Suo Ran's breath caught. "Cai Lang...what are you doing...?" His back pressed against the wall. Cai Lang's hand was still wrapped around his wrist, firm and unyielding, not painful…but impossible to ignore.The distance between them was too close. For a moment, neither of them moved.Suo Ran's eyes searched Cai Lang's face instinctively. Cai Lang wasn't looking away. "What...are you out of your mind?" Suo Ran tried again, his voice lower now, steadier but edged with confusion. "What is this about?"
Cai Lang didn't answer. His grip tightened. Suo Ran stilled,his gaze dropping briefly toward their hands before returning to Cai Lang's face. "You're acting strange." Suo Ran said, his brows drawing together. "Since last night."Cai Lang remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on him. His eyes flickered once, so slightly it could have been missed, but Suo Ran didn't miss it. Why him? The question came suddenly, sharper than he expected. Why Lian Ziho?...His gaze didn't waver, but something inside him shifted. Are they…that close?...His fingers tightened almost unconsciously around Suo Ran's wrist, not enough to hurt, just enough to stop him from pulling away. Do they trust each other like that?... His jaw tightened faintly. Or is it something else? Something i don't know...
Suo Ran shifted slightly, testing the hold, trying to pull his wrist back just a little. Cai Lang didn't let go. His grip remained firm, steady.Cai Lang's jaw tightened again. Why does it bother me?... It shouldn't matter. None of this should matter. Who Suo Ran trusted...Who he stood close to. Who he allowed near him... It had nothing to do with me...And yet…why does it feel like it does?... His eyes darkened just slightly, the question settling deeper instead of fading. Do they…love each other?...
And the more he tried to dismiss it, the more it stayed. Cai Lang's gaze remained locked on Suo Ran.Suo Ran tested the hold again, subtly pulling his wrist. Cai Lang didn't let go."Cai Lang." This time, Suo Ran's tone changed. It was more serious, his eyes narrowing slightly as he made his boundary clear. "I said let go." Cai Lang didn't move. His hand remained where it was, fingers still wrapped around Suo Ran's wrist.
For a moment, it felt like time had paused. Suo Ran's brows drew together slightly. "Did you hear me?" Cai Lang didn't respond, but his grip didn't tighten either. It simply stayed firm.Suo Ran exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his patience. "This isn't funny." Cai Lang's expression remained unreadable. Suo Ran studied him for another second, confusion slowly giving way to concern. "Cai Lang." His voice dropped quieter this time. "What's wrong with you?"
Cai Lang's eyes shifted slightly, not away, but through him. His fingers flexed faintly around Suo Ran's wrist, then stilled again. Suo Ran tested the hold once more, pulling his wrist just enough to make his intention clear. "I'm serious." he said, his voice lower now, his expression firm. "Let go." Finally, Cai Lang spoke quietly. "What if…" Suo Ran stilled, his eyes widening slightly. "What?" Cai Lang's gaze sharpened,"What if I can't let go?"
For a moment, Suo Ran's mind went blank. …What did he just say?... Suo Ran's fingers tensed slightly, though he didn't try to pull away this time. He can't let go…of what?... The question surfaced on its own, quiet but insistent. Of his wrist or…?... He stopped himself before the thought could go any further. No...that didn't make sense. It couldn't...Still, something in his chest felt wrong, just enough to make him suddenly aware of his own breathing and the narrow space between them.
Suo Ran's breath caught for a second before his brows drew together. "Do you even hear what you're saying?" Cai Lang didn't answer. He didn't take it back. He only held Suo Ran's gaze for another moment, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke again. "Do you trust people easily?" Suo Ran blinked, his confusion deepening. "What are you talking about?" Cai Lang didn't move. He still hadn't released him, and his gaze remained locked on Suo Ran's face. "Do you..." he repeated quietly, "let people get close to you like that?"
Suo Ran frowned. "Like what?" Silence. Cai Lang's jaw tightened slightly. He didn't answer and didn't explain. "You're not making sense." Suo Ran said,"If you have something to say, just say it." Another pause settled between them. Cai Lang's eyes remained fixed on him. "You don't think about it?" he asked quietly.
Suo Ran frowned. "About what?" "Who you let in." Suo Ran stared at him for a moment before exhaling softly, trying to ground the conversation. "This again?" His expression sharpened as he continued, "What's wrong with you? Why are you asking me these kinds of questions?" He shook his head slightly. "You already asked something like this last night." Cai Lang's eyes shifted briefly at the reminder, and that tiny reaction didn't escape Suo Ran. Suo Ran's voice softened, but his expression stayed sharp. "What's really bothering you?"
Suo Ran watched him carefully before letting out a frustrated breath. "Okay, you're doing this again. You can ask me questions, but when it comes to you, you just stand there." His brows drew together. "How is that fair?" Cai Lang's expression hardened slightly. His grip on Suo Ran's wrist loosened. Then, without another word, he let go.Suo Ran didn't move right away. He remained against the wall, watching Cai Lang's hand fall to his side.
For a brief moment, his mind didn't catch up with what had just happened. What…was that?... Cai Lang had never acted like that before... He never crossed a line without reason and yet, just now, there had been no reason... Suo Ran's brows furrowed faintly. Why was he holding on like that?... His gaze lingered on Cai Lang's hand for a fraction of a second before shifting back to his face. And that look… Suo Ran exhaled slowly, trying to steady his thoughts. Since when does he hesitate?...
Suo Ran's fingers curled slightly at his side, an unconscious reaction. "What if I can't let go…" The words echoed again.I shouldn't be thinking about it. It didn't mean anything.. And yet…why did it feel like it did?... Cai Lang stepped back once, then again, deliberately rebuilding the distance he had broken moments ago. "We're leaving this place soon." he said flatly. Suo Ran's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's your answer?" Cai Lang didn't respond.
Suo Ran's expression hardened. "Cai Lang." Cai Lang turned slightly,as if preparing to move away. Suo Ran immediately pushed himself off the wall and stepped after him. "That's not what I asked." Cai Lang's jaw tightened. "I heard you." "Then answer." Suo Ran studied Cai Lang carefully now, noticing every movement, every pause, every slight change in his expression as he tried to piece everything together. "You're hiding something," Suo Ran said quietly.
Cai Lang didn't react. He didn't deny it.Suo Ran let out a slow breath, his shoulders lowering slightly. "Fine!" he said after a moment, "If you don't want to talk about it, don't." He turned away slightly and ran a hand through his hair, but his mind didn't settle. Behind him, Cai Lang remained silent, his gaze following Suo Ran for a moment before shifting toward the window.
Jun Wei swung his arms as he walked, his small hand loosely held in Lian Ziho's. His backpack bounced against his back with every step, and his sleepy expression made it obvious that he still wasn't completely convinced about going to school. "Do I have to go to school today?" he asked, dragging his steps just slightly. Lian Ziho glanced down at him, his expression calm as he adjusted his grip on Jun Wei's hand. "Yes." Jun Wei puffed his cheeks and looked up at him. "But everything just got normal again."
Lian Ziho's lips almost curved into a smile. "That's exactly why you should go." Jun Wei frowned, kicking a tiny pebble along the pavement. "What if something happens?" Lian Ziho's gaze moved briefly across the quiet street before returning to him. "Then I'll be there." Jun Wei looked up at him suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. "You can't be inside my classroom." Lian Ziho almost smiled. "I'll be nearby." Jun Wei considered that seriously, then nodded once. "Okay. But if something feels weird, I'm leaving." Lian Ziho let out a quiet sigh, his eyes narrowing with restrained amusement. "That's not how school works." Jun Wei immediately lifted his chin. "It is for me." Lian Ziho shook his head slightly.
Meanwhile Suo Ran stood near the window with his arms crossed loosely, his gaze fixed on the streets below. Cai Lang moved around the room quietly, gathering a few things and placing them into a dark travel bag with his usual precise movements. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. After a while, Suo Ran finally broke it. "You didn't answer me." Cai Lang didn't look up as he folded a shirt and placed it inside the bag. "I don't need to."
Suo Ran let out a soft, humorless breath, his fingers tightening slightly around his arm. "Right." He turned his gaze back toward the window, his reflection faintly visible in the glass. Then, more quietly, he added, "You're not the only one who notices things." That made Cai Lang stop just slightly. His hand remained on the edge of the bag, completely still. Suo Ran noticed the pause through the reflection in the window. "You've been acting differently since yesterday." Cai Lang said nothing. Suo Ran's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued watching the street. "But fine," he said, his voice becoming quieter. "Keep it to yourself." He turned his gaze back toward the window.
A few minutes passed before Cai Lang finally spoke. "We should move locations by evening." Suo Ran didn't turn around. "Already?" "Yes." Suo Ran's brows drew together. "Because of the shadows?" Cai Lang zipped the bag halfway closed and answered calmly, "Precaution." Suo Ran hummed quietly, his expression unconvinced. "Or something else?" Cai Lang didn't answer.
Suo Ran closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and stared at his own reflection. "You're really bad at hiding things, you know." Cai Lang didn't reply, but his grip on the bag tightened slightly. Suo Ran stayed by the window, his gaze fixed on the city below. Cars moved in steady lines, people walked without hesitation, everything outside carrying on as if nothing had shifted. Behind him, Cai Lang moved with the same calm efficiency as always, gathering what little they had brought with them and checking everything without a word. On the surface, nothing about him had changed either.
And yet Suo Ran could still feel it. That moment from earlier hadn't disappeared. It lingered quietly, pressing at the edges of his thoughts, refusing to fade the way it should have. "What if I can't let go…" The words returned to his mind, and his fingers curled slightly at his side before he forced them to relax. No, there is no point thinking about it. Whatever that was, it didn't belong to anything real. Still, he didn't turn around. He didn't look at him because some part of him knew that if he did, he might start looking for answers he wasn't ready to face. The silence stretched again, thinner this time but no less present.
Then Cai Lang's voice broke through it, low and controlled. "Pack light." Suo Ran opened his eyes fully, though he hadn't realized when he'd closed them again. "I know. You don't have to tell me." he replied, his tone even. After a moment, he turned his head slightly. "Where are we going?" Cai Lang continued folding clothes,"Temporary location. Safer." "Safer." Suo Ran repeated quietly, as if testing the word. "Or more convenient?" Cai Lang remained focused on packing, either deliberately ignoring the question or pretending he hadn't heard it.
Suo Ran let out a faint breath, and laughed. "Right. Whom I'm asking?! Everyone here expects answers, but when it's their turn…" He turned slightly, not fully facing Cai Lang but enough to catch him in his peripheral vision. Cai Lang was standing near the table now, one hand gripping the strap of the bag a little too tightly, as though he hadn't noticed he was doing it. Suo Ran's gaze lingered on his hand for a second before shifting away. "You know," he said after a moment, his voice quieter now, "you're usually better at this." Cai Lang didn't look up. "At what?" "Pretending nothing's wrong." That made him pause.
A few seconds passed before Cai Lang moved again, adjusting the bag with the same controlled precision. "There's nothing wrong." Suo Ran leaned his shoulder lightly against the wall, watching him now without hiding it. "You keep telling yourself that." Cai Lang didn't respond.Suo Ran studied him for a moment longer, then looked away again, his gaze drifting back toward the window. "Fine!" he said softly. "I won't ask." Another pause followed before he added, "But now don't expect me to answer as well." The room fell quiet again after that.
Cai Lang finally picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. His movements were steady and precise like always, but just before he turned away, his gaze flickered almost unconsciously toward Suo Ran for just a second. Then it was gone like it had never been there. Suo Ran didn't turn, but somehow he knew. And that was exactly what made it harder to ignore. Outside, the city remained calm. Inside, nothing had settled at all. Cai Lang turned toward the door, the bag already slung over his shoulder. "Suo Ran, you don't need to follow me." His voice came before he even stepped out. Suo Ran frowned slightly and straightened from the wall. "What?"
Cai Lang didn't look back. "Aren't you going to wait for Lian Ziho and Jun Wei?" That made him pause. Suo Ran's eyes narrowed a little. "We should leave together." For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them. Then Cai Lang answered flatly, immediately, "No." Suo Ran blinked, caught off guard. "No?" Cai Lang turned his head slightly, just enough for his profile to be seen. His expression remained calm, but his jaw was faintly tense."I'll go ahead." "What?" Suo Ran stepped away, confusion and irritation mixing in his expression.
Cai Lang looked toward the hallway. "You can come with them later. I'll send the location." Suo Ran stared at him, the words taking a second longer than they should have to settle. "You're serious?" Cai Lang gave a small nod. "Yes." A sharp breath left Suo Ran as his brows drew together. "That doesn't make any sense. We just decided to move, and now you're splitting up for no reason?" Cai Lang's fingers tightened around the strap of his bag. His eyes met Suo Ran's again. "There is a reason." Suo Ran held his gaze, refusing to let the subject drop. "Then say it."
Cai Lang didn't answer. Suo Ran stared at him for several seconds, his patience thinning as his fingers curled against his palm. "Unbelievable." He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer, his eyes fixed on Cai Lang's unreadable face. "Since when do you make decisions alone like this?" Cai Lang's grip tightened slightly around the strap of his bag,"Since now." Suo Ran's eyes hardened. "That's not an answer." Cai Lang met his gaze briefly. "It is."
Suo Ran gave a short, disbelieving laugh and shook his head. "No. It's you avoiding the question. Again." Cai Lang didn't react. "First that whole thing earlier," Suo Ran continued, his voice dropping as his frustration sharpened, "and now this? You think you can just walk out without explaining anything?" Cai Lang's gaze shifted toward the door. "I'm not asking you to follow me." Suo Ran's brows pulled together. "That's not the point." Cai Lang finally looked back at him. "Then what is?" Suo Ran stopped for a second,His jaw tightened as he looked away briefly before meeting Cai Lang's eyes again."The point is we don't split up like this. Not without a plan. Not without telling the others." Cai Lang's voice remained even. "I'll tell them."
Suo Ran scoffed quietly, "After you leave? That's not how this works." This time, Cai Lang turned fully toward him. Their eyes met across the small space between them. His gaze was steady, but there was something restrained behind it. "Stay here." The words were calm, but there was enough weight behind them to make Suo Ran's brows draw together. "Excuse me?" Cai Lang held his gaze. "Wait for them. It's safer."
Suo Ran stared at him, disbelief flashing across his face. "And going alone isn't?" Cai Lang's expression didn't change. "I didn't say that." "Then what are you saying?" Suo Ran demanded, his voice lower now. A brief pause followed. Cai Lang's fingers flexed around the strap of his bag before he answered, "I'll handle it faster alone." Suo Ran's eyes narrowed immediately. "Handle what?" Cai Lang didn't answer. Suo Ran's expression change into anger. "You're doing it again."
Cai Lang remained silent, his gaze shifting away as though refusing to meet Suo Ran's eyes.That small act made Suo Ran's expression harden. "You don't trust me enough to even say it." Cai Lang looked at him. "That's not it." "Then what is it?" Suo Ran stepped closer,deliberately closing the distance between them. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're pushing me out."
Cai Lang's expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered once. It was barely noticeable, yet Suo Ran caught it. "This isn't about trust." Suo Ran's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then stop making it look like it is." Suo Ran exhaled and dragged a hand through his hair, frustration evident in the tightness around his eyes. "You want to go alone? Fine." His voice steadied, though only just. "But at least give me a real reason."
For a second, it looked like Cai Lang might answer. His fingers flexed slightly against the strap, and his gaze shifted as something almost surfaced behind his controlled expression. But he pushed it back down."It's better this way." And Suo ran laughed. "Right." He shook his head, his eyes narrowing with disbelief. "You're really bad at this, you know that?"
Cai Lang didn't respond. Suo Ran stared at him for another moment before continuing, "'It's better this way,' 'stay here,' 'I'll handle it'…" His gaze sharpened. "You keep saying things like that like I'm just supposed to accept it." Cai Lang's face remained unreadable. Suo Ran looked at him for a long moment, then his voice softened. "Or is it that you don't want me there?" Cai Lang's eyes shifted slightly, and for the briefest moment, something vulnerable passed through his expression before disappearing beneath his usual composure. But he didn't answer. "Got it." He stepped back,"Go, then." His voice was even now, "I'll wait."
For a brief second, Cai Lang didn't move. He stood there with one hand still resting against the strap of his bag, as though there were words sitting just behind his lips. His eyes remained on Suo Ran. But whatever he wanted to say, he didn't. He turned instead, reached for the door, and opened it. "Cai Lang…" Suo Ran's voice came quietly behind him. Cai Lang paused but didn't turn around. Suo Ran hesitated, his expression conflicted. "Be careful." Cai Lang's fingers tightened slightly around the door handle. After a moment, he answered in a low voice, "You too."
Then he stepped into the hallway and walked away. The door closed softly behind him.Suo Ran didn't move,he just stood there, staring at the door, "Unbelievable." The word came out low, almost absent. He dragged a hand down his face and let out a frustrated breath. "Ahh, really?!" His fingers curled slightly at his side, then loosened again.He stared at the door for another moment,"You don't want me there, huh…" He let out a slow breath, trying to let it go. But it didn't.
Suo Ran slowly turned back toward the window, but this time, his gaze didn't settle on the city. Suo Ran's reflection stared back at him from the glass, his expression distant and troubled. His fingers rested against the windowsill. Caught somewhere else entirely, his thoughts returned to Cai Lang's voice. "What if I can't let go…" His brows furrowed slightly. Why does this feel…? He stopped.