Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 20

The sky darkened as if splashed with thick ink.

After dinner, the two of them walked back to school together.

Xu Zhizhi held a vibrant bouquet of roses, her steps light and cheerful as she led the way.

Zhou Xuci followed silently behind her, matching her pace step by step.

Suddenly, the sound of conversation drifted from ahead. Xu Zhizhi faintly made out two unsteady figures approaching, likely drunk.

A cold wind carried the pungent smell of alcohol toward them, and Xu Zhizhi’s steps faltered.

Having once narrowly escaped assault by a drunkard, she now had a bit of PTSD.

Panicked, she took a step back, only to slip on a patch of ice.

Stumbling, she lost her balance.

Zhou Xuci reacted swiftly, reaching out to grip her arm and pulling her back, steadying her firmly.

In her fluster, Xu Zhizhi looked up and inadvertently met Zhou Xuci’s deep, focused gaze.

They stood incredibly close, eyes locked, breaths mingling.

The cold wind blew past, and Xu Zhizhi could clearly catch the refreshing scent that clung to Zhou Xuci.

His eyes were his most captivating feature, gentle yet brimming with tenderness.

Even though his gaze was famously known across campus as “so intense it could make even a dog blush,” Xu Zhizhi couldn’t help but feel her ears burn.

Thump.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, snapping her back to reality. She hastily averted her eyes. “Th-thank you.”

Then came a teasing whistle.

Zhou Xuci shielded Xu Zhizhi behind him, his icy glare fixed on the troublemaking drunk.

Xu Zhizhi looked up, her line of sight landing on Zhou Xuci’s shoulder.

He stood with his back to the light, blocking the biting wind for her.

One of the two men was clearly drunk, while the other seemed sober.

Judging by their age, they were college students.

The drunk one was obviously out of it, his eyes glazed over the moment he saw Xu Zhizhi. “Damn, this girl looks sweet and cute. Wanna be my-”

Before he could finish, the sober one yanked him back by the collar, cursing, “Fuck’s sake, shut the hell up! If you don’t, I’ll strip your pants off and put them on your head right now!”

After the outburst, he immediately switched to a polite tone, hurriedly explaining to Zhou Xuci, “Sorry about that. My buddy just got cheated on today, he’s not in a great mood.”

With that, he hauled his heartbroken friend away.

The jilted one, however, refused to give up, blowing a kiss at Xu Zhizhi. “Out with the old, in with the new. Hey, cutie, let’s be friends?”

“Give it up, man. She’s got a boyfriend.”

“So what? I’ve got a shovel, I can dig in. Besides, one boyfriend isn’t enough for a girl this pretty. She could totally handle two, time management skills, you know?”

“Jesus, where’s your morality? Your dignity? Your humanity? Don’t make me slap you in public! Let’s go, her boyfriend looks scary as hell. Not someone to mess with!”

Their voices faded into the distance until they disappeared completely, leaving Xu Zhizhi and Zhou Xuci staring awkwardly at each other.

Xu Zhizhi felt a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, whether from the cold wind or shyness, she couldn’t tell.

Really.

The way he kept calling her “girlfriend” with every sentence sent her heart into disarray.

Not daring to look at Zhou Xuci, Xu Zhizhi could only lower her head and gaze at the blooming roses in her arms.

Unable to resist, Zhou Xuci reached out and gently smoothed Xu Zhizhi’s hair, tousled by the cold wind.

He had crossed a line.

But he couldn’t help it.

Xu Zhizhi paused, not daring to meet Zhou Xuci’s eyes, then stepped forward. “Senior, let’s go.”

“Alright.” Zhou Xuci followed.

With each step he took closer to her, their relationship underwent an incredibly subtle change.

In the past, after enduring Shen Yu’s cold indifference, Xu Zhizhi had grown accustomed to curling up like a little hedgehog, hiding carefully, ready to bare her spines at the slightest provocation.

But now, Xu Zhizhi no longer kept such a distance. She had even started talking more.

“Zhou Xuci.” Xu Zhizhi suddenly turned to look at the person behind her.

Her voice was soft, and the way she called his name sounded particularly sweet.

“Hmm?” Zhou Xuci’s lips curled slightly.

Every word she spoke, he responded.

“Actually, I’ve known you for a long time.”

“How did we meet?”

“One-sidedly.” Xu Zhizhi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “Because I also went to Nancheng No. 1 High School.”

When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and a cute little dimple appeared at the corner of her lips.

She looked absolutely stunning.

Zhou Xuci’s gaze softened with tenderness as he feigned surprise. “Really? What a coincidence.”

Xu Zhizhi nodded eagerly. “Yeah, but we were in different campuses. Even though we were in different campuses, your glorious achievements spread throughout the entire school. On our school’s bulletin board, your photo was even bigger than the principal’s.”

Zhou Xuci was the undefeated legend of Nancheng No. 1 High School, having set the highest admission score.

The school’s legends about him had been circulating for years.

The school’s honor roll still displayed Zhou Xuci’s achievements, he was everyone’s pride.

Xu Zhizhi was also outstanding, but under such brilliance, she seemed slightly more ordinary in comparison.

Zhou Xuci lowered his head, the warmth in his eyes unshakable, and murmured, “So you noticed me that early, huh?”

Xu Zhizhi studied Zhou Xuci seriously and said in all earnestness, “Not just people, even passing dogs would stop at the bulletin board and bark twice, marveling at how amazing you were.”

She had always known of Zhou Xuci’s existence, but back then, all her attention had been on Shen Yu.

She had liked Shen Yu wholeheartedly.

“I…” Zhou Xuci frowned slightly, looking at Xu Zhizhi like a big dog begging for a bone. “In your eyes, am I only outstanding?”

Xu Zhizhi quickly shook her head. “No, no, no.”

“Then what else?” Zhou Xuci pressed.

Xu Zhizhi counted on her fingers. “The heartthrob of Jing University, the face of the computer science department, gentle and polite, well-mannered and considerate, kind-hearted, always willing to help…”

She lifted her delicate face, her eyes sparkling like stars scattered across the sky. “Zhou Xuci, I think you’re an absolutely wonderful person.”

Someone like you,

what kind of extraordinary girl would be worthy of you?

The person you like must be so lucky.

“I have flaws too.” Zhou Xuci’s gaze lingered on Xu Zhizhi’s face, tinged with a hint of sorrow. “I’m indecisive, not assertive enough, lack full confidence, and don’t act swiftly enough.”

If he had been more decisive in his past life, he wouldn’t have let Xu Zhizhi suffer in silence for eight long years.

Xu Zhizhi stopped in her tracks, looking at Zhou Xuci, whose expression had turned somewhat desolate, momentarily at a loss for words to comfort him.

“And also,” Zhou Xuci offered Xu Zhizhi a faint, helpless smile, murmuring, “I don’t know how to express affection.”

I don’t dare get too close to you.

I’m afraid my abruptness might scare you away.

The cold wind fluttered the hem of Zhou Xuci’s British-style coat as he stood beneath the streetlamp. The light enveloped him, yet he appeared lonely and forlorn.

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