Chapter 9.1: First Day Tensions
The broken bed was finally replaced the next afternoon.
Shi Mo stood at the doorway of Dorm Room 304, arms crossed, as two school maintenance workers struggled to lift the new frame through the narrow hall.
She was relieved—it meant no more nights on a cold mat—and yet, oddly, part of her was unsettled. The nights on the floor had brought her closer to understanding the dynamic with Fu Yunshen: distant, unpredictable, but not indifferent.
Their cold war continued.
Back in class, the atmosphere shifted noticeably with each passing day.
Shi Mo had officially been accepted as one of the boys in Class 15.
She was no longer "the new guy"—just "Shi Mo," the quiet, good-looking one who didn't talk much but seemed unbothered by the chaos around him.
Still, whispers followed her.
Some admired her.
Some distrusted her.
Some just wanted to provoke a reaction.
On Wednesday, that chance came.
It started when Shi Mo walked into the classroom during break and found her desk covered in crumpled papers and her textbook missing.
A few students snickered behind their phones.
Shi Mo remained calm. She picked up the garbage, threw it away, and returned to her seat without a word.
Across the room, a boy named Luo Kai watched her, a crooked grin on his face.
He was tall, burly, and loud—one of the school's second-generation rich kids who never studied but always acted like he owned the place.
"Hey, new guy," he called, voice dripping with mockery. "You dropped something."
He tossed Shi Mo's missing textbook across the room. It hit the edge of her desk and slid to the floor.
Shi Mo looked at him, then calmly bent down, picked up the book, and dusted it off.
She didn't speak.
The classroom went quiet.
Luo Kai frowned.
"You deaf or something?" he said. "I'm talking to you."
Shi Mo looked up. "I heard you."
Luo Kai took a step closer, clearly trying to provoke her. "You think you're special just because you sit next to Fu Yunshen?"
She shrugged. "I didn't pick my seat."
"Smart mouth, huh?"
Luo Kai grabbed the edge of Shi Mo's desk and leaned in. "Let me give you some advice. Don't act like you're better than the rest of us. People around here don't like quiet types who think they're mysterious."
Shi Mo's tone stayed even. "I'm not trying to be mysterious. I just don't like wasting time."
Luo Kai's eyes darkened. "What did you say?"
Before he could say more, a chair scraped loudly nearby.
Fu Yunshen stood up, towering behind Luo Kai.
The entire classroom froze.
Shi Mo turned her head slightly.
Fu Yunshen's expression was unreadable, but the atmosphere shifted instantly. The air grew heavy. Cold.
He didn't speak.
He just stared at Luo Kai.
Seconds passed.
Then Luo Kai stepped back, visibly unnerved, and muttered, "Tch. Whatever."
He returned to his seat.
The classroom slowly resumed its usual noise—but now with added tension.
Shi Mo turned back to her book, eyes down, heart steady.
Fu Yunshen sat down again without saying a word.