"I don't."
Just as Shen Junxi was about to haul her off to the infirmary, Su Niansheng pulled his hand away. "I'm not feverish, and I'm perfectly sane. I know you probably don't believe me right now, but going forward…"
He didn't hear a single word of what came next.
His gaze and all his attention were riveted on her small hand gripping his.
"Su Niansheng! Su Niansheng!"
Her desk-mate's voice suddenly called from the doorway.
Su Niansheng turned.
"Finally found you! The homeroom teacher wants you in his office. Now!"
"I'll just—"
"No 'just'! It's urgent!"
"Okay." She nodded, releasing Shen Junxi's hand. "So… can you wait for me? I'll explain everything when I get back."
Only then did the young man's wandering focus slowly snap back.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"Your hair's wet."
Shen Junxi shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. As he pulled the hood up, his thumb gently brushed away raindrops still clinging to her hair ends. "It's raining outside. Be careful."
The familiar concern in his tone, the gesture, the lingering warmth of his jacket against her skin – it all slammed into Su Niansheng, vividly recalling the scene before her death. A sudden ache pierced her nose, tears welling up, misting her eyes.
To Shen Junxi, she looked like a drenched, beautiful ragdoll cat – sparkling, vulnerable eyes blinking up at him, radiating such pitiful cuteness it stole his breath and wiped all coherent thought from his mind.
"Shen Junxi… please don't go?"
Zhong Zhe watched the scene, suspicion stirring.
Did they know each other?
This wasn't normal. Not normal at all. Shen Junxi, with his infamous germaphobia (he wouldn't even touch love letters!), lending his jacket? Brushing away her rain?!
Their connection… it had to be deep. Very deep.
"What a joke!" Duan Chengyu, however, remained oblivious.
Not only oblivious, he found Su Niansheng utterly laughable.
Was she seriously trying to flirt this blatantly? Just call him 'brother', play the damsel, and think that's enough? Did she think Young Master Shen was as easy to snag as Shi Yubai? He was the Shen heir, the Capital's Elite Young CEO! He'd seen every kind of beauty thrown his way. Campus Belle or not, she was no different.
"Brother Jun! Almost time! Let me drive you to the airport!" He hoisted his backpack, stepping between them – only to get a solid punch on the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
"T-To… abroad? Aren't you going to study overseas?" Duan Chengyu stared at him, utterly bewildered.
Shen Junxi: "So Foreign-obsessed? Go by yourself."
Duan Chengyu: "???"
Him? Foreign-obsessed? Him go?
Was he hallucinating? Who was it that declared he was studying in the US, might settle there, never coming back? Who ignored his desperate pleas to stay just yesterday?
Wait… Could he seriously be staying because of the Campus Belle?
So much for the Capital's Elite Young CEO! Talk about cheap!
Hearing this, Su Niansheng knew he wouldn't leave. The tears in her eyes instantly transformed into a smile of pure relief. She left with her desk-mate, reassured.
"Wait for me to find you later!"
The crowd at the boxing room door watched, dumbfounded, whispers erupting.
"What?! Why is Young Master Shen listening to her? He's actually giving up studying abroad?!"
"Agh! So jealous! He gave her his jacket! I've watched him box and play ball forever, never even managed to hand him water!"
"I thought they didn't know each other?"
"Being gorgeous really is everything. Is there a cheat code for that?"
"Hmm."
As if responding to her parting words, a soft, almost inaudible hum escaped Shen Junxi. He slowly raised his hand, fingertips lingering where hers had touched, then brought them near his nose.
How long had it been since she last held his hand?
The feel was different now… not quite like when they were kids...
Zhong Zhe, seeing the uncharacteristically soft look in Shen Junxi's eyes as he stared fixedly at her retreating figure, couldn't hold back. He pulled out his phone. "Junxi, are you sure she's not using you? Check the campus forum. A new post just shot to the top of hot topics."
Shen Junxi glanced sideways. The post title glared back at him: #STUNNING! Campus Belle Drops a Cool 100K Chasing School Hunk! Su Niansheng, Stop Loving So Hard!#
His gaze instantly darkened, turning heavy and opaque in the damp, gloomy air. It felt like countless sticky threads, a suffocating spider's web, wrapping tightly around the girl's image, trapping her within it.
Using him?
Whether she was or not…
Shengsheng… you're the one who asked me to stay this time. No matter what it takes… I will never let you go again.
…
"...We just got a call from the hospital. Thanks to the timely payment, Shi Yubai's mother received effective treatment. This certificate is from the school, commending your spirit of unity, friendship, and selfless dedication to your fellow student. Take it, Niansheng?"
The homeroom teacher had called her in solely about Shi Yubai. Su Niansheng had no interest. She didn't take the certificate.
"No need, teacher. Shi Yubai said he'd repay the money. It wasn't selfless." She walked out of the office.
The rain had stopped.
The world seemed washed clean, fresh and serene. Su Niansheng tilted her face up slightly, feeling the sunlight warm her skin, breathing in the faint, sweet scent of flowers.
Only now did she truly feel reborn.
Nineteen. An age like a blooming flower. The starting point of life. Every part of her body was healthy, vibrant, brimming with energy.
Heaven had truly given her a second chance.
This time, she would seize it. Cherish her career and the people who loved her. She wouldn't be foolishly used by Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan again.
She wouldn't love Shi Yubai anymore.
"President Shi, here are the materials from the English Club."
"Alright."
Shi Yubai took the documents. As he glanced down, his eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of a figure in the garden below.
She stood among the flowers, rising slightly on her toes to savor the fragrance of a single bloom. Her smooth, straight black hair lifted gently in the evening breeze, revealing half a face, radiant and lovely.
In her simple white dress, the delicate lines of her shoulder blades stood out against the fine mist still hanging in the air, trembling as if ready to take flight – like a butterfly unfurling new wings. The sight was mesmerizing.
Lin Yixuan emerged from the restroom just in time to see it.
Shi Yubai stood on the corridor, documents half-open in his hand, seemingly captivated by something below, lost in thought.
Curious, she walked over and followed his gaze. Su Niansheng!
What ridiculous act was she putting on now?
To make Yubai lose focus like that?
He was someone with laser-sharp concentration, who never wasted time on irrelevant people or things. Yet today, he'd watched her for so long. Could it be…?
"Yubai… you're not… moved because she donated money for your mother's surgery, are you?" Her sudden voice shattered his reverie. "You can't forget, she's the one who—"
"Couldn't be."
Shi Yubai's brow furrowed deeply. He snapped the folder shut and strode briskly towards the teaching building.