Lin Yue had always considered herself calm and logical.
She was top of the class. Disciplined. Focused.
And she had always felt slightly guilty about Xiao Li.
She never bullied him.
But she never helped him either.
Now she watched him sit alone in the classroom, calm and distant, like he carried a world no one else could see.
Her friend whispered beside her.
"You used to sit near him, right?"
"…Yes."
"They say he might become a high-rank hunter someday."
Lin Yue looked down at her notebook but couldn't focus.
Why didn't I notice him before?
Later that afternoon, she gathered her courage and approached him.
"Xiao Li."
He looked up slowly.
His eyes were sharper now. Colder… but not cruel.
"I heard about the dungeon," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
He paused.
Then nodded once.
"Yes."
That was all.
Yet something about that single word made her heart tighten. It felt like there were thousands of untold stories behind it.
As she walked away, she made a quiet decision.
I want to stand where I can understand him.