Desk mate, your persona has crumbled.

The streetlights stretched and shortened the shadows of the two people, and the evening breeze carried a slight chill across the street.

The campus turmoil was left far behind, with only the sound of footsteps echoing softly in the quiet streets.

Xu Mo and Song Shuyan walked side by side.

The young boy and girl each have their own worries.

Xu Mo glanced sideways at the girl walking quietly beside him.

The moonlight shone on her delicate profile, and her usual coldness was gone.

She seemed calm, but Xu Mo keenly sensed that familiar shyness.

The boy's Adam's apple bobbed, and he tried to speak several times, but swallowed the words back down.

Explain? Wouldn't that seem like a blatant attempt to cover something up?

If I don't explain, won't she misunderstand me?

With something on my mind, my steps unconsciously slowed down.

Song Shuyan naturally noticed the slower pace of the people around her.

The girl's heart skipped a beat when she heard the boy's voice beside her.

"Song Shuyan"

Xu Mo broke the silence between the two.

The girl paused, turned her head to look at him, and a hint of nervousness appeared in her clear eyes.

"That...in the afternoon."

As Xu Mo spoke, he felt his ears start to burn.

"Exactly, it's what I said when I said it was your boyfriend..."

"I didn't mean it! Really! I was just too anxious at the time, and in a moment of impulse, it just slipped out! It was purely to stop him, nothing more! You...you don't need to take it to heart!"

Xu Mo's speaking speed unconsciously increased.

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor's engine in the boy's chest started up again.

For a moment, he dared not look at Song Shuyan.

His eyes darted around the surroundings, waiting for her reaction.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then, Xu Mo clearly sensed it.

An emotion more surging than ever before suddenly overwhelmed him.

He couldn't help but look at her again.

Song Shuyan's fair earlobes turned crimson at a visible speed.

The girl lowered her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together.

She didn't speak immediately, but lowered her head as if to hide herself.

Xu Mo did not speak.

The evening breeze seemed to understand and quiet down for a moment, leaving only the boy's heart pounding like a drum and the girl's silent shyness.

It was quite some time before Song Shuyan's voice reached my ears.

"Um……"

The voice was soft, yet it sealed the fate of the matter between the two of them.

It simply means nothing more than that.

However, the blush on the girl's face didn't lie.

Dark as ink.

A lamp was lit in the bedroom, casting a halo of light over the girl on the bed.

Song Shuyan leaned against the bed, holding her phone in her hand.

The screen displays a WeChat chat window with Xu Mo.

The scope of their communication was limited to daily greetings.

good Morning.

good night.

I'm off.

I have arrived.

Very polite, very restrained, and showed no sign of overstepping boundaries.

Song Shuyan looked at the text on the screen.

Even knowing it's fake, a shield used in desperation, but...

Why do I keep thinking about the way he looked when he said those words?

Why did I feel a little disappointed because he was so eager to clarify?

A strange, indescribable bitterness suddenly welled up in my chest.

Like unripe plum juice, its sourness is accompanied by a slight sweet aftertaste.

The girl's legs were curled up under the covers, causing the blankets to rustle.

She buried her flushed cheeks in her soft knees, trying to dispel the strange and disturbing feelings.

This feels so strange.

Just then, the phone screen in my hand suddenly lit up, accompanied by a crisp notification sound.

Song Shuyan looked up almost immediately, her eyes quickly landing on the screen.

It's Xu Mo.

The girl quickly opened the message.

Xu Mo: [What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow?]

Looking at the brief text on the screen, Song Shuyan's heart began to pound with joy.

She suddenly remembered the first time they went to school together, and how he broke open a steamed bun and handed it to her.

My fingertips gently touched the keyboard and began to type.

Song Shuyan: [I want to eat steamed buns.]

She sent the message and let out a soft breath.

That familiar blush crept back onto her cheeks, but this time, it seemed to be tinged with a hint of anticipation.

I look forward to his reply.

Xu Mo replied to the message quickly:

Okay, goodnight.

Get some rest; you have an exam tomorrow.

Song Shuyan nodded slightly and replied:

Okay, goodnight.

Looking at the message on the screen, the bitterness and disappointment that had been lingering in my heart seemed to be blown away by a warm breeze.

The girl's lips unconsciously curved upwards.

With this anticipation, Song Shuyan gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning.

The alarm clock rang on time, and Song Shuyan opened her eyes.

Perhaps thinking of something, Song Shuyan's movements were unconsciously lighter this morning.

When Song Jianghuai saw his daughter, he felt that she seemed a little different today.

She seems very happy?

"Yan Yan, are you in a good mood today?"

Song Jianghuai asked tentatively, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness that he himself was unaware of.

He knew perfectly well who was behind his daughter's changes.

Song Shuyan nodded without saying anything more.

The father and daughter silently entered the elevator.

Song Jianghuai looked at the elevator buttons and pressed the button for the first floor.

This action has become ingrained in the old father's habits.

The elevator doors opened on the first floor.

The morning sunlight streamed in, bringing warmth.

Song Shuyan was the first to step out of the elevator.

At the entrance of the apartment building, that familiar figure was still standing there.

"Xu Mo".

The girl's voice rang out, slightly louder than usual.

(happy!)

Sensing this emotion, Xu Mo immediately smiled.

"Good morning, Song Shuyan! Uncle Song!"

Song Jianghuai watched this scene unfold.

Looking at the gentle expression on her daughter's face, and then at that brat...

"be safe."

"Okay, goodbye Dad."

Song Jianghuai stood there, watching his daughter and Xu Mo walk away side by side.

He suddenly realized that this might actually be a good thing.

Depend on!

What are you thinking about!

Good my ass!

The old father spat at himself, then turned and walked upstairs.

In the morning light, the steam rising from the steamer, carrying the aroma of noodles, wafts over.

Xu Mo easily scanned the code to pay.

"Here you are."

He handed the steaming hot buns to Song Shuyan: "Want to eat that?"

Song Shuyan stared at the plump steamed bun:

I want to eat them all.

"Then let's split it in half!"

Xu Mo then took out a steamed bun and slowly broke it open.

"Here you go!"

The girl looked at the steamed bun in the boy's hand and reached out her hand.

Fingertips touched each other lightly and unexpectedly.

The warm touch emanated from the soft edges of the bun.

There was no surprise or hesitation as expected.

Song Shuyan steadily took the half of the warm bun, and Xu Mo's fingers naturally withdrew.

That moment of touch felt as natural as breathing.

It's as if the morning breeze brushes against your hair, and dewdrops slide off the leaves.

There was no unnecessary heartbeat, nor any deliberate dodging or avoidance.

It was just how it was supposed to be.