Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 7

“Did you really hack the campus forum?” Fang Cheng’s eyes widened like copper bells, his face a picture of disbelief.

Fang Cheng simply couldn’t believe it. “No, you’re not that idle. Absolutely impossible.”

Zhou Xuci shrugged, calm and composed. “I am exactly that idle.”

“!!!” Fang Cheng stared at Zhou Xuci’s serious expression and realized the gravity of the situation. “Holy shit, Zhou Xuci, was it really you?!”

He had struggled for three hours, but the system was as good as dead, completely irreparable.

Zhou Xuci lifted his chin slightly, tacitly confirming it.

The campus forum had been built entirely by Zhou Xuci, and the programming he implemented was flawless, utterly impenetrable.

After the forum was established, Zhou Xuci handed over the maintenance and management rights to Fang Cheng.

From the moment the forum crashed, poor Fang Cheng had been bombarded with endless frantic calls, all demanding he fix the bug!

“Big shot! What did the campus forum ever do to offend you?” Fang Cheng let out a frustrated wail.

He was genuinely at his breaking point!

Zhou Xuci replied coolly, “It was an eyesore.”

“How was it an eyesore? Everyone was just gossiping and chatting, it was wholesome and healthy!” Fang Cheng argued.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Zhou Xuci wasn’t the gossipy type and had never paid attention to the campus forum before. Why would he suddenly hack it?

Fang Cheng scrutinized Zhou Xuci suspiciously, looking him up and down. “Zhou Xuci, you’ve been acting really weird lately, haven’t you?”

Zhou Xuci remained silent.

Another roommate, Lin Jin, popped his head out from his bed, eager to gossip. “Exactly! There’s no smoke without fire!”

Gu Sen, who had been playing games nearby, ventured a bold guess. “Could it be… he’s in love?”

Fang Cheng immediately smacked Gu Sen on the head. “No no no, he’s the king of loners, love is absolutely out of the question!”

“Haha, I think he really was just bored,” Lin Jin teased. “But with a face like his, if he wanted to date, he could handle ten at once.”

Seriously.

They were all engineering majors!

They all wore plaid shirts!

Yet somehow, only Zhou Xuci could pull off the aura of a male model!

The corners of Zhou Xuci’s lips curled into a faint smile at the teasing. “Ten would be too crowded. One is enough.”

Gu Sen sighed dramatically. “No no no, ten isn’t crowded at all, Brother Xuci. You could distribute two to each of us and keep four for yourself, it’d be perfect!”

“Give it up,” Fang Cheng said sarcastically. “Go take a look in the mirror first.”

Gu Sen punched Fang Cheng. “Shut the hell up, you jerk.”

Zhou Xuci shook his head at the rowdy antics of the straight-laced engineering guys and went back to writing his unfinished code.

Honest and straightforward, these engineering majors couldn’t muster a single cunning thought between them but Zhou Xuci had eight hundred!

The campus forum was completely destroyed.

Built by Zhou Xuci’s own hands, and ruined by them just the same.

On the seventh day of the forum’s collapse!

Fang Cheng announced: The bug couldn’t be fixed. The forum was officially shut down.

The news sent shockwaves through the entire school. Their home had been blown up, and the gossip-hungry students scattered in all directions.

Ling Shuang got the first scoop and immediately came to share it. “Zhou Xuci was the one who hacked the campus forum!”

The news had come from Gu Sen.

Ling Shuang and Gu Sen were from the same hometown and got along well.

Xu Zhizhi, who had been reading a book, paused her pen at the mention of Zhou Xuci’s name, perking up like a little rabbit listening intently.

Song Jia leaned over to ask Ling Shuang, “Why would Zhou Xuci do that? Isn’t he afraid of making enemies?”

Ling Shuang retorted, “What’s there to worry about offending anyone? The campus forum was originally developed by Zhou Xuci, and his initial vision was to create a peaceful platform for academic exchange.”

“Who would’ve thought it would later be flooded with idle gossipers spreading rumors, turning the entire forum into a toxic cesspool, completely betraying its original purpose.”

“I support shutting it down. It’s full of spineless haters who jump on the bandwagon, blindly attacking others without knowing the truth. They just spew nonsense like they’ve taken a laxative.”

“It infuriates me! They even dragged Zhi Zhi into it, saying she-”

Her words trailed off as Ling Shuang and Song Jia both turned to look at Xu Zhizhi with sympathy in their eyes.

Xu Zhizhi offered a faint smile, her adorable dimples faintly visible. “Whatever they say doesn’t matter. I don’t care about any of it.”

“But we do!” Ling Shuang fumed, hands on her hips. “Not only do I care, I want to tear those rumor-mongers’ filthy mouths apart!”

Song Jia shared her indignation. “I’d love to shove a rocket into their mouths, preferably one that blasts them off Earth so they stop polluting the planet!”

To defend Xu Zhizhi, they had even formed an anti-bullying alliance, clashing with keyboard warriors across thousands of forum posts.

Just then, the door clicked open as Cheng Xiaoxin walked into the dorm, carrying a bag of delicious-smelling barbecue.

“Girls,” she announced cheerfully, “let’s celebrate the forum’s one-week anniversary of being shut down!”

Ling Shuang and Song Jia eagerly rushed over, drawn by the aroma, and quickly unpacked the food.

Cheng Xiaoxin moved to Xu Zhizhi’s side and picked up the book on her desk, a psychology guide about finding courage and self-identity in difficult times.

Xu Zhizhi, innately timid and sensitive, had always been more accustomed to enduring hardships rather than standing up for herself.

In the Shen household, she had been like a wingless bird, caged and deprived of freedom, let alone a soul.

For her, saying “no” required an immense amount of courage.

Xu Zhizhi took the book back, explaining softly, “I was just browsing.”

Cheng Xiaoxin gently ruffled her hair. “Zhi Zhi, I got your favorite. Want some?”

Xu Zhizhi looked up, meeting Cheng Xiaoxin’s warm, encouraging gaze. A warmth spread through her chest. “Mm.”

Cheng Xiaoxin was a true princess but without any of the entitlement. Raised with kindness, she possessed an extraordinary capacity for empathy.

They had grown up together. While other wealthy kids mocked Xu Zhizhi for her humble background, Cheng Xiaoxin never did.

Xu Zhizhi would never forget how, at eight years old, she had been pushed into a mud puddle by a group of young boys only for Cheng Xiaoxin to pull her out and sincerely tell her that every girl deserved to grow up surrounded by love.

That was the Cheng Xiaoxin who had illuminated her entire childhood.

“Come on, this smells amazing! Zhi Zhi, try a fish ball,” Ling Shuang said, holding one up to her lips.

The savory aroma filled the air as Xu Zhizhi took a bite, her eyes crinkling with delight. “So good!”

“Xiaoxin, you too!” Ling Shuang fed Cheng Xiaoxin another fish ball.

Cheng Xiaoxin grinned, playing along. “Absolutely delicious!”

Their bond grew even closer as they shared the skewer, laughing and joking like a hive of buzzing bees, their whispered secrets endless.

They met each other at the most beautiful time of their lives and would walk hand in hand through the most carefree four years of their youth.

The bond between girls can be just as pure and beautiful.

…