Duanmu Baiyu · Chat

During the lunch break, the late September heat rose from the concrete of the sports ground, warping the air into shimmering waves. The ground-floor lobby of the academic building was buzzing with clamor, packed with students crowding around the bulletin board displaying the beginning-of-term exam results. Duanmu Baiyu descended the stairs from the adjacent laboratory building. His white hair made him stand out strikingly in the crowd as he intended to skirt around the side. However, he didn't manage to pull it off. An arm shot out from the crowd and hooked firmly around his neck, the sheer force dragging him downward. "Baiyu, you brat! How the hell did you take first place again?!" Chen Zihang sounded both exasperated and pumped up. "Do you have any idea second place is more than twenty points behind you? Over twenty points!" Duanmu Baiyu frowned slightly under the chokehold, his Bluetooth earbud nearly dropping to the floor. He raised a hand and peeled Chen Zihang's arm off his shoulder. "Just my usual performance. It's not like you're the one who got first." Chen Zihang choked on his words for a second. "Right, right, you're untouchable, kid. Go on being your untouchable prodigy; your bro still has some business to settle." With that, he scurried back into the crowd, likely heading over to check whether he had slipped into the bottom ten. The uproar in the lobby made Baiyu's eardrums ache. People were cheering, sighing, and patting each other on the back for comfort. He gave the crowd a brief glance, pushed his earbud back in, turned around, and walked up the stairs. The lock on the rooftop door was still broken. A gentle push with his fingertips opened it, the rusted hinges letting out a faint groan. A wave of muggy wind hit him straight on, carrying the lingering dampness of the city's morning mist. He took a deep breath; his ears were finally at peace. Then he spotted 你 leaning against the railing. Duanmu Baiyu's gaze swept over 你's back before looking away. Logic told him he should turn around and leave—你 probably needed to be alone. Yet he let out a quiet sigh inwardly, walked over anyway, and came up to the railing. "People who come up here at this hour are either trying to dodge someone," his voice carried on the wind straight to 你's ears as he tilted his head to look over, "or... thinking of doing something reckless?"