body. Her whole frame trembled—part fear, part relief, part something she couldn't name. She had spoken. She had finally said the words she'd swallowed for too long.
But now… what next?
"Meiyu."
Her eyes lifted. Yichen stood in front of her now, closer than he'd ever been. His sharp features softened just slightly, though his eyes still burned with restrained fury.
"You shouldn't face this alone," he said quietly.
Her breath caught. The words were simple, but they pierced straight through the walls she had built. His tone wasn't mocking, wasn't arrogant—it was protective, earnest.
For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them.
Her lips parted. She wanted to thank him, to tell him she wasn't as strong as she had pretended, that his presence had steadied her when she was about to break. But the words tangled in her throat.
"Meiyu?"
The new voice shattered the fragile moment.
Her heart lurched as she turned.
Wen Haoran stood a few steps away, the evening light outlining his figure. His usual easy smile was gone. Instead, his expression was tight, shadowed with something that looked alarmingly like hurt.
His eyes moved from her to Yichen, then back again. The sight of the two of them standing so close—the tension still humming in the air between them—seemed to strike him like a blow.
Meiyu's stomach twisted.
He had seen enough to misunderstand.
And she didn't know how to explain.
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