Moonleaf Café slowly returned to something resembling normalcy.
The air no longer crackled with tension. No one was pointing. No one was hovering. No one was gripping coffee cups like weapons.
At the center of it all, Liang Chen was… content.
This, in itself, was a small miracle.
Three plates sat in front of him—evidence of a very successful afternoon. Strawberry, chocolate, and one he hadn't even remembered ordering but had somehow appeared anyway. Chen ate with unhurried grace, clearly pleased, clearly relaxed.
For him, the café time had been genuinely pleasant.
He got cake.
Multiple cakes.
And no grading papers.
For the others—
Xu Jin sat back slightly, chin resting on his hand, gaze drifting toward Chen again and again as if magnetized. He hadn't eaten much at all. Watching Chen enjoy himself was somehow more satisfying than sugar.
Xiao Yushen sipped his tea calmly, observing everything with a scholar's eye. He noted how Chen's shoulders were relaxed, how the crease between his brows had smoothed out, how he occasionally hummed faintly without realizing it.
Zhou Kai barely touched his drink.
He was too busy existing.
Watching Chen eat.
Listening to his soft comments about the cake.
Noting the way his fingers held the fork delicately.
This alone felt like winning something.
Chen wiped his lips neatly with a napkin, then checked the time.
"I should go," he said, standing.
Three chairs scraped back at once.
"I'll get the bill," Xu Jin said immediately.
"No, I—" Zhou Kai started.
"Allow me," Xiao added smoothly.
Chen paused.
Looked at the three of them.
Then spoke, calm and reasonable.
"Mostly, I'm the one who ate," he said. "I'll pay."
They opened their mouths again—
And then Chen glanced at them.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just… a look.
A quiet, teacher's glare that said don't argue with me about this.
Three grown men shut up instantly.
Chen walked to the counter, paid without fuss, thanked the owner politely, and returned to grab his bag.
Xu Jin stood too.
"If you're going home," he said casually, hopeful, "I'll come with you."
The owner lady waved cheerfully at him. "Leaving already? Come again!"
"I'm going back," Xu Jin replied, nodding to her.
Chen shook his head gently.
"No," he said. "I wasted Zhou Kai's teaching time. I should at least give him a brief lesson back at school."
Zhou Kai froze.
Then—
Bloomed.
"Oh," he said, trying—and failing—to sound normal. "Y-Yes. That would be good, Professor."
Xu Jin stared at him.
Xiao watched the exchange.
Then, very deliberately—
Xiao smiled.
Zhou Kai caught it.
And with youthful audacity, smiled back.
The two of them waved at Xu Jin.
Smug.
Satisfied.
Absolutely provoking.
Xu Jin's smile twitched.
"Have a good study session," he said tightly.
Chen nodded. "We will."
And with that, Chen turned and left with Zhou Kai.
Xu Jin stood there for a moment longer, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.
The owner lady leaned closer. "Rough?"
Xu Jin exhaled slowly. "You could say that."
Back on Campus
The moment they stepped through the gates, something felt… off.
Students glanced over.
Whispers followed.
Phones dipped and lifted again.
Chen noticed none of it.
He walked calmly, adjusting his bag strap, already mentally organizing how to explain the missed lectures efficiently.
Zhou Kai noticed everything.
"Professor," he said quietly, "you're… very popular."
Chen blinked. "Am I?"
Zhou Kai nodded solemnly. "Dangerously so."
They passed the faculty building. Chen got a call and side himself from them to attend.
Xiao stood near the steps, posture composed, expression unreadable.
Zhou paused.
"Professor Xiao," he said, raising a hand politely. "I'm going to the library with professor chen."
Xiao nodded. "I see."
Zhou Kai straightened instinctively.
Then—unable to help himself—he spoke.
"We were at the café," he said. "All three of us."
Xu Jin wasn't there, but the damage was done.
Xiao looked at him calmly. "I'm aware."
Zhou Kai grinned. Just a little.
Xiao sighed inwardly.
"I won't follow," he said finally. "There are already too many rumors today."
Zhou smiled faintly. "That's probably wise and most importantly professor doesn't even aware."
Xiao watched them walk away, side by side.
Then turned back toward his office.
Work waited.
Unfortunately.
The Library — Zhou Kai's Temporary Heaven
The library was quiet.
Cool.
Safe.
Sunlight filtered through tall windows, dust motes floating lazily in the air. The scent of old books settled Zhou Kai's racing thoughts almost immediately.
Chen chose a table near the back.
"Sit," he said gently.
Zhou Kai did—too fast.
Chen took out his notes, adjusted his glasses, and looked at him.
"You missed three lectures," he said. "Let's start with the basics."
Zhou Kai nodded earnestly.
As Chen explained, his voice softened into that familiar teaching cadence—clear, patient, effortlessly captivating. Zhou Kai listened closely, nodding at the right moments, asking questions where appropriate.
He learned.
Genuinely.
But a small part of his mind kept drifting.
So… these are my rivals, he thought.
Xu Jin—bold, shameless, frighteningly persistent.
Professor Xiao—calm, sharp, clearly important.
And him.
A student.
Zhou Kai smiled faintly.
At least now I know who I'm up against.
Chen finished explaining a concept and looked up.
"Does that make sense?"
Zhou Kai snapped back to attention. "Yes, Professor."
Chen nodded, satisfied.
For now, the library was quiet.
The rivals could wait.
And Zhou Kai—
For this moment—
Had Liang Chen all to himself.
It was a quiet victory for him now he was delighted. Chen saw him in a daze with a weird smile he smacked him with a book on his head which woke him from his sweet dream. He smiled sheepishly at him and said sorry.
Professor xiao was not in good mood because he got to know the existence of two rivals that shouldn't appear in his story.
At the cafe someone was gloomy too. Owner lady pitied him and console him with a story of how a demon fox seduce the emperor and steal his youth and left him to die.
Xu jin said " the problem is not the demon fox, the problem is the followers of him.
This is bad xu jin you have to do something.