Has your heart ever been tied to a feeling that makes you refuse to leave? A warmth that is sweet but binds the chest.

The beginning of the story happens when Nuan Qing, who prefers peace and solitude, seriously denies the existence of love or the desire to marry in her life. It was when finally a destined encounter made her have to swallow the words she used to deny. A fate that nurtured a feeling which had slowly grown in silence, as it settled deep in the corner of her heart and never left.

In a campus filled with cheerful laughter, whispers of jokes and a lively atmosphere, the sound of footsteps was heard walking past each class in the corridor.

After walking a few more steps, the sound finally stopped in front of the music class. The door opened and Nuan Qing's figure began to appear.

Looking at the empty space, she immediately took the seat at the back, right by the window, overlooking the green trees and the vast fields. That place, like in junior high school, was always her choice.

Before starting the study session that required high focus, she stopped at a nearby cafe to find something to fill her stomach, so that her concentration would not be disturbed. She walked slowly, looking around, until her gaze was fixed on something she knew very well, it's her favorite food.

"Auntie, I want that one, the one with plantain mixed with eggs," she said while pointing to the sandwich that was neatly wrapped in clear plastic. Auntie then took the sandwich and gave it to Nuan Qing.

"Thank you~" Nuan Qing replied while holding the sandwich with a small satisfied smile on her face before she sighed in relief.

Just when she was about to walk away, she unintentionally bumped into someone, "Ah! my sandwich...." was the first words that whimpered from her lips, with her hand reaching out to the fallen sandwiches. Thus, she looked down, unable to just let it go."It would be a waste to simply throw it away," she thought. Eventually, she bent down slowly, stretching out her hands to pick the sandwiches.

"Sorry..."

A sudden soft voice that sounded like a man trying to apologize, suddenly made her raise her head. She tried to see the figure of the voices' owner but her vision was interrupted. His face was shrouded in shadow as the light of a bright lamp lit up right behind him.

After his apology was uttered, the man stepped past her. He managed to walk a few steps before he stopped and turned back to her.

It was only a fleeting moment before he turned back to continue his steps.

Nuan Qing, who was still bending down, immediately picked up the food that fell and rushed to her class.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly there was a knock on her desk accompanied by the call of her name which became gradually clear in her ears. As a result, she slowly wakes up from her deep sleep as it turns out that she fell asleep after a few lessons.

With her eyes still heavy and her mind not yet fully awake, she immediately apologized to the teacher who had scolded her before walking away.

When she started to fully awake, she moved her body left and right to freshen up, but as soon as she turned to her right, her gaze slowly turned in the other direction, which was slowly followed by her body. A figure she knew very well was apparently sitting next to her.

Since junior high school, no one had ever been able to sit next to her because of the social gap that separated them. Therefore, having a friend next to her was something new to her, especially if that friend was someone she knew but had never shared a story with.

Finally, throughout the class, she felt awkward herself, with feelings that only came from one side.

'Wow~ it seems like my heart almost exploded if the bell hadn't rung earlier.' Nuan Qing said in her heart, even though in the deepest recesses of her heart, there was still a sweet feeling of happiness hidden. However, there was also a feeling of tightness, a feeling that could not be explained.

She struggled so hard to calm the chaos in her heart, until a voice calling her name from behind suddenly snapped her. The voice was Ru Heng, her cousin.

"Nuan Qing, let's go to the usual place~", Ru Heng invited in a soft tone.

"Okay", Nuan Qing replied after keeping her feelings tightly.

They moved to buy takoyaki at nearby stalls as usual and then sat on the platform overlooking the parking area, enjoying their meal while chatting for a while before they parted ways. Ru Heng walked away with his friends, while Nuan Qing went home on her motorbike that was a gift from her late adoptive grandmother, the only family she had besides her father.

Nuan Qing parked her motorbike when she arrived. Her hands opened the door handle of her house, with only silence and dullness inside. Yet, she seems to already get used to it and went straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner for herself before she went to her room, getting ready to take a shower.

Nuan Qing who had been through those days immediately collapsed on the bed. The new manhwa she had discovered had become both an escape and a love interest. Whereas, she began to grin, even rolling around in excitement on the bed after reading a few chapters. It was clear that she had almost reached the most thrilling part.

...............

Inside the music practice room, Nuan Qing plays the piano skilfully. The silent moment was made just for the sound to echo freely, and that ensued in her soul being deeply immersed in the beauty of the melody she created. Whereas, her delicate fingers still danced freely on the piano string.

Not long after, the world suddenly became foreign, as if there was only her and the illusionary space her mind created. She has drawn in so deeply that the sound of footsteps approaching was completely unnoticed.

When the door opened, a man started to appear. He wore a loose, open-collar shirt with folded long sleeves, tucked neatly into a pair of clean black trousers. The shirt appears casual and slightly oversized, giving a relaxed and comfortable look, whereas the color seems to be in white, complementing his calm yet mysterious demeanor.

As he stepped in, light began to shine from his eyes after witnessing what was in front of him, hiding a sense of amazement; though it was not visible on his face that remained calm.

In order not to disturb the atmosphere, he arranged a silent step to the end of the room and just sat in a distance, silently observing her while letting every rhythm sink in.

At the most crucial time, when she began to concentrate, a gentle breeze suddenly crept in through the window, continued teasing the strands of her front hair, which afterwards swayed leisurely across her face. In an instant, Nuan Qing, who was sitting with her back to the window, began to lose focus.

She couldn't take it anymore. Hence, she slowly got up to close the window, but her steps stopped as soon as her gaze caught his, which then resulted in a deep silence.

The man glanced at her for a moment before the words blurted out, "What is your name?"

"Nuan Qing.. My name is Nuan Qing", she replied back

"Oh Nuan Qing.. Well, nice to meet you, I'm Yi Xuan", he said again.

Nuan Qing continued glancing at him. His hands rested on the table, supporting his chin. A faint yet sincere smile was etched on his lips, as was the look in his eyes, radiating the same smile. Nuan Qing falls into silence for a moment. It seems like all the words she supposed to say quickly disappeared somewhere.

A time that seemingly stopped, suddenly started tickling again when voices from outside were heard approaching the room. As usual, the learning session began.

At first, there were only the teacher's voices and the gentle hiss of the pencil that was heard throughout the learning period. Yet somehow, an eraser that lost half of its body suddenly bounced onto her desk.

"Ah- sorry, my eraser seems to have split due to the harsh rubbing. On top of it, it's half just happened to bounced onto your desk", Yi Xuan spoke, apologizing for the inconvenience.

Whereas, Nuan Qing just gives off a faint smile and kindly hands over the eraser. "It's okay, here's your eraser", she replied.

A smile appeared, before Yi Xuan lowered his head for a moment. He tried to hold back his laughter, afraid that it might burst out at any moment.

"Um? What were you laughing for?"

"I... I don't know. It's just funny. Think about it. How could an eraser this small suddenly split in two, and one of it happened to bounce right on your desk. Isn't it such a coincidence? It's as if it was looking for you on purpose", he said.

Upon hearing that, her behavior unusually showed carelessness, yet still tried to look calm as before; She managed to cough a little.

The next day.....

"Hi, Nuan Nuan", greets Yi Xuan. His voice sounded soft, along with his calm steps and a smile that preceded him.

"Nuan Nuan?", thought her. It was such a new thing when she heard someone call her with that.

Still, she greeted him back with a, "Oh, hi too", with her head then fell slowly on the table, looked exactly like someone who was burdened by the night that had not subsided.

"It's only been a day and yet, you started to look exactly like a panda", Yi Xuan chuckled under his breath. He said it low, but loud enough to show his amusement.

"Was he the kind of an easygoing person?", was what she thought before she spoke in a clear voice, "You seem like the kinda carefree person?"

"Pardon me? Ah- It isn't actually my nature", he replied

".... Well, it doesn't matter for me", she spoke again

"By the way, your eye bag seems to have darkened a bit?"

"Oh that? I was enjoying manhwa last night", replied her with a soft, long yawn

"Woah! What kind of Manhwa did you enjoy?", Yi Xuan asked again enthusiastically; yet calmly

"Actually, it was kind of sad. I can't tell you exactly what it was though"

"Ah- it's alright. In fact, I also enjoyed reading by myself", he spoke before he handed a small gift box to her. "This is yours, right? It seems to have been dropped when you were in a hurry yesterday"

As soon as Yi Xuan handed the box to her, she started to cover in cold sweats."No way? It isn't exactly what i think right? I lost my handkerchief yesterday after all", she thought before her quick hands grabbed the handkerchief, causing Yi Xuan to stop for a while, as he did not have time to react at all. Unfortunately, as she opened the box, her hunch was right. A small piece of clothes, preserving the stories time left behind. Such a thing, Nuan Qing wouldn't want anyone to know.

Right as she was about to say, " you...", Ru Heng suddenly appeared at the front door, calling for her. Apparently, their conversation got held off.

It was exactly the same as the first time encounter with her. Yi Xuan silently watched from afar, wondering what might their seemingly nice conversation was about. An abrupt flood of questions overwhelmed him. Who the man was, what their relationship was and kinds of it. And yet, he can't bring himself to ask more cause it will be weirder for an outsider like him to suddenly be busy with her life.

A little more time passed before he finally opened his mouth. "Would you mind if I asked for something?"

"Something?", Nuan Qing drowned in dumbfounded silence.

"I want to be friends with you. Is that possible?", he inquired nervously and was a bit worried.

"Be friends with me?", her thought came before her words," It might be possible"

A friend request from him was really surprising, because it was not something she had ever thought of. Even so, it brought her deep joy.

Seconds passed and finally evening approached. The class lesson was over, followed by the heavy breathing that eventually let out. The handkerchief incident however was still roaming around her heads, refusing to be forgotten.

An ordinary small white clothes with something deep hidden. She opened it so wide that something clearly displayed, easily seen.