INVISIBLE STRING - Duan Jia Xu

THREE

Her teacher had been so annoying enough to give her a big project on the same day to be delivered the next day. It was stupid and annoying, but she still had to do it.

Sang Zhi had kept talking about how there's a boy in their class that she was absolutely in love with. Talking about his pretty bleached blonde hair, and soft dark brown eyes. Hui Ying wasn't really listening but it was something about how perfect everything was about him.

Normally Hui Ying would focus on Sang Zhi, but because the project was so  important she didn't really focus.

She placed her focus more on the lines of her writing project, making sure to outline just the right amount of things.

She just shrugged it off as she continued to talk about her classmate. "—and then Guan Ran actually asked me if I wanted the last pineapple bun from the canteen tray. I said no, but only because I panicked! Who does that? Like, is that flirting? Or basic human kindness? I can't tell anymore!" Sang Zhi continued, nodding her head.

Hui Ying nodded her head, while she played with the different graphics on her document. "Mhm... pineapple... kindness..." She spoke, being completely absent on what Sang Zhi was saying.

"It was warm, too! He was literally holding it with a napkin and everything. And he smiled, Hui Ying. You know the smile I mean—the one with the dimples." Sang Zhi was kicking her feet and giggling while she spoke about her interaction with her school crush.

Hui Ying nodded, her eyes still on the outline she had been trying to change for the past two minutes. "Dimple protocol. Got it."

It was then that Sang Zhi had realised something wrong, normally Hui Ying was much more talkative. Especially when it comes to boys, that's when she likes to talk but now there wasn't really anything happening.

Sang Zhi frowned, clearing her throat quickly. "Wait a sec. Are you even listening?" She asked, her voice full of confusion.

Hui Ying sighed, pushing her chair back just a little. She didn't mean to ignore what Sang Zhi was saying, but she had to be done with that project before the next day. "Half-listening." She spoke, She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm trying to survive this character analysis essay for Ms. Qian before I lose my mind. Keep talking though—I'm absorbing it emotionally, I swear."

Sang Zhi laughed, standing up to and grab something. "You're such a bad listener when you're in study mode."

Hui Ying laughed with her, shrugging her shoulders as she quickly typed something on the laptop that she had noticed. "And yet you keep calling."

"Because you're my person!" She spoke quickly. "You're the only one who will understand the sheer chaos that is me almost choking on air in front of Guan Ran just because he said "see you tomorrow" in that soft voice of his." Sang Zhi shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"Okay, that's kind of cute." Hui Ying smiled widely, her eyes still on the computer screen but now she was paying more attention to Sang Zhi.

Sang Zhi gasped, nodding her head. "Right?! And then—you're gonna love this—he dropped his pen and I picked it up and tried to hand it back, but our fingers touched and I forgot how to speak. Like my brain blue-screened."

"So what I'm hearing is," Hui Ying spoke, first highlighting something before turning her head towards her phone screen. "this is your future husband?" She asked while laughing.

Sang Zhi smile faded." Don't start. I'm already spiraling." She spoke seriously but then let out a small laugh. There's a beat of shared silence. Hui Ying types something quickly, then finally looks away from the screen.

"So what about your brother's charming roommate?" Hui Ying raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her. "No more dramatic Duan Jia Xu updates?"

Sang Zhi rolled her eyes. "He's so annoying." She spoke bluntly. Back when she was around ten, she was absolutely in love with him. But over the years, her feelings grew less. Sang Zhi had thought that maybe seeing him after so many years would be like a dream, but it really wasn't.

Hui Ying frowned, almost unsure. "That's it?" She asked in a soft voice with unsureness lingering in the air.

The younger girl could only shrug her shoulders, not really being able to explain what it is. "He exists like he owns air." She spoke softly. "He gave me a whole lecture about leaving my notebooks in their dorm." She spoke with shrug.

Hui Ying could only laugh, seeing her friend so riled up about someone was funny for her. Her friend who almost never got genuinely mad at someone, was now getting mad. Well she had been mad before, but that's just Sang Yan being Sang Yan.

"Sounds like he's living rent-free in your brain." Hui Ying spoke while laughing.

Sang Zhi only shook her head while closing her eyes, she had a clear vision she just hadn't been able to tell her friend that. "Absolutely not." She spoke quickly, "Guan Ran has all the real estate. Duan Jia Xu's just that one annoying neighbor who leaves their lights on at 3 a.m."

Her comparison only made Hui Ying laugh louder, getting a text from her parents to be quiet. "So... when's the wedding?" Hui Ying asking trying to tease her friend.

She knew her friend was in love with Guan Ran, but it was funny to see her all furious about some stupid friend from her brother.

Sang Zhi shook her head, closing her eyes in disgust from the thing her friend had just said. "I'm hanging up now." She spoke in full confidence, almost like she was going to do it.

But Hui Ying was also confident that she wouldn't. "No you're not." She said, shaking her head.

Sang Zhi grumbled lightly, shaking her head as she began to draw on the paper notebook. "You're lucky I love you." Sang Zhi spoke.

౨ৎ