Epilogue

The house was quiet as I unpacked my schoolbag.

Evening light filtered softly through the curtains, tinting the room in gentle gold.
It felt warm.
Calm.
Familiar.

I placed my notebooks on my desk, checking the schedule for tomorrow.

Joint class project — Day 1.
Group meeting.
Introduction session.
Planning.

Xia was excited, of course.
Rui was...
nervous, in a way that almost made me feel sorry for him.

And me?

I wasn't sure.

I'd always preferred quiet days—
the kind where nothing changed, and everything stayed predictable.

But recently...
things felt slightly different.

Not dramatic.
Just... shifting.

I remembered Rui's awkward attempt to talk at lunch.
Cai Qing's laughter echoing across the cafeteria.
Ling walking home with Tang Yuan, looking unexpectedly at ease beside him.
And Tang Yuan himself—
calm, steady, unreadable.

I touched the edge of my notebook absentmindedly.

Why did I notice those things today?

Why did they stay in my mind?

I wasn't sure.

I closed my notebook slowly, the soft sound settling into the evening air.

Tomorrow would be noisy.
Different.
Chaotic, maybe.

But for the first time, I felt a faint stir inside my chest—
like something waiting just beyond reach.
Something I wasn't ready to name.

I exhaled and turned off the lamp.

"Tomorrow..." I whispered to myself.

"Let's see what happens."

The sky outside darkened gently—
quiet, steady, promising.

Just like the beginning of something new.