Yu Zhi quickly took her jacket back. The moment she retrieved it, she seemed to let out a sigh of relief, then clutched it tightly. This time, no matter what, she wouldn’t let Lu Yanxi touch it again—it was truly unnerving.
The awkwardly standing boy hadn’t left immediately. The atmosphere between the two made it difficult for him to gauge their relationship. But before he could say anything more, he suddenly met the man’s sharp gaze.
The man’s imposing presence made one feel inexplicably inferior. His expression, unreadable and devoid of emotion, was almost overflowing with possessiveness, warning, and provocation in his eyes.
How could he not understand now? Not daring to say another word, he turned and hurried away.
Seeing him leave, Yu Zhi followed Lu Yanxi toward Lu Shuang.
Walking side by side, she suddenly heard the man beside her ask, “Do you prefer older men?”
Oh my god, did he hear that? Yu Zhi’s alarm bells immediately went off. It wasn’t anything else—she genuinely had a psychological aversion to narcissists and was afraid Lu Yanxi might actually think she had feelings for him.
“I was just saying that for his benefit,” she laughed awkwardly. “Actually, if I’m being honest, I think younger ones are better. They’re more youthful and share more common ground.”
In truth, Yu Zhi didn’t particularly like men younger than herself, but someone like Lu Yanxi was definitely out of the question. She liked older men, not old men.
Lu Yanxi’s gaze swept over the girl’s fingers clutching the jacket in her arms. The visible tightness of her grip allowed him to imagine her nervousness at that moment.
Even though he knew Yu Zhi was likely just trying to save face in front of him, Lu Yanxi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for dressing so formally today.
Earlier, from the stands, he had seen the girl running—so youthful and radiant, fitting seamlessly among the high school students. In contrast, he stood out like a sore thumb. Anyone who saw them would likely never think they had any connection.
But what connection did they have?
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, concealing the emotions within.
Lu Shuang was chatting with a classmate nearby. The classmate had also noticed Lu Yanxi and whispered something to Lu Shuang with a low laugh. Lu Shuang then called him over.
Yu Zhi didn’t move. She watched as the group chatted and laughed for a while. Lu Yanxi maintained his distance but answered every question. After the group dispersed, the uncle and niece finally spoke alone.
“Your grandfather tried calling you but couldn’t get through, so he called me instead.”
“Oh no,” Lu Shuang took out her phone and saw the missed call. “It was too noisy earlier, I didn’t hear it.”
“I’ve already spoken to them. Your grandfather said he wants to throw a celebration party for you, the first-place winner.”
Yu Zhi had already taken several photos of them from a distance. Just as she pressed the shutter for the last one, the man’s gaze suddenly turned toward her.
It felt as though he was looking at the camera, yet also as if he was looking through the lens directly at her.
Yu Zhi’s shutter had already clicked.
For some reason, her heart skipped a beat. In that fleeting moment, she truly felt as though she had stepped into the plotline and was facing the Lu Yanxi from within it.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Yu Zhi put down the camera and walked over.
“Mr. Lu mentioned earlier that I should take a photo of you two, so I snapped a few shots. Take a look—they’re pretty good, right?”
Lu Shuang took it and flipped through a couple of photos before laughing. “Teacher Yu, you managed to capture my uncle—such a cold person—with such warmth.”
Lu Yanxi was also looking. Indeed, on the screen, the two shared similar eyes, both carrying a hint of warmth. Clearly, this was the photographer’s keen ability to capture the moment, yet he couldn’t help but feel as though he could see the gentle gaze of the photographer behind the lens.
When their eyes met, it felt almost suffocating.
“That’s because Mr. Lu is gentle with you.”
He heard Yu Zhi reply with a smile.
“By the way, the photoshoot is pretty much done,” Yu Zhi began to make her escape. “I should head back now.”
“Huh?” Lu Shuang immediately tried to persuade her to stay. “Teacher Yu, it’s already this late. Let’s have dinner together before you go.”
Yu Zhi started making excuses, saying she had already made plans with her roommates and couldn’t just skip out on them alone.
As she spoke, she could feel Lu Yanxi’s gaze fixed on her.
It wasn’t until the man handed the camera back to her, along with his voice, that she snapped out of it. “It’s just a casual meal, Teacher Yu. Why not join us?”
“Really, I can’t.”
Perhaps Yu Zhi’s tone of refusal was too firm, as the other party seemed to freeze for a moment. But in the end, he simply nodded politely. “Then I’ll have the driver take you back to school.”
Lu Yanxi watched the girl’s figure gradually fade into the distance.
Even though he understood her intentions, Lu Yanxi sometimes still couldn’t grasp Yu Zhi’s true thoughts.
She was bold enough to leave her stockings in the car, yet she still avoided him.
Did she need more positive hints to become bolder?
Of course, there was nothing going on at Yu Zhi’s school. Her roommates weren’t in the dorm, so after returning, she planned to start editing the photos.
She turned on her computer, poured herself a glass of water, and had just sat down when that damned System notification chimed.
“Entering Chapter 18 of The Spoiled Childhood Sweetheart plotline.”
In the blink of an eye, the person who had been sitting in front of her dorm computer just moments ago now found herself in an unfamiliar environment.
At least it wasn’t school.
“Momo.”
She turned her head and met Chen Yihan’s concerned gaze.
“Are you really completely recovered? Don’t push yourself. If you feel unwell, just let me know.”
Yu Zhi ignored him, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. She realized they were in a hotel lobby, and besides her, there were a few other classmates scattered around.
It dawned on her—the System had finally stopped plagiarizing her memories and returned to the main plotline.
This must be the student council team-building event Chen Yihan had mentioned last time. The male and female classmates nearby were indeed people Chen Yihan knew.
“Momo.”
Seeing her silent, the boy called out again.
“Got it.” Yu Zhi finally responded this time.
Hearing the impatience in her tone, Chen Yihan fell silent. After all, they had traveled out of the province this time, and even though they took a plane, it was still exhausting. Momo had just recovered from an illness, so she was probably in a bad mood.
Better to get the rooms sorted quickly so she could rest.
Just as he was thinking this, the boy who had gone to check in finally returned.
“All set, all set.” He was still holding everyone’s IDs. “The rooms are all booked. I’ll hand out the room keys and IDs now. They’re all double rooms—four girls and six guys, two to a room, so it works out perfectly.”
Following the plotline given by the System, Yu Zhi frowned slightly and spoke coldly.
“I don’t share rooms with others.”
Everyone who had been discussing how to assign rooms froze, exchanging glances.
Yu Zhi pretended not to notice their silent communication. After all, she had just finished speaking, and Chen Yihan immediately responded, taking her documents from one of the male students.
“Old Pan, you go ahead and assign rooms for the others. I’ll take my girlfriend to get another room. Don’t worry about us.”
Naturally, no one could say anything, since Chen Yihan was covering all the expenses for this team-building trip.
They could only watch as Chen Yihan, like a servant, escorted the young lady to the front desk. His voice could still be heard: “Let me see if they have any better rooms here, so you can stay comfortably.”
Only after the two had walked away did the remaining people dare to complain.
“I really can’t stand it. How did Brother Han end up with a girlfriend like that?”
“I’ve never seen anyone more high-maintenance than her. It’s like she’s never lived in a dorm before. What’s she being so fussy about?”
“Forget it, forget it. It’s just as well. Does anyone actually want to share a room with her?”
“That’s true. If you shared a room with her, wouldn’t you just be treated like a servant for the princess?”
Compared to the girls’ complaints, the boys’ gazes were more meaningful: “Maybe she wants a room alone to make things more convenient?”
The other boys laughed, but some didn’t like hearing it: “Alright, alright. They’re paying for it themselves. They can do whatever they want.”
Yu Zhi could understand why the Yu Zhi in the plotline said such things. From the moment room assignments were mentioned, those few people had already been exchanging glances.
They were all familiar with each other, while Yu Zhi had little interaction with them and didn’t have the best reputation. Naturally, it was clear they didn’t want to share a room with her.
How could her pride handle that?
Yu Zhi walked empty-handed, watching the boy ahead carrying bags and luggage to clear the way.
This should be the part in the plotline where they break up.
For some reason, she couldn’t quite imagine Chen Yihan breaking up with her. Probably because he acted so… devoted.
“Baby, we’re here. This is the room.”
The boy stopped. When no one was around, he loved calling her that—baby, over and over.
Chen Yihan swiped the key card and let Yu Zhi enter first before following her in.
The hotel here wasn’t high-end, so even though Chen Yihan had booked the best room for Yu Zhi, it was only slightly more spacious and better decorated. Overall, it wasn’t much different.
“Tired from the trip?” Chen Yihan chattered from behind. “Rest for a bit. I’ll take care of everything.”
Yu Zhi sat on the sofa, watching Chen Yihan bustle around. First, he used a prepared detector to check every corner for hidden cameras.
Then, he replaced the bedsheets and pillowcases with a new set he had brought himself.
He boiled water, wiped the tables, and disinfected the bathroom.
Yu Zhi yawned.
Whether it was the long journey in the plotline or running around at the sports meet in reality, she was exhausted.
Just as she finished yawning, she saw Chen Yihan crouching on the floor, this time preparing to open her small suitcase.
Since he was right in front of her, the girl kicked him in the back as soon as she saw his movement.
“What are you doing? Who said you could touch my suitcase?”
Chen Yihan turned to look at her, a hint of grievance in his expression. “Baby, I saw you were tired, so I got your pajamas out for you. You should rest for a bit.”
“Are pajamas something you should be touching?”
Chen Yihan fell silent.
Indeed, servants had their own divisions of labor. Strictly speaking, Chen Yihan was more like an outer courtyard servant, responsible for all the dirty and tiring tasks. But when it came to more intimate duties close to the master, those were beyond his reach.
So now, he could only reluctantly withdraw his hand, though his gaze remained fixed on the pink suitcase that symbolized the girl’s most private belongings.
His goal was to become Momo’s personal attendant.
Pajamas, even underwear—worn or unworn—everything about the baby should be prepared and managed by him. Just thinking about it made his chest burn with warmth.
They had to live together. Only by living together would he have the opportunity.
As long as there was a start, once the baby experienced his care, these tasks would surely be entrusted to him from then on.