chapter 4 : qin chen

Qin Chen wasn’t the top of the class because he studied harder than everyone else.

He was just good at noticing things.

Little things. Like how Li Xinyi’s fake glasses weren’t prescription. Or how Teacher Lin’s mood always dipped after a specific phone call.

Or how Feng Ruqing’s wrist sometimes pulsed with light, faint as candle breath, when she thought no one was looking.

She always wore that talisman like jewelry. Pretty. Custom. Harmless.

But it glowed when she got anxious.

Or angry.

Or hurt.

And sometimes, when she yawned and said she was just tired, her hands would tremble for exactly 0.3 seconds. The kind of tremble you’d miss if you weren’t watching too closely.

Qin Chen watched everything.

But he never said a word.

---

He remembered the first time he suspected something was off — it was during a class trip last year, to that abandoned observatory on the cliffside.

Most students were excited about telescopes and selfies.

Feng Ruqing?

She had gone still. Quiet. Like she was listening to something no one else could hear.

Later that night, the school’s annoying haunted rumor came to life — a teacher fell sick, babbling about whispers in the dark. Everyone panicked.

Except Ruqing.

She came back from the bathroom with dust on her sleeves, and the sick teacher “miraculously recovered” two hours later.

“You look like you fought a raccoon,” Qin had teased.

“I won,” she replied.

He didn’t ask more.

She didn’t offer more.

But that was the first time he knew.

---

Now, back in class, he sat two seats ahead of her, half-listening to the lecture, half-listening to her silence.

She was too still today.

Too thoughtful.

And her smile — when it came — didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"She's not just tired."

Qin Chen exhaled and scribbled something on the corner of his notebook, then tore it out and passed it back underhanded.

Ruqing glanced down.

I know you’re hiding something.

It’s fine.

I’ll wait until you want to tell me.

She froze.

Eyes scanning the letters.

Then looked up.

Qin Chen didn’t turn around.

But he raised a hand, held up two fingers.

Peace sign.

“No rush,” he whispered.

---

In her bag, Little Spirit stirred softly.

“Master… are you going to tell him someday?”

Ruqing’s eyes were unreadable.

Then she gently folded the note and slipped it into her pocket.

“Someday,” she murmured. “When I’m not afraid he’ll see me differently.”

The final bell rang like a sigh of relief.

Students flooded out of classrooms, tripping over bags, waving half-hearted goodbyes, and shoving bread buns into their mouths like they hadn’t eaten in days.

Feng Ruqing didn’t rush. She slipped her books into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and stepped into the hallway where the fluorescent lights flickered like they were haunted by unpaid electricity bills.

Qin Chen was waiting outside, leaning against the wall like he’d been posing for a magazine shoot that didn’t exist.

“Hey, mysterious sleeping beauty,” he greeted. “You ready to walk home or do I need to carry you in a wheelbarrow?”

Ruqing arched a brow. “Keep talking and I’ll summon a haunted one.”

He grinned. “Promises, promises.”

---

The two of them walked side by side down the hill from the school, the setting sun throwing golden streaks across the pavement.

“Minya didn’t glare at you after lunch,” Qin said, thoughtfully biting into a red bean bun. “I think you’ve finally earned her silent rage tier.”

“Excellent,” Ruqing said dryly. “One day, I hope to inspire an ulcer.”

He laughed. “What would you even do if she confessed she secretly admires you?”

“Reject her with the force of a lightning talisman.”

They both snorted.

---

The wind picked up, gentle and cool, tugging at their uniforms.

“Hey,” he said after a moment. “You okay today?”

Ruqing glanced at him sideways. “You’re not usually this sentimental. Did you hit your head during chemistry?”

He rolled his eyes. “You were quiet, even for you. And that nap wasn’t a nap, was it?”

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she kicked a small pebble down the sidewalk and watched it bounce away.

“I was just... in my head,” she finally said.

Qin Chen nodded, hands in his pockets. “That’s fine. You’re allowed. I live in my head. There’s a hot tub and Wi-Fi.”

Ruqing smiled faintly. “Let me know if there’s room service.”

“There’s sarcasm on the menu,” he said brightly. “Two servings, both yours.”

---

When they reached the intersection near her apartment, he slowed his steps.

“Want me to walk you all the way?”

“Nah,” she said. “I’m fine from here.”

He nodded, then turned, but paused.

“Hey, Ruqing.”

She looked back.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” he said. “But when you do... I’ll believe you. No matter how crazy it sounds.”

She blinked.

Then smirked.

“Even if I said I fight off evil spirits on weekends?”

Qin Chen snorted. “I mean, honestly? That’d explain a lot.”

He gave her a mock salute and jogged off before she could reply.

---

Ruqing stood there for a moment, watching him go.

“Idiot,” she muttered.

But her hand tightened slightly around her bag.

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