Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 43

Right after the New Year, Xu Zhizhi returned to school early.

Dragging her luggage, she had just arrived at the university’s south gate when she spotted Zhou Xuci.

He had come specifically to pick her up.

The northern winter was still bitterly cold, the wind turning Xu Zhizhi’s cheeks red. Bundled in a thick scarf, she stood in the snow, watching Zhou Xuci approach step by step.

“Junior, what a coincidence,” Zhou Xuci feigned a chance encounter.

Xu Zhizhi decided not to call him out and played along earnestly, “Senior, why are you back earlier than me?”

Zhou Xuci couldn’t resist teasing her, “To run into you, of course.”

Xu Zhizhi shot him a glare and ignored him.

Zhou Xuci then explained seriously, his tone laced with resignation, “The lab project is pressing, so I had to come back early to slave away.”

His brows slightly furrowed, his eyes tinged with annoyance.

His acting skills were Oscar-worthy.

Xu Zhizhi gave a soft “Oh.”

She started walking forward with her suitcase, and Zhou Xuci naturally took it from her.

“The snow makes it hard to pull the luggage. Let me walk you back to your dorm,” he said.

Xu Zhizhi nodded in agreement.

The howling wind felt like sharp blades slicing across her face, the cold making her shiver uncontrollably.

“Walk behind me,” Zhou Xuci murmured, his gaze fixed on her. “I’ll block the wind for you.”

Xu Zhizhi lowered her head, half her face buried in the thick scarf, her eyes crinkling with an irrepressible smile. She nodded eagerly, “Okay, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

With that, she moved behind Zhou Xuci, staring slightly dazed at his shoulders as she followed him in small steps, becoming his little shadow.

Her heart fluttered for him just a little more.

From a distance, Xu Zhizhi looked like a tiny accessory trailing behind Zhou Xuci.

When they reached the dormitory entrance, the two stood facing each other, their eyes meeting, the atmosphere turning subtly ambiguous.

Their gazes lingered, seemingly brimming with endless affection.

“Junior, I carried your luggage for forty minutes,” Zhou Xuci bent slightly, leaning closer to her. “How are you going to thank me?”

Faced with his sudden proximity, Xu Zhizhi didn’t retreat. The narrowing distance only heightened the tension between them.

“How about,” Zhou Xuci immediately proposed, “you accompany me to a movie?”

Xu Zhizhi lifted her sparkling eyes, her smile bright and crescent-eyed. “Sure.”

The safe distance between them was gradually shrinking.

Pleased with her answer, Zhou Xuci reached out and gently ruffled her hair. “It’s cold out here. Go inside first.”

“You should head back too.”

“Okay.”

Dragging her suitcase, Xu Zhizhi walked toward the dorm building, turning back every now and then to wave at Zhou Xuci.

He stood rooted in place, his tender gaze fixed on her retreating figure.

As Xu Zhizhi rounded the corner, she ran into the dorm auntie, who had been watching the scene unfold.

“You’ve got a boyfriend, young lady?” the auntie asked with a smile.

Xu Zhizhi stopped, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the suitcase handle. Blushing, she denied, “Not yet.”

“That handsome guy just now wasn’t him? Braving the cold to walk you back, seems pretty reliable to me,” the auntie analyzed earnestly. “Tall, well-built, handsome and refined, really quite the catch.”

“He is great, it’s just…” Xu Zhizhi smiled, her dimples deepening as she added seriously, “I haven’t won him over yet.”

The moment this topic came up, the dorm supervisor perked up immediately and started cheering the girl on. “Sweetie, they say it’s easier for a girl to chase a boy, just like piercing through a thin veil of gauze. You can definitely do it!”

Xu Zhizhi’s ears turned slightly red. “Okay, I’ll try my best.”

With that, she wheeled her suitcase back to her dorm.

Just as she arrived, her crush sent her a WeChat message.

[What movie do you want to watch? I’ll buy the tickets.]

Xu Zhizhi chose a slightly romantic art film.

Since she had to work part-time at a café on weekdays, they scheduled the movie for Saturday evening.

It’s only Monday today, she thought.

Five hundred million years to go!

She couldn’t find an excuse to see him either, so she had no choice but to wait.

Xu Zhizhi was the first one back in the dorm and spent most of the day cleaning.

Once everything was spotless, she set up her easel and started painting.

By six in the evening, her phone rang, an unknown number.

It was a delivery guy, telling her to come down and pick up her takeout.

“Sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong order. I didn’t order anything,” Xu Zhizhi said.

She had been so absorbed in her painting that she’d completely forgotten about dinner!

Only after the delivery guy double-checked her phone number did she hurry downstairs in a daze to collect the food.

When she checked the order details, she saw the note:

[Be good and eat on time.]

[No spice / No cilantro / Less rice]

Eat on time, because her stomach would ache if she missed meals.

No spice, it would irritate her stomach.

No cilantro, she hated the weird taste.

Less rice, she couldn’t finish too much, but she hated wasting food and would force herself to eat it all, leading to indigestion.

Her heart fluttered with joy as she carried the takeout back to her dorm.

Opening it, she found all her favorite dishes, nothing she disliked.

Xu Zhizhi was curious. How does Zhou Xuci know everything about me?

Not dwelling on it too much, she snapped a photo of the food and sent it to Zhou Xuci, along with a heartfelt thank-you.

[Thanks for the meal, Senior~]

She added an adorable kitten sticker.

(^～^）

Zhou Xuci found it unbearably cute and replied,[Eat while it’s hot.]

His thoughtfulness was meticulous in every way.

Xu Zhizhi obediently dug in, suddenly recalling a trendy term,[Daddy-type boyfriend]!

Zhou Xuci kinda fit the bill!

[Have you eaten yet, Senior?]

Following his lead, she started urging him to eat too.

Crush: [Going out to eat with the lab group soon.]

He was reporting his schedule.

Baby: [Okay~]

At that moment, a bespectacled guy from the lab, who had been drained to half-death by their project, walked past Zhou Xuci while fetching hot water.

Catching a glimpse of Zhou Xuci’s phone screen, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

[Baby]

That contact name!

AHHHH!

He was wide awake now!

“No way! That contact name, am I hallucinating? Did studying fry my brain?” He’d rather doubt himself!

The next second, the guy leaned in close to Zhou Xuci, nearly screeching in excitement, “Zhou Xuci! Who’s your baby?!”

This is crucial information for me!

But the moment he got close, Zhou Xuci swiftly switched the chat window away.

Not a single peek allowed.

Just like that, the juicy gossip slipped through his fingers!

Maddening!

His outburst instantly set the whole lab abuzz. Several people swarmed over, teasing Zhou Xuci relentlessly.

“Baby? Zhou Xuci, you used to be the aloof heartthrob!”

“Holy shit! The sky is falling! In the end, it’s you who changed, you dog!”

“Please, just tell me, or I swear I’ll be up tossing and turning till 3 a.m.!”

A mysterious smile curled on Zhou Xuci’s lips as he said smugly, “Guess.”

The crowd: “…”

…