The bell rang, and the class erupted like prisoners released from their cells, flooding out into the hallway, filling it with chatter and noise.
Xiao Yutian was walking shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Xiaorou when several classmates suddenly blocked her path.
"Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Yutian!" a girl teased with a sly smile. "Yesterday's incident on the track is all over campus. You and Gu Jinghan… is there something going on?"
"What something?" Xiao Yutian widened her eyes, feigning innocence, before breaking into a mischievous grin. "Yeah. I just like making him grind his teeth in anger."
The onlookers burst into laughter.
Just then, Gu Jinghan happened to be walking from the opposite end of the hall.
His steps faltered briefly. He swept a cold glance over the crowd and spoke in a low, detached voice that carried its own quiet pressure—
"You're not nearly that capable."
The entire corridor froze for three seconds, then exploded in louder laughter. Someone clutched their stomach, shouting, "Drama! Pure drama!"
Xiao Yutian was struck dumb for a moment, then stomped her foot in fury. "Gu Jinghan! You—!"
Before she could finish, he had already slung his backpack higher and strode forward, his back sharp and unyielding.
Xiao Yutian narrowed her eyes. Hmph. This debt—she'd remember it.
---
At the cafeteria
By noon the dining hall was overflowing with voices.
Zhang Xiaorou balanced her tray and scanned the crowded room, but there wasn't a single free seat. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she pointed to the corner. "Look, isn't that Gu Jinghan and his friend? There are still two spots free!"
"I'm not sitting there—" Xiao Yutian began, but was forcibly dragged over anyway.
With a loud "clatter," the two girls set their trays down right across from Gu Jinghan and Shen Zhili.
The air at the table instantly grew charged with tension.
Shen Zhili smirked knowingly. "Well, what a coincidence."
Gu Jinghan, however, merely lowered his head, calmly picking up food without a word.
And then—too fast to stop—a hand darted across the table toward his plate.
"Got it!" Xiao Yutian crowed, spearing a chicken drumstick. She bit into it triumphantly and flashed Gu a challenging look.
Gu's brow furrowed. "Are you in elementary school?"
"At least I know how to enjoy life, unlike some people." She shot back without missing a beat, deliberately waving the drumstick before his eyes.
Shen Zhili and Zhang Xiaorou were practically convulsing with laughter, shoulders shaking, almost spraying rice across the table.
---
The accident
Just as the bickering hit its peak—clang!—Xiao Yutian's elbow knocked over her drink. A full cup of water spilled straight across Gu Jinghan's open books.
The cafeteria went utterly silent.
Her pupils dilated in panic. "Ahhh—it wasn't on purpose!"
Frantic, she snatched tissues and dabbed at the pages in a frenzy, sweat breaking out on her forehead. The sight, strangely enough, carried a trace of intimacy.
Gu Jinghan's gaze locked on her, deep and unwavering. His lips pressed into a hard line, until finally, in a voice like ice, he forced out three words:
"You owe me."
"Ha!" she blurted back without thinking, "And who says you'll ever get it back?"
The whole table nearly cracked from holding back laughter.
Shen Zhili coughed into his fist, quickly snatching up his cup. "Ahem—suddenly I'm really thirsty…"
Zhang Xiaorou simply buried her face in her tray, pretending she didn't exist.
---
On the pathway
After lunch, the four of them left the cafeteria together.
When they reached a quiet campus path, Zhang Xiaorou suddenly piped up. "I just remembered—I need to buy a reference book!"
Shen Zhili jumped right in. "Yeah, me too. Let's go!"
The two chorused their excuses and bolted, leaving only Gu Jinghan and Xiao Yutian walking side by side.
The autumn breeze stirred the leaves, and the silence between them felt unusually heavy.
Neither spoke, but their steps fell in sync.
At last, Xiao Yutian couldn't stand it. She tilted her head, asking, "Do you… really hate me that much?"
Gu Jinghan glanced sideways, eyes cool but holding something unreadable. "What do you think?"
The words hit her like a stone against her chest.
But in the next moment, she forced a careless smile, flipping her ponytail with a flourish. "Perfect. I hate you too."
With that, she strode ahead.
Gu Jinghan remained standing there, eyes following her retreating back long after she'd gone.
And at an angle almost imperceptible, the corner of his lips tugged ever so slightly upward.