After Jiang You saw the words on the note, she could barely keep a straight face.
Meet in the woods?
’Does he mean *that* kind of meeting in the woods?’
Jiang You, still holding onto a sliver of hope, picked up her pen and wrote two words: "What for?"
She crumpled it into a ball, leaned back slightly toward the desk behind her, and tossed the wad of paper onto it.
Shen Lan glanced at Jiang You’s pink hair before his eyes fell to the paper ball on his desk. He picked it up, unfolded it, and saw two words written in a beautiful, small script.
The corners of his lips curved up slightly. He took his pen and drew a small stick-figure comic on the paper.
It was a step-by-step diagram.
Step one: A stick figure with short hair pins a stick figure with long hair against a tree.
Step two: The two stick figures start kissing.
Step three: The short-haired figure lifts the long-haired figure by the waist and continues kissing them.
When Jiang You unfolded the note that was just tossed back to her, her last shred of hope shattered. She fell completely silent.
’I must have gotten a fake script.’
’Is the male lead Shen Lan’s character setting just a flirtatious, playboy scumbag?’
Jiang You’s eyelashes fluttered. The male lead was being so forward it was hard for her to handle.
’Should I agree? If I don’t, it wouldn’t fit my persona of chasing after the F4. But if I do, I’m a little worried... We won’t actually kiss, will we?’
’An actual kiss? No way, that’s impossible!’
At that thought, Jiang You had a sudden epiphany!
’The male lead is just taking me to the woods to act out his flirty playboy persona. He definitely won’t actually kiss me!’
And so, Jiang You relaxed and briskly wrote on the paper: "Okay!"
「School was out.」
"Let’s go, girlfriend." Shen Lan stood up, came to her side, and held out his hand. His knuckles were long and distinct.
He seemed to tilt his head as he looked at her, his blue eyes swimming with a lazy, amorous smile.
Jiang You froze for a moment, then pretended to naturally place her hand in his palm.
Her three followers had wanted to ask her to dinner, but seeing this, they were perceptive enough not to interrupt.
Just like that, Jiang You walked out of the academic building hand in hand with Shen Lan.
Not far behind them, Zhou Yu followed slowly, a backpack slung over one shoulder. His dark eyes were as thick as ink. The allergic reaction still lingered on his face; the red spots and patches hadn’t faded, looking like small, searing marks. His lips were still a little pale.
Zhou Yu just kept following the two of them from a distance.
"Xiao Yu, are you going to eat too?" Zhou Yan happened to come out and run into Zhou Yu. "Let’s go together."
"Not eating." Zhou Yu didn’t look at Zhou Yan and just walked straight ahead.
Zhou Yan was confused, but she didn’t think too much of it.
Meanwhile, Jiang You’s heart was still pounding with apprehension when she noticed that the direction Shen Lan was leading her wasn’t toward the woods, but toward the cafeteria.
"We’re going to the cafeteria?" Jiang You asked, feigning confusion.
"Of course." Shen Lan glanced sideways at her, the corners of his lips hooking up slightly. "Where else did you think we were going?"
Before Jiang You could say anything, Shen Lan’s face lit up as if in realization. He suddenly leaned closer to Jiang You, his gaze slowly lowering, landing on her full, rosy lips with an almost physical weight. "Of course, if my girlfriend wants to sneak off to the woods first, I’m naturally happy to oblige."
He had only meant to tease her, but as Shen Lan looked at the girl’s full, perfectly plump lips, he couldn’t stop his eyes from slowly growing hotter, his gaze deepening. Her lips looked so biteable.
’Her hair smells like sickly sweet peaches. I wonder if her lips would be even sweeter?’
Shen Lan didn’t realize he was involuntarily leaning in a little closer.
Jiang You noticed, though. Her eyelid twitched. Seeing the person in front of her looking like he was about to kiss her, she reached out, grabbed his chin, and looked up at him arrogantly. "I’m going to eat dinner first. I’ll eat you later."
She seemed to be just grabbing his chin, but she had actually stopped him from leaning any closer.
Shen Lan seemed to snap out of it too. He blinked slowly, then covered her hand with his. As if savoring her words, he gently grazed the back of her hand with his thumb, his expression teasing and suggestive. "Alright."
Jiang You almost lost her composure.
’What’s with the male lead making eyes at me?’
’This is a mess, a total mess.’
Jiang You’s brain short-circuited.
「In the cafeteria.」
Jiang You sat there with a blank expression, quietly eating her low-salt, low-oil diet meal.
Shen Lan sat across from her. He spoke slowly, "You eat this every day?"
"Mhm," Jiang You replied, her expression cold and proud.
"But you’re not fat." Shen Lan wasn’t eating. He reached out and pinched her cute, chubby cheeks as she chewed. "And your cheeks are so soft."
Jiang You stopped chewing and slapped his hand away. "Of course I’m not fat. I’m just striving for greater beauty. You wouldn’t understand."
"You’re already beautiful." Shen Lan stared at her, his tone no longer flippant, but filled with a hint of sincerity.
He was, in fact, telling the truth.
"Hah, of course. And I can be even more beautiful," Jiang You said with a confident laugh. "But I’m already gorgeous right now, so having a girlfriend like me is your good fortune."
Shen Lan found her both beautiful and adorable. His eyes curved into a gentle smile, his tone tinged with indulgence and delight. "Mhm. To have a girlfriend as pretty and gorgeous as you... that truly must be a blessing I’ve earned over three lifetimes."
"As long as you know!" Jiang You raised her eyebrows slightly.
’In my previous life, I never would have said such narcissistic things.’
Inwardly, Jiang You was cringing so hard her toes were curling.
’And yet, here I am, acting so narcissistic, and the male lead is actually agreeing with me!’
Jiang You quickly consoled herself.
’I’m not being narcissistic, I’m being confident!’
’That’s right!’
As it happened, Shen Lan’s ex-girlfriend, Lin Wan, was also eating here with her friends.
"Wanwan, isn’t that Mr. Lan?" one of the friends, who was still in the dark, suddenly pulled Lin Wan over. The friends who knew what was going on didn’t have time to stop her.
The girl dragged Lin Wan over. "Mr. Lan, our Wanwan is here. Aren’t you going to make room for your girlfriend?"
Lin Wan could have stopped her, but upon hearing those words, she subconsciously looked at Shen Lan.
’Does he... really not have any feelings for me anymore?’
Jiang You paused mid-chew. She decided to pretend she hadn’t heard anything and wait for Shen Lan to handle it himself.
Shen Lan reached over and tucked a strand of Jiang You’s hair behind her ear before slowly turning to look at Lin Wan. The emotion on his face had faded, and his tone was extremely arrogant. "Did you not take what I said last time to heart? It seems you, as a daughter, don’t really care about your father’s company and his shares."
Lin Wan’s expression stiffened. The girl who had pulled her over also seemed to realize something and didn’t dare to speak again.
The air grew still.
Lin Wan’s other friends all looked awkward. No one dared to interject in the tense atmosphere.
’In a month, Shen Lan will be saying the same things to me,’ Jiang You thought, already starting to empathize with the girl beside her.
According to the plot, she was also an ex-girlfriend with a one-month expiration date.
Beside them, Lin Wan’s eyes were a little red. She looked at Jiang You for some reason and asked softly, "Is this your new girlfriend?"
She continued, "I just want to ask you one more question. After I get an answer, I promise I won’t bother you again."
Lin Wan raised her hand and pointed at Jiang You:
"Will she be your last girlfriend?"