Chu Yao followed the male lead up to the fifth-floor private room with a worried heart. Once the door was shut, it sealed off the curious, gossip-seeking gazes from outside.
After sitting down, Chu Yao let out a genuine sigh of relief.
Finally—no one was paying attention to her anymore.
Being the center of attention wasn't easy. Better to be an idle passerby—invisible, low-profile, and free to do as one pleased.
The moment she shifted her gaze and met the male lead's top-tier divine looks, Chu Yao couldn't help but startle.
She was going to be scared to death at this rate.
Chu Yao muttered inwardly.
In the private room, only the two of them remained. The noise and clamor were shut out, and once it grew quiet, Chu Yao felt much more at ease.
On the table sat a pot of flower tea, its fragrance wafting through the air.
Zhou Wenshi's fingers had just begun to move when Chu Yao beat him to it, gripping the pot handle. She flipped over the upside-down teacup, rinsed it with the hot flower tea, poured the rinse into the empty bowl beside it, and only then poured a second round, gesturing with her eyes.
"Want some?"
Zhou Wenshi pushed his cup forward. "Thank you."
As usual, Chu Yao used the first pour to rinse the cup and the second for drinking. She set down the teapot, lifted her own cup of flower tea, and took a quiet sip with lowered eyes.
The rich, resplendent fragrance spread across her tongue like a seductress luring passersby deeper into the hidden paths of a forest.
At this moment, she was unexpectedly calm.
"Zhou… Wenshi," Chu Yao called out, unaccustomed to saying the male lead's name, a bit awkward. She rubbed the body of the teacup, the scalding heat burning her fingertips. "Let's talk."
Zhou Wenshi had been watching her the whole time, his gaze cool and clear.
Chu Yao's fingers didn't stop moving, merely circling the cup loosely through the barrier of its heat.
She didn't avoid the gaze Zhou Wenshi fixed on her. She accepted any scrutiny openly, without the slightest coyness.
Zhou Wenshi looked at her like he was looking at a breeze.
A wind with a will of its own.
It had appeared out of nowhere, made its request with poise and grace, and carried in its eyes a smile untouched by romance or worldly affairs.
It lingered for one brief second on the mortal world, then would soon depart, sparing no further attention for anyone superfluous.
He had happened to catch this wisp of wind.
"Heart-Sprout."
She listened with a serene expression.
"Can we not split it?"
Zhou Wenshi's tone was cool and aloof, and paired with that authoritative face, it carried a strangely distinctive charm.
Chu Yao actually sensed the sincerity coming from across the table.
Zhou Wenshi sat opposite her, wearing an unapproachably divine countenance, yet unexpectedly easy to get close to.
Chu Yao was surprised.
Was this part of the mission?
She couldn't remember.
Her role had basically been summed up in a single line; she wasn't meant to appear as a key plot character.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhou Wenshi lowered his gaze in thought. She had to admit—just sitting there, he was a pleasure to behold.
Some people didn't need to do anything at all; they were simply born as beacons of light. She had gotten an initial sense of the male lead's popularity back in the cafeteria.
Chu Ying had praised Zhou Wenshi before.
When a face was authoritative enough, it could unify all standards of beauty. Even if he wasn't your ideal type, you couldn't help but feel fond of him.
Chu Ying had confessed that if Zhou Wenshi ever pursued her, she would agree without a second thought.
That had shocked Chu Yao. She'd just agree that easily?
Huang Chuying had argued with conviction.
'That's Zhou Wenshi we're talking about, A'Yao. Sleeping with him is pure profit!'
Chu Yao was stunned.
She knew Chu Ying had her wild moments, but this was too wild. What did she mean, sleeping with him is pure profit? That was just too…
Chu Ying had winked and grinned slyly. 'A'Yao, if Zhou Wenshi pursued you, could you really refuse?'
Of course I could.
Why wouldn't I be able to?
She had answered without a moment's hesitation back then.
Zhou Wenshi's photos were nice to look at, but that didn't mean she would be bewitched by good looks.
Unexpectedly, the real person was too authoritative… hmm… now she might actually hesitate.
This really couldn't be blamed on her.
After hearing this, Chu Ying was filled with awe: "With that kind of willpower, you'd succeed at anything."
And now, those words had come true.
It was Chu Yao's turn to actually face this problem.
She had to look at that face and speak words of refusal—this was truly testing her.
The key issue was, she couldn't refuse Zhou Wenshi right now.
She hadn't forgotten the mission, just felt a bit puzzled—was the mission supposed to start this early?
Maybe she really hadn't read the details carefully enough, and it actually did start this early.
Breaking up later was fine; for now, they had to be in a relationship.
Chu Yao thought it through: "Okay."
That single word drew Zhou Wenshi's gaze.
When his clear, cold eyes focused their full attention on her, Chu Yao strangely understood the excitement behind Chu Ying's "sleeping with him is already a win" mentality.
Who could resist the temptation of plucking the flower perched high on the mountain peak?
Chu Yao choked: "…Cough."
Zhou Wenshi looked at her, as if asking what was wrong. Chu Yao's face flushed, and she stammered: "N-nothing."
She couldn't exactly say she'd questioned Chu Ying, then understood Chu Ying—no need to go beyond that.
Sleeping together was out of the question.
On the contrary, she needed to keep her distance from the male lead; they couldn't have any intimate contact.
Zhou Wenshi looked at her with concern: "Are you alright, girlfriend?"
The result was that Chu Yao coughed even harder: "Cough, cough, cough."
While blocking Zhou Wenshi's approach and stopping him from getting up to sit beside her, she said: "…I'm fine, no need to come over, really. You sitting across from me is better for appreciating the view—very easy on my eyes."
"You—calling me girlfriend feels strange," Chu Yao said awkwardly. "It's too intimate, all of a sudden."
"How about this—just call me Chu Yao."
"Alright," Zhou Wenshi called her, "Chu Yao."
Hiss—the male lead's voice was truly a blessing for voice enthusiasts. Chu Yao finally understood those girls who loved listening to male streamers read bedtime stories online.
Who wouldn't be charmed by this?
Even she was a little dazed. He really was a top-tier Succubus—every word and gesture was strangely tantalizing.
Chu Yao thought to herself that she absolutely couldn't meet with him again after this. She was afraid that if she wasn't careful, she'd start craving his body, and that would be disastrous.
Fortunately, she only needed to face this temptation once.
Chu Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "I… I should get going?"
Zhou Wenshi: "Something to do?"
Chu Yao inexplicably felt he was somewhat alluring—in a way she couldn't quite articulate. His lips had a beautiful shape, with graceful curves, perfect for kissing, for taking between her lips… pressing against them.
Chu Yao was shocked: !!
She realized she couldn't continue like this, or else if she accidentally kissed him, it would be disastrous.
The male lead's purity would be gone.
No, no, she had to protect the male lead's purity.
Having his first relationship end due to a misunderstanding was already pitiful enough. If he lost his purity on top of that, it would be even worse.
Chu Yao averted her gaze from his: "I—my grandfather's sow at home is about to give birth. I need to leave first."
Without waiting for Zhou Wenshi's reaction, she stood up and left, only to run straight into a server bringing in dishes. They met head-on, and Chu Yao froze.
Oil-blasted shrimp, sweet and sour pork ribs, pan-fried fish, cola chicken wings, garlic greens… one dish after another. She could barely take them all in, tears nearly streaming from the corners of her mouth.
Wuwuwu… this food looked so delicious.
The aroma of the dishes came straight at her, hooking her in.
Ahhhh!!! She was being tempted, folks!
Beauty one can resist, but this—absolutely not. How can anyone skip a meal?
Just then, Zhou Wenshi called out from behind her.
"Chu Yao, come eat with me."
Her expression jolted. The impact of those words was no less than an atomic bomb exploding—boom—and it instantly held her in place.
She casually shuffled back to her seat, composed herself, and found an excuse: "…Actually, I just realized my grandpa's sow isn't in that much of a hurry to give birth. Let it keep carrying for now—I'll go back and check on it after I eat."
In life, only good food must never be betrayed.
They were innocent. She had to eat them with a devout heart.
A hint of amusement flickered in Zhou Wenshi's eyes. "Alright."
Chu Yao thought to herself, Uh-oh, I've really been tempted. The male lead has me figured out.
Well, since it had come to this—let's eat first.
Beauty can't be eaten, but delicious food can.
The table was laden with the restaurant's signature dishes. Chu Yao suspected he'd ordered one of everything, because how else could it be so complete?
She suppressed her gratitude. "Is it really okay for us to eat this well in the morning?"
Zhou Wenshi picked up the serving chopsticks and, the moment her gaze swept over a dish, placed it in her bowl.
"How embarrassing," Chu Yao said, holding out her bowl as her smile gradually brightened. She could refuse the male lead, but she could never refuse the food he put in her bowl.
She dug into the mountain of food piled high in her bowl. "Don't just keep giving me food—you eat too."
At this moment, her eyes held only that little temptress called delicious food. With a devout heart, Chu Yao took bite after bite of these delights.
Sniffle sniffle—stunning. Satisfying.
Chu Yao thought to herself, So happy! A whole table of food first thing in the morning! I pray for abundant meals every single day.
She declared that at this moment, she was the happiest girl in the world!
Chu Yao finished her meal in complete contentment, leaned back in her chair, and sighed with comfort.
Eighty percent full was just right—being too stuffed was uncomfortable.
She pulled out a tissue and cleaned up the traces of her meal.
Perfect.
Except… she felt like she'd forgotten something.
Chu Yao pondered. What was it? She couldn't remember.
When she returned to the dorm and was met with Huang Chuying's resentful gaze, Chu Yao couldn't help but take a step back.
…Okay, now she remembered.
Huang Chuying ground her teeth. "We agreed—breakfast together! You went and ate alone without calling me."
Chu Yao confessed: "I have sinned."
Huang Chuying let out a cold hmph, radiating frost. "I will not let you off the hook. I will stalk you—today."
Chu Yao instinctively replied: "Not forever?"
Huang Chuying: "Dream on. A'Yao, you want a whole lifetime?"
Her resentment alone could sustain 0.1 Evil Sword Immortals.
Chu Yao sidled up to her and coaxed, "Forget it, forget it. Okay, Chu Ying, have you eaten? If not, let's go together—I can still manage a tiny bit more."
She made a small circle with her thumb and index finger to demonstrate just how tiny.
Huang Chuying let out an oh. "Out on a date with a handsome guy, and you didn't even check the message I left you. A'Yao, you're having a grand old time, aren't you?"
Chu Yao hugged her and nuzzled against her shoulder. "Don't be mad, don't be mad. Okay? Okay?"
Huang Chuying hadn't really been angry anyway, and now she couldn't hold it in anymore: "A'Yao, your perfume is rubbing off all over my face."
The roommates behind them: "…" Please don't hug like we're not even here.
Chen Xiuyuan: "Tsk."
Zhang Xiuli: "Tsk."
Cheng Yunxiu: "A'Yao, I want one too."
The brave get to enjoy the world first—why should Huang Chuying be the only one? She wanted one too.
Cheng Yunxiu sat down beside Chu Yao, who generously reached out to her. "Yunxiu, you've come at just the right time."
Cheng Yunxiu: "Hehe~"
As she said this, she leaned softly against A'Yao, who indeed smelled wonderful.
She even pretended to be reserved and composed while expressing her feelings.
"Oh my, this is true happiness."
Cheng Yunxiu cupped her face: "Girls cuddling is truly the happiest thing in this world!"
Cheng Buning: "…" Can't bear to look.
Cheng Yunxiu was lost in bliss: "Being A'Yao's wife is so blessed."
Chu Yao felt light as air: "Hahaha, Yunxiu, you really know how to talk. From now on, you're my second wife."
Cheng Yunxiu let out a giggle, deliberately coy as she blinked: "Then I'll be relying entirely on you, my dear wife~"
She put on an air of being utterly helpless in life, which made Huang Chuying's teeth ache just watching.
Chen Xiuyuan: "Is there no one left in this world that the three of you care about?"
Zhang Xiuli immediately chimed in: "Exactly, exactly."
Cheng Buning felt this was also unbearable to watch.
None of it was bearable to watch.
She strode away from this group of drama queens with the gait of a strong one.
"Hey!" A laundry pole was brandished as Jiang Yuncheng looked left and right, leaping about, "Take this, Old Sun's sword!"
Cheng Buning: "…"
"Hyah—"
Jiang Yuncheng swung the pole, slaying the "air demon."
Fu Qifang sat on the top bunk watching the monkey show.
At times like this, who could resist a series of performances unfolding one after another in the dorm?
She certainly couldn't.
Cheng Buning sat at her desk, her silence deafening.
If you too lived in a dorm full of nonstop drama, every day would be utterly entertaining.
Come on, no need to scroll through videos—the show just keeps coming.
Chu Yao had her arms around both of them, acting all delicate and demure, civilly watching the monkeys.
This life—it was truly something to look forward to.
Cheng Yunxiu clapped away like a seal: "Brilliant, brilliant! Sister Cheng, do another one!"
Jiang Yuncheng immediately got fired up and bellowed: "Demon! Where—do you flee!"
With a big leap, she swung the laundry pole with fierce, mighty force.
The male lead made a one-second appearance.
Chu Yao didn't see it until ten minutes later.
Ten minutes ago, [Male Lead] had sent over—
[Hey?]
Oh ho, the monkey show was too entertaining—she hadn't noticed at all.
Chu Yao casually replied: Civilly watching monkeys, do not disturb.