The envelope was light pink, and as she brought it closer, she could faintly smell a delicate, sweet fragrance. The handwriting on the cover was neat and graceful, and a small, dainty heart sticker sealed it shut.
This was, in every way, a love letter with an unmistakable girlish charm.
In other words, a love letter.
Lin Tiao froze for a few seconds, quickly processing the situation. She set the envelope down on Jiang Yan's desk in a casual tone, giving nothing away. "Your things—try to keep track of them next time."
Jiang Yan's popularity at No. 10 High had been steadily rising, and Lin Tiao had already heard rumors about people sneaking love letters into his desk when he wasn’t around. Normally, he didn’t even look at them and would throw them straight into the trash. But this was the first time Lin Tiao had actually seen a love letter intended for him.
She felt an inexplicable sense of frustration.
It was one thing to write a love letter, but what was with spraying it with perfume?
Lin Tiao glanced at the pink envelope on his desk. Aside from her frustration, she was also curious about the contents of the letter.
Back in middle school, she’d received love letters from boys, but at that age, they hadn’t known much. Their letters were usually filled with straightforward lines like, "I like you; I really like you; I like you a lot." There was nothing intriguing about them.
This letter, however, was different—carefully crafted, radiating the subtle affection of a girl from every angle. Honestly, it was the first time Lin Tiao had seen such a letter.
Her curiosity was almost unbearable, but she couldn’t let it show, so she just watched Jiang Yan out of the corner of her eye.
Jiang Yan hadn’t expected this timing; someone had actually managed to sneak a love letter into his desk during the brief flag-raising ceremony.
The pink envelope had only been in Lin Tiao’s hands for a few seconds before she calmly set it back on his desk. Then, there was a brief, awkward silence.
Jiang Yan hadn’t quite processed it, and Lin Tiao didn’t know what to say. One of them stared blankly at the love letter on the desk, while the other snuck glances at the other’s reactions.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was quiet.
After a few seconds, Jiang Yan finally moved.
He picked up the letter, glanced at it briefly without opening it, then put it back in his desk drawer instead of throwing it away like he usually would.
Lin Tiao's gaze paused, and she instinctively looked up at him.
Their eyes met, and his expression was calm but slightly unsure. "What’s wrong?" he asked.
“N-nothing,” Lin Tiao squeezed out the words between her teeth.
She was so annoyed she could scream.
What was with this guy?
Did he have no sense of keeping a clean reputation?
Jiang Yan had kept the letter, and she didn’t know if he planned to read it or what was inside. All she knew was that her long-standing sense of security was completely shattered by this sudden love letter. It felt as though her territory—one she had thought of as her own—suddenly had a corner intruded on by someone else.
It was small, but it was her territory, and now a stranger had pushed in, making Lin Tiao, who had been comfortable in her bubble, feel a significant sense of unease.
All day, Lin Tiao’s mind was occupied with thoughts of that love letter. By the time evening study hall came around, she was practically seeing the words "love letter" wherever she looked. She hadn’t solved many problems on her worksheet, but her irritation was rising.
She tossed down her pen, feeling restless, and glanced at Jiang Yan, who was quietly working on his worksheet beside her. She wanted to glare holes through him.
The classroom heating was on full blast.
Lin Tiao rubbed her face, took her phone out from her desk drawer, and logged into the familiar app.
Since her last post in the "Flirting Forum," her thread had been trending on the homepage, with comments piling up daily until they’d surpassed ten thousand.
She mostly updated it weekly, summarizing recent events and posting them.
Some comments urged her to confess.
But Lin Tiao felt like something was still missing between her and Jiang Yan—she couldn’t put her finger on it.
One particular comment resonated deeply with her:
1667: "I feel like the op and her deskmate are one step away from breaking through that final barrier, but has anyone considered that this barrier might be made of concrete? We’ve all been viewing things from the poster’s perspective and just assumed that her deskmate must like her. But looking at this thread, aside from treating her a little better than others, has he really done anything special? Maybe the poster hasn’t confessed because she’s not entirely sure he likes her."
When Lin Tiao had read this comment, she’d wanted to give it a hundred likes.
She really hadn’t figured out Jiang Yan’s feelings, which was why she hadn’t dared to make things clear. She’d only tested the waters quietly.
They were like two pieces on opposite sides of a board, making careful moves yet never crossing that final boundary.
The sweet tension of ambiguity was intoxicating, and Lin Tiao had made a comfortable space where both she and Jiang Yan fit.
Originally, this little world had just the two of them. But as time passed, others began noticing Jiang Yan inside her world, intrigued and wanting to join in.
Now the boundary was cracking, and Lin Tiao’s sense of security was threatened. She had to think of a way to fix this.
After some thought, she updated her post.
"To enjoy life, one must let things go."
As soon as the update was posted, comments flooded in.
"Ahhhh! What’s wrong, sis?"
"Is this the end for my teenage dream couple?"
"Nooo, I need my lemon tea!"
"Where’s my romance?"
"I’ve seen too much in my life."
Reading the funny comments lifted her spirits, and she started chatting with everyone in the comments.
The long night study session quickly ended.
Due to recent incidents with a local flasher, Lin Tiao had been getting picked up by a driver every day. Tonight was supposed to be the same.
But after the second study session ended, she got a message from Fang Yisong saying the driver had been caught in a traffic jam due to an accident and wouldn’t arrive anytime soon.
Fang Yisong offered to come get her himself, but Lin Tiao declined. Since the flasher had been caught, she could just take the bus home.
Fang Yisong agreed.
After school, Lin Tiao took her time packing up her bag. The semester exams were in a month, and she still studied a bit every night when she got home.
As usual, Jiang Yan was standing next to her, playing on his phone and waiting.
They’d fallen into a routine. When she was ready, he’d naturally reach for her bag, but this time his hand came up empty.
Lin Tiao brushed past his outstretched hand, her gaze downcast. “I’ll carry it myself.”
While he stared in surprise, she was already walking ahead, leaving him there. He pressed his lips together, as if realizing something, and finally laughed quietly instead of getting upset.
When she was almost out of the classroom, he quickly caught up.
Winter winds were chilly, and the forecast predicted snow soon.
Most people had already put on their thick down jackets, but Lin Tiao glanced at Jiang Yan, who was still in just his school uniform jacket. After spending all day avoiding him, she finally couldn’t help but mutter, “Aren’t you cold in just that?”
“I’m fine,” Jiang Yan replied. He rarely felt the cold—at most, he’d wear a slightly thicker jacket, but he almost never wore a down coat.
The two walked in silence. When they reached the school gate, Lin Tiao started heading toward the bus stop, but suddenly someone hooked onto her backpack from behind. She stumbled slightly, then regained her balance and looked back at him in confusion. "What’s wrong?"
Jiang Yan glanced at her. "Aren't you usually picked up by a driver?"
"Traffic's bad, so he couldn't make it. I’ll take the bus home."
The cold air made her breath cloud around her lips as she spoke.
There was a short silence before Jiang Yan let go of her backpack. "Let's go. I'll walk you there."
"No need, it’s not far." Lin Tiao zipped up her jacket, hands in her pockets. "You should head back; it’s getting late."
Jiang Yan ignored her refusal and started walking toward the bus stop.
Lin Tiao clenched her fists at his retreating figure, irritated, but quickly caught up.
Tonight, there were noticeably more students at the bus stop. With the flasher now caught, people seemed more relaxed, laughing and chatting in groups.
Standing next to Jiang Yan, it didn’t take long before some girls noticed him. One nudged her friend, clearly excited.
Before long, quiet whispers turned into a full-blown discussion, and one particularly bold girl even took out her phone to snap a picture. But she seemed to have forgotten to turn off the flash, and just as she pressed the shutter, a bright light flared.
Both Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan looked over, and the noise around them came to a sudden stop.
It was awkward, to say the least.
Jiang Yan, however, seemed unfazed. He tilted his head and looked at Lin Tiao, feigning ignorance. "Was she just taking a picture of me?"
Lin Tiao rolled her eyes, raising her chin with an exasperated look. "Who else would she be taking a picture of? Me?"
He let out a long “Oh,” feigning innocence. "But why would she take a picture of me?"
Are you kidding me?
Lin Tiao took a deep breath, her lips pursed. "Maybe because you’re an idiot?"
Jiang Yan glanced down at her puffed-up, annoyed face, brushed his thumb over the bridge of his nose, and unexpectedly let out a laugh.
The girls nearby, who had been stealing glances at him, instantly grew even more excited at his laugh. Whispering wasn’t enough to contain their enthusiasm anymore.
“Oh my god, he smiled! Did he really just smile? He's so cute when he smiles!”
“I’m dying, he’s gorgeous!”
“Did you get a picture?”
“Yeah, I did!”
“Quick, send it to me on QQ. I have to post it in our dorm chat!”
Jiang Yan awkwardly scratched his ear, meeting Lin Tiao’s incredulous gaze. He denied everything with a straight face, “I wasn’t laughing. They must have seen wrong.”
Lin Tiao glared at him, her hands clenched tightly in her pockets. After a moment, she exhaled and replied dryly, “Why should I care?”
Jiang Yan looked at her, then unexpectedly chuckled again.
Are you serious?
Still laughing?
Just as Lin Tiao was about to say something, a tall girl standing diagonally in front of them was suddenly pushed forward by her friend, stumbling to a stop about half a meter away.
After a brief pause, the girl blushed and spoke first, “Hi, Jiang. I’m Fang Ran from Class 5, second year.”
She looked vaguely familiar to Lin Tiao.
“I have a question about my studies,” Fang Ran continued shyly. “Could we exchange contact info?”
At that moment, Lin Tiao finally remembered her.
Fang Ran. Ranked eighth on the school beauty list, and previously in a heated argument with Tang Yushi while competing for the role in the school’s cultural festival promotional video.
Back then, Lin Tiao had actually admired her. After all, an enemy’s enemy is a friend. Although they didn’t end up becoming friends, Lin Tiao had a pretty positive impression of her.
But right now…
Lin Tiao found herself irritated by everything about Fang Ran. And she remembered clearly—Fang Ran was in the arts class, not the science class.
So… what kind of “academic problem” could she possibly want to discuss with a science student?
Did she expect him to explain the principles of socialism or something?
Around them, people were watching eagerly, ready for gossip. Some were even brainstorming tonight’s forum thread title:
“School Beauty Makes a Move on the School Bully! And the Result…?”
Perfect characters. Perfect setup. Mystery ending. It was bound to go viral.
After Fang Ran spoke, Jiang Yan stayed silent. The crowd grew restless, and so did Lin Tiao. What was he even thinking? Could he just give an answer already?
Finally, after a long silence, Jiang Yan tilted his head, catching Lin Tiao’s unsettled gaze. Slowly, he asked, “Do you think I should add her?”
Lin Tiao wanted to scream. Are you serious?
Did he have to drag her into the spotlight like this?
The surrounding crowd instantly turned their inquisitive stares on her, and even Fang Ran’s expression shifted to a mix of intrigue and tension.
Grinding her teeth, Lin Tiao, under the pressure of all those curious eyes, squeezed out a response, “Of course you should.”
Jiang Yan seemed to take her words to heart. He nodded, pulled out his phone, and started to exchange contacts with Fang Ran. But just as he was about to proceed, he stopped and held out his hand to Lin Tiao. “Your phone.”
“What do you want now?” Lin Tiao was one step away from punching him. She’d never seen anyone as shameless as him.
Jiang Yan laughed helplessly. “My phone’s dead. Let me use yours to add her.”
With so many people watching, Lin Tiao didn’t say much more. She reluctantly pulled out her phone and handed it to him.
Jiang Yan took it and, with practiced ease, unlocked it and opened Lin Tiao’s WeChat QR code. Holding it out to Fang Ran, he explained considerately, “I don’t use WeChat often. This is my deskmate’s contact. If you have any questions, you can tell her, and she’ll pass them on to me.”
Fang Ran: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
Lin Tiao: “…”
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