By the time Lin Xuan finished helping me check into the international dorms, it was almost ten at night.
The campus had quietened since our arrival. Most of the crowds had disappeared, leaving only scattered groups of students crossing the courtyards under the glow of soft streetlights.
The dormitory itself was surprisingly modern.
Glass walls framed the lobby, and bright white lights reflected off polished floors. It felt more like the entrance to a boutique hotel than a student residence.
Inside, a quiet receptionist glanced up briefly as we entered.
The moment she noticed Lin Xuan, her expression shifted slightly – recognition, followed by something that looked suspiciously like respect.
He didn't acknowledge it.
He simply signed a short form at the desk and handed over my passport for verification.
Within a few minutes, I was holding a small key card.
"Room 507," the receptionist said politely.
"Thank you," I replied.
Lin Xuan had already picked up my suitcase again.
I hurried after him toward the elevators.
The doors slid closed with a soft chime, and suddenly, the quiet felt heavier.
For the first time since leaving the airport, it was just the two of us.
I leaned against the wall of the elevator, watching him from the corner of my eye.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?"
He didn't look up from his phone.
"No."
"Good to know."
The elevator dinged.
Fifth floor.
We stepped into a hallway lined with identical doors and soft overhead lighting.
My room was near the end.
507.
Lin Xuan set my suitcase down while I swiped the key card.
The door clicked open.
I stepped inside slowly.
The room was small but neat. A single bed, a desk beside a wide window, and a wardrobe against the far wall. Outside, the Shanghai Skyline shimmered in the distance, glowing beneath a hazy night sky.
I stood there for a moment just staring.
I was really here.
Shanghai.
After years of dreaming about studying abroad, learning Mandarin, and exploring this city I'd only seen in pictures… I was finally standing inside my dorm room.
Behind me, Lin Xuan placed my suitcase near the bed.
"That will be all," he said.
I turned.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"You're just leaving?"
"You are settled."
"That's not what I meant."
He paused, clearly reconsidering whether the conversation was worth continuing.
"What do you mean?"
"I thought maybe," I said carefully, "you might tell me a little about the campus."
"You will see it tomorrow."
"Right. But –"
"Rest tonight."
His tone wasn't rude.
Just final.
As he reached the door, I said,
"Lin Xuan?"
He stopped.
"Why were those people staring earlier?"
For a moment, they didn't answer.
Then he said simply,
"Because they know me."
And left.
The door clicked softly behind Lin Xuan, and just like that, I was alone.
For the first time since stepping off the plane, the whirlwind stopped.
No more commands.
No sharp glances.
No Mercedes engines or curious stares.
Just the quiet hum of the air conditioner and the faint, distant echo of campus noise drifting through the slightly cracked window.
I dragged my suitcase to the foot of the bed and clicked the latch open.
The sight of my clothes – wrinkled and smelling of Chicago and airport terminals – made the room feel a little less like a clinical dorm and a little more like home.
I moved with a slow pace forced by exhaustion.
I pulled out my favorite sketchbooks and lined them on the desk, their worn spines comforting against the stark white laminate.
Next came a small, framed photo of my parents and a string of fairy lights I'd tucked into my carry-on.
My side of the room was small, but as I smoothed out my own duvet cover, the bare bones of the space began to vanish.
Outside, the skyline glittered in layers – neon reflections against glass towers, like the city was built from shards of glass.
I caught my reflection in the dark window glass.
I looked like a ghost – pale, messy-haired, and wide-eyed.
My chest ached in this strange, beautiful way.
I had dreamed of this. Counted the days.
Practiced Mandarin at 2 a.m. until my brain felt like fried tofu.
Sacrificed weekends and sleep to fill out scholarship forms and write essays about "Global Aspirations" and "Cultural Integration."
But nothing – nothing – had prepared me for Lin Xuan.
Cold. Remote. Beautiful in a way that felt unfair.
And apparently a walking university headline.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Jet lag was beginning to fog the edges of my thoughts, but my heart was still pounding too fast to let me sleep.
Maybe a walk will help.
Or at the very least, I needed water before I dehydrated into a wrinkled, foreign raisin.
I grabbed my key card and slipped into the hallway.
The dorm corridors were quieter than I expected. A few doors were cracked open, revealing.
Bursts of lamplight and muffled conversations in Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese.
Somewhere down the hall, someone was laughing – the kind of light, familiar laughter of students who belonged here.
I hugged my arms around myself and made my way toward the vending machines near the lobby.
As I turned the corner, voices drifted towards me.
"...I'm telling you, Chen Yu looked like she was about to explore."
"Because she saw him with that girl?"
"Who was she? I've never seen her before."
My footsteps froze.
My name didn't come up, but the implication settled over me like cold rain.
I took one step back, flattening myself against the wall as the voices grew clearer.
"I heard she came from the airport in his car."
"No way. Lin Xuan doesn't pick people up. Ever."
"That's why everyone's freaking out. Even the finance seniors were talking about it."
A gasp.
"So…do you think they're dating?"
Dating?
I nearly choked on my own breath.
I had known this campus was dramatic – the internet had warned me – but this was absurd.
Another voice joined in, uncertain.
"But she looked…I don't know, ordinary? I expected someone more…"
"Important?"
"Exactly."
My stomach twisted. I pressed my back harder into the wall, wishing I could melt straight through the plaster.
"Chen Yu's going to eat her alive."
"Forget Chen Yu. The Ice Prince himself looked ready to bite her head off."
Ice Prince.
The title hit me like a slap.
So that was Lin Xuan's campus name.
Of course,e he had one. A face like that deserved a fanbase – and at least six melodramatic nicknames.
Footsteps approached.
I pushed away from the wall, pretending to study the vending machine.
The group turned the corner – three girls, all pretty, all fashionable, all staring straight at me as they passed.
One of them slowed down, her gaze narrowing just enough to make it clear she had recognized me.
She nudged her friend.
Their whispers followed me all the way back to the elevator.
By the time I reached the fifth floor, my hands were trembling.
This was not the first night I imagined.
Not even close.
I didn't make it back to my room.
As I passed the wide lounge area on my floor, a voice called out:
"Hey! Wait!"
I turned instinctively.
A boy was jogging toward me – tall, athletic, with easy confidence in the way he moved.
His hair was tied back in a loose, messy bun, and he wore a basketball jersey despite the late hour.
He flashed me with a grin that could probably stop traffic.
"You're the American, right? The one Lin Xuan picked up?"
My soul left my body.
"…Yes?" I managed.
He laughed, not unkindly.
"No wonder you look like a lost kitten. The rumors have been insane for the last thirty minutes."
I swallowed. "Rumors?"
He leaned casually against the lounge doorframe.
"I'm Lu Feng. Fourth-year economics. And, unfortunately, I know Lin Xuan." He held out a hand.
"You're Allie, right?"
My fingers were clammy as I shook his.
"Nice to meet you," I said, though my voice sounded far from nice.
He tilted his head, studying me.
"Are you okay? You look like someone just told you midterms start tomorrow."
I exhaled shakily.
"I think people are…confused. About me. And him."
He snorted. "Oh, they're not confused. They're obsessed. Anything involving the Ice Prince becomes instant gossip."
There it was again.
"So that's really his nickname?" I asked.
Lu Feng groaned. "God, yes. He hates it. But when you're good-looking, brilliant, rich, and allergic to emotional expression, you don't get to choose your own branding."
I blinked.
"That…sounds about right."
"Don't worry," he said. "He isn't glaring at you. That's just his face."
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Lu Feng checked his phone, then looked back at me.
"Seriously, though, don't take anything personally. People here are bored and dramatic. You just happened to arrive in the middle of their favoritesport: speculating about Lin Xuan's love life."
"But I'm not –"
"I know." He grinned. "But when has the truth ever mattered to bored college students?"
He jerked his thumb toward the lounge.
"You want to sit for a minute? If you go back to your room now, you'll just doom scroll campus gossip until sunrise."
He wasn't wrong.
I followed him inside.
The lounge windows overlooked the eastern side of campus – quiet pathways lined with willows, the glow of distant bridges arching over still water.
A few students sat scattered around the room, studying or chatting softly.
Lu Feng dropped onto a sofa and gestured for me to sit.
"So," he began, clasping his hands together with exaggerated seriousness, "What did he say to you?"
I blinked. "Who?"
"Lin Xuan."
"Oh."
I hesitated, thinking back.
"He told me to be careful."
Lu Feng burst out laughing, earning several annoyed stares.
"That's classic. He's so dramatic without meaning to be dramatic. Next time someone bumps into him on the sidewalk, he'll probably tell them they're in danger."
I shook my head, smiling despite myself.
"He also said the university isn't kind to outsiders."
Lu Feng's laughter faded.
His expression softened a little.
"That part's not a joke," he said quietly. "He wasn't wrong."
I sat up straighter. "Why?"
Lu Feng shrugged. "This place has politics. Lines you're supposed to stay inside. People like Chen Yu…" He made a face. "They treat the school like their personal kingdom. You're coming here with him –" he pointed at me "already put you on someone's radar."
I swallowed. "Great."
"Hey," he nudged my shoulder lightly, "don't look so panicked. You'll be fine. Just don't let the rumors get to you."
I stared at the window.
"I'm not used to being talked about," I admitted. "Especially not like this."
Lu Feng nodded thoughtfully.
"No one is. But between you and me?" He leaned closer.
"You handled Chen Yu better than most people do on their first day."
"I didn't do anything."
"Exactly. And she still looked like she bit into a lemon."
He grinned. "That's talent."
I snorted, feeling a little lighter.
After a moment, I stood.
"I should probably get some sleep."
He nodded. "If anyone gives you trouble, let me know. Or tell Lin Xuan."
"I'd rather not," I muttered.