Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 53

Xu Zhizhi was painting attentively.

Zhou Xuci sat quietly beside her, watching her work.

The studio was silent, save for the soft rustling of the brush against the paper.

“Senior, let’s go watch a movie together,” Xu Zhizhi suddenly put down her brush and looked at Zhou Xuci with hopeful eyes.

“What movie do you want to watch?”

Zhou Xuci was a man of action. He immediately took out his phone and started booking tickets.

“I want to watch a comedy,” Xu Zhizhi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “A comedy that makes people laugh out loud, okay?”

That movie we once missed, I want to make up for it.

“Alright, whatever you say,” Zhou Xuci replied as he browsed through the ticket options.

Xu Zhizhi gazed at Zhou Xuci’s gentle expression and felt her heart racing wildly.

Zhou Xuci was the only one who never let her expectations fall flat.

She was so deeply moved.

After booking the tickets, Zhou Xuci and Xu Zhizhi went to see the movie.

The atmosphere of the comedy was lively, and the entire theater was filled with boisterous laughter.

Sitting among the cheerful crowd, Xu Zhizhi’s smile felt forced, and an unprecedented bitterness washed over her.

In the darkness, she turned to look at Zhou Xuci sitting beside her and happened to meet his profound gaze.

The tenderness in Zhou Xuci’s eyes was unmistakable, always carrying an endless thread of affection.

Once again, Xu Zhizhi willingly lost herself in his gentleness.

But it was only a brief moment of surrender before she regained her composure, flustered, and turned back to watch the movie distractedly.

The film ended with a perfect resolution, all regrets were neatly tied up, everything arranged just right.

But life is not a movie; regrets are all too common.

Xu Zhizhi and Zhou Xuci walked side by side along the long campus path.

They had walked this path many, many times, from the initial awkward unfamiliarity to the current ambiguous familiarity.

Xu Zhizhi had always felt this path was so long, a full kilometer, taking what seemed like forever to traverse.

But today, it felt incredibly short, as if they would reach the fork in the road in the blink of an eye.

Facing the chilly wind, Xu Zhizhi suddenly stopped, standing just a step away from Zhou Xuci.

“Senior.”

She looked up, a smile in her eyes and a faint dimple at the corner of her lips.

“I haven’t congratulated you yet.”

Her smile was a bit stiff as she said softly, “Congratulations on receiving the offer from the top global research institute.”

Zhou Xuci lowered his gaze, his affectionate eyes clouded with emotion as he stared deeply at the person before him.

Xu Zhizhi didn’t dare to meet his eyes. She strode forward, leaving Zhou Xuci behind.

“The world’s most authoritative research institute, Zhou Xuci, you’re truly amazing.”

“The weather there is pretty harsh, rainy all year round, changing unpredictably. The winters are even colder than here.”

“The food there isn’t great either. You might have to cook for yourself. I’ve seen so many international students say that after four years abroad, they’ve successfully become professional chefs.”

“And also, there are lots of wild animals there. People online say that wild monkeys might sneak into your house in the middle of the night to steal things. You have to be careful.”

Xu Zhizhi chattered on and on as she walked.

The cold night wind reddened her eyes, tears welling up in them.

An overwhelming sense of helplessness pressed down on her. Perhaps it was time for her to truly wake up.

Zhou Xuci was leaving for further studies.

Five years.

Shen Yu wasn’t entirely wrong, distance and the passage of time could indeed erode even the most fervent passions. The more intense the love, the more excruciating the pain of separation.

The unreachable future felt too distant, fraught with extreme uncertainty.

Could they withstand the vast changes five years would bring?

Xu Zhizhi didn’t dare to speculate.

Youth was such a beautiful thing.

At eighteen, one could be reckless, throw caution to the wind, and boldly pour out all their feelings of love.

But Xu Zhizhi’s mental age was already twenty-six!

She was more mature, more cautious, and more clear-headed than her peers.

Perhaps it was because she had wasted eight long years on Shen Yu, or perhaps it was the deeply ingrained sense of inferiority bursting forth.

Xu Zhizhi didn’t dare to gamble lightly.

Even though she had already fallen for him, unable to control her feelings.

But Zhou Xuci was too outstanding; he deserved to stride toward a brighter future.

Xu Zhizhi stopped at the fork in the road, gazing at the two paths stretching left and right.

“Zhou Xuci.”

She was accustomed to calling his name, her tone tender and melodious.

“Life is full of countless choices, just like this road. Whether we turn left or right, we will always lose some of the people who once walked beside us.”

Xu Zhizhi lifted her head, refusing to let her sorrowful tears fall. “I’m so grateful that there was a stretch of this journey we walked together. I will remember every corner we shared, always.”

According to her memories from her previous life, Zhou Xuci was set to go abroad for further studies at the end of March.

Why did she remember it so clearly?

Because when Zhou Xuci left the campus, the school forum crashed. The top male god was leaving, and the comments section was flooded with tears.

Ling Shuang, a die-hard fan, had wept bitterly in the dormitory, soaking half of Xu Zhizhi’s shoulder.

The memory was too vivid to forget.

The end of March was just over half a month away.

“Xu Zhizhi.”

Zhou Xuci grasped her arm, pulling her closer, and looked down into her red-rimmed eyes.

He raised his hand, gently wiping away the moisture at the corner of her eye with his fingertips. “What do you mean by that?”

Xu Zhizhi tried to turn her head away, but Zhou Xuci cupped her face, holding her still.

“Look at me. Don’t run away.”

Xu Zhizhi pursed her lips, forcing back her tears. Choking up, she said, “…I want to wish you a bright future, a glorious and splendid one.”

Zhou Xuci froze, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes. As the meaning of her words sank in, his expression darkened, his voice low and heavy. “You don’t want me anymore, do you?”

He looked so heartbroken, as if he were about to shatter.

“You…” Xu Zhizhi sniffled and whispered, “You were never mine to begin with, Zhou Xuci. You belong to yourself.”

Seeing his desolate expression, her heart ached unbearably. Tears began to fall uncontrollably as she spoke, her voice tinged with grievance.

“Zhou Xuci, you’re so hard to chase.”

“You walk too fast. I… I don’t think I can keep up with you.”

“I,” Xu Zhizhi’s tears streamed down her cheeks, “don’t know what to do.”

She felt lost and confused.

The pressure of reality was like a collapsing snow-capped mountain, burying her alive. Trapped in her own turmoil, she had lost her way and herself.

Torn between emotion and reason, she didn’t know how to choose.

“Zhizhi, you don’t need to chase after me.”

“Whenever and wherever, I will walk towards you step by step.”

Zhou Xuci held Xu Zhizhi’s face, lowered his head, and pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

…