The car moved at a steady, almost indifferent pace along the quiet road. The streetlights flickered by in rhythm, casting fleeting shadows over Xiao Yu's face. The silence in the car wasn't peaceful — it was the kind that buzzed beneath the skin, thick with unspoken words and sibling tension.
"I won't tell mom or dad," Xiao Ran said at last, his voice steady as he kept his eyes fixed on the road. "But if you're found guilty, you'll leave this school. No arguments. You'll go abroad."
Xiao Yu blinked at the window, watching the world blur past like it didn't belong to him anymore. "I am guilty," he said quietly, each word falling like a pebble in still water. "But… can you wait? Just until the end of this semester?"
A pause. Then, Xiao Ran's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "What for?" he asked, his voice edged. "Everyone at school knows what happened. You've become the subject of every conversation, every rumor. And I know you don't have any ride-or-die friends left there. So what the hell is keeping you?"
The car rolled to a stop at a red light. For a moment, the world held still. Xiao Ran turned to face him fully, the traffic light casting red across his sharp features. His gaze was heavy, pinning Xiao Yu in place.
"…Is it because of him?" Xiao Ran asked flatly. "After all these years, you're still not over him."
Xiao Yu's breath hitched.
A flicker — a face, eyes like fire and frost, a memory of laughter turning cold — crossed his mind. He looked away quickly, suddenly aware of the knot in his throat. "I… I just want to finish this semester," he said, barely above a whisper. "That's all I ask."
Xiao Ran stared at him, searching for something in his expression, then exhaled through his nose. "Fine," he said, voice clipped. "End of the semester. But not a day more."
The light turned green, and the car eased forward once again.
Neither spoke.
But this silence was different. No longer strained. Just quiet — like an old song that both knew the lyrics to but chose not to sing aloud.
And for now, that was enough.
What was Xiao Ran talking about, you might be wondering?
Let's rewind to the dinner the day before.
The table was quiet. Too quiet. Only the faint clinking of cutlery and the humming of the refrigerator filled the silence—until Xiao Ran finally spoke, slicing through it like a knife.
"I was called by your school," he said suddenly.
Xiao Yu blinked, his grip on his chopsticks tightening. "For what?"
"I was told," Xiao Ran continued, staring directly at him, "that you admitted to doing something criminally offensive."
Xiao Yu's shoulders stiffened.
"They said you drugged someone. And that you edited a photo of that person in a compromising state. And you did it all for what?" Xiao Ran's voice rose slightly, his frustration barely restrained. "Xiao Yu, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I didn't do it," Xiao Yu said immediately, his voice flat. "I was just… an accomplice."
He kept his eyes down, but his words rang with conviction. "What's being sold to you is a fabricated lie."
Xiao Ran scoffed. "So what's the truth then? Tell me."
The air between them crackled.
"I told you this stupid brain of yours would land you in trouble one day. I just didn't think it'd be this kind of trouble. You should've just followed me when I told you to!"
Xiao Yu's face twisted, offended. "I said I just got my hands dirty! I'm not the one who caused it. If you knew I was going to cause so much trouble, you should've just bundled me away then!" he snapped, pushing his chair back with a screech as he stood.
"Let go of him, Xiao Yu. He can't even remember you. Just let go," Xiao Ran said sharply, stopping him in his tracks.
Xiao Yu froze.
Shiroi, he called out in his mind, who am I not letting go of?
"Erm… host, that's why you need to find the special item," Shiroi replied, his voice hesitant. "But here's a hint—it has to do with you, Zhao Chen, and Rong Xichen."
Xiao Yu clenched his fists. His eyes narrowed, but his voice was cold and quiet when he spoke.
"I don't know what you think it is I'm doing," he said, not turning around, "but I assure you… it has nothing to do with him."
And with that, he stormed off into his room, leaving the table cold, the food untouched, and the weight of everything unspoken hanging in the air like a curse.
Back to the present—
Xiao Yu and Xiao Ran stepped out of the car, an impossible duo that immediately drew attention.
"Wow, Xiao Yu's brother is so hot.""Is he single?""I'd risk it all—"
Whispers rose in a wave, shock painting every expression around them. The contrast between the refined, aloof aura of Xiao Ran and Xiao Yu's usual dramatic flair caused more than a few dropped jaws. The hallway had turned into a catwalk.
Xiao Yu barely registered the stares. His mind was elsewhere.
He was still walking when a familiar, cold presence brushed past him. The scent. The posture. The chill.
Rong Xichen.
Xiao Yu froze mid-step. His first instinct was to chase him down—to grab his sleeve, to blurt out something, anything—but then he remembered the last words that came out of that mouth. Sharp and cruel. He bit his tongue, let his fingers curl into fists by his sides, and forced his gaze downward.
But he couldn't stop his eyes from trailing after him.
"Go," Xiao Ran said quietly, catching the struggle without needing to be told. "I know you want to see him. I'll go meet your principal."
Xiao Yu turned to him, wide-eyed. "Thank you," he murmured.
'Thought you didn't want to see him,' Shiroi's voice chimed in his head, saccharine and smug.
'I can't help it. I'm worried about Zhao Chen,' Xiao Yu replied defensively.
'Hmmh. I totally believe that,' Shiroi deadpanned, clearly not believing a word of it.
Xiao Yu didn't argue.
He followed the only path he could find—one paved with confusion, guilt, and that same magnetic pull. His feet took him to the janitor's closet, of all places. And there, inside the dim room, he came face to face with the person who had haunted every thought for the past week.
Rong Xichen.
"You again," Rong Xichen said coldly. "Are you stalking me now?"
Xiao Yu lifted his hands in surrender, his tone softer than usual. "I'm worried about Zhao Chen. You won't let me see him. Could you at least tell me how he is faring?"
There was a pause.
The tension hung thick between them like smoke. And despite himself, Rong Xichen could sense the sincerity. It unnerved him. It softened him.
But just as easily, fragmented memories of everything Xiao Yu had done came rushing back. The betrayal. The scandal. Zhao Chen's unconscious body. His own helpless rage.
"Why did you drug him?" Rong Xichen asked, voice low. "Why ruin his life if you genuinely care about him?"
His tone lacked the venom from before. He wasn't lashing out—he was asking. Searching. Hoping the answer would make sense. Hoping, in some shameful part of himself, that this boy in front of him had a reason that would justify the way his heart still ached.
"I'm selfish," Xiao Yu said, just above a whisper. His black eyes met Rong Xichen's, unwavering. "And I wanted to take away whatever you showed interest in. I'm not proud of it. And for that—I'm genuinely sorry."
Rong Xichen's breath caught.
Xiao Yu continued, voice steadying. "I don't know why I let myself believe Yu Mian. Maybe I wanted to. Maybe it was easier to point fingers. But now? Even if I sink, I refuse to let her stay afloat. I promise you—I will ruin Yu Mian."
Fire flickered in his gaze. He wasn't begging. He wasn't crying. He was resolute.
Rong Xichen stared hard, trying to find a crack. Some sliver of manipulation. But there was none.
"I can't forgive you," Rong Xichen said slowly. "Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I'll try." His voice dropped lower. "Just… don't give me a reason not to."
A thick silence settled between them. Heavy. Real.
And then, of course—
"Can I call you Xi-ge? Or XiXi? Which one's better?" Xiao Yu asked with a straight face, completely shattering the mood.
Rong Xichen stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Neither. Don't call me anything."
"Xi-ge," Xiao Yu began teasingly, lips curving into that infuriating smirk. "What are you doing in the janitor's closet anyway?"
"I—I was just—"
"Xiao Yu, please report to the principal's office," a loud voice boomed through the speakers, cutting Rong Xichen off mid-sputter.
The tension dissolved in a snap.
Xiao Yu groaned and turned dramatically toward the door. "Ugh, saved by the bell."
Rong Xichen didn't say anything. But as Xiao Yu walked away, he didn't look away either.