Chapter 15: 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂𝓼
The morning after the storm felt strangely fragile.
As if something had shifted in the night—
something neither Lu Zhen nor Lin Xu knew how to name.
The sky over Linyun City was pale and washed clean after rain. Sunlight filtered through damp clouds, soft and colorless.
Inside the classroom, the back row seat beside Lu Zhen remained empty for exactly three minutes.
Then—
Lin Xu walked in.
He paused only briefly beside the desk.
As though silently asking.
As though leaving the choice open.
Lu Zhen looked at the empty chair.
Then quietly moved his bag from the seat.
No words.
But permission given.
Lin Xu sat down.
And for the first time in days—
the silence between them no longer felt like punishment.
Only fragile healing.
—
Neither mentioned last night.
Not the dark classroom.
Not the rain.
Not the confession hidden inside half-finished sentences.
But both remembered.
In every glance that lingered too long.
In every moment their shoulders nearly brushed.
In every silence that now carried meaning.
—
Halfway through lecture, Professor Han began assigning paired presentation groups for the upcoming literature seminar.
Names were called one after another.
Then—
"Lu Zhen and Qiao Min."
Lu Zhen looked up sharply.
Across the room, Qiao Min—a bright, outspoken student from their class—waved cheerfully in his direction.
"Looks like we're partners."
Before Lu Zhen could react—
Professor Han continued:
"Lin Xu and Chen Rui."
A small shift in the air.
Barely noticeable.
Yet Lu Zhen felt it instantly.
Something unpleasant twisted in his chest again.
That same sharp discomfort from before.
Possessive.
Unwelcome.
Confusing.
Beside him, Lin Xu simply wrote the assignment down without comment.
As if none of it mattered.
Lu Zhen hated how much that bothered him.
—
After class, Qiao Min caught up quickly.
"Lu Zhen, should we meet after lunch to plan?"
Her voice was easy, warm.
Friendly.
Lu Zhen hesitated.
Before he could answer—
another male student passing behind them slammed accidentally into him with too much force.
Hard enough to knock his shoulder sharply against the corridor wall.
Pain flared instantly.
Lu Zhen stiffened.
His breath caught.
The contact—
too sudden.
Too rough.
For one split second—
memory and present collided.
A hand gripping too tightly.
A slammed wall.
Raised voices.
Fear.
His face lost color.
And before anyone else could react—
Lin Xu stepped in front of him.
Fast.
Calm.
Deliberate.
"You should watch where you're going," he said coldly to the student.
The boy blinked, startled.
"…Sorry, I didn't mean—"
Lin Xu's gaze didn't move.
The boy muttered another apology and quickly left.
Silence followed.
Qiao Min looked between them awkwardly.
"…I'll see you later," she said softly, sensing something wrong.
Then she walked away.
—
Lu Zhen stood still.
His pulse still uneven.
His shoulder trembling faintly.
Lin Xu turned back toward him immediately.
His voice gentled.
"…Are you hurt?"
Lu Zhen shook his head too quickly.
"I'm fine."
But his breathing betrayed him.
Lin Xu noticed.
Of course he did.
Without hesitation, he guided Lu Zhen toward the quieter stairwell landing nearby, away from the crowded corridor.
No pressure.
Just quiet insistence.
Once there, he crouched slightly to meet Lu Zhen's lowered gaze.
"Breathe."
Lu Zhen clenched his jaw.
"I said I'm fine."
Lin Xu said nothing.
Only stayed there.
Steady.
Patient.
Present.
And after several long seconds—
Lu Zhen's breathing slowly began to settle.
—
"…You hate being touched unexpectedly."
Lin Xu said it softly.
Not a question.
A realization.
Lu Zhen's fingers curled tightly against his sleeve.
"…Sometimes."
Lin Xu nodded once.
Didn't ask why.
Didn't push deeper.
And that restraint—
felt kinder than questions ever could.
—
That evening, Zhou Kai found Song Yan sitting alone on the rooftop terrace above the dormitory.
The city glowed below them in scattered gold lights.
"You disappear dramatically," Zhou Kai said as he approached.
Song Yan didn't look up.
"I wanted quiet."
"Then why pick somewhere I can find you?"
Song Yan glanced sideways.
"…I didn't invite you."
"But you didn't lock the door either."
Zhou Kai sat beside him anyway.
Their shoulders nearly touching.
Neither moved away.
After a while, Song Yan spoke quietly:
"If I leave next semester… what then?"
The words landed heavier than the night air.
Zhou Kai's smile faded.
He looked at him carefully.
"…Are you going to?"
"I don't know."
"That's not what I asked."
Song Yan lowered his eyes.
Silence stretched.
Then—
"…I don't want to."
Zhou Kai exhaled slowly.
Something fragile crossed his expression.
"Good."
Song Yan looked at him.
"Why?"
Zhou Kai met his gaze fully this time.
Because this answer mattered.
Because hiding it suddenly felt pointless.
"…Because I'm not ready for you to go."
The honesty between them settled into stillness.
Raw.
Real.
And impossible to take back.
Song Yan looked away first again—
but his ears had gone red.
"…You say reckless things."
Zhou Kai smiled faintly.
"Only true ones."
—
Later that night, Lu Zhen stood outside Mist Café alone.
The warm lights glowed behind glass.
Soft. Familiar.
He stared at the entrance for a long time before stepping inside.
And there—
at their usual window seat—
Lin Xu was already sitting.
As though he had known.
As though some invisible thread had pulled them both there.
Lin Xu looked up as Lu Zhen approached.
No surprise.
Just that same quiet gaze.
Lu Zhen sat down opposite him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then—
quietly—
Lu Zhen said:
"…Thank you."
Lin Xu's expression softened.
"For what?"
Lu Zhen lowered his gaze to the table.
For staying.
For noticing.
For stepping in.
For not asking questions he couldn't answer.
But aloud—
he only managed:
"…Today."
Lin Xu understood anyway.
Because somehow—
he always did.
And this time,
when silence settled between them,
it no longer felt like something broken.
It felt like something beginning.