Jian Ci had watched it happen too many times. Yu Xi was charming and affectionate until the moment something shifted. Just one misstep, one wrong word, and a flicker of disinterest was all it took for it to be over. Yu Xi didn't drag things out either. He cut clean and Caelus was teetering at the edge.
And Jian Ci, for all his teasing, couldn't help but wonder what kind of person would it take to lock Yu Xi down for good? To make him stay. To make him look at no one else.
***
The hallway was dim and cold, the kind of sterile chill that clung to skin and made footsteps echo like accusations. Yu Xi moved quickly, his academy uniform still crisp despite the hour, boots striking the floor in sharp, purposeful strides. His jaw was tight, eyes unreadable.
He reached the door at the end of the corridor and tapped the panel. It slid open with a low whoosh, revealing a room thick with tension.
