Chapter 16 : Jealous Confrontation

During lunch, Shen Yu found himself sitting next to Bai Xue, chatting casually about class. It was nice, really. Peaceful. For once, he wasn't thinking about Lu Zhixuan.

Until he felt a sudden chill.

An instinctive shiver ran down his spine, and when he looked up, he found Lu Zhixuan standing nearby, arms crossed, gaze locked onto him with something strangely intense.

Shen Yu swallowed. He knew that look. It was the same unreadable expression Lu Zhixuan wore whenever he was about to cause Shen Yu unnecessary suffering.

"Zhao Rui," Lu Zhixuan called, tone deceptively casual.

Shen Yu tensed. "Uh, yeah?"

"Come with me."

Bai Xue raised an eyebrow. "Is it student council stuff?"

Lu Zhixuan didn't answer. He just gave Shen Yu a look that sent another shiver down his spine—this one not from the cold but from sheer dread.

Shen Yu sighed, knowing he had no choice. "Fine, fine. What now?"

He stood up, giving Bai Xue an apologetic shrug before following Lu Zhixuan out of the cafeteria. They walked in silence for a moment, the bustling noise of students fading behind them. The moment they reached the quieter hallway near the stairwell, Lu Zhixuan stopped and turned to face him.

Shen Yu barely had time to process the shift before Lu Zhixuan's voice, lower than usual, cut through the silence. "Why were you smiling at Bai Xue like that?"

Shen Yu blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You looked... close." Lu Zhixuan's jaw clenched slightly, his dark eyes boring into Shen Yu. "I thought you were over her."

Shen Yu squinted, confused. "I am?"

Lu Zhixuan narrowed his eyes. "Then why were you looking at her like that?"

Shen Yu frowned. "Like what? We were just talking!"

Lu Zhixuan didn't respond immediately. Instead, he let out a small, almost imperceptible breath, as if trying to compose himself. Then, in a tone too nonchalant to be real, he muttered, "It was annoying."

Shen Yu stared at him. And then, realization dawned.

"Oh my god," Shen Yu gasped dramatically, a slow smirk forming. "Wait. Are you—are you jealous?"

Lu Zhixuan scoffed, looking away. "Don't be ridiculous."

"No, no, no, hold on." Shen Yu folded his arms, stepping closer. "You totally are."

Lu Zhixuan's eyes flicked back to him, sharp and unreadable. But before Shen Yu could process it, Lu Zhixuan took a step forward, forcing Shen Yu to instinctively move back.

Another step. Then another.

Until Shen Yu's back met the wall.

His breath hitched as Lu Zhixuan leaned in, their faces inches apart. Close enough for Shen Yu to see the cool confidence in Lu Zhixuan's expression, the way his lips curved in that infuriatingly knowing smirk.

"Maybe I just don't like sharing what's mine," Lu Zhixuan murmured.

Shen Yu's brain stuttered to a stop. "Yours?! Since when am I—"

"Since the moment you started making my heart race."

Shen Yu's entire system crashed. He gaped at Lu Zhixuan, words failing him for the first time in his life. His ears burned, his chest felt too tight, and—

What the hell was happening?!

He had only one thought left:

Abort mission. Escape immediately.

With an embarrassing squeak, Shen Yu ducked under Lu Zhixuan's arm and bolted down the hallway, ignoring the sound of Lu Zhixuan's quiet chuckle behind him.

This was not in the script!