Shaken, AiLin couldn't explain the overwhelming need to flee, but her body responded instinctively. Her legs moved faster than ever, each step on the marble floor echoing in her ears. Her bag slipped from her hand as she ran, but she didn't stop to retrieve it. She knew Li ZiChen would follow her— of course, he would— but that only made her more determined to escape. She had to outrun him, to leave now before facing him again.
If he looked at her the way Mrs. Jiang once had, full of disappointment and regret, AiLin knew it would shatter her. She wouldn't survive it.
YanLan stood frozen, still reeling from the shock of what had unfolded. His mind barely registered what was happening until he saw Li ZiChen bolt past him like a force of nature, his footsteps like thunder in pursuit of AiLin.
"ZiChen!" YanLan called, but his voice was ignored, swallowed by the moment's urgency.