A social phobic can also fall in love.

Qi Xing didn’t reply to Yan Tingmo’s message.

He was busy—busy studying, managing student council affairs, working part-time jobs, and… keeping an eye on his ex-boyfriend.

Even though they had broken up, his feelings hadn’t completely faded. As a good Samaritan, he wouldn’t hesitate to help anyone being bullied on campus. How could he not step in when it was Yan Tingmo being targeted?

“You, you, and you,” he said, pointing at a few gossiping students while holding a notebook. “Two points off for each of you. If it happens again, ten points.”

“Why?” one of them protested.

Qi Xing, without looking up as he jotted down names, replied, “Because I’m the president.”

The student pursed their lips and stayed silent.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on it,” said the vice president, Gong Meng, trying to mediate. “Next time, don’t spread baseless rumors. It damages others’ reputations and makes you look petty. Am I right?”

“…Yes,” the group murmured reluctantly.

Qi Xing’s eyes were cold as he added, “Bullying classmates—what did nine years of compulsory education teach you? Did your parents send you here to practice social cruelty?”

The group fell silent, subdued by his words.

“Alright, I won’t say more.” he tucked the notebook under his arm and glanced at a nearby pile of chocolates. “Now, which of you wanted chocolates? Come and take as many as you want.”

No one moved. They exchanged hesitant glances and collectively took a step back.

“What’s this?” Qi Xing scoffed. “Don’t like me? Or don’t like chocolate?”

A boy hesitantly stepped forward, his voice trembling. “President, I don’t want chocolate.”

“Oh?” Qi Xing raised an eyebrow. “Am I beneath you?”

The boy frantically shook his head. “Not at all.”

After scrutinizing him for a moment, Qi Xing’s expression softened. “Ah, I remember now—your painting won an award recently, didn’t it? Congratulations.”

“Thank you, President,” the boy replied, blushing.

“As a reward,” Qi Xing said, “take these chocolates.”

“Huh?” The boy looked bewildered.

“And you,” he said, pointing at a girl in the group, “I heard you wanted chocolates too. Split them between you two.”

The girl, who had previously asked Yan Tingmo for chocolates and caused trouble, hesitated before quietly nodding. She accepted a few boxes under the judgmental stares of her classmates, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Good, I’m glad you like them,” Qi Xing said with a faint smile. “Don’t waste my good intentions.”

With that, he and Gong Meng left the classroom.

Gong Meng shook his head as they walked. “Didn’t know you’d get so worked up for love.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Qi Xing frowned. “We broke up. I’m single.”

“Yeah, right,” Gong Meng teased. “Do you think I believe that?”

“Believe what you want,” Qi Xing muttered.

“Regardless of your reasons, it’s good to rein them in,” Gong Meng said, his tone more serious. “Bullying and isolating classmates is despicable. Building your happiness on someone else’s pain—it’s disgusting.”

Qi Xing glanced at him, sensing something deeper in his words. “Were you bullied?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Gong Meng replied stiffly.

Qi Xing chuckled. “Figured. Only an idiot would mess with someone as level-headed as you.”

Gong Meng smiled faintly but said nothing more.

In recent weeks, Yan Tingmo noticed a subtle shift in his classmates’ attitudes. They no longer isolated or targeted him, and some even included him in group discussions.

One day, a girl from his group named Lin Xiaoxiao approached him. “There’s a class dinner tonight. Are you coming?”

Yan Tingmo blinked, surprised. Lin Xiaoxiao usually avoided him, so the sudden invitation caught him off guard.

“I…” He hesitated, wanting to refuse. Social gatherings made him anxious.

“Come on,” she urged. “You’ve never joined us before.”

He reluctantly nodded. “Alright.”

That evening, Yan Tingmo arrived at the dinner venue. For two years, he had been a loner—no friends, no confidants, no casual acquaintances. Seeing so many unfamiliar faces reminded him of how disconnected he was from his peers.

Feeling out of place, he sat in a corner, keeping to himself. While others laughed and chatted, he focused on being as inconspicuous as possible, silently praying that no one would notice him.

But things didn’t go as he wished.

Gu Beinan, who wasn’t even from their department, arrived late. After greeting the upperclassmen, he naturally took the seat next to him.

It wasn’t until then that the others realized the two knew each other. Teasing smiles spread across their faces.
“Gu Beinan, not bad!” someone joked. “Secretly befriending our ‘study god’ behind our backs? Looks like you two are pretty close!”

Gu Beinan accepted the teasing gracefully. “Oh, not at all. No matter how close we are, I could never compare to you guys—you’re from the same department, after all.”

Hearing this, Yan Tingmo, who had always been curious about how Gu Beinan ended up here, remained silent. He sipped his drink quietly, avoiding eye contact.

After exchanging pleasantries with the upperclassmen, Gu Beinan turned to Yan Tingmo and asked softly, “Senior, am I unwelcome here?”

Yan Tingmo swallowed his drink slowly and lowered his gaze. “You don’t need my welcome.”

“How could that be?” Gu Beinan rested his chin on his hand, smiling. “Lin Xiaoxiao invited me. I didn’t even know you’d be here until I arrived.”

Not wanting to dwell on it, Yan Tingmo responded curtly, “Oh.”

Gu Beinan sighed. “Senior, you’re so distant.”

Confused, Yan Tingmo glanced at him. Gu Beinan smiled wryly. “I thought we were already friends.”

Friends? Yan Tingmo felt a flicker of doubt. Was making friends supposed to be this easy? Something he always thought was difficult seemed effortless for Gu Beinan.

“So I guess you don’t consider me a friend,” Gu Beinan said with a pitiful expression. “Looks like I’ll have to keep working hard to earn your approval.”

“Why me?” Yan Tingmo asked.

“Hmm?” Gu Beinan chuckled. “Why not you?”

“Being friends with me is boring,” Yan Tingmo said honestly.

“That’s okay,” Gu Beinan replied, grinning. “I talk enough for both of us.”

Rendered speechless, Yan Tingmo muttered, “Oh.”

On the other side of the room, Lin Xiaoxiao kept signaling to Gu Beinan with her eyes, as if to say: He’s right in front of you—now’s your chance! Gu Beinan caught her gaze but only smiled helplessly. This isn’t about “taking him down,” he thought. It’s about patience—like boiling a frog slowly.

Though Yan Tingmo didn’t reject him outright, their dynamic remained lukewarm, stuck in a not-quite-friendship limbo.

Just then, one of the boys who had previously denied Yan Tingmo chocolates approached him, holding a cup of wine. “Yan Tingmo,” he began hesitantly. “I was wrong before. I want to apologize. I’m sorry.”

Yan Tingmo froze, unsure whether to stand up and say, “It’s fine,” or simply keep drinking his beverage.

The boy, just as awkward, downed his wine in one gulp after apologizing and quickly returned to his seat.

Dazed, Yan Tingmo stared at the smiling faces around him, feeling as though he were in a dream. Is this really happening to me?

“Um…” The girl who had also caused trouble earlier approached next. Unlike the boy, her face was flushed, and her voice was barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

Before Yan Tingmo could respond, she mimicked the boy’s actions, gulping down her drink and running out of the room in tears.

Flustered, Yan Tingmo blinked in confusion. He stammered, “Wait, I didn’t—”

Gu Beinan, who had been observing the scene, sighed. “Senior, this isn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize.”

Yan Tingmo opened his mouth, wanting to ask, Isn’t it my fault? She cried after apologizing to me—surely I bear some responsibility. Shouldn’t I have said it was okay? After all, it was my selfishness in not sharing the chocolates that upset her.

“Senior,” Gu Beinan said firmly, interrupting his thoughts. “I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding about relationships.”

Yan Tingmo frowned. “What misunderstanding?”

“You have a habit of blaming yourself for everything,” Gu Beinan explained. “I don’t know why that girl apologized to you, but I do know that apologies are only given when someone has done something wrong. You were the victim here. Not only do you not have to accept her apology, but you also don’t have to shoulder her emotional burden. Senior, that’s not fair to you.”

His words left Yan Tingmo silent, twisting his fingers nervously as he replayed the earlier scene in his mind.

“I…” The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to leave the room. He stood abruptly, facing Gu Beinan. “I need to go to the restroom.”

Gu Beinan looked up at him for a few seconds before stepping aside to let him pass.

Yan Tingmo fled to the restroom, locking himself in a stall. As he stared at the squat toilet, an idiom popped into his mind: Occupying a pit without using it.

For some reason, the thought made him laugh. He laughed for a long time before stopping, his mind still a jumbled mess.

Standing there, he was lost in thought when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Two people entered the stalls beside him, their doors clicking shut in unison. He held his breath, trying to remain unnoticed.

Then came their voices.

“When’s this dinner going to end? I’m so bored.”

“I don’t think it’s boring at all. Watching Yan Tingmo and that guy next to him being all ambiguous is pretty entertaining.”

“I don’t get you. Honestly, I can’t understand why all these good-looking guys keep sticking to him. Is it just because of his face? I’ve got one too! Why doesn’t the president look at me?”

“Dream on. Didn’t you see the president standing up for him last week? That’s what you call being love-struck.”

“You’re clueless. There’s no love there. Yan Tingmo’s totally clueless about relationships.”

The two burst into laughter.

Inside the stall, Yan Tingmo heard every word clearly. He might not understand love, but he realized something in that moment.

I’m not alone. I have angels by my side.