"You… you're not even going to ask how I knew you were on campus? I even brought… an extra lunch for your boyfriend…"
They had been walking for a while. Tang Li knew Ji Yu was exhausted, but he still couldn't help blurting it out, unwilling to swallow his frustration.
Ji Yu stopped and turned back. She glanced into Tang Li's eyes for a moment, then lowered her head, too sleepy to keep her posture. She leaned weakly against the flowerbed and sat down.
"…Why?"
Tang Li sat beside her. But the space between them was measured—no longer the close familiarity of the past.
"To be honest… I'm not very happy."
His lips trembled as he stared at the swaying willow branches.
"It just feels like… back when you were still a boy, we were so close. But after everything changed… you stopped hanging out with me. And now you've even found this perfect boyfriend…"
By the time he finished, his face had gone pale. Even the warm spring sunlight couldn't bring him warmth.
"If… if you were still a boy, you wouldn't… you wouldn't have stopped spending time with me, right…?"
Ji Yu swayed gently where she sat, her mind teetering like a tightrope walker about to fall asleep right there on the flowerbed. Even so, she rubbed her hazy forehead and turned her face toward him.
"Tang Li… are you jealous?"
His heart stopped. His head turned instinctively toward her, locking eyes with her soft, watery blue gaze.
"Your closest friend started dating, and left you behind. You're jealous, aren't you? You wish I'd still play with you, right?"
The warm spring sunlight painted Ji Yu's face with a rosy blush, like she'd been drinking. Tang Li's heartbeat crashed down like a waterfall, speeding up beyond control. He swallowed hard, tearing his eyes away from her face.
"Wh-what are you talking about? Why would I ever be jealous…?!"
"Fufu, you're lying. Tell me the truth."
Was it the season of spring, or was it just her? At that moment, Ji Yu's voice was unbearably gentle.
Her softness shattered his hesitation. Tang Li looked at her again, memories rushing in—
From the last hundred days of high school, to working at the amusement park after graduation, and now here in university…
Yes. He was jealous.
Whether it was friendship, time spent together, or any other measure—Tang Li believed he wasn't inferior to Mo Yachen. And besides, he knew one secret, one that no other outsider in the world knew—
Ji Yu had once been a boy.
But he couldn't say it. He was afraid. Afraid of admitting he was jealous. Afraid she would smile and comfort him if he confessed. Afraid…
Because how could he hope that Ji Yu would break up with Mo Yachen on the spot and fall into his arms?
Ji Yu didn't wait for his answer. After a moment of silence, she hopped down from the flowerbed and started walking toward the student council office. Tang Li hesitated only a moment before instinctively following her.
"You're going to nap in the office?"
Ji Yu stopped and turned her head. The spring breeze played with Tang Li's hair, willows swaying behind him. Standing against the light, the red sun draped him in a warm golden glow.
"Mhm. But first, I want to check on my junior classmates."
The tall buildings rotated into view under the midday sun. A breeze swept low along the ground, carrying a hushed rustle.
On campus, fountains and flowerbeds were everywhere. Ji Yu squatted in front of one such bed beneath the office building, peering into the thicket of ivy that had already grown lush by March.
"Meow～～～～"
A kitten?
Tang Li, standing behind her, wasn't even surprised. It was so very Ji Yu. She tugged at her jacket pocket, tore open a packet of cat treats, and squeezed a bit out onto her hand. Carefully, she placed it at the edge of the flowers and waited, holding her breath.
"Meooow～～～～～"
The kittens' cries grew eager. Four or five little ones poked their heads out of the bushes, recognizing the girl who'd been feeding them through winter break. Seeing the treat in her hand, they rushed toward her in a happy swarm.
Ji Yu rested her cheek on her palm, smiling softly even though her eyes could barely stay open. She just watched them eat. When one particularly full kitten tilted its head up and meowed at her, she extended her snow-white fingers to stroke it gently.
"Meow～～～～"
Behind her, Tang Li was stunned.
"Because, you see… we're friends. And friends… have possessiveness too. Ah～～ if I hadn't started dating yet, but you got a girlfriend, I'd be jealous too."
"Because when you find someone you like, you become so happy. But in exchange… I become lonely. So yes, I'd be jealous."
The spring air shimmered. The five kittens stopped eating, and just licked at Ji Yu's fingertips.
But she was too tired.
After a whole morning of work under the sun, her body couldn't keep up. Still squatting, her head began to tilt, eyelids drooping… until finally—
Thunk.
She slumped sideways, toward the flowerbed. The kittens looked up as the girl who'd fed them collapsed, then quickly returned to the fallen treat.
A shadow covered her. Tang Li caught her in his arms, cradling her against his chest. Her long, black hair spilled down like silk, brushing against his arm.
Ji Yu had fallen asleep. Eyes closed, her lips were rosy and relaxed with steady breaths, completely forgetting the world around her.
Tang Li lifted her carefully, holding her princess-style. Each step he took toward the office, her hair swayed and brushed against his arm—soft, smooth, intoxicating.
He climbed the stairs instead of the elevator, afraid the noise might wake her. Or maybe he just wanted… to hold her like this a little longer.
"…Yes. I'm jealous."
"But… not the kind of jealousy between friends…"
The building was quiet. His voice filled the silence as he gazed out the window. A cloud drifted over the sun, dimming the light—yet his eyes glistened faintly, as if carrying that lost brightness.
"If only I'd realized my feelings sooner…"
His head bowed. A crystal drop slid down his cheek to the tip of his nose.
"Then maybe… the one standing at your side right now… would be—"
His nose brushed hers.
"—me."