That afternoon, Zhu Yunque’s few breezy words infuriated Zhang Yanlai so thoroughly that she wore a dark expression all the way until the end of the workday.

A colleague who was on fairly good terms with Zhu Yunque noticed and came to ask her privately, saying, how did you manage to offend this one again?

Zhu Yunque was too lazy to explain, and never liked to exhaust herself over interpersonal drama. She simply said, maybe she’s got her period.

That one sentence made the colleague spit out a mouthful of water with laughter. Meanwhile, Zhu Yunque herself was completely distracted the whole time, her thoughts having long since drifted off to a certain someone.

As it turned out, he was actually quite reliable.

Not long after the school bell rang at the end of the day, Lu Rangchen’s message came through, reading: 【I’m at the school gate.】

At that hour it was exactly dismissal time, and the area outside the school gate was crowded with a flowing stream of people — yet none of it diminished the eye-catching presence of Lu Rangchen and his car.

Zhu Yunque had originally walked out on her own.

It was Deng Jiao who spotted her from behind and came bounding over happily to walk alongside her.

The girl was perpetually bursting with energy no matter what time of day. She came right up and grabbed Zhu Yunque’s soft, slender arm and said, Zhu Yunque, where are you going? Are you heading home?

Zhu Yunque wasn’t the type to get too close to her students, but because it was Deng Jiao, she didn’t have much of a guard up.

Of course, she also didn’t forget to casually ask her how her scores on the recent tests had been.

“……”

Unsurprisingly: not great.

Deng Jiao drooped her face and said, “Zhu Yunque, how can you be such a killjoy? I finally get to be happy after school.”

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Zhu Yunque curved her lips slightly.

She was just about to say something when Deng Jiao suddenly let out a little cry and pointed ahead. “Lu Rangchen! Why is he here!”

At that, Zhu Yunque looked up too.

And there, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, was a lazily self-assured silhouette leaning against a car with an unhurried ease — it was Lu Rangchen, smoking with an offhand, unhurried air.

Still that same upright and slender figure, broad shoulders and long legs, his features sculpted and clean-cut. But for some reason, the trace of cold detachment he had worn when they first ran into each other was no longer there. In its place was a quality that was more measured and warm.

And this version of him had come to pick her up.

At the thought, Zhu Yunque’s heart rate quickened before she could stop it.

She didn’t expect that at this moment Deng Jiao suddenly grew excited, saying, “Lu Rangchen came to pick me up from school! There must be a dinner outing again tonight. There might be good food!”

She turned to Zhu Yunque with shining eyes. “Zhu Yunque, do you want to come with me?”

What a coincidence.

The moment she finished saying it, Lu Rangchen, who was not far away, cast his gaze in their direction.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, his brows furrowing just a touch, his expression holding a shade of surprise — as though he couldn’t figure out how these two had ended up together.

Zhu Yunque knew perfectly well that Lu Rangchen was looking at her.

But the girl was so enthusiastic that she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she pressed her lips together and said, “It’s up to you, isn’t it?”

Deng Jiao’s greatest skill was bragging.

She thumped her chest and said, “Of course it’s up to me! And you’re my teacher — both of my brothers have been trying to get on your good side for all they’re worth——”

Without finishing the sentence, Deng Jiao eagerly pulled Zhu Yunque along and hurried forward. In just a few steps they had woven through the crowd and arrived in front of Lu Rangchen.

This was not the scene either of them had anticipated.

Lu Rangchen’s eyelids lowered slightly as he looked lazily toward Zhu Yunque.

By some unspoken agreement, both of them kept their expressions blank and exchanged a single glance, neither one making a sound, their gazes then shifting together to land on Deng Jiao.

Deng Jiao was her usual obliviously cheerful self — you could have used a magnifying glass and still not found any sign of the secret between these two. She just chattered away like a happy puppy, saying, “Lu Rangchen! Did you come to take me out for dinner? What’s the occasion tonight? Can you bring my teacher along too?”

As she spoke, she gave Lu Rangchen an exaggeratedly suggestive wink.

But Lu Rangchen just curved his lips lazily, that smirk of his drawn out and unhurried, deliberately not taking her bait.

That smile told Zhu Yunque immediately that he was absolutely up to no good.

Sure enough, Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow with deliberate provocation and said, “Can’t do that.”

The drawling, leisurely tone was completely outside the range of anything Deng Jiao had anticipated. The girl was taken aback on the spot, her expression immediately going dark.

She thought to herself: what’s wrong with you?

Wasn’t he willing to die for Zhu Yunque not long ago? How could he be saying no right now?

Deng Jiao quickly protested, “Why can’t you? Are you seriously too stingy to feed Zhu Yunque?”

She assumed these words would hold Lu Rangchen in check.

She hadn’t expected the man to simply raise an eyebrow and say matter-of-factly, “Zhu Yunque’s meals I’m certainly not too stingy for. It’s yours I could do without.”

The moment those words landed, Lu Rangchen looked toward Zhu Yunque. With a deliberately weighty pull of his lips, he said, “Didn’t I tell you — when you leave after work, keep some distance from her. How did you let her tag along anyway?”

“……”

Deng Jiao’s brain short-circuited for a moment.

In the next second, she realized it belatedly — her eyes went wide, and she stared at Zhu Yunque in disbelief, saying, “Zhu Yunque, what’s going on between you two?”

Lu Rangchen was done pretending. He reached over and pulled Zhu Yunque away from Deng Jiao’s side, drawing her into his arms. “What do you think? What’s going on between us?”

Zhu Yunque felt the warm, broad heat of the man’s palm around her waist, and the scent of black sandalwood clinging to him — achingly intimate. The sensation of those eight missed years hit her all at once, and her heart skipped several beats.

Lu Rangchen was recklessly bold about it, and the arm he had hooked around her waist simply would not budge.

The way they were pressed close together not only drew glances from passersby, but it left Deng Jiao staring blankly in complete stupefaction, face turning red.

It wasn’t until Zhu Yunque gave the lean, taut muscle of Lu Rangchen’s abdomen a light pinch that the insufferable man finally said, lazily and carelessly, to Deng Jiao, “Alright, nothing for you to deal with here. Go home early.”

“……”

Deng Jiao felt exactly like a stray dog that had just been kicked to the curb.

She cried out in protest, “Lu Rangchen, you’ve completely lost yourself over a girl!”

But Lu Rangchen had no intention of indulging her.

He let out a low hum of laughter, pulled open the passenger-side car door, gestured for Zhu Yunque to get in, and turned to Deng Jiao with cold, merciless eyes. “That’s right. I have no decency. In that case, I’ll have your Zhu Yunque set aside a special homework assignment just for you.”

Light as a breeze, unhurried as a cloud — and yet the pressure behind it was overwhelming.

Deng Jiao was instantly struck dumb.

Everyone feared their teachers — she was absolutely terrified, thank you very much.

She was practically ready to stand at attention. She immediately said to Zhu Yunque, “Well then — Zhu Yunque, you go ahead, I won’t hold you up!”

Tossing out those words, Deng Jiao made a run for it like she’d had oil greased onto the soles of her feet.

Leaving behind a completely speechless Zhu Yunque.

She turned to look at Lu Rangchen, who had just gotten into the car, and couldn’t help saying, “Is this how you normally spoil her? You wouldn’t even give her a ride?”

Lu Rangchen thought he’d misheard, his brow furrowing slightly. “What did you say?”

“……”

Zhu Yunque said, “You said you spoil her. I don’t see how.”

“When did I ever say I spoil her?”

Lu Rangchen let out a muffled laugh and said, “Did you remember wrong, or did I say it wrong?”

As he spoke, he glanced down at Zhu Yunque and lifted a hand to thoughtfully fasten her seatbelt, leaning in close enough that if she’d moved just the slightest bit forward, she could almost have kissed his cheek.

But in broad daylight.

With so many people in front of the school gate, Zhu Yunque swallowed and didn’t quite dare to.

So when Lu Rangchen’s gaze slid toward her with that meaningful, drawn-out, teasing look, she chose to look away and say, “You said it yourself… ‘Do you actually think I can spoil you for a lifetime?'”

She didn’t know why.

But finishing that sentence, Zhu Yunque’s eyes became noticeably uneasy.

Sure enough, Lu Rangchen’s eyebrow rose, and he reached over to tilt her chin up with a playful light in his eyes. He smiled softly and said, “Zhu Yunque, I’ve discovered your memory is really remarkable.”

“……”

“You can even remember something said that long ago.”

The teasing was right there in plain sight. And yet his hand was also restless — openly and shamelessly stroking the tip of her chin, his eyes full of unmistakable desire.

Zhu Yunque’s heart rate climbed, and yet she still couldn’t help looking straight at him, asking aloud the question that had been quietly waiting inside her for so long. “So then — who was that line really meant for?”

Her eyes carried a certain seriousness and anticipation, like she had been bothered by the question and turning it over for a long time, and had only now, by virtue of her position and standing, found the right to ask.

But at the very moment she voiced it.

Lu Rangchen had already discerned what she was truly preoccupied with at the bottom of her heart.

The corners of his mouth curved into a knowing smile. With a lazy, roguish tilt of his gaze, Lu Rangchen said, “What do you think?”

As the words fell.

Zhu Yunque held her breath for a split second, and before she had time to react, a feather-light kiss landed on her lips.

The kiss was light and soft and faintly sweet, the tip of his tongue barely slipping in for the briefest moment of lingering — carrying the scent of mint candy.

He had just stubbed out his cigarette and eaten one, for the sole purpose of kissing her.

Zhu Yunque closed her eyes on instinct. When she swallowed and opened them again, Lu Rangchen had already drawn back, his deep gaze resting on her intently. “Of course it was for someone without a conscience.”

“……”

Even though she’d already known in her heart that this was the answer.

Hearing it from his own mouth still set her heart rippling involuntarily.

So that line had truly been his way of deliberately provoking her.

Zhu Yunque bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes going a little distant as she let out a soft sound of understanding — as if only that could conceal the flutter and joy she felt in that moment.

Lu Rangchen knew perfectly well what was going on in her mind.

He gazed down at her like that, no longer in any mood to start the car. After looking at her for a few seconds, he smiled and said, “So then? No thoughts to share?”

“……My thought is.”

Zhu Yunque looked up at him, pressed her lips together, and said with particular meekness, “From now on, you’re not allowed to spoil anyone else.”

Honestly, it was a rather childish thing to say.

But it was genuinely what Zhu Yunque wanted to say in that moment.

She was this possessive, this unreasonable, this prone to jealousy — and Lu Rangchen just happened to be completely taken in by all of it.

The man heard the words and the corner of his mouth stretched into a wild, unrestrained arc. He nodded lightly and said, “Alright.”

“But as an exchange.”

Lu Rangchen looked directly at her. “Don’t you have to promise me something too?”

Zhu Yunque looked at him. “What do you want me to promise?”

Lu Rangchen looked her up and down, deliberately dangling her in suspense. “Haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

Zhu Yunque: “……”

Fine.

Seeing the time was getting along, Lu Rangchen stopped lingering. Now that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, he wasn’t about to keep up any pretense. He simply took her hand and drove out onto the main road with one hand, taking her to where they were going for dinner.

It was the most popular grilled meat restaurant in the southern part of the city.

Lu Rangchen had always been casual about food, and it had taken asking Lin Zhi specifically to come up with this place.

In Lin Zhi’s words: the food was good, the atmosphere was nice, and it was a great spot for photos. Lu Rangchen figured Zhu Yunque would enjoy a place like this and had called ahead to make a reservation.

Which was a good thing he did.

At this hour, the restaurant was almost at full capacity.

Fortunately, Lu Rangchen had secured a good table, with a pleasant view. But it was precisely because of that view that Zhu Yunque was able to spot Lin Zhi the moment she walked in.

The girl was dressed fairly casually today, and looked like she might not have put on much makeup.

So when Zhu Yunque recognized her, she was genuinely taken aback for a moment.

Lu Rangchen had his head bowed, looking at the menu. Zhu Yunque wasn’t certain, so she lightly tapped his hand and said, “Look at that person — isn’t that Lin Zhi?”

At the name Lin Zhi.

Lu Rangchen’s eyelids gave a small twitch. In the same movement as he clasped Zhu Yunque’s hand in return, he glanced casually in that direction.

What a coincidence.

The very instant his gaze landed there, Xie Han stepped through the restaurant door right behind Lin Zhi.

Both of them had good figures, and they looked rather well-matched standing together.

At around this time, Lin Zhi and Xie Han finally noticed the two people seated inside.

Between the two pairs, Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque were clearly the more striking ones.

But what truly blinded Lin Zhi’s 24-karat titanium-alloy eyes was the half-narrowed gaze Lu Rangchen was sending her way — probing, appraising, like a hawk.

Lin Zhi: “……”

Lin Zhi immediately raised her handbag to cover her face and turned to slip out.

But Xie Han, with absolutely no sense of how to read the room, grabbed her arm and said, “Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque are right there — shouldn’t we go say hi?”

The words had barely left his mouth.

When, from that direction, Lu Rangchen had already stood up.

The man tucked his hands in his pockets and stood easily in place, his gaze drifting over to settle on Lin Zhi with a leisurely, unhurried air. Then in that laid-back way of his, he said, “Where are you running off to?”

Lin Zhi’s ears immediately burned.

She set down her bag, looking a little guilty, and said, “Why are you here?”

Lu Rangchen was genuinely amused by her. “Shouldn’t that be my line?”

As he spoke, he gave Xie Han a measured glance and said, “You two… what’s going on?”

“……”

Lin Zhi was struck speechless under his gaze, and was also feeling rather annoyed.

Xie Han paused, about to say something, but suddenly Lin Zhi didn’t want him to — she stepped right in front of him and said, “What else could it be? Obviously we slept together.”

Perhaps it was a case of embarrassment flipping into defiance.

Lin Zhi raised her voice and fired directly at Lu Rangchen: “What, you and Zhu Yunque didn’t have sex last night?!”

Little did she know that what seemed like a perfectly reasonable comeback was, in fact, a knife driving straight into Lu Rangchen’s chest.

Lu Rangchen: “……”

He glanced toward Zhu Yunque, who was not far away, in the midst of ordering from the server. Then he sucked in a breath and laughed despite himself.

Yeah.

He really hadn’t.