The awkward stare continues but it doesn't really feel like said.
"Why can't you answer the question?" Haoran asks again when he felt uncomfortable.
Ai Mi snaps back to reality and turns away. She plays with the tip of her fingers for some seconds before raising her head to stare straight ahead.
"You have to wait for your designation to arrive by next week before you know" even if her face displays the hard and tough feature she's proving to have, her voice says otherwise.
Her voice sounds more like 'if I had the chance, I'd tell you. I'm sorry'. Haoran says nothing but just blinks softly, trying to swallow the words he wanted to spill out again.
"Can I ask another question?"
Ai Mi seems to have seen this coming. She purses her lips and slightly pouts, facially irritated. But she manages to force out a small " Yes"
"Are you and Zhi Ruo rivals?"
_________