The morning sunlight filtered through the windows of Class 11A1, painting the wooden desks in gold.Lin Keqing stood at the doorway, a leather strap of her schoolbag gripped tightly in one hand. Behind her, the hallway buzzed with students returning from summer break. In front of her, a silent class—forty curious faces turned in unison.
She smiled. A soft, practiced smile that came with being a transfer student too many times.
"Hi, I'm Lin Keqing. Nice to meet you all."
Her voice didn't shake, but her heartbeat skipped nonetheless.
Mr. Ha, the homeroom teacher, nodded approvingly. "You'll sit at the back, next to Gu Yuyan. Third row from the window."
A quiet stir passed through the classroom—subtle but noticeable.Someone murmured, "Gu Yuyan?"Another whispered, "He's gonna hate this."
Lin Keqing blinked. Was that supposed to mean something?
She walked to her seat slowly. The boy sitting at the far end didn't look up. He wore a crisp white shirt and black-rimmed glasses. A single earbud peeked out from beneath his dark hair. His pen moved swiftly over his notebook, ink flowing like water.
As she pulled the chair beside him, he didn't glance over. Didn't even shift. Only the faint smell of cedar and ink hinted at his presence.
Gu Yuyan, she recalled. Top of the grade. Reserved. Cold, some said.
Well. She wasn't here to make enemies—or friends. Just to survive the year.
The first period began: Literature.
Mr. Ha wrote a Tang poem on the board, his voice warm and smooth. Lin Keqing opened her notebook and tried to focus. But the words danced. Her fingers tapped lightly on the desk—a nervous habit.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
At some point, she noticed Gu Yuyan's pen pause.
When the bell rang, Lin Keqing let out a breath.As she flipped her history textbook open, something fluttered down—a folded note.
Blue paper. Thin strokes. Elegant handwriting.
"You tapped your pen six times. It's distracting."—G.Y.
She stared. Then smiled. So he had noticed her.
She pulled out her purple pen and flipped the paper over.
"Sorry. I just wanted you to know I exist."—L.K.
Then, with a heartbeat she didn't quite understand, she tucked the note gently between the pages of his math book.
After class, someone plopped down beside her. A cheerful girl with dyed chestnut hair and a cheeky grin.
"I'm Le Yahan! You're Lin Keqing, right? Let's be friends. I sit in front of you, but I turn around a lot."
Keqing blinked. "Okay?"
"And don't mind Gu Yuyan," Yahan whispered. "He talks to no one. Ever. If he responds to your note, I'll buy you milk tea for a week."
That afternoon, during math class, Gu Yuyan opened his book.Paused.Read.
His lips didn't move. His pen hovered.
A moment later, he tore off a corner from the blue paper and scribbled something.
He didn't look at her. Didn't say a word. Just passed the note under her hand without lifting his gaze.
She unfolded it.
"Noted."
A single word. But something about it made her heart… lighter.
Outside the window, clouds drifted across a pale-blue sky.Behind her, Le Yahan poked her arm and grinned."Girl," she whispered, "he replied?"
Lin Keqing said nothing. Just smiled to herself.
In the front row, Mr. Ha kept reading aloud.
And beside her, Gu Yuyan turned the page of his book, the corner of his mouth ever so slightly tilted.
Lunch break came quietly. Most students rushed to the cafeteria. Lin Keqing walked the opposite direction, her tray untouched, heading up the stairs.
The library was nearly empty—just the way she liked it. Rows of wooden shelves stretched quietly, and in the back corner was a seat by the window. She opened a book and tried to read, but her mind wandered.
He noticed me.He replied.
Even if it was just one word. It meant he wasn't unreachable. Not entirely.
She didn't know why she cared.
"Found you," came a cheerful voice.
Le Yahan slid into the seat across from her, a juice box in hand."You skipped lunch? Girl, are you trying to become mysterious or malnourished?"
Keqing laughed. "Neither. Just… needed quiet."
Yahan poked her arm. "So. Gu Yuyan replied to your note?"
She hesitated.
Yahan's eyes widened. "Wait—he did?!"
Keqing smiled, small and sly. "Maybe."
Le Yahan clutched her chest like she'd been shot."This is history. I mean—he doesn't even reply to teachers. I once saw him ignore a question from Mr. Ha for ten seconds straight."
Keqing raised an eyebrow. "Ten whole seconds?"
"Girl, I counted."
They laughed quietly together. And then Yahan grinned, leaning in.
"Let's make a deal. If you get him to write three notes before the midterm exams, I'll treat you to milk tea for the rest of the semester."
Keqing tilted her head. "And if I don't?"
"You owe me… one embarrassing story about your first crush."
A pause.
Then a slow, mischievous smile. "Deal."
That afternoon, Mr. Ha called Lin Keqing after class. His voice was gentle, but direct.
"I noticed you're quite observant," he said, folding his hands behind his back. "But in this class… you'll need more than observation."
Keqing stood straight. "I'll catch up."
"I believe you will." He smiled. "But Gu Yuyan… he's a hard one to sit next to."
She nodded.
"If he gives you trouble, tell me."
"He hasn't," she said honestly. "He's just… quiet."
Mr. Ha looked out the window. "Yes. But silence can be heavy too. Sometimes heavier than noise."
As she stepped into the hallway, she saw Gu Yuyan leaning against the classroom doorframe, his backpack slung over one shoulder.
Their eyes met. Just for a second.
She almost looked away.
But then—
He lifted a single piece of folded blue paper and placed it into her notebook as he passed.
No words. No glance.
When she opened it later, the note read:
"Don't forget your history textbook next time."—G.Y.
She laughed quietly to herself.
She hadn't even realized she'd left it behind.