It's been two days since the changing of classes, and Sheng Wang had already begun to settle into his new class environment. The first day had been filled with awkward introductions and getting used to unfamiliar faces, but by the second day, he was starting to find it a little less awkward. 

Over the past few days, Sheng Wang has been trying every possible way to minimize his interactions with Jiang Tian. He couldn't avoid him entirely—after all, they shared the same dorm and mutual connections like Old Sheng and Jiang Ou. When they needed to relay messages between their families, he had no choice but to speak with Jiang Tian.

Still, their conversations were brief—no more than a few sentences. Jiang Tian would sometimes ask if Sheng Wang had eaten, to which Sheng Wang would reply with a simple "yes" or "no," without any further elaboration. There were no casual chats, no meaningful looks exchanged. Just these routine, mechanical conversations.

But even then, there were still those unavoidable glances. Occasionally, when their paths crossed in the hallway or when they were seated close by while eating their dinner at the dorm, Sheng Wang would feel Jiang Tian's gaze on him. Sometimes, he would steal a glance himself, but they were fleeting moments, barely long enough for anyone else to notice. It was as if they had both agreed—without saying a word—that things between them would remain this way: distanced, quiet, and controlled.

***

It was now lunchtime on the third day, and Sheng Wang found himself reluctantly heading toward the cafeteria. He had originally planned to eat alone; maybe find a quiet spot in Xi Le. But his friends had other ideas. Shi Yu and his girlfriend, both of whom had been annoyingly clingy lately, insisted on dragging him along. The couple walked behind him, keeping close enough to prevent him from sneaking away. Sheng Wang could only sigh in disbelief. 

As they entered the cafeteria, Sheng Wang noticed that it was less crowded than usual. Maybe because a lot of students were still caught up in their workload, trying to finish assignments before the deadlines loomed too close. The relative quiet in the cafeteria was a rare and welcome change.

Sheng Wang spotted an empty table by the window, far enough from the other groups of students, and quickly claimed it. He sat down, hoping to relax, but his peace was short-lived.

Across from him, Shi Yu and his girlfriend were already lost in their little world, whispering and giggling like they were the only people in the entire cafeteria. Sheng Wang couldn't help but roll his eyes. 

If it weren't for Shi Yu's girlfriend offering to order the food for us, they'd probably be flirting all the way through lunch, Sheng Wang thought bitterly. He had second thoughts about agreeing to eat with them at all. Even after their food arrived, they barely noticed, too wrapped up in each other to care. Their soft laughter and teasing echoed around the quiet cafeteria, making Sheng Wang cringe. "Really? Right in front of my stir-fried noodles?"

Left with no other choice, Sheng Wang focused on his food. He ate in silence, occasionally glancing out the window to distract himself from the couple's lovey-dovey behavior.

But just as he was halfway through his meal, a voice—loud and familiar—cut through the room.

Sheng Wang stiffened in his seat, his chopsticks hovering over his plate. 

That voice belonged to none other than Gao Tianyang, Jiang Tian's closest friend.

And if Gao Tianyang was here, there was a high chance that Jiang Tian was with him. Sheng Wang's heart skipped a beat at the thought. 

Sure enough, when he cautiously turned his head toward the entrance, he saw them—Gao Tianyang, Song Sirui, Little Pepper, and Jiang Tian. The group strolled into the cafeteria, their casual laughter filling the air as they found their way to a table. 

"Sheng-ge!" Gao Tianyang called out the moment he spotted Sheng Wang.

The cafeteria fell silent for a brief moment as curious heads turned to see who Tianyang was calling out to. Sheng Wang winced, immediately regretting his decision to look up. He had been hoping to go unnoticed, but now all eyes were on him.

His gaze, however, wasn't focused on Tianyang. It had already shifted to the person standing just behind him—Jiang Tian.

There he was, standing still, staring right at Sheng Wang with an expression as unreadable as ever. His face was calm, showing none of the warmth that Sheng Wang used to recognize. With the lack of emotion on Jiang Tian's face, Sheng Wang felt a faint tug in his heart upon realizing that he was waiting for his Ge to give him a smile immediately after their eyes met. 

"Why didn't he smile?" Sheng Wang wondered. In the past, Jiang Tian's eyes would light up the moment they met his, and his lips would curve into a genuine smile, his dimples deepening with joy. Back then, everything about Jiang Tian radiated happiness whenever they were together. 

But now? 

Now there was nothing. 

No smile, no dimples, no sign of excitement. 

Just a blank stare.

Jiang Tian's gaze didn't linger for long. He turned away, following Tianyang and the rest of the group as they made their way over to Sheng Wang's table. Tianyang, completely oblivious to the tension between the two, was already chatting away, talking about something that Sheng Wang couldn't even follow.

Sheng Wang barely noticed when Tianyang finally stood in front of him, extending his fist for a bump. It wasn't until Tianyang waved his fist slightly that Sheng Wang snapped out of his daze, realizing that his friend had been waiting for him to respond.

"Did you miss me so much that you stared at my fist for seconds, Sheng-ge?" Tianyang teased, a wide, boyish grin spreading across his face.

The rest of the group laughed, and even Shi Yu joined in, shaking his head at Sheng Wang's distracted state. Sheng Wang forced a chuckle, feeling embarrassed. He kept his head low, determined to avoid looking at Jiang Tian, who had taken a seat next to him.

"If you keep teasing him, he's going to sink into the floor," Shi Yu said, trying to deflect some of the attention away from Sheng Wang. "He's just tired from doing assignments all morning," he added. 

Tianyang laughed. "Hey, I'm just joking! Come on, aside from you and Tian-ge, I'm also his roommate. We see each other every morning and every night. How could Sheng-ge miss my handsome face?" His over-the-top confidence sent the table into another round of laughter.

Sheng Wang tried to join in, but his heart wasn't in it. He was too aware of Jiang Tian sitting beside him, too aware of the occasional glances he sent in his direction.

Trying to act natural, Sheng Wang picked up his chopsticks again, determined to focus on his food and ignore the tension.

As the group continued chatting, Sheng Wang remained mostly quiet, only nodding along when someone addressed him. But he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting toward Jiang Tian, sneaking quick looks when he thought no one was watching. Every time their eyes almost met, Sheng Wang would quickly look away, pretending to be engrossed in his meal. 

It wasn't until Shi Yu started recounting a funny incident from class that everything took a turn. Shi Yu mentioned how, during a lecture, Sheng Wang had reached behind him and asked for a pen refill without thinking. 

The memory made Sheng Wang's stomach drop. 

Caught off guard, he choked on the long strand of noodles he was chewing. 

His sudden coughing caught everyone's attention. The table fell silent as his friends looked at him with concern, asking if he was okay. Sheng Wang waved them off, trying to assure them he was fine. But all the while, his heart raced, knowing exactly what Shi Yu's words had triggered.

Jiang Tian, on the other hand, seemed to have caught the meaning behind Shi Yu's story. While the others were concerned, Jiang Tian merely chuckled, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Seeing that Sheng Wang was struggling to reach the water bottle in the middle of the table, Jiang Tian acted quickly. Without a word, he grabbed his own water bottle, twisted the cap open, and handed it to Sheng Wang. 

Sheng Wang, still trying to recover from his coughing, accepted the bottle without looking at the person who offered it.

He drank immediately, downing nearly half the bottle before setting it back on the table.

"Thanks," he muttered, still not fully aware of what had just happened.

Only after Shi Yu passed him a tissue to wipe his chin did the situation hit him. As he dabbed at the water on his face, Shi Yu suddenly asked, "Wait a minute... Didn't you already drink from that bottle?"

Sheng Wang froze. 

His eyes widened in realization as he slowly turned to the person beside him. 

Jiang Tian didn't bother looking at Shi Yu, who had asked the question. Instead, he turned to Sheng Wang, his expression calm and unbothered.

"So what?" Jiang Tian said casually, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like this kid hasn't kissed me before."

The table went dead silent. 

Sheng Wang felt his face heat up as the words sank in. 

Everyone knew Jiang Tian was referring to that one time during a game of truth or dare when Sheng Wang kissed him. 

But hearing it from Jiang Tian, being brought up so casually, as if it wasn't even a big deal, made Sheng Wang's stomach twist.

He bit down on his lip, not sure whether he was more upset about being called a kid or the fact that Jiang Tian didn't seem to care about the kiss at all that after dropping those words, he went back almost immediately to eating like nothing had happened.

Sheng Wang glared at him for a few moments before standing up abruptly. He grabbed the used tissue and headed over to the trash bin, tossing it in with more force than necessary.

But as soon as Sheng Wang was out of sight, Jiang Tian finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

He watched as Sheng Wang marched on his way to throw the tissue, chuckling secretly. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly. His grip tightened on the edge of the table as memories of the past—of the kiss during the truth or dare game and the other one that happened in his room, of the closeness they once shared—began to resurface. He knew he had been patiently letting Sheng Wang keep his distance from him, pretending like it wasn't affecting him at all, but the truth was much harder to ignore.

When Sheng Wang returned to the table, Jiang Tian suddenly stood up and started walking towards the door of the cafeteria.

"Where are you going, Tian-ge?" Gao Tianyang asked.

He stopped from his track but didn't look back at their table, knowing that he'd most likely meet Sheng Wang's eyes if he did. 

"Restroom," he muttered, taking a step forward and leaving his friends wondering what the heck just happened.