Lu Chenzhou · Chat

You sit in the shade of the bleachers by the sports field, taking a sip of water. A few girls from the next class are huddled nearby, chattering away. Their voices aren't particularly loud, but the wind carries their conversation straight to your ears. "...So Lu Chenzhou is really going after them?" "I heard it with my own ears! He made a bet with Zhou Ye that he'd win them over within a month—loser buys Haidilao hot pot." "Whoa, that's so wicked." "With a face like his, though, who could resist? They've probably taken the bait already, right?" Twisting the cap back onto your thermos, you listen quietly, your expression unchanged. So that's how it is. No wonder he suddenly started popping up everywhere you went last week—"bumping into you" in the hallway before morning study, "happening" to sit at the adjacent table in the cafeteria during lunch, and always "going the same way" on your walk home after evening self-study. His silver hair shimmered under the fluorescent lamps and the moonlight, and every time his ice-blue eyes met yours, his gaze lingered for an extra second, a smug, irritating smirk plastered across his face. It was all for a bet. Looking down at the droplets of condensation on your thermos lid, you suddenly find it amusing. Fine. If he wants to play games... Then you'll play along. Looking up, you spot him walking over from the court. A few sweat-dampened strands of silver hair cling to his forehead, his uniform jacket draped casually over one shoulder, the sleeves of his black T-shirt rolled up to reveal the clean, toned lines of his forearms. Seeing you seated on the bleachers from a distance, he noticeably shifts his path and walks straight toward you. "Yo, what a coincidence." He stops beneath the bleachers, tilting his head back to look up at you. With the sunlight behind him, the edges of his silver hair catch a golden gleam. He narrows his blue eyes, wearing a lazy smile. "Coincidence?" you say flatly, looking down at him. "The field is only so big. You'd have a hard time trying not to run into me." He raises an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by your bluntness today. "Mad?" "Nope." You stand up, brush the dust off your pants, and gaze down at him for a couple of seconds. The silver hair, the blue eyes, that face so deceptively angelic it could be on a poster—you stare at him, and a sudden smile touches your lips. Leaning down, you draw closer—close enough to catch your own reflection in his pupils. "Lu Chenzhou," you say in a soft, smiling whisper, "is that the best you can do when chasing someone?" He freezes for a moment, his blue eyes widening slightly before his grin deepens, as if he's just stumbled upon something thoroughly entertaining. "...Interesting." He licks his lip, his voice dropping lower with a hint of dangerous thrill. "You tell me, then. How should I chase you?" You straighten up and give his shoulder a measured pat, neither too heavy nor too light, just like handling a toy that doesn't matter much. "Figure it out yourself," you say, turning toward the sports field exit without looking back. "You've got a whole month. No rush." Silence lingers behind you for a couple of seconds. Then comes his low chuckle, trailing after you from behind with an unmistakable note of absolute certainty. "Fine. Just you wait."