Yu Zhi turned the bank card over and over in her hand.
Somewhat incredulous, she asked, “You can bring cards back too?”
System: “Yes, you can.”
Yu Zhi could hear the smugness in its tone and felt both amused and annoyed. “So what? What good does bringing it back do? Can I even use it? Huh? Wouldn’t the bank report me? Wouldn’t I get arrested?”
The System fell silent.
Yu Zhi gritted her teeth. If it wanted to give her money, why not just give her cash? Why give her a card—and a supplementary card tied to a primary account at that? It was useless even if she had it.
But… after learning that the money she received came from real-life boys, Yu Zhi found herself less fixated on their wealth.
On second thought, though… Zhong Shiyu’s behavior… Wasn’t that clearly jealousy? In that sense, by some twist of fate, hadn’t things still circled back to the plotline?
Truly, she was something else.
Zhong Shiyu opened his eyes in bed.
He didn’t move. Even without moving, he could easily feel that the temperature under the covers was unbearably hot.
He’d had… another one of those absurd dreams.
The boy pressed his lips together, as if trying to ease the dry, tight discomfort in his throat, though it didn’t help much.
The commotion from his roommates downstairs was already lively. He rarely slept late enough to hear such noise before, only recently…
Zhong Shiyu closed his eyes again, lying in bed as if trying to digest every frame of those unfamiliar, dream-like memories one by one.
But recalling them while awake brought a sense of shame, as if he were defiling the girl. He took out his phone instead, his fingers scrolling and tapping through the screen incessantly. In the plotline, his phone was filled with photos of the two of them, and the chat logs were full of her sweet words—there was plenty to scroll through.
But in reality, aside from the PPT he’d taken a photo of last time, there was nothing related to Yu Zhi in his phone. Even the friend request he’d sent last time had gone unanswered.
If the friend request hadn’t been accepted back then, the chances of it being accepted later were slim. After scrolling for a while, Zhong Shiyu sent a new request.
Unable to think of a reason, he simply wrote in the verification message—
“It’s Zhong Shiyu.”
After sending the message, he stared at his phone for a long time.
“Brother Han, don’t need to accompany your childhood friend today?”
“Nope.”
“Is she better now?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s good. Being healthy is a good thing—you can go eat something nice.”
Chen Yihan paused briefly while looking for a book.
That did seem like a possibility. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice chimed in.
“She just recovered from an illness; she probably can’t eat much.”
Chen Yihan glanced over. It was Zhong Shiyu speaking.
The sudden interjection surprised him a little, but remembering that Zhong Shiyu had brought something for Yu Zhi last time, Chen Yihan brushed aside the momentary discomfort and replied calmly—
“You’re right.”
Zhong Shiyu didn’t say anything more.
By the time he entered the bathroom, most of his roommates had already left. There was a mirror in the bathroom, and for the first time, he lingered in front of it for a while, his gaze fixed on his own lips in the reflection.
What did “kissable lips” look like?
He didn’t know, but in dreams and reality… shouldn’t they be the same?
The sports day was on Saturday.
Yu Zhi wore a set of sportswear suitable for movement in the morning, but it was still a bit chilly at this hour, so she put on an extra jacket over it.
On weekends, her roommates couldn’t get up that early. After quietly packing up, Yu Zhi slung the backpack she had prepared the night before over her shoulders and headed out.
There weren’t many people on campus at this time.
Yu Zhi first went to the cafeteria for breakfast—two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk. She held them in her hands and had almost finished eating by the time she left the cafeteria.
Her bicycle was parked right outside the cafeteria. As she approached, she noticed another bicycle parked beside it.
“There’s so much space nearby, yet they had to park right next to mine. Can’t they park properly?”
Yu Zhi muttered to herself as she unlocked her bike, but then it struck her—this bicycle looked familiar. She glanced back at it and realized it really did seem familiar.
“Yu Zhi.”
The familiar voice made Yu Zhi freeze. She looked up and saw Zhong Shiyu.
The boy didn’t seem to mind the cold, wearing only a white shirt. Yu Zhi’s gaze involuntarily drifted past his chest due to an untimely association in her mind, but she quickly averted her eyes.
“Am I in your way?” Zhong Shiyu asked, moving his bicycle aside with one hand.
“It’s fine.” Yu Zhi didn’t look at him again.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Zhong Shiyu held the handlebars with one hand, his gaze lingering on the girl’s face, which now looked much more energetic. She was carrying a backpack, and whatever was inside seemed quite heavy.
On top of that, it was rare to see her out so early on a weekend.
“Are you heading out?” Zhong Shiyu asked again.
“Yeah.”
Yu Zhi actually felt quite awkward around him. Every time she saw him, she remembered the embarrassment of locking eyes with him when she last emerged from the plotline. She wondered if he had noticed anything.
There was a faint sense of social mortification that would take some time to shake off.
So, after hurriedly answering his questions, she hopped on her bicycle and quickly rode away.
As for Zhong Shiyu, he stood there in a daze for quite a while.
The girl’s aloofness was too obvious. Even though Zhong Shiyu knew he wasn’t bad-looking, even though he had been wearing white shirts every day these past few days…
Yu Zhi hadn’t looked at him at all.
No… she had glanced once.
It was nothing like in the dreams, where every time her gaze landed on him, it felt so intense it was as if she wanted to strip him bare.
Zhong Shiyu took out his phone again and checked it. The friend request still hadn’t been accepted.
That shouldn’t have been a big deal. They weren’t close, and it was perfectly normal for Yu Zhi to ignore his friend request.
But what flashed through the boy’s mind was the image of her leaning against him, sweet words flowing from her lips with such sincerity.
The stark contrast made it hard for him to stay calm.
She really seemed to dislike him. If she ever found out about those dreams…
Would she be even more disgusted?
Were those dreams his alone? What was the meaning behind their existence?
Lu Yanxi’s business trip ended a day earlier than planned.
Though the schedule was tight, he still boarded his private jet and returned as soon as Saturday was over.
After getting off the plane and into the car, his secretary in the front seat turned around and asked, “Mr. Lu, are you heading home?”
In his view, Lu Yanxi had only managed to close his eyes briefly on the plane. He had worked through the entire night before, and since the work was now finished ahead of schedule, he must be going home to rest.
Yet the man fell into an inexplicable silence for quite some time, as if hesitating about something. Only after a long while did he finally glance at his wristwatch and give the order: “Go to Lu Shuang’s school.”
The secretary recalled how the young lady had specifically come to inquire about Mr. Lu’s schedule a few days ago, and in an instant, it all seemed to make sense.
So Mr. Lu was in such a hurry just to attend the young lady’s sports meet?
Who would have thought that someone who appeared so cold and detached could actually be quite sentimental?
Lu Yanxi paid no mind to what the secretary was thinking. His gaze swept past the rearview mirror, where he caught a glimpse of his own face—flawless in appearance, yet after a long journey and barely any rest for a day and a night, a hint of fatigue was still visible.
The man reached out and straightened his tie.
He could have rested on the plane, but for some reason, sleep eluded him the moment he closed his eyes.
Even though he had deliberately moved his work ahead of schedule to free up time today, he still couldn’t decide whether to go or not.
Countless scenarios seemed to play out in his mind.
One moment, it was Yu Zhi panicking at the sight of him; the next, it was her anxiously looking around, her eyes filled with longing.
Forget it…
After all, it had been a long time since he last visited Lu Shuang’s school. He ought to see how his niece was doing there. In the end, that was what he told himself.
Lu Yanxi arrived at the school discreetly, without notifying anyone in advance. Yet as soon as he stepped out of the car, teachers and administrators came forward to greet him.
“Mr. Lu, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come.”
With Lu Shuang studying here, the Lu family had invested generously in the school. Naturally, everyone greeted the benefactor with warm smiles.
Lu Yanxi’s attitude remained composed and polite.
“Lu Shuang has been well taken care of by all the teachers here.”
“Mr. Lu, you’re too kind. It’s our duty. By the way, Lu Shuang has a race today.”
As they conversed, they made their way toward the sports field.
A special resting area had been set up on the bleachers. Even though no prior notice had been given about Lu Yanxi’s arrival, a spot had been reserved for the Lu family.
When Lu Yanxi arrived, his eyes immediately fell on the beige jacket draped over the back of a seat. His memory was simply too sharp—even though Yu Zhi had only worn it once in front of him, he could still recall it clearly.
The man took a seat beside it.
“Lu Shuang is competing in the 800-meter race, which will start soon,” the accompanying staff explained.
Below the bleachers was the running track.
As an elite private school, the seating arrangements already hinted at social hierarchies. The Lu family’s spot was clearly the one with the best view.
The starting line was on the other side of the track, somewhat distant and not entirely clear. Yet even the blurry figures were enough for Lu Yanxi to recognize.
As the starting whistle blew, the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed from the track. Several figures gradually approached, and Lu Yanxi spotted Lu Shuang.
The young girl was running fast, not in first place yet but still among the leaders.
Lu Yanxi knew that Lu Shuang had grown up in the countryside, running freely across hills and fields as a child, so running was no challenge for her.
In just a moment, the man’s attention was captured by a figure in white beside her.
A girl in a white tracksuit, holding a camera, was running just as swiftly outside the track, her high ponytail swaying with every movement.
As the distance closed, the contours of her features grew clearer. Though not breathtakingly beautiful, Lu Yanxi’s fingers twitched involuntarily, as if tugged by something unseen.
She was smiling, still speaking—likely cheering for Lu Shuang. Even the light falling upon her seemed to favor her.
Yu Zhi naturally didn’t notice him, soon following Lu Shuang as they ran farther away, leaving only their receding figures behind.
The 800-meter race was two laps around the track, and the man’s emotions seemed to rise and fall with each approach and departure of that figure.
Only when they crossed the finish line did he slowly unclench his fist, which he hadn’t realized he’d been holding tight.
Lu Shuang came in first.
“Lu Shuang truly excels in all areas,” someone nearby fawned. “Not only has her academic performance improved so much in such a short time since entering the school, but her physical fitness is also outstanding.”
Besides accompanying teachers, the rest area also had parents of other students. Many recognized Lu Yanxi and came over to curry favor.
Though Lu Yanxi wore a polite, faint smile, his demeanor remained distant.
Of course, no one minded. Everyone was racking their brains to forge a connection—who would care about such trivialities?
After exchanging a few words, Lu Yanxi glanced to the side, and the smile on his face abruptly faded.
Unclear of the situation, the crowd made way as he stood, assuming he was about to leave. Instead, he walked to the aisle beside the seats.
On the ground lay a beige women’s jacket, likely knocked off by someone at some point. Lu Yanxi bent down to pick it up, brushing off the obvious dust and footprints.
The person who had been standing nearby paled slightly, subtly retreating two steps.
An accompanying teacher quickly smoothed things over. “My apologies, is this Lu Shuang’s jacket? I didn’t notice it earlier. Should I have someone put it away now…”
Lu Yanxi raised a hand to stop him from taking it. “It’s not hers. It belongs to someone I know. I’ll hold onto it.”
He draped the jacket over his arm, cradling it against his chest. The impeccably suited man, performing this gesture, inexplicably took on a gentle, almost nurturing quality, softening the cold aloofness he’d displayed moments before.
His gaze returned to the track.
Someone was supporting Lu Shuang.
Fresh from the race, though she’d placed first, she was thoroughly exhausted.
“Don’t stop right away,” a girl urged, guiding her into a slow walk. “Take a few steps, just a few.”
“Lu Shuang, you’re amazing! Is this our class’s first win today?”
“Right? So impressive!”
Classmates gathered around, praising her, their young faces filled with genuine admiration and affection. Yu Zhi continued snapping photos with her camera.
“Teacher Yu,” Lu Shuang gasped, finally catching her breath before remembering Yu Zhi beside her. “I think you’re pretty amazing too. You were practically running with me, weren’t you?”
Yu Zhi chuckled. “I was on the inner lane. It’s not that far.”
“Still impressive,” Lu Shuang replied, then remembered something else. “Did you get photos?”
“Of course.”
Yu Zhi showed the photos to Lu Shuang. Her photography skills were more than adequate for capturing such moments, and Lu Shuang was utterly delighted.
“Teacher Yu, I really love you so much.”
“Wow, this one makes Yiyi look so pretty too.”
Yu Zhi didn’t know who Yiyi was, but a girl who had just been running with Lu Shuang immediately leaned in: “Where? Where?” Upon seeing the screen, her eyes also lit up. “Lu Shuang, can you send this to me?”
Lu Shuang looked at Yu Zhi, who naturally nodded. “I’ll send you all the photos from today later.”
“Lu Shuang, who is she to you?”
“My tutor.”
“Ah! The one who teaches you English?”
With this opening, more people came to ask Yu Zhi for photos afterward.
Yu Zhi was also happy to do Lu Shuang a favor. She still remembered when she first started tutoring Lu Shuang, Lu Shuang had said she didn’t have many friends at school.
Now, seeing her get along so well with her classmates, Yu Zhi was happy for her.
Just as they were having fun, Lu Shuang, who was talking beside her, suddenly looked up and glanced to the side, her face instantly lighting up with joy.
She raised her hand, waving and calling out: “Uncle! Uncle, over here!”
Yu Zhi: “…”
Wait, Lu Yanxi was here?
As if unwilling to believe it, she looked over in that direction, as if Lu Shuang could magically produce another uncle out of thin air.
But the figure approaching them was so striking that there was no possibility of mistaking him.
Before meeting his gaze, Yu Zhi quickly lowered her head again.
Wasn’t he on a business trip? How did he get here?
Author’s Note:
None