The morning rush hour traffic frustrated Zhu Fan to no end, but at least she wasn’t late.
From parking her car to reaching the classroom door, it took fifteen minutes.
As she entered the classroom, she ran into the professor teaching the course. Zhu Fan hugged her books and took half a step back.
The professor smiled and gestured toward the classroom, signaling for Zhu Fan to go in first.
The moment Zhu Fan stepped inside, she was dumbfounded.
The tiered lecture hall that could hold three hundred people was completely packed—there wasn’t an empty seat to be found. Some students at the back had even brought their own stools.
Zhu Fan stood near the podium, feeling somewhat lost.
Before transmigrating into this book, she had attended a top-tier university too. But even with everyone being studious, an 8 AM class had never been this crowded.
This course was Survey and Data Analysis—not even a core class, just an elective.
“Ahhh, my goddess looks so beautiful today.”
“I’m telling you, I ran into the goddess in the parking lot. The way she drives is absolutely mesmerizing.”
“Ahhhh, the goddess is smiling at me.”
“Hey, the goddess looks really different today.”
“I think so too—even more beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off her.”
“Why isn’t the goddess sitting next to my male god today?”
“Are you stupid? Someone’s already sitting next to Fang Qibai.”
“Let’s make a bet—see if Rong Lewei gives up her seat this time.”
“I bet she won’t.”
Fang Qibai looked up amid the whispers and hushed chatter around him.
The moment he raised his head, the classroom fell quiet.
“Qibai, what’s wrong?”
Rong Lewei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up from her book.
A faint, hazy floral scent reached her nose—like osmanthus diffused through mist, carrying a cool undertone, as if stepping into a garden after rain.
She gazed at the young man before her, somewhat dazed.
He was only wearing simple washed-blue jeans and a white T-shirt, yet he looked like a model straight out of a Bazaar magazine. His features were sharply defined, his brow bone high and prominent—his entire face flawless. Even the small brown mole beside his right eyelid carried a beauty that stirred the heart.
Fang Qibai said, “Sorry, I’m saving this seat for someone.”
Rong Lewei didn’t want to get up at all.
But the young man’s voice was warm and gentle, and the faint smile at the corner of his lips made it impossible for her to stubbornly stay seated.
“Zhu Fan, over here.”
Under the envious and resentful gazes of the female students, Zhu Fan walked toward Fang Qibai’s row.
Fang Qibai had been sitting in the aisle seat; now he stood up and moved to the inner seat.
The chair folded up after he left.
Zhu Fan bent down, her half-tied long hair falling across her face, tickling her skin.
A hand pressed the chair down before she could.
Zhu Fan tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
Fang Qibai raised an eyebrow. “Overslept today?”
His tone was familiar and natural.
The professor had already stepped up to the podium and begun the lecture.
Zhu Fan lowered her voice. “Traffic.”
“My male god is so gentle, wuwuwuwuwu.”
“I want my male god to treat me like that too.”
“Beautiful man and beautiful woman—such a feast for the eyes.”
“My male god and goddess are whispering sweet nothings to each other, ahhhhhhh!”
“Hahaha, our Rong beauty queen’s face has turned green with anger.”
“Shh, careful—she might make a voodoo doll of you.”
“It’s worth it—I’m from the School of Computer Science, skipping my own major’s core class to come to the School of Economics to ship my male god and goddess.”
Zhu Fan’s university major had been chosen by her grandmother—economics.
Before transmigrating into the book, she had been an art student, majoring in visual communication design.
With the original body’s memories, studying these subjects wasn’t painful at all—in fact, it was quite easy.
Halfway through the class, the phone in Zhu Fan’s pocket vibrated twice.
She discreetly took it out.
Fang Qizhou: [Location/]
Fang Qizhou: [Come over.]
When Fang Qibai glanced over, Zhu Fan turned off her phone screen.
Realizing her action seemed rather guilty, Zhu Fan smiled at Fang Qibai.
Fang Qibai lowered his head to take notes and casually asked, “Something up?”
Zhu Fan made a vague sound of acknowledgment.
Something was up—her blood bag was hungry.
Being hungry wouldn’t cause her HP to drop, but it would make Fang Qizhou unhappy.
And if he got unhappy and went on another suicidal joyride, then she was done for.
The location Fang Qizhou sent was the school cafeteria.
There were still ten minutes until class ended. She turned her phone screen back on.
She kept her head down, typing away.
The professor was spraying saliva from the podium while the students below were drowsily swaying.
F: [I still have ten minutes until class ends. Wait for me at the cafeteria. I’ll come as soon as class is over.]
Fang Qizhou: [Now]
Zhu Fan rested her chin on the desk.
Fang Qizhou had no patience to wait for her to finish class before coming over.
Zhu Fan closed her book, met Fang Qibai’s questioning gaze, and pulled a pack of tissues from her bag. “I’m going to skip the rest of class. If I don’t come back, can you pack up my books and bag for me?”
Fang Qibai set down the pen he was using to take notes.
Zhu Fan didn’t disturb the professor, nor did she bother the students in class.
She thought she had slipped away silently—unaware that the students who were constantly watching her and Fang Qibai had snapped many photos of her sneaking out of the classroom.
…
The moment Zhu Fan arrived at the cafeteria, she quickly sent Fang Qizhou a message.
Fang Qizhou didn’t reply.
Zhu Fan looked around but didn’t see Fang Qizhou anywhere.
Zhu Fan admitted that she had walked a bit slowly, but couldn’t this guy give her a little more patience?
She called him directly via video.
Fang Qizhou answered the video call, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The man’s flawless face filled the screen—one glance was enough to catch a whiff of the menace radiating off him.
Seeing that he was in the car, Zhu Fan made a sour face. “Don’t leave, okay? It took me almost twenty minutes to walk to the cafeteria. The moment you messaged me, I came running—skipped class and everything.”
The phone was tossed onto the passenger seat by its owner.
Zhu Fan steadied her breathing, which had gone ragged from the brisk walk. “Look at what you want to eat, or should I get one of everything?”
She aimed the phone at the cafeteria counter, letting Fang Qizhou choose.
The girl’s panting filtered through the receiver, amplified inside the car.
“West Gate, parking lot, five minutes.”
Before Zhu Fan could respond, the video call cut off.
A black Koenigsegg sat sideways across the main campus road.
The black Bugatti behind it didn’t dare honk. After a moment, Wen Yuxing pushed open his door. “Brother Zhou, you done spacing out?”
Fang Qizhou rolled down the window, lazily lifting his eyelids. “Back it up.”
Wen Yuxing’s grin vanished.
Sorry, my bad—his car was blocking the way.
“Brother Zhou, you changed your mind, right? Since we’re already here, let’s just grab some breakfast.”
Today had been a rare stroke of luck—he’d gone knocking on his Brother Zhou’s door to call him for breakfast, and he’d actually agreed.
What did Fang Qizhou hate most? Eating.
Wen Yuxing was this close to buying fireworks and setting off a building to celebrate.
In all the years he’d trailed behind his Brother Zhou, trying to get him to eat more had cost him no small amount of hair.
After parking the car, Wen Yuxing got no instructions from his Brother Zhou and found himself bored.
He slipped into the passenger seat of Fang Qizhou’s car.
Spotting a fresh trending post from Jing University, he tapped into it out of habit.
“Damn, seeing this 360-degree flawless photo of Fang Qibai first thing in the morning—misfortune’s paying New Year’s respects to misfortune’s dad, the whole family’s dead.”
“Every day with this—Zhu Fan, the ice queen, is pretty at first glance, but after a while she’s just so-so. What’s there to ship between these two?”
He shoved his phone toward Fang Qizhou. “Tell me, isn’t the person who photoshopped this tacky? These two just sit together, cheek to cheek, having a chat, and they still wrap the whole thing in a ring of pink hearts.”
Tacky enough to burn your eyes.
Wen Yuxing felt something digging into his butt, vibrating with a faint tingle. He reached down.
Oh boy. His butt had just kissed his Brother Zhou’s phone.
Fang Qizhou held out his hand.
Wen Yuxing instinctively handed over his own phone, then a second later, “Wrong one—Brother Zhou, yours is here.”
Fang Qizhou’s fingertip slid across the screen, taking in the forum posts.
His gaze settled on a photo of Zhu Fan, head turned, eyes soft with a gentle smile, looking at Fang Qibai.