"I Hated You Until I Didn't" (我恨你，直到不恨)

Chapter 9: Storm Signal

7:02 PM – Sudden Lockdown

The loudspeakers shrieked once.

"All students are to remain indoors. No exceptions. This is not a drill."

The announcement sent the entire dorm into chaos.

Wen Zhiqi sat up from his desk, heart hammering. Outside, the sky had turned a dirty gray, and the clouds were spiraling unnaturally.

Yu Haoran banged on his door seconds later. "Let me in."

Zhiqi didn't even hesitate.

 Dorm Room Tension

"You hear that?" Haoran whispered, staring at the speaker.

"I heard it," Zhiqi said. "But that wasn't a lockdown voice."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean whoever made that announcement... wasn't the principal."

Haoran went still.

Their eyes met.

"I'm scared," he said—quiet, honest, raw.

Zhiqi stepped closer. Reached out slowly. His hand brushed Haoran's cheek.

"You're not alone anymore," he said.

For once, Haoran didn't have a smart reply.
He just leaned in—and their foreheads touched.

Not a kiss. Not yet. But closer than ever.

 Meanwhile – East Wing Corridor

Xizhou ran.

"Yuhan!" he shouted, skidding into the back hallway. "Yuhan, answer me!"

A crash from one of the old classrooms made him whip around—just as Yuhan stumbled out, dusty and shaken.

"Are you okay?" Xizhou grabbed his arm.

"I found something." Yuhan held up a torn schedule log. "Someone's been using this room at night. Look—Haoran's name is on it."

"What?!"

Yuhan nodded. "He's the next target. We need to get to him before midnight."

But suddenly—

BANG.

The door behind them slammed shut on its own.

Locks clicked.

Lights cut out.

And someone whispered—

"Too late."

 Split POV

In the dorm:
Zhiqi and Haoran hear footsteps in the hallway. Heavy. Dragging.
Haoran backs up.

"It's coming here."

Zhiqi grabs his hand. "Then let it."

Together, they move into the corner of the room, holding their breath.

In the east wing:
Xizhou tries the door. "We're trapped!"

Yuhan backs away from the windows. "No. There's another way out—my brother showed me."

He pulls Xizhou toward a boarded-up wall panel.

Inside the dark, dust-choked passage, their hands stay locked.

"You trust me now?" Xizhou asked, voice quiet in the dark.

Yuhan turned. His face barely visible in the flickering light from his phone.

"I trust you with everything."

And then—

He kissed him.

Rushed. Clumsy. Honest.

Not perfect.

But real.

And Xizhou? He kissed back like he'd been waiting for it since day one.

 Midnight Strikes

The bell didn't ring.

Instead—

A scream ripped through the speakers.

Zhiqi and Haoran flinched, covering their ears.

In the east wing, Yuhan dropped the flashlight.

That voice—

"Help me—"

"Xizhou—"

"It's me—Yuchen"

Then silence.

 End of Chapter 9