Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

The air felt heavier that day. The crisp autumn breeze should've been refreshing, but to Ace, it stung. Maybe it was because Rina's words kept replaying in his mind.

It had taken years of mustering courage to reach that moment. The small park by their old school was quiet, the golden leaves carpeting the ground, crunching beneath their feet as they walked.

Rina had smiled at him, the same smile she'd given him since they were kids. That easy, carefree smile that made him believe the world wasn't so bad. He thought of it as his signal, his green light, and decided today was the day.

He stopped walking, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.

"Rina," he began, voice trembling just slightly. She turned to him, her head tilted in curiosity, her dark eyes glimmering in the afternoon light.

"What's up, Ace?" she asked, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets.

He swallowed hard and rubbed the back of his neck. His hands were clammy, and his pulse thundered in his ears, but he kept going.

"We've been friends for so long," he started, forcing a smile to calm his nerves. "You've always been there for me—through everything. And I… I think it's time I said this. I like you, Rina. I've liked you for a while now. I want to be more than just friends."

He held his breath, waiting.

Rina blinked, her expression shifting. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out at first. She looked away briefly, fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

Finally, she sighed and gave him that apologetic smile he'd seen her use on strangers asking for directions. It wasn't meant for him.

"You're a good guy, Ace," she said, her tone soft, almost kind. "But I don't want to date right now."

Ace's chest tightened, and for a moment, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He'd expected this might happen, but hearing it was so much worse than imagining it.

"I just… I don't think I'm ready," she continued, glancing at him briefly before looking down at the ground. "You mean a lot to me, and I don't want to ruin what we have."

He wanted to argue, to say something, anything, to make her see him the way he saw her. But he just stood there, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He forced a small nod and replied, "It's okay. I get it."

But he didn't.

The days after were a blur of numbness and second-guessing. He kept telling himself it wasn't personal, that it wasn't about him. That maybe she truly wasn't ready, just like she said.

But all of that came crashing down when he saw her less than a week later.

Rina walked out of the café with Duke beside her. Duke, with his sharp, cocky grin, his designer jacket slung over his shoulder, and his confident swagger that demanded attention. Rina's hand was entwined with his, her cheeks glowing pink as she laughed at something he said.

Ace froze on the sidewalk, watching them from across the street. They didn't see him, too lost in their own little world. Rina looked radiant, like she'd found her missing piece.

And Ace? He was left wondering if he ever stood a chance.

That's when it hit him—looks mattered. It didn't matter that he'd been by her side for years, always ready to support her. It didn't matter that he'd given her his heart on a silver platter.

It was Duke who turned her head, who made her smile that way.

Ace clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he turned away and walked in the opposite direction. The ache in his chest burned, but something else stirred beneath it—a simmering bitterness he couldn't push down.

If he wasn't good enough now, would he ever be?

As he lay on the bed, he couldn't feel any warm despite the heap of blankets piled over him. The cold seemed to seep into his bones, lingering like the ache in his chest. Ace lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind tangled in thoughts he couldn't untangle. Lost. Betrayed. Lied to. That's how he felt, and the weight of it was suffocating.

He thought about Rina's smile—the one that wasn't meant for him. The way her hand fit so perfectly in Duke's, as if it had been meant to all along. The memory clung to him, sharp and raw. It hurt in a way he didn't know how to soothe.

At some point, his exhaustion won. His eyes closed against the cold, against the storm in his mind, and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Ace stirred, his body sluggish as a strange warmth wrapped around him. It wasn't the heavy, suffocating kind from before. This was different—softer, comforting. His brows furrowed as he cracked his eyes open.

The sunlight streamed in through an unfamiliar window, casting golden streaks across a room he didn't recognize. It smelled faintly of flowers, a scent so gentle it felt like it might disappear if he breathed too deeply.

He blinked, trying to piece together where he was. His head felt foggy, like he'd been asleep for days, maybe longer. Slowly, he pushed himself up, but the movement stopped short when he saw her.

A girl stood before him.

Delicate yet composed, she had an ethereal quality about her. Silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her almond-shaped eyes held a quiet intensity. But there was something else there—something subtle, like pity, shimmering just beneath the surface.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Zhi," she began, her voice soft but firm, as if she'd practiced these words a hundred times before speaking them.

Ace froze. Xiao Zhi?

The name echoed in his mind, unfamiliar and out of place. Who was Xiao Zhi?

He glanced down at his hands instinctively. They weren't his. Slimmer, with neatly trimmed nails. His heart quickened as he reached up to touch his face, panic rising with every passing second.

This wasn't his body.

Her voice drew him back. "You're a good guy, but I can't be with you."

The words hit him like a familiar blow, yet they felt foreign, too. Ace stared at her, bewildered. He wanted to ask what was going on, but his throat felt tight, his voice trapped beneath the weight of confusion.

She continued, her tone gentle but unyielding. "I hope you find someone who truly appreciates you."

With that, she stepped back. Her expression was unreadable, her gaze steady but distant, as though she were already far away.

The door shut softly behind her, the sound oddly final.

Ace sat there in the silence that followed, the warmth of the sunlight now feeling heavy against his skin. His thoughts swirled, untethered. This wasn't his life. This wasn't his body. Yet somehow, the sting of rejection felt painfully real.

And still, his mind was calm, serene even, as though his soul had been reset in the wake of everything.

What was happening?