The next day, Lu Zhe and Boss Fang left City B.
Su Ci didn't go to see them off at the airport, choosing instead to go to school. Looking at the pile of snacks and flowers on her desk, she knew without thinking that He Ermeng had sent them.
However, today he hadn't occupied her deskmate's seat to wait for her arrival as usual.
Su Ci asked a classmate to return everything. She wasn't some little girl who loved snacks, and she certainly had no interest in flowers.
Though, accepting gifts depended on who they were from. If these had been from Lu Zhe, she would have eaten them despite the risk of gaining weight.
Ah, she really spoiled Lu Zhe too much.
He Ermeng looked at the returned items without much surprise, as if he was already used to it.
"Brother Meng, I haven't had breakfast yet. Let me have some of these treats," said his deskmate, eyeing the pile of imported snacks hungrily.
"Take them if you want," He Ermeng said coldly, leaning back in his chair.
His deskmate Li Haohan didn't hesitate, immediately opening a pack of mini cakes. While stuffing them into his mouth, he said, "Miss Su is really heartless. Brother Meng, you've been pursuing her for nearly three years now. Even a deity would be moved, but she shows no reaction at all. She's even more cold-hearted than the gods - could it be she lacks the capacity for love?"
Many girls at school would deliberately pass by their classroom just to catch a glimpse of He Ermeng, and they would secretly slip gifts and love letters into his desk.
But not Su Ci. That young lady was incredibly proud and refused to even look at He Ermeng.
He Ermeng turned to look at him.
Feeling the glare, Li Haohan quickly swallowed his cake and hurried to explain, "I'm just telling the truth. Brother Meng, you might as well give up. There are so many pretty girls in our school, why bang your head against a wall with Miss Su?"
After saying this, Li Haohan felt a bit uneasy.
True, there were many pretty girls at school, but compared to Su Ci, they could barely match a strand of her hair.
Setting aside Su Ci's family background and academic achievements, her face and figure alone made her a rare beauty.
No wonder He Ermeng had been fixated on her for almost three years.
He Ermeng gave his deskmate a cold look. He thought about yesterday, how Su Ci had smiled so intimately at that Lu Zhe person, showing such dependency - where was her usual pride then?
At this thought, He Ermeng's eyes turned violent. He suddenly stood up, his chair scraping back with a harsh sound.
Seeing his fierce expression, Li Haohan thought he was about to get beaten up. "Brother Meng, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I support you in continuing to pursue Miss Su. She'll definitely be moved by you eventually. Please don't hit me!"
He Ermeng didn't even look at him as he strode out, his clothes cutting through the air sharply.
Li Haohan was dumbfounded.
However, in less than ten seconds, He Ermeng, who had just stormed out of the classroom in anger, returned. He sat back down, looking somewhat dejected. "She needs to prepare for the college entrance exam. I can't bother her."
Otherwise, she would hate him even more.
Li Haohan opened another mini cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
It was quite something - the little tyrant was usually so arrogant, but when it came to Miss Su, he was completely tamed. No, that wasn't quite right - Su Ci didn't even need to tame him. Just one look from her was enough to deflate the little tyrant.
......
With the college entrance exam over, all senior students could finally lay down their burdens.
Even Su Ci let out a sigh of relief.
Whether before or after transmigrating into this book, her academic performance had always been excellent, simply because she was naturally intelligent. But that didn't mean she enjoyed being buried in studies all day. Now that she was finally free, Su Ci felt a liberating sensation in her soul.
Outside, the weather was stuffy and the sun was scorching.
Su Ci lay in her room with the air conditioning on, eating peaches that the housekeepers had cut for her, half-reclining and planning to be as lazy as a rabbit-turned-salted fish.
At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.
The message was from Shen Xue.
Tool Friend Shen Xue: Breaking news! Lu Zhe's class is having a gathering tonight, and he's signed up to attend.
Seeing the message, Su Ci sat up from her lounge chair, quickly replying to Shen Xue: Time and place, details!
Tool Friend Shen Xue: Seven tonight, Yongxiang Hotel.
As everyone knew, post-exam graduation gatherings were the perfect time for confessions.
Although Shen Xue felt that given Lu Zhe's situation, no girl at school would like him, and Su Ci didn't need to worry about anyone confessing to him.
However, as Su Ci's lookout tool, she deeply understood that in Su Ci's eyes, Lu Zhe was perfect.
Su Ci checked the time, and despite the scorching sun outside, she quickly gathered her things, grabbed her small bag, and left.
That evening, the private room at Yongxiang Building was full of people, the atmosphere harmonious as many discussed their futures and dream universities.
Lu Zhe sat in a corner near the air conditioner, his back straight and expression rigid, somewhat out of place amid the surrounding festivities.
Originally, Lu Zhe hadn't planned to attend the gathering, intending instead to help organize inventory at the computer store. Boss Fang had sold the store, and they would be moving to City B to develop their business in a while.
Boss Fang thought Lu Zhe was too withdrawn, lacking any youthful vigor and having no friends. Since it was a rare graduation gathering, Boss Fang refused to let Lu Zhe stay at the store to help, instead urging him to attend.
Now, Lu Zhe sat quietly, in stark contrast to Fu Baili, who was surrounded by crowds across from him.
Everyone knew Fu Baili was the young master of the Fu family. Usually, classmates didn't dare interact with him too much, but now, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, many tried to curry favor with him.
As for Lu Zhe, in everyone's eyes, no matter how good his academic performance was, even if he could become the top scorer in the college entrance exam, it didn't matter. His condition was what it was - he didn't have many years left. Combined with his invisible presence in class, no one approached him to talk.
On another side of the room, Zhao Youyou was dressed beautifully tonight in a light pink floral dress, her hair carefully styled. She was in a good mood, with no trace of her previous gloom.
Recently, she had been troubled by the couple living upstairs, but her mother had used Zhao Youyou's lottery winnings to buy a new house, and they had sold their old one.
After moving into the new house, Zhao Youyou finally felt that this reborn life was different, and she believed her college entrance exam results would be much better than in her previous life.
In her past life, she couldn't even get into college, but now, she was confident she could enter a top university.
Zhao Youyou took a few sips of sweet rice wine and looked at Lu Zhe sitting quietly in the upper left. She picked up her wine glass and walked toward him.
"Brother, happy graduation." Even though they were in the same class, Lu Zhe had never interacted with her, maintaining a frightening distance.
But Zhao Youyou understood Lu Zhe's personality well and didn't blame him. "Brother, have you decided which university you want to attend? Maybe we'll end up at the same school."
With Lu Zhe's excellent grades, he could choose any domestic university he wanted.
Lu Zhe's expression remained indifferent as he replied, "Don't know."
Zhao Youyou looked beautiful tonight, and with her naturally pretty features, she had attracted quite a bit of attention just by walking over to Lu Zhe's side. Fu Baili in particular found it irritating to see her standing next to that short-lived ghost.
Fu Baili immediately stood up and strode over, grabbing Zhao Youyou's hand. "I need to talk to you." Under the shocked and whispered gazes of others, Fu Baili pulled Zhao Youyou out of the private room.
Lu Zhe's expression didn't change at all as he quietly continued eating, fading into the background.
In the fire escape hallway, Fu Baili pinned Zhao Youyou against the wall.
He looked at the girl before him with dark eyes, his voice hoarse, "Why are you ignoring me? Are you angry with me?"
Trapped by him, Zhao Youyou blushed, her voice unconsciously becoming coy, "Don't do this."
In her previous life, Fu Baili had despised her and wouldn't even look at her, but now he shamelessly pursued her every day, making her both delighted and incredulous.
"You said you didn't want to date before college, and I respected that. Now that the entrance exams are over, shouldn't you be with me?"
Fu Baili thought Zhao Youyou looked especially beautiful tonight, so stunning he couldn't take his eyes off her. As she looked at him shyly and vulnerably, it made his blood boil.
How could she be so adorable, just like a pure little white rabbit?
While other girls eagerly flocked to him, only Zhao Youyou remained indifferent and unwilling to pay him any attention. Yet paradoxically, he was desperately in love with her precisely because of this attitude, to the point where he would give her his heart if he could!
Fu Baili lowered his head, attempting to kiss Zhao Youyou, but she blocked him with her hand.
"Your grandmother doesn't like me."
The last time Fu Baili took Zhao Youyou to the Fu family home, she clearly felt the elderly Mrs. Fu's dislike towards her. The old lady's sharp gaze made her very uncomfortable.
Zhao Youyou remembered that in her previous life, Fu Baili's grandmother had passed away before the college entrance examination. During that time, Fu Baili had taken leave and hadn't come to school for a long time. She had been very worried about him then, so she remembered it clearly.
Why hadn't Fu Baili's grandmother passed away in this life?
Fu Baili moved the girl's hand away from his mouth, "I will convince grandmother."
Zhao Youyou turned her head away, blushing as she avoided his kiss, "We can't kiss."
Fu Baili frowned, "Why? Are you still unwilling to be with me? Is it because of Lu Zhe?" He remembered Zhao Youyou mentioning that Lu Zhe liked her, and he had already taken a dislike to Lu Zhe because of this.
Zhao Youyou shook her head, her delicate hands weakly pushing against his chest in feeble resistance, "Someone might come here."
Fu Baili understood her meaning perfectly. He raised an eyebrow, his arm around her waist, "Come with me."
Fu Baili led Zhao Youyou away.
If Su Ci were here, she would certainly know that the main characters had finally gotten together, and that they had begun their intimate relationship right after becoming a couple.
Of course, there would be drama between them later - plots involving the male lead's fiancée, a car accident, misunderstandings, and more. Su Ci had found it so tedious that when she first read the book, she had skipped through many parts.
The atmosphere in the private room grew increasingly lively, with several people ordering alcohol. The class monitor led the way, going from table to table for toasts.
When they reached Lu Zhe's table, they automatically ignored him and moved on to the next table.
Lu Zhe put down his chopsticks and checked the time on his phone, preparing to leave.
Just then, a message popped up.
Su Ci: Which private room are you in?
Lu Zhe's eyes focused intently, and he immediately called her.
Su Ci quickly answered the phone, asking, "Lu Zhe, which private room are you in?"
Lu Zhe, being naturally clever, quickly caught on and instead asked her, "Where are you?"
"I'm at the Yongxiang Building. Quick, tell me your room number."
Lu Zhe immediately stood up, "We're in Sky and Earth Room One. Where exactly are you? I'll come find you."
He walked quickly towards the exit, opened the private room door, and immediately saw Su Ci standing outside.
The girl was still holding her phone, smiling brightly at him, "Surprised?"
Lu Zhe hung up the phone, his cool voice particularly melodious in the noisy environment, "Why did you come?"
Su Ci smiled, "To celebrate your graduation, of course."
That was a lie.
She had actually come to keep watch, preventing anyone from confessing to Lu Zhe.
She hadn't attended her own class's graduation party because she knew several boys were planning to confess to her, and someone had informed her that He Ermeng would make a heartfelt confession during the party.
She couldn't be bothered to deal with it, so she simply didn't attend the party.
"May I come in?" She had come to stake her claim, so of course she wanted to go inside.
Lu Zhe asked her, "Have you eaten?"
"No, I came straight to see you after getting off the plane." Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe with puppy eyes, "I'm tired and hungry."
"I'll take you in to eat something." Though there were many people drinking in the private room and the environment was chaotic and noisy, Lu Zhe didn't want to let Su Ci in, but hearing that she was hungry, he couldn't consider too much else.
Lu Zhe led Su Ci into the private room.
The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.
They looked with disbelief at the stunningly beautiful girl who followed Lu Zhe in.
While Zhao Youyou and the school beauty Jiang Mengqi were considered quite pretty at school, they couldn't compare to even a finger of this girl - just look at her delicate and fair fingers clutching Lu Zhe's clothes, they were exquisitely beautiful beyond words.
Compared to the earlier rowdiness, now people were whispering, afraid of disturbing the girl.
Lu Zhe had originally been sitting in front of the air conditioner, but that spot was cramped and directly in the air flow, not suitable for Su Ci.
"Brother Zhe, over here, there are empty seats here," Li Dongliang called out, waving.
He hadn't expected Lu Zhe to bring his little enchantress out. Looking at everyone else's expressions, they were just as shocked as he had been when he first saw her - all stunned by Lu Zhe's little enchantress.
Lu Zhe led Su Ci over, and they sat down in the two empty seats next to Li Dongliang.
Up close, many people noticed that the girl next to Lu Zhe was even more beautiful. She was so fair-skinned, and surprisingly wore no makeup - not even foundation, probably not even primer. Her skin was smooth and porcelain-white to an excessive degree.
Lu Zhe asked for a clean set of bowls and chopsticks from the server, washed them with hot water, and then began picking out dishes for Su Ci.
Having lived with Su Ci for a while, he understood her tastes well.
Su Ci sat very close to Lu Zhe, ignoring the furtive glances from others.
Su Ci drank the juice Lu Zhe had poured for her and ate the food he had selected, her beautiful features full of happiness, "Lu Zhe, did you drink any alcohol?"
She had smelled a strong scent of alcohol when she came in.
Lu Zhe: "No."
Su Ci looked at the young man whose features appeared even more strikingly handsome under the lights. His eyes were clear, showing no signs of intoxication. She leaned closer to him and continued asking, "Did any girls confess to you earlier?"
Lu Zhe gave her a bland look, "No."
Su Ci smiled and began eating contentedly, as she was genuinely hungry.
The people around them watched as Lu Zhe occasionally picked out food for the girl, while she ate with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, her small mouth red and moist, beautiful and enchanting. They wondered where Lu Zhe had found such a beautiful enchantress.
Everyone was filled with envy.
Someone bolder approached, blushing as they said to Su Ci: "H-hello, there are many other delicious dishes here. What would you like? I can order for you."
Su Ci methodically finished chewing the food in her mouth before looking up and directly refusing: "I only eat what Lu Zhe picks for me."
She turned to look at Lu Zhe, "I want to try that five-colored lotus root dish."
A slight smile appeared in Lu Zhe's dark eyes, and without a word, he continued picking out food for the girl.
Someone secretly took a photo of Su Ci. Though it was just a profile shot, it was breathtaking.
They posted the photo on the forum: We wronged Lu Zhe all these years! I used to think Lu Zhe was foolish for rejecting the school beauty, but I was the foolish one!
As soon as the post appeared, comments started flooding in.
"OP, I know who you are! *crying* I'm also at the scene, the beauty is sitting near me right now, my heart is racing, my hands are shaking as I type."
"Also present at the scene +1, don't say anymore, I envy Lu Zhe!"
"As someone who appreciates beauty, even though the photo is just a profile, I'm already slain."
"Lu Zhe? Lu Zhe from Class 1, Grade 3? He has a girlfriend?"
"Is this the same Lu Zhe who has a terminal illness? I've seen him at school, cold and wooden, how did such a beautiful girl end up being his girlfriend? She must be blind!"
"Let's put everything else aside for now, OP, was this photo taken with the original camera? You didn't use heavy skin smoothing or beauty filters, right? Can such a profile really exist?"
The original poster replied to the previous comment: "Original camera, no beauty filter, no effects, the photo doesn't capture even one-tenth of her real beauty!"
"I'm also at the scene, in the same class as OP. I can verify what OP said, she's incredibly beautiful in person, I could admire Lu Zhe's girlfriend's face for a lifetime."
"I take back everything I said about Lu Zhe being blind. He didn't reject the school beauty because he was blind, he rejected her because she wasn't up to his standards!"
OP: "I heard Lu Zhe's girlfriend say she only eats food that Lu Zhe picks out for her."
"Nothing else needs to be said, I envy Lu Zhe! I want to be Lu Zhe!"
"Envying Lu Zhe +1."
"Envying Lu Zhe +100."
"Step aside, let me: Envying Lu Zhe +10086..."
Su Ci's appearance made everyone at school suddenly realize that Lu Zhe wasn't pitiful at all - he had a girlfriend whose beauty was beyond compare.
Those who had previously mocked Lu Zhe for foolishly rejecting the school beauty were now nursing bruised faces.
......
It was already past nine when they returned home.
Su Ci hadn't brought any luggage with her, but her room and belongings were still there, carefully preserved by Lu Zhe.
After traveling all day, looking travel-worn, Su Ci finished her shower and went straight to knock on Lu Zhe's door.
Turning the handle, Su Ci found it unlocked.
She opened the door to find Lu Zhe doing push-ups on the floor.
The young man had always been disciplined, exercising almost daily.
Seeing the girl enter, Lu Zhe paused.
"Keep going, don't mind me," Su Ci sat on his folding bed, watching him with bright eyes. "I haven't watched you do push-ups in so long. Please continue, I won't disturb you."
Lu Zhe gave her a cool glance before actually continuing his push-ups.
The young man was still in his school uniform, and the exercise had made him sweat considerably, soaking through the back of his shirt. The fabric clung to his back, revealing his muscles beneath, radiating power and silent allure.
Su Ci watched intently.
Some say men look most handsome while working, but she thought men looked their best while exercising.
Su Ci noticed the veins standing out on Lu Zhe's arms as he pressed against the floor, his muscles taut. No wonder every part of him was so firm.
After watching him from the folding bed for a while, Su Ci felt an inexplicable strange sensation in her body, especially when looking at Lu Zhe's powerful form during exercise. The peculiar feeling grew stronger.
She felt an urgent need to do something.
"Lu Zhe..." she had just begun to speak.
Lu Zhe's phone, placed to the side, started ringing.
Lu Zhe stood up, "What is it?"
Su Ci pressed her lips together, "Answer your phone first."
The call was from Fat Fu. Lu Zhe frowned instinctively, having a bad feeling as he answered.
"Zhe, the old director has passed away."
Lu Zhe gripped his phone tightly.
"I'm driving over to pick you up now. Get ready," Fat Fu said.
With the director's passing, they needed to return for the funeral.
"Mm."
Su Ci couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of Lu Zhe's phone, but seeing the young man's expression darken, she quickly asked, "What happened?"
"The director has passed away. Fat Fu is coming to pick me up. You..." The last time they visited the orphanage, the girl had suffered quite a bit. Now with the deep night, rushing over would be even more exhausting.
"I'm coming with you," Su Ci stood up. "I'll go change clothes first, wait for me."
She was wearing a white nightgown from her shower.
Fat Fu arrived quickly. Seeing Su Ci standing next to Lu Zhe, he wasn't surprised. "Get in."
This trip to the orphanage was more somber than the last. Fat Fu wasn't in the mood for jokes, driving quietly.
It was past ten at night. Usually, Su Ci would have been in bed by now. In the dim light of the car, she started feeling drowsy.
Lu Zhe's voice was cool but gentle, "Sleep first, I'll wake you when we arrive."
Su Ci leaned directly against Lu Zhe, noticing that the strange sensation in her body diminished slightly.
Instinctively, she pressed closer to Lu Zhe.
Perhaps it was because Lu Zhe's skin temperature ran cool, but being next to him felt comfortable.
Like a little snail, Su Ci snuggled even closer to Lu Zhe.
It felt really comfortable, and the odd sensations in her body decreased significantly.
Suddenly, Lu Zhe lowered his head, bringing his mouth close to the girl's ear, speaking in a low voice with a hint of gritted teeth, "Stop moving around. Are you going to sleep or not!" His dark eyes no longer held any coolness, only indescribable turbulent emotions.
Did she think he was senseless?
Having such a soft, pliant body constantly squirming against him would drive even a saint to distraction!
"I can't sleep," Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe pleadingly. "Why don't you hug me?"
Lu Zhe rubbed his temples, "If you don't want to sleep, then don't. Just sit properly." Who else would be like her, so boneless and soft, clinging to others like this?
Su Ci knew Lu Zhe wasn't in a good mood and didn't want to bother him, but her body wouldn't cooperate. She really didn't know what was wrong with herself.
