The moment Jiang Nian heard those words, her brain naturally began imagining Lu Zhiheng’s physique.
The kind that looked understated in clothes.
Who knew whether beneath the fabric he looked exactly the way she imagined.
Suddenly, Jiang Nian felt a little regretful.
Last time when Lu Zhiheng had allowed her to hold onto his arm, she should have done it. Then she could have conveniently touched him a few times too!
Jiang Nian desperately tried to dump the inappropriate thoughts out of her mind, but through the receiver she could still hear Lu Zhiheng adjusting his breathing.
She hurriedly dug out her earphones and put them on.
This definitely was not because she wanted a more immersive listening experience.
It was mainly because she did not want to disturb her roommates!
Mm… that was right!
On the other side, Lu Zhiheng heard what sounded like Jiang Nian sucking in a breath.
Then came a series of rustling noises, but Jiang Nian did not speak.
Lu Zhiheng wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and called out again,
“Jiang Nian?”
“I-I’m here!” Jiang Nian snapped back to reality. “How long have you been working out?”
Lu Zhiheng’s gradually steadier voice came through the phone.
“Two hours.”
Jiang Nian asked,
“Then do you usually work out at this time every week?”
Lu Zhiheng answered,
“My schedule isn’t fixed. It depends on my timetable. But I train three times a week, and two of those sessions are at the gym.”
Jiang Nian thought about Lu Zhiheng’s daily schedule.
No wonder he always said he was busy and had no time.
Studying, his own projects, club activities, plus exercise and fitness training…
It truly did not leave much room to focus on a girlfriend.
Especially when she was only a girlfriend in name.
Jiang Nian sympathized with Lu Zhiheng for a brief moment before remembering her mission and gathering her emotions.
“But you ignored my messages for so long, and every day I’m always the one starting conversations first…”
“What if I really needed something from you?”
“Lu Zhiheng, am I the only one taking this relationship seriously? You can’t just use me and then ignore me afterward, right?”
“I wouldn’t.”
Lu Zhiheng lowered his gaze.
Even though Jiang Nian was not standing in front of him, he still stared seriously at her profile picture as he said,
“It’s just that I don’t have the habit of constantly checking my phone.”
“And if there’s nothing important, I usually don’t chat with people much either.”
Jiang Nian knew Lu Zhiheng was telling the truth, but she still spoke pitifully,
“So in your eyes, we don’t even count as friends, right?”
Lu Zhiheng had always defined his relationship with Jiang Nian as business partners.
Because Jiang Nian had clearly told him that all she needed was an “actor” capable of scaring away her suitors.
He had never considered developing any deeper relationship with her.
Although their personalities were completely different, to be fair, Jiang Nian was not someone he disliked.
After several seconds of silence, Lu Zhiheng finally said,
“We’re friends.”
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng disgust value +2. Current disgust value: 29.】
The moment Jiang Nian heard the notification, she immediately changed direction.
“Then I want to video call.”
In her memory, the Male Lead rarely chatted casually in the first place. As for phone calls or video calls, those should have been even more impossible.
Sure enough, after several seconds of silence, Lu Zhiheng finally asked,
“…Why?”
Jiang Nian replied confidently,
“I need to see your expression to know whether you’re lying to me!”
She absolutely would not admit that she mainly wanted to use the opportunity to admire the Male Lead’s body!
Lu Zhiheng glanced down at his training clothes, which were soaked through with sweat and had not yet been changed. His muscles were still pumped from exercise, his hair was messy, and nearby several shirtless men were lifting weights.
In a low voice, he said,
“It’s inconvenient right now.”
Jiang Nian sounded dissatisfied.
“What’s inconvenient about it?”
Lu Zhiheng explained,
“There are other people training here. One shouldn’t look at improper things.”
“I’m not looking at them! I’m only looking at my boyfriend! I’m very innocent!”
After saying that, Jiang Nian muttered quietly,
“Cheapskate.”
The corners of Lu Zhiheng’s lips twitched faintly. Still, he firmly rejected the video call invitation and added,
“I won’t lie to you.”
“This week we still have one more date.” Lu Zhiheng smoothly changed the topic. “I remember you said Sunday works for you. Is there somewhere you want to go?”
Jiang Nian did not want to push too hard. Besides, seeing that Lu Zhiheng was genuinely trying to fulfill their agreement, she decided to let the Male Lead off the hook this time.
After thinking for a moment, she asked,
“The library maybe? Or do you know somewhere quiet where we can study? I still have a design draft to finish, and I need to submit it tomorrow.”
Earlier, when Lu Zhiheng had asked which days she was free, she had already sent him her schedule.
The competition had been an unexpected event, but she also did not want to delay things and miss such a good opportunity.
Lu Zhiheng considered it for a moment.
The library was too crowded and noisy. Whether they went to Yun University or Qing University, they would still have to pretend to be a couple, which would not be very convenient.
Then he said,
“Come to our activity room instead.”
…
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Lu Zhiheng appeared punctually at Qing University’s gate. From afar, he saw Jiang Nian approaching with her hair tied into a bun.
Today, Jiang Nian was not going for a gentle or elegant older-sister style.
She wore a cream-colored knitted cardigan over a light apricot camisole, paired with light brown pants and white sneakers.
The entire outfit was simple and casual student wear—clean and refreshing, with no obvious effort to dress up, yet especially pleasing to the eye.
Jiang Nian carried her small backpack and waved at Lu Zhiheng.
“Morning!”
Her whole person looked soft and fluffy, like she had been wrapped in autumn sunlight.
Lu Zhiheng nodded slightly.
“Morning.”
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng disgust value +1. Current disgust value: 30.】
After the announcement, System 999 even set off celebratory fireworks in Jiang Nian’s mind.
【Congratulations, Niannian! We’ve finally broken through the 30-point barrier! If we already have 30 disgust points, is 50 still far away?】
Jiang Nian’s smile froze.
So even greeting Lu Zhiheng energetically in the morning would make him dislike her now?
System 999 sounded calm and wise.
【There’s a saying, right? When you dislike someone, everything they do annoys you. This means we’ve made progress!】
Jiang Nian felt that System 999’s words made perfect sense.
Sure enough, every single disgust point had been playing its role!
Lu Zhiheng nodded toward her.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the activity room.”
Jiang Nian watched as Lu Zhiheng showed his student ID to the security guard uncle at the gate. After she registered her own information, they were allowed inside.
Curiously, Jiang Nian looked around Qing University’s campus while Lu Zhiheng briefly introduced the buildings they passed.
Qing University’s campus was twice the size of Yun University’s.
The students walking around came only in scattered groups of two or three. There were indeed fewer people, and compared to Yun University, the atmosphere felt quieter and more restrained.
After following Lu Zhiheng through three or four turns, Jiang Nian arrived in front of a five-story building.
Stopping in front of her, Lu Zhiheng explained,
“This is a standalone building the school arranged for student clubs. Some student startup teams also have their activity rooms here.”
Jiang Nian nodded and watched as Lu Zhiheng swiped his student card again before entering the building.
The place he brought her to was the activity room assigned to their Guangyin project team.
The program was about to launch, and since everyone was off duty this weekend, naturally nobody else would be there.
Lu Zhiheng took out his keys and opened the door.
The activity room was not large, but it was exceptionally tidy.
The very first thing Jiang Nian noticed was the pair of couple plushies belonging to her and Lu Zhiheng.
Against the wall stood a long row of metal shelves. Aside from the sofa and coffee table in the resting area, the rest of the room consisted of office desks with several desktop computers placed on top.
Every desk was decorated differently, but Lu Zhiheng’s minimalist setup made his workstation instantly recognizable.
Smiling brightly, Jiang Nian pointed at the plushies before turning around to show Lu Zhiheng her own little dog plush.
“Hehe, I brought Cookie with me today!”
After saying that, she glanced around and noticed there was an empty desk beside Lu Zhiheng’s workstation.
“Can I sit there?”
Lu Zhiheng replied,
“Of course.”
After receiving his permission, Jiang Nian stood there without moving, seemingly waiting for Lu Zhiheng to do something.
The two stared at each other with wide eyes for several seconds.
Jiang Nian tilted her head.
“Don’t you think this spot looks too empty? Feels like something’s missing.”
Only then did Lu Zhiheng understand.
He pushed his ergonomic chair over toward her.
“Sit.”
Satisfied, Jiang Nian plopped down into the chair and looked up at him with a smile.
“Mm… such a good boy!”