Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 36

When Zhou Xuci woke up, his mind was completely foggy.

His fever had broken.

But his throat felt as if it were on fire.

As he regained his senses, he realized he was in Xu Zhizhi’s bedroom.

The room was small but decorated in a warm, minimalist cream aesthetic.

Despite financial constraints, Xu Zhizhi still loved life, carrying a natural romantic artistry in her bones.

Her taste was refined, her understanding of life profound.

Xu Zhizhi struggled with poor sleep, so the room was lightly scented with a soothing fragrance meant to aid rest.

A half-meter-tall bear sat by the head of the bed, Xu Zhizhi lacked a sense of security and needed to hug it at night to sleep soundly.

The walls were adorned with oil paintings of varying sizes, their color palettes harmoniously unified. The morning sunlight streamed in through the slightly open window, casting warm hues that illuminated the paintings, the interplay of light and shadow creating a beauty that was just right.

Her colors were bright and warm, a stark contrast to the melancholic, shadowy tones of her past life.

Xu Zhizhi was becoming a better version of herself.

The girl he loved was striving to shine.

No longer was she the person who once revolved entirely around Shen Yu, devoid of her own identity.

Zhou Xuci pushed open the bedroom door and stepped out, just in time to see Xu Zhizhi walk in carrying breakfast.

“Good morning, Senior. How are you feeling-”

Before she could finish, Zhou Xuci, barefoot, strode over and pulled her into a tight embrace.

He had tested the boundaries countless times.

Now, he had crossed them completely.

His emotions had long overflowed, and the restraint of reason crumbled in this moment.

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Xu Zhizhi froze in place, her forehead pressed against the crook of Zhou Xuci’s neck, acutely aware of his warmth.

“Did the fever make you delirious again?” she murmured softly.

That brief moment of transgression brought absolute clarity. Zhou Xuci knew he should let go, but he couldn’t bring himself to. His arms tightened around her waist as he mumbled vaguely, “Yeah, I don’t feel well.”

His throat was inflamed, deepening his voice.

His act of feigning illness was quite convincing.

“Where does it hurt?” Flustered, Xu Zhizhi set the steaming breakfast down by the entryway and struggled to reach up and touch Zhou Xuci’s forehead.

Zhou Xuci loosened his hold and obediently lowered his head in front of her. “Headache, sore throat, backache, everything hurts.”

He made it sound serious.

“No fever, though.” Xu Zhizhi studied his pale face. “It must be a bad cold.”

“Yeah.”

Xu Zhizhi looked at him with confusion, unable to hide her thoughts. “If there’s no fever, why are you acting so out of it?”

She assumed he had hugged her because the illness had muddled his mind.

Zhou Xuci blinked innocently, opting not to answer the question he couldn’t explain. Dragging his slightly heavy steps, he retreated to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

The picture of a man clearly unwell.

Xu Zhizhi placed the breakfast on the dining table and continued texting Lu Huaibei for help,

[Mr. Lu, Senior is really sick. Could you come pick him up, if it’s not too much trouble?]

Lu Huaibei replied swiftly,

[Extremely inconvenient.]

[He has hands and feet, let him crawl back on his own.]

[Also, we’re not actually that close.]

“…” Xu Zhizhi was dumbfounded, staring at the fragile state of their brotherly bond.

She even wondered if there was some kind of wealthy family inheritance feud between them that had eroded their kinship.

The night before, when Zhou Xuci fell ill, Xu Zhizhi had already informed Lu Huaibei.

But after confirming that Zhou Xuci was just running a fever, Lu Huaibei truly left him to fend for himself…

This brotherly bond was indeed a bit superficial.

Just as Xu Zhizhi was about to contact Old Master Lu, Zhou Xuci spoke up, “What’s wrong?”

With a sympathetic gaze, she cautiously asked, “How’s your relationship with Mr. Lu?”

Zhou Xuci placed the steaming breakfast in front of Xu Zhizhi. “Did he say something to you?”

“Nothing much,” Xu Zhizhi hesitated. “It’s just… Mr. Lu told you to crawl back on your own.”

Zhou Xuci nearly burst out laughing and muttered under his breath, “That bastard.”

Xu Zhizhi lowered her head and focused on eating her baozi.

After confirming, she figured they must be a pair of bickering soulmates.

From dawn till afternoon, Zhou Xuci spent the entire day resting in Xu Zhizhi’s little home, curled up on the sofa while watching her paint on the small balcony.

The evening sun cast a gentle glow over Xu Zhizhi as she held a palette in one hand and a brush in the other, completely absorbed in her work.

Zhou Xuci guessed she was painting the sunset.

He was wrong.

Xu Zhizhi was painting Zhou Xuci, stroke by stroke, embedding him into her artwork.

And slowly, into her heart.

She had always remained utterly rational, never expecting to fall for someone… but he was Zhou Xuci.

Zhou Xuci’s proportions were simply too perfect, a free model.

No reason not to paint him.

Suddenly, it occurred to her, with Zhou Xuci’s impeccable bone structure, if she were to paint him nude, it would surely be… No, that would be a whole different price range!

A drop of paint landed on her hand, snapping Xu Zhizhi back to reality. Realizing where her thoughts had wandered, her face flushed red.

Zhou Xuci pulled out a sketchbook from the coffee table and glanced over, curiosity in his eyes. “Why’s your face red, junior?”

Flustered, Xu Zhizhi squeezed more paint onto her palette and blurted out an excuse, “It’s just… the sun’s too strong.”

Zhou Xuci withdrew his gaze, a smile playing at his lips, as he leisurely flipped through the sketchbook, patiently accompanying Xu Zhizhi through the peaceful hours.

He cherished these quiet moments of companionship.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Xu Zhizhi finally set down her brush.

“Finished?”

“Mm.”

Xu Zhizhi carefully hid her latest painting, keeping it from Zhou Xuci’s sight.

“What did you paint?” Zhou Xuci asked curiously, stepping closer.

Xu Zhizhi blocked his path and said seriously, “My little secret. You can’t see it.”

Zhou Xuci respected boundaries effortlessly. “Alright, I won’t look.”

He was always like this: considerate, gentle, and respectful.

It was really hard not to fall for him.

Zhou Xuci asked, “Hungry?”

Painting was quite draining.

“Mm.” Xu Zhizhi nodded, then boldly crossed a line. “Zhou Xuci, treat me to dinner. I want beef hotpot and a large boba milk tea.”

She made her demands without restraint.

“What did you call me?” Zhou Xuci looked at her with amusement.

Their relationship had inched closer.

Xu Zhizhi enunciated slowly, her voice soft, repeating, “Zhou. Xu. Ci.”

Zhou Xuci, a head taller than her, leaned down slightly, suddenly closing the distance. Meeting her delicate features, his low voice laced with laughter, he murmured, “Zhizhi, call me ‘gege’? Hmm?”

Xu Zhizhi met Zhou Xuci’s deep, dark eyes. The proximity was too close, their gazes tangled, breaths mingled. It felt dangerous.

She took a step back, maintaining a safe distance, and glared at him, refusing to fall for his trick. “Fine, if you won’t treat me, then don’t. All that effort taking care of you all night for nothing.”

Xu Zhizhi walked away, muttering under her breath, “Hmph, ungrateful jerk.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll treat you,” Zhou Xuci quickly caught up to her.

Just before stepping out, Xu Zhizhi received a peculiar text notification.

It was a bank alert, a deposit had been made into her account.

Income: 1,000,000 yuan.

Transferred by Shen Yu.

He had actually bought her painting.

Xu Zhizhi stuffed her phone back into her pocket, feeling nothing but disdain for such childish games.

So damn boring.

…