Li Wei slept like a rock — or at least, he tried to.
The apartment was quiet except for Li Na's soft snores and the hum of the ceiling fan.
But his mind wasn't resting. Every time he closed his eyes, flashes of last night replayed — Lin Yue's smile, his mother's scolding, that ridiculous heartbeat moment that felt too real to be a dream.
He groaned and buried his face in the pillow.
"Forget it, Li Wei. Sleep."
Eventually, exhaustion dragged him down.
Morning arrived sooner than he wanted.
The pale light of dawn slipped through the curtains and painted his face. His alarm hadn't even rung yet, but his body decided to betray him and wake up early anyway.
He stretched lazily, yawning wide enough to scare ghosts away.
For a moment, his mind was blank — calm, peaceful, blissfully unaware.
Then, like a responsible student, he muttered, "Alright, shower first, breakfast later."
He completely forgot that Lin Yue was staying in Li Na's room.
The bathroom tiles were icy cold under his feet.
He twisted the shower knob, and warm water rushed out, steaming the small space instantly.
Something about the morning made him feel unusually cheerful. Maybe it was the sunlight. Maybe it was the leftover adrenaline from last night.
Whatever it was — he started singing.
Not humming. Not quietly. Singing. Loud and proud, like he was performing at a concert no one asked for.
"🎵 I'm the brightest star, oh yeah, the coolest guy alive~ 🎵"
His voice echoed through the hallway.
If confidence had a sound, it was Li Wei right now.
He shampooed his hair dramatically, pretending the shampoo bottle was a microphone. He even added a few unnecessary dance moves that almost made him slip.
Outside, the apartment carried his voice down the hall — right to Li Na's room.
And inside that room… Lin Yue was awake.
She blinked sleepily, hearing the strange but catchy tune coming from the bathroom.
At first, she thought it was the TV. Then, she realized it was him.
Her lips twitched.
She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but a small giggle escaped anyway.
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Li Wei was living his best life.
He hit the high note like a dying cat but with pure confidence.
"🎵 No one's cooler than meeeeee—!"
Then, with a satisfied grin, he turned off the water, grabbed his towel, and walked out — shirtless, hair dripping, still humming to himself.
And then… he froze.
Lin Yue stood there in the hallway.
Right outside the door.
Waiting to use the sink.
She was dressed neatly in her school uniform, her long hair slightly messy but glowing in the morning light.
For a full second, neither of them moved.
Then her eyes widened.
Li Wei's mouth fell open.
The world stopped breathing.
"Uh—" he stammered.
She blinked. Her cheeks turned pink.
And then, to make things infinitely worse — she smiled.
It wasn't mocking. It wasn't teasing.
It was quiet. Soft. Amused.
The kind of smile that made time slow down without permission.
Li Wei's brain screamed RUN!
He tightened the towel, muttered something that sounded like "excusemegotagobye," and bolted.
He almost slipped on the wet floor, banged his knee on the table corner, and somehow still managed to trip over his own school bag before crashing into his room.
He slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathless.
The mirror across the room reflected his dripping hair, wide eyes, and absolute horror.
He stared at himself, disbelief written all over his face.
And then he spoke.
"Are you a world-class singer or what?" he said to his reflection.
His reflection stared back, unimpressed.
"How the hell did you sing that loud?" he muttered. "You sound like a rooster with a microphone."
He groaned and dragged a towel over his head.
"This is crazy. First, the smile last night. Now, the bathroom concert. What's next? Fall into a pond with her watching?"
He slapped his cheeks lightly. "No. No way. Li Wei, you're the coolest guy alive. You don't get embarrassed."
The mirror didn't believe him.
He pointed a finger at his reflection. "This is all her fault! Lin Yue, just wait. I'll get my revenge. No one makes Li Wei the morning meme!"
He took a deep breath and muttered under it, "We'll see who wins at school today."
Ten minutes later, he emerged from his room — dressed, hair slightly messy but trying to look cool again.
The smell of breakfast drifted from the kitchen: warm buns, eggs, and soy milk.
His mom was already setting the table while Li Na scrolled through her phone, pretending to be innocent.
And Lin Yue was sitting quietly, sipping her milk — her lips curving slightly when he walked in.
Li Wei looked anywhere but at her.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Li Na teased.
He gave her a glare sharp enough to slice bread.
His mom looked up. "Finally awake? Eat quickly. You've got school."
"Yes, Mom," he said, trying to sound normal.
But as he sat down, Lin Yue's presence at the same table made his brain short-circuit again.
Every time she lifted her cup, his eyes betrayed him and glanced her way.
And every time he did, she caught him — and smiled like she knew exactly what he was thinking.
After breakfast, his mom clapped her hands.
"Li Wei," she said.
He looked up instantly, nervous. "Yes?"
"You'll take Lin Yue to school today."
He blinked. "Huh? Why me?"
"Because she doesn't know the route yet," his mom replied. "And if anything happens to her, I'll see your end. Understand?"
Li Na giggled into her cup. Lin Yue tried not to laugh.
Li Wei just stared, frozen mid-bite.
"Mom, this is—"
"No excuses."
He sighed in defeat, poking his bun with a chopstick.
His mom gave him a warning look, and he quickly straightened up.
"Okay, fine. I'll take her."
"That's my boy," she said with a smile, completely unaware of his inner chaos.
He glanced sideways at Lin Yue.
She met his eyes — calm, amused — and said softly, "Looks like we'll be classmates today."
He forced a laugh. "Yeah. Lucky me."
Inside, his heart whispered something entirely different: We'll see who wins this round.
As they got ready to leave, Li Na called out from behind, "Try not to sing on the way, superstar!"
Li Wei froze mid-step, his ears turning red.
Lin Yue covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.
And as they stepped out the door, Li Wei muttered under his breath, "This is going to be the longest school day of my life…"
But his heart — the traitor — was already racing again.