Having regained much of her strength, as soon as the class bell rang, Sang Ru was preparing to rush to the cafeteria with Li Chenfei, but someone stopped her.

Zhou Tingzhao didn’t use much force, merely encircling her wrist where the red string was distinctly eye-catching.

Sang Ru blinked her eyes and heard him ask: “Want some porridge?”

She raised her eyebrows, turning her palm to hold his hand in return: “Yes.”

Seeing this, Li Chenfei silently rolled her eyes and left with Yang Fan.

This was her third visit to Zhou Tingzhao’s home, but this time he had invited her on his initiative—quite a significant improvement.

Sang Ru had thought she would need to wait for him to cook, and had already followed him into the kitchen, ready to help. To her surprise, as soon as he opened the rice cooker, billowing steam wafted out.

Sang Ru was momentarily stunned and asked: “When did you cook this?”

“When I sent you the message,” Zhou Tingzhao washed two bowls and gestured with his chin, saying, “Wash your hands first.”

“Oh.”

So he had already cooked porridge and kept it warm in the pot since six o’clock…

The flowing water couldn’t mask the faint sounds of bowls and ladles clinking as he served the porridge.

Behind this building was a street food alley. From the fourth floor, one could look down and witness the bustle of people. Many students, tired of cafeteria food, would seek food outside. Now the street was crowded with people, and the clamorous noise, filtered through the window screen, wasn’t too loud by the time it reached their ears.

Sang Ru became a bit entranced. This scene, filled with the warmth of everyday life, felt so intimate, as if it had directly reached a possible moment many years into the future.

Suddenly, she felt something touch her back. Zhou Tingzhao had come up behind her, reaching out to turn off the water tap, saying: “What are you daydreaming about?”

“Nothing.”

He produced a clean towel from somewhere and gently dried her hands with it. She was encircled in his arms, her back barely touching his chest, his warm breath falling on the back of her ear, one breath at a time.

Her earlobes probably turned red and felt a bit hot. Sang Ru secretly resented how Zhou Tingzhao’s flirting skills had improved so rapidly, while pretending to be calm as she let him dry her hands.

“Done. Let’s eat.” Zhou Tingzhao stepped back, withdrawing all those teasing touches completely.

Sang Ru pursed her lips, watching as he carried the bowls out. She washed two pairs of chopsticks and followed him.

After they finished eating, Zhou Tingzhao stood up and began collecting the bowls and chopsticks to wash them. Sang Ru looked up at him and suddenly said, “Zhou Tingzhao, I feel dizzy.”

His movement paused, his brows slightly furrowing as he said: “Sit still and rest. I’ll take you to the infirmary in a while.”

Sang Ru hurriedly said, “No need. I just need to lie down for a bit.”

Seeing that Zhou Tingzhao’s brows were still knitted, Sang Ru gave a more direct hint, asking in a soft voice: “Is there a guest room I could borrow?”

In the school-provided staff dormitory, where would there be extra guest rooms?

Zhou Tingzhao contemplated for a moment before saying: “If you don’t mind, you can lie down in my room. If you still feel unwell, I’ll take you for an IV.”

“Got it.”

Having achieved her goal, Sang Ru held her forehead, pretending to be unwell, as she entered his room.

Zhou Tingzhao’s bed sheets and covers were gray, giving off a cool feel, but his faint, clean scent filled the air, making her feel so at ease that she almost fell asleep.

A “click” sound came from the doorway—someone opening the door. It was him.

Sang Ru kept her eyes closed. After the sleepiness dissipated, she became more alert. The gradually approaching footsteps were very light. They stopped at the bedside, followed by what seemed to be him placing something like a cup on the bedside table, the contact sound carefully muffled at the cup’s base.

Using food as bait when hunting is common, but using oneself as bait is more nerve-wracking. Yet the excitement in her heart couldn’t be ignored. Sang Ru felt some impulsive energy pulsing with her heartbeat.

While she was debating about when to reveal her true intentions, his presence seemed to be slowly approaching at that moment.

Sang Ru struggled to maintain even breathing, but unconsciously held her breath when she sensed he was almost right in front of her.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

She heard his soft laughter, and then, like a dandelion seed on a windswept plain, a kiss gently landed on her forehead. Sang Ru’s heart skipped a beat, and before she knew it, she had reached out to grab his sleeve.

“What mischief are you up to?” she asked, with the innocence of a girl just waking from a dream.

But how could a dreaming girl have fluttering long lashes, and breath that stopped upon sensing his approach? Since she was pretending ignorance, Zhou Tingzhao continued to feign some embarrassment at being caught, turning his head away and saying: “Nothing…”

Sang Ru seemed to let it go, releasing his sleeve only to take hold of his hand, saying in a stuffy voice: “You woke me up. You’re responsible for lulling me back to sleep.”

Zhou Tingzhao instinctively held her hand in return, looking at her upturned face and asking: “How should I do that?”

She patted the space to her left: “Come up here.”

Zhou Tingzhao was momentarily stunned. The sudden force she applied caught him off guard. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already supporting himself with one hand above her, while his other hand was still tightly clasped with hers.

Sang Ru’s smile now carried a mischievous satisfaction. She deliberately misinterpreted him, saying: “I asked you to come up, not to get up like this.”