A week had passed since the fire, yet Zhao Kai and Yang Jun still had not been able to properly reach Liu Jian. At first, they had tried constantly. Calls were placed at odd hours, messages sent early in the morning and late at night, each one carefully worded so it would not feel intrusive. Eventually, the calls stopped going through altogether, and the messages remained stubbornly unanswered. Or worse, they were read and left hanging in silence.
There was no point continuing the futile attempts.
Zhao Kai had not come to school yesterday or today, claiming through a short message that he was busy. He did not elaborate, and Yang Jun did not push. Still, the absence felt heavy. For the first time in a long while, Yang Jun found himself navigating the school day alone.
It felt strange.
Y
