The moment Hu Qianxi fainted, Sheng Nanzhou immediately ran over from not far away, took her from the other person’s hands, picked her up and rushed all the way to the hospital.

Actually, from the moment Sheng Nanzhou walked her to the school gate, he had noticed something was wrong with Hu Qianxi’s complexion, so he planned to secretly follow her all the way back to the dormitory to prevent any accidents along the way.

He didn’t expect something would actually happen.

After Sheng Nanzhou rushed the unconscious Hu Qianxi to the hospital, he registered her, got her an IV drip, and when Hu Qianxi was lying on the hospital bed receiving the IV with everything being fine.

The doctor called Sheng Nanzhou into the office. Sheng Nanzhou looked tense and asked: “Doctor, is she okay?”

“Based on the current situation, it’s nothing serious, just low blood sugar,” the doctor pushed up his glasses, “but she’ll need a physical examination after she wakes up.”

“Alright, thank you doctor. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go out.” Sheng Nanzhou stood up and said politely.

Just as Sheng Nanzhou stood up to leave, the doctor’s expression changed. He pointed to the chair for him to sit down, tapped his fingers on Hu Qianxi’s medical record, and began speaking:

“Don’t you know your patient’s physical condition? You’re still making your girlfriend lose weight for you? What kind of society is this, still pursuing the beauty standard of being thin?”

“No, doctor, I’m not—”

Just as Sheng Nanzhou was about to explain, the doctor interrupted him, tapping the table with his pen, his tone somewhat angry: “Besides, that girl isn’t even fat. Her face is just a bit round, doesn’t she look quite cute? If my daughter found a boyfriend like this, I’d beat him to death…”

In the end, Sheng Nanzhou sat there being lectured for over ten minutes, having to agree with the doctor: “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

“Are you even human?!” the doctor questioned.

“No, I’m trash.” Sheng Nanzhou voluntarily cursed himself.

The doctor’s expression softened somewhat. He tapped the blue folder with his pen and said with a heavy heart: “I really don’t want to see patients hospitalized due to excessive dieting.”

“It won’t happen again. I’ll never let my girlfriend diet again.” Sheng Nanzhou looked repentant.

After being scolded, Sheng Nanzhou walked out of the doctor’s office with a hostile expression. The anger he had barely suppressed instantly flared up when he saw the pale-faced Hu Qianxi on the hospital bed.

Sheng Nanzhou called Hu Qianxi’s roommate to come watch over her, then the young master took an express flight directly back to Hu Qianxi’s school. Sheng Nanzhou found Lu Wenbai’s class and asked a classmate: “Where’s Lu Wenbai from your class?”

The female student, seeing that the visitor was a handsome guy, smiled and said: “He’s in the lab.”

“Thanks.” Sheng Nanzhou nodded.

Without thinking, Sheng Nanzhou headed toward the laboratory. After walking for more than ten minutes, he casually looked up and was pleased to clench his back teeth—he had indeed caught his target.

At noon, there had only been muffled thunder and a brief shower before it cleared up again. At 2:10 PM, the sun came out again, blazing overhead. Sunlight slanted through the red laboratory building, casting geometric shadows on the opposite wall.

Lu Wenbai sat on the shaded steps. Despite the heat, he hadn’t taken off his white lab coat and wasn’t sweating at all. He sat there with his back straight, his pale fingertips tearing open the packaging as he slowly ate a seaweed rice roll, with a bottle of mineral water beside him.

Sheng Nanzhou was about to walk over when, after a few steps, he noticed a female student standing not far in front of Lu Wenbai, so he stopped.

The girl wore a red velvet dress, revealing a glimpse of ankle as white as jade. The swaying hem made one’s throat itch. Her hair was loosely pinned up, exposing her slender, fair neck.

She had an enchanting face.

She looked like someone refined and particular from head to toe.

She held a can of cola in her hand, her blue cat-eye nails tapping the bottle with “dong dong dong” sounds—playful yet bold, but Lu Wenbai didn’t even lift his head.

The girl didn’t care and looked at him: “Brother, you really don’t want it?”

Lu Wenbai chewed his seaweed rice roll, his cheeks moving, treating the girl like air. Seeing they were done, Sheng Nanzhou walked up with an unfriendly tone: “Lu Wenbai.”

The girl looked toward the source of the voice and immediately whistled upon seeing Sheng Nanzhou’s face clearly. This buzz-cut cool guy was quite attractive, so she threw the drink in her hand to Sheng Nanzhou, who instinctively caught it.

“Since he doesn’t want it, here you go, handsome.”

The girl walked away with her hands behind her back without looking back, leaving a trail of soft fragrance in the air with the scent of Atelier’s famous “Voleur de Roses” perfume.

Lu Wenbai stopped chewing and lifted his thin eyelids to watch the departing girl’s back, his expression terrifyingly grim.

Sheng Nanzhou couldn’t be bothered with their affairs. He strode forward, grabbed Lu Wenbai’s collar, and threw a punch with a dark face. Lu Wenbai was knocked onto the steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

A new seaweed rice roll by the steps immediately got covered in dust and became inedible. Lu Wenbai’s glass-bead-like black eyes held a trace of hostility.

Lu Wenbai struggled to get up and threw a punch at Sheng Nanzhou, then the two began fighting. The person with more anger and more suppressed emotions fought more fiercely.

Soon, Sheng Nanzhou gained the upper hand in this fight. He straddled Lu Wenbai, throwing punch after punch. At first, Lu Wenbai still fought back, until he shouted with rage:

“If you don’t like someone, can’t you just fucking explain it clearly?”

“Do you know that in this whole world, only she is stupid enough to go on a diet after hearing your rejection bullshit, and ended up fainting and hospitalized!”

Lu Wenbai froze completely. His grip on Sheng Nanzhou slowly loosened, and he lay sprawled on the ground like mud, his voice hoarse: “Go ahead and hit me.”

Sheng Nanzhou sneered coldly, looking down at the person lying on the ground with a sickly pale complexion, feeling even more furious.

“Go apologize to her, or I’ll keep beating you,” Sheng Nanzhou panted slightly, sweat dripping from his jawline. Thinking of something, his tone paused: “Whether you like her or not, go to the hospital and explain it clearly to her. You’d better have a good attitude.”

Lu Wenbai struggled to get up, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and suddenly smiled with his blood-red lips: “What if I do like her?”

Sheng Nanzhou’s gaze froze. After a moment, he pretended to act nonchalant, his voice so soft only he could hear: “Then like her properly.”

Lu Wenbai laughed mockingly, noncommittal. He took off his white lab coat and walked away directly. Halfway there, remembering something, he turned back, snatched the cola from Sheng Nanzhou’s hand, walked to a nearby trash can, and threw it in with a “clang.”

—

Lovers always become sweeter after a fight, and Xu Sui and Zhou Jingze were no exception. She could feel Zhou Jingze’s change—when invited to social gatherings, he basically refused outright.

The other person asked: “No way, Boss Zhou, what else can you do after training ends?”

Zhou Jingze stubbed his cigarette into a flowerpot with a “hiss” as the flame died. His tone was frank yet shameless: “I need to accompany my wife in her studies.”

“Tsk, unlike you all, doing nothing, wasting time.”

“I’ve never been this speechless in my life.” The other person hung up in anger.

Did the number one playboy in the world have the nerve to criticize others?

Every afternoon when Xu Sui had no classes, she would study in the library. Every day at 5:30 PM, during the most beautiful sunset of the day, Zhou Jingze would finish training, put on a black T-shirt, carry a sandwich and strawberry smoothie, and appear punctually on the fourth floor of the Medical University library with leisurely steps.

He brought different food every day—sometimes custard buns and Hong Kong-style milk tea, other days her favorite super spicy mixed noodles with lots of scallions and cilantro, never appearing with vinegar again.

On Friday, when Zhou Jingze appeared at the library, he surprisingly brought English books. Xu Sui glanced at the text and put down her pen: “Are you going abroad?”

“Sort of. We have a 3+1 program—we need to train at a US test flight base for a year in our senior year to be fully qualified.” Zhou Jingze hesitated before saying it: “But I’ll be back soon.”

In fact, Zhou Jingze’s English was fluent and native. He did this because Xu Sui was too focused on studying—she wouldn’t let him kiss or touch her, so he sat there like an idiot with nothing to do, having to find something to occupy himself.

Xu Sui nodded, picked up her pen to continue marking in her book, and resumed memorizing. Zhou Jingze lazily rested his leg on the horizontal bar under the table, read for a while, got bored, and played two silent games on his phone.

The sky gradually darkened. The sunset outside was like honey-coated sugar spreading across the table. Zhou Jingze leaned back in his chair lazily and turned to look at Xu Sui.

Xu Sui wore a loose apricot-colored knit sweater with her hair in a bun, fine strands falling in front of her forehead as she softly recited while holding her book.

Due to her unconscious movements, two peaches were pressed into different shapes, and white lace lingerie flashed briefly under the loose neckline.

Zhou Jingze’s eyes darkened. Without thinking, his hand slipped under the hem of her sweater and began kneading. Xu Sui was reciting seriously when the coolness of his fingertips and the silver ring on his index finger grazed her skin intermittently, making her shiver as her cheek temperature rose sharply:

“What are you… doing?”

“What do you think?” Zhou Jingze raised an eyebrow, his tone leisurely, voice husky: “Continue memorizing.”

They sat in a corner position, surrounded by the sound of turning pages—quiet yet carrying a sacred feeling. Zhou Jingze leaned sideways, squinting with satisfaction as he sighed:

“Tsk, they’re a bit small, but I enjoy the feel.”

Xu Sui’s face turned red enough to drip blood from his evaluation.

On the surface, Zhou Jingze appeared to be helping her with problems, but he was actually doing beastly things—kneading while sucking on her fair earlobe, his expression both roguish and serious.

“From… neurological… perspective, the human… body…” Xu Sui stammered through her recitation until she completely fell apart, simply burying her entire face on the table, the coolness of the books against her skin somewhat alleviating her body’s heat.

Hot air surged through her. Xu Sui felt her ears becoming sticky and slippery. Everywhere he touched felt itchy and numb, like stepping on her nerve endings—nervous, afraid, yet unable to control her reactions.

Zhou Jingze pinched her, his face full of mischief as he leaned close to test her: “Baby, the human body’s what?”

“No… more, there are many people.”

Xu Sui tried to push his hand away, but suddenly “snap”—the entire school lost power, plunging everything into darkness. This further fueled Zhou Jingze’s arrogance as he lifted his arm and pulled Xu Sui entirely onto his lap.

Chaotic sounds erupted around them—chairs moving and books rustling. Xu Sui was completely overwhelmed, squirming on his lap, her voice impossibly soft:

“Stop playing around. The power’s out. I have a competition tomorrow and planned to review everything once.”

Zhou Jingze’s Adam’s apple rolled, his voice barely restrained, eyes showing a hint of red: “Don’t move. Five minutes.”

After he spoke, Xu Sui realized he had a reaction. In the darkness, she felt herself sink into a long five minutes, sitting in Zhou Jingze’s embrace, her hand guided by a large, clearly defined hand, trying to extinguish the burning heat through a layer of crisp fabric.

Xu Sui was too embarrassed to look, covering her eyes with her hands, but her hearing was infinitely amplified. She heard Zhou Jingze’s suppressed breathing right beside her ear—deep, textured—along with her own desperately suppressed tiny whimpers. Her hands were also hot.

Her toes clenched tight, afraid of being discovered yet feeling ashamed.

Security guards swept each room with flashlights, shouting hoarsely: “Students, pack up quickly! The school’s lost power and we’re closing the library soon!”

Finally, just before security arrived, Zhou Jingze released her. A beam of strong light shone over, and Zhou Jingze blocked it entirely, shielding Xu Sui.

The security guard poked his head through the window and asked: “Why haven’t you two left yet? I’m about to lock up—you’ll have to spend the night here.”

“Sorry, we’ll be right out.” Zhou Jingze smiled apologetically, looking perfectly proper, completely unlike his earlier wild and dissolute behavior.

Seeing Zhou Jingze looking like a good student, the security guard gestured to him: “Five minutes.”

Hearing “five minutes” made Xu Sui want to have an allergic reaction. With her back to him, she straightened her clothes. Zhou Jingze grabbed her hand, picked up the mineral water from the table to wash the white substance off her fingers, bit open a pack of tissues, pulled out a sheet, and wiped her hands clean.

Finally, Zhou Jingze held Xu Sui’s hand as they left the library. The surroundings fell into complete darkness, hidden moonlight emerged from the clouds, wet traces lay on the ground—ambiguous and romantic.

In the corridor, Zhou Jingze lit his phone’s flashlight and led her downstairs. Xu Sui wore a bitter expression: “What do we do about the power outage? I still have half the knowledge points to review.”

“Let’s go outside.” Zhou Jingze said.