The Two Who Are Off

Between classes.

As soon as the bell rang, Xie Yuling's phone buzzed.

She glanced down at the screen, raised an eyebrow slightly, and forwarded the message directly to the three-person group chat.

Jiang Yunlu was lying on her desk, spacing out. Her phone lit up, and she picked it up to take a look. It was Lin Mo back in town.

She turned her head and glanced at Xie Yuling, who nodded back at her, the meaning clear: come to my place for dinner tonight.

Jiang Yunlu didn't hesitate long. She opened the family group chat and quickly typed a line:

"I won't be coming home tonight. I'm going to Xie Yuling's house for dinner. Lin Mo is back."

The message had barely been out for three seconds when Situ Yunshu's reply popped up.

A motivational sticker with big red artistic text that read:

"Go, go, go!"

Followed immediately by another message:

"My daughter is the best! Charge forward!"

Jiang Yunlu's mouth twitched. Before she could reply, her dad's message came through.

Jiang Chengshan: "What does his return have to do with you? Why eat at Xie Yuling's house? Don't we have food at home?"

That message lasted about two seconds in the group before it was buried by Jiang Chengyue's reply. Her aunt didn't even bother acknowledging her own brother:

"Sister-in-law! Have the kitchen whip up a few hearty dishes and send them over. Don't let Yunlu show up empty-handed; it won't look good."

Situ Yunshu replied instantly: "Right, right! We may not have much, but we've got money to spare!"

Jiang Chengyue: "And prepare some dessert. When girls get together for a meal, they always need something sweet afterward."

Situ Yunshu: "Got it! I'll have the kitchen start preparing now!"

Jiang Chengshan: "..."

Jiang Chengshan: "No one reads what I say, huh?"

No one paid attention. Very rude.

The group chat continued buzzing with heated discussions about what dishes to send, what packaging to use, and whether to include a bottle of red wine.

Jiang Yunlu stared at the screen, her expression growing complicated.

Her mom's and her aunt's ability to get things done could sometimes be overwhelming.

But she didn't stop them. After thinking it over, she figured it wasn't a bad thing—better than showing up empty-handed herself.

She flipped her phone face down on the desk, her ears burning slightly.

On the other side, Chu Miaomiao was much quieter.

She only replied with a single "okay" in the group chat, then exited the conversation and sent a separate message to her personal female bodyguard, informing her of the evening's schedule.

Chu Lintian had arranged a female bodyguard for her long ago, picking her up and dropping her off every day without fail.

Even though she knew Lin Mo had probably given Chu Miaomiao some means of self-protection, she still couldn't rest easy.

The three of them put away their phones.

But they all sensed something was off.

Not with themselves.

It was Fang Jun and Cai Junhuang.

They all noticed.

Fang Jun sat in his seat without a word, both hands resting on the desk, his thumbs unconsciously rubbing the cap of a pen.

Cai Junhuang sat on the other side, flipping through her textbook with slow, mechanical movements. Though they were deskmates, there felt like an entire galaxy between them.

No eye contact. No conversation. Not even the occasional playful jabs they used to trade.

Chu Miaomiao frowned and turned to glance at Jiang Yunlu, her eyes full of curiosity.

Jiang Yunlu had noticed too, and shot her a look back.

Xie Yuling didn't need to say anything—she was always the sharpest observer and had already picked up on it.

For a while now, Fang Jun hadn't looked in Cai Junhuang's direction even once, and Cai Junhuang had kept her face turned toward the window the whole time.

Those two had been fine not long ago.

Actually, come to think of it, things had started to feel off when Lin Mo went back to Tianjing during the National Day holiday.

The bell rang for class, and another lesson passed.

After class, Jiang Yunlu stood up and walked over to Cai Junhuang's desk, patting her on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go to the restroom."

Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao also got up.

Cai Junhuang froze for a moment: "I don't really feel like..."

"Thirsty. Come with me to get some water." Jiang Yunlu didn't give her a chance to refuse, pulling her by the wrist out the door.

Xie Yuling followed behind and, as she passed Fang Jun's seat, shot a quick glance at him.

Fang Jun was hunched over, writing in his notebook, but the tip of his pen was pressed motionless against the paper. He wasn't actually writing—just sitting there in a daze.

The four of them left the classroom, turned down the hallway, and pushed open the restroom door.

It was that unspoken rule among girls: if there was something awkward to discuss in front of others, the restroom was always the best meeting spot.

The soundproofing wasn't ideal, but at least there were no boys or extra ears.

Once inside, Cai Junhuang leaned against the sink, arms crossed, an expression on her face that was hard to tell—frustration or hurt.

Jiang Yunlu let go, stepped back, and stood in a row with Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao, all three of them staring at Cai Junhuang.

Cai Junhuang felt uneasy under their gaze: "What are you guys doing?"

"What's going on between you and Fang Jun?" Jiang Yunlu got straight to the point.

Cai Junhuang shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this: "Nothing's going on. What could there be? There's nothing between me and him."

Xie Yuling rarely spoke up first, but she did now: "He's been looking really down lately, and you've been so quiet. Something's off with both of you."

Chu Miaomiao nodded in agreement.

Cai Junhuang took a deep breath, then shook her head again: "It's really nothing. He's probably just annoyed with me."

Jiang Yunlu pressed further: "Annoyed? Did something get misunderstood?"

"There's no misunderstanding. I don't want to hold him back from liking me. I told him not to pick me up anymore, so he should understand by now."

Cai Junhuang bit her lip, feeling awful deep down.

But Xie Yuling hit the nail on the head: "Holding him back from liking you? Or are you afraid that he'll hold back your dream? Junhuang, you've always been the one afraid, haven't you?"

Struck by the truth, Cai Junhuang suddenly looked flustered.

She quickly walked over to the window at the far end of the restroom.

"All these years of learning and practicing dance have been for my dream. I won't give up my dream for him."

She spun around abruptly to face Xie Yuling: "Yes, I'm scared. I'm scared of getting too caught up and letting go of my dream, so I can't do that. And I can't string him along either. This is the best way. He'll be upset for a little while, then he'll move on, and I'll keep pursuing my dream!"

That was Cai Junhuang's honest truth.

By now, the redness in her eyes was already visible.

Youthful hearts always find someone to admire—it's natural.

But some people have their sights set on the stars and the sea.

Seeing Cai Junhuang like this, Jiang Yunlu sighed softly, walked over gently, and wrapped her arms around her.

"I understand. And since this is your choice, we won't interfere. But I just want to know—since you like him, why not give him the option to choose? Maybe he'd want to keep up with you."

Cai Junhuang paused at those words, then shook her head in refusal: "I can't put that responsibility on him. That would be even more wrong."

—System: Today's choice falls on me, sadder than fictional drama—