Chapter 08
Shen Mei stood near the entrance of the art department, her attention resting on the screen of her phone while her slender fingers curled around its dark frame, the contrast between her pale skin and the device softened by the morning light spilling through the corridor. Every so often, she adjusted her frameless glasses with a small, absent gesture, though the stillness in her posture revealed a patience that had already begun to wear thin.
She had been waiting there for nearly fifteen minutes.
At first, it had been nothing more than curiosity, but the longer she stood there, the more deliberate her presence became. Shen Mei knew better than to expect answers from her brother; Shen Yu had never been someone who explained himself, and whatever questions she asked would most likely be met with silence or, at best, a dismissive glance paired with an annoyed sigh. If she wanted to understand what was going on, she would have to find the answers herself.
Her gaze drifted lazily over the passing students until a familiar shade of blond slipped into view, and almost instantly her focus sharpened. Relief flickered across her face as she straightened, ready to approach, but the moment their eyes met, that relief dissolved into quiet confusion.
Jiang Li's honey-brown eyes were still damp, their usual softness clouded by something fragile and unsettled, as though whatever had happened earlier had not yet left him.
The question formed in her mind, but before she could act on it, the atmosphere shifted.
It was subtle at first, like a pressure settling into the space, but it deepened quickly into something unmistakable. The scent of sandalwood threaded with amber spread through the corridor, not overwhelming in a chaotic way, but dense and deliberate, carrying the quiet dominance of someone who had no need to assert control loudly because it was already understood.
Shen Mei turned.
Luo Xin stood a short distance away, her posture relaxed but her presence anything but. Her hands were buried deep in the pockets of her black jeans, and her silver eyes—cold, sharp, and entirely unyielding—were fixed on Shen Mei with a hostility that needed no explanation. There was no hesitation in that gaze, no attempt to mask it; it was direct, heavy, and impossible to ignore.
For a brief moment, Shen Mei felt her throat tighten under that look, as though the weight of it alone had caught her off guard.
Then Luo Xin moved.
She walked past without slowing, the faint shift of air carrying that same sandalwood-and-amber scent in her wake, but not before casting one last glance at Shen Mei—a glance that held nothing but quiet disdain, as though she were something unworthy of even proper acknowledgment.
Shen Mei remained where she was, watching as Luo Xin closed the distance between herself and Jiang Li, the two of them falling into step together as they disappeared further down the corridor.
A soft breath left her lips, something between a sigh and a quiet laugh.
It wasn't amusement.
It was acceptance.
She had tried, after all. More than once, in fact. She had attempted to bridge the gap, to be civil, even to apologize. None of it had mattered. Luo Xin's attitude had never shifted, her reactions never softened, and over time Shen Mei had come to understand that some people simply chose their stance and refused to move from it.
There was no point lingering on it.
In that regard, she and her brother were not so different; once their interest in something faded, neither of them had the habit of forcing it to remain.
Letting the thought go, Shen Mei turned, ready to head back to her own department.
"Mei."
The voice stopped her mid-step.
She looked up, her attention caught immediately by the figure approaching her. The dark suit was impeccably tailored, falling cleanly along the man's frame, while the subtle glint of a silver watch at his wrist caught the light just enough to draw the eye without seeming excessive. When her gaze lifted fully, recognition came with ease.
"Taehyun?" she said, surprise threading through her voice. "What are you doing here?"
Kim Taehyun smiled, the expression smooth and practiced, though not entirely insincere.
"I came to see you."
Shen Mei blinked, her brows knitting slightly as she glanced at the time. She hadn't expected to see him here, and she wasn't particularly inclined to rearrange her schedule without reason. The words to decline politely were already forming—
"I'll buy you anything you want."
He said it so casually that for a moment it didn't fully register.
Then it did.
Shen Mei paused.
"…Anything?" she repeated, her tone shifting almost imperceptibly.
Taehyun's smile deepened.
"Anything."
The hesitation disappeared as quickly as it had come.
A grin spread across her face, bright and immediate as she stepped toward him.
"You should've said that earlier," she replied lightly. "Let's go."
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Luo Xin walked ahead without speaking, her thoughts drifting somewhere distant, her expression unreadable as the steady rhythm of her steps carried her forward. The lingering trace of her pheromones softened gradually, settling back into something less oppressive, though the quiet strength of it never fully disappeared.
"Hey—what's got our Sister Xin so quiet?"
The voice came too close.
Too sudden.
Her reaction was immediate.
Her fist moved before the thought had fully formed, connecting cleanly with Guo Chen's nose and forcing him back a step with a sharp exhale of pain.
"Ow—what was that for?" he complained, one hand flying up to his face as his expression twisted into something pitifully exaggerated.
Luo Xin didn't even bother hiding her irritation.
"If you want to keep your nose intact," she said flatly, "stop talking directly into my ear like that."
Guo Chen muttered under his breath, though not nearly quietly enough to avoid being heard.
"You still miss me when I'm gone."
Her eye twitched.
There were moments—far too many—when she genuinely questioned her past decisions.
Why she had ever let him get this close in the first place remained a mystery even to herself.
Before she could dwell on it further, his expression changed.
"Li'er… why are you crying?"
The shift in his tone was immediate, the usual teasing gone, replaced with something unexpectedly gentle.
Luo Xin turned.
Jiang Li walked beside her, his posture slightly hunched, his notebook pressed tightly against his chest as though it were the only thing anchoring him in place. A tear had already slipped down his cheek, leaving a faint trail that caught the light before disappearing against his skin, and judging by the unfocused look in his eyes, he hadn't even realized it.
Something in Luo Xin's chest tightened.
Jiang Li wiped at his face quickly, a soft, awkward laugh escaping him as if he could brush it away just as easily.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice quieter now, the sharpness from earlier gone.
His grip on the notebook tightened further.
"…I messed up," he said.
Guo Chen noticed the movement immediately and, before Jiang Li could protest, gently pulled the notebook from his hands. When he opened it, the sketch inside filled the page with striking clarity.
A man stood by a bridge, his posture relaxed but distant, the lines of his figure drawn with careful precision. The cigarette between his fingers burned faintly, and even the curl of smoke rising into the air had been captured with delicate detail.
It wasn't imagination.
It was memory.
"Who is this?" Guo Chen asked, his voice more serious than before.
Luo Xin leaned in slightly, her gaze narrowing as recognition settled in.
"…The man from the café," she said.
Jiang Li nodded, his fingers now fidgeting with the hem of his sweater in the absence of the notebook.
A faint crease appeared between Luo Xin's brows, something unfamiliar—uncertainty, perhaps even guilt—touching her expression.
"…Was it because of me?" she asked.
Jiang Li shook his head immediately.
"No," he said softly. "It's not you."
His voice dropped, fragile in a way that made the words feel heavier than they should have been.
"It's me."
His eyes lowered again, the faint shine of unshed tears returning.
"I'm too disgusting."
The words settled into the silence that followed, quiet but heavy enough to be felt.
And this time—
Guo Chen didn't laugh.
His expression darkened instead.
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