Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 101

The blue-and-white school uniform of Nancheng No. 1 High School was notoriously ugly, baggy and unflattering.

But when worn by Zhou Xuci, it looked clean and handsome, radiating a fresh, youthful energy.

He was a natural clothes hanger with excellent proportions, and the uniform made him appear transcendent.

Absolutely stunning.

So, it turns out ugliness really has nothing to do with the clothes!

Xu Zhizhi stood in place, watching Zhou Xuci dressed as his eighteen-year-old self walk toward her.

Zhou Xuci stopped before her, formally introduced himself, and extended his hand. “Hello, classmate. I’m Zhou Xuci, from Class 1, Grade 12.”

He had regretted it countless times, regretted not being braver back then, regretted not barging into her world sooner.

Xu Zhizhi smiled brightly, the little dimples at the corners of her mouth deepening, and shook Zhou Xuci’s hand, saying obediently, “Hello, senior. I’m Xu Zhizhi, from Class 7, Grade 10.”

“You’re really pretty, junior,” Zhou Xuci said affectionately. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Xu Zhizhi narrowed her sparkling eyes and shook her head quickly. “No.”

Zhou Xuci frowned, feigning disappointment. “Why not?”

Xu Zhizhi took two steps forward, closing the distance between them until they were almost touching. She placed a hand on his chest, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, “Senior, puppy love isn’t allowed, you know.”

Zhou Xuci instinctively reached out to steady her waist, pulling her into his embrace as he gazed at her with a gentle smile.

“If the dean finds out, you’ll lose your scholarship!” Xu Zhizhi whispered.

Meeting Zhou Xuci’s tender gaze, Xu Zhizhi felt utterly captivated. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “But…”

“But what?”

“You’re just too handsome,” Xu Zhizhi declared decisively. “I regret it now. I should’ve liked you sooner, so I could’ve tricked you into secretly dating me.”

Zhou Xuci stroked her hair. “What about your scholarship?”

“I don’t want it,” Xu Zhizhi said, encircling his waist with her arms and nestling into his chest like a kitten. “Beauty clouds judgment, I choose you.”

Her words were as sweet as honey.

“Why did you suddenly decide to wear the school uniform?” Xu Zhizhi asked.

“I wanted you to see me at eighteen,” Zhou Xuci replied, cupping her face and gently tracing her brows with his fingertips. “Baby, I regret not being there for you during those three most vibrant years of your youth.”

During your most rebellious phase, you were tamed into an obedient, docile girl, stripped of all your claws.

Xu Zhizhi shook her head, her eyes filled with nothing but his reflection. “But I think enduring those long, dark nights was worth it, because I found you at the break of dawn.”

Zhou Xuci leaned down and gently kissed the dimple at the corner of her mouth. “Go change into your uniform too and wear it with me, okay?”

“But my uniform is still at the Shen family’s house,” Xu Zhizhi said, a bit frustrated.

She had left all her old belongings at the Shen residence.

She didn’t plan on retrieving the unimportant ones.

Zhou Xuci pointed to a gift box on the table. “I prepared one for you.”

Xu Zhizhi agreed.

After changing, she stepped out to find the apartment lights turned off, plunging the room into darkness.

Only a single candle was lit.

Zhou Xuci walked toward her step by step, holding a cake.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

Tears glistened in Xu Zhizhi’s eyes as she looked at Zhou Xuci through the warm glow of the candlelight, her smile radiant. “Thank you, brother.”

“What’s your nineteenth birthday wish?” Zhou Xuci asked.

“You can’t say it out loud, or it won’t come true,” Xu Zhizhi replied.

“You can tell me,” Zhou Xuci said with a smile in his eyes.

Xu Zhizhi paused, then said sincerely, “I hope that everyone I love and everyone who loves me stays safe and healthy, and that we never have to say goodbye.”

Zhou Xuci’s smile deepened. “All of this will come true, just as you wish.”

Xu Zhizhi laughed and blew out the candles.

Before they could even cut the cake, Xu Zhizhi noticed the sofa was covered with gift boxes of all sizes.

She counted them, nineteen in total.

Xu Zhizhi looked at Zhou Xuci, her eyes brimming with tears.

He adored her, dedicating himself to giving her all the romance she deserved.

Zhou Xuci gently wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye with his fingertip. “You’re nineteen now, so of course, you get nineteen gifts.”

“I want to make up for all the birthdays I missed before.”

“And I’ll be with you for every birthday from now on.”

Zhou Xuci led Xu Zhizhi to sit on the rug beside the sofa and handed her the first gift.

One by one, Xu Zhizhi opened the gift boxes, each containing a meaningful present.

For her first birthday, it was a custom-made longevity lock engraved with her name.

For her fifth, a small princess crown, he wanted to dress her up like a princess.

For her eighth, a fluffy teddy bear, because she needed something to hold while sleeping when she felt insecure.

For her tenth, a collector’s edition oil painting sketchbook, he wanted to enrich her childhood with art.

For her fourteenth, a beautiful pearl hair clip, trendy that year and loved by all the girls.

For her sixteenth, an exquisite diary to capture the tender emotions of her teenage years.

For her eighteenth birthday, her coming-of-age ceremony, the gift box was large and heavy.

As she struggled to open it, Xu Zhizhi glanced at Zhou Xuci. “This box is especially heavy. What’s inside?”

Zhou Xuci smiled. “Open it and see.”

When Xu Zhizhi opened it, she found multiple boxes inside.

The first contained an evening gown, for her coming-of-age ceremony, he wanted her to look beautiful.

The second was a bouquet of flowers, a must for such an occasion.

The third was a camera to capture the moment she officially became an adult.

The fourth was a photograph of her at her coming-of-age ceremony, taken from the side.

The fifth was a heartfelt message:

My dear Zhizhi, congratulations on turning eighteen and stepping into a new chapter of your life. On this journey, I wish you a path filled with blossoms, safety, and smooth sailing. Always remember, you are the best in the world.

Xu Zhizhi wiped her tears and playfully punched Zhou Xuci’s shoulder. “You’re trying to make me cry on purpose.”

Wearing her blue-and-white school uniform, she was instantly transported back to her high school coming-of-age ceremony.

The school had been buzzing with excitement that day, but Xu Zhizhi had felt alone.

Cheng Xiaoxin had been sick with a fever and couldn’t attend, leaving Xu Zhizhi to face the ceremony by herself.

Shy and socially anxious, she had hidden in a corner, sketching the lively scene of the school celebration.

All around her, classmates laughed and cheered, running excitedly across the playground, shouting joyfully to the sky, celebrating their transition into adulthood.

They wore elegant dresses, held bouquets of flowers, and enthusiastically took photos to commemorate the moment.

Xu Zhizhi wasn’t wearing an evening gown, but had on her school uniform, quietly hiding in a corner.

The whole world was cheering, yet she remained silent.

Picking up the photo from the box, Xu Zhizhi stared at Zhou Xuci in astonishment and murmured softly, “Is this… me in my senior year of high school?”

…