Chapter 2| Your “Don’t Overthink It” Took Half My Life

Wen Yan woke up at three in the morning.

The dorm was silent. Streetlights outside glowed faintly, and the rain had long since stopped, leaving only the damp wind. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying those two words over and over—

Don’t overthink it.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the answer before.
But when it actually appeared, it was like a blade, slowly twisting inside her heart.

She turned over, pulling the blanket over her head, biting her lip to keep herself from crying.
She had already tried so hard—tried not to cling to him, tried not to ask, tried not to demand a place in his life.

All she wanted to know was—
Where did she really stand in his eyes?

The next morning, Wen Yan went to class as usual, sat in her usual spot by the window, and left an empty seat for Shen Che.

He arrived late.

When the classroom door opened, she instinctively looked up.
Shen Che wore a white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, his expression indifferent as his gaze swept across the room before finally resting on her.

Her heart softened, as it always did, despite herself.

He sat beside her and opened his book, as if nothing had happened.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?” he asked suddenly.

Her fingers tightened. She whispered, “I’m okay.”

Shen Che glanced at her. Dark circles under her eyes, lips pale—but she still smiled at him.

That smile felt like a thorn.

He lowered his head, saying nothing further.

Halfway through class, the teacher called on her.
Wen Yan’s mind went blank. She stood, unable to speak a single word.

All eyes in the classroom landed on her. She could feel the invisible pressure pressing down, suffocating her little by little.

“Sit down. Pay attention next time.” The teacher frowned.

She sat, hands trembling slightly under the desk.

At that moment, a slip of paper was pushed toward her.

—Shen Che’s handwriting.

I’m sorry.

She stared at the three words. Her throat tightened. Tears threatened to fall.

She wanted to ask:
What are you sorry for?
Sorry you don’t like me?
Or sorry that you’ve been beside me all this time, but never held me?

But she said nothing.

She folded the paper and tucked it into her book, as if nothing had happened.

When the bell rang, the classroom erupted in chatter.
Shen Che got up to leave.

“Shen Che.”
She called after him.

He paused, but didn’t turn.

“You think,” she whispered, “I’m easy to please?”

His back stiffened.

“As long as you appear, as long as you stand beside me, I’ll pretend nothing ever happened.”

He slowly turned to face her.

“Wen Yan.”
For the first time, he said her name in such a low, almost vulnerable voice.

She stood there, eyes red and swollen, yet stubbornly met his gaze.

“If you don’t like me, just say it.”
“You don’t need to be kind to me if you don’t want me.”

By the time she said it, there was no turning back.

One by one, the others left the classroom, until only the two of them remained.

Shen Che’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His hands hung at his sides, fingertips twitching slightly.

He wanted to hold her. Wanted it so badly it nearly drove him mad.

But he couldn’t.

“I don’t dislike you,” he said.

Her eyes lit up.

Then he continued—

“But don’t like me either.”

The air seemed to stop.

Wen Yan froze, as if she hadn’t heard.

“…What did you say?”

Shen Che closed his eyes, then opened them again, all emotion buried deep inside.

“Stay away from me. It’s better for you.”

She laughed.

Really laughed.

“Shen Che,” her voice trembled, “who made you the one to decide what’s best for me?”

He didn’t answer.

Because he couldn’t tell her—
If he let her get close, he would drag her into a depth she could never withstand.

“Don’t wait for me anymore.”
He finished, then turned and walked away.

Wen Yan stood there, finally unable to hold back, letting tears fall one by one.

She had known this day might come.
But she hadn’t expected it would hurt this much.

After that day, she never waited for him again.
No empty seat, no messages, no glances back.

Shen Che sat in the last row, watching her withdraw all her tenderness, watching her learn not to look at him anymore.

He thought it was right.

Until one day, he realized—
She truly didn’t need him anymore.

And at that moment, he realized for the first time—
He might lose her forever.