The moment Senior Yizhenxia's thunderous voice rang across the garden, a veil of silence swallowed the entire space. It was as if time itself had been suspended.
Ankrit—once smug and confident—was now trembling on his knees, his pride and arrogance crumbling like stale bread under pressure. He didn't dare look up. His eyes were wet with tears of humiliation and fear. The once-lively chatter among students ceased. The birdsong in the trees, the rustling of leaves—all became a distant hum. It felt like the entire universe was holding its breath.
"Siddharth, remove him," Yizhenxia commanded with an icy finality.
Senior Siddharth hesitated. "But... Yizhenxia, he's Alfa's top debater. He brought us silver four times—he's our national quiz finalist. We need him! The state round is next week, and without him—"
"Shut up," Yizhenxia snapped, not even turning to look at Siddharth. "We don't need poison in our ranks. I'll handle the quiz myself."
There it was—pure confidence, no arrogance, just certainty. The kind of certainty that only a boy like Yizhenxia could carry. Because he was not ordinary. Because when others feared the dark, he had already walked through it barefoot.
He didn't look back at Ankrit again. "Report to House Leader Harshvardhan. Now."
Ankrit burst into sobs. The crowd shifted awkwardly. Fan girls started murmuring, some with sympathy, most with scorn. The incident was already viral. Pictures had been clicked, whispers turned into storms, and the caption on the infamous fan page read: "Prince Charming's New Doll"
I stood there frozen.
Me.
Akio.
Once Adda. Now a stranger to my own past, caught in a vortex of confusion and fear. Why was he doing this? Why was Yizhenxia protecting me—ME—when he had never acknowledged anyone in school, except maybe the Principal?
Pritika's glare cut through the air like knives. Her eyes were burning embers of jealousy and spite. I could hear whispers around me—slut, homewrecker, bitch. Every syllable seared into my skin.
Yizhenxia took a step toward me, concern evident on his usually unreadable face. His hand reached out and clasped mine.
"Are you alright?" he asked, voice gentler than I had ever imagined.
I couldn't respond. I just... stared.
My brother Ar arrived, panting. Alisha was just behind him, wide-eyed. "Senior Brother, please," Ar said, voice wavering, "let my sister go... It's already too much."
Yizhenxia nodded solemnly and let go. But he didn't take his eyes off me.
They led me away, but the damage had already been done.
In the classroom, the moment was shattered again.
The girls. The venom.
"Whore."
"Why don't you just die?"
"Stay away from Yizhenxia, bitch. He belongs to Pritika."
"You little thief, you're the other girl."
Each insult was a bullet, ripping into my chest. My breath shortened. The walls closed in. My chest heaved. My hands trembled.
And then—black.
I collapsed.
---
Ar and Alisha ran through the gates of the University Hospital. Their uniforms were stained with sweat and dirt, and their faces were pale with fear.
"Where's my sister!?" Ar screamed. "Where's Akio?!"
A nurse pointed to ICU-5. They ran. Their footsteps echoed like thunder in the sterile white halls.
Inside, I was unconscious, twitching, wheezing, caught in the grip of another violent asthma attack. Tubes were connected. A nurse struggled to stabilize my breathing.
"Inject 4ml! Now!" a doctor barked.
Everything was a blur.
---
Four hours passed.
My eyelashes fluttered.
And the first thing I saw...
Was him.
Senior Brother Zixianxia.
Yes. The legendary medical prodigy. The boy who could suture with his left hand blindfolded. The one who made interns cry with a glance. But right now, his expression wasn't cold or clinical.
It was broken.
Worried.
Human.
"Brother...?" I croaked, voice like shattered glass.
"Trying to kill me with worry, little witch?" he muttered and ruffled my hair.
I blinked. "Are you planning to actually murder me in my sleep?"
He chuckled. "Not unless you give me another scare like this. I saved your life today, you know? I deserve at least a thank you."
I grinned weakly. "You sound like Dad."
His eyes glistened for a second. "Your dad raised me. That makes me family. You're not allowed to forget that."
Just then, Aunty Ammu burst into the room, her saree flying, her heels clicking like warning bells.
"ADDAYANSHI RAJPUT, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"
I groaned. "Ammu..."
She glared. "What were you thinking? No inhaler? In that chaos? If anything had happened to you—"
"Shh," Zixianxia said. "There's a nurse here. Watch your tongue."
Ammu gasped. "Oh my God! I said Adda!"
The nurse turned.
Zixianxia gave her a death stare. "You didn't hear that. Dismissed."
The nurse nodded and fled.
"Nice going," he muttered. "Next time maybe announce it on the intercom?"
Ammu bit her lip. "I'm sorry... I panicked."
I sighed. "I'm fine now. Seriously."
He sat on the edge of my bed. "Fine? You almost stopped breathing. Don't lie."
"I'm your strongest daughter," I said with a smirk.
He tickled my forehead again. "You're our whole world, Adda."
Then came two tiny voices from the door.
"Are we not part of your world?!"
Alisha and Ar.
"Ah, the munchkins," Zixianxia smiled. "Who wants chocolate?"
They rushed to him like bees to honey.
Ammu took my hand. "I canceled my meeting with The Galaxy Beauty people. I'll reschedule next week. I couldn't leave you."
I felt the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry, Ammu. I didn't mean to worry you."
She wiped my tears. "You're our storm and our sunshine, Akio. We'll walk through anything for you."
Zixianxia nodded. "And next time, don't leave your inhaler. And don't go anywhere alone. Understand?"
"I understand."
But did I really? Because I could feel it. Something bigger was coming. A storm deeper than my panic attacks, louder than the whispers behind my back. The air had changed.
And as Zixianxia placed a soft kiss on my forehead and told me to rest...
I knew this wasn't the end.
This was just the calm before another tempest.
To be continued...