Chapter 5 – The Library Moment
It was a quiet afternoon at Yucai High. The usual chaos of the corridors had faded, leaving only the faint rustle of papers and the occasional whisper of a classmate moving through the hallways. Su Zaizai sat at a table in the library, flipping through pages of her science textbook, trying to focus on the project. Yet, her mind kept wandering back to Zhang Lurang.
She had noticed small things lately — how he always chose the same window seat, how he carefully placed his books in perfect alignment, and the way he sometimes looked at her for just a fraction of a second before returning to his calm, unreadable expression.
The library door creaked open, and Zaizai's heart skipped a beat.
"Looking for something?" Lurang's voice, calm and low, floated across the silent room. He stood there with a stack of books in his arms, water from the drizzle still clinging to his jacket.
Zaizai swallowed hard. "Uh… yes, uh… just some reference materials for our project."
He didn't smile, but he moved closer, placing the books gently on the table beside her. His presence was quiet but strong, like a shadow that didn't demand attention yet drew it effortlessly.
Zaizai tried to focus on the pages, but she found herself glancing at him again and again. Lurang, meanwhile, opened one of the books, flipping through the pages slowly, deliberately, as if he were studying the same things she was — and yet, not really studying, just observing.
"Do you… want to sit together?" she asked, her voice small.
He raised an eyebrow, then nodded once. "Fine."
For the next hour, they worked side by side. There were no long conversations, no jokes, only the quiet turning of pages, the scratching of pens, and the occasional glance exchanged. But in that silence, Zaizai felt a strange comfort. She didn't need words; his presence alone seemed to make the library brighter, calmer, more alive.
At one point, Zaizai dropped her pencil. Lurang reached over without a word and picked it up, handing it back to her. Their fingers brushed lightly. She pulled back slightly, cheeks burning, but he didn't seem to notice.
Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the study period. Lurang closed his books and stood, looking at her briefly.
"Don't forget to finish the outline," he said simply. Then, without waiting for a reply, he left the library, leaving Zaizai staring after him.
She let out a quiet sigh, realizing that the quiet, distant boy she barely understood was slowly becoming someone she couldn't stop thinking about.
And as she packed her things, Zaizai felt a curious anticipation — the sense that each day with him, each small shared moment, was building something fragile, secret, and quietly powerful between them.
End of Chapter 5