The Home You Waited For

CHAPTER 9 - Off-Limits

THE NEXT DAY, the morning carried a different kind of energy for Chenxi. As he stepped into the classroom, his eyes instinctively searched for Jia’s familiar figure. She was already at her desk, busy arranging her things. He paused by the door for a moment, simply watching her—and couldn’t help but smile.

Jia must have sensed his presence, because she turned in his direction. Their eyes met for a brief moment—no words exchanged, yet it was enough to make his heart race. Flustered, she quickly looked away and opened a book, though the faint curve of her lips betrayed the smile she was trying to hide.

He approached her and sat down beside her. “Good morning,” he said, his voice gentle, carrying a warmth that seemed meant only for her.

"Good morning," Jia replied almost in a whisper.

“Sorry I didn’t catch up with you when you came in. I woke up late,” he said sheepishly. “You didn’t let me sleep last night—I kept thinking about you.”

Jia froze, her cheeks flushing at his words. He only smiled, gently brushing a hand through her hair with quiet affection.

THROUGHOUT the morning, they kept looking at each other. Every time Chenxi caught Jia's eyes darting away, a strange warmth enveloped him. Even just him reaching out to hand Jia a pen or their shoulders accidentally brushing, it felt like small sparks that immediately made the two of them nervous.

IT was breaktime. Chenxi stood by the window, arms crossed, watching Jia chat with Xie Hao and their other classmates. They kept glancing in his direction, clearly teasing Jia. She could only smile, her cheeks flushed red. When she dared to glance at him, he caught her gaze and winked. Jia quickly looked away, and their classmates erupted in playful screams. Chenxi just shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

The room fell silent when Chen Hao entered, accompanied by a classmate. He walked toward Jia with an easy smile. Chenxi straightened instinctively, every sense on alert, and slowly began to walk toward them.

“Jia!” Chen Hao called, holding a strawberry milk. “I remember; this is your favorite. For you.”

Before Jia could even move, Chenxi had already taken the bottled drink from Chen Hao's hand. “She doesn't need it,” he said coldly.

The silence in the classroom grew heavier. Their classmates glanced back and forth between the two of them and Chen Hao, sensing the tension in the air.

Chen Hao looked at him, clearly caught off guard by what he had done. “Uh... okay? Just chill out, bro. It's just a gift. Nothing else.”

“You can keep it,” he replied and handed the bottled drink back to Chen Hao as if there was no room for further explanation.

“Chenxi…” Jia’s voice came out soft and uncertain as she stepped between him and Chen Hao, clearly flustered by all the eyes on them.

Chen Hao broke the tension between the three of them and turned to Jia. He looked at her apologetically, but a smile appeared on his lips.

“Next time, Jia. We’re going back to our classroom now. See you around.” His voice was calm, polite. He gave her and Chenxi one last look, a brief nod of farewell, before turning away.

Chenxi just nodded and gently pulled Jia closer to him. He placed a hand on her back. Not loud, not aggressive, but enough for everyone to see the unspoken claim: She's with me.

AT the side of the classroom, Yuhan stood with his arms crossed, quietly observing the scene. He could clearly see the mix of reactions among their classmates—some whispering, others giggling, while a few still looked too stunned to recover from what had just happened.

He approached the two of them and leaned closer, whispering just loud enough for his friend to hear. “Lu Chenxi, maybe you should just post it on the bulletin board that you two are together already.” His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, but the grin on his face gave him away.

“It doesn't matter what they think,” Chenxi replied. He still hasn't taken his hand off his cousin's back. “As long as they know where she belongs.”

Jia couldn't look at her classmates, especially Yuhan. She was just looking down, but her cheeks were flushed.

And from then on, even though they didn't say it directly, it was clear to the entire class: Chenxi wasn't just quietly in love anymore—he was ready to protect what was his.

Lunch break – school garden

The surroundings were quiet except for the gentle rustling of the leaves and the chirping of birds. Chenxi chose to take Jia to the back of the school garden, a place rarely visited by other students. He was carrying his lunch box filled with dumplings his grandmother had made.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he murmured, handing her the chopsticks. “I know I overreacted. I just… I can’t stand seeing someone else walk up to you like that. Getting you your favorite drink—it should be me. No one else.”

Jia shrugged, blushing as she looked away. “You were so embarrassing earlier… all our classmates saw what you did.”

He just smirked. “Let them see how serious I am about you. At least they know you're off-limits now. No one will try to hit on you anymore. You won't be taken away from me anymore.”

Jia stayed silent, her face flushed from his words. She paused, thinking for a moment.

"I'm not going to let anyone take me..." she said almost in a whisper, but it was clear he heard her.

That single line froze Chenxi for a heartbeat. He leaned slightly closer, searching her face for any hint that it was just a joke – but she was blushing and looking away, nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.

He slowly reached across the table and took her hand. “Jia,” he said softly. “You have no idea how happy that makes me feel.”

Silence settled between them, both unsure who would break it first. Until they heard the approaching footsteps from afar – also students heading to the garden. Chenxi quickly moved to a spot next to Jia. He carefully pulled her closer to him. Their shoulders were almost touching.

"Stay close," he whispered, and though he tried to sound casual, his protective instinct was written all over his face.

CHENXI quietly watched Jia as she took a piece of dumpling from his lunch box.

"This is delicious," she said as she chewed. "You said your grandmother made it?"

He just nodded, smiling. “Hmm, but if she had known you were the one eating, it would definitely have tasted even better. Special recipe just for you.”

She blushed and looked away. “Don’t be like that,” she muttered.

“Why? That's true," he replied with a smirk. He then handed Jia the white peach-flavored sparkling water he was drinking. “Here, try it. That's my favorite.”

Jia was a bit hesitant to accept it, but she accepted it anyway. She drank right away, straight from it. Chenxi immediately noticed that

Jia didn't take a straw and drank straight from the bottle. His cheeks flushed because of what she did.

“You know... we just shared our first indirect kiss.” He whispered near Jia's ear. Jia almost dropped the bottle she was holding.

“Chenxi!” Jia's eyes widened as she scolded Chenxi and looked around to see if anyone had heard what the latter said. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized they were far from the crowd. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to him. “What are you talking about?”

He tried to hide his grin, a hint of pink on his cheeks. “This,” he whispered, pointing to the bottle, “I drank from it first… and then you. That counts, doesn’t it?”

Jia’s entire face turned bright red, caught completely off guard by his teasing.

AFTER they finished eating, they slowly packed their things. Silence still lingered between them, but it felt light—charged with an unspoken excitement. When Jia stood up, Chenxi immediately took their lunch boxes and carried them for her.

“I can carry my lunchbox,” Jia said, her voice a little shy as they walked along the garden path back to their building.

“I’ll do it,” Chenxi said. “So you won’t have a hard time. Besides, I have a reason to hold this until we get to our classroom.”

Jia chuckled, shaking her head.

WHEN they reached the hallway, it was a bit dark due to the shade from the windows. They ran into some of their classmates who immediately looked at them.

Without a word, Chenxi casually placed his right hand on Jia's back as they walked. She flinched a little. It wasn't obvious to others that he was holding her, but it was enough for Jia to feel the warmth and tenderness in his actions.

“Careful,” he whispered when he noticed the wet part of the floor due to water that had spilled from a pot. Instinctively, he carefully steered Jia away from the wet path so she wouldn't slip. Until they reached the classroom, he was still supporting her. Their classmates noticed that and teasing erupted.

“Nice one, Lu Chenxi!”

He just smiled. The loud teasing intensified when Chenxi even helped Jia sit down. She could only bow her head while trying to hide the smile she could no longer contain.