Chapter 6: With Him Holding Her Hand, No One Dared Look Twice

Monday morning.

The moment Gu Nian stepped onto campus, something felt off.

People passing by would glance at her, then quickly look away; in the hallways, whispers stopped as soon as they noticed her.

She felt a little confused.

“Why is everyone staring at me?”

Lu Chen slung his backpack over his shoulder, his tone calm: “Because I’m holding your hand.”

Gu Nian looked down.

His hand was steady, holding hers firmly.

Not the slightest hint of letting go.

“Aren’t you afraid the teacher will see?”

“No,” he said. “It’s not like you’re doing anything wrong.”

Her chest warmed.

First period ended.

The homeroom teacher walked in.

The classroom instantly went quiet.

Gu Nian instinctively tried to pull her hand back.

Lu Chen, however, gently squeezed her fingers.

Don’t be afraid.

The teacher glanced at them, paused for two seconds.

“Lu Chen.”
“Mm?”

“Don’t let your grades drop.”

“I won’t,” Lu Chen replied.

That was it.

The teacher turned and walked away.

Gu Nian froze. “Just like that?”

“Mm.”
He looked down at her. “He knows I’ve got it under control.”

At lunch in the cafeteria.

They had just sat down when several girls across from them clearly couldn’t stay calm.

One whispered, “So Lu Chen really does have a girlfriend…”

Gu Nian felt a little uneasy.

Lu Chen, however, naturally pulled her tray closer.

“You don’t like people staring at you,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been watching for over ten years.”

Gu Nian’s heart skipped a beat.

The last self-study period in the afternoon.

Gu Nian leaned on her desk, drawing.

She drew two people from behind, shoulder to shoulder.

Lu Chen glanced over.

“Like us,” he said.

“It’s always been us,” she replied.

“And me?”

“You’re beside me.”

Lu Chen smiled.

A soft smile, light yet impossible to hide.

After school, a light rain began to fall.

Lu Chen held the umbrella over her side, letting half of his shoulder get wet.

Gu Nian tugged at him.

“Move a little closer.”

“No problem.”

She simply reached out and pulled him near.

The two of them huddled under the umbrella.

“All set now,” she said.

Lu Chen lowered his head, leaning close to whisper in her ear:

“Gu Nian.”

“Mm?”

“Thank you for choosing me.”

Her nose prickled.

“I didn’t choose,” she said. “It was always you.”

That night, Gu Nian wrote in her diary:

We didn’t have a grand, dramatic beginning.
We just suddenly realized
That you had always been by my side.