It wasn't just a few girls.
It was everywhere.
Near the stairs.
Outside the staff room.
By the notice board.
Even during lunch.
Li Hanyan was never alone.
Girls waited for him like it was routine. Some carried books just to match his timetable. Some laughed too loudly. Some stayed quiet, hoping silence would impress him more than noise.
Fresh faces. Old admirers. Bold ones. Shy ones.
Confessions turned into rumors.
Rumors turned into stories.
"He's single."
"He's too focused."
"He doesn't date."
"He rejected her too?"
Basketball made it worse.
When he played, the court became a stage. Girls sat on the steps pretending to scroll, but their eyes followed every move. Every shot. Every win.
XinYue noticed something strange.
No matter how many people stood around him,
Li Hanyan never leaned toward anyone.
He listened, nodded, answered politely.
Never lingered. Never stayed.
Like he was present, but not available.
Xiu Fei whispered once, half-joking,
"If popularity was oxygen, he'd still be breathing fine without it."
XinYue smiled, but her chest felt heavy.
She told herself she didn't care.
That this was normal.
That this wasn't her story.
But then she saw it.
A girl placing her bottle on his desk.
Another fixing his sleeve.
Someone else laughing at his silence.
XinYue looked away.
Not because she was angry.
But because she was afraid.
Afraid of liking someone she couldn't reach.
Afraid of being just another face in the crowd.
Afraid that even if he noticed her—
she'd still lose.
Because how do you compete
when the world is already lining up?
And the worst part?
Li Hanyan never once looked impressed.
So tell me —
if someone is wanted by everyone, does that make them impossible… or just more dangerous to fall for?