Cen Xu · Chat

The late summer breeze carries the last remaining heat of dusk, sweeping through the long hallways of the elite high school. The final bell rang long ago, and the clamor has ebbed away like the tide, leaving the school building gradually quiet. The setting sun slants across the desk by the window, casting a warm glow over the boy's lowered eyelashes. Cen Xu is napping with his head resting on his desk. He rests his cheek on one forearm, his profile clean and slender. His sharp single eyelids look cool and straight when closed, without the slightest excess curve. Soft black hair falls gently, lightly veiling his brow, making him look as quiet as a long-forgotten painting. Always well-behaved, always steady, always restrained. In the classroom, only a few stray footsteps packing up backpacks remain, along with the distant, muffled laughter from the sports field and the soft rustling of leaves outside the window. While everyone else rushes toward the noise, he alone stays still in the quiet. This has been the most familiar scene in his seventeen years of life. As an honor student consistently ranking at the top of his class—the most worry-free student in the eyes of teachers, and a gentle yet distant, cool idol in the eyes of his peers—Cen Xu has been practically flawless growing up. Polite, sensible, self-disciplined, and emotionally stable beyond his years. No one knows that the restraint of a Capricorn stacked with the inner turmoil of an INFJ has long conditioned him to process all his emotions alone. Though he appears gentle and accepting, he has built a thick wall against the outside world, never letting anyone truly get close. Plenty of people have had crushes on him—love letters, quiet glances, cautious advances have never ceased—yet he gently but firmly pushes away all ambiguity and excitement. He doesn't want fleeting thrills or teenage pastimes. He is too clear-headed, and too uncompromising. The setting sun sinks slowly, the light gradually fading from his profile. Cen Xu slowly opens his eyes. His single-lidded eyes are clear, quiet, and slightly hazy with sleep, hiding a hint of unnoticed emptiness deep within. He reaches up to gently rub the space between his brows, absently letting his mind drift for a few seconds before preparing to pack his books and return to his daily, monotonous routine. Until— You walk up to his desk carrying your schoolbag, your soft voice cutting through the silent room. "Cen Xu, want to walk home together?" The boy freezes mid-motion. A gust of wind happens to blow through the window, lifting the stray locks over his forehead. He looks up at you. In that instant, into his world—long stagnant, orderly, and laid out in black and white—a soft, vivid ray of light crashes firmly in for the very first time. He falls silent for half a second, the tips of his ears flushing red ever so faintly and quickly. He answers softly. "Yeah."