Lu Zhiye had been somewhat distracted as he wiped the stove.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him: “Lu Zhiye, which university do you want to apply to?”
He froze for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the window as his Adam’s apple rolled before he finally spoke: “Probably A University.”
As soon as he said that, the smile on Su Nuonuo’s face faded slightly, and a barely perceptible trace of disappointment flashed across her eyes.
Her goal was Capital University—that had been decided by her parents.
In her previous life, she had also applied to Capital University.
Lu Zhiye noticed the disappointment in her completely. Something seemed to lightly prick his heart, causing an inexplicable tightness.
He lowered his eyelashes, his fingers unconsciously moving the rag, his tone casual and indifferent, yet deliberately relaxed: “My grades are just average, middle-of-the-pack. If I push myself, maybe I can barely make it into A University.”
What he did not say was that he had never even thought about going to university before. At one point, he had even planned to start working after graduating from high school.
But for some reason, at some point, he began secretly pulling out test papers hidden in his desk drawer during evening self-study, frowning as he reviewed his wrong answers.
He knew her goal had always been the unattainable Capital University—that was a height he could not reach even by standing on tiptoe.
So he settled for a second choice—A University in the same city.
Even if he only barely managed to get in with a borderline score, at least he could be a little closer to her.
Su Nuonuo suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up abruptly.
She raised her head quickly, her voice filled with unconcealed excitement: “A University! That’s very close to Capital University—the two schools are just separated by one street!”
Lu Zhiye was stunned.
Looking at the renewed smile in her eyes—like spring water warmed by sunlight—the inexplicable tension in his heart instantly dissipated.
He looked at her, the corners of his lips unconsciously lifting into a faint smile, a tenderness even he himself had not noticed.
“Really?” he asked softly, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Mm!” Su Nuonuo nodded vigorously, her cheeks faintly flushed from excitement.
“At that time, we can even go together—”
Before she could finish her sentence, she blushed first and lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, falling onto the two of them, making the room feel warm and cozy.
Lu Zhiye’s earlier words about applying to A University were like a pebble dropped into the lake of her heart.
She suddenly remembered that in her previous life, Lu Zhiye had not even made it to the university entrance. In his senior year of high school, because Grandpa Lu suffered from high blood pressure, he had dropped out of school. Later, in order to protect her, he had remained forever at the age of twenty-five.
Her chest felt as though something had tightly gripped it, the pain making the tip of her nose sour.
Unable to hold back, she took two steps forward and gently hugged Lu Zhiye from behind.
The young man’s back was straight. Through the T-shirt, she could clearly feel his warm body temperature and strong heartbeat.
Lu Zhiye’s body stiffened instantly, and the vegetable basket he had just picked up fell onto the table with a “thud.”
He even forgot to struggle. His Adam’s apple rolled as his voice turned hoarse with disbelief: “Su Nuonuo?”
“Lu Zhiye,” Su Nuonuo buried her face against his back, her voice muffled and tinged with a sob, “you must go to university, okay?”
“I’ll help take care of Grandpa with you.”
She tightened her arms, her fingers gripping the hem of his clothes so hard that her knuckles turned white. “You must go to A University, you must live well, and live a long life.”
Lu Zhiye’s breathing became irregular.
He could feel the dampness on his back—that was her tears.
His heart felt as though it had been scalded. It was sour and soft, and the cold, hardened defenses he had deliberately built up shattered completely under her tearful plea.
He slowly turned around and lowered his gaze to look at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were red, and her eyelashes were still wet with tears, like a small, wronged rabbit.
He raised his hand, his fingertips hovering near her cheek. After hesitating for a long time, he finally gently wiped away her tears. His movements were clumsy yet tender.
Su Nuonuo looked up at him, her eyes even redder, but she stubbornly held his gaze and said, “Also… after we get into university, let’s date, okay?”
Those words struck like a sudden thunderclap, jolting Lu Zhiye.
His ears instantly turned completely red, and even his neck flushed faintly.
He turned his face away, unable to meet her bright, sparkling eyes. His Adam’s apple rolled several times before he forced out a sentence through clenched teeth. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but carried undeniable seriousness:
“Su Nuonuo, if you keep saying things like that… I’ll take it seriously.”
Su Nuonuo did not step back. Instead, she rose onto her tiptoes and leaned closer again.
Her nose almost brushed against his chin. A faint, sweet scent unique to a young girl, mixed with a subtle soy milk aroma, wrapped around him and made his heart tremble.
Lu Zhiye’s heartbeat quickened as if it were about to burst out of his chest.
How could he not take it seriously?
Ever since that summer in his first year of high school, when he saw her holding a stack of homework books in the corridor, her nose reddened by the wind, this feeling had grown wildly in his heart—so much so that even he could not suppress it.
He feared he was not worthy of her purity and brightness. He feared that his own darkness and hostility would tarnish her future, which was why he deliberately maintained that cold, indifferent exterior.
But she was like a small sun, breaking through all his disguises, stubbornly drawing close to him again and again.
His hand hanging by his side quietly clenched. His knuckles turned pale from the force, and his palm was pressed by his fingernails, leaving faint marks. Yet that pain somehow made his muddled mind clearer.
He was about to lose control.
“Then take it seriously.”
She looked up at him, her eyes curved into sweet crescent moons, the tiny teardrops still clinging to her lashes sparkling like stars in the sunlight.
Her tone was full of certainty, without the slightest hesitation.
Lu Zhiye closed his eyes, a bitter ache rising in his throat.
He was afraid.
Afraid he could not give her the future she wanted; afraid that rumors and gossip would hurt her; afraid that her current enthusiasm would eventually be worn down by reality.
Yet the warmth in his arms and her soft voice were like a kind of poison, pulling him in, making him unable to push her away.
He longed to accept her sincerity just like this. He longed to shield her under his wings and never let her suffer any grievance again.
His clenched fists slowly tightened and then relaxed. The subtle cracking of his joints echoed clearly in the quiet kitchen.
Finally, his fingertips gently moved, as if calming his surging emotions—and also as if making a decision he would never regret in his life.
His long eyelashes cast a small shadow over his eyelids, hiding the turbulent emotions in his eyes.
Surprise, joy, and a hint of fearful uncertainty.
A very light sigh escaped his throat. His voice was low and hoarse, but every word was clear.
“…Don’t regret it.”
Upon hearing that, Su Nuonuo’s eyes curved even more, like a spring filled with starlight.
She reached out and lightly poked his tense cheek with her fingertip, her tone carrying a hint of playful softness: “Regret? Student Lu Zhiye, I, Su Nuonuo, have never learned how to write those two words.”
Well—her previous life did not count.
As she spoke, she leaned closer again, her nose brushing against his chin. She lowered her voice further, as if sharing a secret: “Besides, even if there really is a day of regret, it’ll be you who regrets leaving me first.”
Her breath brushed across his neck, making Lu Zhiye’s entire body stiffen.
The redness on his ears instantly spread to his cheeks, and even his gaze became somewhat flustered.