Chapter 15: Unintentional Intimacy

Shen Yu had always prided himself on keeping a safe distance from Lu Zhixuan. But lately, that distance seemed to shrink every day.

Like today.

It had started as a normal afternoon in the student council room. Shen Yu was stuck organizing files while Lu Zhixuan casually leaned against the desk, watching him with his usual smirk.

"You're surprisingly diligent," Lu Zhixuan mused, arms crossed as he observed Shen Yu flipping through the papers with a deep frown. "I thought you'd run away by now."

Shen Yu scowled, resisting the urge to throw a folder at his face. "I tried. But someone keeps dragging me back."

Lu Zhixuan chuckled, the sound smooth and infuriatingly amused. "I can't help it. You're entertaining."

Shen Yu huffed, turning back to the files with exaggerated focus. If he just ignored Lu Zhixuan, maybe the other boy would get bored and leave him alone.

But just as he reached for a folder at the edge of the desk, Lu Zhixuan leaned in at the exact same moment.

Their hands brushed.

Shen Yu froze.

It was barely a touch—a fleeting graze of fingers, but suddenly, every nerve in his body was hyper-aware. The warmth of Lu Zhixuan's skin against his own sent an unexplainable jolt through him. He told himself to pull away, to step back and pretend it never happened, but before he could react, Lu Zhixuan's fingers curled slightly, lingering against his knuckles.

Shen Yu swallowed. Hard.

"Uh..." he started, voice coming out oddly weak.

Lu Zhixuan didn't move away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes watching Shen Yu with an unreadable expression. "You're always so jumpy around me," he murmured. "It's cute."

Shen Yu's brain short-circuited.

Cute?!

The word echoed in his mind like a broken record, making his ears burn. His stomach flipped in a way that was definitely unnatural, and for a terrifying second, he thought his heart had actually stopped beating.

"I—!" Shen Yu yanked his hand back as if burned, cradling it against his chest like he'd just been electrocuted. "Stop calling me that!"

Lu Zhixuan chuckled, not even bothering to hide his amusement. He leaned forward just slightly, resting one elbow on the desk and propping his chin up with his hand. His smirk deepened as he watched Shen Yu struggle to compose himself.

"Why? Does it bother you?" Lu Zhixuan asked, voice smooth like silk.

Yes. Very much.

Shen Yu forced a scoff, turning away in a desperate attempt to hide the fact that his face was now hotter than the sun. "Of course not," he lied through his teeth. "I just don't think it's appropriate to call your classmate cute."

"Hm." Lu Zhixuan made a noncommittal sound, still watching him with a knowing glint in his eyes. "But you do get flustered awfully easily."

"I DO NOT!" Shen Yu blurted, taking a step back.

Lu Zhixuan chuckled again, finally pushing himself away from the desk. "If you say so," he said, completely unconvinced.

Shen Yu shot him a suspicious glance, but Lu Zhixuan had already turned away, acting as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just casually messed with Shen Yu's entire sense of balance.

Shen Yu let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. His heartbeat was still racing, and no matter how many times he told himself it was just an accident, he couldn't shake the strange, lingering heat on his skin where Lu Zhixuan had touched him.

He needed to leave. Immediately.

But deep down, he had a sinking feeling that this was only the beginning of his suffering.