revenge romance • zhou xinyu

28 . assert your dominance

as you headed out of the dining hall with kaede and chaeyeon, you felt a sense of relief. you'd survived another day of classes and all you wanted to do was go home, and lay down on your bed. but, that feeling disappeared the moment you spotted xinyu standing by the entrance. you were about to wave, happy to see her, until you noticed who she was talking to.

sohyun.

you slowed your pace, intending to turn around and ignore the whole situation. none of this was your business, and honestly, you weren't sure if you wanted to be part of it. not after whatever happened between them yesterday.

you were about to nudge kaede and chaeyeon in the other direction when they noticed as well.

"you just gonna let that happen?" chaeyeon asked being messy.

you shot her a look, already tired. "they're just talking."

"yeah, but she's trying to steal your girl," kaede chimed in, "look at the way she's leaning in."

you glanced over at xinyu and sohyun again, and to your dismay, you realized kaede wasn't entirely wrong. sohyun was leaning in, a little too close if you were being honest. xinyu, on the other hand, looked a bit tense.

"i trust xinyu," you said, trying to sound convincing mostly to yourself.

chaeyeon raised an eyebrow. "maybe, but you should assert your dominance."

you rolled your eyes, sighing. "that doesn't seem necessary."

"uh-huh. sure," kaede said sarcastically.

before you could protest further, both of them suddenly started pushing you toward xinyu and sohyun. you tried to resist, but two against one wasn't fair. you stumbled forward, finding yourself closer to the pair.

the moment you were within earshot, sohyun's voice reached your ears. something about the way she said xinyu's name felt... weird to you. it made your chest tighten, a strange feeling that you were trying to ignore.

"hey, ba—xinyu!" you interrupted, slipping into the conversation. you caught xinyu off guard, her eyes widening slightly as she turned to you. "are you still coming back to mine later?"

xinyu blinked, her face flushed for a second before she nodded. "oh—yes. i was just finishing up here."

sohyun glanced between the two of you, her eyes narrowing slightly. "hey y/n. it's been a while hasn't it?"

you resisted the urge to scoff. you two hadn't talked in years because of your whole beef with xinyu and sohyun had obviously chosen a certain side.

"yeah, well," you said with a casual shrug, stepping a little closer to xinyu, "there's not really a reason for us to talk, is there?"

you caught xinyu's eyes, and for a split second, the world seemed to slow down. there was something there, a flicker of something real that neither of you had talked about. her gaze softened, and for a moment, it felt like you weren't just playing a part anymore.

"yeah," she replied, her voice quieter now, almost vulnerable. "you're right."

sohyun's lips pressed into a thin line. she was always good at keeping her emotions in check, but you could see the frustration bubbling beneath the surface. maybe the argument from yesterday was more serious then she thought.

"i see," sohyun finally said, "well, i'll let nakyoung know i ran into you both."

you had to resist the urge the roll your eyes, but before you could say anything, xinyu stepped forward.

"tell her whatever you want, sohyun," xinyu stepped forward, "it's not going to change anything."

sohyun's eyes darted to xinyu's, searching for something, maybe some sign that xinyu was wavering. but there was none. after a few tense seconds, she let out a small, bitter laugh.

"we'll see how long this lasts." sohyun muttered as she turned around.

as she walked away, you finally exhaled, not even realizing you'd been holding your breath. kaede and chaeyeon, who had been being nosy from a distance.

"you asserted your dominance," chaeyeon said as she and kaede walked up.

"yeah, sure," you rolled your eyes at them. you looked over at xinyu, "you good?"

she nodded but didn't say anything right away. it was clear that the encounter had did something to her. you knew sohyun had a way of getting under her skin, especially after yesterday.

you and xinyu walked in silence, your hands naturally finding each other's. neither of you commented on it, but you both felt a little too comfortable like this. kaede and chaeyeon trailed behind you, talking to themselves but still probably being nosey. the four of you headed toward the parking lot, and xinyu's grip tightened on you, probably still processing everything from earlier.

"you okay?" you asked quietly, glancing over at her.

xinyu shrugged, putting on a forced smile. "yeah... i mean, i knew sohyun would try something sooner or later. i just didn't expect it to be today."

you nodded, understanding. the argument yesterday between them had clearly affected both of them, but xinyu wasn't commenting on it so neither were you.

"don't let her get to you," you said.

xinyu gave a small laugh, but it was lacking as she shook her head and looked down at the pavement. "i'm trying not to."

"if anybody understands how you feel it's literally me so if you want to talk i'm here." you told her.

xinyu's eyes met yours, and for a moment, with a look you couldn't exactly decipher but you felt many emotions because of it.

"it's just sohyun saying we're not real and faking it just really gets to me." she confessed.

"at least she's jealous," you replied quickly. "us together is getting to her, which is good. plus nakyoung is probably feeling the same."

xinyu nodded, but you could tell she was still unsure. "i just don't want her to mess with you about this,"

you let out a small laugh. "aww are you worried about me?"

"of course, you were my best friend, and even though we aren't anymore i'll never stop caring," xinyu said softly.

you both walked silently for a moment, but it felt different this time. like you were both realizing the weight of your words in this situation. kaede and chaeyeon had gone quiet too, though you could still hear their footsteps behind you, reminding you that you weren't completely alone.

"so... still heading back to mine?" you asked, glancing back at kaede and chaeyeon, who were already smirking as if they knew where this was going.

"that was the plan unless you're ditching us for your girlfriend," chaeyeon said.

you rolled your eyes playfully, "i would've at least given you a heads-up."

"we're just gonna chill at mine for a bit if you want to join us," you said, turning to xinyu, hoping she'd say yes.

xinyu's eyes brightened slightly. "i'm down. same car?"

"is yours here?" you asked.

"yeah, but i can leave it and come back for it later," she replied.

you raised an eyebrow, "is this your way of asking to spend the night?"

xinyu tilted her head, pretending to think. "i never said that... but if you want me to, i won't say no."

before you could respond, chaeyeon chimed, "can we also spend the night?"

you sighed dramatically, but you were smiling. "sure, might as well make it a whole thing."

"sleepover!" kaede exclaimed.

as you all started heading toward the car, you found yourself leaning even closer to xinyu.

"so, about spending the night," you whispered to her, your voice low enough that kaede and chaeyeon wouldn't hear. "you really don't have to."

xinyu brushed her shoulder against yours lightly. "maybe i just wanted to hang out with you."

you couldn't help the flutter in your chest, which you chose to ignore, as you both walked in sync toward the car.