Chapter 10

Monday mornings always felt a little stiff — like my mind needed a few extra steps before it could walk properly.
Even so, I arrived at school earlier than usual. The building was still cool from the leftover night air, and the empty hallways echoed softly with distant footsteps.

When I slid into my seat, I opened my book automatically.
Reading was the easiest way to let my thoughts settle before the day became noisy.
Sunlight stretched across my desk in faint golden lines, warm but gentle.

For a while, everything was perfectly quiet.

Then the classroom began to fill.

Xia dropped into the seat beside me with the energy of someone who never needed a warm-up cycle.

"Good morning, Yiyi! You look unusually calm today."

"I'm always calm," I said.

She laughed. "True. But today you look extra calm."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I let it pass.
Moments later, Tang Yuan walked in through the doorway.

I wasn't watching him.
Not really.

But from the corner of my eye, I noticed the subtle way he paused — just for a second — as if checking the room before heading to his seat near the window.

He didn't say anything.
He rarely did.

Quiet people usually blended into the scenery.
But somehow... I noticed him today.

Just a moment.
Nothing special.

Xia didn't catch it. She was busy showing weekend photos to another girl, her voice bright and lively.

A few minutes later, homeroom started, and the teacher mentioned the joint activity with Class 2-B.
The room reacted exactly how I expected — a burst of whispers, excitement blooming everywhere.

"Mixed groups? I want fun partners."
"Imagine getting paired with Rui's class!"
"Girls from 2-B are so pretty, wow..."

Xia leaned closer, eyes sparkling.

"Yiyi, I hope we're in the same group again~ It'll be fun!"

"I don't mind," I said softly.

She smirked — the kind that meant trouble.
"What if we get grouped with Rui?"

I stared at her. "Xia."

"What? It's possible. And he likes you, you know."

I exhaled quietly. "It's just a rumor."

"It's not a rumor if he keeps trying to talk to you," she said, sipping her drink dramatically.

I didn't reply.

Not because I agreed.

I just didn't know what to say to that.

******

The cafeteria was already warm and crowded when Xia and I arrived — trays clattering, air buzzing with lunchtime chatter. We found seats near a group of girls from our class. I'd barely opened my lunchbox when someone nudged me.

"Yiyi, Rui's here."

I looked up.

Rui was approaching with his tray, steps noticeably slowing the closer he got. His friends watched from behind him like a pack of overexcited spectators.

"H–Hi, Zhao Yiyi," he stammered. "You... uh... played well in P.E. last week."

I blinked once.
"We didn't have P.E. last week."

"Oh—right. I meant... before that. I mean—uh—yeah."

Xia giggled beside me.
I didn't.

I gave him a polite nod. "Thank you."

His shoulders relaxed instantly. He muttered something about "group project" and "see you later," and practically fled back to his seat. His friends greeted him with loud, merciless teasing that echoed through half the cafeteria.

Xia leaned closer, whispering, "He's kinda cute when he panics."

I ignored her and took a sip of my drink.

When I glanced around the room — just casually — something familiar caught my eye.

A table near the windows.
Four students sitting together.

Tang Yuan.
His friend Liu Cheng.
Class 2-B's Ye Ling.
And Cai Qing.

They were talking — not loudly, not attention-grabbing — just ordinary conversation, but their group somehow stood out.

Ling said something, her expression composed and calm.
Yuan nodded, listening with his usual quiet seriousness.

For a moment, my hand paused over my lunch.
Not frozen.
Just... paused.

Cheng was talking animatedly to Cai Qing, who laughed behind her hand. Ling remained serene. Yuan seemed comfortable — more comfortable than I'd ever seen him look in class.

Xia followed my gaze.

"Ohhh," she whispered, eyes sparkling. "That's Ling and Cai Qing from Class 2-B. People say Ling's really smart. And... kind of popular with boys."

I didn't respond.

Not because I disagreed.
Just because I didn't know why I had been looking in the first place.

******

When we walked back to the classroom, Xia was still chattering endlessly about the joint project rumors. I nodded at the right moments, letting her voice fill the space between us without really thinking about it.

But then something unexpected broke the rhythm.

The door slid open.

Ye Ling stepped inside, holding a stack of papers for the teacher.
She moved with that same quiet confidence she always had — politely greeting a few students, pausing whenever someone greeted her back.

And then her eyes shifted toward the back of the room.

Toward Tang Yuan.

"Good afternoon, Tang Yuan," she said gently.

He looked up.
His reply was calm. Predictable.

"Good afternoon."

It was such a simple exchange.

But the room reacted instantly.

A few whispers rose from nearby desks.
Xia stopped mid-sentence, eyebrows lifting.
Even the boy in front of me glanced back with obvious curiosity.

I opened my notebook, pretending to jot something down — not because I needed to, but because I didn't know where else to look.

...But I heard it.
I heard everything.

And despite trying not to, I ended up looking at Tang Yuan properly for the first time today.

He didn't look flustered.
Didn't smile.
Didn't seem affected at all.

He just accepted the greeting the way he accepted everything — quietly, calmly, without drawing attention.

It was nothing.

Just a greeting.

But somehow, the air in the room felt a little different afterward.
Like someone had nudged a quiet corner of the class into motion.

And before I realized it, the thought slipped into my mind:

Since when do they know each other?

The question wasn't loud.
It wasn't jealous or excited or anything dramatic.

It was simply... there.

A small, unwelcome curiosity that lingered longer than it should have.

******

Afternoon classes always moved slower on Mondays.
The sunlight softened into a warm gold through the windows, giving the room a quieter rhythm — pages turning, pencils tapping, the occasional yawn from the back row.

I tried to focus on my textbook, but my attention drifted more than usual.

Maybe it was everything from lunch.
Rumors.
The joint project.
Rui's flustered attempt to talk to me.
Ling greeting Tang Yuan so casually in front of everyone.

It was... a lot for one morning.

Our math teacher wrote formulas across the board at a pace only he understood. Half the class gave up halfway. I kept writing neatly, forcing myself to follow along, but my eyes wandered.

Tang Yuan sat near the back, posture straight, eyes fixed ahead.
Always calm. Always composed.
Cheng whispered something to him, but Yuan only shook his head lightly, barely reacting.

I didn't know why that caught my attention.

He was quiet — someone who naturally blended into the background.
But today... he seemed a little more noticeable.

Maybe because other people noticed him.
Maybe because Ling greeted him so openly.
Maybe because—

I stopped the thought.

It wasn't important.

The literature teacher arrived next. She assigned reading groups for a short story. Not real group work — just reading aloud.

Xia grabbed my sleeve as we moved seats.
"Yiyi, did you hear the whispers earlier? About Ling and Tang Yuan?"

I hesitated. "...I heard them."

"I didn't even know they knew each other," she said, sounding genuinely surprised.

"...Me neither."

We read a quiet story about changing seasons — soft emotions hidden between simple lines.
I liked it.
It felt familiar.

But whenever I turned the page, my gaze drifted again.
Tang Yuan was reading too, brow slightly furrowed in concentration.

Unaffected by rumors.
By whispers.
By anything.

...That was just like him.

By the last period, Xia had given up trying to stay awake. I kept taking notes, but my thoughts wandered.

Next week was the joint-class project.

Class 2-B.
Rui.
Ling.
Cai Qing.

"Yiyi," Xia whispered. "If we get mixed groups... who do you want to be with?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully.

She smiled knowingly.
"Probably not Rui, huh?"

"Xia..."

"I'm kidding... kind of."

But then she added, softer:
"You looked a little thoughtful today."

I didn't answer.

Because I wasn't sure what I was thoughtful about.

The final bell rang.

Chairs scraped, backpacks zipped, and half the class disappeared in seconds.

Xia stood and stretched. "Yiyi, let's go home together. I need fresh air after all those formulas."

"I wasn't going to leave without you."

"Good, because if you did, I'd haunt you."

I shook my head — but I smiled.

We stepped outside.
The hallway buzzed with students from both classes talking about homework, the joint activity, and whatever else mattered today.

By the time we reached the school gate, the noise softened.
The sun was low, painting the buildings in warm orange.
A crisp breeze brushed past us.

Xia kicked a pebble along the sidewalk.
"So! About today."

...Here it comes.

"I don't want to talk about Rui," I said first.

She laughed. "Okay, okay. But he looked so red earlier I thought he ran ten laps."

"I saw."

"And you didn't say anything? Brutal."

"I said thank you."

"Barely." She grinned. "Next topic."

My steps slowed. "...There's another topic?"

"Oh, absolutely." Xia's grin turned fox-like.

I braced myself.

"Ling greeting Tang Yuan in front of our class."

I inhaled lightly. "That's not important."

"It's interesting." She corrected me without hesitation. "People from 2-B don't come into our classroom often."

"She was just delivering papers."

"And she greeted him. Calmly. Naturally. I didn't know they were familiar."

"...I didn't either."

Xia studied me — not teasing anymore, just observing.

"It surprised you, didn't it?" she asked quietly.

"...A little."

"Why?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Why...?

Because it was unexpected?
Because he usually didn't stand out?
Because he seemed... different today?

But none of those answers felt complete.

Xia didn't push.

We walked in comfortable silence.
Stopped at a red light.
Students crossed around us in loud groups.

Then Xia nudged me lightly.
"You were a little more observant today. That's all."

"I wasn't."

"You were. But in a good way."

The light turned green.

We walked again.

Our paths split a block before my house.
Xia tightened her bag straps, her voice softening.

"Yiyi... about next week's project... I hope we're in the same group. Really."

"Me too," I said.

She waved and ran off.
"See you tomorrow! And don't overthink stuff!"

"I'm not overthinking."

"Sure you aren't!"

Her voice faded.

On my way home, the orange light dimmed into a gentler glow.
Everything around me was ordinary — people returning from work, kids racing with backpacks, shop signs flickering on.

Normal.

Completely normal.

And yet... something inside me felt slightly different.

Not heavy.
Not confusing.

Just... quietly shifted.

Small, but real.

I wasn't sure what it meant.

But I could feel it.