The moment I stepped off the plane, I inhaled China's air deeply.
After four years abroad… I was finally back.
Zhai Zhai was dragging her luggage like she was entering a fashion show.
"Waner!! Hurry up! Someone is waiting for you!" I frowned.
"Who?"
Before she could answer, a familiar voice spoke behind me.
"I told you I'd come… didn't I?" I turned—and almost dropped my passport.
Ling Yichen.
Tall, handsome, cap pulled low, trying to hide from cameras… but still glowing like a star.
"Yichen?! Why are you here? Didn't you fly back earlier?" He shook his head and smiled gently.
"I booked the same flight. Of course I wanted to walk out with you."
Typical Yichen.
To the world, he was a rising actor with millions of fans.
To the university, he was the campus prince. To girls—he was their dream.
To me… Just a friend. Nothing more. Nothing I was allowed to think more. Not when I already belonged to someone else. Someone the world didn't know about.
But before I could ask Yichen anything, something strange happened.
A scream. Then another. Then dozens.
"IT'S LING YICHEN!!!"
"Oh my god it's really him!!"
"YICHEN LOOK HERE!!"
Within seconds, the quiet arrival hall exploded into chaos.
Fans rushed in like a tsunami, phones flashing, banners waving. Security tried to block them, but they kept pushing.
I blinked. "Why are they—" Zhai Zhai grabbed my arm.
"Waner… you idiot… you walked out next to HIM. Of course his fans think you're suspicious!" My stomach dropped.
And she was right. Every camera turned toward us.
More precisely— Toward me standing next to him. Girls glared. Some screamed. Some aimed their phones at my face.
"Oh great…" I muttered. "This is exactly why I avoid celebrities." Yichen frowned and stepped in front of me protectively.
"Don't film her. She's just my friend." But saying that only made it worse.
"JUST a friend?! He never said that about any girl!"
"Look how close they are!"
"She must be the girl he likes!"
"No wonder he refused to confirm rumors—he already has someone!"
Fan emotions surged like a volcano. Security tried to form a human wall, but some girls broke through.
One grabbed my wrist.
"Move away from Yichen! You're blocking his face!" Another shouted,
"Don't cling to him!!" "I'M NOT CLINGING!" I yelled back—but the chaos swallowed my voice.
I felt my heart pound. The cameras, the phones, the shouting—it was overwhelming. My mind raced. How was I supposed to explain anything?
Everyone here thought I was… what?
His girlfriend?
A secret love interesting.
Yichen's hand lightly brushed mine, steadying me. "Stay close," he murmured. His calmness was almost surreal compared to the storm around us.
I nodded, gripping my own luggage tighter. "Y-yeah… close."
Zhai Zhai pulled at my arm.
"Waner, move! The only way out is that side door!" She pointed to a narrow emergency exit corridor that seemed mercifully less crowded.
I glanced back at Yichen. His fans were relentless. Some were even crying. And then I realized… the flashes weren't just from cameras—they were from phone lights, recording every single second.
My face, frozen next to him. Forever captured.
"Can you… go first?" I asked, hesitating.
He shook his head. "No. I'm not letting anyone hurt you. Follow me."
We weaved through the chaos, dodging outstretched hands and flashing screens. My stomach churned. Why did this always happen to him? And why did it always pull me into the eye of the storm?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we reached the corridor. It was quieter here. The echo of screaming fans faded behind us, leaving only our breathing and the soft hum of the airport ventilation.
Yichen looked at me, serious for the first time. "Are you okay?"
I swallowed hard. "I… I think so. But… why do you always have to make things complicated?"
He smirked, the calm confidence returning. "Complicated? Me? Never."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide my smile. For a fleeting moment, everything else—the fans, the cameras, the world—didn't exist.
Yichen finally guided me through the last stretch of chaos, carefully avoiding lingering fans and the exhausted security guards. The taxi ride to my apartment was quiet, but my mind was anything but. My heart still raced, the shouts and flashes of cameras replaying in my head.
"Thanks… for… helping back there," I murmured, gripping my luggage tightly.
He offered that easy, reassuring smile. "You shouldn't have to face that alone. I'd do it anytime."
I forced a small laugh. "Yeah… anytime, huh?"
The taxi pulled up outside my building. I grabbed my luggage, hesitating at the door. A part of me wanted him to stay a little longer—he'd been my anchor in that chaos—but another part twisted nervously. He… the one waiting somewhere I couldn't reveal, the one I truly belonged to… what if he somehow saw this? What if he misunderstood? I couldn't risk it.
Yichen stepped out beside me, lowering his cap. "Here we are. You're safe now."
I nodded, fumbling with my keys. "Thanks… again." My voice felt small.
We paused, looking at each other. For a fleeting moment, the world outside the taxi seemed to vanish. To everyone else, he was a superstar. To me, he was just a friend. Nothing more. I reminded myself firmly—just a friend.
"You should get inside," he said finally, stepping back.
I swallowed, forcing a nod. No mistakes. Nothing that could give him a reason to doubt me. My thoughts raced ahead to him, imagining his eyes if he knew I'd been caught in that storm of fans with Yichen. I couldn't let him see. Not yet.
"Be careful… Waner," Yichen said quietly, his tone gentle but steady.
I watched him disappear into the night, my heart still pounding. The relief of getting home safely mixed uneasily with a gnawing worry. I closed the door behind me and sank onto my bed, hugging my pillow.
Today had been overwhelming. Chaos, flashing cameras, screaming fans… and me, stuck in the middle. And yet, the biggest tension wasn't the crowd—it was the thought of him, waiting somewhere, completely unaware of everything.
I pressed my face into the pillow, whispering to myself, "It's fine. Nothing happened. He doesn't need to know."
But a small, stubborn worry lingered. What if he somehow found out?