The bright light of the day filled the room illuminating it to its maximum. Chen Yuqi stirred awake squinting her eyes open to adjust to the high amount of the light in the room. She stretched out her hand lazily reaching for her phone on the nightstand. She double tapped the screen to switch it on,the background photo and other features on the display coming into view. Paying attention to the time which happened to be half past noon,she slowly uncovered herself getting up from bed. If not doing laundry she liked to sleep in on Saturdays.
Chen Yuqi marched towards the window to open the curtains catching a glimpse of the neighborhood. The sun was shining brightly and the atmosphere was nothing but calm and serene, typical of a normal spring day- a perfect day for a date indeed. But for Chen Yuqi going out for dates seemed like a mere fantasy to her. She hadn't dated before but she had developed crushes along the way yet she preferred liking them from a distance instead of making a move. She reluctantly tore her gaze from the outside view and walked back to the nightstand grabbing her daily companion - her phone. Considering that she wasn't a socially active person they were very few notifications popping up on the screen.
~Guys we're starting a new novel today. I'm so excited ~
~ Me too. Blades and Blossoms for life. See you soon guys~
Those were the messages from the group chat of her bookclub. Reading was one of Chen Yuqi 's favourite hobbies and she loved more than reading -she loved analysing the books,the characters as if she were living in the book and also the excitement of recommending new books to others. For that reason,she joined Cloud Scroll Collective,a bookclub at her university. They usually met up every Saturday afternoon to talk about novels they had read and Chen Yuqi always looked forward to the meetings because it was the only place she would express her ideas and opinions without being criticized.
Seeing it was about an hour and half before the meet up ,she decided to prepare herself. First,she cooked a light meal for herself. After taking the meal,she cleaned the dishes,tidied up the house a bit and freshened up before dressing up comfortably and leaving her apartment.
Under the poor girl façade she always wore to avoid getting attention,Chen Yuqi was from a wealthy family. In her second year,she had already moved out of the dorm to live freely offcampus. After confirming she had locked the door for the third time a habit she had developed over time,she headed out of the apartment building.
******
For the bookclub meeting,they usually met up at a café near the campus. Chen Yuqi cycled for twenty minutes before the café came into view. Parking her bicycle outside the cafe she walked inside and immediately noticed the other members huddled around one of the tables at the corner. They seemed to be so engrossed in a conversation that they didn't notice her presence.
Most of the members there already shared strong bonds with each other, always caring and affectionate towards each other. Whenever Chen Yuqi was with them,she could feel a familiar warmth emanating from their presence,always soothing her nerves. They weren't just a mere bookclub,they were a family of book lovers.
"Hi guys,"Chen Yuqi's soft voice caught everyone's attention and they all turned to acknowledge her with bright smiles.
"Yuqi you're here?"
Chen Yuqi hummed smiling shyly under their intense gazes. Shortly after, they resumed their conversations till everyone showed up.
"Where is Kai?"Mei Xuan,the leader of the book club questioned. All the present members started looking around in search of the mentioned boy but he was nowhere to be seen.
Huang Kai was the assistant leader of the club,the most cheerful in the group. The bookclub was made up of eleven members; seven girls girls- Mei Xuan,Chen Yuqi,He Ling,Rong Xin,Su Zhenzhen ,Xin Yi,Zhao Lixue and four boys - Huang Kai, Cao Wei,Qin Yi and Deng Yu.
"He texted saying he'll be late,"Deng Yu informed them easing the worry on their faces.
"While we wait for him, let's order,"He Ling suggested.
They always had a tradition of taking their favourite drinks during the book analyzing session. It helped ease their minds and stimulate them to participate in the discussions.
"Rong Xin, let's go and order."
By now,after staying together for long they knew each other's preferred drinks by heart and it was amazing how everyone always volunteered to get drinks for the others.
"Does anyone want a snack?"He Ling asked getting up from her seat.
"Some cookies please,"Mei Xuan said.
"Anyone else?"He Ling queried,her eyes scanning everyone's face. When she was sure there weren't any extra orders she went to the counter to order. He Ling loved the ordering part because she always got a chance to flirt with the part timer boy who always worked at the cafe.
He Ling used her opportunity well , throwing a few flirtatious words at the boy once in a while. The boy didn't seem to mind it but he never flirted back. His smile was his only response .
When everyone had settled down with their drinks,Huang Kai,the awaited boy finally showed up but he wasn't alone. Beside him there was a tall boy with jet black curly hair dressed casually in a pair of cargo pants and a graphic T-shirt. He had a shoulder bag slung over his shoulders.His hands were dipped inside his pockets as he walked confidently beside Huang Kai. The more he got closer the more his striking features became clearer, everyone turned their gaze admiring him while others shamelessly ogling him- boys intimidated by his beauty and aura ,girls smitten with his beauty.
Noticing their attention towards him,a proud smirk tugged at his thin peach coloured lips. Chen Yuqi froze under his presence,her breath hitching. She became nervous and could feel her palms getting sweaty.
Since she was seated with her back facing the guy,she quickly looked away and began flipping her novel just to hide her tension. She still couldn't believe it- the guy was her crush ,they were both sophomores taking the same major. She had seen him in class several times but not even once did she interact with him. To her,the guy was way out of her reach. He always had a group of popular girls clinging onto him struggling to get his attention.
"Guys we have a new member joining our bookclub today,"Huang Kai revealed excitedly patting the guy's back.
"Hello everyone I'm Xu Wen , sophomore taking Computer Science. I would like to join you guys ,I hope you'll welcome me,"he spoke in his clear yet alluring velvety voice and gave a gentle smile.
"Welcome to the Cloud Scroll Collective, "Mei Xuan spoke up and all the others said after her,their voices overlapping especially the girls each trying to capture his attention.
Chen Yuqi was quiet the whole time not daring to raise her gaze from her book. She pretended to not acknowledge Xu Wen's presence. Only she knew the torture she was undergoing right now with her heart pounding hard in her chest that she feared the others might hear her screaming heart. What became worse was the guy taking a seat directly across from her.