Let the games begin.
Xiao Yu didn't need to see the chaos unfold to know he'd set something on fire. He could feel it in the air—the shift, the panic, the whispers turning into gasps, and the gasps turning into gossip.
By the time he reached the second floor, his post had already become the top trending thread on the Riverside School forum. He heard the pinging of notifications, the low murmurs from classrooms, the frantic typing of students trying to verify what they'd just read.
Yu Mian, elegant and composed as always, had her mask on.
But Xiao Yu knew better.
He passed her in the hallway with a slow turn of the head, catching the way her hands were clenched around her phone, knuckles white, lips slightly parted. Her carefully maintained calm was cracking.
She didn't say a word. She didn't need to.
He gave her the smallest of smirks.
That smirk said everything: Checkmate isn't always announced. Sometimes, it's just implied.
In the classroom, no one dared speak directly to him.
But the stares said enough.
Some were wide-eyed. Others suspicious. A few looked... impressed.
"Was it really photoshopped?"
"Maybe he's lying to save his ass."
"But... what if he's not?"
He dropped his bag beside his desk and collapsed into his chair with theatrical exhaustion, wincing slightly as his ribs protested. The bruises were healing, but not fast enough.
He could feel the tension roll off the room in waves.
Zhao Chen sat four seats away.
He hadn't even looked in Xiao Yu's direction.
Xiao Yu's eyes softened.
He still hates me.
Of course he does. He should.
But that didn't mean Xiao Yu wasn't going to try.
Lunchtime.
Xiao Yu moved to the garden courtyard, the only place quiet enough to think.
He unwrapped a rice ball someone had shoved into his locker—probably a peace offering from an anonymous gossip enthusiast—and bit into it moodily.
"Not enough salt," he muttered.
"Still acting like a diva, huh?" came a voice from behind him.
Xiao Yu turned.
Yu Mian stood at the edge of the courtyard, arms folded.
"I didn't name you," he said casually.
"You didn't have to."
He raised a brow. "Feeling guilty?"
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Do you think this makes you the hero?"
"No," he replied easily. "But it makes me the villain with a conscience. You? You're just the snake."
Yu Mian's eyes flared with something dangerous. "I'm warning you, Xiao Yu. You don't know what I'm capable of."
"No, I do," he said. "I've seen what you're capable of. That's why I'm not letting you slither your way out of this."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
"You think they'll forgive you for this?" she asked.
"No," he said. "But they'll remember you."
And with that, he walked past her, brushing her shoulder deliberately.
After classes, he sat on the rooftop, overlooking the campus as the sun dipped lower into the sky.
Shiroi appeared beside him in his fluffball form, hopping onto the bench.
"You really caused a scene," the spirit said.
Xiao Yu snorted. "You sound like you're impressed."
"I'm mildly horrified," Shiroi admitted. "But also... not entirely opposed. Yu Mian deserved it."
"She's not done yet," Xiao Yu muttered.
"No. But neither are you."
He leaned back, exhaling. "Zhao Chen still won't look at me."
"You tried to ruin his life. One post won't fix that."
"I don't expect it to."
"Then what do you want?"
Xiao Yu went quiet.
"I want... to be someone they can't ignore. Not because I'm loud or pretty or cruel. Just—someone who matters."
Shiroi tilted his head. "That sounds... honest. Are you feeling sick?"
Xiao Yu shoved him off the bench.
The next morning, the student council held an emergency assembly.
Principal Wei was not happy.
"The recent forum activity has caused an uproar," he announced. "We will be investigating the allegations made. All involved parties will be interviewed."
Yu Mian looked calm, but her hands were clasped tightly in her lap.
Xiao Yu sat with his chin in his palm, utterly unbothered.
After the assembly, Zhao Chen passed him in the hallway.
Their eyes met.
Only for a second.
Then Zhao Chen looked away.
Xiao Yu didn't say anything.
He didn't deserve to.
But maybe...
Maybe this time, silence was enough.
The forum thread stayed at the top of the board for a week.
It was dissected, debated, memed, and translated into seven languages by bored international students.
Rong Xichen never commented.
He never posted.
He never said a word.
But one afternoon, Xiao Yu passed by him near the library.
Rong Xichen stopped walking.
Xiao Yu paused too.
For a long second, neither spoke.
Then Rong Xichen said coldly, "You think that little stunt earns you points?"
Xiao Yu blinked. "I didn't do it to impress anyone."
"Good," Rong Xichen snapped, stepping forward until he towered over Xiao Yu. "Because no one's impressed. Especially not me."
Xiao Yu looked up, wounded, but didn't say a word.
"You don't get to act noble after everything you pulled," Rong Xichen said, voice low with disdain. "You're still the same selfish brat. And if you think I'll ever forgive you—"
"I don't," Xiao Yu interrupted quietly.
Rong Xichen's eyes narrowed.
"Then stay out of my sight."
He turned and walked away.
Xiao Yu stood frozen.
The sting was sharp.
But at least it was honest.
Back in the limbo space, Shiroi appeared before the flickering screens.
"Akai," he said quietly.
The red orb floated down. "What is it?"
"One shard."
Akai paused. "Already?"
Shiroi nodded. "He doesn't know it yet. But something shifted. One of master's soul fragments... reacted."
Akai floated toward the screen that showed Xiao Yu pacing the school hallway, grumbling under his breath about chemistry homework and people who hated him.
"Interesting," Akai murmured.
"Very," Shiroi agreed. "Maybe the mistake wasn't so bad after all."
That night, the forum lit up again.
A new thread.
No title.
No name.
Just screenshots.
Blurry, timestamped, but damning.
Lines of chat.
Xiao Yu's name.
Words like:
"If we get him drunk enough, he won't remember."
"Just slip it into his drink."
"Zhao Chen deserves to be knocked off his pedestal."
Comments flooded in under seconds.
"Wait, what the hell is this?"
"Is this real? Are those from Xiao Yu??"
"WHO is Sha Sha?!"
"He was going to DRUG Zhao Chen??"
"No way. He wouldn't—right?"
At the bottom of the thread was a single line:
"Let's see if the villain still wants to play."
And just like that...
The game flipped again.