Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 4

After finishing her part-time job, Xu Zhizhi pushed the door open and walked out, spotting a driver in a black suit waiting for her at the intersection from afar.

It was Shen Yaoxin’s driver.

Shen Yaoxin was Shen Yu’s father.

“Miss, Mr. Shen would like to see you,” the driver gestured politely, inviting Xu Zhizhi into the car.

Xu Zhizhi walked over and got into a black Maybach.

“Hello, Uncle Shen,” Xu Zhizhi greeted Shen Yaoxin.

“Zhizhi, it’s been so long since I last saw you. I’ve missed you. I happened to be on a business trip, so I thought I’d drop by to see you,” Shen Yaoxin smiled warmly at her, immediately inquiring about her life at school. “Have you adjusted to the weather up north? Are you eating and dressing well enough? If you ever face any difficulties, you must tell me.”

Xu Zhizhi replied politely, “I’m doing fine. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Shen.”

“Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Zhizhi has grown up so much,” Shen Yaoxin took out an envelope and pressed it into Xu Zhizhi’s hand. “Your studies are already so demanding, working part-time must be exhausting. Why don’t you quit? A young lady like you should be taken care of with more refinement.”

Inside the envelope was a bank card.

Living expenses.

For many years, Uncle Shen had been supporting Xu Zhizhi.

He was the only one in the Shen family who treated her with genuine kindness.

Her painting skills were taught stroke by stroke by Uncle Shen, who nurtured her talent meticulously, sparing no expense.

For someone as ordinary as her, learning to paint was an extravagant luxury.

But Uncle Shen couldn’t bear to waste her gift and firmly pushed her to major in fine arts.

Xu Zhizhi pressed the envelope back into Shen Yaoxin’s hand, her eyes reddening. “Uncle Shen, I’m an adult now. I have a full scholarship, and I have my part-time job. I… can support myself.”

She had finally grown up.

Struggling through the mud, she had grown up.

“Even if you’re an adult, Zhizhi, you’ll always be a child in my eyes,” Shen Yaoxin insisted on giving the money back to her. “Be good, Zhizhi. Don’t be polite with me.”

Be good.

The Shen family had spent ten years molding her into a meek and obedient girl.

Xu Zhizhi had always thought being a good girl was fine, obedient, gentle, and restrained.

But now, she no longer wanted to accept charity. She got out of the car, bowed deeply to Shen Yaoxin, and promised, “Uncle Shen, I will repay every penny I owe you. Thank you for your care and kindness.”

With that, Xu Zhizhi turned and walked away quickly, her eyes still red.

Uncle Shen had given her so much warmth.

But she could no longer accept his kindness as naturally as she once had.

For years, she had kept a habit of recording everything, secretly writing in her diary about her budding feelings for Shen Yu and meticulously listing every debt she owed the Shen family.

She never forgot what she owed them.

She had waited eagerly to grow up, just so she could stand on her own feet and repay every debt.

Shen Yaoxin adored Xu Zhizhi, believing she was gentle, sincere, and hardworking, exactly the kind of girl Shen Yu should marry. So even if he had to force it, he would make Shen Yu pursue her.

But he didn’t know that Xu Zhizhi no longer liked Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was a scoundrel, but he had a very, very good father.

…

Xu Zhizhi was like a busy little bee, constantly on the move. She no longer thought about Shen Yu, instead, she focused on how to become even better.

She owed so many debts. She had to work hard to repay them all as soon as possible!

Today, Xu Zhizhi went to the library to borrow books. As she stepped out, a sharp pain in her abdomen made her crouch in a corner.

It was after class, and the library was bustling with people.

Xu Zhizhi had gotten her period, a full week early.

The relentless stress of recent days had thrown her cycle into chaos.

To make matters worse, she was wearing a beige dress, now stained with blood at the back.

She leaned against the wall, too embarrassed to move.

Frantically, she sent messages to her dorm group chat for help, but Ling Shuang was off-campus tutoring, Song Jia was at a hometown gathering, and Cheng Xiaoxin was out for a family dinner.

With no one to turn to, she thought, It’ll be dark by six. Just half an hour more…

But the pain was unbearable.

Crouched in the corner, her face buried in her arms, her complexion grew paler by the second. Unable to endure it any longer, she braced herself against the wall, about to stand up.

“Classmate.”

A clear, gentle voice reached her.

Xu Zhizhi looked up and froze when she met Zhou Xuci’s gaze. Stuttering, she managed, “Zh-Zhou…”

“Zhou Xuci,” he supplied.

She took a step back, maintaining a polite distance, and greeted him awkwardly, “H-Hello, Senior.”

Zhou Xuci’s eyes lingered on her pale face, noticing the faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. Studying her delicate features, he asked softly, “Are you feeling unwell?”

She looked so… fragile.

Flustered, Xu Zhizhi shook her head, unsure how to explain. “No, I’m fine. I just-”

Sensing her discomfort, Zhou Xuci handed her his jacket. “Take this.”

She hesitated for a few seconds before slowly accepting it. Lowering her head, her ears flushed red as she murmured, “…Thank you, Senior.”

Zhou Xuci’s gaze darkened slightly as he studied her. “Do you need me to take you to the campus clinic?”

Even in her embarrassment, she still seemed so… soft.

“No, it’s nothing serious,” she replied.

After thanking him again, Xu Zhizhi tied the jacket around her waist and shuffled back to her dorm like a little turtle.

Passing by the north gate of the campus, she immediately recognized Shen Yu’s figure from behind.

He was embracing a girl under the dimly lit trees, kissing her passionately.

Rumor had it his new girlfriend was Zhang Shuqing, the famously sweet and beautiful star of the journalism department.

After the deep kiss, Zhang Shuqing shyly buried her face in Shen Yu’s chest, whispering, “Hubby…”

Shen Yu wrapped an arm around her waist, lowering his head to nip at her earlobe. “Baby, skip the dorm tonight, yeah?”

Zhang Shuqing didn’t answer, only giggled and hid her flushed face against him.

This was just how Shen Yu was, shamelessly flirting in public without a care.

Xu Zhizhi lowered her head and carefully walked past him, tuning out his sweet nothings.

She wasn’t upset anymore.

Just disappointed.

Clutching her aching stomach, she trudged back to her dorm, lost in thought the entire way.

So lost, in fact, that she didn’t notice Zhou Xuci following at a distance.

Standing on the path opposite the dormitory, his gaze lingered on Xu Zhizhi until she safely entered the building. Only then did he finally walk away.

Xu Zhizhi returned to her dorm and immediately took a hot shower, changing into a fresh set of pajamas.

Autumn in the north was beginning to turn cold, and since the heating hadn’t been turned on yet, the cold-sensitive Xu Zhizhi dug out a heat pack and stuck it to her abdomen for warmth.

Zhou Xuci’s jacket was draped over a chair. Xu Zhizhi picked it up, intending to wash it. Before doing so, she habitually checked the pockets.

Her fingers brushed against something inside, a piece of chocolate.

She lowered her gaze to the chocolate in her hand, slightly puzzled. She had heard that Zhou Xuci didn’t like sweets, so why would he carry chocolate around?

Without overthinking it, she set the chocolate aside and took the jacket to wash.

After finishing, Xu Zhizhi returned to her desk, pulling out the art appreciation book she had borrowed that day and began reading.

Suddenly, the dorm door swung open.

Cheng Xiaoxin walked in and placed a steaming cup of brown sugar ginger tea on Xu Zhizhi’s desk with a soft tap.

“Drink some brown sugar ginger tea during your period, it’ll make you feel better,” Cheng Xiaoxin said, leaning against the desk. Noticing Xu Zhizhi’s pale complexion, she reached out to touch her forehead. “You don’t look too good. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Xu Zhizhi shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Did you put on the heat pack?”

“I did.”

“Drink some ginger tea.”

“Mhm.”

“Before bed, soak your feet in hot water.”

“Okay.” Xu Zhizhi nodded obediently.

Then, Cheng Xiaoxin took the book from Xu Zhizhi’s hands. “Xu Zhizhi, time to rest. No pushing yourself to the point of hurting your health.”

Clutching the warm cup of ginger tea, Xu Zhizhi’s eyes reddened, tears welling up. “…Xiaoxin, thank you.”

Cheng Xiaoxin’s care for her was always this meticulous.

Seeing Xu Zhizhi’s teary eyes, Cheng Xiaoxin gently patted her head. “Still saying thank you to me?”

…