The lingering climax had yet to fade, and Yu Zhi’s breathing hadn’t steadied. Her eyes, still misty with moisture, locked with the boy’s for a long moment.
These weren’t the cold yet repeatedly compromising, helpless eyes from the plotline.
The room was no longer dim; it was even glaringly bright.
Yu Zhi finally realized—she had exited the plotline.
Wait! She jolted. This… this was it? Exiting the plotline just like that?
The spoon she had been using to eat porridge slipped into the bowl due to her momentary weakness.
Yu Zhi didn’t know what expression or look she had just worn, nor did she dare to imagine. If anyone had noticed anything…
Too embarrassing! It was truly too embarrassing!
In her chaotic state, the girl had no time to scrutinize Zhong Shiyu’s expression. She could only see the boy’s tightly pursed lips, his inscrutable eyes, and his hand gripping the hospital bed’s railing firmly.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” he asked Yu Zhi, his voice carrying a hint of strangeness.
Yu Zhi didn’t catch it. She didn’t dare to make a sound, afraid that speaking would give her away. The person she had just been naked with was now right in front of her, and her body hadn’t fully recovered from the lingering sensations. Her gaze drifted, avoiding Zhong Shiyu, and she forgot what they had discussed before the plotline began.
Damn System, ruining her!
It had ruined her badly!
First Chen Yihan, now Zhong Shiyu—always pulling this kind of stunt.
She had said it, hadn’t she? She had said she needed to stay away from these people in real life. Otherwise, how could she end up in such an awkward situation? Next time she entered a plotline, she might not even be able to get into character.
After a moment of disarray, Yu Zhi finally returned to a normal state.
It wasn’t that she had come to terms with it; she simply had no other choice.
“I’m fine,” her voice was a bit hoarse, but it was just as well since she was already sick. “Just the usual dizziness and discomfort from a cold.” She offered this as an excuse for her earlier odd behavior, though the thought of it made her wish she could crawl into a hole. “Um…” Yu Zhi finally remembered what she wanted to say. “I’m fine. You should go back to class.”
She had said this twice before the plotline began.
But this time, Zhong Shiyu finally didn’t say anything else, merely uttering an “Mm.”
“If you need anything, just…” He paused here, realizing he didn’t have Yu Zhi’s contact information.
Yu Zhi didn’t care whether he finished speaking or what he said, mindlessly brushing him off: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, just go back first.”
After a while, footsteps finally sounded, heading out. Yu Zhi stole a glance and saw only the boy’s slender, upright back.
Only when he had completely disappeared from sight did Yu Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief.
After the pleasure brought by the plotline faded and the System’s effects vanished, the physical exhaustion from her illness washed over her all at once.
Dizziness, muscle aches.
Going through two plotlines in a row—she was truly unlucky.
Perhaps because it had been too tumultuous, when she saw Chen Yihan return, Yu Zhi remained utterly unfazed.
The boy wore an expression that seemed to say, “What else could I do?”
“My mom found out you were sick. She kept insisting—skip all your classes, you have to take care of her.”
“She called me several times.”
“What could I do? If I didn’t come, she’d have stormed over here herself.”
As he spoke, he waved his phone in front of Yu Zhi. Aunt Ning had indeed sent quite a few messages, along with several call records.
Yu Zhi hummed in acknowledgment, then asked him, “How did Aunt Ning know I was sick?”
Chen Yihan was momentarily taken aback before casually withdrawing his phone. “How would I know? If you’re curious, go ask her yourself.”
Yu Zhi didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Fine, fine, if he wanted to stay, he could stay.
She picked up the bowl of porridge to set it aside, but as soon as she moved, Chen Yihan took it from her.
“Not eating anymore?” the boy asked.
“Yeah.”
Chen Yihan glanced at her, then at the barely touched porridge, and eventually set it aside. He also tidied up the small table on the bed.
His busy figure even carried a hint of the “dutiful husband” vibe from the plotline.
“Did Zhong Shiyu bring this for you?” the boy asked again.
Yu Zhi’s expression stiffened slightly, but she still hummed in acknowledgment. Then, she realized something was off.
“How did you know he brought it?”
“I ran into him earlier.”
Chen Yihan had encountered him outside the ward. Zhong Shiyu had been standing by the window at the end of the corridor at the time, and Chen Yihan, finding it odd, asked a few questions.
The boy said he had been entrusted to bring something to Yu Zhi.
The items had already been delivered, and he was just standing there to get some air.
What was there to enjoy about the air in a virus-filled medical room? And was Zhong Shiyu really the kind of person to be so helpful? Questions like these flashed through his mind only briefly.
He was in a hurry to get into the ward, so he didn’t say much before leaving.
Now that he thought about it, had Zhong Shiyu’s expression seemed a bit strange at the time?
Chen Yihan didn’t dwell on it too much. His relationship with this roommate wasn’t particularly close.
After tidying up, he looked over again and saw that the girl was already drowsy, looking utterly exhausted.
Chen Yihan stared blankly for a moment, his expression unconsciously softening, and his movements grew much gentler. He unfolded the blanket at the foot of the bed and, before covering Yu Zhi with it, his gaze swept over her feet, lingering for a moment on the white socks.
He remembered the sensation of this foot kicking him again.
He really was going crazy.
Chen Yihan pushed away those inexplicable thoughts and carefully tucked the blanket around her. His gaze then shifted upward to the girl’s face.
In his memories, Yu Zhi rarely fell ill. She was always full of energy, lively and spirited. When they first started elementary school, she was even taller than him, eagerly volunteering to clean and wipe the blackboard every day.
Whenever Chen Yihan was sick, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Yu Zhi’s little face.
“Chen Yihan, you didn’t go to school today.”
“Your mom said you’re sick!”
“Are you feeling better now?”
Her eyes sparkled with concern for him.
Before Chen Yihan could say anything, his mother had already come in. Seeing Yu Zhi, she pulled her away from the bed in alarm.
“Momo, Yihan is sick. Stay away from him, or you might catch it too.”
“I’m not scared, I’m not scared! I’m really healthy.”
Yu Zhi cried and refused to leave. In the end, when she couldn’t be persuaded any longer, she clung to the doorframe and said,
“Chen Yihan, you have to get better soon!”
She was always like this—chattering, chattering, impossible to drive away.
Chen Yihan drifted into a daze. It was already… such a distant memory. So distant, yet why did he remember it so clearly?
His thoughts gradually returned to the present. The girl’s cheeks were still slightly flushed, and she was sinking deeper into sleep.
This was the first time since their reunion that she had shown such an unguarded attitude toward him.
Chen Yihan’s heart softened for a moment, yet it also felt heavy.
“Yu Zhi, why?”
Why did you suddenly… become so distant.
The infirmary wasn’t exactly the best place for sleeping, and with too many things weighing on Yu Zhi’s mind, she didn’t sleep for long.
When she woke up, even before opening her eyes, she could already feel an intense gaze fixed on her. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Yihan sitting on a stool beside the bed.
The boy seemed lost in thought, his expression desolate, even carrying a hint of that melancholic young man vibe. When their eyes met, he froze for a moment before expressionlessly standing up. He glanced at the nearly empty IV bottle and fiddled with it aimlessly.
“This is the last one.”
It sounded like he was just making conversation.
Yu Zhi hummed in response, then added after a moment’s thought, “Thank you.”
Chen Yihan didn’t reply.
The room fell silent.
Yu Zhi glanced around—the leftover porridge she had eaten earlier had been cleared from the table, and everything else had been neatly packed into a bag.
Was Chen Yihan the type to notice such things?
The last of the IV fluid finished, and a nurse came to remove the needle. Yu Zhi got up, and the two of them walked out together.
The doctor prescribed some oral medication for Yu Zhi. When it was time to pay, before she could make a move, a hand reached out beside her.
It was Chen Yihan.
“I’ll take care of it.”
The few boxes of oral medication weren’t expensive, but what struck Yu Zhi was a sudden, sobering thought—did this guy… even have any money left?
Probably not. After all, he had transferred every last cent to her before.
This was getting awkward. Yu Zhi quickly stopped him.
“No need, I’ll pay for it myself.”
But the boy easily blocked her attempt to pull out her phone with one hand while already displaying his payment QR code with the other.
“I’ve never had the habit of letting a girl pay.” At this point, probably recalling their last encounter, Chen Yihan coughed lightly. “Last time was an exception.”
Yu Zhi: “…” Bro, if you don’t let go, another exception is about to happen.
But Chen Yihan had already placed his QR code under the scanner.
He thought he looked pretty cool doing it, but the next moment, he heard the doctor’s slightly puzzled voice: “It didn’t scan. Young man, maybe you should check your phone again?”
Yu Zhi wasn’t sure whether to feel embarrassed for him or secretly laugh. When she glanced over, Chen Yihan’s ears were completely red, his fingers tapping frantically on his screen.
“Wait a moment, let me switch cards.”
She didn’t want to see it, but she knew his phone screen was probably showing “insufficient balance.”
This really isn’t my fault—you insisted on paying. Taking advantage of the moment he withdrew his hand to fiddle with his phone, Yu Zhi quickly pulled out her own phone and scanned the code.
“It’s fine, I’ll take care of it myself.”
The payment went through, and Chen Yihan, having seemingly checked every bank card in defeat, stood gloomily beside Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi knew he valued his pride above all else and was probably dying of embarrassment right now. As the one indirectly responsible, her conscience stirred for once, and she stayed quiet.
“Um…” Chen Yihan finally spoke up once they were outside. “I forgot—I just invested my money in a project.”
Yu Zhi knew this was the System at work, modifying Chen Yihan’s subconscious to rationalize where the money had gone.
Sure enough, the System rarely took the initiative to speak to Yu Zhi: “He didn’t finish telling you. The entire plotline I implanted for him was that the project was a pig-butchering scam, and the scammer has already run off.”
The “scammer” himself: …
The boy looked conflicted, as if he was already at a loss for how to explain, though he truly hadn’t figured out how he could have been foolish enough to fall for such a scam, not even leaving a single cent for himself.
Yu Zhi thought if he kept thinking about it any longer, he’d grow a brain.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. How about I transfer you some money?” After all, it was all his anyway.
The boy’s face flushed even redder: “No need, I usually have money.”
Yu Zhi didn’t press further. She had already reached her bicycle and placed everything in the basket.
Chen Yihan was still following closely, pondering for a long while before trying to salvage his crumbling pride and dignity: “This won’t happen again in the future.”
Yu Zhi inwardly complained, whether it happens again or not depends on the you in the plotline.
Each riding their own bicycle, Chen Yihan even escorted Yu Zhi back to her dormitory.
“Are you going to class this afternoon?” The boy matched her pace, pedaling his mountain bike slowly.
“I’ll go.”
“Don’t push yourself if you’re not feeling well.”
“Mm.”
“You can also message me. I… if I have time, I’ll help if I can.”
“Okay.”
Whatever he said, Yu Zhi simply agreed, and after a few exchanges, they both fell silent.
In the past, when they went to and from school together, Yu Zhi was the talkative one, chatting about everything from classmates to teachers, regardless of whether they were in the same class.
Now that Yu Zhi was unwilling to speak, the silence between them seemed to grow.
Finally arriving at the dormitory building, Yu Zhi locked her bike and thanked him again.
“Thanks for today.”
“Mm.”
Chen Yihan didn’t leave immediately. He just stood silently, watching the girl carrying the medicine walk into the dormitory building. For some reason, the scene felt familiar, as if he had seen her retreating figure many times before.
Only when Yu Zhi’s figure completely disappeared did he shift his gaze, his eyes landing on an osmanthus tree by the flower bed nearby.
It was the season when its fragrance filled the air.
He belatedly caught the scent of the flowers.
But what flashed through his mind was the image of a couple kissing in this very spot. In the darkness, the dim yellow streetlight filtered through the branches, illuminating their faces, allowing him to see clearly.
It was himself, and…
Yu Zhi.
The moment he clearly saw the girl’s face, Chen Yihan’s heart seemed to skip a beat. After a brief pause, it began pounding wildly.
He was absolutely certain that shouldn’t be his memory.
But why…
The scent of osmanthus, the sensation on his lips, the eyes so close to his—everything felt so real, as if he had personally experienced it.
Unlike the previous times when such inexplicable imaginings had left him flustered and eager to distract himself, this time the sense of reality made him unconsciously hold his breath, lingering on the lingering warmth and softness on his lips.
Only when the noise around him returned to his ears did Chen Yihan finally snap back to reality. The couple, the kiss—they were all gone. Only the students coming and going in front of the girls’ dormitory remained, along with himself standing there like a daydreamer.
Chen Yihan gripped his handlebars tightly and fled the scene as if escaping.
Ning Mei received another call from Chen Yihan.
“Mom, send me some money.”
“You just got some, and you want more?” Her voice rose several notches. “What did you do?”
“Don’t ask,” Chen Yihan couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d been scammed—it was too embarrassing. “Just send it.”
“You want to fly to the moon? You ask me for money and tell me not to ask questions. I paid your last yacht party bill. What did you spend so much on this time?”
Chen Yihan stayed silent.
Ning Mei thought for a moment. “You didn’t go gambling, did you?”
“No.”
“Drugs?!”
“No!”
Ning Mei paused briefly. “Then… did you start a business?”
“No~!” Chen Yihan was nearly grinding his teeth. “Mom, stop asking and just send it.”
“No.” This time it was Ning Mei who said it, and the phone clicked off with a sharp sound.
Chen Yihan: “…”
After hanging up, he was still in a foul mood. When the boy entered the dorm, his tightly furrowed brows were filled with irritation.
He couldn’t let it go—he’d already embarrassed himself twice in front of Yu Zhi.
Both Zhong Shiyu and Fu Bin were in the dorm. Zhong Shiyu was, as usual, silently reading some book at his desk, while Fu Bin glanced over.
“Brother Han, you’re back?”
“Yeah.”
“How’s your childhood friend doing?”
Fu Bin usually called her “little sweetheart,” but for some reason today, he switched to “childhood friend.”
Chen Yihan grunted in acknowledgment again and sat down at his own desk.
“What’s wrong? In a bad mood?”
“It’s nothing.”
Over at his desk, Zhong Shiyu closed his book, tidied up his desk slightly, and headed out of the dorm. He always kept to himself like that, and no one paid it much mind.
But Chen Yihan, after the dorm door closed, thought for a moment before suddenly asking Fu Bin.
“Let me ask you something.”
“What?”
“I have a friend.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“My friend also has a friend.”
“Huh? Mhm.”
“He keeps dreaming about having… intimate relations with that friend.”
“Huh?” Fu Bin took 0.01 seconds to reach a conclusion. “That’s just a crush. Thoughts by day, dreams by night.”
Chen Yihan fell silent for a moment before continuing. “But… there’s something even stranger. Even when he’s not sleeping, similar inexplicable scenes appear in his mind, very vivid, as if they really happened. What could be the reason?”
This time, Fu Bin pondered a little longer.
“See what I just said? Thoughts by day, dreams by night—this is just thoughts by day. Brother Han, your friend is probably that friend’s ‘dream guy.’ He might have reached the point of delusion.”
After he finished speaking, he saw Chen Yihan purse his lips, silent and looking even gloomier than before.
Huh? Did I say something wrong?
Yu Zhi went to class normally in the afternoon.
The discomfort had indeed lessened considerably, but after taking the medicine, she felt drowsy, so she struggled to stay awake during the lecture.
When she woke up a bit after class, she remembered to ask her roommates.
“Why did you ask Zhong Shiyu to bring me things today?”
Liang Ruyan, sitting next to her, replied, “We were worried about whether you’d be okay alone, and he overheard us talking. He said he had something to do near the infirmary anyway and could help out.”
Yin Hua leaned her head over too. “So? How was it? Having a handsome guy visit should lift your spirits, right?”
Yu Zhi smiled bitterly—and it wasn’t just one. Thinking about the exhaustion she had felt all morning, she was already starting to get a headache.
Just then, a message from Chen Yihan came through. Yu Zhi opened it.
“The doctor said you still need two more days of IV drips. What time are you going tomorrow? I’ll go with you.”
Without a second thought, Yu Zhi refused: “No need. I’ve already troubled you enough today. I’m feeling much better and can go on my own.”
“If I don’t go, I won’t be able to explain it to my mom.”
Yu Zhi stared at this message for a long time.
She was genuinely afraid. There was no way to predict when she would enter or exit a plotline, and if she suddenly exited one without warning, only to find the real person right beside her… If this happened every day, she couldn’t handle it. So, no matter what, she didn’t want him to keep following her.
She carefully chose her words to reply.
“I’ll talk to Aunt Ning myself. We’re not kids anymore—we both have our own things to do. You must be busy too. There’s really no need to just because of what Aunt Ning said…”
She stopped typing here and sent the message.
As long as the meaning got across, there was no need to be more direct.
After sending the message, she didn’t receive any reply from Chen Yihan for the rest of the afternoon or evening.
There was no doubt he was angry.
Yu Zhi thought she had achieved her goal, but the next day, not long after she started her IV drip at the clinic, the familiar figure appeared again.
The boy’s eyes still held a hint of coldness. He stood at the doorway, locking eyes with her for a moment. When Yu Zhi didn’t speak, he walked over and sat down beside her.
Since Yu Zhi wasn’t as weak as the day before, she was sitting in the IV room. There were other students in the room besides her, and occasionally someone would glance in her direction.
The two of them sat in silence until Yu Zhi heard Chen Yihan ask her—
“Can you lend me some money?”
She was taken aback and turned to look at him.
Chen Yihan avoided her gaze slightly, but after a moment, he looked back at her. “My mom stopped sending me money. That investment of mine… won’t be coming back for a while.”
Are you sure it’s just “for a while”?
Yu Zhi felt conflicted.
Normally, she could have said she didn’t have any money or asked why, out of all his friends, he had to borrow from her.
But now… she couldn’t say that, because all the money was with her.
Of course, Chen Yihan wouldn’t outright say his money had been “scammed.” Aunt Ning had just given him money, and without a reasonable explanation, she definitely wouldn’t give him more.
Yu Zhi had a pretty good idea of what was going on, so she didn’t say much else and simply asked, “How much do you need?”
She didn’t even mention the word “borrow.”
Chen Yihan cleared his throat. “One…” He drew out the word slightly, glanced at Yu Zhi as if weighing his options, then hesitantly added the unit, “hundred.”
How much?
One hundred?
Seriously? Yu Zhi felt a bit insulted. Did Chen Yihan think she was that poor?
Her expression was indescribable as she lowered her head and took out her phone to transfer the money.
After the 1, she typed 00000.
Yu Zhi entered five zeros in a row, essentially returning all the money he had given her in this plotline.
“Take it.”
Chen Yihan opened his phone but didn’t move for a long time. He just stared at the screen. After a while, Yu Zhi saw him tap—not on “Receive,” but on the zeros.
Counting the number of zeros.
Yu Zhi: “…”
Bro, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a hundred thousand yuan?
After finishing the count, Chen Yihan looked up, his seemingly calm face unable to hide the confusion in his eyes.
“What?” He seemed a bit bewildered. “You want to keep me?”
Yu Zhi: “…Ten thousand is enough to keep you?”
“That’s the friends-and-family rate.”
They were clearly just bantering, but Yu Zhi suddenly felt something was off around them. She glanced to the side.
Alright, alright, that girl in the gray shirt—don’t think I didn’t notice you moving one seat closer.
Everyone wants to hear the gossip, huh.
If this were happening in The Spoiled Childhood Sweetheart, Yu Zhi could imagine the school forum lighting up with a few bright red “HOT” tags:
“The Inside Story of the Chen Family’s Bankruptcy”
“Discussing How Much It Costs to Keep Chen Yihan”
As Yu Zhi was thinking this, she suddenly heard a very soft voice beside her—
“I thought you hated me.”
The unexpected remark caught her off guard. Yu Zhi turned to look and met the boy’s complicated gaze.
Though she couldn’t quite decipher the emotions in his eyes, she could still tell he seemed relieved.
Who knows what he had imagined, but the low-pressure atmosphere that had surrounded him earlier had dissipated quite a bit. “I don’t need this much money. Keep it for yourself,” he said, returning the money to Yu Zhi as if planning how to help her save. “I’ll just borrow a thousand and pay you back later.”
Yu Zhi hesitated. She didn’t insist on transferring all the money back to him, unsure how Chen Yihan would react if she “forced” it on him.
What a hassle. Unfortunately, money transferred into reality couldn’t be sent back into the plotline. To be precise, even if it were transferred back, it wouldn’t carry over into reality.
She transferred ten thousand to Chen Yihan.
This time, the boy finally accepted the payment.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“No worries.”
Fu Bin received a message from Chen Yihan in the dorm.
His good roommate asked him—
If you were penniless, would any girl lend you ten thousand yuan?
A huge question mark popped up in Fu Bin’s mind, but he still ran through the possibilities in his head. He realized that aside from his mom, there probably wasn’t a single girl willing to lend him even a thousand.
So he replied honestly: No.
Chen Yihan: And if there were, what would that mean?
Hmm…
Fu Bin thought about it: It would mean she’s a real one?
Chen Yihan: What if it were a hundred thousand?
Fu Bin gasped—a hundred thousand!
He replied: That’s venture capital, right?
Who would fork over a hundred thousand if not for an investment?
After this message, he received no further replies.
Fu Bin was still wearing a puzzled expression when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to find someone standing silently beside him. Fu Bin hadn’t heard a single sound and was startled.
“Boss?”
Standing there was none other than Zhong Shiyu.
“When did you get back?”
This wasn’t his usual time to return.
Zhong Shiyu hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting to Fu Bin’s phone.
“Chatting?”
Fu Bin never expected Zhong Shiyu to strike up a conversation with him like this one day! He felt inexplicably flattered.
Being someone who couldn’t keep things to himself, Fu Bin started chattering away as soon as Zhong Shiyu asked.
“Yeah! Han just sent me a message asking if there were any girls who would lend me ten thousand yuan if I were penniless.” Fu Bin chuckled. “Forget ten thousand—with my luck with girls, I might not even be able to borrow a thousand.”
Zhong Shiyu seemed lost in thought upon hearing this.
“What? Did someone lend him money?”
“Huh?” Fu Bin hadn’t considered that possibility. After a moment of thought, he said, “Ten thousand is understandable, but a hundred thousand… I wouldn’t be surprised if it were lent to Han. But then again, who could be penniless? It’s definitely not him.”
“A hundred thousand…” Zhong Shiyu repeated, his tone ambiguous. “That’s quite generous.”
“Exactly.”
But for Chen Yihan, it was probably just a drop in the bucket, right?
Yu Zhi only saw Chen Yihan tapping away on his phone, chatting with someone.
Then, his aura shifted subtly.
It was as if he was happy yet also a little displeased.
After finishing the IV drip, Chen Yihan silently escorted her back to her dorm, just like the day before.
An odd harmony settled between them. Neither mentioned the message Yu Zhi had sent, as if it had never existed.
As Yu Zhi turned the corner into her dorm building, she glanced back and saw the boy still standing under the osmanthus tree, one hand resting on its trunk.
Yu Zhi rolled her eyes.
She couldn’t stand people who struck poses at every opportunity.
Of course, Chen Yihan himself now felt a bit odd. Every time he stood there, he couldn’t help but look at that tree.
The girl’s figure had completely disappeared. He lingered for a while longer before riding his bicycle back.
It was already late, and the other three roommates were in the dorm. Everyone greeted Chen Yihan except Zhong Shiyu.
Chen Yihan didn’t mind. After responding, he sat down at his desk.
He opened his chat with Yu Zhi and looked at the ten-thousand-yuan transfer. Above it was the hundred-thousand-yuan transfer he had returned.
A hundred thousand yuan truly meant nothing to Chen Yihan, but because it came from Yu Zhi, he couldn’t help but wonder: When did she become so generous?
But his gaze shifted upward to the glaringly clear message drawing a line between them. The slight upward curve of his lips stiffened.
He had thought about it before. With things said so plainly, why should he keep seeking her out?
Yet the subtle discomfort beneath his pride now felt resolved.
After all, they were childhood friends. Even now, when their relationship wasn’t as close as before, she was still so… loyal to him.
Maybe it was time for him to take a step back.
Yu Zhi actually had a strong constitution. As a child, she had followed her father to construction sites and developed plenty of stamina. After three days of IV drips, she was almost fully recovered and didn’t need to go back.
On Thursday, Lu Shuang sent her a message.
“Teacher Yu, are you free this weekend?”
Yu Zhi figured it wouldn’t interfere with her tutoring schedule.
“Yes.”
“Would you like to come and experience the youthful atmosphere?”
Yu Zhi: ?
Lu Shuang: Our school is holding a sports meet this weekend. You don’t have to tutor me. Want to come and have some fun?
Yu Zhi: Can I even attend your school’s sports meet?
Lu Shuang: Yes, yes! Family members are allowed to visit. Come on, come on! Didn’t you win a photography award? I’m part of the school newspaper, and we desperately need a photographer like you.
Yu Zhi exclaimed in surprise, “You even have a school newspaper?”
Lu Shuang’s school was a prestigious private institution in the city, attended by children from wealthy or influential families. Its college admission rate was exceptionally high. While they claimed to allow parents to visit, it was likely just an opportunity to foster closer relationships, wasn’t it?
Lu Shuang said, “Yes, Teacher Yu, please consider it.”
Her coquettish tone softened Yu Zhi’s heart. After all, not only in the plotline, but even outside of it, Lu Shuang had always been kind to her. Last time, on her birthday, Lu Shuang had insisted on gifting her an expensive camera simply because she heard Yu Zhi had won a photography award.
It wasn’t even a particularly impressive award.
Thinking of her long-unused treasures, Yu Zhi felt a slight stir in her heart.
Of course, before that, there was one thing she needed to confirm.
Yu Zhi asked her, “What about your uncle? Isn’t he going?”
“Him? I asked his assistant. He’s busy that day and has a business trip.”
Although her relationship with her uncle had grown much closer, Lu Shuang didn’t want to interfere with his work, so she had secretly asked his assistant.
Hearing this, Yu Zhi felt much more at ease.
“Alright, when would be a good time for me to go?”
After sending the message, there was no response.
Yu Zhi didn’t know that Lu Shuang was currently in a bit of trouble.
When she heard the knock on the door, Lu Shuang quickly covered her phone with a book and nervously called out, “Come in.”
It was her uncle who entered.
“Reading?”
“Huh? Yeah… yeah.”
Lu Shuang had a fixed time for using her phone, and she had been sneaking a moment earlier, so she was now flustered. Gripping her pen, she pretended to be deep in thought as she stared at the test paper in front of her.
Lu Yanxi stood beside her for a moment before reaching out and accurately retrieving the phone hidden beneath the pile of books.
These were all tricks they had played back in their school days.
“Lu Shuang.”
Even though his tone was flat, his deep voice startled her.
“Uncle, I’m sorry,” Lu Shuang whispered without daring to look up.
However, after waiting a moment, she didn’t hear her uncle’s next words.
The silence was even more agonizing. Summoning her courage, she glanced up and saw her uncle staring at her phone.
In her earlier panic, Lu Shuang hadn’t turned off her phone screen, and it was still open to the chat window with “Teacher Yu.”
Lu Yanxi immediately saw the message—
“What about your uncle? Isn’t he going?”
Author’s Note:
None.