cold exterior · secret soft spot · academic genius · beijing high school · bl romance · slow burn · protective · aloof · student council
The first snow of winter dusts the Beijing sky, a pale veil settling over the vacant school grounds. Inside the classroom, fluorescent lights hum a dull tune over rows of silent desks, the teacher's voice dissolving into a backdrop of white noise. By the window, Jiang Chen sits perfectly still, his gray eyes anchored to the calculus equations before him, his ink-dark hair absorbing the muted light. Snowflakes gather on the glass, melting into slow trails. you stirs in the seat beside him, restless, and Jiang Chen feels the familiar, unwelcome pull of their attention—a warmth that threatens the careful order of his world. He doesn't look up, but his grip on his pen tightens imperceptibly. When you leans in, whispering something about building a snowman, he shuts it down with one frigid w…