Chapter 51

Actually, even when she talks to other guys, I feel unhappy.

But if I say it like that, she probably won’t think I’m being petty, right?

—Zhang Lurang

At the end of February, Su Zai Zai welcomed the start of her second semester as a freshman.

The day before school started, Su Zai Zai grabbed an outfit from her wardrobe and changed. When she glanced down at her phone, she saw Zhang Lurang’s message on WeChat saying he was already downstairs.

She quickly put on the black scarf he had given her last time, dragged her heavy suitcase, and headed out.

Winters in the south were damp and bone-chilling. No matter how many layers you wore, the cold seemed to seep through every gap, piercing straight into your pores with no escape.

As soon as she stepped out the door, a gust of cold wind hit her.

Su Zai Zai instinctively shrank her neck, burying half of her face in the scarf.

Then, she walked over and took Zhang Lurang’s hand.

He only had a backpack with his laptop inside and carried nothing else.

Zhang Lurang reflexively tightened his grip on her hand and scanned her from head to toe.

Today, Su Zai Zai was wearing a beige sweater dress, a brown cashmere coat, a scarf, and black fleece-lined leggings.

His face darkened instantly.

Having been lectured by him numerous times, Su Zai Zai immediately noticed his expression and quickly said, “You’re not allowed to criticize me! I can’t handle criticism!”

Hearing that, Zhang Lurang looked at her quietly.

He had seen this line before in one of the stickers she had sent him—

I can’t handle criticism. If you criticize me, I’ll curse you out.

He pressed his lips together, planning to wait until she finished speaking before educating her on two matters at once.

Zhang Lurang lowered his eyes, carefully choosing his words in his mind.

You shouldn’t dress so lightly in winter; you’ll catch a cold.

Besides, he hadn’t even planned to criticize her. It was just that…

Before he could finish thinking it through—

Su Zai Zai suddenly stood on her tiptoes, leaned in close, and grinned mischievously.

“If you criticize me—”

Zhang Lurang paused his thoughts, lowered his head, and waited for her to finish.

“—I’ll kiss you.”

Hearing her unexpected response, Zhang Lurang was momentarily stunned.

His gaze slowly dropped, landing on her lips.

A thin layer of lip balm made them look soft, pink, and glossy.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he fell into silence, lost in thought.

After a while, he still didn’t say anything in his usual cool and firm tone.

Satisfied, Su Zai Zai happily tugged him toward the bus stop.

Halfway there, she suddenly heard Zhang Lurang speak from behind her, his voice slightly muffled.

It sounded as if he had gone through an intense internal struggle but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation of saying it out loud.

“Su Zai Zai, dressing like that in winter is wrong.”

Several minutes had already passed, and Su Zai Zai had completely forgotten about teasing him earlier.

Hearing his comment, she didn’t think much of it and simply nodded obediently. “Got it.”

Zhang Lurang: “…”

—

After arriving at school, Zhang Lurang helped Su Zai Zai carry her suitcase to her dorm.

Two of her roommates had already returned. After greeting them, she pushed her suitcase to her spot, planning to unpack later.

Before leaving the dorm, Su Zai Zai noticed Zhang Lurang’s backpack and instinctively took it off his shoulders.

It was heavy with his laptop inside, and carrying it for too long couldn’t be comfortable.

“Just leave it here for now. You can grab it after dinner.”

Zhang Lurang glanced at the laptop she had placed on a chair but didn’t object.

The sky was like an ink-drenched canvas, deep black, swallowing up the stars.

Leaves rustled in the cold wind, and the stone-paved paths seemed to radiate a chilling aura, making people shiver.

As students returned one after another, the once deserted and quiet snack street near the school during winter break became lively again.

Because of the cold, Su Zai Zai pulled Zhang Lurang into a grilled fish restaurant.

There was only one table left inside.

The two sat down across from each other.

Su Zai Zai pulled out her phone and quickly typed on the screen.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lurang unwrapped the plastic covering the chopsticks and bowls, rinsed them with hot water, and silently placed them in front of Su Zai Zai.

Catching his small gesture through the corner of her eye, she looked up with a bright smile.

“So domestic.”

Zhang Lurang didn’t say anything. He simply repeated the process and rinsed his own utensils.

Once the food arrived, Su Zai Zai put away her phone and focused on eating.

Since she had once choked on a fishbone, she was extra careful while eating fish.

All her attention was on picking out the bones, leaving her with no desire to talk.

After a while, she suddenly asked, “Lurang, do you want me to pick out the fishbones for you?”

Zhang Lurang looked up slightly and shook his head. “No need.”

“But there are so many bones…”

A moment of silence.

Then, Zhang Lurang hesitated before making a guess. “Do you want me to do it for you?”

Hearing that, Su Zai Zai widened her eyes in mock grievance.

“How could you think that of me?”

“…”

“Is it because I made you carry my suitcase today?”

“…No.”

Su Zai Zai stared at him seriously and said, “You don’t have to force yourself next time. I could lift a water dispenser jug in elementary school—carrying a suitcase is nothing.”

Zhang Lurang didn’t respond and continued eating expressionlessly.

Su Zai Zai felt a little frustrated and mumbled, “Why aren’t you talking?”

“Eat,” he said.

“Oh.”

Su Zai Zai went back to carefully picking out the fishbones, mumbling as she did, “I might have to drop by The Timeless later. Yesterday was our club president’s birthday, and they’re throwing him a belated celebration today.”

Zhang Lurang’s movements paused.

He looked up again and quietly stared at her.

Su Zai Zai didn’t notice and continued, “I’ll take you back to your dorm first, and I’ll bring your laptop to you on the way.”

Because the grilled fish was a bit spicy, Zhang Lurang’s voice was slightly hoarse.

He licked his lips, which were now bright red, burning with a stinging sensation.

“Is the club president Xie Linnan?”

Su Zai Zai nodded and placed the fish meat she had picked clean into his bowl.

Zhang Lurang looked at the ceramic bowl, where her fair hand still rested on the edge, not letting go immediately.

Fair and delicate, slender and straight—even the slight curve of her fingers was pleasing to the eye.

Just looking at them made him want to reach out and hold them.

His gaze lowered, thick eyelashes veiling his emotions.

Zhang Lurang didn’t know what to say.

He pushed the bowl back and said seriously, “I’ll take the laptop tomorrow. I’ll walk you over later. Don’t walk back alone at night, I won’t be at ease.”

Su Zai Zai blinked, then pointed at the bowl, asking, “You’re not eating?”

“You eat it.” After saying that, Zhang Lurang paused before adding, “I’ll pick the fish bones for you.”

—

After walking Su Zai Zai to the entrance of the Timeless KTV, Zhang Lurang gave her a few reminders before turning back toward the school.

Su Zai Zai stood there for a moment, watching his retreating figure.

Then she suddenly reacted and called out to him. She jogged over and tugged at the hem of his hoodie.

Zhang Lurang turned around, his dark eyes deep and unreadable.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t go, okay?” she said.

At her words, the indifference Zhang Lurang had been trying to maintain instantly crumbled.

Su Zai Zai looked a little uneasy, gripping his clothes a little tighter.

“Don’t be upset…”

Zhang Lurang was just about to say something when a female voice called out from not far away:

“Hey! Zai Zai! Why aren’t you coming in?”

Su Zai Zai instinctively turned toward the voice—it was the vice president.

Noticing Zhang Lurang beside her, the vice president immediately understood and smiled. “Your boyfriend? Why don’t you both come in? The more, the merrier.”

Hearing that, Su Zai Zai hesitated.

Zhang Lurang didn’t really like noisy environments…

She glanced at him and asked softly, “Do you want to go? If not, we can head back.”

Zhang Lurang tugged her hand from his clothes and held it instead.

Then he took a step forward, long legs striding toward Timeless KTV, his voice casual—

“I do.”

—

The vice president walked ahead and pushed open the KTV door.

Inside, Xie Linnan happened to be pouring a drink near the entrance.

Sensing the door open, he instinctively looked up.

The moment he saw who had arrived, the smile on his lips stiffened, then quickly faded.

The department members cheered for a moment before returning to their own activities.

Including the president, there were twelve people in the New Media Department, so they had booked a large private room.

Inside were two long tables placed in the center of the sofas.

One table was already surrounded by people playing dice games.

Su Zai Zai pulled Zhang Lurang toward the other table, where a few girls were singing with microphones.

The room was deafeningly loud. Xie Linnan didn’t say anything and simply pushed two cups of Coke toward them.

Su Zai Zai mouthed a silent “thank you.”

Then she grabbed an empty cup from the table, rinsed it with water, and poured a cup of warm water for Zhang Lurang.

Today, Zhang Lurang was acting especially strange.

He lowered his gaze, watching her movements, then turned to observe Xie Linnan’s expression.

Suddenly, he curved his lips, extended his long arm, and hooked it around Su Zai Zai’s neck, pulling her into his embrace.

She tumbled into his arms, nearly bumping her nose against his chest. A cool scent enveloped her.

It was rare to see Zhang Lurang so affectionate. She was momentarily stunned and turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong?”

She had expected him to say something like, “I bumped into you by accident” or “There was a bug over there.”

Instead, Zhang Lurang looked into her eyes and, for the first time, lied with a straight face.

“Didn’t you throw yourself at me?”

Just then, the background music transitioned to an instrumental, making the room slightly quieter than before.

Zhang Lurang’s voice wasn’t too loud or too soft—just enough for everyone at their table to hear clearly.

Hearing his response, Su Zai Zai’s eyes widened.

She shifted her gaze, noticing that his hand showed no sign of letting go.

After a long moment, Su Zai Zai began to doubt herself.

…Did she really throw herself at him just now?

After pouring the drinks, Xie Linnan glanced around and saw that the only empty seat left was beside Zhang Lurang.

He hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down.

Zhang Lurang turned his head to glance at him—then took it a step further.

His brows lifted slightly, and he spoke in a light tone:

“Isn’t this what you like?”

“Huh?” Su Zai Zai was confused.

Zhang Lurang’s gaze softened as he looked into her eyes, his voice carrying a coaxing tone.

“You only like me, don’t you?”

Completely missing his odd behavior, Su Zai Zai was utterly mesmerized by his gaze.

She nodded enthusiastically, responding with three words.

“Like, super like, like to the max.”

Zhang Lurang clearly sensed the person beside him tense up.

Satisfied, he sighed lightly.

The next moment, Zhang Lurang lowered his head, his lips brushing against Su Zai Zai’s ear.

“Let’s go back.”

—

On the way back, the two walked in silence.

Just as they were about to reach the girls’ dormitory, Su Zai Zai suddenly spoke.

Her voice was soft and filled with disbelief. “Lurang, just now… you…”

Now that the moment had passed, even Zhang Lurang’s expression was a little unnatural.

But he had no regrets whatsoever.

Su Zai Zai suddenly threw her arms around his neck and bounced excitedly.

“Wow! You were jealous! You were marking your territory just now!”

Zhang Lurang let her hug him, placing one hand on her back without resisting.

After her excitement faded, Su Zai Zai calmed down, her expression turning serious.

“There’s no need to be upset! Everyone in my department knows I have a super handsome boyfriend!”

She thought this would reassure him.

But after a brief silence, Zhang Lurang simply said, “I’m still upset.”

Su Zai Zai froze.

“I don’t like it when others like you too.”

“Su Zai Zai, I never chat with other girls.”

“I can tolerate you talking to other guys without getting angry.”

He bent down slightly, his dark, bright eyes meeting hers at eye level.

The beast inside him had broken free from its cage.

“But you can’t play with them.”

Su Zai Zai was still a little dazed.

The Zhang Lurang in front of her seemed to overlap with the one from the second semester of their first year in high school.

His once youthful face had matured, his slightly high-pitched teenage voice now deeper.

—“You’re not allowed to play with other boys.”

Su Zai Zai nodded obediently, her heart instantly feeling like it had been soaked in honey.

The overwhelming sweetness left her dizzy, unable to think straight.

Seeing her response, Zhang Lurang lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

He opened his mouth, biting gently at the soft skin there before licking it.

His voice was low and hoarse, laced with uneven breaths.

The hand resting on her back tightened slightly.

Then, without hesitation, without holding anything back, he laid his entire heart bare for her to see.

“Otherwise… it hurts inside.”