Fortunately, she’d managed to memorize a little from the cheat sheet before wiping it away, so Qian Wei gritted her teeth and started answering the questions.

Usually, an hour into a makeup exam, people would start turning in their papers early. After all, if you couldn’t answer the questions, there was no point sitting around in the classroom. But today, Qian Wei found the situation quite different—two hours into the exam, only a handful of people had turned in their papers early. She glanced around and finally spotted the reason. Aside from the few male students who’d left, the remaining students still taking the makeup exam were all women. Clearly, what was keeping everyone glued to their seats wasn’t the exam score, but Lu Xun. Quite a few girls were pretending to double-check their answers while secretly sneaking glances at him.

Following the trail of those lovesick glances, Qian Wei looked toward Lu Xun standing at the podium. He was slightly bowed, idly flipping through something, his forehead hair falling lightly against his smooth, full brow, his nose bridge high, his lashes hiding his eyes so his expression was unreadable. The cut at the corner of his mouth had been cleaned but had no bandage on it, still tinged faintly red. Lu Xun casually let the wound show, utterly unbothered—and indeed, he had no reason to be, since no wound could diminish his looks. He simply stood there quietly. Outside the classroom, the early-blooming osmanthus of September filled the air, sunlight slanting in, and Lu Xun stood at the boundary of light and shadow like a still oil painting. He really was too good-looking—so good-looking that Qian Wei felt this kind of appearance should qualify as fragile goods. In this moment, only one line came to mind—a gentleman as flawless as jade, unmatched in all the world. No wonder even after graduation, his name still lingered throughout the law school, and A University at large.

The makeup exam finally ended. Everyone leisurely handed in their papers and began filing out. Lu Xun collected the exam papers and stood at the podium organizing them. Qian Wei took her time packing up her things after turning in her paper, waiting for everyone else to clear out. In her bag sat medical disinfectant and bandages, meant for Lu Xun once she found the right moment. Once he finished organizing and started to walk out, Qian Wei hurriedly pulled the bag with the bandages out of her bag and followed him out of the classroom.

“Lu Xun.” Qian Wei’s voice rang out at almost the same moment as another voice also calling “Lu Xun.”

Qian Wei looked up, and saw who it was. Standing gracefully in front of Lu Xun—who else could it be but Mo Zixin? Other classrooms nearby were also letting out students who’d just finished makeup exams, and without exception, every male student who passed by Mo Zixin couldn’t help but sneak a glance or two. Mo Zixin was the type of beauty who was extremely fair-skinned and tall, her long hair, untreated by any perm or dye, simply cascading down to her waist with a classical elegance. A gust of wind sent the ends of her hair fluttering lightly, carrying with it a faint scent of shampoo. Unlike other pretty girls, Mo Zixin never over-dressed or over-styled herself—yet minimalism itself was beauty, and there was a purity about her that no one else could replicate. Mo Zixin wasn’t just good-looking; her grades were top-tier too, and her voice was soft, carrying a natural, delicate charm. Not just men—even Qian Wei found her pleasing to look at. No wonder both Lu Xun and Qian Chuan had fallen for her so deeply.

At that moment, the lovely Mo Zixin stood there, lips slightly pursed, waiting for Qian Wei to speak.

Qian Wei quickly waved her hands. “You go first, you go first—I don’t have anything important with Lu Xun.”

Mo Zixin brushed back her long hair and lowered her head slightly, looking just like the shy water lily untouched by the cool breeze from a Xu Zhimo poem. “I’m actually just waiting for my roommate to finish her makeup exam so we can go to dinner together.” Then she finally looked up, smiled faintly, and pulled out a small box, handing it to Lu Xun. “I noticed the cut on your lip—I happen to have some bandages. Here.”

Excellent!! Qian Wei couldn’t help but cheer inwardly. Good thing she hadn’t handed over her own bandages yet—since she was trying to matchmake her future boss and future boss’s wife, how could she steal away Mo Zixin’s chance to show concern for Lu Xun?

“No need.” But unexpectedly, Lu Xun turned her down. “Thanks.”

Caught off guard by this outcome, Mo Zixin froze for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed as she brushed her hair back again. “Good thing it’s just a minor injury. If you’re fine, I should go—there’s my roommate now.”

Watching Mo Zixin’s retreating figure, Qian Wei was dumbfounded. This guy—brilliant IQ, but negative EQ? In her previous life he’d even gotten into it with some thugs outside campus over Mo Zixin, and now, when she was practically extending an olive branch, he just turned a blind eye? No wonder Qian Chuan had ended up winning her over instead.

“What did you want to say to me?” Lu Xun turned back and glanced at Qian Wei.

Qian Wei shook the bag in her hand. “I was going to give you this, but looks like it’s not needed now.”

Lu Xun frowned. “What?”

“Bandages and disinfectant.”

“Give it here.”

Before Qian Wei could react, Lu Xun deftly reached out and took the bag from her hand.

Qian Wei blinked, then reacted. “Lu Xun, look, even though men shouldn’t shed tears easily, sometimes showing a little vulnerability in front of a girl doesn’t make her look down on you—it actually stirs her protective instincts. And once a girl wants to protect you, that’s how affection slowly blooms.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” But rather than having any epiphany, Lu Xun’s tone turned sharp. Clearly, having his secret exposed had made him defensive.

“You clearly wanted the bandages, but in front of the girl you fancy, you had to put on this tough, unbothered act about a small injury, so you flatly turned down Mo Zixin’s concern!” Qian Wei shook her head, exasperated. “This won’t do. Mo Zixin will get snatched up by someone else soon at this rate.”

“The girl I fancy?” Lu Xun raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening. “Which eye of yours saw me liking her?”

“Explaining is just covering up. No need to say more.” Qian Wei nodded knowingly. “Otherwise, why would you refuse Mo Zixin’s bandages but take mine instead? Isn’t it because you care about her, so you had to put on a brave face in front of her?”

“Heh, with an imagination like that, why aren’t you writing novels? Though I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t fantasize that I took your bandages because you’re somehow special to me.” Lu Xun scoffed. “There are plenty of girls at this school who’d love to give me things—should I accept from all of them? Since I have no interest in that direction, I shouldn’t accept anything, to avoid misunderstandings. As for you—” Lu Xun pointed at the corner of his mouth. “Your brother did this. Not asking you for medical fees is generous enough. Accepting a box of bandages from you is only fair.”

“Well, even if you have no interest in Mo Zixin now, you will eventually.”

“You’re so confident you even know who I’ll like in the future, yet you couldn’t predict getting caught cheating today?”

Qian Wei pressed on shamelessly. “Mo Zixin is beautiful, smart, elegant, and plays piano too—she’s the number one pick in our school forum’s campus beauty poll. And you’re the number one pick for campus heartthrob—handsome, brilliant, and coincidentally, you also play piano at a masterful level. See, you and Mo Zixin are perfectly matched, a match made in heaven. You could even do four-hand piano duets together to cultivate your spirits, don’t you think? Sure, there are girls all over A University with romantic thoughts about you, but the only one truly worthy of you is Mo Zixin. If you say you have no interest in her now, either you’re not being honest with yourself, or you just don’t know her well enough yet. The more you get to know Mo Zixin, the more you won’t be able to help falling for her—she’s the only one who can truly reach your heart.” Qian Wei wiggled her eyebrows. “Trust me, I’m not wrong.”

“With that tone and manner of speaking, you remind me of those guys outside school peddling pirated adult discs for five yuan a pop.” Lu Xun frowned. “And how do you even know I play piano? I’ve never told anyone that.”

Uh oh, she’d forgotten about that. For some reason, Lu Xun had never revealed during college that he could play piano—Qian Wei had only found out by chance after starting work, when she stumbled upon him playing… At nineteen, there was no way she should have known this. How was she supposed to explain it?

Often, when someone throws a question at you that you can’t answer, the best strategy isn’t to confront it head-on—it’s to change the subject!

Qian Wei cleared her throat and raised her voice. “Lu Xun, I never expected you to have bought pirated adult discs outside school!”

Qian Wei had always had a booming voice, and this remark indeed drew the attention of several nearby students.

Lu Xun’s face went completely dark, and he said through gritted teeth, one word at a time, “I. Did. Not. Buy. Adult. Discs.”

“If you didn’t buy any, how do you know they’re five yuan each!”

“That cardboard sign at the pirate stall had it written right there, didn’t it? The characters were huge—I’m not blind!”

“If you weren’t interested in that sort of thing, why would you remember the price so clearly, and even spare a glance at their sign in the first place—that just proves you were tempted!”

“Any normal person walking past a stall would remember such a conspicuous sign. That doesn’t mean I’m interested.” Lu Xun’s eyes were practically bulging with fury by now.

“Well, since you can remember advertising slogans from any random stall you happen to walk past, what does the fruit stand outside school have written on its sign? How much per pound for bananas? You don’t remember, do you? See, you can’t answer that one, because you have no interest in bananas.”

Lu Xun’s face wasn’t just dark now—there was a faint aura of menace creeping in.

Qian Wei finally sensed she’d gone too far. Though she’d successfully changed the subject, there was clearly a new problem now…

She cleared her throat, trying to salvage things. “I’m just speaking hypothetically. It’s no big deal for someone your age to glance at a couple of adult discs. Don’t worry, since you didn’t profit from it, that wouldn’t even count as distributing obscene material under the law. I’m just saying, people shouldn’t be dishonest with themselves—the mouth says no, but the body says otherwise. You have to face your true feelings. Whatever you like, that’s what you like, whoever you like, that’s who you like—no need to hide it. Be yourself, a unique kind of fireworks in this world!”

“Qian Wei, shut up.”

“Okay! Won’t bother you further—go turn in those exam papers!” Sensing when to quit while she was ahead, Qian Wei scurried off under Lu Xun’s icy glare.

Twenty-eight-year-old Lu Xun had always been difficult to please, but she hadn’t expected nineteen-year-old Lu Xun to be just as impossible.

How was she supposed to protect Lu Xun’s proud ego while still nudging him toward a happy ending with Mo Zixin without making things awkward? This was clearly going to require some long-term strategy.