Falling silently

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."