Monday felt… normal.
Not in a bad way. Just the usual noise, usual people, usual rush before the first bell.
XinYue walked in, adjusting her bag, and Zhao Xia immediately slid a notebook across the desk.
"Do this."
"What is this?" XinYue asked, sitting down.
"Homework. I forgot."
"You always forget."
"And you always remember," Zhao Xia said calmly. "That's why we're friends."
XinYue rolled her eyes but opened the notebook anyway.
Beside her, Li Hanyan glanced at the page. "That's wrong."
Zhao Xia turned. "Excuse me?"
"Question three," he said. "You copied it wrong."
"I didn't copy. I interpreted," Zhao Xia replied.
"That's not how math works."
XinYue laughed quietly. "Show us then."
Li Hanyan took the pen, fixed one step, then pushed the notebook back.
Zhao Xia stared at it. "…Okay, that actually makes sense."
"Of course it does," he said.
"Don't get used to this," she warned.
"Too late," he replied.
—
During class, XinYue leaned slightly toward him.
"Hey," she whispered, "what did sir just say?"
"Pay attention," he said without looking at her.
"I was paying attention. Just… not to that part."
He sighed, then pointed at her book. "Here. This line."
She read it, then nodded. "Oh."
Pause.
"…Thanks."
"Mm."
—
Break time was louder than usual.
Zhao Xia dragged XinYue out into the corridor again.
"I'm bored," Zhao Xia announced.
"You're always bored."
"Exactly. So we need entertainment."
"That sounds dangerous."
Zhao Xia grinned. "Let's go to the canteen and judge people."
"That's worse."
They went anyway.
Li Hanyan followed a few steps behind, like always—not joining, not leaving either.
At the canteen, Zhao Xia pointed at a random guy. "He definitely failed his test."
"How do you know?" XinYue asked.
"Look at his face."
"That's just his face," XinYue said.
Li Hanyan added quietly, "He passed."
They both turned to him.
"How do you know?" Zhao Xia asked.
"He was sitting in front of me."
Zhao Xia narrowed her eyes. "You notice too much."
He shrugged. "You notice too little."
XinYue laughed. "That's true."
"Wow," Zhao Xia said. "Betrayal."
—
Later, back in class, XinYue dropped her pen.
It rolled under the desk.
She bent down to grab it—
and hit her head lightly on the desk.
"Ow."
Li Hanyan immediately pulled the chair back slightly. "Careful."
"I'm fine," she said, sitting back up, rubbing her head.
"You say that after hitting a desk."
"It wasn't that hard."
He looked at her for a second. "…Still."
She paused.
"…Thanks," she said again, quieter this time.
He nodded once.
—
After school, the three of them walked out together.
Zhao Xia was talking nonstop about something random.
"And then she said—wait, no, listen—she actually said that in front of the teacher—"
XinYue was half-listening, half-watching the road.
Li Hanyan walked on her other side, quiet.
At one point, a bicycle came too close.
He reached out—just for a second—pulled her slightly back by her sleeve.
"Watch it," he said.
"I saw it," she replied.
"You didn't."
"…Okay, maybe I didn't."
Zhao Xia turned around. "What happened?"
"Nothing," XinYue said.
"See?" Li Hanyan added. "Nothing."
Zhao Xia squinted at both of them. "You two are suspicious."
"We're literally walking," XinYue said.
"Exactly. Suspicious walking."
—
At the gate, they stopped like usual.
"Bye," Zhao Xia said, already turning away.
"Bye," XinYue replied.
She looked at Li Hanyan. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
A small pause.
Then he added, "Don't hit your head again."
She smiled a little. "No promises."
He almost smiled back.
—
That was it.
No big moment.
No heavy silence.
Just a normal day.
But somehow—
it didn't feel as ordinary as it used to.
---
This is your base now.
From here, you can:
slowly bring back jealousy (not suddenly)
or push Linjue in again
or just build more of this natural bond
And trust me—this type of chapter is what makes readers stay.