Chương 4:Lean on someone's chest

Every afternoon, the school library was as quiet as a sepia-toned painting.

Yen liked that atmosphere — not too strict, not too crowded.

This place made her feel at ease, like she had slipped into a world where no one noticed her.

Today, she came looking for an old book she had read in her freshman year: "Slowing Down in the Heart of the City."

Unfortunately, it was on the highest shelf — row 4 in the Sociology section — completely out of reach for someone who stood only 1.52 meters tall.

Yen looked around, made sure no one was nearby, then tiptoed and stretched out her hand. But her fingertips only brushed the edge of the book spine.

"I really need to exercise more," she thought.

Just then, a low, warm male voice sounded from behind:

"Need some help?"

That voice… it sounded familiar. Could it be…?

Yen turned around — and just as her gut had whispered:

Thien Duy was standing a few steps away, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on the book she was trying to reach.

She panicked.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She stepped back instinctively — only to bump into the shelf behind her. The space between the two rows was just wide enough for two people.

The shelf wobbled.

The loud noise made everyone in the library turn to look.

A second later — her body leaned toward the unsteady bookshelf.

But then… a strong arm caught her just in time.

“Thud!”

The sound of the heavy shelf hitting someone’s shoulder — but it wasn’t hers.

Yen opened her eyes, feeling someone’s chest shielding her from the wooden shelf.

Warm.

So warm.

She didn’t dare look up.

She only heard his voice, close to her ear, deep and gentle:

"You're okay now. Stay still."

And she really did stay still.

Not because of his words — but because… her legs had gone weak.

A moment later, Thien Duy’s friends came rushing over.

“Holy crap! Are you okay, Duy?!”

“Did it hit your back?!”

Vy also arrived — and the first thing she did wasn’t to check on Yen…

But to quietly snap a photo of the scene.

In the picture, Yen looked like a frightened kitten tucked into someone’s chest.

“Oh my God, this is the headline of the month!” — Vy screamed internally.

She hurried over, helped Yen up, and gently led her to a nearby bench.

Yen still hadn’t recovered, her ears red as a tomato, her eyes avoiding everyone’s gaze.

Thien Duy rubbed his shoulder and winced slightly from the pain.

But still… it was worth it.

He glanced at Yen and recalled the moment she looked up at him — those big, round eyes shimmering just like a startled little cat.

“She’s really cute.” — he thought, lips curling into a faint, involuntary smile.

That small incident at the library became the butt of jokes among Duy’s friends the entire afternoon.

But more importantly — after that day, the school began preparing for an extracurricular activity called "Senior Year Connection Week."

Apparently, it would involve working in random groups.

They’d have to print materials, assign roles, rehearse skits or showcase some sort of skill.

Vy was overjoyed and tugged at Yen:

“This time, we HAVE to end up in the same group as that Duy guy! He’s the only one who’s ever made you blush for a whole minute!” Vy teased, clicking her tongue.

“That’s not true. I just blush easily…”

Yen lightly pushed her friend away, cheeks flushing again — but… her lips curled into a soft smile.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel afraid at the thought of getting closer to someone.

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