The rain fell heavily, as though it was shared in the sorrow of a woman standing without an umbrella to shield her. Her shoes were soaked, her body trembling with the cold, yet she did not truly feel it. What she felt instead was the pain stabbing at her heart, like a blade cutting deep, silent and precise, as though it could split her entire being without ever being seen or understood.

Across the street, a couple walked beneath a shared umbrella, so close they seemed inseparable. Their fingers were intertwined, and the girl leaned gently against the man's shoulder as their soft laughter was swallowed by the rain. Under the glow of campus lights, they looked like a scene out of a love story peaceful, effortless, as if the world belonged only to them. Every glance he gave her carried an easy warmth, the kind that needed no explanation.

And in the middle of that rain, she stood still.

Alone, without shelter, she became nothing more than a witness to a happiness that would never be hers. Behind her back, she held a letter tightly its ink already smudging, its words dissolving into the rain. What was meant to be a confession had become only proof of feelings that arrived too late.

The rain grew heavier, but she did not move. Until finally, her strength gave way, and she sank to her knees in the middle of the wet road, crying in silence as she carried a wound no words could release. She could have run. She could have sought shelter. But she stayed, drowning in the quiet grief of a love that never had the chance to begin.

Because sometimes, love is not meant to be seen or held.

Sometimes, it exists only in silence loving from a distance, never returned.

The noisy atmosphere inside Jingyuan Lecture Hall at Siyuan University buzzed with excitement as students gathered for the upcoming campus arts festival competition. Voices overlapped from every corner of the hall, filling the space with nervous energy and anticipation.

In one corner, a girl sat restlessly in her chair, repeatedly glancing toward the entrance. Her best friend still had not arrived.

Today was the official briefing for all participants, yet there was still no sign of Liang Yue. Jin Mei had already sent dozens of messages, but none were answered. Just as she was about to give up, the call finally connected.

At the exact same moment, the event began.

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, a panicked girl sprinted along the university road toward the lecture hall. Her appearance was completely disheveled, yet somehow, she still looked effortlessly pretty despite the chaos. Her loosely tied bun was falling apart, one side of her plaid shirt was tucked in while the other hung freely, and her shoes were barely worn properly. Even the glasses she intentionally wore kept slipping down her nose as she ran.

Holding her phone tightly to her ear, Liang Yue struggled to catch her breath.

"Mei'er, has the briefing started already? I'm not there yet, I'm still on my way!"

Inside the lecture hall, Jin Mei immediately straightened when the student council president stepped onto the stage. Without hesitation, she hung up the call.

"Welcome to all participants of the festival competition—"

The moment Zhao Chen's voice echoed through the phone, Liang Yue nearly tripped over herself.

'I'm dead. I'm seriously dead.'

She quickened her pace immediately.

Liang Yue had no idea why the lecture hall—which normally felt so close suddenly seemed impossibly far away. Even from outside, she could already hear Zhao Chen's voice clearly. The closer she got, the more distinct it became deep, calm, and firm in a way that always sent an uncontrollable tremor through her heart.

Finally, she pushed the lecture hall doors open.

The speech stopped abruptly.

Every head in the room turned toward the entrance.

Standing there was a girl who looked utterly exhausted, hair messy, glasses sliding down her nose, breathing unevenly after running across campus. Yet despite how untidy she looked, there was something strangely endearing about her appearance.

At the center of everyone's attention stood Zhao Chen.

His eyes met hers.

Liang Yue immediately lowered her head for a second, trying desperately to calm the violent pounding in her chest. It was not only from exhaustion.

It was him.

Her first love.

Or rather… her hopeless crush.

"I'm sorry for being late, senior," she said between breaths. "I overslept."

Zhao Chen stared at her for a brief moment before replying calmly,

"It's alright. You may sit."

Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued the briefing. To him, she was merely another student he vaguely recognized around campus.

Liang Yue quickly searched for Jin Mei among the crowd, and the moment their eyes met, Jin Mei raised her hand high in the air. Once Liang Yue reached the empty seat beside her, she collapsed into it while trying to steady her breathing.

Jin Mei immediately handed her a bottle of water.

"That's why I told you to come early," she whispered. "But no you still showed up late."

"I overslept, okay?" Liang Yue muttered before taking a quick sip of water. "When I woke up, it was already too late. By the way, what did the president say earlier?"

As she spoke, her eyes instinctively drifted back toward Zhao Chen standing at the front.

"He barely said anything," Jin Mei replied. "You interrupted him right after he started."

"Alright," Zhao Chen continued smoothly, his voice once again filling the lecture hall. "As everyone already knows, this briefing is meant to provide initial guidance for participants joining the upcoming festival competition.

"As the student council president and the person in charge of this event, I expect everyone to listen carefully."

The entire hall quieted immediately.

"First, numbers will be distributed according to each competition category.

"Second, participants joining more than one competition will receive separate numbers based on different schedules.

"Third, anyone caught cheating or exchanging assigned numbers will be immediately disqualified."

He paused briefly before adding with a faint smile,

"And lastly… winners will receive attractive prizes, while losers will only receive heartbreak for volunteering to join this festival."

Soft laughter spread across the hall.

But Liang Yue heard almost none of it.

Resting her chin against her hand, she stared blankly toward the front, completely lost in her own world. Not a single word Zhao Chen said managed to stay in her mind.

Instead, she found herself admiring him again.

A simple shirt layered beneath a striped overshirt, loose black jeans, slightly messy hair from spending the entire day handling preparations—it all gave him an effortlessly rugged appearance. The kind that looked careless and attractive at the same time.

And unfortunately for Liang Yue, it only made her fall deeper in love.

"Alright," Zhao Chen continued. "Let's begin drawing numbers for the dance, singing, acting, and painting competitions. Please send one representative from each category. Only one representative will draw numbers for all participants."

Silence.

Zhao Chen scanned the room and immediately understood that nobody wanted the troublesome responsibility.

Finally, he sighed softly.

"Since nobody wants to volunteer, I'll choose representatives myself."

The atmosphere in the lecture hall instantly became tense.

Students quietly lowered their heads, silently praying their names would not be called.

"Let's start with dance." Zhao Chen flipped through the participant list in his hand. "Gou Yuhan from the Business Faculty, Year 1, will represent the dance competition."

A groan escaped from somewhere in the hall.

"Next, acting Fang Feihan from the Communication Faculty, Year 2."

Beside Liang Yue, Jin Mei nudged her sharply.

"Yue'er, are you even listening? You've been staring at him this entire time."

"Huh?" Liang Yue blinked. "Listening to what?"

Jin Mei stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh my God. I said I hope my name doesn't get picked."

Only then did Liang Yue finally snap back to reality.

The moment she noticed Zhao Chen holding the list for participants joining multiple competitions, her entire body stiffened.

His eyes moved calmly across the names.

"Please don't let it be my na—"

"Liang Yue from the Art and Creative Media Faculty, Year 2."

Fate betrayed her before she could even finish praying.

"HAHAHA, so how is it being a representative? Fun, right? Almost tripping like that too. I knew you were just too excited," Jin Mei teased, laughing at Liang Yue.

Liang Yue shot her a defeated look, resisting the urge to elbow her. Standing beside Zhao Chen earlier had already made her nervous enough then she had to nearly trip in front of the entire lecture hall.

The hall's laughter still echoed in her memory. Even now, she could vaguely recall Zhao Chen's expression like he was trying to suppress a laugh, before calmly raising a hand to quiet the room and stop them from teasing her further.

She wasn't sure if she should feel lucky or humiliated.

Being chosen as a representative already felt like a burden. Now she had to distribute numbers and coordinate participants for the painting and singing competitions on top of everything else.

"Aish… I'm exhausted," Liang Yue sighed. "I really don't want to be a representative. My problems are just increasing. I still haven't finished Chen Lao Shi's assignment either. Have you done yours, Mei?"

Jin Mei, who had been scrolling on her phone, suddenly froze.

That reaction alone made Liang Yue suspicious.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Wait…" Jin Mei's eyes widened. "I forgot. I still need to submit the painting competition registration form."

Liang Yue blinked. "What form?"

Jin Mei stared at her. "Don't tell me you forgot too?"

"Forgot what? What painting competition? Are we supposed to join something?"

The confusion on Liang Yue's face only deepened Jin Mei's panic.

"Yue'er, please," Jin Mei grabbed her shoulders. "The registration form for the painting competition for the Yuehua Creative University art exhibition. It's for participation marks. You were there when they announced it don't tell me you forgot that too."

For a moment, everything went silent in Liang Yue's mind.

Then

It hit her.

Like a delayed explosion of memory.

Her face paled instantly.

The form. The deadline. The submission.

She hadn't filled it. She hadn't even submitted it. And the deadline had already passed.

Without another word, she turned and ran.

"Hey wait for me!" Jin Mei shouted, rushing after her.

"Sorry, Jiàoshòu… we're late to submit the form," Liang Yue said, bowing quickly beside Jin Mei.

Jiàoshòu Hui let out a long, tired sigh. "Do you know the deadline was before 12 noon? It's already 4 PM. I've already submitted everything to the department. What exactly do you expect me to do now?"

"We're sorry, Jiàoshòu," Jin Mei said quickly. "We came back late from the festival briefing and completely lost track of time."

"Briefing—"

"Jiàoshòu, are you looking for me?"

The voice from the doorway cut through the room.

All three turned.

Zhao Chen stood there.

For a moment, the room felt like it shifted especially for Liang Yue.

Her heart reacted before her mind could catch up.

Zhao Chen stepped inside calmly, as if he had simply walked into another ordinary problem. Yet to her, his presence made everything else blur.

"Oh, Zhao Chen," Hui Jiàoshòu said. "Yes, I actually need to speak to you. As for you two, you're done here. I'll handle your registration later. Just don't repeat this mistake again."

The two girls nodded quickly and turned to leave.

Liang Yue followed Jin Mei toward the door.

But just before stepping out, she hesitated.

Her eyes lifted, accidentally meeting Zhao Chen's.

For a split second, the noise in her world disappeared.

And then.....

Her heartbeat betrayed her again, louder than before.

The weather the next morning was unusually bright.

Even though it was already ten o'clock, the scenery outside the dormitory window still felt peaceful. The calm weekend atmosphere made everything seem slower and quieter. Around the dorm blocks, several students were already outside jogging, cycling, or simply enjoying their free day.

Liang Yue stretched lightly before walking toward the water dispenser to grab a drink. After taking a few sips, she glanced toward Jin Mei, who was still sleeping soundly on her bed.

There was absolutely no sign of her wanting to wake up anytime soon.

Today was the practice session for all competition participants, and because Liang Yue and Jin Mei had joined different categories, their schedules were completely different.

"Mei'er, aren't you waking up yet?" Liang Yue asked. "It's already ten. Doesn't your practice start at twelve?"

Jin Mei slowly opened her eyes before lazily stretching and climbing out of bed.

Liang Yue smiled faintly at the sight.

Since she had already showered and gotten ready earlier, and her own practice only started at one in the afternoon, she still had enough time to relax and grab breakfast at the cafeteria near their dormitory.

The cafeteria was always crowded with students because of its endless food choices especially her favorites, baozi and hot soy milk.

"I'm heading to the cafeteria first, okay? I'll buy yours too," Liang Yue said while grabbing her wallet, bicycle keys, and phone.

Today, she wore an oversized black shirt paired with simple shorts, giving her a casual and relaxed appearance.

Jin Mei simply gave her a thumbs-up before disappearing into the bathroom.

…

The sunny weather made cycling around campus feel refreshing.

After parking her bicycle, Liang Yue casually walked toward the cafeteria entrance while checking a message from her mother on her phone.

Just as she was about to reply, she suddenly felt something warm spill onto her chest.

Hot coffee.

Startled, Liang Yue quickly lifted her head, ready to scold the person who bumped into her.

But the words instantly disappeared from her mouth.

Because standing right in front of her… was Zhao Chen.

"S-sorry, I didn't do it on purpose. I was in a hurry," Zhao Chen apologized while looking slightly flustered.

Liang Yue froze on the spot.

Her brain completely stopped functioning.

'Oh my…'