Until My Soul Finds You Again - Chapter 4

Love rarely begins with grand promises.

More often, it begins with small moments.

A seat saved in the classroom.

A shared umbrella on a rainy day.

A piece of chocolate placed quietly on a desk.

Or a person who slowly becomes part of your daily life before you even realize it.

After their conversation that afternoon, something changed between Chen Mo and Su Qingyi.

Not dramatically.

Not all at once.

But little by little, they began occupying more and more space in each other’s world.

Every morning, one of them would save a seat for the other.

They studied together after class.

Shared notes before exams.

Sometimes they ate lunch beneath the trees near West Lake, talking about everything and nothing at all.

Before they knew it, spending time together had become a habit.

And habits were dangerous.

Because once someone became part of your everyday life, the thought of losing them became terrifying.

Naturally, their classmates began to notice.

“Those two are together all the time.”

“Are they dating?”

“Su Qingyi and Chen Mo?”

“No way.”

The rumors spread quietly throughout the school.

Neither of them bothered responding.

Because when you’re happy beside someone, the opinions of strangers become little more than background noise.

One evening, they sat together in the library preparing for upcoming exams.

Su Qingyi was explaining a mathematics problem.

Unfortunately, Chen Mo wasn’t paying attention.

At all.

His eyes remained fixed on her face.

After several minutes, Su Qingyi finally put down her pen.

“Are you planning to solve the problem?”

Chen Mo blinked.

“What?”

“The question.”

She pointed at the notebook.

“You haven’t looked at it once.”

Caught red-handed, Chen Mo coughed awkwardly.

“I was listening.”

“No.”

Su Qingyi leaned back in her chair.

“You were staring.”

Chen Mo laughed.

“I like looking at you.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then a faint blush appeared on Su Qingyi’s face.

“You’re becoming less shy.”

Chen Mo smiled.

“Only around you.”

The library fell quiet again.

Outside the window, the evening sun slowly disappeared beyond the lake.

After a while, Chen Mo spoke softly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“Why do you like me?”

Su Qingyi looked genuinely surprised.

“You’re asking this now?”

Chen Mo lowered his gaze.

“I just don’t understand.”

He hesitated.

“What do you see in someone like me?”

For a moment, Su Qingyi simply stared at him.

Then she closed her book.

“If I answer, you have to answer too.”

“Deal.”

She thought carefully before speaking.

“When I’m with you, I feel comfortable.”

Her voice was calm.

“You never pretend to be someone you’re not.”

“You care about your family.”

“You listen when I talk.”

“And you treat people kindly even when they can’t give you anything in return.”

Her eyes softened.

“Being around you feels peaceful.”

Chen Mo’s heart trembled.

No one had ever described him that way before.

“What about you?” she asked.

“Why do you like me?”

Chen Mo smiled.

The answer came surprisingly easily.

“When I see you, bad days become easier.”

“When I’m talking to you, I forget everything that’s bothering me.”

“And when you’re not around…”

He paused.

The smile faded slightly.

“Everything feels emptier.”

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

The distance between them felt closer than ever.

Yet neither dared take the final step.

Perhaps because they were afraid.

Or perhaps because some feelings become more precious when left unspoken.

Unfortunately, happiness rarely lasts forever.

A few days later, Chen Mo returned to the classroom during lunch break.

The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Su Qingyi sitting with Li Jun.

The captain of the basketball team.

Popular.

Confident.

The kind of person who attracted attention wherever he went.

The two were laughing about something.

At one point, Li Jun lightly touched her shoulder while joking.

The smile on Chen Mo’s face disappeared.

A familiar heaviness settled inside his chest.

He quietly returned to his seat.

For the rest of the afternoon, he barely spoke.

Su Qingyi noticed immediately.

After school, while walking toward the bus stop, she finally asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.”

Chen Mo remained silent.

Eventually he sighed.

“You and Li Jun seem close.”

Understanding flashed across her face.

“Oh.”

The single word somehow annoyed him even more.

“Oh?”

Su Qingyi couldn’t help smiling.

“Are you jealous?”

“No.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You absolutely are.”

Chen Mo looked away.

Unfortunately, his expression betrayed everything.

The smile on Su Qingyi’s face gradually faded.

“Li Jun is just a friend.”

Chen Mo frowned.

“He seems more than that.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

Su Qingyi stopped walking.

“So that’s what this is about?”

Her voice was noticeably colder.

“You don’t get to decide who I talk to.”

“I’m not trying to decide.”

“Then what are you doing?”

Chen Mo couldn’t answer.

Because the truth was embarrassingly simple.

He was scared.

Scared someone better would take her away.

Scared she would realize she deserved someone else.

Scared that everything he had found could disappear.

But pride prevented him from saying any of those things.

“I just don’t like it.”

Su Qingyi stared at him.

For several seconds.

Then she nodded.

“Fine.”

Her voice was quiet.

But somehow that hurt even more.

The rest of the journey passed in silence.

For the first time since meeting each other, they didn’t talk.

Didn’t share stories.

Didn’t laugh.

The distance between them felt unbearable.

That night, Chen Mo lay awake staring at the ceiling.

Maybe I had no right to be jealous.

We’re not even together.

Across campus, Su Qingyi sat by her dormitory window.

Moonlight spilled across the floor.

Her phone remained in her hand.

Several times she thought about sending him a message.

Several times she stopped herself.

Why does his opinion matter so much?

The question lingered in her mind long after midnight.

Neither of them slept well.

Neither wanted to admit they were hurting.

And neither realized something important.

Love wasn’t only made of sweetness and happiness.

Sometimes love brought fear.

Sometimes it brought insecurity.

And sometimes it brought pain.

This was only their first argument.

In the years to come, there would be many more.

Many misunderstandings.

Many separations.

Many moments when they would believe everything was over.

Yet no matter how far fate pushed them apart—

Their hearts would always find their way back to each other.

Because some people don’t simply enter your life.

They become a part of your soul.