Chapter 11: Accidental Intimacy

Shen Yu had one goal: survive student council duties with his dignity intact. Unfortunately, that was proving difficult.

First, there was the never-ending workload. Then, there was Lu Zhixuan, who somehow found amusement in dragging him into tasks. And now, there was this.

Shen Yu huffed as he stood on his toes, arm outstretched toward the top shelf of the supply closet. His fingers barely brushed the edge of the folder he needed. "Ugh, why is everything always out of reach?"

The dimly lit room smelled faintly of old paper and disinfectant. The shelves were stacked with neatly labeled binders, spare notebooks, and boxes of office supplies. Unfortunately, whoever organized them seemed to have a personal grudge against people of average height.

Shen Yu was about to hop to grab the folder when a warm presence loomed behind him.

Before he could react, an arm reached past him, effortlessly plucking the folder from the shelf. The movement was so sudden, so smooth, that Shen Yu barely had time to register what was happening before he felt it—

Lu Zhixuan's chest was right against his back.

Shen Yu froze.

Warm breath ghosted against the side of his ear, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine. The heat of Lu Zhixuan's presence wrapped around him, overwhelming, inescapable.

"You could've just asked," Lu Zhixuan murmured, his voice lower than usual, quiet in the small space.

Shen Yu's heart thumped—too fast, too loud. His brain screamed at him to move, to put distance between them, but when he turned sharply, his nose brushed against something solid.

Lu Zhixuan's collarbone.

Shen Yu yelped and stumbled back, nearly knocking over a stack of notebooks in the process. "I—I wasn't struggling! I totally had it!"

Lu Zhixuan leaned back slightly, studying him with that infuriatingly unreadable expression. Then, slowly, the corners of his lips quirked up. "Sure you did."

The way he said it made Shen Yu's ears burn.

Flustered beyond belief, Shen Yu snatched the folder from Lu Zhixuan's hand and practically bolted out of the supply closet, his pulse racing. He didn't stop until he was halfway down the hallway, gripping the folder like it was a lifeline.

His heart refused to calm down.

This is getting dangerous...