Chapter 32: You Two Are...?
I stood outside Wei Lin's quarters, hesitating for just a moment before knocking. The sound echoed oddly in the predawn quiet – most disciples wouldn't be awake for hours yet.
The door opened to reveal Wei Lin, shirtless and wearing a smile that faltered the instant he recognized me. His hair was disheveled in a way that suggested it hadn't been messed up by sleep.
"You're back alre—" His expression faltered as he registered who was actually standing there. The smile shifted into something more awkward as he quickly grabbed a nearby robe. "Ke Yin! I wasn't expecting... that is..."
"Expecting someone else?" I couldn't help but grin at his uncharacteristic fumbling. Wei Lin, master of the smooth transaction, actually looking flustered? This was too good to pass up.
"I was just..." He started to form what was undoubtedly going to be a perfectly reasonable explanation, when movement from around the corner caught my attention.
Lin Mei appeared, her face flushed as she tried to casually walk past. "Oh! Ke Yin, I was just... I left some... herb catalogs here earlier..."
I looked between them – Wei Lin's lack of a shirt, Lin Mei's flustered attempt at nonchalance, the way they both seemed to be trying very hard to appear normal.
I pointed at them, my finger moving back and forth as my mind processed this new information. "You two are...?"
Lin Mei's composure cracked first. She turned an even deeper shade of red before punching Wei Lin's shoulder, hard enough to make him wince. "I can't believe you! We agreed to keep it quiet, and you couldn't even manage a month without being obvious?"