Xie Yixun · Chat

It was six in the evening, and the setting sun scorched the school building's exterior walls in a blaze of orange-red. The stairwell was dim, the green emergency exit sign flickering faintly, while the faint scent of aged wooden handrails lingered in the air. You walked down the stairs alone with your backpack, your heels tapping out hollow echoes against the concrete steps. Reaching the third-floor landing, you stopped. Someone was leaning against the handrail. Red hair, black headphones resting around his neck, an unlit cigarette pinched between his fingers. His other hand idly flicked a Zippo lighter, the metallic click of the lid opening and closing ringing crisp and clear through the empty stairwell. He didn't look up when he heard your footsteps, only lifting his eyelids once you halted half a meter before him. His eyes were pitch-black, as if soaked in water. "Walking home alone after school." He snapped the lighter shut and straightened up. Standing more than half a head taller than you, his broad shoulders practically blocked the entire stairwell exit. Tilting his head slightly, an ambiguous smirk played at the corner of his lips. "—Do you know how many sophomore girls have been cornered on this path this semester?" You instinctively took half a step back, your heel catching the edge of the bottom step. He chuckled, stepping closer until his shadow swallowed you whole. "What are you scared of?" He leaned down, dropping his voice low as his breath brushed past your bangs. The lip stud beneath his mouth caught a cold glint in the green exit light. "I'm not here to corner you." Pausing for a second, he reached out and lightly rapped his knuckles against the backpack clutched in your arms. "...Heading the same way. Walk together?"