Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 3

During military training, the college students endured grueling drills under the scorching sun, drenched in sweat, with many even succumbing to heatstroke.

Yet no matter how blistering the weather, Zhou Xuci would always appear punctually under the shade of the trees by the training ground.

He became the most dazzling sight in the military camp.

Ling Shuang and Song Jia were Zhou Xuci’s die-hard fans, chattering about him nonstop during breaks.

They said Zhou Xuci was an unattainable flower on a high peak, a proud son of heaven, gentle and restrained, cultured and polite, yet with an unmistakable air of detachment.

Rumor had it that he was incredibly hard to pursue.

The line of his admirers could circle the entire campus three times, yet no one had ever succeeded.

Xu Zhizhi sat between them, munching on metaphorical popcorn as she listened to their discussions. Occasionally, her gaze would involuntarily drift toward Zhou Xuci beneath the distant trees.

A curious scrutiny.

“Zhizhi, aren’t you from Nancheng too?” Ling Shuang suddenly caught onto a key point.

Xu Zhizhi nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you also go to Nancheng No. 1 High?” Song Jia’s eyes lit up.

Xu Zhizhi nodded again. “Yeah.”

Ling Shuang nearly squealed. “Then you and Zhou Xuci were schoolmates! He’s a top student, and so are you, you must know him, right?”

“Nope.” Xu Zhizhi shrugged. “We were in different campuses. I was in the second campus, and he was two grades above me in the first.”

Though they were in separate campuses, exam rankings were consolidated across both.

Xu Zhizhi and Zhou Xuci had once shared the honor roll of Nancheng No. 1 High.

Zhou Xuci was the top student in his senior year.

Xu Zhizhi was the top student in her freshman year.

They had met on that list.

But in reality, they had never crossed paths.

A sharp command from the drill instructor cut all discussions short. Xu Zhizhi downed half a bottle of glucose solution before resuming training.

…

“Zhou Xuci!”

A loud shout came from afar.

Fang Cheng jogged over, panting as he stopped under the shade. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he asked, “It’s hot enough to fry an egg out here, people are practically melting. Why do you keep coming to this spot?”

The lab was a twenty-minute walk from the sports field!

“What’s the deal?” Fang Cheng teased with a smirk. “Don’t tell me you’ve got your eye on some charming freshman?”

Zhou Xuci, seated under the tree, glanced up at his sweaty friend and replied lazily, “Yeah.”

Fang Cheng froze for two seconds before scoffing. “Yeah, right. ‘The wise don’t fall in love; the lone wolf masters and doctors.’”

They were close roommates.

Fang Cheng rolled his eyes, half-exasperated. “Honestly, I’d sooner believe in iron trees blooming, stainless steel rusting, or me winning a billion-dollar lottery tomorrow than believe you’d suddenly have a change of heart!”

Zhou Xuci didn’t argue, merely quirking a faint smile before lowering his head, his focus returning to the code on his screen. “What do you want?”

“The esports club’s recruiting. As the overworked president, I’m formally inviting you, the actual vice president, to join the event.”

“Time and place?”

“Next Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Direct online PK matches: skill and technique only.”

Zhou Xuci noted it down. “Got it.”

Fang Cheng pulled a thick stack of application forms from his backpack and dumped them into Zhou Xuci’s lap. “Over a thousand applicants, eighty percent here for you. Do the first round of screening.”

Back then, it was Fang Cheng who applied to establish the esports club.

He pestered Zhou Xuci relentlessly for an entire week before Zhou Xuci finally agreed to serve as the vice president.

With Zhou Xuci as the club’s face, the esports club became the most popular student organization in just two years, bar none!

Zhou Xuci was flipping through the sign-up forms when his movements suddenly paused. Slowly, he pulled out one particular form.

The handwriting was delicate, the strokes gentle.

Xu Zhizhi’s writing was exceptionally beautiful.

In the top-right corner was a small ID photo.

Xu Zhizhi was the soft, sweet type, delicate willow-leaf brows paired with eyes that curved into little crescents when she smiled, shimmering with light.

She was smiling at the camera.

When she smiled, sweet little dimples appeared at the corners of her lips.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Fang Cheng noticed Zhou Xuci’s pause and leaned over to look at the form in his hand. “Isn’t this Xu Zhizhi from the College of Arts?”

Zhou Xuci: “You know her?”

“Not personally.” Fang Cheng shrugged. “I’ve seen her on the campus forum.”

“Oh?”

“They say she’s Shen Yu’s lapdog, constantly fawning over him, no self-respect at all. The forum doesn’t think too highly of her.”

Zhou Xuci’s expression seemed to freeze for several seconds before he lowered his gaze and methodically tucked the stack of sign-up forms into his backpack.

…

After military training ended, Xu Zhizhi took up a part-time job at the campus café to support herself.

While she was busy with latte art, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

“One coffee, please.”

It was Shen Yu.

Xu Zhizhi’s hands stilled for a moment before she mechanically turned and walked to the cash register.

Shen Yu had just finished playing basketball, dressed in a red jersey, lazily holding the ball, exuding an air of arrogant confidence as he squinted at Xu Zhizhi, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

It had been over a month since the semester started, and aside from the first ten days, Xu Zhizhi hadn’t visited the sports college at all.

Shen Yu used to find Xu Zhizhi annoying, though she was pretty, she was obedient and docile, lacking any will of her own. There was nothing interesting about her.

He knew Xu Zhizhi liked him, but he looked down on her. Still, he enjoyed the way she fawned over him.

What Shen Yu couldn’t understand, though, was how his father could have been blind enough to take a liking to Xu Zhizhi!

Xu Zhizhi hadn’t expected to meet him like this. Keeping her expression neutral, she spoke politely, “Would you like normal ice? How much sugar?”

Shen Yu glanced down at her, impatience flickering in his eyes. “Who said you could work here?”

Xu Zhizhi lowered her head and stayed silent.

Her innate inferiority complex took over, having lived under someone else’s roof for so long, she didn’t even dare meet the gaze of those above her.

Shen Yu scoffed. “Making a spectacle of yourself. It’s embarrassing. People will think the Shen family can’t even afford to feed a useless person like you, forcing you to stoop to this.”

Xu Zhizhi pressed her lips together, mustering her courage. “I think being self-reliant isn’t shameful.”

She was the Shen family’s adopted daughter, having spent ten years living under their roof.

She had once grown up in a loving family, but after her parents passed away, she became an orphan and was taken in by the Shens.

“Xu Zhizhi, who gave you the right to talk back to me?” Shen Yu’s tone instantly turned haughty. “If it weren’t for my family raising you all these years, you would’ve-”

Humiliated, Xu Zhizhi cut him off. “Would you like normal ice in your coffee? How much sugar?”

Shen Yu noticed people in the cafe whispering about them. Not wanting to lose face, he continued arrogantly retorting, “Shouldn’t you know my preferences better than anyone?”

Xu Zhizhi had once studied all his likes and dislikes to pursue him, showering him with selfless affection.

Admittedly, he rather enjoyed such submissive devotion.

Xu Zhizhi lowered her gaze to the order screen, her heart feeling as heavy as if weighed down by a stone. “Regular ice and regular sugar, is that alright?”

Shen Yu stiffened, his eyes flashing with irritation. Impatiently, he snapped, “Xu Zhizhi, what new game are you playing?”

She looked up, meeting his gaze without flinching. “If you have no special requests, I’ll prepare your order as usual.”

She was obedient, yet beneath the surface lay a stubborn streak.

Once, that stubbornness had been directed solely at loving Shen Yu.

Now that she’d decided to stop, she was equally determined to extinguish any lingering feelings.

“What, changed tactics now that groveling got you nowhere?” Shen Yu sneered, convinced she was merely switching strategies. “Trying to provoke me now? Where’d you pick up such cheap tricks? A lapdog’s still a lapdog, stop pretending to be above it all.”

Xu Zhizhi studied his face, arrogant, rude, and utterly conceited.

This was the man she’d blindly adored for eight years.

How utterly unworthy.

Maintaining her polite service demeanor, she said, “Sir, if you’re not ordering, please-”

Before she could finish, Shen Yu cut her off through gritted teeth. “Xu Zhizhi, you’ve got nerve. Let’s see how long you can keep this act up!”

He was certain, within three days, she’d come crawling back to him, meek and apologetic.

Xu Zhizhi was speechless. “…” Had she been blind? She’d never realized he had such a vivid imagination.

…