Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 40

“Shen Yu! Let go of me!”

Suddenly being embraced, Xu Zhizhi felt uncomfortable and at a loss. Her nostrils were filled with a strange mix of scents: alcohol, cigarettes, perfume… It was almost enough to make her gag.

She struggled with all her might, but Shen Yu, being an athlete, was strong and held her tightly in his arms.

Shen Yu, clearly drunk beyond reason, growled in a rough voice, “Xu Zhizhi, you like me. It’s always been me, can only be me, and will forever be me.”

Crushed by his embrace, Xu Zhizhi tried to pry his hands apart but failed. “Shen Yu, even madness has its limits. You-”

Shen Yu cut her off, burying his face in her shoulder and whining almost childishly, “I don’t like your cold expression. Change it for me. I don’t like it, not one bit.”

The once-proud young master had finally bowed his head.

“Shen Yu, I’m not some mass-produced girlfriend of yours,” Xu Zhizhi said numbly, her heart hollow. “Your tricks don’t work on me.”

She had fantasized countless times about the day the lofty Young Master Shen would lower his head to her.

But now that it had come, she felt no joy, only as though a heavy shackle had clamped tightly around her.

“No, you do like me,” Shen Yu slurred, his drunkenness making him pitiful. “Do you know how hard I’ve tried? I’ve never worked so hard before, trying to stop myself from thinking about you. But I can’t! Xu Zhizhi, I can’t! I’ve come to you again and again, so why do you ignore me? What do you want from me?”

“I’ve gone through girlfriend after girlfriend, thinking it would numb me, make me forget you. But the moment I sober up, I go mad missing you.”

“Xu Zhizhi, you’ve won. You must be so pleased, right? I’ve lost to you, utterly and completely.” He let out a self-mocking laugh. “I’ve lost to you, in every way possible.”

Xu Zhizhi found it laughable. “There was never any bet between us. We’re not the same kind of people. You walk your broad, sunny road, and I’ll cross my narrow, single-plank bridge. Now let go.”

“No!” Shen Yu’s rationality nearly snapped at her words. “What right do you have not to like me? You can’t! You were raised by the Shen family! To put it bluntly, you’re nothing but a child bride raised for me!”

“Xu Zhizhi, do you hear me?”

“You’re nothing but a mad dog.”

Shen Yu released her, only to grip her wrist and yank her close, glaring into her eyes. “Mad? Yes, I am mad. Only a madman would be stupid enough to love you.”

Xu Zhizhi stared at him, his face growing unfamiliar in her eyes. She scrutinized those once-beloved features again and again.

For eight whole years, she had loved him.

But what had she loved about him?

“Please, don’t look at me like that,” Shen Yu begged, tears welling in his eyes, his voice softening.

“Zhizhi.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Do you want me to kneel and bow before you?”

Xu Zhizhi yanked her arm, trying to break free, but couldn’t. She let out a cold laugh. “Do you smell that perfume on you?”

“It’s a woman’s scent, isn’t it?”

“Even that overpowering stench of alcohol can’t hide it.”

Shen Yu’s expression instantly turned panicked. He shook his head at Xu Zhizhi and began to explain, “I just-”

Without giving him a chance to finish, Xu Zhizhi spoke sharply, her words cutting deep, “Shen Yu, I don’t like things that are dirty.”

Shen Yu froze, stunned where he stood.

Xu Zhizhi looked up at the person who had once haunted her dreams and felt a pang of sorrow. Coldly, she said, “Sorry, but I think you’re filthy. Really filthy.”

With that, she took advantage of Shen Yu’s dazed state, forcefully shook off his hand, and strode forward.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yu rushed after her again, grabbing both of her hands and pulling her back.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?” Shen Yu’s eyes were red with anger as he gritted his teeth and demanded, “You think I’m dirty? That’s rich. What about my jacket that you secretly kept and slept with? Why didn’t you find that dirty then?”

“Xu Zhizhi, have you forgotten those three years when you shamelessly clung to me? Now you think I’m dirty? Fine, I’ll show you just how dirty I can be!”

Shen Yu grabbed the back of her head, his movements frantic as he tried to kiss her.

A sharp slap rang out.

Xu Zhizhi raised her hand and delivered a crisp, resounding slap across Shen Yu’s face.

“Had enough of your tantrum?” Xu Zhizhi trembled with anger, her eyes red-rimmed. “If you’re done, then get lost back to your harem of women!”

The slap seemed to snap Shen Yu out of his frenzy, and he stared at her in shock.

“Zhizhi…”

Xu Zhizhi lifted her gaze to the boundless sky, tears welling in her eyes.

At that moment, fireworks erupted somewhere in the distance, bursting into brilliant colors across the night sky.

It was midnight.

The new year had arrived.

A brand-new year for Xu Zhizhi had begun.

She wiped the dampness from the corners of her eyes, then suddenly paused when she spotted Zhou Xuci standing across the street.

The evening breeze lifted the hem of Zhou Xuci’s coat as he stood there, his gaze fixed on Xu Zhizhi’s reddened eyes. His heart ached as if carved by a knife, a dull, throbbing pain.

“Xu Zhizhi!” Shen Yu called out.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhizhi lifted her chin proudly and, under the dazzling fireworks, walked toward Zhou Xuci, who stood waiting in the night breeze.

The New Year’s fireworks continued unabated.

They walked for a full half-hour without exchanging a single word.

Xu Zhizhi suddenly stopped beneath a streetlamp, lowering her head to stare at her own shadow.

“Zhou Xuci, you saw everything, didn’t you?”

Zhou Xuci didn’t respond, silently confirming it.

Xu Zhizhi felt even more aggrieved. “I must have looked pathetic.”

“Don’t look at me, okay…”

Her voice trembled with unshed tears.

Her pride lay shattered at her feet, and she wanted to gather the pieces alone.

Sensing her fragility, Zhou Xuci opened his arms, wanting to embrace her.

Xu Zhizhi raised a hand to push him away, refusing to let him near.

Zhou Xuci, ever mindful of boundaries, knew he had overstepped and took a step back.

He maintained a distance that made her feel comfortable.

Nearby, a group of teenagers who had just finished setting off fireworks walked past, laughing and chatting.

Zhou Xuci shifted slightly, shielding Xu Zhizhi from view, hiding her embarrassment and vulnerability.

Xu Zhizhi’s eyes were red, her nose tingling with unshed tears as she whispered, “He hugged me, and now I smell like him.”

With that, she took off her coat and draped it carelessly over a nearby bench.

Dressed only in a thin blouse, she shivered slightly in the night breeze. Tentatively, she opened her arms, her voice choked with tears.

“Zhou Xuci.”

“Hold me.”

Zhou Xuci opened his arms and gently embraced Xu Zhizhi, cradling the back of her head as he tenderly stroked her hair.

“If you’re sad, just cry it out,” he murmured soothingly. “Zhizhi, I’m here.”

…