The day had finally ended, and most of the Aurora Edge students were clearing out of the locker rooms.
Everyone except Han Shaoqi and Li Yuchen.
"Can you not put your bag there?" Yuchen said, arms crossed, watching Shaoqi shove his duffel into the top shelf.
"What's wrong with here?" Shaoqi challenged, already half-way done wedging it between two others.
"That's the figure skating section," Yuchen replied, irritation flashing in his tone.
"Oh, sorry, didn't realize your team owned air and shelves now."
"It's called organization. Something you clearly lack."
Shaoqi slammed the locker door shut. "It's called sharing space, something you clearly hate."
Yuchen's lips twitched like he wanted to argue more—but before he could, a voice echoed down the hall.
"Han Shaoqi!"
Both turned. Director Liu was standing by the doorway, arms behind his back, expression unreadable.
Shaoqi blinked. "…Yes?"
"Come to my office for a moment."
Yuchen gave a short, smug smile as Shaoqi walked past. "Good luck," he murmured.
"Thanks, I'll bring you back a souvenir," Shaoqi shot back.
* * *
Director Liu's office was as pristine as before. The man himself stood by the window, papers in hand, his expression a strange mix of amusement and formality.
"Shaoqi," he began, "I've been reviewing your performance these past few days."
"Am I in trouble?" Shaoqi asked cautiously.
"Not this time," Director Liu said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "In fact, you've done remarkably well. The hockey team has improved under your energy. Even the other coaches have noticed."
Shaoqi blinked, uncertain if that was a compliment or a setup. "Uh… thanks?"
Director Liu nodded. "Which is why I've decided you'll join the academy's winter training trip."
Shaoqi's brow furrowed. "Trip?"
"Yes. A five-day intercity retreat to Qinghe. Both our hockey and figure skating teams will participate."
Shaoqi straightened. "Wait, why me? I'm only here for two weeks!"
"All the more reason to learn something new before you go."
"…That sounds like an excuse."
Director Liu ignored that. "You'll be required to attend. Oh, and one more detail—each student will be paired with someone from the other team."
Shaoqi froze. "You mean—"
"Yes." Director Liu's smile widened. "You'll be partnered with Li Yuchen."
"…You've got to be kidding me."
"I assure you, I'm not."
Shaoqi stared. "Why him?"
"Because," Director Liu said simply, "you two seem to communicate… passionately."
"Passionately?" Shaoqi repeated, baffled. "We argue."
"Exactly."
Before Shaoqi could protest, Director Liu clapped his hands. "Excellent. Pack your things—you leave tomorrow morning."
As Shaoqi walked out of the office, his expression dark and his thoughts even darker, he muttered under his breath,
"Five days with that smug figure skater… I might actually lose my mind."
From down the hallway, Yuchen's voice called, "What was that?"
Shaoqi glared. "Nothing."
* * *
That night, the streets of Yunhai were quiet. Snow drifted past Shaoqi's apartment window, faintly glowing under the streetlights.
Inside, his room was a mess.
Half-packed clothes were strewn across the bed, open drawers hung halfway out, and his duffel bag looked like it had gone through a war.
Shaoqi sat cross-legged on the floor, holding a pair of gloves and muttering to himself."Five days. Just five days. How bad can it be?"
Then he imagined Li Yuchen's calm, expressionless face.
"...Very bad."
He tossed the gloves into the bag with a groan. "Of all people… why him?"
It wasn't like he hated Yuchen exactly. The guy just had this way of getting under his skin—too calm, too perfect, too smug.Every word that came out of his mouth sounded like he was subtly calling Shaoqi an idiot.
And worse—Yuchen never raised his voice, not even when they argued.It made Shaoqi feel like the only one losing his cool.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, zipping up his bag. "Five days with that guy. I'll survive… or end up in the news."
He threw the duffel by the door, switched off the lights, and collapsed onto his bed.
The sheets were cold, the kind that made you curl up instinctively. He stared at the ceiling for a while, listening to the faint hum of the city outside.
Maybe the trip wouldn't be so bad.Maybe he'd get to show Yuchen that hockey players weren't all loud and reckless.Maybe he'd even—
No, he wasn't going to think that far.
"Just survive," he muttered to himself, eyes already closing. "No fights, no yelling, no—"
Thud.
His duffel bag fell over by the door.
Shaoqi groaned. "...This is a bad sign."
And with that, he rolled over and finally drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Morning came too early for Han Shaoqi's liking.
His alarm shrieked at 6:00 a.m., which, in his opinion, was an unforgivable act of cruelty.He stared at the ceiling for a full minute before muttering, "If I ignore it long enough, maybe the trip cancels itself."
It didn't.
By the time he stumbled into the courtyard of Aurora Edge, the sun had barely risen, and the ground was already blanketed in snow. His hoodie was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and he looked like someone who'd lost a fight with his blanket.
Meanwhile, the figure skaters looked immaculate—matching scarves, neat hairstyles, hot coffee in hand. The hockey players, on the other hand, looked like they'd been dragged out of bed by force.
"Morning, Shaoqi!" one of his teammates called. "Ready for the trip?"
"Define ready," Shaoqi grumbled, tugging his beanie lower over his eyes.
* * *
Director Liu stood in front of the buses, clipboard in hand, with the satisfied smile of a man who knew chaos was about to unfold.
"Good morning, everyone!" he began. "Before departure, we'll be announcing your pairings for this trip!"
A collective groan rippled through the crowd.
"Each of you," Director Liu continued cheerfully, "will be partnered with someone from the other team! Remember, cooperation builds character."
"Or ruins friendships," someone whispered from the hockey group.
Director Liu ignored that and began reading from his list.
"Zhang Hui and Wei Lan."
Wei Lan grinned and waved at the hockey player beside her. "Guess you're stuck with me for five days!"
Zhang Hui laughed nervously. "Uh—honored?"
"Don't sound so scared," Wei Lan teased.
"Lin Xue and Chen Hao."
"Nice!" Chen Hao said, bumping fists with his new partner. "You figure skaters are good at balance, right? Maybe you can teach me how not to trip over my own stick."
Lin Xue rolled her eyes. "Only if you stop calling it a stick. It's embarrassing."
"Fan Rui and Zhou Ning."
Zhou Ning, a quiet girl from the skating team, smiled politely. Fan Rui immediately dropped his duffel bag and said, "I swear I can skate backwards… sometimes."
"You'd better hope it's not 'sometimes' this week," Zhou Ning replied coolly.
The pairings continued one by one—each announcement bringing new laughter, groans, or whispered complaints.
Until Director Liu reached the final names.
"Han Shaoqi…"
Shaoqi crossed his arms. "Here we go," he muttered.
"…and Li Yuchen."
The courtyard fell dead silent.
Wei Lan's eyes went wide. "Oh, no."
Yuchen, who had been calmly checking his phone, froze mid-scroll. "Director Liu, there must be some mistake."
"There isn't," Director Liu replied cheerfully. "You two will make a perfect team."
Shaoqi groaned. "With all due respect, sir, that's the worst idea I've ever heard."
Director Liu clasped his hands behind his back. "Then it's a good thing it's my idea."
Even the other students were trying not to laugh. Someone in the back whispered, "Five days of them bickering? That's entertainment."
Yuchen's voice dropped low, polite but tight. "Director Liu, I'm sure another pairing would be more—"
"Educational," Director Liu finished for him. "Exactly. That's why I chose this one."
Shaoqi looked like he wanted to bang his head on a wall. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Director Liu smiled. "Immensely."
* * *
The students began loading their luggage into the storage compartment of the bus.Shaoqi tossed his duffel inside with a bit too much force, earning a disapproving glance from Yuchen.
"Careful," Yuchen said. "You'll crush someone's equipment."
"It's fine," Shaoqi muttered. "It's just a bag."
"It's about respect," Yuchen replied, perfectly calm.
Shaoqi snorted. "Respect doesn't get you more space."
"Neither does acting like a bulldozer."
Before Shaoqi could fire back, Wei Lan grabbed Yuchen's arm. "Save it for the bus, please. I beg you."
* * *
Inside the bus, the tension was thick enough to skate on.
Director Liu's voice echoed down the aisle: "Seat partners will sit together, of course!"
Shaoqi stared at the ticket in his hand. Seat Twelve.
He turned to see Yuchen holding the same number.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Yuchen sighed, his tone perfectly composed. "Please refrain from talking the entire ride."
"Can't promise that," Shaoqi said, throwing his bag under the seat.
They sat in silence for about thirty seconds before the bus lurched forward—sending one of Shaoqi's snack bags sliding right into Yuchen's lap.
Yuchen blinked. Slowly.
Shaoqi froze. "…Gravity."
Wei Lan, sitting two rows behind, covered her mouth and whispered, "This trip's gonna be amazing."
* * *
By the time the bus rolled out of Yunhai, laughter and chatter filled the aisles—except for seat twelve, where the two most stubborn people in the academy sat in silence, pretending not to exist.
It was going to be a very, very long five days.