“What’s all that noise outside?” Lu Xun nudged the spaced-out Qian Wei with his foot.

Qian Wei looked away, clearing her throat. “Mo Zixin’s being harassed by some thugs! I was about to go help—thank goodness you’re here now.”

“Fine, you don’t need to be involved.” As he spoke, Lu Xun headed toward the lounge, and Qian Wei followed close behind him.

Mo Zixin spotted him approaching almost immediately, and the cold expression on her face gave way to a look of visible relief. “Lu Xun, thank goodness, you’re here.” She glanced over at the thug leader called Brother Tian. “This is my boyfriend. He’s finished working out and he’s going to walk me back to the dorm.” As she spoke, she moved close to Lu Xun, taking his arm in a delicate, clingy way, her dark bright eyes glancing up at him, utterly disarming.

Lu Xun’s arm went still for a moment. He didn’t respond to what she’d said, just glanced briefly at the group of girls. “You all go on ahead. I’ll handle the rest.” He glanced at the thugs. “Whatever the problem is, let’s settle it man to man. Surely a group of grown men isn’t going to bully weaker targets by picking on women.”

“Sure, works for me, if you’re saying that, then let’s talk man to man.” The gang leader smirked and didn’t stop the girls from leaving.

The girls, relieved beyond words, thanked him and prepared to go. Mo Zixin bit her lip, standing beside Lu Xun, and said softly, “I’ll stay with you.”

Lu Xun frowned and this time, discreetly, pulled his arm free of Mo Zixin’s grip, gently pushing her toward the exit. “Go on.”

Mo Zixin finally left, glancing back repeatedly with each step, her final look so full of emotion that even Qian Wei nearly melted.

Well, wasn’t this exactly the classic hero-saves-the-damsel scene straight out of a TV drama? Mo Zixin harassed, Lu Xun stepping up to defend her, the fake-boyfriend act turning into real feelings, her heart secretly won over—the setup couldn’t be more perfect. Qian Wei’s heart raced with excitement. Could it really be, this soon in this new life, that she’d witness her future boss and future boss’s wife finally getting together? Lost in this pleasant fantasy, she was jolted back by Lu Xun’s blunt voice.

“What are you still standing here for?” Lu Xun shot her a glare. “Waiting around to get in the way?”

Well, look at that—so polite when sending Mo Zixin off, and this was how he treated her… comparisons really were infuriating.

Qian Wei thought it over; there wasn’t much use in her staying either way. She figured Qian Chuan would be arriving soon, so she might as well go meet him and his crew outside the gym.

“I already called some people for you—I’ll go meet them outside.” Qian Wei lowered her voice, giving Lu Xun a meaningful look to show her loyalty. “Don’t worry, I’m not one to flee the battlefield. This Qian—er, your loyal general—will return! Lu Xun, hang in there! Just hold on until I get back!”

Lu Xun glanced at her. “Why do you have so many lines? You’re not even the lead character here—stop giving yourself extra scenes. Just go.”

Once the group of girls had left, Qian Wei stood anxiously at the gym entrance, watching for Qian Chuan.

“Let’s go.”

But that little punk Qian Chuan never showed up no matter how long she waited. Instead, it was Lu Xun who came strolling out, hands in his pockets, calling her name.

Qian Wei: “???How—how are you already out here?”

“So I should still be inside getting jumped by them right now?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Qian Wei looked him over. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Lu Xun scoffed dismissively. “Do you think every problem has to be solved with fists? You think I’m like your Qian Chuan?”

“So you managed to win them over that fast?”

“If people were that easy to win over, what would we even need laws for?”

“So how did you handle it, then?” Qian Wei was genuinely curious.

“I told them Mo Zixin looks especially ugly without her makeup on.”

“…”

“I said I was actually about to break up with her, and if he wanted to pursue her, even better—I’d hand over her contact info right then and give him tips on how to win her over, save myself the trouble of her clinging to me and not letting go.” Lu Xun shrugged. “In the end, he refused to take the contact info and told me to just get out of there.”

“…”

The evening campus was quiet, a light breeze drifting through, few people along the path from the gym back to the dorms. Qian Wei and Lu Xun walked side by side.

“Thank goodness it got resolved so easily. I’d actually called Qian Chuan to bring some of his sports science buddies over, but he was out singing karaoke and never made it in time. But you handled it all so well on your own, so I told him not to bother.” Even though Qian Wei hadn’t ended up helping in the end, she wasn’t about to miss this chance to show her loyalty. “I was on the treadmill, and the moment I saw it was Mo Zixin in trouble, I was already planning to help—if you hadn’t shown up, I definitely would have stepped in for her!”

Since she was showing loyalty, of course she couldn’t just flatter her future boss—she had to remember the future boss’s wife too. After all, showing that she’d look out for the future boss’s wife in front of the future boss would surely earn her extra points!

But Lu Xun, ever contrary, showed not a shred of gratitude despite how eager she was to please. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, almost accusingly. “What does Mo Zixin have to do with you? What were you going to step in for? What could you even have done?”

Put that way… admittedly, her stepping in wouldn’t have accomplished much…

But she couldn’t lose face now. Qian Wei cleared her throat. “I may not be able to fight, but I can use the law to intimidate them. I’d have told them their actions already violate Article 28 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations—arbitrarily chasing or intercepting others constitutes disorderly conduct, punishable by ten to fifteen days of detention, plus fines!” She thumped her chest. “Don’t worry, I’m plenty smart too—I’m not like Qian Chuan. I use my brain to solve problems, conquer the enemy with solid legal knowledge!”

“It’s Article 26.” Lu Xun glanced at her. “Looks like your legal knowledge isn’t as solid as you think, smart one. And ten to fifteen days’ detention applies to more serious cases—for what those guys did just now, five to ten days would’ve been enough.”

“…” Did you have to be so precise about the details, Lu Xun?!

“Good thing I went swimming tonight.” Lu Xun fell silent for a moment, then smiled.

Qian Wei relaxed too—right, if Lu Xun hadn’t gone to swim at the gym tonight, Mo Zixin would have been in real danger. And this outcome really was ideal: after tonight, no matter what, Lu Xun’s image in Mo Zixin’s heart would surely be sky-high, and having seen Mo Zixin in danger, Lu Xun himself would probably start to realize how much she mattered to him.

The two walked on side by side, and for a moment things fell quiet. Qian Wei felt a bit awkward and was about to look for a new topic when, up ahead, sudden screaming erupted from the dorm building.

“Pervert! Catch the pervert!”

Qian Wei blinked, then realized it was the peeping tom who’d previously been sneaking into the women’s dorm at night, striking again. Just as she registered this, a man in a cap came dashing out of the building up ahead in a panic.

“Catch him! Don’t let him get away!” Girls leaning over the balcony above pointed and shouted at the fleeing man. Before Qian Wei had fully processed what was happening, Lu Xun had already taken off, sprinting in the direction the girls were pointing. He and Qian Wei happened to be not far from the dorm building at that moment, giving them a real chance at catching up.

Lu Xun was tall with long legs, and even fresh from swimming, his stamina was excellent. By the time Qian Wei, panting, caught up, he’d already caught the peeper, pinned him to the ground, and was about to twist his arm behind his back.

The peeper, apparently desperate not to be handed over to the police, began struggling wildly. Qian Wei’s sharp eyes caught him pulling a folding knife from his pocket, lunging at Lu Xun with it.

“Lu Xun, watch out!”

Without thinking, Qian Wei lunged forward, trying to knock the weapon away with her hand. That interference bought enough time for Lu Xun to twist the man down again, pin him beneath his own body, and land a solid punch, finally subduing him completely. Around the same time, other passersby who’d rushed to help arrived and joined in holding the man down.

In that split second earlier, Qian Wei hadn’t thought it through—she’d used her hand to block the knife aimed at Lu Xun’s stomach, and in doing so, she’d been cut. Only now, coming back to her senses, did she start to feel the pain. She stared, ashen-faced, at the wound on her hand steadily bleeding, a wave of dizziness washing over her in her shock.

Seeing that others had the peeper under control, Lu Xun didn’t bother with the rest. He hurried over to Qian Wei, brow furrowed, and grabbed her injured hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to the health center.”

“I… my legs feel weak…” This wasn’t an act—Qian Wei was genuinely terrified of dying, and staring at her own steadily bleeding wound, she felt certain her time had come.

Lu Xun glanced at her pale, miserable face and, without another word, simply scooped her up in a princess carry.

Because of the peeper incident, most of the girls who’d already gone to bed had woken up, and quite a few had gathered to watch. Lu Xun, already such an eye-catching presence, had just earned himself a hero’s aura for catching the pervert—and now here he was, in front of everyone, casually carrying a girl in his arms without a second thought. The onlookers were stunned.

Qian Wei’s mind was entirely on her wound; she barely registered the curious, jealous, bewildered stares. She hadn’t fully processed that she was in Lu Xun’s arms at all—she just clutched tightly at the front of his shirt.

“Lu Xun, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m afraid if I don’t say it now, I won’t get the chance later.”

This time, Lu Xun’s voice carried an unusual note of tension and unease. “Don’t talk. You’ll be fine. I’m taking you to the health center.” As he spoke, he quickened his pace, though his arms holding her stayed perfectly steady.

“Lu Xun, just give me this chance—it’s the only thing I’ll ask.” Qian Wei said weakly, “You have to remember that this wound today was for saving you, and if I survive this…”

“You want me to marry you out of gratitude?”

“No!” Qian Wei clutched tighter at the front of his shirt, agitated. “How could I be the type to take advantage of someone in a moment of weakness? I have no improper intentions! I just want to say to you…”

“Lu Xun, don’t forget me when you strike it rich!” Qian Wei said with deep feeling. “In the future, if you become successful, remember to bring me along to get rich too! If you become a lawyer, a partner, make sure to give me the best cases! And if I end up working under you, you have to look out for me, take care of me—don’t make me work overtime, give me a bigger year-end bonus, and if you know any good guys, introduce them to me—ideally the type with lots of family money but both parents deceased, so there won’t be mother-in-law issues…”