Sweet Temptation: After Rebirth, The Campus Heartthrob Can’t Hide His Feelings Anymore - Chapter 84

Jing University’s anniversary celebration kicked off on June 22nd.

The Time Art Gallery, primarily created by the College of Art, instantly became a stunning campus landmark upon its unveiling, attracting countless alumni to visit and take photos.

As the chief designer of the Time Art Gallery, Xu Zhizhi was featured on the main banner of Jing University’s official website.

The College of Art once again held its head high!

Visitors praised the ingenuity of the art gallery, with each mural embodying immense effort and dedication.

On the day of the anniversary, students from the School of Journalism and Communication conducted a live interview with Xu Zhizhi, the chief creator of the Art Gallery.

The live chat was flooded with comments:

[Happy Birthday, Jing University! May our alma mater shine forever!]

[The creativity of the Art Gallery is absolutely stunning! This ’92 alum is moved to tears.]

[I’m so emotional! Our College of Art has produced another genius! Art will never die!]

[Ahhh! The chief designer is a woman! I’m already tearing up!]

[Look, this is what it means to have both beauty and brains! She’s so elegant and confident, someone please understand how amazing this is!]

Facing the camera with confidence, Xu Zhizhi eloquently shared the journey of the Art Gallery, from its initial conception to its final realization.

“The Art Gallery is a collaborative effort led by the Fine Arts program, in partnership with the Calligraphy Association and the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.”

“Thank you all for your support and recognition of the Art Gallery.”

“Thank you for your appreciation. I am Xu Zhizhi from the Fine Arts program in the College of Art.”

In this moment, she was Xu Zhizhi.

Just Xu Zhizhi.

Because Zhou Xuci’s brilliance was so overwhelming, most people’s attention toward Xu Zhizhi had almost always been centered around her identity as “Zhou Xuci’s girlfriend.”

Many had marveled at Xu Zhizhi’s luck, wondering how she managed to “land” Zhou Xuci.

This label had clung to her for so long that many overlooked the fact that she was inherently exceptional.

But Xu Zhizhi was never afraid of being labeled.

Even covered in labels, her radiance could still break through and shine with its own brilliance.

Passersby paused to watch Xu Zhizhi’s live interview, gathering around to observe.

Among the crowd, discussions arose:

“I always said Zhou Xuci has great taste, but none of you believed me, saying I was blind.”

“Those jealous folks on the forum claimed Xu Zhizhi was reaching above her station, but it’s clearly a relationship of equals!”

“Perfect! Starting today, Zhou Xuci has a new title, Xu Zhizhi’s boyfriend!”

“Exceptional people attract each other. They’re not just talented but also a gorgeous couple. Meanwhile, I’m the only clown here!”

Zhou Xuci stood just outside the camera frame, a gentle smile in his eyes as he waited for Xu Zhizhi to finish her interview.

Once the live session ended, Xu Zhizhi turned and ran toward Zhou Xuci, her smile radiant, her delicate dimples deepening.

“Brother, am I super amazing?” she cooed, seeking praise playfully.

Zhou Xuci opened his arms and enveloped her in a warm embrace, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Baby, you are my pride.”

“My eternal pride.”

His voice was soft, each word settling deep in Xu Zhizhi’s heart, stirring waves of emotion.

Xu Zhizhi wrapped her arms around Zhou Xuci’s waist. “Zhou Xuci, I’m so, so happy today.”

Zhou Xuci gently stroked her head. “You should be happy every day from now on.”

Xu Zhizhi lifted her head with a laugh, “Every minute and every second with you is happy.”

Zhou Xuci gazed deeply at Xu Zhizhi’s beautiful smiling face, “Baby, don’t smile at me like that.”

“Why?”

Zhou Xuci murmured softly, “It makes me want to kiss you.”

Xu Zhizhi’s ears flushed red, and she raised her hand to lightly punch Zhou Xuci’s shoulder, “Kissing fiend.”

Zhou Xuci seemed to enjoy being hit, and he gently patted Xu Zhizhi’s head, “There are too many people here. Let’s hide before I kiss you.”

Xu Zhizhi, feeling shy, buried her face in Zhou Xuci’s shoulder and whispered softly, “You can kiss me.”

Nearby, Old Master Lu pulled Lu Huaibei over, “Here, here, take a picture.”

Lu Huaibei, holding a mirrorless camera, obediently aimed it at the embracing couple, Zhou Xuci and Xu Zhizhi. With a click, he captured this happy moment.

“Grandpa, today my identity is an outstanding young entrepreneur, not photographer Xiao Lu!”

“When you’re out and about, your identity is what you make it. All of you are in black suits, if you claimed to be bodyguards, people would believe it without a doubt.”

“Even though we’re all in black suits, mine is mainly about personal charisma. Let me tell you, this year’s recruitment at Lu Group at Jing University relied entirely on my image.”

Old Master Lu didn’t bother arguing further, “Give me the camera, I’ll take the picture myself.”

Lu Huaibei immediately gave in, “Alright, alright, I’ll take it. Photographer Xiao Lu is on the job!”

His own grandfather, he had to spoil him!

The art gallery was crowded with visitors, and amidst the sea of people, Shen Yu’s figure appeared.

Shen Yu’s gaze pierced through the bustling crowd and landed on the embracing figures of Xu Zhizhi and Zhou Xuci.

A sense of powerlessness washed over him.

Xu Zhizhi’s radiance was growing brighter, and Shen Yu suddenly realized that the distance between them was widening.

He had been waiting for Xu Zhizhi to look back, waiting for Zhou Xuci to grow tired, waiting for them to break up…

But it seemed his waiting was in vain.

A nameless rage surged within him, and jealousy made Shen Yu irritable.

He had won first place in a national-level swimming competition yesterday, claiming the gold medal.

Today, Shen Yu had intended to personally give that gold medal to Xu Zhizhi.

He had been trying hard to prove to her that he was no worse than Zhou Xuci, not in the slightest!

But!

Why couldn’t Xu Zhizhi see him anymore!

Why!

Shen Yu clenched the gold medal in his hand tightly, fury burning in his eyes as he strode toward Xu Zhizhi.

Blinded by rage, he only wanted to take Xu Zhizhi back, even if it meant resorting to unscrupulous means!

Halfway there, a wheelchair came into his line of sight, its presence pressing closer step by step.

It was Sun Xiuya.

His mother had finally come.

Sun Xiuya sat in the wheelchair, her expression calm as she spoke, “A-Yu, I’ve been in the capital for three whole days, and you haven’t even asked about me. How filial of you.”

Her wheelchair was quite conspicuous.

People around them turned to look curiously.

Shen Yu suppressed his anger, walked up to Sun Xiuya, and said to Aunt Zhang, “I’ll push her. You step aside.”

Aunt Zhang automatically moved away.

Sun Xiuya said calmly, “Pushing me away, are you afraid I’ll cause a scene in public, or do you not want your classmates to know you have a disabled mother? Afraid I’ll embarrass you, right?”

Shen Yu pushed Sun Xiuya through the crowd, his eyes clouded with gloom, “You already know the answer.”

Sun Xiuya’s heart felt as if it had been brutally carved by a sharp knife, her eyes red-rimmed. “A-Yu, where exactly did things go wrong? How did you become like this?”

Facing the scrutinizing gazes around him, Shen Yu wore a numb expression. “It was you who dragged me into hell, yet you come asking me why. Don’t you find living like this exhausting?”

Before Sun Xiuya could respond, Shen Yu lowered his head and murmured, “I’m so tired.”

…