You, My Blessing.

(Chapters are short but still enjoyable :3) jk. I can't keep defending myself.

The school year begins with the usual traditions-new schedules, new teachers, and the annual welcome party where everyone pretends to be excited about awkward games, loud music, and free food. Yuxuan expects nothing more than enduring small talk and keeping an eye on his longtime rival, Haoyun, to see who makes the better impression this year.

The two of them have always been at odds: trading barbed remarks in class, racing to answer questions first, and tallying up exam scores like battlefield victories. Even at the party, Yuxuan notices Haoyun stealing glances his way, and assumes it's just the same old rivalry sparking again.

But when the music dies down and the crowd thins, Haoyun corners him under the dim fairy lights. There's no audience, no scoreboard-just Haoyun, with a steady gaze that's nothing like his usual sharpness.

"I'm tired of pretending this is just about grades," Haoyun says.

"Yuxuan... I like you."

For the first time, Yuxuan realizes he doesn't know how to win. His heart is racing, and he's left standing there, caught between the comfort of rivalry and the terrifying possibility of something more.