Xinya twirled her pen nervously during class, peeking sideways at Yuxuan. He sat with his usual calm face, eyes fixed on the board.
Her diary from last night peeked out of her bag, open to the fresh scribble:
Rule #10: A girlfriend should hold her boyfriend's hand first, to show she's confident.
She glanced down at her trembling fingers. Easier said than done!
After Class – The Hallway
Xinya and Yuxuan walked side by side. She tried to casually swing her hand close to his… then chickened out at the last second.
Okay, okay, next try…
She took a deep breath, stretched her hand out, and—BAM! Someone bumped into her, sending her stumbling right into Yuxuan's arm.
He steadied her instantly. "Careful."
Her face burned. "S-sorry! I was just—uhhh—exercising my balance!"
Yuxuan raised an eyebrow but didn't let go of her wrist. Instead, he adjusted his grip so their fingers slid together naturally, interlacing.
Xinya's eyes went wide. Wait. Did he just—
He looked ahead calmly. "You were going to hold it anyway, weren't you?"
Her knees almost gave out. "Y-you…!"
Later – Courtyard
The two sat together under a tree, still holding hands. For once, it felt easy, natural.
But from across the courtyard, Zhao Lin leaned against a wall, watching them with narrowed eyes. He popped a lollipop into his mouth, crushing it between his teeth.
"Interesting," he muttered. "So she chose him." His smirk faded, replaced by something sharper. "Let's see how long that lasts."
That Night – Xinya's Notebook
She drew a giant heart around the words:
Rule #10: Hold his hand first.Result: Failure. He did it instead. But… my heart almost exploded!
She hugged the diary to her chest, grinning like an idiot. "He really likes me…"
But just outside her window, a faint shadow lingered in the street. Someone walked away, whistling softly—a tune she recognized.
Zhao Lin.