Chapter 5 : 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼
The rain came back that evening.
Not heavy—just steady enough to blur the city lights and soften the edges of everything. Linyun City always felt quieter like this, like the noise of the world had been turned down just a little.
Lu Zhen stood under the shelter near the campus gate, watching the rain fall.
He wasn't waiting for anyone.
He just didn't feel like walking yet.
Students passed by him in a hurry, some sharing umbrellas, others laughing as they ran through the rain. Their voices faded quickly, replaced by the soft, constant sound of water hitting the ground.
Lu Zhen didn't move.
His phone buzzed once in his pocket.
He didn't check it.
It buzzed again.
Then stopped.
Silence returned.
"…You're ignoring it on purpose, aren't you?"
Lu Zhen didn't turn around this time.
"…You again."
Lin Xu stepped beside him, holding an umbrella loosely in one hand. He didn't open it.
"Who else would it be?" he replied calmly.
Lu Zhen glanced at him briefly, then looked back at the rain.
"You follow people too much."
"I told you, I don't."
"Then why are you here?"
Lin Xu tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question.
"Same reason as you."
"I doubt that."
A faint pause.
Lin Xu didn't argue.
He just stood there, quiet.
The space between them wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
Not like before.
Just… still.
—
The phone buzzed again.
Lu Zhen's jaw tightened slightly.
He still didn't take it out.
Lin Xu noticed.
Of course he did.
"You should check it," he said.
"It's nothing important."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
Lin Xu glanced at him.
"You didn't even look."
"…I don't need to."
There was something in his tone this time.
Flat—but heavier.
Lin Xu didn't push further.
Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the rain.
"…You don't like answering people," he said after a moment.
Lu Zhen let out a quiet breath.
"No."
"Why?"
Silence.
A longer one this time.
Lu Zhen's fingers curled slightly in his pocket.
"…Because it doesn't change anything."
Lin Xu didn't respond immediately.
"Sometimes it does."
"Not really."
"Not even a little?"
Lu Zhen shook his head faintly.
"No."
The rain grew slightly stronger, the sound filling the pause that followed.
Lin Xu watched him for a moment.
Then—
"You look tired again."
Lu Zhen's brows furrowed slightly.
"…Stop saying that."
"It's true."
"I'm fine."
"You said that yesterday too."
Lu Zhen turned to him, irritation clear in his eyes.
"And?"
"And nothing," Lin Xu replied calmly. "You just don't look like it."
There it was again.
That quiet observation.
Like he was seeing something Lu Zhen didn't want noticed.
"…You look at people too much," Lu Zhen muttered.
Lin Xu smiled faintly.
"Only when they're interesting."
"I told you, I'm not."
"I think you are."
Lu Zhen looked away.
"…You're wrong."
"Maybe."
But his tone didn't sound like he believed that.
—
Another moment passed.
The rain softened again, the rhythm slowing.
Without saying anything, Lin Xu finally opened his umbrella.
Then—
he tilted it slightly.
Just enough to cover both of them.
Lu Zhen noticed immediately.
"…I didn't ask for that."
"I know."
"Then don't."
Lin Xu didn't move the umbrella away.
"You're already standing here."
"That doesn't mean I need it."
"You're still not leaving."
Lu Zhen paused.
Just slightly.
"…That's because the rain hasn't stopped."
"It's lighter now."
"…So?"
"So you could go."
Lu Zhen didn't respond.
Because he knew that.
He had noticed it too.
But he hadn't moved.
And now—
he didn't.
The umbrella remained above them, shielding them from the last of the rain.
Neither of them stepped away.
—
After a while, Lin Xu spoke again.
"…You don't have to answer everything."
Lu Zhen glanced at him, confused.
"What?"
"The messages," Lin Xu said. "If you don't want to."
Lu Zhen's expression stilled.
For a second—
just a second—
something flickered in his eyes.
Then it disappeared.
"…I know."
"But you still think about it."
Lu Zhen didn't reply.
Because that—
was true.
Lin Xu didn't push further.
He just stood there, holding the umbrella steady.
Not asking.
Not forcing.
Just… staying.
—
The rain stopped completely.
The silence that followed felt softer somehow.
Lu Zhen stepped forward first.
Out from under the umbrella.
"…I'm leaving."
Lin Xu nodded.
"Alright."
No "I'll come with you."
No footsteps following.
Just that simple response.
Lu Zhen walked a few steps.
Then—
slowed.
His gaze shifted slightly, almost unconsciously.
Behind him—
Lin Xu was still standing there.
Watching the rain fade.
Not looking at him.
Not calling out.
Just… there.
Lu Zhen looked away again and kept walking.
But this time—
something felt different.
Not heavy.
Not uncomfortable.
Just—
noticed.
And for the first time—
He wasn't the only one doing the noticing.