Chapter 16: Clarified
XinYue didn't move the moment the bell rang.
She stayed seated, pretending to arrange her notebook, waiting for the classroom to empty. Chairs scraped against the floor, voices grew louder, then slowly faded as students poured out and another class prepared to enter.
Only one desk was still occupied.
Li Hanyan.
She took a breath and walked over, stopping beside him.
"Can you explain these?" she asked quietly, opening her notebook. "I didn't understand some questions."
He glanced at the page first—instinctively.
Then his eyes lifted to her face.
And just as quickly, he looked away.
"Ask your boyfriend," he said, tone controlled but distant.
"He's a senior. He should know."
The words landed heavier than he meant them to.
XinYue's fingers tightened around the notebook.
"If I had one," she said calmly, "I wouldn't be here."
That made him look back.
"But isn't Lin Jue—" he started.
She cut in gently, lowering her voice.
"It's not what people think. It's just… a deal. One week. That's all."
After a pause, she added, "Please don't tell anyone."
Silence followed.
Relief crept in before he could stop it.
Then jealousy followed right behind—messy, uninvited.
A deal didn't change how close they looked.
Or how often Lin Jue hovered.
Still, he said nothing.
He reached for the notebook.
"You missed a step here," he said, pointing. "That's why it didn't make sense."
She leaned closer as he explained, nodding slowly, listening—not to him, but with him. The tension didn't disappear. It just settled between them, quiet but alive.
Across the court, Lin Jue noticed.
He noticed the way XinYue's attention softened when Li Hanyan spoke.
The way Li Hanyan leaned in without realizing it.
Something twisted in his chest.
He didn't interrupt.
Didn't smile either.
Later that evening, XinYue's phone buzzed.
Xiu Fei:
You sound quieter today. Everything okay?
XinYue stared at the screen.
Yeah, she typed.
Just complicated.
She didn't know yet that "complicated" was only the beginning.