The dreaded words came during fourth period.
"Alright, class," the teacher said, clapping her hands. "It's time to assign partners for the group history project."
Groans echoed around the room.
"It'll count for 30% of your grade," she added sweetly. "And I'll be assigning the pairs."
Meiyu quietly prayed for a girl partner. Someone organized. Someone not annoying.
"Liang Meiyu… and Zhao Yichen."
She blinked.
He raised an eyebrow.
"No," they both said at the same time.
The class erupted in laughter.
"Perfect match," someone teased.
"Opposites attract," another sang out.
Meiyu buried her face in her hands. Yichen slouched even deeper into his chair, muttering, "Why me…"
"Maybe you'll learn something from her," the teacher said pointedly.
---
That afternoon, they met in the library, books and awkward silence between them.
"Okay," Meiyu said, setting down a folder. "I've divided the topic into five parts. If we finish early—"
"I'll take the intro and the conclusion," Yichen said, stretching.
She frowned. "That's the easiest part."
"Exactly."
"That's not fair! I—"
"You're the one who wants to make a color-coded timeline and write a script," he said, leaning over the table. "You're the overachiever here, not me."
She huffed. "At least I want a decent grade."
"I can carry this whole project with charm alone," he said smugly.
"Oh, really?" she snapped. "Then maybe I should do the presentation and you can just stand there and look pretty!"
He grinned. "So you admit I'm pretty."
She froze. "I— I meant—That's not—!"
He leaned closer. "You're kinda fun when you're angry."
"Do you ever take anything seriously?"
For a moment, the playful glint in his eyes dimmed. "Sometimes."
Then, just as quickly, it returned. "But not today."
---
They ended up working in silence—until Yichen pulled out his phone and played soft music. Meiyu glared.
"Distractions," she said.
"Motivation," he replied.
To her surprise, he actually did read a few pages and jotted some notes. Not many. But more than she expected.
When she wasn't looking, he stared at her hand as she sketched on a page, brow furrowed. When she looked up, he looked away.
Later, as they packed up, she hesitated.
"You're… not completely useless," she said softly.
He smirked. "Careful, Meiyu. That almost sounded like a compliment."
She rolled her eyes—but smiled as she walked out.
And he watched her go, the corners of his lips tugging up like they always did when she wasn't looking.
---