Heartbroken before even speaking

Hao Nan got up and tidied up the books. As he paced, the purple butterfly that had been perched on his lapel quietly slipped to the ground, unnoticed by anyone.

On the other side of the library, Ting Xubai was meticulously tidying up the bookshelves.

Tingyue looked at the pile of books on the ground, which resembled a small mountain, and the repeated trips she had to carry them made her irritable.

Why not just move them all over there! With a determined look, she bent down and scooped up the stack of books.

The book suddenly rose higher, completely blocking her view.

At first, it was very gentle; she moved her feet carefully.

But after walking a short distance, my arms started to feel sore and numb.

He lost his footing and fell forward!

Books fell to the ground one after another, and her vision suddenly opened up.

Jiang Hui, who had just finished tidying up on the second floor, was chatting and laughing with his friend as he walked down the stairs when he was confronted by this disheveled scene.

Their eyes met suddenly. Jiang Hui! Tingyue!

A sudden shock struck me. The two people, who I thought would never cross paths again, had unexpectedly reunited under such circumstances.

Tingyue was still sitting on the ground, staring blankly at him.

Jiang Hui's classmate's eyes darted quickly between the two of them, and he tactfully said, "Well... I'll be going now."

Jiang Huichao nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Tingyue, not looking away for even a moment.

He walked to her side, looked down at her on the ground, and asked in a low voice, "How long do you plan to sit here?"

Tingyue then seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly got up.

His outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air, while she stood up on her own.

The hand had no choice but to silently withdraw, the fingertips curling into the palm.

She gave a slightly awkward smile: "What a coincidence... How are you doing in the science class?"

"That's good." His gaze swept over the messy pile of books on the floor. "Why did you carry so many at once?"

"Going back and forth is too much trouble, I want to save myself the trouble." Her tone was a little annoyed.

He crouched down and began picking up the scattered books: "Let me help you."

"Thank you." Tingyue quickly squatted down as well. The originally tedious and boring tidying work was now mixed with a touch of joy.

Tingyue seemed to understand the meaning of what Hao Nan had said.

After Ting Bai finished tidying up his area, he came over to help Ting Yue, only to find that she already had helpers by her side, and that she didn't need him at all.

Tingyue and Jiang Hui, engrossed in organizing, were completely unaware of Ting Xubai's arrival.

The two turned the tedious categorization into a game, whispering and laughing softly from time to time, as if the noise of the library was shut out from their little world.

After listening to Xu Bai lean against the bookshelf and quietly read for a while, a slight smile appeared on his lips before he turned and left.

He casually pulled a book from the shelf, sat down in a corner, and immersed himself in the "golden house" between the lines.

On the other side, after several hours of hard work, Qi Xu and Hao Nan finally announced the completion of the project.

Exhausted, Qi Xu slumped into a chair with his arms hanging down at his sides, having exhausted all his strength.

Hao Nan also sat down, his gaze quickly sweeping over her before turning away.

He called out to the people opposite him, "Are you two ready yet?"

Hearing the moon and the sound, and looking at the mountain of books that was still mostly on the ground, he sighed, "Why do I feel like the more I clean up, the more there are?"

Jiang Hui had just put the book he was holding back down and looked back at it. "Take your time. We'll be doing a big clean-up when we get back anyway," he said, his tone reassuring.

"Okay," Tingyue called out to Hao Nan, "Not yet, you guys rest first, it'll be ready soon!"

The library has returned to tranquility.

Qi Xu lay listlessly on the table, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the surface.

The soft "thump...thump...thump..." sound was particularly clear in the silence.

Hao Nan sat opposite her, wanting to speak, but not knowing where to begin, so he remained silent.

In a secluded corner of the library, where no one could see him, his gaze fixed intently on her, intensely burning with passion.

Qi Xu sensed the burning gaze and abruptly stopped what he was doing.

She looked up, meeting his gaze, her voice cool and clear: "What are you looking at?"

“It’s nothing,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. “Let me see how your ear piercing is healing.”

“This time it was well protected, it will definitely take shape.” She said confidently.

"Did you turn it by hand?" he asked.

Qi sat up straight and raised his hand to reach for the earring.

Hao Nan had already stood up, walked around behind her, and gently grasped her raised wrist: "I'll help you." His voice was deep, carrying an undeniable tenderness.

Qi Xu's body stiffened slightly, and he remained silent. Silence filled the air.

After a long while, Hao Nan reluctantly let go of her wrist.

The moment that cool, delicate touch left my palm, it felt as if a small piece of my heart had been taken away as well.

A sudden surge of loss and possessiveness gripped him. He abruptly tightened his grip on her wrist again, much harder than before.

His gaze was fixed on her earlobe, but his peripheral vision and all his attention were occupied by her, making it impossible for him to focus on that small ear piercing. His heart pounded wildly in his chest.

Qi Xu was taken aback by his sudden action and instinctively struggled for a moment.

The force of her struggle jolted Hao Nan back to his senses, and he slowly released her wrist.

She carefully pinched the tiny earring between her fingertips and began to spin it.

His fingertips brushed against her slightly cool earlobe, and the coolness only fueled his desire to test just how deep that soft coolness was.

However, the deep ear piercings embedded in his flesh reminded him of the potential pain, making his movements even gentler, with an almost reverent care.

Qi Xu keenly noticed Hao Nan's unusual behavior over the past few days. After pondering for a while, the final answer became clear.

She also sensed Hao Nan's silent, surging emotions.

She spoke softly, but her voice was colder than before, like a blade chilled to ice: "Hao Nan, don't do this again. I'm not a child; I can take care of myself."

The fingers that were gently turning the earring froze the moment she finished speaking!

That tactful rejection, however, sounded like the sharpest irony to him, echoing repeatedly and piercing his heart with pain.

A surge of intense resentment and grievance rushed to his head! He grabbed the back of the chair without hesitation, turning Qi Xu and the chair sharply towards him! He braced his hands on the chair arms, leaned in, and trapped her between himself and the chair back!

Qi Xu was startled by this sudden action and his breath caught in his throat, but in just a moment, his eyes returned to their icy calm, staring back at him without any emotion.

She has a clear conscience and is fearless.

Hao Nan's eyes instantly reddened, and bright tears shimmered violently within them.

A thousand words surged within him, but only a dry, hoarse sentence escaped his lips: "But...aren't we friends?"

“We’re friends,” Qi Xu’s voice was firm, “but you’ve crossed the line.”

For some reason, after saying those words, Qi Xu felt a heavy, dull feeling in his heart.

Was it the glint in his eyes that was too dazzling? Or was it because his meticulous care after she transferred schools had already quietly pried open a crack in her strong defenses, making her feel a sense of dependence?

Or... she simply longed for the warmth of being well cared for and genuinely loved? Just like when her father sheltered her under his wings, allowing her to be a carefree child who could whine when wronged.

Unfortunately, that version of Qi Xu has long been buried by time. Now, she is absolutely unwilling to be anyone's puppet, passively accepting arrangements.

"Seven Xu!" Hao Nan clenched his fists on the chair arm, his knuckles cracking, and squeezed out a suppressed growl from deep in his throat.

A scalding tear, without warning, broke free of its restraints and slammed heavily onto Qi Xu's cheek.

The hot, damp stain slid down her skin and finally fell to the ground, leaving a tiny, fleeting mark.

Seeing the boy's reddened eyes and his barely suppressed vulnerability, Qi Xu finally softened.

She frowned slightly, took out a tissue from her pocket, and with a clumsy yet subtle gentleness, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Why are you crying? A real man shouldn't be crying over such a small thing."

Hao Nan grabbed the hand she was wiping for him, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Didn't you cross the line too?"

Qi Xu was stunned. She tried to pull her hand back, but Hao Nan gripped it even tighter. This time, he held not her wrist, but her warm palm, a forbidden area that he had long dared to secretly sketch but never dare to touch.

“The nature of the situation is different.” Her tone remained calm and even, but her hand struggled even harder in his palm, ignoring the slight pain caused by the tightening force.

At that moment, she had only one thought: to break free!

Hao Nan looked at her hand, which was twisting futilely in his palm, and frowned painfully: "You... hate me that much?"

“I don’t hate you,” Qi Xu’s voice was clear and calm. “What I hate is your behavior. If you insist on doing so, I can hate you as you wish.”

The last few words, like icicles, pierced Hao Nan's last shred of courage. He dejectedly let go of her hand.

"And now?" His voice was hoarse, carrying a glimmer of hope. "Still hate it?"

"We're friends now." Qi Xu's voice carried an undeniable warning, his eyes sharp as knives. "If you do anything that offends me again, I don't mind ending this 'friendship' as well."

"Seven Xu!" Hao Nan growled as if he had been stabbed, "You really have no mercy at all?"

“This is who I am.” Qi Xu met his wounded gaze, her eyes even colder and more resolute than before, as if declaring an unalterable fact. “This is the real me. It’s not too late to realize it now. If you can’t accept it, you can turn around and leave, and we’ll be even.”

“Do you really think,” Hao Nan stared intently into her eyes, each word uttered with a heavy heart and a resolute seriousness, “that anyone can let go like you do?” He sat back down in the chair opposite her, his gaze still fixed on her face.

"Then that's none of my business." Qi Xu didn't avoid his gaze, bravely looking him in the eye, but his tone revealed an indifference that was none of his concern.

The two faced off in silence.

The air seemed to freeze. In this suffocating silence, Hao Nan finally glimpsed the powerful, resilient, and almost ruthless core beneath Qi Xu's hard outer shell.

She was far from being the quiet, good student, and highly skilled painter she appeared to be.

An indescribable sense of inferiority crept into his heart once again.

Qi Xu noticed the complex sadness in his eyes and frowned even more: "Don't look at me like that anymore, as if I owe you something."

"...Hmm." Hao Nan finally looked away, his gaze blankly fixed on some distant, intangible point.

This conflict was like a bucket of cold water, completely waking Hao Nan up. He began to repeatedly ponder and reflect on it in his heart.

That reckless, almost impulsive approach was finally suppressed by reason. He dared not try again.

However, the setback did not make him give up; instead, it made his fighting spirit even stronger.

He wanted her, only her, and she could be the only one in his life from now on. He quietly turned his gaze back to Qi Xu, his eyes filled with a deep, unwavering determination.

Qi Xu immediately caught his gaze, but acted as if the fierce conflict had never happened, her tone returning to its usual calm: "What do you want to say now?"

"It's nothing," Hao Nan said, his voice low and hoarse.

Qi Xu gave a faint "hmm," then looked past Hao Nan and gazed out the library window.