When he'd asked that final question, she'd never seen that expression on his face before. It was like he'd suffered a devastating blow, utterly heartbroken and disillusioned.
But she, blinded by obsession, had answered, "Yes."
He'd left then. Gone abroad, never to return. Not even by the day she died.
"Shen Junxi! Shen Junxi!"
She sprinted towards the Business School building, but there was no sign of him.
"Excuse me, do you know where Shen Junxi is?" she asked a passing student.
"Nope."
Had he already withdrawn and boarded his flight?
Su Niansheng fumbled for her phone, turning just as she collided with a guy, sending his bag of chips scattering everywhere. "Watch where you're—!"
He cut himself off mid-sentence as he looked up, eyes lighting up. "Hey! Campus Belle!"
"Sorry! I'm in a hurry to find Shen Junxi, didn't see you!"
"Looking for Young Master Shen? He's at the gym right now. But uh… I wouldn't go if I were you. He's in a pretty foul moo—"
Before he could finish, Su Niansheng was already gone like the wind, a breathless "Thanks!" floating behind her.
Gymnasium.
A crowd buzzed excitedly outside the boxing room entrance.
"Ugh, our university only has two top-tier School Hunks. Now one's leaving! No more eye candy to get me through those brutal 8 AM classes!"
"Seriously! I never even got to talk to Young Master Shen!"
"What? You actually had ideas about the 'Unattainable Dream'? Keep dreaming!"
As Su Niansheng pushed her way in, she overheard snippets: 'Shi Yubai, the Unattainable Ideal; Shen Junxi, the Unattainable Dream' – she didn't quite get it. Then came: 'Shi Yubai is a thousand-year glacier, Shen Junxi is a ten-thousand-year sun' – that resonated deeply.
Yes.
His embrace had been the last warmth she'd felt in this world, hotter than any ten-thousand-year sun.
She slowly nudged through the throng towards the inner room.
From inside the spacious boxing room came rhythmic, savage thud-thud-thuds, pounding like the furious heartbeat of its occupant.
The young man wore black boxing gloves, relentlessly attacking a heavy bag. Fine beads of sweat dripped from his inky black hair, tracing the sharp lines of his profile, down his long neck, and disappearing beneath his sweat-dampened shirt, hinting at powerful muscles rippling beneath.
His back was ramrod straight, posture imposing. His movements were swift, fierce, radiating a feral, untamed aura. Every strike sent a ripple of gasps and suppressed squeals through the girls at the door.
"Ahh! So hot!"
"Young Master Shen is hot-hot-HOT!"
Su Niansheng's own heart fluttered.
He hadn't left.
Thank goodness!
But she completely missed the dangerously low pressure surrounding him.
"You've been at it awhile. Have some water." Duan Chengyu twisted open a bottle and offered it.
The next second, the violently swinging bag nearly knocked it from his hand. "Piss off."
Zhong Zhe shook his head beside him. "Don't poke the bear. He's in a terrible mood. Don't get caught in the crossfire."
Su Niansheng watched as Shen Junxi, usually draped in lazy indifference, now frowned deeply. Obvious anger simmered in the dark depths of his eyes. She couldn't help but think of the words she'd thrown at him yesterday…
His foul mood… was it because of that?
"Huh? The Campus Belle is here?"
"What's she doing here? Isn't she always trailing after Shi Yubai?"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
In her past life, hiding her identity to chase Shi Yubai, she'd avoided anyone who might expose her, including Shen Junxi. So, no one knew of their connection.
Shen Junxi heard the commotion and turned. His deep, dark eyes widened momentarily upon seeing her, then immediately flicked away as if she were invisible.
His punches against the bag only grew fiercer, harder.
Su Niansheng hung her head, moving forward, desperately trying to formulate an apology. Then she heard a sharp, derisive snort.
"What's the matter, Su Classmate? Afraid I wouldn't leave? Come to see me off personally?"
Su Niansheng: "?"
Su Classmate?
They'd grown up together for over a decade! They'd called each other every name under the sun – full names, nicknames, even silly pet names. But never this cold, formal, and dripping with sarcasm: 'Classmate'.
He was really pissed.
Rightfully so. She'd hurt him deeply enough to make him abandon even returning home.
Clearly, only the highest form of apology would suffice.
Her mind raced. She remembered they were born almost on the same day. As kids, she'd lorded her two-day seniority over him, demanding he call her 'Sister'. He'd stubbornly refused, instead trying to bribe her with cotton candy, cheese sticks, and cakes to call him 'Brother'. They'd been deadlocked ever since.
She lifted her gaze, glancing at his friends around him.
Remembering how they usually addressed each other…
She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and blurted out, "Brother Jun."
The girl's voice, sweet, soft, and carrying a hint of coquettish charm, rang out clearly. The entire room collectively sucked in a breath. Shen Junxi jolted as if electrocuted. His fist, mid-swing, went wide. He nearly slammed face-first into the heavy bag.
He slowly turned to look at her, disbelief etched on his handsome features.
"Su Niansheng… are you possessed by a ghost?"
His brow remained furrowed, but his dark eyes now held a strange, searching intensity. He seemed genuinely scrutinizing her, wondering if something was fundamentally wrong.
A hint of a smile, however, touched Su Niansheng's eyes.
It worked! He'd gone from 'Su Classmate' back to 'Su Niansheng'.
"I'm sorry!"
She walked up to him purposefully and gave a deep, formal 45-degree bow.
"I was out of my mind yesterday when I said those things to you. Can you please pretend I never said them? Forgive me? And…" she paused, "…please don't leave. Okay?"
Her words of regret, spoken aloud, acted like a sudden, cleansing breeze, scattering the dark storm clouds that had shrouded the young man's heart for the past two days. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. He pulled off his boxing gloves with deliberate nonchalance and tossed them aside.
The proud little princess… apologizing?
Unheard of.
But the thought that immediately followed extinguished the warmth in his eyes, chilling them again.
"Su Niansheng, don't you dare think I'll help you chase after Shi Yubai—"
"I'm not chasing him anymore!"
Su Niansheng's head snapped up.
This time, Shen Junxi froze completely, as if doubting his own hearing. "What did you say?"
"I'm not chasing him! Really!"
She repeated it firmly, each word deliberate, her expression utterly serious. But the next second, the back of his hand was pressed against her forehead. "Something is wrong. Running a fever?"
Su Niansheng: "…"
It wasn't just him. The surrounding crowd didn't believe it either.
How shamelessly, persistently Su Niansheng had stalked Shi Yubai was legendary knowledge at Jing University.
"What's she playing at now?"
"Probably some new stunt to get Shi Yubai's attention."
"But using Young Master Shen? That's low!"