Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 1

“Brother Yu, why didn’t you bring your goody-two-shoes along for the fun?”

Xu Zhizhi stood at the door of the private room, her hand pausing mid-push.

Shen Yu scoffed, “She’s dull and boring, no fun at all.”

Xu Zhizhi’s grip on the umbrella tightened abruptly, faint veins surfacing on the back of her hand.

The crowd in the room erupted in jeers,

“All that talk about a playboy turning over a new leaf, I really thought Brother Yu had lost his mind, actually getting tied down by that goody-two-shoes.”

“Seriously, even the hot and sexy manager from the next department couldn’t get a reaction out of him. I really thought you’d gone vegetarian.”

Shen Yu, having drunk quite a bit, slurred, “If it weren’t for my old man, I wouldn’t even glance her way. No idea what he sees in her…”

With a soft click, the umbrella slipped from Xu Zhizhi’s hand.

She had only come to deliver the umbrella, but instead, she stumbled upon a brutal truth.

The spring rain in March had arrived suddenly, the temperature plummeting, the air thick with a biting chill.

Xu Zhizhi felt cold all over, so cold her bones trembled, her heart as if pierced by a sharp blade.

They had been together for a year.

Shen Yu had once been a notorious playboy, cycling through girlfriends as often as he changed clothes weekly swaps were the norm.

But Xu Zhizhi was different. She had stayed by his side for a full year.

A year was long enough to prove a playboy’s sincerity.

Xu Zhizhi had genuinely loved Shen Yu.

Naturally sensitive and insecure, she had mustered every ounce of courage to chase after him for seven long years.

From inside the room came an even louder burst of rowdy cheers,

“Truth or Dare! A ten-second passionate kiss with someone of the opposite sex here!”

“Kiss Brother Yu! Kiss him! Kiss him!”

“Quit stalling, don’t tell me you’re chickening out?”

Then came thunderous applause and a countdown!

Xu Zhizhi gently pushed the door ajar, peering through the crack at the boisterous scene.

A beauty from the company’s PR department had lost the game and chosen the dare. Encouraged by the crowd, she boldly cupped Shen Yu’s face and kissed him passionately.

The world was so loud, so chaotic.

Xu Zhizhi felt as if she’d been slapped hard across the face.

Seven years of longing, one year of dating, eight years in total.

All the affection she had carefully treasured crumbled in that instant, shattered into a mess on the ground.

Amid the cheers of the revelers, Shen Yu deepened the kiss.

When it ended, he wiped the smeared lipstick from his mouth and dismissed it casually, “Lost the game. Just playing around.”

Just playing around.

How ironic.

Someone suddenly teased, “Brother Yu, playing so wild, what if your goody-two-shoes finds out? Won’t she throw a fit?”

Another chimed in, “So what if she finds out? Women are easy, just sweet-talk them a bit.”

“Sweet-talk?” Shen Yu, valuing his pride more, waved it off. “If she finds out, let her throw a fit. She’ll come crawling back once she’s done.”

Xu Zhizhi was his lapdog, always trailing after him since childhood.

Shen Yu believed he had her wrapped around his finger, that with just a beckoning gesture, she’d come wagging her tail like an obedient puppy.

Xu Zhizhi lowered her head. Disappointment after disappointment seemed to have reached its limit in this moment.

“What’s there to fear? If Brother Yu wants women, all he has to do is crook his finger, and a swarm will come crawling like octopuses.”

“Exactly. If she leaves, she leaves. The next one will be hotter.”

“Someone as bland as Xu Zhizhi…”

The private room echoed with unrestrained mockery and laughter, each word piercing Xu Zhizhi’s heart like a thousand needles. She wiped her disheveled face and ran away in sorrow.

With a violent motion, she threw her umbrella into the trash can, along with eight years of affection, discarding it all.

Xu Zhizhi dashed into the rain, crouching in a desolate corner, overwhelmed by disappointment. The world around her was vibrant and lively, yet she alone was the abandoned outcast.

She stood drenched in the downpour for two full hours before Shen Yu finally staggered out, drunk.

But what awaited her was the sight of Shen Yu, surrounded by admirers, embracing a beautiful woman from the PR department as they entered the luxury hotel across the street.

Locked in a passionate kiss as they walked.

Her hanging heart finally shattered completely.

Xu Zhizhi sobbed quietly, her cries dissolving into incoherent whimpers.

She was a coward, born sensitive and insecure. Faced with such a humiliating scene, she lacked the courage to make a scene or lose control.

The prodigal’s return she had once believed was priceless turned out to be nothing but a sugar-coated lie.

How laughable.

Xu Zhizhi, you’re truly pathetic…

Eight years. It’s time to wake up…

She crouched by the traffic lights, letting the torrential rain wash over her.

The sound of the rain drowned out her quiet weeping.

She had always lived so cautiously, not even daring to cry aloud.

Suddenly, the raindrops stopped falling on her. She opened her swollen eyes to see a pair of black leather shoes glistening with water droplets, then damp black trousers further up.

Xu Zhizhi lifted her head, squinting under the soft glow of the streetlight, taking in the sight of the man whose shoulders were soaked by the relentless night rain.

His features were strikingly deep and captivating, especially his piercing eyes, bright and focused, as if filled with the stars of the sky.

Xu Zhizhi recognized him instantly, though his name eluded her. “Zhou… Zhou…”

The man tilted the umbrella over her, his gaze intense as he spoke. “Zhou Xuci.”

Suddenly, a blinding light flashed, accompanied by the shrill blare of a horn.

A speeding truck, out of control, barreled toward them.

Xu Zhizhi’s face turned deathly pale. “Watch out!”

…

“Zhizhi, Xu Zhizhi, wake up! You’ll be late, it’s an 8 a.m. class today!”

Xu Zhizhi’s eyes flew open as she bolted upright. “Watch out… the car!”

Staring at Cheng Xiaoxin in front of her, she froze.

“…Xinxin?” Xu Zhizhi gaped in shock, gripping Cheng Xiaoxin’s hands tightly. “H-how are you here? You were already?”

Cheng Xiaoxin was her best friend.

During their sophomore year, she had chosen to study abroad, but her flight met with disaster, she had perished.

Cheng Xiaoxin gave her a puzzled look, waving a hand in front of her face. “Zhizhi? Where else would I be? Are you sick? You don’t look well. Should I ask for leave on your behalf?”

“Leave?” Xu Zhizhi glanced around, taking in the familiar surroundings.

It was her university dorm room!

But she had already graduated two years ago!

She had clearly been in a car accident, how was she back in her dorm?

Could it be… she had been reborn?

Frantic, she searched for her phone, checked the date, then turned to Cheng Xiaoxin for confirmation. “We’re… freshmen?”

“Yes, just ten days into the semester.” Cheng Xiaoxin pressed a hand to Xu Zhizhi’s forehead. “No fever. Are you feeling unwell somewhere else?”

Xu Zhizhi pulled her into a tight embrace, her voice choked with emotion. “You’re still here… That’s so good.”

Cheng Xiaoxin hugged Xu Zhizhi back, gently ruffling the hair at the back of her head. “I’ve always been here,” she said.

Heaven, in its mercy, had truly given Xu Zhizhi a second chance.

This was the third year she had loved Shen Yu.

There was still time to change everything.

…