He looked down at her, his expression complex. Her nose was so sensitive. It seemed he couldn't even be near the scent of smoke anymore.

His desire for her still burned, his gaze hot. He longed to kiss her again, to hold her close. But he remained at a distance, watching her for a long moment before silently leaving.

Jiang Yi slept soundly and woke early. She was alone at breakfast again, assuming both Zhong Lin and Zhong Cheng hadn't returned. After breakfast, she enjoyed the morning sun and the fragrant flowers in the garden before preparing to meet Qin Feifei at the library.

She went upstairs to change, grabbed her bag, and came back down. In the short time it had taken her to get ready, the two men she’d been avoiding were now in the living room.

Zhong Lin noticed her first. Glancing at her outfit, he asked, "Going out?"

Hearing his voice, Zhong Cheng looked over as well. Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered to Zhong Cheng, then quickly back to Zhong Lin, her lashes fluttering nervously as she gripped the strap of her backpack.

"Yes," she replied to Zhong Lin.

"With a classmate?" he asked.

"Yes," Jiang Yi answered, "My deskmate."

Zhong Lin's gaze lingered on her, his brow furrowing as he noticed her white knuckles. He wondered if he’d been too rough with her the other day, making her so tense now. Was she afraid he’d lose control and not let her leave?

"Go ahead," he said. "Be careful."

"Okay," Jiang Yi replied and hurried out, her every movement conveying a desire to escape.

Zhong Cheng watched her go for a few seconds before turning away. Her simple clothes and backpack suggested a study session, not a date. This time, it seemed she really was meeting her deskmate. The Qin family must be busy lately; that man probably didn't have time. Then again, even when busy, his older brother always made time to visit her room. Zhong Cheng’s gaze drifted pointedly towards Zhong Lin.

Jiang Yi and Qin Feifei spent a productive day studying at the library, having dinner together before heading home. For the next few days, both Zhong Lin and Qin Zezhou seemed preoccupied, giving her life a sense of normalcy and allowing her to catch up on her studies.

There was only one awkward, unavoidable aspect of her routine: the daily commute to school with Zhong Cheng. And perhaps it was just her imagination, but although they were in neighboring classes, their paths hadn't crossed often before. Since Saturday, however, their encounters at school had become increasingly frequent.

He’d be passing her classroom window during breaks, they’d run into each other in the restroom, on the stairs, even at the school store. It was as if the more she tried to avoid him, the more they seemed to meet.

As if that wasn't enough, during Wednesday's last class, PE, the class representative announced that the neighboring class's PE teacher was absent, so they would be joining Jiang Yi's class.

Not only were both classes having PE at the same time, but they'd be together, same teacher, same formation, even running from the same starting line.

It was...bizarre. That was Jiang Yi's first thought upon hearing the news.