Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 50

Does the lipstick smudge?

Yes, it does.

Zhou Xuci’s lips were stained with traces of lipstick, his eyes hazy with emotion, the flushed hue of his lips adding an undeniable hint of desire.

Gently cradling Xu Zhizhi’s face, he asked in a low voice, “Zhizhi, do you know what you’re doing?”

Xu Zhizhi smirked, half-drunk and half-lucid. “Zhou Xuci, do you like me?”

Zhou Xuci replied, “Super like.”

“Then chase me,” Xu Zhizhi murmured, burying her face into the crook of his neck, initiating a playful back-and-forth. “I’m easy to catch, you know.”

Her ears were flushed red.

Hiding in his embrace.

Zhou Xuci ruffled her hair. “Haven’t I been chasing you all along? Hmm?”

Xu Zhizhi clung to him in a daze, grinning smugly. “Not enough.”

“Then I’ll keep trying.”

“Okay.”

In matters of the heart, nothing is more thrilling than the tantalizing push-and-pull of ambiguity.

“What’s wrong today? Why did you drink so much?” Zhou Xuci adjusted his coat, wrapping her snugly inside its warmth as he asked softly, “Are you upset?”

Xu Zhizhi’s emotions surged suddenly, her eyes welling up as if she might cry. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to stand you up. It’s just…”

She struggled for words, unable to explain.

Unable to bear her distressed look, Zhou Xuci patted her back soothingly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize to me.”

I’ll wait for you. Always.

Xu Zhizhi pouted, her head spinning, as she nestled into a comfortable spot in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

Zhou Xuci lowered his head, pressing a kiss to her hair, and whispered, “Goodnight, baby.”

Calling her “baby.”

Too bad she didn’t hear it.

After escorting Xu Zhizhi back to her dorm, Zhou Xuci was walking along the empty campus path when Lu Huaibei suddenly video-called him.

He answered instantly.

The two locked eyes, both pausing in silent understanding for three seconds.

Before Zhou Xuci could speak, Lu Huaibei struck first.

Frowning, Lu Huaibei stared at Zhou Xuci’s lips and asked, “Zhou Xuci, did you eat some insane spicy food in the middle of the night?”

Zhou Xuci: “?”

“No.”

Lu Huaibei narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing.

“Why are your lips so red?”

A smug grin instantly spread across Zhou Xuci’s face.

Now this was a topic he could talk about all night!

“Don’t tell me your mouth finally got what it deserved, someone slapped you with a shoe for being too vicious?” Lu Huaibei ventured a bold guess, then cautiously reconsidered. “Wait, no. Your lips are just red, not swollen. What’s going on?”

Zhou Xuci beamed, declaring proudly, “Bro, since you asked so sincerely, I’ll reluctantly tell you. Actually, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Lu Huaibei had PTSD.

In half a second, beep, he decisively hung up.

Even through the screen, he could practically see Zhou Xuci’s metaphorical tail wagging.

Nope, nope, nope… not listening to this nonsense!

Just as Lu Huaibei sighed in relief at his narrow escape.

Secretary Su, who had been waiting for his signature, suddenly leaned in and helpfully explained, “President Lu, the second young master’s lips… that’s clearly from a woman’s lipstick.”

Lu Huaibei: “…………”

Secretary Su couldn’t resist adding, “Judging by the smudges, things must’ve gotten pretty intense.”

Lu Huaibei shot him a skeptical look. “Oh, so you’re an expert now?”

Secretary Su, with his brutally honest mouth, said, “President Lu, you’re a single dog, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Lu Huaibei’s face darkened. “You have three seconds to get out.”

He had escaped Zhou Xuci’s sharp tongue, only to run into Secretary Su, who had no filter.

Since when was being single equivalent to being a dog?

Being single was clearly a refusal to settle!

Hmph!

Secretary Su felt a chill run down his spine. Grabbing a folder, he scurried away with his tail between his legs.

Still fuming, Lu Huaibei didn’t want to see Zhou Xuci’s punchable face, so he sent him a WeChat message instead:

[Our great matriarch, Madam Zhou, says she’s flying over personally to celebrate your birthday with you.]

[I couldn’t stop her, and I didn’t dare try. Handle it yourself.]

[Oh, and she bought a car and an apartment as gifts for her future daughter-in-law.]

Three messages in a row, each more explosive than the last.

Zhou Xuci rubbed his throbbing temples and immediately called Madam Zhou.

She was abroad, in a different time zone, and picked up the call at noon.

“My precious A-Ci~ Miss your mommy~?”

“Mom, I’m 20. Please, stop calling me ‘precious,'” Zhou Xuci corrected with a headache.

“No way. Even at 80, you’ll still be Mommy’s precious,” Zhou Xin giggled.

“I heard from brother that you’re flying to Jing University to celebrate my birthday, right?”

Next month was his birthday.

His parents were still on their world tour. For them to suddenly fly back just for his birthday…

Something was off.

Even if his mom was willing, his dad, that absolute menace, would never agree.

Lu Huainan had slaved away at the Lu Group for thirty years before finally retiring and passing the torch (and the suffering) to Lu Huaibei.

The very day he retired, Lu Huainan packed his bags and whisked Zhou Xin off to travel the world.

Zhou Xin beamed. “Theoretically, yes.”

Zhou Xuci smirked. “And what does ‘theoretically’ mean?”

Then, a man’s voice cut in, “She actually wants to check out her future daughter-in-law. Your birthday is just an excuse.”

It was his dad!

“Don’t get it twisted, you’re just the side dish,” Lu Huainan delivered the brutal truth.

Suddenly, a pained yelp came through the phone.

Someone had been too much of a menace and got smacked for it.

His dad had always been at the bottom of the family food chain.

“A-Ci, my precious, what gift do you want? Mommy will buy you anything!” Zhou Xin’s voice dripped with affection.

Before he could answer, she eagerly added, “What does our little Zhizhi like?”

Zhou Xuci: “…”

No doubt about it, Grandpa’s big mouth had spilled the beans.

“Mom, don’t go overboard,” Zhou Xuci said quietly. “I haven’t even won her over yet.”

Lu Huainan’s voice chimed in, “Hah? Zhou Xuci, are you even trying?”

Another yelp followed, he’d been smacked again.

Zhou Xuci couldn’t help but laugh. “Just send me your flight details. I’ll pick you up.”

After hanging up, Zhou Xuci returned to his dorm, took a shower, and headed back to the lab to pull another all-nighter for his project.

He was busy again, preparing for his academic conference presentation.

Of course, Xu Zhizhi was just as occupied.

Recently, she had quit her part-time job at the café and, through a senior’s recommendation, started working as a teaching assistant at an art studio near campus.

Her job was to teach elementary school kids oil painting and nurture their interest in art.

After a week, Xu Zhizhi had fully immersed herself in the world of children.

Suddenly, a little girl tugged gently at Xu Zhizhi’s sleeve and whispered, “Sister Zhizhi.”

Xu Zhizhi smiled and asked, “What is it?”

The little girl pointed at the window and said with a giggle, “There’s a really handsome brother who’s been secretly watching you.”

Xu Zhizhi turned to look, it was actually Shen Yu, holding a bouquet of blooming flowers in his arms.