Zhou Shiying frowned. “I wasn’t paying attention just now. Can you watch your—”
He slowly turned his head and got a clear look at the girl’s face.
Zhou Shiying instantly swallowed the words “filthy mouth” that he hadn’t even finished saying.
He put on a proper, apologetic smile instead: “Can you curse at me a little harder? I’m so sorry, so sorry—I didn’t see your new shoes and accidentally stepped on them.”
His sudden change in attitude left Ji Shuning, who was in a hurry to get to the student affairs office, momentarily stunned.
It was only then that she realized the person in front of her was Zhou Shiying.
Ji Shuning gave a displeased nod.
Zhou Shiying had noticed this girl earlier when he was handing out milk.
Her looks were exactly his type—strikingly gorgeous bone structure, alluring eyes, and luscious red lips. The way she’d glared at him just now was especially fierce.
It made Zhou Shiying’s heart, dormant for years, suddenly stir. A thought inexplicably popped into his head.
He wanted to be her dog.
Zhou Shiying pulled out his phone, a deep smile curving at the corners of his mouth. “I’m really sorry. But meeting like this must be fate. How about we add each other on WeChat?”
His answer was a gust of wind.
Ji Shuning had already strutted away on her high heels, not even glancing at him, let alone acknowledging his friend request.
Lu Chaosheng glanced at the dejected Zhou Shiying, let out a scoff, then stretched his long legs and walked ahead as well.
Gu Xun’an patted Zhou Shiying on the shoulder to console him. “Hang in there, bro.”
Then he, too, turned and left.
Zhou Shiying: “…”
Was he really that unpopular?
Today, the president’s office at Jing University received an unexpected visitor.
The president was buried in his work when steady footsteps sounded from outside the door—unhurried, yet carrying an imposing presence.
After two light knocks, the president responded with a “Come in.”
Lu Chaosheng walked in, his features sharp and coldly handsome.
The president looked up, recognized who it was, and felt his heart jolt. He rose quickly and hurried over to greet him.
Having worked in Jinghai City for many years, he naturally knew that Lu Chaosheng came from a family of immense wealth and deep influence—not someone the school could afford to offend.
Unsure why he was here today, the president kept his tone especially gentle. “Young Master Lu, what brings you here so suddenly? Please, have a seat.”
Lu Chaosheng gave a slight nod and sat down on the reception sofa with a calm, detached gaze.
“President, I’m sure you’ve heard about the outsiders causing trouble at the cafeteria entrance today.”
Though his tone was light, it carried an undeniable authority.
Even the president, a man of considerable age who had weathered countless storms, couldn’t help but break into a sweat.
“Of course. My assistant reports everything that happens at the school. Young Master Lu, what is it that you’d like to discuss?”
Lu Chaosheng swept a brief glance over the president, and the atmosphere in the entire office instantly grew heavy under his presence.
“Protecting the safety of students is the school’s unshirkable responsibility. Outsiders—debt collectors who run with shady crowds—were able to bypass the security guards and enter campus. That’s a serious failure on the school’s part, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, Young Master Lu. The school has seriously failed in this regard.” The president forced a smile. “How about this—starting today, we’ll install access control at every gate. Students must swipe their student ID cards to enter. We’ll also strengthen security and increase patrol frequency.”
Lu Chaosheng smiled. “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of the students, President. You go ahead with your work—I’ll head to the library.”
The president rose to see him off.
Watching Lu Chaosheng’s retreating figure, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
That young master of the Lu family carried none of the timidity typical of a student—he was more like a ruler commanding the situation. As expected of someone raised by the Lu family; even he, a president in his forties, had been intimidated.
Before lights-out that evening, Jian Ying was scrolling through the Jing University anonymous forum again.
She let out a gasp.
“Guys! Starting tomorrow, the school is requiring student ID cards to enter campus! Don’t forget to bring yours!”
Ni Qianqian had just finished showering. “Is it because of what happened to us at noon? The school finally did something useful. Outsiders are a mixed bag—if more crazy thugs get in, that would be terrifying…”
“Was it the school, though? I think it’s more likely because our Young Master Lu went to the president to demand answers.” Ji Shuning rubbed her chin, speculating.
Thump—
A throw pillow flew at her.
Lin Yutang glared at her fiercely. “Ji! Shu! Ning! Don’t! You! Dare! Mention! Him! Again!”
“Ooh, baby’s getting all flustered!” Ji Shuning was close with her—they’d known each other for over a decade—so she teased without restraint.
Lin Yutang ignored her.
But as she applied her skincare, she couldn’t help but think about what Lu Chaosheng had said today.
He’d actually paid off the six million for her. And from what Zhou Shiying had implied, he was worried about Liu and his men coming after her again.
Was it just because she was staying at the Lu residence as his nominal sister?
Or was there another reason she didn’t know about?
Lin Yutang couldn’t figure it out. Then, suddenly, she remembered something else he’d said.
—”Give me a kiss, and we’ll call it even.”
She rubbed the lotion onto her face with extra force, letting out a soft snort.
This frivolous man!
Perverted brother!
But she never expected that tonight, she would actually dream about her perverted brother.
…
The hot spring water steamed and swirled, warm mist rolling and billowing in thick white clouds.
Lin Yutang leaned half-reclined against the edge of the black jade pool, the warm mist flushing her cheeks with a light rosy tint. Her long lashes hung damp and heavy, and her fair, delicate skin, soaked in the warm water, gleamed with a luminous sheen.
Lu Chaosheng sat beside her, his shoulder pressed tightly against hers.
The stray strands of hair on his forehead were dampened by the mist, and his already deep-set eyes were locked firmly on her, dark currents of unyielding passion and desire churning beneath the surface.
His gaze was heavy, carrying an unapologetic possessiveness.
He tilted his head slightly, his voice laced with a hint of seduction: “Little sister, why is your face so red?”
Lin Yutang’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to edge away toward the side of the pool.
Lu Chaosheng’s warm breath brushed directly across her flushed ear, his voice dropping to a low, husky murmur: “What are you running from?”
The tips of Lin Yutang’s ears burned so red they looked ready to bleed. “I’m… I’m not running…”
Her little attempt didn’t escape his notice.
Lu Chaosheng extended his arm, firmly catching her wrist where she gripped the pool’s edge. His fingertips traced over her soft, delicate skin—the pressure light, yet enough to keep her completely still.
“Not running?”
A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips, his gaze settling on her evasive eyes, his tone carrying a slow, deliberate pressure. “Then give me a kiss, baby.”
Lin Yutang’s heart tightened, even her fingertips trembling. She lifted herself slightly and brushed her lips lightly across his.
She kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look up, her voice soft and shy: “There! I kissed you!”
“Baby, remember—that’s not what you call a kiss.” Lu Chaosheng leaned in a little closer, shrinking the distance between them until the air grew thick with suffocating intimacy.
He dipped down and caught her soft lips in a fierce, hungry kiss, his agile tongue drawing out the sweet taste from within.
“That’s what a kiss really is. Got it?”
Lin Yutang’s cheeks burned even hotter from the kiss, her eyes rimmed with a faint redness as she looked at him with a hint of helplessness. “…Got it.”
The white mist from the hot spring curled around their shoulders, and their breaths seemed to intertwine in perfect rhythm.
Lu Chaosheng’s voice was low and coaxing: “So, baby, do you know what the next step is?”