Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 100

Xu Zhizhi’s birthday fell at the tail end of summer vacation.

She had never been one to look forward to celebrating her birthday.

But this year was different. On the day of her birthday, Cheng Xiaoxin arrived first and took Xu Zhizhi on a shopping spree.

“This one looks nice, try it on,” Cheng Xiaoxin said, shoving a dress into Xu Zhizhi’s arms.

“Xinxin, this is the tenth one,” Xu Zhizhi pointed at the pile of dresses stacked like a small hill.

Cheng Xiaoxin nudged Xu Zhizhi toward the fitting room, doting on her. “I don’t care. I’m paying today, and I just love dressing you up beautifully.”

“You don’t have much pocket money either, save some,” Xu Zhizhi frowned slightly.

Although Xinxin came from a wealthy family, that world was just as messy and dramatic.

She had gone from being a beloved little princess to losing that love and falling into the mud, only to climb out of the abyss through her own resilience.

Her life had been full of ups and downs. Despite her privileged background, her journey hadn’t been easy.

“No frowning on your birthday,” Cheng Xiaoxin poked Xu Zhizhi’s forehead and said with a smile, “Zhizhi, you’re nineteen today! I’m going to buy you the prettiest dress.”

Touched, Xu Zhizhi’s eyes welled up again.

After two hours of trying on clothes, Cheng Xiaoxin finally settled on a blue-and-white dress. She circled Xu Zhizhi several times, sincerely praising, “You look absolutely stunning.”

After leaving the clothing store, Cheng Xiaoxin dragged Xu Zhizhi to a Western restaurant and ordered a lavish lunch.

It felt a bit extravagant.

After lunch, the two best friends went to see a movie.

They watched a romance film and were so moved by the melodramatic plot that they cried uncontrollably.

“So, cliché,” Cheng Xiaoxin leaned on Xu Zhizhi’s shoulder, “but why am I a little touched?”

Xu Zhizhi sniffled and agreed, “It really is cliché, but I want to cry too.”

They exchanged a knowing look and burst into laughter.

Crying one moment and laughing the next, the people around them stared at them strangely.

By the time the movie ended, it was already 5 p.m.

“Last stop! let’s go to the supermarket,” Cheng Xiaoxin linked arms with Xu Zhizhi. “Come help me buy supplies for studying abroad.”

Xu Zhizhi nodded, “Okay.”

Pushing a shopping cart, they weaved through the aisles of shelves. Cheng Xiaoxin walked ahead, carefully selecting items.

Xu Zhizhi followed behind, pushing the cart and gazing at her friend’s back, when her mood suddenly dipped.

School was about to start.

Xinxin was going to fly off to a bigger stage.

They were going to be separated.

Xu Zhizhi recalled all the memories they had shared, countless times when Cheng Xiaoxin had stood in front of her, protecting her again and again.

Many of the young masters from wealthy families were cynical and snobbish, and they loved bullying someone as insecure and sensitive as Xu Zhizhi, an adopted daughter.

Once, one of those scumbags took a liking to Xu Zhizhi and falsely accused her of stealing his watch.

He even pretended to be magnanimous, saying he would drop the matter if she gave in to him.

Back then, Xu Zhizhi was so timid. Surrounded by several people, she struggled desperately but couldn’t break free.

It was Cheng Xiaoxin who stepped in front of her, fighting roughly with the boys.

She beat them until their faces were bruised and swollen.

In the end, she earned a bad reputation.

So much so that everyone in Nancheng’s elite circles knew that the Cheng family’s young lady was quite “spirited.”

It was that very spirit that protected Xu Zhizhi as she grew up.

“Zhizhi?”

Xu Zhizhi snapped out of her thoughts. “Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about?” Cheng Xiaoxin waved the hand cream in her hand at Xu Zhizhi. “I just asked you, what do you think of this camellia scent?”

Xu Zhizhi walked over and sniffed the tester. “It smells nice.”

Cheng Xiaoxin pinched Xu Zhizhi’s cheek and squinted at her. “Are you thinking about your Zhou Xuci?”

Your Zhou Xuci.

She deliberately added the possessive.

“Today is your birthday, and I’ve taken up almost your entire day. Am I…”

“No,” Xu Zhizhi shook her head, holding Cheng Xiaoxin’s hand earnestly. “I was thinking about you.”

“Thinking about me how?” Cheng Xiaoxin asked.

“Thinking about how we used to be,” Xu Zhizhi felt deeply moved. “Thinking about how you always stand in front of me like this.”

Cheng Xiaoxin patted Xu Zhizhi’s head. “Do you remember when we first met?”

“Yes,” Xu Zhizhi nodded. “It was my first day at the Shen family.”

“Back then, my beloved mother had just passed away, and I was crying terribly. You gave me a piece of candy,” Cheng Xiaoxin’s eyes grew warm. “Later I learned that was a piece of candy you had saved for a long, long time at the orphanage, one you couldn’t bear to eat yourself, yet you gave it to me.”

“My mother told me to make friends with kind children, so I would be influenced by them and become a kind person too.”

“I didn’t understand it back then, but I always listened to my mother. So, I wanted to be friends with you, to be best friends for life.”

Xu Zhizhi extended her pinky finger, smiling. “Then let’s pinky swear, to be best friends forever.”

“Okay, for life,” Cheng Xiaoxin hooked her pinky with Xu Zhizhi’s, then paused. “No, we have to be best friends in the next life too.”

Xu Zhizhi broke into a wide smile. “It’s a deal.”

The two walked along laughing, gradually filling their shopping cart.

Suddenly, Cheng Xiaoxin stopped in front of a shelf and pulled Xu Zhizhi over.

Neatly arranged on the shelf were small boxes: red, blue, purple, white… every color imaginable.

Various flavors.

Different sizes.

Xu Zhizhi took one glance and immediately covered her face, pushing at Cheng Xiaoxin’s waist. “Xinxin, what… what are you doing?”

“Pick some out, stock up a bit,” Cheng Xiaoxin pulled back the fleeing Xu Zhizhi. “Don’t run away.”

Xu Zhizhi blushed and stammered, her voice soft and muffled. “We… haven’t reached that point yet…”

Cheng Xiaoxin: “You’ll definitely reach that point eventually.”

Xu Zhizhi: “…”

Cheng Xiaoxin spoke seriously and sternly: “I might not always be by your side later. The art troupe’s intense training will keep me very busy. I just know you’d be too embarrassed to buy these alone. It’s okay, I’ll buy them with you.”

Xu Zhizhi attempted to explain: “I…”

Cheng Xiaoxin insisted firmly: “Xu Zhizhi, girls must learn to protect themselves.”

“I’m not saying Zhou Xuci is bad. I just think you can love him with all your might, but you must always maintain awareness to protect yourself,” Cheng Xiaoxin explained.

Seeing Cheng Xiaoxin’s serious expression, Xu Zhizhi felt like crying again. “Xinxin, I know.”

In the end, Xu Zhizhi randomly grabbed a few boxes and guiltily stuffed them into the shopping cart.

Cheng Xiaoxin patted Xu Zhizhi’s head contentedly. “Happy birthday, my Zhizhi.”

“Thank you, my Xinxin.”

After finishing their shopping, Cheng Xiaoxin sent Xu Zhizhi back to her small apartment.

Once she dropped her off, she left.

She was returning Xu Zhizhi to Zhou Xuci.

As Xu Zhizhi pushed open the door, the first thing that caught her eye was a balloon shaped like a macaron.

Her small apartment had been transformed into a romantic castle.

Zhou Xuci stood beneath the balloon, his gaze filled with deep affection as he stared intently at Xu Zhizhi.

He was dressed in the familiar blue-and-white school uniform.

She had encountered the eighteen-year-old Zhou Xuci.

…