The next few days settled into something almost normal.
Almost.
XinYue and Li Hanyan talked again. Not constantly, not the way they once had—but enough that the silence didn't feel sharp anymore.
"Did the teacher change the homework?" she asked one morning.
"No," he said. Then added, after a second, "But question five is tricky."
She glanced at him. "You're saying that like you already solved it."
"I did," he replied.
She smiled. "Of course you did."
He didn't look smug about it. Just passed her his notebook without a word.
That was how it went now.
No lingering looks. No awkward pauses. Just small exchanges that carried more weight than they should've.
Friends, she reminded herself.
Friends help each other with notes. Friends share answers. Friends don't overthink the way someone's voice sounds when they say your name.
Still, she noticed things.
How he waited for her before leaving the classroom, even when he pretended he wasn't. How he slowed his steps to match hers. How he listened—really listened—when she talked, eyes steady, attention undivided.
One afternoon, while they were packing up, she said, "You don't have to walk me to the gate."
"I know," he replied. Then, quieter, "I just want to."
She didn't respond right away.
"Okay," she said eventually.
Outside, the sky was pale, stretched thin with clouds. Students passed them in groups, voices overlapping.
"Are we… okay?" she asked suddenly.
He looked surprised. "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"
She shrugged. "You've been careful. Like you're watching every word."
He let out a breath. "I am."
"Why?"
He stopped walking.
"Because I already messed up once," he said. "And I don't want to do it again."
She turned to face him fully now. "You didn't mess up by caring."
He met her gaze. "I did by disappearing."
That shut her up for a moment.
Then she said, softer, "You don't have to disappear to stay in control."
His lips pressed together. "I'm still figuring that out."
They stood there, the noise of the school fading behind them.
She broke the silence first. "So… friends?"
He nodded. "Friends."
"And you won't start acting strange again?"
He hesitated. Then said, honestly, "I'll try not to."
She laughed under her breath. "That's not very reassuring."
"It's the truth," he said. "I'd rather be honest than distant."
That mattered more than he probably realized.
As they reached the gate, she turned toward her usual path. He didn't follow this time.
"See you tomorrow," she said.
"Tomorrow," he replied.
She took a few steps, then glanced back.
He was still standing there.
Not watching her walk away—but not leaving either.
XinYue felt something shift quietly inside her.
This wasn't confusion anymore.
It was awareness.
And Li Hanyan, walking home later than usual, realized something too—
Being friends wasn't safer.
It was harder.
Because now, he was close enough to lose control again.
And this time, he wasn't sure he wanted to stop it.