Don't pretend you don't know me - He, is he you?

**Afternoon in an empty classroom,** upperclassmen paired us for mock drills.

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Naturally, I got Lu Huai again.

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Silent as ever, but lethally precise. Memory like a steel trap.

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While presenting our PPT, I quipped offhand:

*"I write better than I speak."*

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Lu Huai locked eyes with me for two solid seconds—then deadpanned:

*"I know."*

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*God.* That sharp jawline of his looked *illegally* handsome when serious.

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Post-dinner library session.

(*"Answer-checking"*—code for *Lu Huai inventing reasons to keep me late.* Whatever. Not complaining.)

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I stumbled over a complex formula. Without a word, he slid his water glass toward me.

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The silence turned lethal. I deflected:

*"My novel’s stuck."*

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*"Rewrite it,"* he said, like commenting on the weather, *"without the guilt this time."*

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My head snapped up.

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*OS: That’s *lii’s* exact cadence. Are they—?*

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10 PM. Posted the update. *lii* struck instantly:

**[lii]:** *"Three hesitations today. Why?"*

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I caved—replied:

*"Do you know me?"*

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Four words came minutes later:

**[lii]:** *"Guess."*

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*"Hah."* My thumb hovered. *Sly, repressed STEM nerd.*

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The screen blurred. Suddenly obvious—*lii* was Lu Huai all along.

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