The flower shop felt different after that moment.
Heavier.
The air that had once been soft and warm now carried tension sharp enough to feel.
Chen Kai stepped fully inside, shaking off the last drops of rain from his jacket.
"Sorry," he said lightly. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything… important."
Lian Hua looked down quickly, still flustered.
"It's not what you think," she said.
Chen Kai raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
Zhen Wei stepped forward slightly, his voice calm but firm.
"You shouldn't be here this late."
Chen Kai smiled.
"And yet, here I am."
The two men stood facing each other again, the same silent battle passing between them—but this time, it felt more personal.
Because now, it wasn't just tension.
It was jealousy.
Chen Kai glanced at Lian Hua.
"I came to walk you home," he said casually.
Zhen Wei's expression didn't change.
"That won't be necessary."
Chen Kai tilted his head.
"I wasn't talking to you."
The room fell silent.
Lian Hua looked between them, her heart racing.
"Chen Kai, it's okay—" she began.
But Zhen Wei spoke over her.
"I'll take her."
His tone left no room for argument.
Chen Kai let out a soft laugh.
"You don't own her."
Zhen Wei's eyes darkened.
"I never said I did."
"But you act like it."
"And you act like you have a chance," Zhen Wei replied calmly.
That made Chen Kai pause.
For the first time, his easy confidence flickered.
Lian Hua stepped forward quickly.
"Stop," she said softly, but firmly.
Both men turned to her.
"This isn't a competition," she continued.
"It doesn't have to be," Chen Kai said, though his voice had lost some of its lightness.
"But it already is," Zhen Wei added quietly.
The truth hung between them.
Lian Hua took a deep breath.
"I can walk home by myself," she said.
"No," both men said at the same time.
She blinked in surprise.
Zhen Wei spoke again, softer this time.
"It's not safe."
Chen Kai nodded slightly.
"He's right about that, at least."
Lian Hua sighed, realizing there was no easy way out.
After a moment, she said,
"Fine… we'll all walk together."
Both men went silent.
It wasn't what either of them wanted.
But neither refused.
The three of them stepped out into the cool night air.
The streets were quiet, the earlier rain leaving the pavement shining under the lights.
Lian Hua walked between them.
Zhen Wei on one side.
Chen Kai on the other.
The silence was almost unbearable.
Chen Kai finally spoke.
"So," he said lightly, "how long have you two been… close?"
Lian Hua hesitated.
Zhen Wei answered instead.
"Long enough."
Chen Kai smiled faintly.
"I see."
But there was something different in his expression now.
Less playful.
More serious.
He glanced at Lian Hua again.
"You like him, don't you?"
Her heart skipped.
"I…"
She couldn't finish.
And that was answer enough.
Zhen Wei didn't say anything.
But the slight shift in his posture showed everything.
Chen Kai noticed it too.
He exhaled quietly, then looked ahead.
"Well," he said, his tone softer now,
"I guess I really am late."
The walk continued in silence.
But something had changed.
The rivalry was no longer just tension.
It was real.
And for the first time—
someone was starting to lose.