The small USB drive sat on Xinyi’s desk, untouched for days. She kept glancing at it, debating whether to plug it in or not. She wasn’t sure why she hesitated—maybe it was the unfamiliar feeling of someone going out of their way to do something for her. It was different from the usual transactions in her life.
Her family gave her money, but it was never out of care. Teachers acknowledged her as a top student, but that was just part of the system. But Zhao Chen—he had no reason to go out of his way to encourage her. He had nothing to gain from it.
Late at night, curiosity won over. She finally inserted the USB drive into her laptop, watching as the folders appeared. Each one was neatly labeled: Beginner Coding, Cybersecurity Basics, AI Concepts, and Additional Resources. At the bottom of the list, a simple text file caught her eye.
She clicked on it.
“I think you’ll like these. No pressure. Just explore.”
That was it. No long explanation, no expectation. Just an open invitation to learn.
Xinyi wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the simplicity of it made her chest tighten. She clicked on the first video in the Beginner Coding folder, and soon, she was lost in the world of programming.
The next afternoon, after school, she found herself walking toward Zhao Chen’s café.
She hadn’t consciously planned to go there. It wasn’t like she owed him anything for the USB, and she wasn’t even sure if he was working today. But somehow, her feet had carried her here.
Through the café window, she spotted him behind the counter, wearing his apron. He was taking an order, his usual calm and attentive demeanor making customers feel at ease. Xinyi had never paid much attention to things like this before, but watching him work, she noticed something different.
He was… kind. Not just polite, but genuinely thoughtful. When an elderly woman struggled with her change, he took his time counting it for her, making sure she didn’t feel rushed. When a little boy accidentally spilled his drink, Zhao Chen quietly cleaned it up without scolding him.
Xinyi never thought much about what kind of person he was before. But now, watching him from afar, she could see why people naturally gravitated toward him.
She was about to turn and leave when his gaze suddenly locked onto hers.
A small smirk appeared on his face, and before she could react, he disappeared from behind the counter. A few seconds later, the door opened, and he stepped outside, holding a cup in his hand.
“For the top student,” he said, handing her a drink.
Xinyi hesitated before taking it. “I didn’t order anything.”
“I know,” he replied casually. “It’s on me.”
She frowned. “Why?”
He shrugged. “You looked like you needed something warm.”
Xinyi wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She wasn’t even cold, but somehow, holding the warm cup in her hands made her feel… lighter.
With a sigh, she stepped inside the café, following him to a quiet table. She didn’t know why she sat down, but she didn’t feel the urge to leave just yet.
Zhao Chen returned to his work, moving behind the counter to prepare drinks. Xinyi sipped hers in silence, her mind drifting back to the coding videos she had watched last night.
Without thinking, she muttered, “I didn’t know AI models needed so much training data…”
The sound of a cup being set down made her blink. When she looked up, Zhao Chen was standing in front of her, his smirk widening.
“Oh?” he said, tilting his head. “So you actually checked the files?”
Xinyi immediately stiffened. “No.”
Zhao Chen raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
She avoided his gaze. “I was just… curious.”
He pulled out a chair, sitting across from her. “Alright, then. Let’s test your curiosity.”
Xinyi frowned. “What?”
“If you really looked at the files, you should be able to answer a simple question,” he said, leaning forward. “What’s the difference between supervised and unsupervised learning?”
Xinyi opened her mouth, then closed it.
She knew the answer. She had watched a whole video explaining it. But saying it out loud would mean admitting that she had actually studied the material.
“…Supervised learning uses labeled data, while unsupervised learning finds patterns without labels,” she muttered.
Zhao Chen chuckled. “Not bad.”
She crossed her arms. “It’s basic knowledge.”
“For beginners, maybe,” he said, amused. “But not bad for someone who claimed she didn’t check the files.”
Xinyi huffed, looking away.
Zhao Chen didn’t tease her further. Instead, he casually explained more about AI, cybersecurity, and the different paths one could take in Computer Science. His way of talking made even the most complicated topics sound simple.
As he moved around the café, she found herself watching him again.
He looked natural in the setting—efficiently handling orders, managing customers, and even making time to talk to her. There was something comforting about being near him.
Her gaze drifted to the way his sleeves were rolled up slightly, his apron tied neatly around his waist.
Something about the sight made her heartbeat quicken.
She immediately looked away, scolding herself.
“It’s not because of him,” she thought. “I’m just… not used to someone caring about me.”
She told herself that again and again.
But no matter how much she tried to deny it, something was changing inside her. And it scared her more than she was willing to admit.