I was completely certain that last night had been a hallucination by the time the following day arrived.
Zhou Mingyu could not have possibly looked me in the eye and described me as "interesting." He had said, "No way," with such serene assurance that it didn't seem like it would ever come back to haunt me.
No. I was obviously losing my sense of reality due to my lack of sleep and caffeine addiction. There was no other reason.
Regretfully, reality didn't give a damn about my denial.
Because Zhou Mingyu turned his head and stared at me with those dark eyes after class ended, saying,
"My room. after supper.
As simple as that. Without hesitation. Not a word.
The speed at which my classmates' heads spun around made me fear that someone might sprain their neck. Before I had even gotten to my feet, the whispers began.
And me? I was too preoccupied with choking on air.
Dinner was a haze of anxious chewing and useless commentary from Qiao Rui.
"Are you heading to his dorm?" His eyes were wide with scandalous glee as he gasped in between bites of noodles.
"I'm using it to study!" I lost my temper. "For the project!"
"Certainly." His eyebrows were raised. "Perhaps studying each other's hearts—"
Before he could finish, I quickly left after throwing a dumpling in his face.
But as I crossed campus, the dread that was growing inside of me was unabated by any amount of dumpling throwing.
The windows of the dorm buildings glowed warmly against the indigo sky as they loomed in the twilight. I had sweat on my palms. My mind cried out for me to go back.
However, my feet continued to move.
I was just seconds away from pretending to have a stomachache by the time I got to his floor. perhaps a fire drill. or even both.
The moment is too late.
Because Zhou Mingyu had already got his keycard and was waiting by his door.
With his usual calm, he gazed at me. "You are running late."
My voice trailed off. "There were traffic jams! "In the corridor!"
His mouth quirked as if he wanted to smile but decided against it. After pushing the door open and swiping his card, he uttered only,
"Enter now."
I have no idea what I anticipated. Chaos, perhaps. Perhaps a desk buried under textbooks, half-eaten ramen cups, and sloppy socks.
However, Zhou Mingyu's room was... immaculate.
The bed was made with precision, with the corners tucked in like origami. The desk was spotless, with textbooks stacked according to size, pens sorted by color, and a laptop perfectly centered.
There was even a slight clean smell to the air, like citrus soap and laundry detergent.
It was frightening, similar to entering a "Excellence in Human Form" museum exhibit.
I, on the other hand, was the muddy shoe that had just destroyed the carpet.
I gripped my bag like a shield as I stumbled inside. "Well. A pleasant location.
He hung his blazer neatly on the back of his chair, unbuttoned it, and put his bag down. "Come sit."
I took a seat. Right away.
His notebook came out, and my knees jumped beneath the desk.
We initially worked in silence. He used clear diagrams and legible handwriting to explain the project's framework. I made an effort to follow along, but my mind was too preoccupied with listing the rooms.
There were medals, certificates, and trophies on his shelf, all immaculate. A framed picture of him shaking hands with a professor who looked important. A pile of math competition problems that was thicker than my head.
I noticed something unexpected, though, tucked in between them.
A tiny Polaroid with a slight bend at the corner.
It featured a younger Zhou Mingyu holding what looked to be a cat while wearing a loose hoodie. The icy perfection he now wore was so different from the barely there, clumsy smile he wore.
My eyes blinked.
Zhou Mingyu looked in my direction. He stopped his hand.
"Refrain from touching that." Despite his calm demeanor, there was a hint of sharpness in his voice.
"I was not—!" I raised my hands in a protective manner. "I was simply... looking!"
His gaze lingered on me for an excessive amount of time before returning to the paper. "Pay Attention."
I gave a desperate nod while feigning to take notes. But I couldn't get the picture out of my head.
Mingyu Zhou grinning. Sincerely.
I couldn't understand why it made my chest hurt.
An hour later, he leaned back a little and closed his notebook.
His words, "You're distracted,"
I choked. "No, I'm not!
"You used the same word three times in your writing." My page was indicated by him.
I glanced down—sure enough: equation, equation, equation.
Heat rushed to my ears. "It's… repetition for emphasis?"
He stared at me, unimpressed.
Then, casually, like asking about the weather, he said:
"Why are you so afraid of the rumors?"
I froze.
"I'm not—"
"You are," he cut in. "You flinch every time someone whispers. You avoid eye contact. Why?"
His gaze was steady, relentless. It felt like he could see straight through me.
My throat went dry. Words stumbled out before I could stop them.
"Because… I'm not good enough for someone like you."
Silence.
The kind that echoed.
My eyes widened. My brain screamed. Abort! Abort!
"I—I mean—for rumors! You know! Like if people think—ugh, forget it!" I slapped my notebook shut and buried my face in my hands.
My ears were on fire. My soul wanted to migrate to another planet.
I was about to die of embarrassment when my phone began to buzz loudly on the desk.
The name of Qiao Rui appeared on the screen.
Zhou Mingyu was quicker than me when I lunged for it. He picked it up, looked at the caller ID, and answered without thinking.
"Hello.
I went cold. "WHO ARE YOU?
"Lin Chen is busy," Zhou Mingyu said into the phone with ease. "He'll give you a call back."
He hung up after that.
As simple as that.
I gaped at him in horror. "You just—D-d-did you? My best friend was that person.
Calm as the glacier, he put my phone down neatly. "He was getting in the way."
What am I interrupting? My impending embarrassment-related death?
I almost felt my heart burst from my chest.
Between indignation and something I wouldn't mention, I sat there shaking.
What about Zhou Mingyu?
His eyes were focused on me as he leaned forward and rested his chin lightly on his hand.
The name is Lin Chen. He spoke in a soothing tone. Too quiet.
"You ought to start paying attention to the rumors. since I do.
The earth swayed.
My heart lost its ability to beat.
And for once in my life, I had no words at all.