After Dating the President O, I Turned Into a Puppy-Like Lover - Chapter 16

“Your iced Americano.”

“Thank you.”

Dan Sirou took the coffee and thanked the server.

Across from her, Zhou Tingchen couldn’t stop smiling. In his eyes, every small movement she made was vivid and charming.

When Dan Sirou met his gaze, she returned a polite smile.

The commercial district was bustling with weekend crowds. Both of them were strikingly attractive, drawing glances from passersby, some even turning back for a second look.

“I remember you used to love sweets,” Zhou Tingchen teased. “Has your taste changed?”

“Not really,” Dan Sirou replied. “I’m fine with most things. I don’t have any particular food restrictions.”

Zhou Tingchen nodded with a smile. “There’s plenty of time ahead. I’ll slowly learn what’s changed about you over these past few years.”

Dan Sirou stirred her coffee leisurely and said nothing.

“I heard Auntie had surgery,” Zhou Tingchen continued. “Is she doing better now?”

“She’s already been discharged,” Dan Sirou said. “As long as she goes back for a few checkups over the next six months, everything should be fine. After that, she’ll be no different from anyone else.”

“And usually,” Zhou Tingchen asked softly, “it’s you taking care of her?”

“There’s no one else,” Dan Sirou said with a faint, helpless smile.

“If I’d known earlier, I could’ve helped share the burden,” Zhou Tingchen sighed, deep regret pooling in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Zhou Tingchen lingered in his remorse, unable to pull himself out.

For the most part, Dan Sirou merely responded to his questions. Whenever Zhou Tingchen fell quiet, the atmosphere turned subtle—thin, almost soundless.

After taking a few sips of his latte to steady himself, Zhou Tingchen quickly regained his energy. Lowering his voice conspiratorially, he asked, “Did Xia Lin ever mention me to you?”

Dan Sirou lifted her gaze. The boy’s eyes were filled with gentle warmth.

She shook her head. Xia Lin had only told her that he’d returned to East City, nothing more.

“I transferred my student registration back to East City,” Zhou Tingchen said with a smile.

“You transferred again?” Dan Sirou was visibly surprised. “But your entrance exams are coming up soon.”

Three years ago, when Zhou Tingchen transferred to the capital, it had essentially marked his family’s full relocation there—their careers, resources, everything shifting with him. For him to suddenly return now must have involved serious conflict with his family.

And his reason was obvious.

Though none of this was within Dan Sirou’s knowledge or control, learning that he had done so much for her still weighed heavily on her conscience.

Zhou Tingchen smiled faintly, lifted his cup, and took a few sips of latte, showing no trace of regret about his decision.

“My grades have always been stable. It won’t affect anything—it’s just taking the exams somewhere else.”

“Besides, I haven’t been back to East City in ages. I lived here for so long, it’s kind of nostalgic.”

His openness soothed Dan Sirou a little, but she still couldn’t fully dispel the unease in her heart.

Just then, her phone rang.

Even on weekends, receiving calls was nothing unusual for her. Without much thought, she took out her phone, assuming it was someone from the student council or a school administrator.

But when she saw the unfamiliar, unmarked number on the screen, her brows instantly knitted together.

Even without a saved name, she recognized it immediately, it was Jiang He’s number. Why would she be calling now?

After a brief pause, Dan Sirou said to Zhou Tingchen, “Sorry, I need to take this.”

Zhou Tingchen smiled casually. “Sure.”

Dan Sirou walked a little farther away before answering.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

They spoke almost simultaneously.

Caught off guard by Jiang He’s blunt question, Dan Sirou paused before replying, “Out. Shopping.”

“With who?” Jiang He asked. “An alpha?”

“That’s not something you need to know, is it?” Dan Sirou said calmly. “Do I have to report who I meet to you?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Jiang He said. “But you promised me, you said you wouldn’t have contact with alphas who have ulterior motives. You haven’t forgotten your own words, have you?”

Dan Sirou was silent for a moment. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

“You called me just to check up on me?” she asked.

Leaning against a pillar, Jiang He lifted her eyes slightly. “Of course not. I was just asking casually.”

“I’m feeling really uncomfortable right now. I don’t know if my susceptibility period is coming early again.” Her tone was light, almost careless. “Could you come help me?”

Dan Sirou calculated the timing. “Isn’t it too early? It hasn’t even been a month.”

“I don’t know. I just feel awful,” Jiang He said. “Can you come or not?”

“Not right now. I just went out.”

“Why?” Jiang He couldn’t help asking. “Is the person you’re meeting really that important?”

“It’s not about importance,” Dan Sirou replied. “I have my own things to do.”

After speaking, she felt she’d been too cold and softened her tone. “Jiang He, try to endure it. You managed before when I wasn’t around, didn’t you?”

“I can’t endure it,” Jiang He said, panting dramatically into the phone. “It hurts so much I can barely breathe.”

She waited a long moment before speaking hoarsely, “You’re really not coming?”

Dan Sirou hesitated briefly, then held her ground. “If you still feel unwell tomorrow, I’ll come find you.”

On the other end of the line.

Jiang He tightened her grip on the phone, her gaze unfocused. It took a long moment for the words to sink in.

“Alright. I understand.”

She hung up.

Watching through the glass wall as Dan Sirou put away her phone and returned to her seat, Jiang He let out a cold scoff through her nose. Then she sighed quietly and walked, spiritless, toward the second floor.

When Dan Sirou returned to her seat, she was restless.

She had refused Jiang He, yet the strained breathing and discomfort from the call echoed in her ears. It intruded repeatedly whenever Zhou Tingchen spoke, making it impossible for her to focus.

“Rourou, is something wrong?” Zhou Tingchen noticed her distraction and asked with concern. “Ever since that call, you seem uneasy. If you have something to deal with, you should go.”

At that point, Dan Sirou nodded taking the excuse he offered her and said apologetically, “Then I’ll head out first. I’m really sorry. We just came out for a bit.”

“It’s okay,” Zhou Tingchen said with a smile. “Your matters come first.”

Jiang He had just stepped onto the second floor when her phone rang again.

Dan Sirou was calling, she had actually agreed to come today and asked where they should meet.

“Let’s meet at the intersection on Fengqiao Road,” Jiang He said casually, fiddling with her fingers. “There are a few hotels there. You don’t mind getting a room outside, do you?”

Dan Sirou was silent for a moment before replying coolly, “Just this once.”

“Mm,” Jiang He said. “I might be late.”

After hanging up, Jiang He stared at her phone screen. In her contacts, the name Dan Sirou stood out clearly.

A moment later, she long-pressed the power button, shut the phone off, and slipped it back into her pocket.

She wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

It had only been an excuse to force Dan Sirou to leave.

She had no intention of meeting her, either. The point was simply to make Dan Sirou wait for a while.

After all, Dan Sirou had done the same to her before.