Li Na's laughter still echoed faintly in the hall.The moment Li Wei heard her words — and that cursed baby photo — something inside him snapped.
"LI NA!" he barked, storming into the room like thunder.
But the battlefield was already set.Li Na, mischievous as ever, stood by her desk with the photo dangling from her fingers. Her grin could rival the devil's.
"Looking for this?" she teased.
"Give it back!"
"Hmm… I'd love to," she said sweetly, "but Lin Yue deserves to see the legend of our family."
Before he could even take a step, Li Na — grinning ear to ear — slipped the photo straight into Lin Yue's hand."Here, witness my brother's greatest moment of glory!"
"Wait—!" Li Wei lunged, but Li Na darted past him toward the door, calling out,"I'll be right back! I need to tell Mom something important!"
She vanished down the hall, leaving Lin Yue and Li Wei alone — and the photo gleaming between them like forbidden treasure.
For a moment, silence.Then, Lin Yue's laughter broke it, soft but unstoppable. "I can't believe this is you!"
Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she held the photo up to the light — the chubby, grinning toddler version of Li Wei smiling proudly at the camera.
"Don't you dare laugh," he said, stepping closer."Too late," she teased. "It's… adorable!"
"Adorable?" He groaned. "You're enjoying this way too much."
She nodded, feigning deep thought. "Maybe I'll keep it as blackmail. For emergencies."
Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
Her playful smirk answered for her. She tucked the photo behind her back. "Yup. Safe and sound."
He took a cautious step forward. "Give. It. Back."
"Catch me if you can," she said, dashing past him.
The chase began.
Through the narrow hall, around the edge of the bed, between laughter and quick breaths — it was chaos and laughter tangled together. Lin Yue's hair swirled behind her as she dodged him, clutching the photo like a trophy.
"Stop running!""Then stop chasing!"
Her voice was bright, full of mischief, but her heartbeat raced faster than her feet. He was right behind her, his laughter chasing her like a shadow.
She darted toward the side of the bed, trying to fake left — but her foot slipped on the edge of a rug.
"Whoa—!"
In an instant, Li Wei reached out, catching her hand before she could fall.The motion pulled them both off balance.They stumbled — once, twice — before collapsing sideways, landing on the edge of the bed with a muffled thud.
The world seemed to freeze.
For a breathless moment, there was only silence.
Lin Yue lay back against the bedspread, her wide eyes blinking up at him.Li Wei hovered above, his hand still gripping hers, his pulse hammering in his ears.
Neither spoke.Neither moved.The room seemed to shrink, every sound outside fading away.
His breath caught — he could hear it, shallow and uneven. He hadn't realized how close they were until now. The air between them felt heavy, filled with something neither of them could name.
Lin Yue's gaze flickered — from his face to his eyes, and back again — as if searching for the right expression to wear. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Li Wei's throat tightened. He swallowed hard, his heart pounding so fast it almost hurt. He could see the reflection of himself in her eyes — surprised, nervous, unsure — but drawn closer by something new and unfamiliar.
It wasn't just embarrassment. It wasn't just awkwardness.It was something that trembled quietly between them — fragile, uncertain, but real.
For a second, the photo slipped from her hand and fluttered softly to the floor, forgotten.
The light from the lamp painted them both in soft gold, shadows blurring at the edges. He could hear every beat of his heart, every breath she took.
He blinked, trying to look away, but her gaze pulled him back — steady, nervous, and strangely warm.
Then —
A voice shattered the quiet.
"DON'T TEASE HER, LI WEI!"
Li Na's shout echoed from the living room, followed by the sound of clattering dishes.
Both of them jolted as if lightning had struck.
Li Wei immediately backed up, nearly tripping over the edge of the bed again.Lin Yue sat up quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear, her cheeks pink and her eyes wide.
"W–We should… uh…" he stammered, scratching the back of his neck.
She nodded quickly, her voice barely a whisper. "Yeah. Probably."
For a moment, they both stared anywhere but at each other — the floor, the wall, the abandoned photo.
Then, slowly, Lin Yue picked up the photo and extended it toward him.Her voice was soft now, without a hint of teasing. "Here. You can… keep it."
He hesitated, then took it, their fingers brushing lightly — just for a second.
Neither spoke again. But something between them had changed — quiet, uncertain, but impossible to ignore.
Outside, Li Na's laughter rang again.Inside, the room stayed still — the air holding the memory of a heartbeat that skipped just once, and changed everything.