At 11:03 PM, He Texted her.

The notification lingered on her screen for a second longer than usual, as if waiting for her to make a decision.

Lu Mingyu’s fingers hovered over her phone before she finally tapped on it and opened the chat.

For a brief moment, she just stared at the screen.

Then, slowly, she typed—

“Who are you?”

The message was sent.

Seen… almost instantly.

Her heartbeat unconsciously quickened as she waited.

A reply came.

Duanxiu._:

“My name is Duan Xiu. And yours?”

“You’re a student at the University of Seoul, right?”

Her eyes widened.

A sudden wave of surprise hit her, followed by a strange uneasiness.

How does he know that?

Without wasting another second, she quickly typed back—

“How do you know that?”

The rain outside grew heavier, the sound of it echoing against her window, blending perfectly with the restless thoughts inside her mind.

A few seconds later, another message appeared.

Duanxiu._:

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m a student at the University of Seoul too… your senior.”

“You probably don’t know me. You must not have noticed.”

Mingyu paused.

His words lingered in her mind longer than expected.

Not noticed…

If she was being honest, that part was true.

Lu Mingyu had never been the kind of person who paid attention to others.

She was focused, distant, and completely absorbed in her own world—her studies, her goals… and herself.

People came and went around her, but she rarely looked back.

Still, something about this felt different.

She tried to recall the faces she had seen in the university corridors… seniors she might have crossed paths with…

But nothing came to mind.

After a few seconds of silence, she replied—

“Oh… nice to meet you too.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at the university.”

There was a short pause.

Then—

Duanxiu._:

“Are you going to university tomorrow?”

Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone.

Why did that question feel… different?

She replied anyway—

“Yes, I am. What about you?”

The response came quickly this time.

Duanxiu._:

“I’ll be there too.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t recognize me anyway.”

“I’ll come meet you during the break.”

Her breath hitched.

Meet?

In real life?

Her heart began to race, faster than before—so fast that she could almost hear it over the sound of the rain.

Outside, the storm had grown stronger.

The wind howled softly, and raindrops crashed harder against the glass, as if mirroring the sudden chaos inside her chest.

She didn’t know why she felt this way.

He was just a stranger.

Someone she had never seen… never known…

And yet—

She didn’t say no.

The conversation continued.

Slowly, casually… as if they had known each other for longer than just a few minutes.

They talked about small things—

What they had eaten that day…

What they were doing…

Simple, ordinary questions that somehow didn’t feel ordinary at all.

Time passed without her realizing.

The rain softened.

The night grew deeper.

And somewhere between those small conversations…

A strange sense of comfort quietly settled in.

Finally—

“Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams.”

The chat ended.

Mingyu placed her phone beside her, staring up at the ceiling in silence.

A soft smile appeared on her lips without her even realizing it.

She was… excited.

Excited to meet him tomorrow.

The thought itself felt unfamiliar.

She turned to her side, closing her eyes, trying to fall asleep—

But sleep didn’t come easily.

Her mind kept replaying the conversation…

His words…

His tone…

And that one line—

“I’ll come meet you.”

Her lips curved again, a quiet smile forming in the darkness.

She didn’t understand it…

But she didn’t want to stop it either.

Eventually, after what felt like hours—

Her thoughts faded…

And she drifted into a deep, quiet sleep.

Unaware…

That tomorrow would change everything.

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