Li Chenfei failed to keep her voice down, drawing everyone’s attention to their corner.

Someone asked: “Don’t know what?”

Li Chenfei stammered, looking at Sang Ru for help.

“Don’t know that our class monitor and I work in the same office building,” Sang Ru said.

At this, not only did Li Chenfei’s jaw drop, but all the men and women present were stunned.

Among the few who maintained a calm expression, the male protagonist, being mentioned, nodded slightly toward her, a formal greeting after their reunion.

Back then, Sang Ru’s dislike for Zhou Tingzhao had been almost common knowledge.

Both were people who shone brightly, always competing for first and second place in their class and grade. Everyone present could clearly remember the years of rivalry between these two.

Who could have expected that former rivals would meet on such a narrow path, even working in the same building? Everyone seemed to have been hit with a pause button.

The two protagonists, however, appeared extremely composed.

“That’s indeed the case,” Zhou Tingzhao smoothly opened a new bottle of juice and said, “Everyone, sit down, let’s continue.”

Sang Ru smiled, shifting her gaze to someone beside Zhou Tingzhao, and said: “Brother Chen, your song has been paused for a long time.”

“Right, right, right! I’ll sing now! Watch me give you all a performance!”

The atmosphere gradually became lively again, with laughter, singing, and conversation. Sang Ru also had a few drinks of soda, a slight flush appearing on her face.

She nudged Li Chenfei and asked: “Who told you that?”

“Huh?” Li Chenfei frowned, then realized what she meant and, learning her lesson, lowered her voice: “You mean about him liking you… I heard it from someone else, too.”

“It was in our senior year, not long after our first mock exam. Someone walked past Zhou Tingzhao’s seat and accidentally knocked over his books. A piece of paper fell out that looked like a note with just a few lines written on it.”

“It wasn’t a big deal, except for the name at the beginning…” Li Chenfei touched her nose and said, “It was your name.”

Gossip always spreads, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, then fades away. How it spread everywhere without the person involved knowing was mainly because she had always been the type to ignore everything outside her studies. But Sang Ru couldn’t remember clearly—maybe she had heard about it, but didn’t take him seriously.

Setting aside the fact that Sang Ru had never received any such note, Zhou Tingzhao was not the type to write her any kind of personal message, or any message at all.

He only knew how to study hard and compete with her for first place.

Even for a story with herself as the protagonist, Sang Ru just listened and let it go. Looking at Zhou Tingzhao’s handsome face, she could barely feel a slight ripple of emotion—

*Later that evening…*

Zhou Tingzhao watched as Sang Ru’s eyes sparkled with challenge during their conversation at the gathering, wondering why she still seemed so competitive after all these years.

He smiled slightly as she passionately debated a point with him, her beautiful features animated and lively.

“You haven’t changed at all,” he commented quietly, interrupting her mid-sentence.

Sang Ru tilted her head back, her elegant posture perfect, words flowing confidently from her lips.

Zhou Tingzhao raised his hand to gesture politely, his movements careful and measured, like someone handling a delicate situation.

Her arguments were sharp, too. Everything about her was fierce, especially her determined spirit.

Zhou Tingzhao switched topics, bringing up a shared memory from school, not giving her time to prepare before he mentioned the time she had beaten him in the regional math competition. When she smiled proudly, he couldn’t help but acknowledge her achievement.

Sang Ru was still completely engaged in their conversation, her mind now filled with memories, her heart also filled with nostalgia—completely wrapped up in the moment, every part of her experiencing a long-missed intellectual challenge.

Zhou Tingzhao’s expression softened slightly as he listened, his eyes following her animated gestures, admiring, then responding. The intensity of their conversation seemed capable of drawing everyone’s attention, yet it also felt like they were in their world.

Sang Ru felt energized, as if their old rivalry had been rekindled, bringing back the drive to excel.

That familiar competitive spirit moved from their academic debate to stories of their current careers. Her enthusiasm grew more intense as she described her recent work project, allowing Zhou Tingzhao to suddenly realize how far she had come since their school days.

Sang Ru smiled confidently. The story suddenly changed direction, and then her name was called as someone proposed a toast to the former top students.

Zhou Tingzhao gave her no chance to decline, raising his glass of juice while maintaining eye contact.

“To old rivals,” Sang Ru truly began to smile, yet with a touch of competitiveness, “May we both continue to succeed.”

“You say you want success, but you don’t want to collaborate.” Zhou Tingzhao’s voice was calm as he offered a business card, asking directly, “Would you consider working together on a project?”

The surprise from his offer spread throughout her mind. Sang Ru considered it carefully and heard Zhou Tingzhao take a small breath as he waited. Finally feeling some satisfaction at his interest in her professional abilities, she nodded: “I’ll think about it. Send me the details.”

Smiling at a former rival yet still maintaining her independence, confidence still in her expression—this was the little princess.

This was his former rival, the little princess.

Zhou Tingzhao immersed himself in their conversation, thinking, you see, little princess, I want you to remember how good it feels to be challenged intellectually by me, even if you used to dislike me, for the rest of your life.