Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 33

The Lu family had a rose garden that bloomed all year round.

Old Master Lu was enthusiastically trying his hand at painting roses. After half an hour, he took a break and went to prune the roses instead.

The garden was meticulously maintained, all thanks to Old Master Lu’s year-round, tireless care.

Xu Zhizhi sat in front of her easel, dipping her brush into paint and slowly capturing the vibrant scenery around her: the azure sky, the radiant flowers, the lush green leaves, and the elderly man busily trimming the rose bushes.

A gentle breeze swept through the garden, rustling the blossoms.

Xu Zhizhi set down her brush, picked up a pair of scissors from the toolbox, and walked over to Old Master Lu to join him in tending to the flowers.

The old man’s pants were smudged with dirt, but he waved her off. “The ground is dirty, Zhizhi. You should go sit over there.”

Unfazed, Xu Zhizhi crouched beside him and deftly snipped away the withered branches, her movements quick and practiced, almost professional.

“Do you like gardening too?” Old Master Lu asked, surprise coloring his tone.

“Not exactly,” Xu Zhizhi replied with a soft, crescent-eyed smile. “I worked part-time at a flower shop for a while.”

She had secretly been hustling to earn money from a young age.

Though it was just a drop in the bucket, every little bit added up.

Old Master Lu looked at the slender girl with a pang of sympathy.

It seemed life hadn’t been kind to her in the Shen family.

Sensing his quiet gaze, Xu Zhizhi flashed him a reassuring smile. “I wanted to experience different facets of life, to temper myself through challenges and find better inspiration for my art.”

Old Master Lu’s expression warmed. “Those who love life are always blessed with good fortune.”

Xu Zhizhi leaned down to inhale the fragrance of a blooming rose nearby, her smile deepening. “I hope so.”

The afternoon sun illuminated her face, and the brilliance of her smile outshone even the most radiant roses in the garden.

Zhou Xuci stood inside the glass conservatory of the rose garden, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Zhizhi as she laughed and chatted among the flowers.

Her dimples deepened.

She belonged in moments like this, carefree and unrestrained in her joy.

Old Master Lu was in high spirits and kept Xu Zhizhi engaged in conversation until sunset, even generously gifting her a bouquet of freshly picked roses.

Xu Zhizhi had originally planned to head home, but the old man insisted she stay for dinner.

It was hard to refuse such earnest hospitality.

Most importantly, Xu Zhizhi couldn’t bear to disappoint the hopeful look in Old Master Lu’s eyes.

Somehow, she didn’t want to let his expectations go unmet.

As she observed the kind-hearted old man, Xu Zhizhi suddenly understood why Zhou Xuci was so well-mannered.

He must have grown up surrounded by love.

In his buoyant mood, Old Master Lu suddenly felt invigorated and declared he would cook dinner himself.

Lu Huaibei, worried his grandfather might overexert himself, stayed by his side the entire time, leaving Zhou Xuci to keep Xu Zhizhi company.

Before nightfall, Xu Zhizhi finished her oil painting of the rose garden.

As evening fell, the temperature dropped sharply, and the garden breeze carried a slight chill.

Suddenly, a blanket was draped over her shoulders.

Xu Zhizhi turned her head just as Zhou Xuci leaned down, and in that fleeting moment, her cheek brushed lightly against the tip of his nose.

Both froze.

Their eyes met.

Hearts skipped several beats in unison.

The ever-composed Zhou Xuci recovered first, straightening up and taking a step back. “Sorry.”

Xu Zhizhi’s ears-tinged pink as she adjusted the blanket. “Thank you, Senior.”

A faint smile tugged at Zhou Xuci’s lips. “Xu Zhizhi.”

He rarely called her by her full name.

Xu Zhizhi paused, “Hmm?”

Zhou Xuci sat down on the wooden steps to one side, lowering his gaze to look at her deeply. “You don’t always have to thank me.”

“It makes us seem like strangers.” Zhou Xuci seemed a little displeased.

“Does it?”

“It does.”

“But,” Xu Zhizhi looked at Zhou Xuci, her eyes bright, “I think we’re quite close.”

After a moment of thought, she added earnestly, “I mean, if you asked me for help, I would never refuse you, that kind of close.”

Zhou Xuci was instantly appeased, the corners of his lips curving upward. “Alright then, if you say we’re close, then we’re close.”

After Xu Zhizhi added the final touches to the petals, the painting was complete.

Zhou Xuci glanced at the bouquet of red roses placed beside the paints and suddenly asked, “How’s my grandfather’s attitude toward learning? He hasn’t been giving you a hard time, has he?”

Grandfather had a mischievous personality and loved playing pranks.

“Grandfather Lu is diligent and eager to learn, with a keen eye for art,” Xu Zhizhi said, turning her head to look at Zhou Xuci. “He’s very kind, he wouldn’t bully anyone.”

He’s as good as you.

No.

You’re just a little better than him.

“I really envy his way of life: tending flowers, painting, living freely and unrestrained,” Xu Zhizhi said.

His carefree spirit is a hundred years ahead of mine.

Seeing that Xu Zhizhi had finished painting, Zhou Xuci helped tidy up the art supplies, carrying the easel and canvas to the glass house in the garden.

When Xu Zhizhi entered, she noticed an antique-style piano placed inside the glass house.

It reminded her of Zhou Xuci’s stunning piano performance at the New Year’s Eve gala, which had left everyone in awe.

“The piano was my grandmother’s keepsake,” Zhou Xuci said as he walked over to it, lifting the lid and letting his fingers glide lightly over the black and white keys. “She was a pianist. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been sitting beside her as she practiced.”

Growing up in that environment, he naturally learned to play.

Xu Zhizhi approached, admiring the well-preserved piano. Though antique in style, it had been meticulously maintained. “Grandfather Lu must be a man of great sentiment.”

On top of the piano lay the most beautiful rose from the entire garden.

He had nurtured these roses with his own hands, only to gift them to his beloved.

“All these roses in the garden, he planted them for your grandmother, didn’t he?” Xu Zhizhi asked.

Zhou Xuci nodded. “Originally, it was Grandmother who planted them. After she passed, Grandfather became the gardener. The flowers have bloomed season after season, but the one who loved roses the most can no longer see them.”

Grandmother could no longer see them.

They say loving someone is like tending to flowers.

His beloved was gone.

So, he tended to the roses she loved most, a testament to his endless longing.

Xu Zhizhi’s eyes grew slightly red as she pictured Grandfather Lu’s cheerful demeanor.

Every time he pruned the flowers, he must have been grieving.

Yet, despite their preciousness, Grandfather had given her an entire bouquet.

Those flowers carried a love so profound.

Sensing Zhou Xuci’s sorrow, Xu Zhizhi stepped closer to him and mustered the courage to ask, “Senior, could you play something for me?”

Zhou Xuci snapped out of his thoughts, meeting her expectant gaze. “Zhizhi, I’ll play for you.”

Only for you.

He called her Zhizhi.

Beautiful notes flowed gently from the old piano, the melody graceful, carrying a hint of romance.

Xu Zhizhi stood nearby, watching Zhou Xuci’s face as light and shadow danced across it.

Dappled sunlight fell upon his shoulders.

Xu Zhizhi recalled the rain that had fallen on his shoulders in her past life, and now the snow that dusted them in this one… The illusions overlapped, finally merging into the image of Zhou Xuci.

Unable to resist, she took a step forward.

Slowly drawing closer to him.

Zhou Xuci,

What should I do?

I think I might be starting to like you a little.

…