When the plotline ended and Yu Zhi woke up, the dormitory was already empty. There really were no classes this morning. She glanced at the time—9:30 a.m.
She just felt tired.
So tired.
Even though her body didn’t say so, her mind felt it, as if she hadn’t slept for days and nights. Wait! One million!
She almost forgot this big thing. Yu Zhi immediately checked her bank card balance.
There really was an extra one million!
Hahahaha—with no one else in the dorm, she laughed out loud under the covers. This was all the compensation she deserved for emotional distress. This plotline was the hardest to get through, damn that privileged jerk.
Thinking about how he had threatened her parents—even if they were just parents in the book—made Yu Zhi grit her teeth in anger.
She climbed down from the bed. On the desk lay the “lesson plan” she had prepared yesterday for tutoring Lu Shuang.
The plotlines for the different books didn’t start at the same time.
When Yu Zhi first started working as Lu Shuang’s tutor, the plotline for that book, No Escape, hadn’t even begun. The System hadn’t revealed anything about the male lead of that book, so she had just focused on being a tutor.
Back then, Lu Shuang was practically a pitiful little thing in the Lu family.
It wasn’t that her family treated her poorly, but she herself, having just arrived in an unfamiliar environment with a guardian who was stern and intimidating, lacked a sense of security and lived in constant anxiety.
Yu Zhi felt quite sorry for her.
As their relationship gradually improved and Lu Shuang’s personality became more and more cheerful, this damn plotline appeared.
Yu Zhi wanted to quit. She hadn’t needed the money before, and now she needed it even less.
Lu Shuang was a good kid. Even though she was reluctant, when she heard Yu Zhi didn’t have the time, she painfully agreed.
But she had that privileged jerk of an uncle. Lu Yanxi found her: “Xiao Shuang is very upset about you leaving. She’s grown accustomed to you. I hope you can continue being her tutor.”
“Of course, we can discuss the compensation.”
In reality, Lu Yanxi wasn’t as extremely cold and unfeeling as he was in the plotline. Sometimes, he even displayed the refined and amiable demeanor of an entrepreneur. But that domineering air still followed him like a shadow.
It seemed like there was a choice, but there really wasn’t.
After some thought, Yu Zhi still agreed. The plotline was the plotline; reality was reality. They really didn’t have much to do with each other—that’s what she told herself. Besides, in reality, the two of them didn’t actually have much time to meet.
So, she continued being Lu Shuang’s tutor.
Lu Shuang had grown up in the countryside and had never properly studied English, which was why she was so poor at it. Since Yu Zhi was teaching her, she naturally put her heart and soul into it.
Setting the plotline aside, she had to earn her salary.
Plotline behavior shouldn’t be attributed to the person.
Every time before going to tutor, Yu Zhi had to give herself this kind of pep talk.
At noon, the dorm mates returned one after another. Yin Hua started chattering as soon as she entered the dorm.
“Did you guys see the group message?”
“Hmm?” Yu Zhi hadn’t checked. She opened her phone while asking, “What message?”
“That entrepreneur, Lu Yanxi, is coming to our school to give a lecture. It just so happens we don’t have classes for the last two periods that afternoon. They’re requiring a few volunteers from our class to be there. Seriously? It’s mandatory?”
They were only sophomores and really weren’t very interested in this kind of lecture. Given free time, they’d much rather do their own thing.
Sure enough, as soon as Yu Zhi opened the group chat on her phone, she saw the notification from the counselor—
Renowned entrepreneur Lu Yanxi…
The rest of the content was pretty much what Yin Hua had mentioned.
Yin Hua was full of resentment. She had no desire to spend her precious free time on such trivial matters.
Liang Ruyan tried to persuade her: “The school is doing this because he’s a real big shot. Lu Yanxi seems to be a graduate of our university. The donations he makes every year alone are enough to fill the pockets of the higher-ups. This is his first lecture here, so the administration is probably worried that no one will show up and they’ll end up offending their benefactor.”
Yu Zhi thought the same.
Yin Hua whined tearfully: “I’m going to fight them!”
“If that doesn’t work, see if you know any seniors who are about to graduate and ask them to sign in for you. They’re job hunting right now, so they’ll probably be more enthusiastic,” suggested Shen Manqing, who was already in bed preparing for her afternoon nap.
That was actually a good idea. Yin Hua’s anger turned to delight, and she happily went to the forum to post a request.
As it turned out, the school administration had worried for nothing. That day, quite a few people showed up at the auditorium on their own, most of them soon-to-graduate students. While they might not have been particularly interested in what Lu Yanxi had to say, everyone wanted to make a good impression in front of him.
If they could land a job at Lu Corporation, it would be a huge win.
By Thursday, posters and introductions of Lu Yanxi were already hanging at the entrance of the auditorium. As Yu Zhi walked in, she glanced at them a couple of times. The photo looked more like a male celebrity playing a domineering CEO than an actual entrepreneur.
Well, he was a real-life domineering CEO anyway.
After Yu Zhi signed in with the person in charge, a commotion erupted near the entrance. She turned to look and saw several school administrators escorting Lu Yanxi inside.
Yu Zhi found a seat and sat down.
The man, dressed in a suit, walked in the center, accompanied by the president of Jiang University: “Mr. Lu, look at how enthusiastic our students are, all because they heard you were coming.”
“Thank you, President, for giving me this opportunity,” Lu Yanxi replied politely, without the arrogance he often displayed in the plotline.
The president smiled. “The employment of Jiang University students every year relies heavily on your support, Mr. Lu.”
“That’s because Jiang University students are outstanding.”
They continued exchanging pleasantries as they made their way to the stage. Midway, the man’s gaze swept casually across the room.
Yu Zhi didn’t stare at him. Instead, she instinctively covered the side of her face with her hand, making it difficult for others to see her clearly.
Whenever she saw someone after a plotline, no matter what, it was still awkward. Unlike other lectures, Lu Yanxi had a host beside him to warm up the crowd.
Yu Zhi kept her head down, scrolling through her phone. After all, the auditorium was packed with people, and she planned to slip away later.
But before she could make her escape, someone suddenly sat down beside her. Yu Zhi instinctively glanced over.
Her expression froze for a moment.
Zhong Shiyu?
Zhong Shiyu saw her too and seemed equally surprised. He placed his book on the table and nodded faintly at her. “What a coincidence.”
It really was. Yu Zhi responded politely, “Are you here for the lecture too?”
“Yes.”
“No classes?”
The young man paused before nodding again.
Yu Zhi didn’t pay it much mind and continued scrolling through her phone, occasionally catching snippets of Lu Yanxi’s voice from the stage.
The speech probably wasn’t written by him personally, something like a college student’s message. Honestly, Yu Zhi didn’t think there was much worth listening to—he wasn’t a self-made entrepreneur, so he couldn’t exactly share a history of starting a business. It’s not like he could say the secret to success was being born into a good family, right?
Still, his calm and composed demeanor was quite convincing.
“Yu Zhi.”
Someone called her name. Yu Zhi was lost in thought for a moment before reacting and turning to look beside her. Zhong Shiyu was watching her.
“Huh?”
“I sent you a friend request. Did you see it?” the boy asked.
Yu Zhi paused. It wasn’t a big deal, but being asked about it face-to-face was a bit awkward. She sidestepped the question, saying, “Oh, is it about the pen? That really wasn’t a big deal. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Zhong Shiyu pursed his lips. “It’s not just about the pen.”
“Hmm?”
Under her gaze, a flicker of unease flashed in his eyes. Though his expression remained neutral, his clenched hands betrayed a hint of nervousness and urgency. After a moment, he finally seemed to come up with an excuse: “I wanted to ask—the chili sauce you brought tastes really good. Could you sell me a bottle next time?”
Praising her mother’s cooking brought a genuine smile to Yu Zhi’s face, but something still felt off.
“You’ve tried it?”
“Yeah.”
Yu Zhi looked surprised. He’d tried it and still thought it was good? “But I thought you couldn’t handle spicy food?” The words slipped out almost without thinking.
Zhong Shiyu immediately looked over. Something seemed to flicker in his dark eyes as he stared intently at Yu Zhi, a hint of curiosity hidden within. “How did you know I can’t handle spicy food?”
How did Yu Zhi know? Of course, it was because of the plotline. When it came to these minor details, the plotline inside and outside the story mostly aligned.
She couldn’t say that, so she just made up a reason on the spot.
“I heard Chen Yihan mention it before.”
As for whether he’d actually said it, Yu Zhi doubted Zhong Shiyu would ask. Even if he did, Chen Yihan probably wouldn’t remember whether he’d said it or not.
Hearing her response, Zhong Shiyu didn’t press further, but Yu Zhi felt his expression darken slightly, as if he didn’t want to hear her mention Chen Yihan.
What? Were they on bad terms?
She quickly spun a dramatic scenario in her mind before snapping back to reality.
Never mind, no time for that. She needed to slip away.
“Zhong Shiyu.”
The boy, who had been staring ahead lost in thought, responded, “Hmm?”
“Could you let me out?”
“Leaving already?”
“Yeah, I have something to take care of.”
The tables in the auditorium were foldable. After a brief pause, Zhong Shiyu lifted the small table in front of him and shifted to the side to make way for her.
Though he had turned sideways, his gaze remained fixed ahead, watching the girl who was crouching slightly as she passed in front of him.
Her hair was thick and dark, not fully tied up, and now it spilled over her shoulders with her movements, brushing against Zhong Shiyu’s hand resting at his side.
The boy’s fingers instinctively curled, as if struck by an electric current.
On the stage, an almost impossible-to-ignore gaze seemed to sweep over them. Zhong Shiyu looked up and saw that Mr. Lu was glancing in their direction.
It all happened in an instant. By the time he looked back, Yu Zhi had already left her seat. She had chosen a spot convenient for leaving and quickly made her way out of the auditorium.
The graduating students remained enthusiastic, and no one noticed such a small incident. Zhong Shiyu closed his book and also stood up to leave.
Yu Zhi went to wait for the bus.
Friday evenings were Yu Zhi’s tutoring time. She was mainly responsible for Lu Shuang’s English, as it was the little girl’s weakest subject. However, outside of this school, Yu Zhi could also be considered a top student, so she could help with other subjects as well.
She returned to school in the Lu family’s private car. Originally, they had planned to pick her up as well, but Yu Zhi felt it was unnecessary and wasn’t used to arranging things for others, so she always took the bus there herself.
The Lu family had several drivers. Lu Yanxi and Lu Shuang each had their own dedicated drivers. Uncle Lin, who drove her, was usually responsible for transporting guests to and from the house or filling in during critical times.
After parking her bicycle near the bus stop, Yu Zhi went to wait for the bus.
Usually, when Uncle Lin drove her back, he would also drop her off here. This way, she could ride her bike back and avoid drawing too much attention at the school gate.
After all, the Lu family’s car…
Almost as soon as she thought this, the familiar car stopped right in front of Yu Zhi.
The rear window rolled down, and when Yu Zhi saw the man in the back seat, for a moment, she thought her plotline had reset again.
Had his lecture ended so quickly?
“Teacher Yu,” the man spoke, not exactly warm but polite, “are you going to tutor Lu Shuang?”
“Yes, Mr. Lu.”
“What a coincidence, I’m heading home too. Let’s go together.”
This wasn’t the plotline, Yu Zhi thought. If it were the plotline, the man of few words would only say two words—
“Get in.”