Chapter 21: Jealousy Strikes

Shen Yu was determined to shake off that conversation. He had spent the entire night convincing himself that Lu Zhixuan's words meant nothing, that the tension between them was all in his head.

But his resolve crumbled the moment he stepped out of the school building and saw Bai Xue standing next to Lu Zhixuan, laughing at something he said.

Something inside him twisted.

He told himself it was nothing. Just a normal conversation between two people who were supposed to be together. The main couple. The destined pair.

So why did he feel like someone had just punched a hole in his chest?

Lu Zhixuan stood there, his usual confident smirk in place, hands casually tucked into his pockets as he listened to Bai Xue. His posture was relaxed—too relaxed—like he was perfectly at ease beside her.

Shen Yu's jaw clenched before he even realized he was moving.

He marched up to them, stopping just a little too close. "What's going on here?"

Bai Xue blinked at him, clearly caught off guard. "Oh! I was just thanking Lu Zhixuan for helping me with the student council proposal. He gave me some great suggestions."

Shen Yu barely heard her. His focus was locked on Lu Zhixuan, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. And that only made the irritation bubbling inside Shen Yu worse.

Lu Zhixuan raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into something wicked. "Why? Are you jealous, Zhao Rui?"

Shen Yu scoffed, crossing his arms. "Me? Jealous? Ha! Not in a million years!"

"Really?" Lu Zhixuan tilted his head slightly. "Then why are you glaring at me?"

Shen Yu stiffened.

Was he glaring? He hadn't realized. But now that Lu Zhixuan had pointed it out, he could feel the tension in his own expression, the way his fingers curled into fists at his sides.

Bai Xue looked between them, amusement flickering in her gaze. "Uh... do you two need a moment?"

Shen Yu snapped out of his daze, his face heating up. "No! We don't!"

Lu Zhixuan chuckled, the sound deep and entirely too pleased. "Interesting."

Shen Yu didn't know what was worse—the fact that Lu Zhixuan had caught on to his mood so easily, or the fact that he seemed to enjoy it.

He turned sharply on his heel. "Whatever! I don't have time for this."

As he stormed off, he could still hear Lu Zhixuan's quiet laughter behind him.

And no matter how hard he tried, Shen Yu couldn't shake the feeling that he had just lost some kind of battle.