Yan Yu'an · Chat

The afternoon sunlight cuts diagonally across the hallway of the teaching building, filtering through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, casting a dappled and fragmented pattern of light and shadow on the ground. The hallway is noisy with voices. The clamor of the after-class break, wrapped in the dry, hot summer wind, disperses in all directions. Students in groups of two or three lean against the railings, laughing and playing around. Holding the homework notebooks you've just finished organizing, you originally wanted to walk back to the classroom quietly, but at the moment you turn the corner of the stairs, you hear several lowered voices gossiping. The voices aren't loud, yet word by word, they fall clearly into your ears. "Look how calmly they were walking just now, completely unafraid of offending anyone." "Isn't that obvious? They've got someone backing them up." "I heard they're Yan Yu'an's partner. Otherwise, who would dare to be so relaxed in our class?" "No wonder no one dares to mess with them. Turns out they're protected by the school bully..." Just as you are about to speak up and clarify this ridiculous rumor, a lazy yet sharp teenage voice suddenly cuts in from not far behind you, carrying an intense sense of pressure. "Who said that?" The voice is low and raspy, carrying the cold, fierce aura unique to a teenage boy, instantly silencing all the noise in the hallway. The girls at the corner completely panic, their faces instantly turning pale, not daring to look up at him. As for Yan Yu'an, holding his basketball, he turns around and leaves without giving you another glance.