She’s Crazy C46

Chapter 46

Isn’t there always someone leading her astray?

—Zhang Lurang

The summer in Z City was especially scorching, with the heat rising from the cement ground in waves.

Not far away, the phoenix trees seemed as if they were melting into streams of green under the motionless, windless sun.

Occasionally, a few students passed by on the narrow path, holding umbrellas, whispering while glancing in this direction.

University military training lasted for half a month and was significantly more intense than in high school.

Standing amidst a sea of green uniforms, Su Zai Zai felt like time was dragging unbearably slow.

Sweat trickled down her forehead like rain, drop after drop, sliding along her hair and into her eyes.

The alkaline sweat stung, making her eyes ache.

She resisted the urge to wipe it away.

Before long—plop—

Another drop.

Su Zai Zai couldn’t bear it anymore. Just as she was about to raise her hand to ask for permission, a whistle sounded from afar.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As soon as the instructor announced a break, she immediately sat down on the scorching ground and pulled a tissue from her pocket to wipe her face.

The other students rushed toward the sidelines to drink water.

Her dormmate, Cui Yuxuan, handed her a water bottle and sat down in front of her.

“Damn, I’m exhausted. And it’s only been a week…”

Su Zai Zai lifted her tired eyes slightly and murmured, “Thanks.”

Another dormmate, Zhang Ke, scooted over and looked toward a certain spot. “But seriously, the vice company commander is so handsome!”

“He is! But he’s way too strict…”

Su Zai Zai didn’t join in on the discussion.

After finishing her water, she stood up and put her bottle back.

As she massaged the back of her neck, she happened to meet the gaze of the vice company commander.

His features were sharp, his lips pressed into a firm line, looking exceedingly stern.

…He really did seem pretty intimidating.

Su Zai Zai withdrew her gaze and slowly walked back.

Her three dormmates were still discussing the vice commander.

“—I heard he’s in our department too, a sophomore in Journalism.”

Listening to their conversation, Su Zai Zai’s mind wandered off.

…She wondered if Lurang had applied sunscreen.

The one she bought for him was even more expensive than hers.

But there wasn’t much left in the bottle. Would it be enough?

She should probably order another one online tonight…

The afternoon training was slightly easier than the morning.

Su Zai Zai’s sweat glands seemed to have fully adapted to the heat—just the slightest warmth, and beads of sweat would start rolling down her skin.

Seizing a moment when the instructor wasn’t paying attention, she quickly wiped her sweat with her sleeve.

Success.

And she didn’t get caught.

The feeling was downright exhilarating.

But before she could fully relish her victory, the vice company commander strolled over unhurriedly.

His lips curled into a faint smirk, carrying a subtle hint of mischief.

He stopped right in front of Su Zai Zai without saying a word.

That silent pressure made her palms sweat.

Soon, he chuckled softly and said, “Who told you to move?”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough for both the class and the instructor nearby to hear.

Noticing the instructor approaching, Su Zai Zai gritted her teeth and took the initiative to confess.

“Reporting, instructor! I moved just now—to wipe my sweat.”

The instructor scolded her a little but didn’t punish her too harshly.

Su Zai Zai let out a sigh of relief and didn’t dare to take her chances again.

After military training, Su Zai Zai joined the New Media Department of the student council, helping to plan the freshman welcome event.

Coincidentally, her vice company commander from training, Xie Lin Nan, turned out to be the department head.

Zhang Lurang, on the other hand, didn’t sign up for any clubs. His daily routine consisted of attending classes, hanging out in the library, or looking for Su Zai Zai.

That day, Su Zai Zai finished editing the last event video, just in time for class.

Leaning back in her chair, she glanced around.

Her three dormmates were all still napping in their beds.

They had stayed up late the night before, and now, Su Zai Zai was struggling to keep her own eyes open.

Her class schedule didn’t quite match her dormmates’.

She had a Moral and Ideological Cultivation class in the afternoon, but they had the entire day free.

Remembering that she had already been marked absent last week, Su Zai Zai debated whether or not to go this time.

If she skipped again, no one would be there to sign in for her.

And if she kept skipping, would the professor start calling on her every class from now on…?

After hesitating for a while, she decided to ignore her conscience and skip again.

Having made her decision, she didn’t dwell on it any longer. She climbed into bed, ready to nap.

Before sleeping, she messaged Zhang Lurang, confirming their dinner plans and grumbling about the attendance policy.

Su Zai Zai: Ugh, this is so frustrating.

Su Zai Zai: Whenever I attend, the professor never calls my name.

Su Zai Zai: The one time I skip, they always call me.

Zhang Lurang frowned at her messages, quickly realizing what she meant.

—You’re skipping class again.

Su Zai Zai had already made up her mind and wasn’t afraid of being lectured.

Su Zai Zai: Lurang, think about it.

Su Zai Zai: You fail only if you skip three times.

Su Zai Zai: Since I already got marked absent once, if I don’t skip two more times, it’d be a waste, wouldn’t it?

Zhang Lurang seemed at a loss for words, taking a while to respond.

Feeling even more convinced by her own logic, Su Zai Zai reminded him again about dinner and then put her phone aside.

Pulling the blanket over her head, she instantly fell asleep.

Meanwhile.

Zhang Lurang sighed and pulled up Su Zai Zai’s class schedule.

He happened to be free for the first period in the afternoon.

After packing a textbook into his bag, he glanced around the dorm.

The curtains were drawn, his roommates’ breathing slow and steady as they slept.

The air conditioning hummed, the room cool and comfortable—a rare relief in the blazing summer heat.

Zhang Lurang opened the door.

The hinges were old, creaking softly as it swung open.

With a “bang,” the door shut, isolating Zhang Lurang from the quiet and comfortable atmosphere inside.

In this scorching heat, he was heading to a large lecture hall with no air conditioning…

To answer roll call for his girlfriend.

Zhang Lurang couldn’t quite describe his feelings about this.

He had always disliked enabling this kind of behavior.

Even though Su Zai Zai said it was fine now, if she got marked absent later, she would probably be upset.

…Might as well help her out.

When he arrived, Zhang Lurang found a seat in the back corner.

He pulled his earphones from his bag and set them aside, planning to put them on and focus on his book after roll call.

Two girls sitting behind him were chatting in hushed voices, their conversation carrying clearly to his ears.

“Look, Xie Linnan is here again…”

“Yeah, why does he keep coming to this class? Is he retaking it?”

“No way, he got a scholarship.”

Soon, the class bell rang.

A slightly chubby female lecturer stood at the podium and opened the attendance system.

Zhang Lurang immediately put his pen down, listening carefully.

Before long, she called Su Zai Zai’s name.

Zhang Lurang rubbed his neck, lowered his head, and raised his right hand.

His expression was slightly awkward.

At the same time, a boy sitting two rows ahead also raised his hand.

The lecturer, who had been focused on roll call, seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

Sweeping her eyes across the room, she immediately noticed the two students who had raised their hands.

She frowned slightly and asked, half-smiling, “Do we have two students with the same name in this class? I don’t think so.”

Zhang Lurang turned his head, his face expressionless as he stared at the back of the boy in front.

“Besides, I remember Su Zai Zai is a girl, right?”

“If she’s not here, I’m marking her absent.”

“That’s two now. One more, and she has to retake the class.”

There was nothing Zhang Lurang could do about the gender issue.

He let out a frustrated sigh and quietly picked up his earphones, putting them on.

The boy who had also raised his hand for Su Zai Zai suddenly turned around.

He looked at Zhang Lurang and, out of nowhere, smiled.

His sharp and handsome features softened slightly, his lips curving up in a hint of challenge.

Sensing something, Zhang Lurang looked up as well.

Their eyes met.

The next second, Zhang Lurang casually lowered his gaze and continued reading.

Finding his reaction uninteresting, Xie Linnan shrugged and turned back around.

—

When Su Zai Zai woke up from her nap, it was nearly dinnertime.

She immediately reached for her phone by her pillow and checked Zhang Lurang’s latest message.

— Not eating.

Su Zai Zai was confused. She typed back, “Why not?”

Su Zai Zai: “Are you busy? I can bring you food.”

Su Zai Zai: “Are you in class?”

Remembering his schedule, she opened her phone gallery.

Zhang Lurang had a class during the second period in the afternoon but was free afterward…

Su Zai Zai scratched her head, growing anxious.

— What do you want to eat? How about pork ribs and rice?

— No appetite? Then maybe some porridge?

She waited a while but got no response.

Su Zai Zai decided to just get up, change clothes, and head out.

Before she even reached the cafeteria, her phone rang.

Zhang Lurang’s voice was deep and steady, giving nothing away.

“Where are you?”

Su Zai Zai blinked and grinned. “I’m on my way to the cafeteria. What do you want to eat?”

There was a pause before Zhang Lurang asked, seemingly out of nowhere, “What’s your department head’s name again?”

Although confused, Su Zai Zai answered honestly, “Xie Linnan.”

Zhang Lurang’s eyes lowered, a sour, stifling feeling rising in his chest.

He ran a hand through his hair, grabbed his phone and meal card, and left his dorm.

“I’m coming to find you.”

—

Su Zai Zai reached the cafeteria first and ordered two meals.

Not knowing how long Zhang Lurang would take, she hesitated, then lined up at a milk tea stand inside the cafeteria.

Thinking about his earlier refusal to eat, she felt a little troubled.

In this heat, maybe some lemon water would help his appetite…

Still deep in thought, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around instinctively.

It was a girl from her class.

At the same time, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

The girl spoke first. “You didn’t go to your Ideological and Moral Cultivation class today?”

Hearing that, Su Zai Zai figured she had been marked absent.

She didn’t mind and admitted frankly, “Ah, yeah, I didn’t go.”

But the next thing the girl said struck like a bolt of lightning.

“You know, two guys answered roll call for you today. One was Senior Xie, and the other was really handsome. Not sure who he was… your boyfriend?”

Su Zai Zai was stunned.

Then, remembering Zhang Lurang’s earlier question, she nodded dazedly. “Yeah, my boyfriend.”

Pulling out her phone, she checked Zhang Lurang’s latest reply.

— I’m here. Where are you?

Su Zai Zai glanced toward the cafeteria entrance.

She saw Zhang Lurang standing there, head lowered as he looked at his phone, tall and upright.

Backlit by the light outside, she couldn’t make out his expression clearly.

Forgetting all about buying drinks, Su Zai Zai immediately ran toward him.

She bounced up to Zhang Lurang with a playful grin. “Lurang, did you go to answer roll call for me today?”

Zhang Lurang slid his phone into his pocket and gave a quiet “Mm.”

Hearing his confirmation, Su Zai Zai’s heart swelled with satisfaction.

But in the next moment, Zhang Lurang lowered his eyes, met her gaze, and spoke in a deep, slow voice, his emotions completely unguarded.

“You got marked absent. Another guy raised his hand too.”

Su Zai Zai tugged on his sleeve, leading him toward her food tray.

“That has nothing to do with me. You can’t blame me for it.”

Zhang Lurang: “……”

“Aren’t you feeling a strong sense of crisis right now?” Su Zai Zai shamelessly teased.

“…No.”

Hearing this, Su Zai Zai instinctively turned her head and caught sight of his familiar little gesture.

She couldn’t help but smile and suggested, “I’ve already been marked absent twice. I’ll definitely have to go to class from now on. How about you go with me?”

Zhang Lurang hesitated.

Before he could give her the answer she wanted, Su Zai Zai started to intimidate him: “Aren’t you afraid that your beautiful girlfriend will be pestered by someone?”

“……”

“Not afraid?”

Zhang Lurang sat down, took a pair of disposable chopsticks, and split them for her.

After a brief silence, he obediently admitted, “Afraid.”

His voice was low and slightly muffled.

His response caught Su Zai Zai off guard for a moment.

She quickly reached out and patted his hand resting on the table, pretending to soothe him, totally convinced there was no ulterior motive.

“Don’t be afraid. I only like you.”

Strangely enough, Zhang Lurang didn’t get mad or scold her this time.

He lifted his gaze slightly, something swirling in his eyes.

Seeing that he still hadn’t touched his food, Su Zai Zai reminded him to eat.

Zhang Lurang finally spoke, his voice husky and somewhat aggrieved.

“Don’t scare me.”

—

The next day, the department had a gathering.

The members chatted happily, the atmosphere lively.

Sitting across from Su Zai Zai, Xie Lin Nan suddenly asked, “Su Zai Zai, your boyfriend is in the Computer Science department, right?”

Su Zai Zai glanced up and hummed a confirmation.

She suddenly remembered what that girl had said yesterday—Xie Lin Nan had also raised his hand for her attendance.

A weird feeling crept into her heart.

“My computer broke. Can you ask him to fix it for me?” Xie Lin Nan grinned widely. “It’s nothing complicated, just reinstalling the system.”

Hearing Zhang Lurang’s name, Su Zai Zai immediately lost all rationality, and her guard went up.

Why was he randomly asking her boyfriend to fix his computer? Just because he’s in the Computer Science department doesn’t mean he can fix computers!

Zhang Lurang hadn’t even studied that much yet!

Was yesterday’s attendance stunt just to get Zhang Lurang’s attention…?

The more Su Zai Zai thought about it, the weirder it felt.

She looked at Xie Lin Nan seriously and answered completely off-topic.

“He has a girlfriend.”

Xie Lin Nan’s smile froze. “……”

—

One day in early December.

Su Zai Zai rested her elbow on the back of her chair, eyes lowered as she chatted with Zhang Lurang.

While waiting for his reply, she lifted her gaze and suddenly noticed the faint red marks on Cui Yuxuan’s neck.

She stared at them for a while, trying to figure out what they were.

After thinking about it for a long time, she still couldn’t figure it out, so she finally pointed at them and asked, “Did you get an allergic reaction, or were you bitten by bugs?”

Cui Yuxuan didn’t mind at all, casually replying, “Oh, this?”

Lin Ke, sitting next to her, burst out laughing. “What are you talking about? Those are hickeys!”

Su Zai Zai was dumbfounded. She turned to Cui Yuxuan, looking hesitant.

“You and your boyfriend? But you’ve only been together for a little over a month…”

“Just kissing and neck stuff, nothing more.” Cui Yuxuan sounded casual, but then she suddenly grew curious. “What about you and your boyfriend? Haven’t you been together for over two years?”

Su Zai Zai thought for a moment and proudly declared,

“We moved pretty fast. The day before we got together, we were already at second base.”

Cui Yuxuan’s eyes sparkled. “What about now, now?”

Su Zai Zai fell silent for a moment.

“…Still second base.”

The cramped dorm instantly fell into an awkward silence.

Even Deng Qin, another roommate, couldn’t help but speak up. “Wait, so you’ve been together for two years and made no progress at all?”

Su Zai Zai blinked innocently. “What progress…”

“I’m not saying you have to hit a home run, but at least third base, right?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Not happening.”

Cui Yuxuan earnestly gave her a suggestion. “Why don’t you take the initiative?”

Su Zai Zai had already given up.

“Even if I take the initiative, it’s useless.”

“Then… how about telling him some dirty jokes?”

Hearing this, Su Zai Zai’s eyes widened in horror. “How could I! He’d kill me!”

“Why would he? That’s just flirting between couples,” Lin Ke said seriously, resting her chin in her hand. “After you say it, make sure to put on a shy, innocent look. He’ll probably be burning up with desire.”

Su Zai Zai fell silent, deep in thought, her expression contemplative.

—

The sky was dark, and deep gray clouds spread across it.

Moonlight shone through the thin clouds, casting a glow onto the still lake.

The wind howled around them, carrying a biting chill.

Su Zai Zai walked beside Zhang Lurang, their hands clasped.

She chattered about all the recent happenings, while Zhang Lurang listened attentively.

One talked, the other listened—it was an oddly harmonious scene.

As they neared the dormitory building, Su Zai Zai suddenly remembered Lin Ke’s words.

She turned her head, her gaze landing on Zhang Lurang’s lips, which glistened under the moonlight, a deep, alluring red.

Like a flower begging to be picked.

Su Zai Zai subconsciously swallowed.

She abruptly stopped walking, making Zhang Lurang halt as well.

Noticing that she had stopped talking and moving, Zhang Lurang frowned slightly and turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

Su Zai Zai avoided his gaze.

She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally blurted out the dirty joke she had been mulling over all night.

“Rang Rang.”

Hearing her call his name, Zhang Lurang relaxed a little and responded.

“If I ever say ‘move aside’ to you in the future, what I really mean is—”

Zhang Lurang glanced at the little swirl of hair on the crown of her head, replying absentmindedly, “Hm?”

“Zhang Lurang, spread your legs.”

“……”

“……”

“Remember to spread them wide.”

“……”

After she said it, Zhang Lurang remained silent for a long time.

The wind howled louder in her ears, as if mocking her words.

She had thought about this joke for so long—it felt flirty and perfectly suited the atmosphere.

Even if he didn’t find it funny, he shouldn’t be mad, right…?

Su Zai Zai panicked a little and lifted her head, wondering if she had forgotten to put on a shy expression.

Before she could figure it out…

After a long silence, Zhang Lurang finally spoke.

His voice was stiff and ice-cold, with absolutely no hint of amusement.

“Go back by yourself.”

Su Zai Zai: “……”