《A Girl Conquers the World Through Her Tears》
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Chapter 1
May, the season of academic advancement.
The gentle breeze of early summer blows.
Inside the ssroom of ss 2, Grade 12, a beam of light shines on a corner of the ckboard, with "30 Days Left for the Final Sprint of the College Entrance Examination" written on it.
ssmates are frolicking, discussing their future lives.
Lin Jianzhi, wearing a white school uniform with short sleeves, tied her hair up into a simple high ponytail and was organizing her papers on the desk.
At this moment, the ss monitor, Lang Shu, burst in and shouted, "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Everyone, go to the auditorium! Zhu Liheng is back! There''s a speech assembly!"
Lin Jianzhi instinctively tightened her grip on the textbook, crumpling its cover.
Zhu Liheng...?!
The ssroom instantly erupted.
"Zhu Liheng? Is it the same Zhu Liheng I know? How did hee back to school?"
"It''s him! They say the principal specifically invited him back to cheer us on for Grade 12!"
"The genius who gave up the opportunity to be the top scorer in the college entrance examination battle back then!"
"Wow, it''s him! He single-handedly raised the reputation of our school!"
"Ah! My school grass senior!"
"..."
Both boys and girls went crazy, rushing out as if afraid that Zhu Liheng would run away in a second.
Students from other sses outside the corridor were also running madly, eager to see the legendary figure of the past. Some girls were so anxious that they ran so fast that they lost one of their shoes along the way.
Lin Jianzhi waspletely squeezed along, as if a swarm of Grade 12 students were passing through, almost crushing her.
The auditorium was only so big, and the front row seats were already upied.
Lin Jianzhi was left at the back, unable to squeeze in for a long time.
Feeling flustered and with the air in the crowd bing stuffy, her sensitive tear ducts were suddenly stimted, and her eyes turned red.
Lang Shu, being enthusiastic and responsible, spread the news and counted the number of people.
Seeing Lin Jianzhi left behind at the back, he turned around and shouted, "Lin Jianzhi! Hurry up! Our ss is the only one you can''t get into!"
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
With a start, excessive emotions caused tears to well up in her eyes.
To prevent the monitor from noticing anything abnormal and to avoid others seeing her embarrassed state.
Abruptly, Lin Jianzhi hit the brakes and rushed towards the women''s restroom!
Lang Shu was left dumbfounded, shouting from a distance, "Hey! What are you going to the bathroom for? Can''t you hold it? Seize the moment, it won''te again!"
Without looking back, Lin Jianzhi shouted, "People have three urgent needs!"
Lang Shu stomped his foot in anger, turned around, and walked away, saying, "I give up, I can''t control you."
As the sound of the crowd outside grew fainter and finally became silent.
Lin Jianzhi hid in the restroom, her cor soaked with tears!
Knock, knock! Is anyone in there? Knock, knock!
Damn tear ducts!
She buried her head deep between her knees, feeling even more downcast, and the tears just wouldn''t stop.
She was truly so sad, so heartbroken. It was a hard-won opportunity, and she had messed it up.
When she entered the first year of high school, Zhu Liheng was already in Grade 12.
With a two-year gap between them, the two should have had no connection whatsoever.
Moreover, Zhu Liheng was a legendary figure in the school and even the entire city¡ªa top student, a school idol, the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and a poprizer of science...
In this world, he seemed to possess extraordinary abilities, while others spent their high school years either burying themselves in studying or going crazy over exams, Zhu Liheng''s high school life was filled with traveling around the world, participating in variouspetitions, and winning awards.
After entering A University, Zhu Liheng studied physics. asionally, he would publish popr science knowledge on the inte, which was highly praised by millions of online users and received great recognition from professionals in various fields.
He was too dazzling, too outstanding...
But no one knew that Zhu Liheng was the neighbor of Lin Jianzhi, living on the floor above her!
Two years ago, on a certain day, Lin Jianzhi''s parents were away on a business trip, and she was in a rush and almost set the kitchen on fire.
The young man entered his own home, calmly extinguished the fire, tidied up the stove in a unhurried manner, and even cooked a bowl of noodles for her before leaving.
The afternoon sunlight shone on the young man''s side face,pletely disturbing Lin Jianzhi''s heart.
The next day, her parents returned home and led their own ipetent daughter to thank him.
Lin Jianzhi also used up a whole bag of tissues in their house...
The past is unbearable to look back upon, the more she thinks about it, the more embarrassed she feels!
After that incident, the two of them became like parallel lines, each busy with their own studies, and they never had any interaction again.
Lin Jianzhi buried her own little thoughts deep down, hidden and undiscovered by anyone.
During this return to school speech, she heard Zhu Liheng''s name once again.
Lin Jianzhi suddenly became flustered, memories surged like a flood, and that unforgettable face kept appearing in her mind.
Since Zhu Liheng graduated from high school, this was the first time she had the opportunity to see him in person.
"What the hell! What the hell!"
Lin Jianzhi cursed under her breath, hating herself.
She quietly shed tears in the bathroom, stabilizing her emotions, waiting for the tear stains on her clothes to dry before taking a deep breath and walking out.
But just as she reached the sink, she suddenly saw someone turning around.
Their eyes met!
The cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up, revealing fair, strong forearms. Perhaps it was a little hot, as the cor of his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a delicate corbone.
He had just washed his face, and there was moisture on his cheeks and hair ends. On his clean face were a pair of bright and clear eyes.
Two years had passed, and he hadn''t changed a bit.
How could this torn-faced guy be so good-looking?
Lin Jianzhi''s heart skipped a beat!
Almost instantly, her eyes turned red, and the emotions from her recent crying outburst resurfaced, leaving no room for any salvage.
She looked at Zhu Liheng, who was so close, and fell into his captivating face.
Only when she noticed the tear stains on her cheeks did Lin Jianzhi suddenly wake up.
What the hell!
Why was she crying again!!!
Lin Jianzhi wanted to die...
Zhu Liheng''s pupils contracted for a moment, but quickly remembered.
The girl in front of him was the one who cried loudly after burning the kitchen, her crying resonated through the walls, making him, who lived downstairs, surprised and amazed.
Two years had passed, and she could still cry like this. She was indeed a talented person.
Zhu Liheng didn''t say anything, silently took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, and handed it over.
Lin Jianzhi wanted to die even more!
She quickly took the tissues, without looking back, and ran back into the women''s restroom.
She messed up again!
Outside the restroom, in the hallway, the principal ran over and called out, "Zhu Liheng, please start."
Zhu Liheng replied, "I''ming."
Principal: "Speak more passionately! With more fervor!"
Zhu Liheng''s voice carried a hint ofughter, "Okay, Principal."
Lin Jianzhi, who had hidden herself to cry, quickly wiped away her tears and took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
The speech hadn''t started yet, so she still had a chance.
Five minutester, sheposed herself and walked out, arriving at the entrance of the auditorium.
She thought she had positioned herself perfectly, but to her surprise, a crowd of first and second-year students packed the entrance, leaving no room to even see the podium.
Lin Jianzhi stared nkly at the sea of people before her, while the younger students chattered away, discussing gossip.
"Is that Zhu Liheng, the one who dominated the headlines back then?"
"He''s so handsome..."
"Jingyi City is a county-level city. No one knows about this city, but everyone knows Jingyi No.1 Middle School. It''s magical!"
"It''s all because of him! Jingyi No.1 Middle School has almost be a mystical ce. They say it has excellent feng shui!"
"The principal knows how to make things happen. He even invited the media!"
Chapter 2: Are You His Girlfriend
Chapter 2
Lin Jianzhi was listening to their conversation outside and secretly thought it was lucky she didn''t rush to get a front row seat. If the media was filming, what if she got too emotional and her tear ducts burst? That would be so embarrassing! No, she was already embarrassing enough, crying like an idiot in front of her idol.
Returning to the ssroom alone, Lin Jianzhi clutched the pack of tissues in her hand, tidying up the exam papers in low spirits.
The gaokao was in 30 days. She had already studied everything she needed to, and reviewed enough. As long as she could perform normally with what she knew, and desperately cram anything she didn''t in thisst month. Just like the principal''s philosophy, self-confidence was most important in the final month.
But at that moment, Lin Jianzhi didn''t have any confidence at all. She felt inferior to the core. How could she possibly test into University A!
The speech ended an hourter. By the time her ssmates trickled back into the ssroom, Lin Jianzhi had already finished half a set of exam papers.
She looked up.
She realized the boys hade back to change their shoes, the girls were frantically searching for tissues, and some were nning to pool their ss funds to buy a case of water.
Lin Jianzhi was confused. She grabbed a female ssmate and asked, "What are you doing?"
Mu Yin said, "Oh, you didn''t go listen to the speech. Zhu Liheng is staying to y basketball this afternoon!"
Lin Jianzhi said, "Huh?"
Mu Yin said, "What do you mean, huh? Hurry up and get ready to cheer him on! The boys have already started splitting into teams. Zhu Liheng is going to y basketball with our ss!"
Before Lin Jianzhi could react, she was dragged to the basketball court.
The boys had already changed into athletic shoes and were standing under the hoops in two even groups.
Zhu Liheng had unbuttoned two buttons of his white shirt and rolled up the sleeves, swinging his arms to test his range of motion. The basketball game was decided on the spot, so he didn''t have a change of athletic clothes.
Students from other sses looked on enviously, especially the boys, who also wished they could y basketball with Zhu Liheng!
The game soon started, both sides battling intensely.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t understand basketball. She only knew Zhu Liheng kept dribbling the ball to the hoop and scoring every time.
Each basket drew screams from all the girls!
Even in his unsuitable white shirt, he moved freely on the court. His strong, fair forearms with protruding veins were exposed. The way hisrge hands dribbled the ball was mesmerizing.
Thump! Thump thump thump!
The ball bounced between his hands and the ground, firmly capturing everyone''s attention.
Like a rhythm, pounding on their hearts.
The angled sunlight shone on him, illuminating his figure brightly, even his hair was glowing!
Lin Jianzhi stared nkly until the first half ended.
The girls around her swiftly crowded around, handing out bottled water to every boy on the court.
Some girls offered paper towels for them to wipe their sweat.
Even more girls surrounded Zhu Liheng, exaggerated like chasing a celebrity.
Lin Jianzhi clutched the pack of tissues tightly in her hand, not daring to step forward.
Just then, Zhu Liheng turned his head and nced at her hands, pausing on the tissues.
He looked a little surprised. Those tissues¡ª
The next second, he strode over. He was very tall with long strides.
Lin Jianzhi was stunned. She instinctively held out the tissues in her hand.
Zhu Liheng naturally took them and asked, "Aren''t you using these?"
Lin Jianzhi instantly turned red to her ears!
She watched as he opened the pack, took out a sheet to wipe his sweat, then stuffed most of the rest back in her hand.
He turned and ran back to the court, leaving behind a trace of his refreshing scent.
Lin Jianzhi''s mind buzzed loudly!
The girls around her immediately crowded over, bombarding her with questions.
"Damn! Lin Jianzhi, do you know Zhu Liheng?"
"When did you get to know each other?"
"Why is he only using your tissues? Are you his girlfriend?"
"Wow! What''s your rtionship? No, when did you start?"
"......"
The girls had lost it. So had Lin Jianzhi.
After that, Zhu Liheng kept ying basketball, freely and blithely spending the afternoon with his juniors.
Every break, he woulde over and take tissues from Lin Jianzhi''s hand.
Lin Jianzhi was like a silly partridge, standing nkly at the edge of the court, not even daring to move far away.
At the same time, her name suddenly became known throughout the school as everyone guessed at their rtionship.
When it ended, Lin Jianzhi immediately fled. She was afraid she would cry from nervousnesster!
Behind her, ss monitor Lang Shu hurriedly chased after her, staring intensely as he asked, "Hey, hey! Don''t go! We''re all ssmates, give me Zhu Liheng''s WeChat!"
How could Lin Jianzhi have Zhu Liheng''s WeChat?
She plunged into the ssroom, swiftly packed up her study materials, and ran.
At the ssroom door, Lang Shu yelled in frustration, "We''re ssmates! ssmates! You''re secretly hoarding an idol''s contact info!"
Mu Yin suddenly realized, "No wonder she didn''t go listen to the speech. So they know each other......"
Lin Jianzhi rushed home as fast as she could, threw open her door, and buried her head under the quilt.
Her face was hot, her heart raced, and her breathing grew uneven.
Just thinking about her behavior this afternoon made her turn red. She must have looked even more stupid than crying.
Lin Jianzhi pounded her bed in frustration twice more.
Waa!
Her phone beside her kept ringing with ss group messages exploding.
ss monitor Lang Shu refused to give up, madly @-ing her in the group.
[Zhengyi No. 1 High School ss 12 (2)]
''Lang Shu: @Lin Jianzhi @Lin Jianzhi @Lin Jianzhi I know you''re reading! Hurry up and hand over Zhu Liheng''s WeChat!''
''Mu Yin: Hand it over!''
''Jiang Jingyi: Hand it over!''
''Quan Kaiji: Hand it over!''
''......''
Her ssmates'' eager sentiments filled the screen with repeating messages.
Lin Jianzhi really wanted to cry. She trembled as she typed a line.
''Lin Jianzhi: I don''t have his WeChat.''
''Lang Shu: You expect me to believe that now?''
''Mu Yin: If you don''t want to give it, fine. At least show us screenshots of your idol boyfriend''s Moments?''
''Jiang Jingyi: Screenshots! Moments! Hand them over!''
''Quan Kaiji: My ssmate is an idol''s girlfriend...''
Lin Jianzhi gave a startled yelp and quickly typed.
''Lin Jianzhi: I''m not his girlfriend! I really don''t have his WeChat!''
Clearly no one believed her, they just kept spamming.
Lin Jianzhi felt her scalp tingle!
She also didn''t understand why, why would there be such misleading actions?
Merely neighbors who had briefly met, it shouldn''t make Zhu Liheng look at her differently.
Could it be because her crying was unique?
Just thinking about this afternoon made Lin Jianzhi''s face burn hotter!
Did Zhu Liheng still remember her?
Recognize her?
What was there to remember about a silly crybaby?
Lin Jianzhi felt sad again.
Was it obvious she secretly liked Zhu Liheng? She hoped no one could tell!
She wanted to die!
Thinking this, Lin Jianzhi cried out in distress, "Ah¡ªso embarrassing!"
Downstairs.
Zhu Liheng, freshly showered, looked up at the ceiling. Buzz, buzz buzz.
He walked out to the balcony puzzledly and craned his neck to look up.
The resonance happened again. The human voice caused the wall vibrations to match frequencies perfectly.
How did she do that?
So mystical.
Chapter 3: I’ll Take You
Chapter 3
Lin Jianzhi''s parents were already used to her breaking down in tears at the drop of a hat. When she walked out of her room with red-rimmed eyes, her father Lin just nced at her twice before losing interest.
Her mother, Mrs. Lin, even lightly patted her with chopsticks: "Go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."
At the dinner table, Lin Jianzhi was in low spirits. She slowly shoveled mouthfuls of rice into her mouth.
Seated at the head of the table, her father spoke up: "The gaokao (college entrance exam) ising up soon. Do you have any ideas for your future university and major?"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t respond, only shaking her head.
Mrs. Lin set her bowl down: "Jianzhi is good at foreignnguages. Bing a diplomat in the future would be quite good."
Mr. Lin''s eyes lit up and he nodded: "Diplomats need to master dozens of foreignnguages. Our daughter has a gift fornguages and has gotten full marks on her English proficiency tests. I think it''ll be no problem."
But then Mrs. Lin suddenly frowned, saying: "However, diplomats need to have strong psychological resilience. As for Jianzhi..."
Mr. Lin''s smile froze and he didn''t finish his sentence.
In an instant, both of them gave up on the idea of Lin Jianzhi pursuing diplomacy. They shook their heads in regret.
Lin Jianzhi looked up and asked: "Can I get surgery? I read that overly sensitive tear ducts can be treated surgically."
Mr. Lin objected: "What if there are side effects?"
Mrs. Lin also disagreed: "It doesn''t impact you too negatively. The only problem would be soaking your exam papers with tears."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head: "It won''t get that bad. When I''m focused on the exam, I won''t have time to cry."
And so the conversation about her excessive crying ended. The family of three continued their pleasant dinner, except for Jianzhi who was preupied with her own thoughts. After a few bites, she returned to her room to do research.
In the span of two years, feelings that had once faded were revived in an instant this afternoon.
That whiff of fragrance left an indelible olfactory memory, assaulting her heart and filling it with intense emotions.
She was like a moth drawn to me, impulsively wanting to chase after it.
A University, Physics Department...
Late at night.
Zhu Liheng had just finished his research project. He casually browsed questions that fans had asked on Weibo. Some were quite technical and would make good topics for an exiner video series.
He searched for the term "physics" to see if there was any new noteworthy content.
Unexpectedly, the top search result was a Weibo post from a user.
The content was very simple, even a bitughable.
[@Love-crying-quail: Does anyone know what the admission score cutoff is for A University''s Physics Department?]
Zhu Liheng had scrolled past it, but noticed the user''s location was the same as his - Jingyi City.
He scrolled back and left ament under the post.
[@ZhuLiheng: For our city, you need at least 670 to get in.]
...
The next morning at 8 am.
Lin Jianzhi burst out the door like a madwoman, tidying her hair and cor while jabbing at the elevator button.
After crying half the night and fretting the other half, she had woken upte!
Morning reading started at 8:20 am. There was no way she could make it in time if she waited for the bus now.
She was going crazy! Crazy! Crazy!
By the time she neatened her hair and buttoned her cor, she realized the elevator hadn''t budged at all. A red light blinked on the disy.
Ahhh!!!
The elevator was broken!
Lin Jianzhi hurried down the stairs. She lived on the 11th floor!
Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!
In her panic she had put her shoes on the wrong feet. There was no way she could run like this.
The more flustered she got, the more mistakes she made. Lin Jianzhi wept buckets as she raced around the corner on the 10th floor.
Bang!
She mmed right into someone.
The impact made her see stars. She was about to fall backwards but arge hand grabbed her, propping her up.
"I''m so sorry!" Lin Jianzhi looked up.
The next second, her mind went nk.
A wisp of the disruptive clean fragrance greeted her senses.
Zhu Liheng?!
They were this close?!
Her head was pressed right against Zhu Liheng''s chin. For a brief moment she could even feel his breath against her.
Zhu Liheng let go at the right time, ncing at the red light on the elevator disy.
He had seen the little girl rushing over in tears the moment he opened his door. So the elevator was broken.
He checked his watch again - 8:03 am. They would definitely bete.
Zhu Liheng''s gaze lingered on Lin Jianzhi as he asked, "Who''s your head teacher?"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even dare meet his eyes. Her face was as red as blood as she practically squeaked: "Mr. Hu Tan."
Zhu Liheng raised an eyebrow. "Let me drive you there."
As soon as he spoke, he headed downstairs.
Lin Jianzhi''s mind went nk!
Drive her there? How?
Ahhh she was going to lose it!
Zhu Liheng looked back at the dazed girl and said, "Hurry up, do you want to bete?"
Mr. Hu Tan, teacher of ss 2 Senior Year 3 at Jingyi No.1 Middle School, was known for being extremely strict with his math students!
"Ah, okay!" Lin Jianzhi hurriedly followed behind him.
The two of them descended from the 10th floor. Zhu Liheng''s long legs carried him quickly down the stairs, forcing the petite Lin Jianzhi into an awkward jog the whole way.
She panted not from exertion, but pure nervousness. Right now Lin Jianzhi had lost all capacity for rational thought. All she could think about was that lingering clean scent.
How could he...
How could he offer to drive her?
She was totally going to misunderstand, oh god!
Upon reaching the 1st floor, Zhu Liheng didn''t stop but continued down the basement stairs, leading Lin Jianzhi down to the underground parking garage.
Lin Jianzhi nkly followed along like a mindless puppet.
Beep beep!
Zhu Liheng unlocked a car with his key fob, lighting up an Audi A6.
He opened the passenger door and looked over at the still dazed Lin Jianzhi, saying: "Get in."
Lin Jianzhi quickly mbered inside, sitting ramrod straight in the back row.
After closing the door behind her Zhu Liheng said, "Next time you can sit in the front passenger seat okay?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Huh? Ah???"
Zhu Liheng put the car in gear and reversed out of the spot. His long fingers gripped the steering wheel firmly.
"With you sitting like that I feel like some chauffeur," he said with a smile.
Lin Jianzhi wished a hole would open up for her to fling herself into. She quickly lowered her head and apologized again.
Zhu Liheng looked mildly exasperated. ncing at the rearview mirror, he reminded her: "Your buttons."
Still reeling from the whish, Lin Jianzhi echoed nkly, "Huh???"
Zhu Liheng repeated: "Your buttons are crooked."
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Hurriedly she nced down, shocked to discover her second button was slipped through the first buttonhole. The whole row was buttoned incorrectly.
Not knowing what to do, she raised her blushing face towards the driver''s seat.
Zhu Liheng turned the mirror to a different angle and kept his eyes fixed straight ahead: "I won''t look. Go ahead and fix it."
Fresh tears spilled from Lin Jianzhi''s eyes, beyond her control. She couldn''t stop huping quiet sobs.
She was an idiot!
Why did she have to keep acting like an idiot in front of Zhu Liheng!
She fixed her buttons in the back while Zhu Liheng drove, eyes glued to the road.
But the atmosphere in the car felt incredibly strange and awkward, even Zhu Liheng sensed it.
"Done?" he asked.
Lin Jianzhi squeaked in a tiny voice: "Mm-hmm."
Zhu Liheng repositioned the rearview mirror and rolled down the windows.
Neither spoke another word. Lin Jianzhi breathed a huge sigh of relief as the morning breeze gusted against her flushed face, clearing her muddled head a bit.
At a red light, a policeman suddenly stepped in front of the car, forcing them to stop.
"License and registration!" the officer barked severely at Zhu Liheng: "What''s your rtionship with that schoolgirl in the back? Are you seducing her for human trafficking?!"
Zhu Liheng: "......"
Lin Jianzhi gaped, stunned that her tear-streaked face had caused such a damning misunderstanding.
Chapter 4: A Test Stared at by the Teacher
Chapter 4
At the traffic lights at the crossroads, Zhu Liheng''s car was checked for his driver''s license, ID card, and trunk by the police officer.
The police uncle stared at Lin Jianzhi and educated her intensely: "Although you are an adult now, you still need to be responsible for yourself and not just casually get into any car, especially with the recent brazen ''high-value scam'' behavior going around, you need to be extremely careful..."
Lin Jianzhi numbly raised her head: "Officer, I''m going to bete for school."
The police was clearly taken aback for a moment and asked: "So you were crying because you didn''t want to bete?"
Lin Jianzhi nodded: "I''m a high school senior. I have a math test this morning."
The police blinked and took a look at the time before letting them go. High school students need to get to tests on time!
The two got back into the car.
After hesitating for a bit, Lin Jianzhi sat in the passenger seat. She was gripping her schoolbag tightly with both hands, so tight that they turned white.
She felt that being this close to him was really too much!
Her heart was frantically speeding up, practically jumping out of her throat.
She secretly nced at the person to her left. She realized Zhu Liheng had a expressionless face and was very silent.
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes instantly dimmed.
Is he angry?
Sure enough, I''ve caused trouble for him.
The car smoothly drove into the school and stopped outside the ssroom building.
The quiet campus was very peaceful. Because they were held up at the crossroads, the time for getting to school had long passed. All the students were already in the ssrooms.
Lin Jianzhi said thanks and got out of the car, not even daring to look at his expression.
She truly felt that she was silly and foolish!
Unexpectedly, the car door closing sound came right after her.
Lin Jianzhi looked back in surprise and saw that Zhu Liheng had also gotten out of the car. He gave her a "don''t worry" look.
Zhu Liheng: "I''ll exin the situation to them. Teacher Hu won''t scold you."
...
On the third floor of the high school senior 2 ss, Mu Yin sat by the windowsill, twirling a pen while gazing out the window with boredom.
Damn math morning quiz!
tter!
Her pen dropped to the ground. She gaped out the window with eyes wide open, wishing she could stick her whole head out to get a better look.
A ck sedan stopped below after driving into the school. Right after, Zhu Liheng and Lin Jianzhi got out from both sides of the car!
Holy crap!
Mu Yin nearly screamed!
She quickly nced towards the ssroom door. Sure enough, not long after, Lin Jianzhi appeared.
The head teacher Hu Tan was sitting at the podium proctoring the test. His sharp gaze red over: "Lin Jianzhi! ...Oh?"
He had just yelled out halfway when Teacher Hu suddenly turned up his tone in surprise, astonished at seeing Zhu Liheng standing behind Lin Jianzhi.
The whole ss turned their heads to look over, eyes shining with gossip and curiosity, wishing they could somehow see through Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng.
Zhu Liheng smiled and greeted: "Teacher Hu, are you busy?"
Hu Tan immediately set his teacup down and went out: "No busy at all, just a short quiz. I don''t even need to proctor."
Lin Jianzhi took the chance to lower her head and apologize: "I''m so sorry for beingte Teacher Hu."
Hu Tan didn''t even question her before directly letting her in: "Beingte is fine. Hurry back to your seat, the morning quiz has already started."
Lin Jianzhi quickly slipped back to her seat, spreading out her math test papers.
Countless heads in front, behind, left and right all leaned towards her, whispering questions at her.
Sitting at the front row, the ss president Lang Shu frequently looked back, even throwing over a note.
At the windowsill, Mu Yin had lost her mind. Standing up and waving her arms like crazy with an intense and exaggerated expression.
Lin Jianzhi flushed red and couldn¡¯t stop blushing, face burning hot, feeling like her head was about to explode!
In the hallway, Hu Tan and Zhu Liheng were conversing.
It was evident that Hu Tan was in a great mood, guffawing loudly from time to time. Theughter clearly carried into the ssroom.
When the discussion reached its peak, Hu Tan very approvingly patted Zhu Liheng''s shoulder.
The entire time, Zhu Liheng just responded with a smile and did not look into the ssroom. About five minutester, he bid farewell and left.
Hu Tan watched Zhu Liheng''s departing back and all the way smiling as he walked back into the ssroom.
To have such a student from his ss in the past, that was extremely glorious!
He would stille back to visit the school after graduating. Just thinking about it was joyful!
The sneakily small movements and rustling noises in the ssroom rapidly disappeared when Hu Tan came back in. All the students pretended to conscientiously hunch over the tables, diligently writing as if the near explosion of noise just earlier had nothing to do with them.
After Hu Tan came back in, he did not go back to sit at the podium. Instead, he headed directly over to Lin Jianzhi and watched her take the test.
Lin Jianzhi nearly snapped her pencil!
She stiffly lowered her head to do the questions. When she came to a multiple choice question, she selected C.
A ''tsk'' sound came from over her head!
Lin Jianzhi: "..."
She paused and changed the answer to B.
Another ''tsk'' sounded from over her!
Lin Jianzhi trembled when she hesitated between A and D, finally choosing A.
"Mm." Hu Tan''s satisfied voice came from over her head.
The entire time Lin Jianzhi took the test, Hu Tan ''tsked'' over her head. She erased and redid almost the whole test paper, no idea how many times she had changed her answers.
When the morning quiz ended, Lin Jianzhi''s palms were full of sweat. Her hands were numb.
The head teacher Hu Tan had barely walked out the door after collecting the papers when the entire ss swarmed around Lin Jianzhi like a hive of bees.
They mored with questions, with Mu Yin yelling the loudest.
"Lin Jianzhi! I saw you get out of Zhu Liheng''s car! You were sitting in the passenger seat!!!"
Lin Jianzhi nkly looked at Mu Yin, panic making her almost forget how to speak Chinese.
The surrounding ssmates exploded even more, emitting all kinds of exaggerated monkey screeches.
"Passenger seat, oo-ah-ah!"
"With Zhu Lihenging for a school visit, seems like it was just apanying his girlfriend to study for college exams!"
"Wow damn! Lin Jianzhi got Zhu Liheng!"
"Lin Jianzhi is dating Zhu Liheng!"
"Lin Jianzhi! What''s it like dating the hottest guy at school?"
"... "
Lin Jianzhi didn''t know what to do, waving her hands in panic while frantically exining: "No! It''s not! We''re not boyfriend and girlfriend! Not dating!"
Lang Shu: "Then how did you end up in his passenger seat? Zhu Liheng isn''t free time, yet he even sent you to school!"
Lin Jianzhi practically shouted: "We live in the upstairs and downstairs apartments!"
The ssroom quieted for one second, but soon resumed the mor.
"Dang, I haven''t seen my neighbor for over 10 years, let alone know what they look like, much less one that would drive me to school!"
"What kind of neighbor personally drives someone to school? That is clearly just an excuse!"
"My god, close ess means opportunities! No wonder you got together!"
"I had a sh of inspiration, going to write a novel called ''Me and My School Prince Charming Neighbor''..."
"Hands off that novel, I''m gonna write it!"
"..."
The plot ran increasingly off the rails, with more and more exaggerated monkey screams. The entire ss started losing their minds.
Lin Jianzhi was really going to pass out from panic!
She didn''t even know why it developed this way, both anxious and confused.
Dating?
Zhu Liheng?
She didn''t even dare to imagine it! Why would he possibly like someone like her...
If Zhu Liheng found out about this misunderstanding, then what?
What would he think?
How would he see her?
Not okay!
This was truly too shameful!
At this moment, Lin Jianzhi hated that she couldn''t find a seam to hide away in, not daring to face anyone.
Chapter 5: Why did he pick me up from school
Chapter 5
Lin Jianzhi had been exining all day long, her lips chapped from overuse, yet no one believed her.
What was even more frightening was that every time ss ended, there would be students from other sses cramming the hallway outside the ssroom, poking their heads in to look at her.
Not only had Mu Yin seen her get out of Zhu Liheng''s passenger seat, students from other sses saw it too!
Word spreads from one person to ten, ten to a hundred.
Coupled with the scene on the basketball court yesterday, it was really too misleading. The whole school was buzzing with rumors!
Her ssmates were already used to it, shouting introductions every break:
"Here to see Lin Jianzhi? The one with the ponytail in the third row!"
"Here to see Zhu Liheng''s girlfriend? The ponytail!"
"That''s her! The one who looks very innocent! She must be the campus heartthrob''s type!"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even dare lift her head. She slumped over her desk and took out her phone.
She logged into Weibo. She didn''t know anyone on Weibo and wanted to vent herplicated feelings.
But when she opened the app, she saw 999+ notifications on the top right corner!
What was going on?
Lin Jianzhi stared wide-eyed and tapped to look.
Boom!
Mind blown!
The Weibo post she had randomly madest night actually had over ten thousand likes and a thousandments!
With a trembling hand, she opened thements section and was shocked to find Zhu Liheng''sment was the most popr.
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
How did he find it?
Did Zhu Liheng know her Weibo handle?
No way, impossible!
Lin Jianzhi quickly scrolled through her past Weibo posts. Nothing too shocking, right?
She probably didn''t post about the incident from two years ago here, right?
She was going crazy!
Lin Jianzhi frantically scrolled upwards until her hand felt sore and her eyes strained.
Finally, after thousands of posts, she found her own rather silly past crush story.
She quickly locked that post so only she could see it, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.
She didn''t name anyone specifically or give too many details. Plus no one would be bored enough to archeologically dig up a nobody''s old Weibo posts.
So it was safe!
Nothing to worry about!
No one knew who she was!
After settling herself down, Lin Jianzhi finally started reading thements under hertest Weibo post.
Enthusiasticizens flocked over to cheer her on.
Lots of people were encouraging her.
"A high schooler spotted!"
"Go for the A University Physics Department!"
"Zhu Liheng left an encouragingment himself. You can definitely test in!"
"The A University Physics Department really is the pinnacle, but it''s also very difficult. Geniuses everywhere. Go for it!"
Lin Jianzhi copsed head first onto her desk. With a score of 670, what was she rushing towards!
After a day of confusion and nervous thrills, school was over in the afternoon.
Lin Jianzhi walked towards the school gate''s bus stop with her school bag, her ssmates surrounding her as they waited for the bus together. ss monitor Lang Shu was still refusing to give up on getting her WeChat.
After waiting five minutes, the bus she was going to take didn''t arrive, but a familiar Audi A6 did.
Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded!
She watched as Zhu Liheng rolled down the car window and nced at her. He then reached out and moved a bag of vegetables and meat from the passenger seat to the back row.
Zhu Liheng tilted his head at her, beckoning.
Lin Jianzhi was shocked speechless, wondering if she was hallucinating. She didn''t dare move an inch.
Until Zhu Liheng spoke, "What''s wrong? Get in."
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
She stiffly walked forwards and got into the passenger seat.
The sedan sped off, quickly disappearing down the road.
Her ssmates at the bus stop were stunned speechless, taking a good while to recover before they exploded.
"Wow! Picking up from school too?"
"So envious!"
"Seeing Zhu Liheng up close, he really is handsome..."
"My parents don''t even pick me up. She gets Zhu Liheng himself!"
"Oh my god! What is this cavity-inducing romantic drama plotline!"
Lin Jianzhi was also shocked speechless, watching the trees sh by rapidly outside. Her mind nked in the passenger seat.
Why did Zhu Liheng show up here?
Was he here to pick her up after school?
Why would he pick her up after school?
Lin Jianzhi''s brain short-circuited!
As he drove, Zhu Liheng spoke up, "Teacher Hu said your math isn''t good?"
Lin Jianzhi stared at him wide-eyed and stammered, "Oh, yeah."
Zhu Liheng''s eyebrows furrowed. "Math makes up arge portion of the score. How much do you get on your mock exams total?"
Lin Jianzhi mechanically answered, "Around six hundred."
Zhu Liheng nodded. "Getting around six hundred total while barely passing math is pretty decent."
Lin Jianzhi: "......"
Even the fact that she could barely pass math was told to Teacher Hu?
Zhu Liheng had gotten full marks on the math portion of the college entrance exam!
Yet she could only barely pass!
The gap was too big. How embarrassing!
She wanted to die wuwuwu!
Zhu Liheng watched in shock as her eyes visibly reddened. Why was she crying?
He really didn''t mean to hurt her pride! He was just stating facts!
Zhu Liheng quickly grabbed some tissues and pulled out a good several sheets for her. "Your English is good enough to get full marks. The teacher said you have an outstanding talent fornguages, your pronunciation is standard, and you''re suited for diplomacy."
"Wahwahwah!" Lin Jianzhi cried even harder!
She was mentally weak with extremely sensitive tear ducts. She could never handle the diplomacy major.
She felt awful. She was truly useless!
Zhu Liheng froze there awkwardly.
Crap, he didn''t know how tofort her.
He really hadn''t seen someone who cried this easily before!
Lin Jianzhi didn''t want to cry either, let alone in front of Zhu Liheng.
But she couldn''t control herself. The more nervous she got, the less she could control herself, and her tears flowed freely like water.
Zhu Liheng pulled over and parked at the roadside.
Seeing the empty driver''s seat, Lin Jianzhi abruptly stopped crying!
Crap!
Annoying!
She had annoyed Zhu Liheng!
Wuwuwu what to do!
Zhu Liheng got out and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door.
He crouched down to meet her eyes and said seriously, "Little Jianzhi, what''s wrong with you? Don''t be scared. I''m not your parent. I''m only two years older than you. Don''t treat me like a stern senior. We''re peers. If you have any psychological pressure or unhappy things you want to vent, you can talk to me."
Lin Jianzhi froze as giant teardrops kept rolling down her cheeks. In her eyes was the reflection of Zhu Liheng''s face.
Fair, clean, good-looking.
She really couldn''t resist and immediately threw herself into Zhu Liheng''s arms!
Bawling uncontrobly!
Nothing was actually wrong with her. She just liked him so much she was going crazy!
Her tears thoroughly soaked arge patch on Zhu Liheng''s white shirt.
Because he yed sports, Zhu Liheng was tall, fit and healthy. His shoulders were thick and broad, giving a sense of security. That light fragrance grew stronger too.
Faint, like the scent of grass.
Zhu Liheng was startled for a moment before gently patting her slender back.
Nestled in his arms, Lin Jianzhi felt as if she was melting away.
Were they...hugging?
Chapter 6: The Persistence of Bamboo Slips
Chapter 6
Lin Jianzhi cried for about a minute before sobering up. She pushed Zhu Liheng away in a fright.
Zhu Liheng was stunned again. He couldn''t understand why, his expression full of puzzlement.
Lin Jianzhi burst into tears: "I''m sorry! Don''t mind me!"
Zhu Liheng was truly confused and asked: "Am I very scary?"
Lin Jianzhi: "No..."
She wasn''t sure if Zhu Liheng had a girlfriend, she didn''t even dare to ask.
In her understanding, Zhu Liheng was handsome, sunny, excellent to the point of perfection, with many people chasing him.
There must be nock of equally excellent girls around him, right?
What was she doing, throwing herself into his arms crying?
Zhu Liheng heaved a deep sigh: "I don''t understand you."
The rtionship that had just gotten closer seemed to be about to be estranged again.
Lin Jianzhi clenched her fists, unwilling!
She mustered up the courage to ask desperately: "Senior, do you have a girlfriend?"
After asking, she immediately lowered her head like an ostrich, avoiding eye contact.
Zhu Liheng was truly confused by Lin Jianzhi''s train of thought. After thinking about it carefully, he said: "I don''t have a girlfriend, but you seem to have very divergent thinking, is that the reason why you''re not good at math?"
No girlfriend!
These words made Lin Jianzhi''s heart beat wildly, an indescribable feeling of excitement welled up in her heart.
But his next words...
How did it get to math?
Zhu Liheng patted her on the shoulder: "Let''s get in the car first, I''ll take you home."
On the way home, Lin Jianzhi was still immersed in the embrace from earlier.
She felt that in the car, on the tip of her nose, everywhere was surrounded by that fragrance.
Zhu Liheng looked very handsome and stylish while driving, his long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as he turned it, making her feel like he wasn''t driving a car but her life.
She didn''t dare to speak, blushing nkly the whole time.
Zhu Liheng spoke up from time to time tofort her and tell her not to be so nervous.
But Zhu Liheng only cared that her math grades were not good, afterforting her a few times he went back to talking about math problems.
Lin Jianzhi''s wildly beating heart gradually calmed down emotionally, even bing cold under his left one math question, right one math question.
Damn math!
When they arrived at the underground parking lot, Zhu Liheng parked the car and took the bag of fresh food from the back seat.
This scene felt very out of ce, but it was also full of a sense of daily life.
Ever since getting out of the car, Lin Jianzhi had been emotionally numb, following Zhu Liheng nkly into the elevator.
Ding¨C
The elevator stopped on the 10th floor, and Zhu Liheng stepped out.
Lin Jianzhi almost walked out with him!
Fortunately she reacted violently in time. Her home was on the 11th floor.
After walking out of the elevator, Zhu Liheng suddenly turned his head back, still worried: "It''s just math, actually not that hard. If there''s anything you don''t understand, you cane to me to ask."
Lin Jianzhi nodded subconsciously. The elevator doors closed.
Ding¨C
The 11th floor arrived.
At this time, Lin Jianzhi suddenly reacted: she didn''t have Zhu Liheng''s contact details! How could she ask him?
She had even forgotten to thank him!
God!
She felt like an idiot again!
Back home, her parents hadn''t returned yet. After rushing into her room, Lin Jianzhi quickly hid under the quilt.
Then she started feeling anxious.
How could Zhu Liheng be so gentle?
Was he like this with other girls too?
If other girls threw themselves into his arms crying, would he also gently pat their backs tofort them? Speak softly and tenderly?
Or was it only her that he treated this way? But what made her worthy of this from him...
Lin Jianzhi felt both agitated and remorseful, rolling wildly in her quilt on the bed.
She didn''te out from the quilt until she almost suffocated.
Her face was blushing bright red as she took out her phone to check Weibo.
There was no new content on Zhu Liheng''s Weibo. The poprity brought by thatment of his was still going.
From time to time, people woulde and give Lin Jianzhi a like, leaving an "Add oil" message before leaving.
At this time, Lin Jianzhi had veryplicated feelings. She wanted Zhu Liheng''s attention, but was also afraid of such attention.
She was afraid of her little secret being discovered and exposed, peopleughing at her arrogance.
In the end, gritting her teeth, she locked that Weibo post with over 10,000 likes, making it only visible to herself.
After doing all this, she checked again to see if there was any key information left out.
Going through all her Weibo posts, deleting or locking more than a dozen, finally at the very end, she even changed her name, from "Crybaby Little Quail" to an untraceable empty ount.
Only after doing all this was Lin Jianzhi finally at ease.
She hated her own cowardice and timidity!
Downstairs.
Zhu Liheng had already quickly cooked dinner. His parents were away on a business trip. He made two dishes and a soup for himself, nutritious and healthy.
After eating and washing the dishes, he went back to his room and opened hisptop.
Subconsciously, he looked up at the ceiling. Very quiet.
Looks like his reassurance worked. She didn''t cry today.
Just as he was about to browse documents, a message suddenly lit up.
"Zhu Jianan: [Document] Help me check the logic, if there''s no problem I''ll publish it."
"Zhu Liheng: Fifty dors per word."
"Zhu Jianan: You''re extorting me?!"
"Zhu Liheng: You have a job already, I''m still a student. You still want me to work for free?"
"Zhu Jianan: A 20-year-old childborer, aren''t you ashamed? I''ll treat you to a meal, hurry take a look!"
"Zhu Liheng: Hot pot."
"Zhu Jianan: Got it got it, hurry up!"
Zhu Liheng opened the document, skimming at 10 lines per second.
In his opinion, logicality was not the most important thing for emotional articles. Whether the emotions got through and could resonate was the key.
But Zhu Jianan was afraid of getting sprayed, asking him to check the logic every time after she finished writing.
Reading through it all, there were no big issues. But at the ending, there was a small story quote that caught Zhu Liheng''s eyes.
It was a Weibo screenshot from user "Crybaby Little Quail".
Summer, kitchen, ck smoke, boy, noodles...
Upon looking at the post time again, two years ago.
Zhu Liheng immediately made a phone call!
Seeing the iing call, Zhu Jianan was so startled she almost jumped. After picking up she asked: "What''s wrong? What happened? Is there a big problem with what I wrote? Good thing I asked you to take a look! What big problem is there? Tell me, I''ll change it right away!"
Zhu Liheng''s voice was unexpectedly stern, even a little fierce: "Did you get permission from Crybaby Little Quail to quote that Weibo post of hers?"
Zhu Jianan: "I''m contacting her now, but she hasn''t replied yet. Oh wait..."
Zhu Liheng''s breathing tightened: "What is it?"
Zhu Jianan: "She changed her username, but still hasn''t replied. Maybe too many private messages, all thanks to you. This little nobody was discovered by me first, but got randomly blown up by your onement to 10,000 people going in..."
Zhu Liheng cut off her babbling: "What''s her name now?"
Zhu Jianan: "ZhuJianZhiHeng."
Zhu Liheng: "Which four characters?"
Zhu Jianan: "Your Zhu of Zhu Liheng, simple Jian, enduring Zhiheng."
The rapid tapping sound of typing on a keyboard quickly rang out as Zhu Liheng started searching on hisputer.
Zhu Jianan was a little unhappy: "What are you doing? Suddenly so serious on the call you scared me. So can I not publish that quote yet?"
Zhu Liheng: "Like hell she''d let you publish it! I''ll get the A University Law School to sue you!"
Zhu Jianan: "???"
Zhu Liheng: "Hanging up."
Zhu Jianan: "!!!"
Looking at the phone that rapidly hung up, Zhu Jianan was truly confused.
But she still modified the article, deleting the screenshot quote.
Chapter 7: The Photo That Went Viral
Chapter 7
Zhu Liheng found the user ''Zhujian Zhenheng'', whose profile picture remained unchanged from yesterday''s.
The Weibo post inquiring about the admission scores of A University''s Physics Department was gone. Not only that, the little stories from two summers ago had also disappeared.
Zhu Liheng looked through one post after another, and through subtle details and photos, he could confirm...
This was Lin Jianzhi!
In that instant, Zhu Liheng had mixed emotions.
He carefully recalled, from their encounter at the sink when he returned to school, to the series of interactions that followed.
He suddenly realized!
So it was because of that cry...
This little girl had forcibly held it in, for two whole years?
Zhu Liheng frowned. Isn''t it painful to hold it in like that?
Oh! It must have been so painful that she cried so badly!
He understood again. Just as he was about to follow ''Zhujian Zhenheng'', he changed his mind and followed silently instead.
Then he leaned back in his chair to think.
Zhujian Zhenheng?
Zhu Jianzhi Liheng.
I see!
...
Upstairs in her room.
Lin Jianzhi tidied up her emotions and started on practice questions.
No matter how bitter her secret crush was, the college entrance exam was a hurdle she had to get over.
If she wanted to stand by Zhu Liheng''s side, she had to be outstanding, outstanding and even more outstanding!
After furiously working through half a set of math papers.
Mother Lin knocked on the door, "Xiao Jian, dinner is ready!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Coming!"
Full of energy today, in good spirits, even her response was louder than usual.
At the dinner table, Father Lin spoke up, "Xiao Jian, should Dad help you find a math tutor?"
Lin Jianzhi thought about it. She seemed to really need one.
The school curriculum for three years had long beenpleted. Everyone was in the final review stage, with teachers using a question-and-answer approach.
But with so many students in a ss, it was inevitable that some would be neglected, especially a math dunce like Lin Jianzhi.
Mother Lin advised at the side, "There''s only a month left until the college entrance exam. Even if there are too many foundations to fill, we should cover what we can."
Lin Jianzhi nodded: "OK."
Father Lin: "Then it''s settled. You''ll go to the teacher''s house for a few hours every day after school from now on."
After dinner, Lin Jianzhi returned to her room intending to continue with practice questions.
Who would have expected her phone to be bombarded with messages, blowing up nonstop!
When she took a look, why was everyone in the ss WeChat group tagging her?
Lin Jianzhi casually scrolled up.
Boom!
Her mind went nk!
It was a photo, of herself and Zhu Liheng embracing each other by the roadside next to a parked Audi A6 with its hazard lights blinking.
The photo was so clear!!!
Lin Jianzhi''s hands were almost shaking as she typed in the group chat.
''Lin Jianzhi: Delete it! Delete it! Delete it! I''m begging you!''
''Mu Yin: Can''t delete it anymore, sis. It''s spreading all over school already, you think we got it from where?''
''Lang Shu: His WeChat! WeChat! WeChat!''
''Jiang Jingyi: Still not admitting it until a photo got passed to our ss from another.''
''Lang Shu: Shouldn''t our ss be the first to know and see this kind of photo? I don''t buy it! Where''s our team spirit? Our ss soul?! Lin Jianzhi, quickly send a sweet selfie for me to circte to smack them down!''
''Lin Jianzhi: You guys really misunderstood! Misunderstood! We aren''t in that kind of rtionship!''
''Quan Kaiji: On school hunk and my ssmate hugging by the roadside...''
''Jiang Jingyi: On tantly being the school hunk''s girlfriend yet denying it!''
''... ''
Lin Jianzhi felt her head explode!
What to do?
Would these rumors reach Zhu Liheng''s ears?
What would he think!
¡¾Jingyi No.1 Middle School High 3 Teachers Group¡¿
''Luo Chunhua (Chinese Language): [photo] Have you guys seen this photo, posted publicly by a student?''
''Qiu Can (History): That''s our school uniform. Is this girl in a premature romantic rtionship? What''s with that car? Which guy''s car did this girl get into! Is it a scammer? Though this scammer looks quite handsome!''
''Ran Guanghui (Physics): What scammer, that''s Zhu Liheng! Graduated from our school two years ago, scored perfect on the college entrance exam! Perfect scores in Math and Physics!!!''
''Qiu Can (History): No wonder this brat looks so outstanding!''
''Ran Guanghui (Physics): Get outta here! You don''t even care about Physics! Zhu Liheng has already been taken by quantum mechanics master Xiong Pengtian as a top disciple. Professor Xiong would even put Zhu Liheng''s name at the end of many of his papers!''
''Qiu Can (History): Why should I as a History teacher care about Physics? Zhu Liheng didn''t even take History in the college entrance exam!''
''Luo Junliang (English): He''s a science whiz, why would you make him take freaking History? I''ve no issues with these two dating, very well-matched! Lin Jianzhi also scored full marks for English on thest mock exam!''
''Hu Tan (Mathematics): She barely passed Math! I''m speechless, having such an outstanding science boyfriend yet her Math is so awful? Pisses me off!''
''Hu Tan (Mathematics): [Inhaling oxygen].jpg''
''Ran Guanghui (Physics): Thank goodness she doesn''t take Physics, or I''d be the pissed off one. How extremely biased these electives are, biased all the way to grandma''s house!''
''Luo Chunhua (Chinese Language): [Eating melon].jpg''
''... ''
After reading academic paperste into the night, Zhu Liheng casually browsed his Moments feed, and discovered upon a quick scroll that the teachers from his year were all sharing a photo.
It captured the moment he gently patted Lin Jianzhi''s back tofort her, taken without their knowing.
The teachers'' apanying captions were diverse and entric.
Some were indignant, some madly relishing the gossip, and some even waving the shipping g...
If even the teachers were spreading it, it must be circting like wildfire among the students.
Zhu Liheng frowned, worried that the excessive information would cause the little girl''s emotions to copse.
She seemed to be easily affected by external factors, let alone something rted to him...
He subconsciously nced up at the ceiling. No sounds of crying causing wall resonance.
Still feeling uneasy, he walked out to the balcony and looked upstairs.
The lights were still on, she hadn''t slept yet.
Definitely curled up in bed secretly crying.
Zhu Liheng sighed. Shouldn''t have parked the car there.
Upstairs.
Lin Jianzhi cried till her eyes were swollen. Silently shedding tears while resolutely powering through math papers.
Tears drenched the papers, crumpling them up bit by bit.
She persevered, solving problems on the damp crinkled papers.
She had to test into A University!
After madly attempting two sets of math papers, Lin Jianzhi took a deep breath and checked the time.
It was alreadyte into the night, but she still couldn''t fall asleep.
She logged into Weibo again, browsing through Zhu Liheng''s past.
She didn''t have his contact, this was her only way to understand him.
He really was so outstanding. His friends were outstanding too, and his Physics digest collections were filled with things she didn''t understand.
Although she didn''t understand the content, she couldprehend the vast amount of glowingments.
Lin Jianzhi had read manyments, and from the snippets she understood - at this time, Zhu Liheng was quite famous in Physics circles, even holding a certain standing.
And he was only 20, still studying in university!
So impressive!
Chapter 8: Remedial Lessons
Chapter 8
In the morning, Lin Jianzhi got out of bed at half past seven to buy breakfast.
She quietly ate her steamed bun stuffed with vegetables at the bus stop, waiting for the bus.
Soon, the bus came and she got on, swiping her card.
Sure enough, everything that happened yesterday was just a coincidence, just like two years ago.
She was nothing more than a speck of dust in Zhu Liheng''s life, the most inconspicuous passerby.
Starting today, the two would continue as two parallel lines, with no intersection.
Lin Jianzhi could only look up to Zhu Liheng¡¯s radiance and achievements from the shadows.
Walking through the gates of Jingyi No.1 Middle School, she followed the flow of people entering the school to her Senior 3 (Grade 2) ssroom.
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s heart gradually calmed down, and she also felt somewhat self-deprecating.
Those were all out of reach things. What was she hoping and fantasizing about?
But her ssmates were clearly still not over the shock from yesterday. As soon as she entered the ssroom, she was greeted with a chorus of shrieks.
Mu Yin even ran over in a sh, moring, "Lin Jianzhi! Zhu Liheng didn''t give you a ride today?"
Lin Jianzhi put her books on the desk. "We''re really just neighbors."
The ss monitor, Lang Shu, rushed over. "WeChat! WeChat!"
Lin Jianzhi took out her phone and opened her WeChat contacts list. "Look, I really don''t have him on WeChat."
The gathered ssmates were all stunned, racking their brains but clueless.
Some calmer ssmates felt it was inappropriate to make a fuss any further, so the crowd dispersed, returning to their seats to study.
Lin Jianzhi had been at her spot the whole time, but her math materials hadn¡¯t turned a page for a long time.
She wanted to cry again.
That¡¯s right!
Although it was a coincidence, it really hurt.
After a brief, sweet crush, one would unrealistically hope it could still be possessed.
Sheid her head on the desk, without the heart to do test papers anymore.
In a daze, she passed the day and went home after school.
As soon as she opened the door, Lin''s Father peeked out. ¡°Xiao Jian¡¯s home?¡±
¡°Yeah, Dad,¡± Lin Jianzhi replied listlessly.
Lin''s Father pushed up his sses. ¡°Why is Xiao Jian so spiritless? Are you still going to your math tutoring session today?¡±
At the mention of tutoring, Lin Jianzhi''s motions stuttered as she changed shoes. ¡°Going. Where is the teacher''s house?¡±
Although very dejected, studies had to go on. Otherwise, there would be no chance at all.
She couldn¡¯t get into A University, but she could still go to a university in Yanjing, right?
With a total score of 600, she still had many options.
It was unrealistic to pine, but she still wanted to stay close to Zhu Liheng, even if just a little bit.
Lin''s Father waved his hand. ¡°Change your shoes and wash your hands first, then eat. The teacher wille pick you upter.¡±
Lin Jianzhi felt it was a bit odd but still changed her shoes and sat at the dinner table.
Lin''s Mother had prepared a full table of dishes today, even cooking seafood, which was a bit extravagant.
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s mood lifted slightly. Just as she was about to pick up a crab leg...
p!
Lin''s Mother rapped her on the hand with chopsticks, scolding, ¡°Still not everyone! What are you grabbing your chopsticks for? Go serve the rice!¡±
Stunned, Lin Jianzhi got up nkly. ¡°Who else is here?¡±
Lin''s Father said, ¡°Your tutoring teacher.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± mumbled Lin Jianzhi as she obediently went to the kitchen to serve rice. She hadn¡¯t eaten lunch today due to her bad mood, but since Lin''s Mother had cooked such a feast to treat the tutor, she should eat more.
So she scooped herself arge bowlful!
Carrying a bowl piled high with rice towering over the rim by several centimeters, she still hadn¡¯t reached the dinner table when the doorbell suddenly rang. Her parents warmly and enthusiastically weed a person in.
White shirt, long legs, handsome looks, brimming with the air of youth.
The corner of the boy¡¯s mouth quirked up into a slight smile as he politely greeted, ¡°Hello, uncle and auntie.¡±
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s parents responded enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Lin Jianzhi stood frozen in ce, stunned speechless as she gawked at the scene.
Zhu Liheng?!
Her math tutoring teacher was Zhu Liheng?!
Seeing her unmoving, Lin''s irritated Mother scolded, ¡°What¡¯s Xiao Jian doing? Hurry and greet your teacher!¡±
Equally displeased, Lin''s Father demanded, ¡°No manners! Quickly, say hello to teacher!¡±
At this time, Lin Jianzhi had no mind to greet anyone. She lowered her head to look at her bowl of rice.
She had scooped too much!
Would it scare Zhu Liheng?
Ah! She was going crazy!
What girl ate that much in one meal?
A pig?
It was over, her image was ruined!
Lin Jianzhi really wished a chasm would open up in the ground for her to burrow into!
But her enthusiastic parents clearly paid no heed to her embarrassment, dragging her over to the dinner table and pushing her down into her seat.
That bowl of overly-generous rice portions was ced right in front of her¡ªone big bowl!
ncing left, then right, her parents¡¯ bowls only contained half as much rice as hers.
Looking across, Zhu Liheng¡¯s portion was also normal.
Lin Jianzhi really felt she was losing her mind!
Lin''s Father heartily heaped dishes onto Zhu Liheng¡¯s bowl. ¡°Eat more, Teacher Zhu.¡±
Very politely, Zhu Liheng cupped his bowl with both hands to receive. ¡°Uncle, no need to be so courteous. Just call me Little Zhu.¡±
On the spot, Lin''s Mother began to sing his praises. ¡°Little Zhu is truly outstanding, not like our family¡¯s Xiao Jian who fails at everything!¡±
Lin''s Father also took the chance to say, ¡°Little Zhu, our Xiao Jian is so bad at math, it¡¯s really such an imposition on you.¡±
After thinking for a bit, Zhu Liheng replied, ¡°Learning math is actually very reliant on methods. Xiao Jian herself is smart, so no issues.¡±
Delighted, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s father guffawed loudly while her mother was also very happy.
Only Lin Jianzhi herself remained numb throughout, staring nkly at the rice in her bowl at a loss over what to do.
Eat¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t seem like ady!
Not eat¡ªshe would surely leave Zhu Liheng with the impression she wasted food.
Wah! This was too difficult!
In the end, she still ate, clearing her bowl squeaky clean.
In front of Zhu Liheng, she shoveled mouthfuls of white rice into herself like a starving piglet.
Because lingering any longer would bring scoldings from Lin''s parents.
She had to hurry up and eat, then leave for tutoring!
Lin Jianzhi really felt like weeping. The time, location, people¡ªeverything had been ruined by her one bowl of rice.
After the meal, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s parents busied themselves with washing dishes and cleaning up while shooing their daughter away.
Bang!
The big door shut. Still hugging her book bag, Lin Jianzhi woodenly looked ahead.
Amusement glimmered in Zhu Liheng¡¯s eyes as he regarded her. ¡°You brought your practice papers, right?¡±
Once again, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s face flushed red. She hurriedly lowered her head and gave a tiny ¡°Mm¡± in reply.
Although it was just downstairs, only one floor apart, to Lin Jianzhi it seemed like an endless expanse of a hundred thousand and eighty thousand li, leaving her breathless with every step nearer.
Her brain was also beyond her control, endlessly running wild with thoughts.
What would she do when she met his parentster?
How to greet them?
Would she give anything away about herself?
Just how did things develop to this point? Why was she suddenly going over to Zhu Liheng¡¯s home?
Arriving downstairs, Zhu Liheng opened the door. The extremely simple d¨¦cor gave a neat, refreshing feel.
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s heart thundered rapidly!
¡°No one¡¯s home,¡± Zhu Liheng suddenly said, easing the tense atmosphere. ¡°My parents went out of town on a business trip.¡±
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s entire being rxed, finally able to gulp big mouthfuls of air.
Click!
The door closed. Zhu Liheng brought her house slippers.
His house was very tidy and quiet. So quiet that even breathing sounded deafening.
Lin Jianzhi had just changed into the slippers when she gave a violent jolt!
No one home?
It would be just her and Zhu Liheng alone together in a room?
Ahhhhh!
She was going mad again!
Chapter 9: Long Walk into Night
Chapter 9
Lin Jianzhi waspletely numb as she changed her shoes and followed Zhu Liheng forward. She didn''t dare look around, and didn''t know what arc she should move her hands and feet in.
Theyout of the upstairs and downstairs suites was the same. Eventually, Zhu Liheng pushed open the door of the secondary bedroom.
"I''ll teach you in my room." He said lightly.
"Okay, okay." Lin Jianzhi stuttered and nodded in response.
Zhu Liheng''s room was right under hers, she realized for the first time.
His room was tidy and clean, with very few things in it, apart from the bed and wardrobe, there was only arge desk.
On the desk there were only books, aputer, paper and pens.
Oh, and a basketball too.
In contrast to her room which was full of all kinds of messy things.
His life seemed very simple, extremely simple.
Zhu Liheng pulled two chairs and ced them parallel in front of the desk, indicating for her to sit.
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly sat down and took out the books from her school bag.
But Zhu Liheng put the books aside and said, "You won''t need those, take out some papers."
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly took out a stack of papers.
Zhu Liheng randomly took out one piece and spread it out on the table, "Do one first, I''ll flip through the rest."
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even dare to speak, she just lowered her head and stared at the paper.
She was extremely nervous, her hand holding the pen was shaking, and her breathing was rapid.
How could she even focus on doing the papers in this state!
A ballpoint pen reached over and tapped on her paper.
Knock knock!
Zhu Liheng: "Concentrate, don''t get distracted."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head even more.
The two were sitting side by side, less than a meter apart.
In this small room, sitting so close together, it was hard not to let one''s mind wander!
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even dare to breathe too loudly!
She nced at the person next to her. His increasingly alluring side profile was so close, the whole room was filled with that scent.
Filling her nose and mouth, making her brain dizzy.
Next to her, Zhu Liheng flipped through piles of math papers. He first looked through the ones Lin Jianzhi had done, and categorized the types she was good at and weak at.
Then he turned over that stack of nk papers, circling problems on the papers with his pen, picking and choosing.
After flipping through dozens of papers, an hour had passed.
Lin Jianzhi had only done ten multiple choice questions, and got five wrong.
For a while, the atmosphere in the room was silent. Even Zhu Liheng seemed a little speechless for a moment.
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes turned red. She really was hopeless stupid.
Zhu Liheng looked at the questions she got wrong and asked, "You used the wrong form here, why?"
Lin Jianzhi was so embarrassed her face turned bright red, her voice was as small as a mosquito''s, "I don''t know which form I should use."
Zhu Liheng: "I looked at your problems, it seems you basically don''t understand probability, sequences, and trigonometric functions?"
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head deeply, "I can''t remember the temtes for those types of questions."
Zhu Liheng frowned, "Math forms and questions are not something you memorize, but inference."
Lin Jianzhi: "Mm..."
Zhu Liheng: "I see you did the geometry questions quite well, because there were diagrams?"
Lin Jianzhi answered honestly: "I can measure from them..."
Zhu Liheng: "You can also draw graphs for trig functions. In fact, probability can also be exined graphically, including sequences too."
As he spoke, he took out a nk sheet of paper and sketched graphical representations of each form on the spot.
The pen was like a ruler in his hand, drawing perfectly straight lines. The circles were drawn out seamlessly in one stroke.
As he drew, he exined.
Lin Jianzhi felt like she was relearning math from the start.
He ced the forms and graphs in front of Lin Jianzhi, then threw over the questions he had picked out.
Zhu Liheng: "Do these questions using the forms above. Try reasoning backwards, draw graphs for each question, don''t worry about wasting scrap paper."
With this targeted, filtered approach.
Lin Jianzhi felt her condition had improved greatly. Doing questions was a magical process.
Thinking and reasoning gradually rxed and calmed her, making her forget she was in her crush''s room as she focused on the questions before her.
Zhu Liheng nced at her. She still got two wrong out of these questions.
Late at night, Lin Jianzhi let out a long breath and put down her pen.
Next to her, Zhu Liheng was going over the questions she did, pointing out why she got them wrong.
Lin Jianzhi listened carefully, feeling rather enlightened.
She realized her way of thinking about math had always been wrong, starting from the first step.
Like finding a needle in the sea, no wonder she didn''t know how to start.
But Zhu Liheng''s method of reasoning backwards was different. From God''s perspective, once her thinking opened up, many problems became simple.
As for the two she got wrong, Lin Jianzhi felt somewhat annoyed at herself for being so stupid!
She wasn''t used to this reverse thinking yet.
But Zhu Liheng saw it differently: "Good progress for the first day."
Lin Jianzhi immediately felt confident again.
Things even the teacher couldn''t help her with, were smoothly solved with Zhu Liheng.
She admired him even more.
Zhu Liheng started tidying the desk: "Alright, it''s almost midnight, let''s stop here for today. Same time tomorrow."
It was almost midnight already!
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly stood up: "Thank you for your time, I''ve dyed you too."
Zhu Liheng looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face, "This isn''t a waste of time."
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
Lin Jianzhi''s heart rate suddenly sped up.
What does he mean by that?
Zhu Liheng: "Learning is a big deal in life. One grows throughout their life, absorbing all kinds of knowledge."
"Oh..." Lin Jianzhi nodded.
Leaving Zhu Liheng''s home, Lin Jianzhi still hadn''t returned to her senses.
She had actually stayed at his house until midnight!
How unreal was that!
Ah, that''s right, WeChat!
Lin Jianzhi looked at the closed front door, feeling somewhat disappointed.
How should she ask Zhu Liheng for his contact details?
She didn''t dare ask outright.
Back at home, her parents were already asleep.
Lin Jianzhi went into her room, changed into pajamas and slipped under her quilt.
Today, she had spent a long, long time alone with Zhu Liheng.
She wanted to record it down, but social media...
She opened social media and took a look. The barrage ofments from before had stopped increasing, and no more private messages flooded in.
Everything had returned to normal.
Nobody should be paying attention to her anymore right?
Moreover she had changed her username!
But even so, Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare speak freely on social media.
She simply posted a photo of math test papers and a pen, with a timestamp.
''@ZhuJianForever: 2022/05/10''
This was an important date for her.
Recording it carefully, not daring to indulge.
Downstairs.
After showering, Zhu Lihengy in bed and opened social media on impulse. He clicked into his secret follows.
In his list of secret follows, there was only one user.
The content of the user ''ZhuJianForever''''s post was extremely vague.
That watermark-free photo concealed all the feelings, silently.
Chapter 10: Stay Close to Me
Chapter 10
The next day after school.
Lin Jianzhi had never rushed out of the school grounds so eagerly before, even ignoring Mu Yin yelling from behind to treat her to milk tea.
She wanted to hurry home, to see Zhu Liheng earlier.
Although it was for tutoring...
But just as she rushed out of the school gate, she saw a familiar Audi A6 parked across the street.
Zhu Liheng''s tall figure walked out of a milk tea shop, holding two cups of milk tea in his hands.
Lin Jianzhi had run out like crazy, out of breath. Seeing this scene, she almost forgot to breathe and suffocated herself.
Across the street, Zhu Liheng was stunned for a moment, then raised the milk tea in his hands and shook it at her. Then he got into the driver''s seat.
Lin Jianzhi felt somewhat at a loss and also had some small expectations.
Did hee to pick her up?
She saw the Audi A6 make a U-turn and then stop at the school gate, stopping right next to her.
Lin Jianzhi was so nervous that her hands were shaking. She carefully walked up.
What if she was just wishful thinking?
Just then the car window rolled down, and Zhu Liheng waved at her, "I bought you some milk tea."
It was like a flower blooming in her heart, sweet like floral nectar.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even know how obvious her excitement was in that moment, the word "happy" was practically written on her face.
The corners of Zhu Liheng''s mouth curled up in a smile. After she got into the passenger seat, he pointed at the two cups of milk tea, "Caramel and matcha, which one do you like?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I..." Like you. "Caramel." She said softly.
Zhu Liheng handed her the caramel milk tea, turning the steering wheel, "Why did you get out so early today?"
He hadn''t timed it right.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare say that she had rushed out. She had packed up her schoolbag early and flew out as soon as the bell rang for ss to end.
She didn''t expect that Zhu Liheng woulde to pick her up from school again.
Why?
Could it be that he also had a little bit of feelings for her...
"Lin Jianzhi! Ah ah ah!!!"
Suddenly there was a shriek from outside the car window, interrupting Lin Jianzhi''s wild spections.
She saw Mu Yin standing outside the car window, staring at her and gesturing wildly, with an extremely exaggerated expression.
Behind her there was also arge group of ssmates who had caught wind of the news, especially monitor Lang Shu, who ran over very quickly.
Lin Jianzhi almost spit out her milk tea!
"Hurry, hurry up and go."
She was practically begging as she spoke. More subconsciously, she pulled Zhu Liheng''s clothes with her left hand.
Zhu Liheng nced outside the window and smiled as he started the car.
And Lin Jianzhi¡¯s group of ssmates behind were still desperately chasing and shouting after the car.
Jiang Jingyi: ¡°Lin Jianzhi, you liar!¡±
Quan Kaiji: ¡°So you really are dating Zhu Liheng!¡±
Lang Shu: ¡°Stop the car! Damn! Let me take a picture before you go!¡±
Mu Yin: "No wonder you don''t want to drink my milk tea, your boyfriend buys it for you!"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare to respond at all. She closed the car window as fast as possible.
It was over, over, over!
Zhu Liheng heard it all!
Her face flushed red-hot. Looking at the retreating street scene outside the window, she had long lost any desire to drink her milk tea. With the corner of her eye she subtly nced at Zhu Liheng next to her focusing on driving the car, he didn''t show much expression, as if he hadn''t heard the shouts from earlier at all.
Neither of them spoke, and Lin Jianzhi felt like she was sitting on pins and needles!
Finally at an intersection, she really couldn''t stand the scorching yet oppressive atmosphere any longer.
She took the initiative to speak: "Are you, are youing over for dinner at my house today?"
Zhu Liheng pointed at the dishes in the back seat: "I bought some dishes, won''te over for the meal. Please tell your mother thanks again for dinner yesterday, it was very delicious."
Lin Jianzhi: "Okay."
She didn''t even know what to say!
Zhu Liheng nced at her, "I came to pick you up because I bought dishes, not picking you up means your mom was asking me over for dinner at your ce."
"Oh, alright." Lin Jianzhi''s head wentpletely nk all of a sudden.
Strange, that was really strange.
It sounded like he was trying to exin and ount to her about something?
The stoplight ahead was red.
Zhu Liheng suddenly turned to look at her.
Lin Jianzhi shrank back reflexively!
Their eyes met, and the mood grew even more awkward.
Zhu Liheng paused for a moment, then reached behind to grab a box of tissues and handed it to her.
This Lin Jianzhi really was like a little white rabbit.
So timid and jittery, very easily stressed.
He didn''t even dare make any big movements, or say anything much, afraid of shocking her.
Only then did Lin Jianzhi realize that without paying attention, some milk tea had spilled onto her clothes.
So Zhu Liheng was just grabbing her some napkins.
How embarrassing!
And so in this extremely awkward atmosphere, the two returned to their housingplex.
Zhu Liheng parked the car and walked with Lin Jianzhi into the elevator.
He rapidly pressed floor 10 and 11, then said, "Eat dinner quickly thene over for tutoring early."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head: "Okay."
Ding¡ª
The elevator stopped on the 10th floor, Zhu Liheng walked out. With the corner of his eye he subtly nced at the bottom right corner.
Lin Jianzhi''s entire person was curled up in the bottom right corner...
The elevator doors closed.
Lin Jianzhi felt her legs go soft as she took deep breaths like crazy.
Just now she really almost suffocated!
She always felt that Zhu Liheng was observing her!
She hoped Zhu Liheng would notice her, but also hoped he wouldn''t notice...
This kind of thinking was so self-contradictory, it was killing her!
Ding¡ª
The elevator stopped on the 11th floor. Lin Jianzhi leaned against the wall as she walked out, opened the door, and changed shoes.
Dinner was already on the table. Lin''s Mother called her over to eat.
Lin''s Father even more urged: "Hurry up and eat then go tutor. Little Zhu said you made great progress after tutoring yesterday?"
Lin Jianzhi threw down her schoolbag and rushed into her room: "Let me change clothes first."
She absolutely didn''t want to meet Zhu Liheng wearing her milk tea stained uniform.
She quickly changed into casual wear and quickly finished eating her meal. Just as she was about to head out she turned back.
Was she being too fast?
What would Zhu Liheng think if she went so quickly?
Imagining herself swallowing down a whole bowlful of rice in one gulp like yesterday???
Who knew at this time, Lin''s Mother pped the back of her head: "Stop dilly-dallying! Don''t keep Little Zhu waiting!"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t care about anything else anymore, grabbed her schoolbag and went downstairs.
The front door was slightly ajar. She lightly knocked.
"Come in yourself." Zhu Liheng''s voice came from inside.
Lin Jianzhi pushed the door open and walked in. She discovered a pair of new pink slippers ced in front of her.
The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrobly.
She changed into the pink slippers and walked further inside. Zhu Liheng was already waiting for her in the room.
Still two chairs set side by side very close together.
Lin Jianzhi''s heart suddenly started racing. After putting down her schoolbag she subtly shifted her chair a bit farther away.
It was too close, she would go crazy!
Zhu Liheng was rapidly typing away on theputer. Without even raising his head he said, "Continue doing the questions I circled for you yesterday."
The obedient Lin Jianzhi spread open her workbook and started on her share of problems for the day.
She had just picked up her pen...
Arge hand suddenly reached over, grabbing under her chair.
Rip¡ª!
The chair and her were dragged over a distance together.
The two chairs were touching again!
Lin Jianzhi felt her entire body shake for a moment, like that pendulum moving from side to side thirty degrees.
Her shoulder bumped Zhu Liheng.
The refreshing scent surrounded her, the air heating up.
She was confused!
Zhu Liheng: "Stay closer to me."
Boom¡ª!
It was like a volcano erupting in Lin Jianzhi''s mind!
Zhu Liheng: "With me checking your work as you do problems, it''s inconvenient if you''re too far away."
Lin Jianzhi''s voice trembled: "Okay."
Chapter 11: This is what I taught you about contrarian thinking.
Chapter 11
Naturally, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t concentrate on the following questions and got thempletely wrong.
Lin Jianzhi simply couldn''t focus. Her mind was full of Zhu Liheng.
They were too close, really too close!
So close that she could even feel Zhu Liheng''s breath.
That face she had fallen for was right next to her, watching her.
It was so near!
Her hands were shaking so much that she couldn''t even hold the pen properly.
The diagrams she drew were crooked, like chicken scratch.
Zhu Liheng frowned, wanting to remind her to be more serious, but when his gaze touched Lin Jianzhi''s flushed red cheeks and ears, he silently moved a bit further away.
Sure enough, Lin Jianzhi heaved a huge sigh of relief!
Zhu Liheng was helpless but amused. He rested his hands on the keyboard, typing while asionally ncing over.
Today Lin Jianzhi was not wearing her school uniform, but rather a pink tee and white casual shorts on the bottom.
With those pink slippers on her feet, her bare toes peeking out, soft and delicate.
Extremely cute!
After noticing his own thoughts, Zhu Liheng froze for a moment.
Since when did he start paying attention to what girls wore?
He took another look.
Lin Jianzhi''s hairstyle had changed too. It wasn''t the usual high ponytail she wore at school. Instead, her hair was loose over her shoulders, a cute barrette pinned next to her ear.
And it looked like she had deliberately curled the ends?
Zhu Liheng froze again, somewhat uneasy as he turned his face away.
With the safe distance between them, Lin Jianzhi was finally able to rx and focus on the problems.
Today''s questions were a little difficult, so she worked rather slowly.
After an hour, she put down her pen and lifted her head, about to tell Zhu Liheng she had finished.
But when she raised her eyes, they met Zhu Liheng''s!
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
He''d been watching her the whole time? Why was he looking at her?
When did he start? How long had he been looking?
Whoosh!
Lin Jianzhi blushed again.
Zhu Liheng blinked and took her test paper to start grading it.
And so the two of them remained there, one grading and the other with her head lowered and red cheeks.
The room was deathly quiet. Silentpany makes it easiest to let imaginations run wild.
Lin Jianzhi really couldn''t stand this kind of atmosphere anymore. She wanted to get up and walk around.
But just as she started to stand...
Zhu Liheng suddenly reached out and pulled her over!
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Zhu Liheng had a nonchnt look on his face. His right hand circled around her left wrist: "You got this question wrong."
Lin Jianzhi: "......"
Zhu Liheng still had a hold of her: "And this one too."
By now Lin Jianzhi''s face was as red as pigment.
Zhu Liheng''s grip on her wrist tightened a little: "You got two wrong in a row and you still want to run away? Afraid I''ll scold you?"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare lift her eyes: "I need to use the bathroom."
Finally Zhu Liheng let her go: "Oh."
Lin Jianzhi practically fled like her life depended on it. She rushed into the bathroom, closed the door behind her, and breathed heavily.
She was going crazy!
Really going crazy!!!
How could Zhu Liheng pull her like that?
Why?!
In the room.
Zhu Liheng used his hand to measure the size of what he had just grabbed. Sure enough, a girl''s wrist was so slender that his one hand could encircle it with room left over.
He bowed his head and continued grading.
Ten minutester, Lin Jianzhi emerged from the bathroom, having calmed herself before returning to the room and sitting down.
Zhu Liheng spread open the test paper and started exining the questions to her.
He graded fast and exined fast too.
But Lin Jianzhi didn''t absorb it as quickly. As she listened, she got confused.
So Zhu Liheng would exin for a bit, then stop to chat with her for a while, to help rx her mind.
Lin Jianzhi had been listening and thinking hard, but as soon as they started chatting she got all tongue-tied and nervous again.
By 10 pm, Zhu Liheng took out another test paper for her to work on.
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly lowered her head to start writing. She suddenly realized that doing test questions could alleviate the awkwardness. She''d rather keep doing problems the whole time.
After watching her for a while, Zhu Liheng suddenly asked, "Have you decided on schools and majors yet?"
Lin Jianzhi paused briefly before answering dejectedly: "If my total score is only 600..."
Zhu Liheng''s gaze was calm. "630 and up."
Lin Jianzhi jerked her head up to look at him.
Zhu Liheng smiled a little. "Don''t believe me?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I believe you."
Zhu Liheng turned to look at his ownputer screen, rapidly typing: "Do you want to attend Yanjing University?"
Lin Jianzhi''s face grew red again, but she gave a definite answer: "I do!"
Zhu Liheng: "A University isn''t suitable for you."
Lin Jianzhi: "Oh?"
Zhu Liheng nced at her and said, "Let''s analyze this. Do you have any majors you like?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I..."
I like you!
Zhu Liheng: "Since you don''t have anything specific you like, consider going by your strengths. What are you good at?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Foreignnguages."
Zhu Liheng: "Be more specific."
Lin Jianzhi: "My English is decent, speaking isn''t bad either, it''s just I get nervous easily. I self-studied some basic Japanese, enough for daily conversation. And I''ve watched some Russian shows and dramas, picked up a little Russian too through self-study."
After saying all this, she lowered her head again. She felt like she was showing off in front of the boy she liked.
Like a peacock, fanning its tail feathers.
But Zhu Liheng justughed. "You call that just knowing a little? Being able to self-teach to this degree means you have an innate gift withnguages."
The corners of Lin Jianzhi''s mouth ticked up slightly. "Mm-hmm."
Zhu Liheng kept rapidly typing on theputer while asking, "So your strength is decided. Based on that direction, look for rted careers. What kind ofnguage-rted job do you want in the future?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Ah? I''ve never thought about it."
Zhu Liheng knew she hadn''t considered it. He went on, "Commonnguage-rted careers are diplomacy, trantion, teaching, technical writing, dictionaryption..."
When he finished, he looked at Lin Jianzhi: "Do you have any that you''re interested in or like? Pick a few."
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes widened. She thought hard for a bit before saying, "Diplomacy, trantion, and technical writing."
Zhu Liheng smiled. "Since you''re interested, look up more information in these areas whenever you have time. Knowing more than others from the start will give you more opportunities."
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes shone brightly. "Mm-hmm!"
Zhu Liheng continued, "Whether it''s diplomacy, trantion, or technical writing, they are allnguage-rted. The bestnguage programs in the country are at B University."
When he said this, he stared at Lin Jianzhi: "Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Jianzhi nodded. "I understand, but B University''s admission scores..."
Zhu Liheng turned hisputer screen to show her. "Last year the minimum score to get into B University in our province was 630. Want to give it a try?"
Lin Jianzhi''s heart pounded like thunder!
Zhu Liheng said: "Of course,nguage majors might need slightly higher, since those are B University''s strong programs. Maybe 635-640."
Lin Jianzhi clenched her fists. Try hard? Maybe she really could do it!
More importantly...
It was as if Zhu Liheng knew what she was thinking. He said those words: "Most important is, B University is right next to A University."
Thump thump! Thump thump thump!
Lin Jianzhi''s chest was filled with a stampede.
The corners of Zhu Liheng''s lips ticked up. "Remember this reasoning process I just walked you through. This is the reverse thinking method I''m teaching you."
Lin Jianzhi lifted her head abruptly, shocked and admiring as she looked at the person before her eyes.
Amazing!
Zhu Liheng, you''re so amazing!
Chapter 12: Give me your ID number
Chapter 12
Lin Jianzhi had a crush on Zhu Liheng, but could not get into University A. This seemed like an insurmountable gap to her.
However, after Zhu Liheng''s series of analyses, she worked backwards to narrow down Lin Jianzhi''s strengths, abilities, and options.
Finally, she settled on University B, the one closest to University A!
Heavens! Lin Jianzhi was suddenly enlightened! Indeed, University A waspletely unsuitable for her. It was a science and technology school.
University B was different. It was aprehensive university, so she didn''t need to longingly look at the 670 cutoff score for the physics exam.
To get into thenguage programs at University B, she only needed 635 points!
Most importantly, the two universities were separated by just one road.
She could be very close to Zhu Liheng, study her own specialty, and even choose her preferred career.
She could be by Zhu Liheng''s side and be herself.
Thinking of this, Lin Jianzhi shook with excitement!
Zhu Liheng nced at her out of the corner of her eye, a smile at the corner of her lips: "What''s your ID number?"
Lin Jianzhi was shocked, not understanding why Zhu Liheng was asking her this.
Zhu Liheng: "To apply for thenguage programs at University B, simr to trantion or foreign affairs, you need to take the provincial foreignnguage oral exam. Registration closes May 24th, and the exam is June 11th."
Lin Jianzhi stood there dumbly, somewhat fearful.
An oral exam?
She had no issues with spokennguage, but oral exams were really not her forte!
Zhu Liheng stared at her: "You''re afraid?"
Lin Jianzhi honestly nodded: "I tear up when I get nervous."
Zhu Liheng: "But the oral exam is a must. Otherwise, your choice of majors will be limited. Ovee the exam first, then after entering university, avoid majors with directmunication ording to your situation and choose something more backend."
Lin Jianzhi nodded: "Okay."
Zhu Liheng: "Give me your ID number first and I''ll help you sign up for the oral exam."
Lin Jianzhi mechanically recited her ID number,pletely oblivious that her information had just fallen into Zhu Liheng''s hands.
At midnight, the tutoring session ended.
Lin Jianzhi hugged her schoolbag and left Zhu Liheng''s home, excitedly hopping around like a fawn at her own front door.
She felt as if the two of them had closed a huge gap in distance.
They''d be especially intimate!
And...
Lin Jianzhi looked down at her left wrist, which Zhu Liheng had grabbed earlier.
Late at night.
After showering, Zhu Liheng logged into Weibo and clicked on the only user she secretly followed.
[@ZhuJianZhiForever: [Image]]
It was a photo, capturing a slender left wrist, with no caption.
Restrained admiration, Lin Jianzhi quietly recorded.
No third person in this world understood what this meant.
Zhu Liheng''s gaze lingered on the wrist in the photo, her thoughts returning to a few hours ago.
The girl''s fair and delicate wrist, slender, seeming as if it would shatter with just a slight squeeze.
Too soft, and too delicate.
...
The next day, Lin Jianzhi was brimming with energy!
The back-to-back tutoring sessions were like riding a rocket!
She suddenly discovered that she could now attempt many problems she previously couldn''t solve. Questions she previously couldn''t evenprehend the meaning of, she could now instantly identify an approach for, even urately applying the right forms.
Today''s math exam, her pen flew swiftly across the paper. She powered through the questions one by one with the momentum to ace the test.
She even finished early!
Her homeroom teacher Hu Tan looked at her several times, wanting to scold her.
But he was silenced by Lin Jianzhi''s confident expression. Hu Tan swallowed his scolding words and put on his sses to grade her test on the spot.
Let''s see why you finished so quickly!
In the end, her score was 105!
Lin Jianzhi was shocked, as was Hu Tan.
She''d shattered her personal record for highest math score!
All this in just a few days?
The effect was astounding!
Hu Tan excitedly pulled Lin Jianzhi into the hallway and asked, "Has Zhu Liheng been tutoring you?"
Lin Jianzhi nodded furiously: "Yes! Every day!"
Hu Tan looked at the countdown on the ckboard then solemnly patted her shoulder: "Good kid,st twenty some days, keep at it!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Keep at it!"
The science god Zhu Liheng really was too amazing!
One-on-one tutoring from the high school entrance exam top scorer led to her grades skyrocketing incredibly.
Still, inevitable rumors spread in her ss after the math test ended. Lin Jianzhi was peppered with questions from ssmates until her scalp tingled.
After yesterday''s milk tea incident, no matter how she exined things, her ssmates simply wouldn''t believe her.
You''re definitely dating Zhu Liheng!
Especially their ss president Lang Shu. He excitedly stered a photo right at the ssroom entrance.
Taken yesterday, showing Lin Jianzhi sitting in Zhu Liheng''s passenger seat, milk tea in hand.
It was just a crappy sneak shot, too blurry to even make out that the people were Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng.
But Lang Shu didn''t care!
This was a rare "intimate moment" he''d managed to capture, the highlight for ss 2 of Senior Year 3 at Jingyi No.1 Middle School!
Zhu Liheng was their boyfriend. Did their ss have one?
No! Jealous much?
The other students felt the photo was too blurry and would get themughed at if shared, persistently urging the president to retake it today.
Lang Shu: "Retakes are a must! This will do for now!"
In the past few days, rumors had spread throughout the entire school. Now not only students from their grade came to gawk, but underssmen from grades 1 and 2 loitered around their ssroom door daily too.
Just to see what Zhu Liheng''s girlfriend looked like!
Lin Jianzhi felt truly helpless, only able to move her desk to the furthest corner to ostrich.
She really wasn''t Zhu Liheng''s girlfriend!
The two didn''t even have each other''s WeChat!
After school, Lin Jianzhi was in no rush to leave. Instead, she went to buy milk tea.
Yesterday, Zhu Liheng had bought her milk tea, so she wanted to return the favor.
Amusingly, ss president Lang Shu led a group to tail her the whole way, phone held high constantly on standby to snap pics.
His phone was nearly dead!
Lin Jianzhi kept exining, "He''s noting today," while walking towards the bus stop.
Mu Yin immediately retorted, "Bullshit! You bought two milk teas! Zhu Liheng is definitelying to pick you up!"
Lin Jianzhi sighed, "I was nning to treat him to milk tea, but I''m taking the bus home today."
Her mom had just messaged inviting Zhu Liheng over for dinner at their home.
Zhu Liheng had said yesterday thating for dinner meant no need to buy groceries, so he wouldn''t being to pick her up.
This bunch was destined to get excited for nothing!
Lin Jianzhi held two milk teas happily walking out of the shop, a trail of people behind her raising phones to record.
She kept exining while walking towards the bus stop.
Unexpectedly at that moment¡ª
Beep beep!
Two honks sounded from a car beside them.
An Audi A6 pulled up next to her, window rolled down.
Zhu Liheng rested her hand on the steering wheel, silently watching her.
Chapter 13: Stunned Takasa Heng takes her to a five-star Hotel
Chapter 13
Lin Jianzhi was shocked speechless!
She suddenly remembered that this car had been here all along, parked here the whole time.
She had been so preupied thinking about eating dinner and buying milk tea that she hadn''t looked at the license te number.
Didn''t he say he wasn''ting?
Her ssmates went crazy, frantically whipping out their phones to take photos.
ss monitor Lang Shu was so anxious he yelled, "My phone is out of battery! It powered off automatically! Ahhh!"
Mu Yin: "I have battery! Make way - I''ll take the photos!"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even know how she ended up sitting in the car. All she knew was that the noises around her were deafening, like ferocious floods about to drown her.
But Zhu Liheng''s arms were long and he opened the car door for her...
Lin Jianzhi quickly ducked into the car, her frenzied ssmates looked ready to chase after the car and run.
Zhu Liheng closed the car window and the interior finally quieted down.
Lin Jianzhi wept and tears streamed down her face. She had nearly been driven mad.
But the first thing she did was hand over her milk tea, "Zhu Liheng, do you, do you want to drink some milk tea? Wuwuwu!"
She didn''t even know why she would do this. It was too embarrassing!
Her ssmates'' frenzied behavior must have led him to misunderstand!
Zhu Liheng nced at her and took the milk tea, cing it in a cup holder. Then he started the car and drove back.
"I was thinking, I didn''t tell you whether or not I wasing to pick you up. I was worried you would be waiting," he exined calmly.
"Mm...wuwuwu!" Lin Jianzhi was still crying.
She desperately wanted to say something, to exin clearly and respond properly.
But the more anxious she felt, the more she cried.
She really couldn''t speak from crying so hard, her tears had nearly soaked through her cor.
Zhu Liheng silently handed her some tissues without making a peep.
This made Lin Jianzhi cry even harder!
By the end, she nearly had a breakdown!
"Pff-" Zhu Liheng couldn''t hold back a softugh.
Lin Jianzhi''s sobs caught in her throat. She looked at him nkly, at a loss.
Zhu Liheng turned the steering wheel. "It''s nothing, please continue."
Lin Jianzhi: "Wuwuwuwu!"
She cried all the way home until she used up all the tissues in Zhu Liheng''s car.
When they got out of the car and into the elevator, she apologized profusely the whole way up.
It was awful from start to finish!
As the elevator stopped on the 11th floor, tears still hung on Lin Jianzhi''s face.
Zhu Liheng lifted his shirt cuff and wiped her face twice.
"You''re home now, you can''t keep crying," he said.
Lin Jianzhi stared at him in a daze. She had already cried herself silly, and now she was even more stunned, standing there like a wooden puppet.
Zhu Liheng used his shirt to wipe Lin Jianzhi''s tearspletely clean. Then he reached out and rubbed her face.
He rubbed away her wooden expression, kneading her face as if to restore some liveliness.
After doing all this, he took Lin Jianzhi''s hand and pressed her fingers to the fingerprint scanner on the door.
Lin Jianzhi clearly felt Zhu Liheng''s scorching breath right above her head.
His chest was less than a fist''s width behind her back.
Click!
The door opened ordingly.
Lin''s Mother''s delighted voice immediately rang out from inside, "You''re back? Oh! Little Zhu happens to be here too! Quick quick, dinner is ready!"
Zhu Liheng walked in calmly as always, "Thank you, Auntie."
Lin''s Father came out to greet them, "What''s there to thank! We should be thanking you! Little Jian go wash your hands and serve some food for little teacher Zhu!"
Lin Jianzhi felt as if she were a programmed robot, mechanically executingmands.
That scene at the door of her home just now had stunned her senseless!
Could Zhu Liheng be...
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare think further. She quietly ate dinner, afraid her parents would notice something off about her.
Yet Zhu Liheng chatted casually with her parents, discussing current events and professional topics - it seemed there was nothing he didn''t know.
After dinner.
Her delighted parents quickly ushered her out the door, telling her to study well.
Click!
The door closed and it was just her and Zhu Liheng alone in the elevator again.
Lin Jianzhi blushed once more, her head almost dropping to her chest.
She discovered the light in front of her eyes gradually darkening as Zhu Liheng leaned in.
Lin Jianzhi felt as if she were nearly suffocating fromck of oxygen!
Zhu Liheng''s voice sounded from above her head, calm as ever: "The milk tea was pretty tasty."
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Zhu Liheng: "Get in the elevator."
Lin Jianzhi practically fled into the elevator as if escaping for her life. Shepletely didn''t dare lift her head to look at him.
Zhu Liheng watched her the whole time as he followed her inside.
With Lin Jianzhi''s mind full of that clean scent and the warmth of his breath, she didn''t even notice the floor lighting up on the elevator panel showed the basement parking garage.
When she saw the parking lot ahead, along with the Audi A6.
Lin Jianzhi''s mind couldn''tprehend it.
Weren''t they having tutoring lessons?
Zhu Liheng opened the car door, "Get in."
Lin Jianzhi crawled into the passenger seat. Finally, she managed to utter aplete sentence: "Where are we going?"
Zhu Liheng''s good-looking hands turned the steering wheel. "Practice spoken English and psychological resilience."
Lin Jianzhi: "Huh???"
The car exited the housingplex all the way towards downtown.
Ever since Lin Jianzhi entered intense third year preparations for exams, she had been busy studying and reviewing for tests every day for a whole year withouting here.
Now taking another look, she suddenly discovered how prosperous her hometown was.
Despite not being a big city, it was packed with cars and towering buildings.
At 7 PM on a summer night, daylight in front of Lin Jianzhi''s eyes gradually shifted to darkness.
One by one, the streetlights lit up along both sides of the roads with a warm, dreamy aura.
She secretly nced from the corner of her eyes at Zhu Liheng next to her, only to meet his gaze as he happened to turn his head to look over.
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly jerked her head back around with the little deer in her chest galloping wildly.
What she didn''t know was that Zhu Liheng had merely been checking his rearview mirror. But her exaggerated reaction and response happened to catch his eye.
The girl''s side profile without any makeup had flushed red cheeks and red all the way to the tips of her ears.
Soon after, the car pulled into a 5-star hotel parking lot.
Lin Jianzhi wasn''tpletely ignorant. At this moment, her mind was nearly going crazy!
Zhu Liheng, could he be...
She felt nervous and scared, yet also uncontrobly a tiny bit expectant.
If, what if, assuming...
It really was what she thought, then what should she do?
Her birth month meant she was already an adult, so perhaps it would be okay?
Lin Jianzhi felt extremely ashamed with a face red enough to drip blood, biting her lower lip.
When the parking lot lights shone on her, it made her current appearance seem slightly coquettish.
Zhu Liheng parked the car and happened to turn to look at her, stunned for a moment at the scene.
Lin Jianzhi shakily opened the car door and got out.
Zhu Liheng blinked and locked the car, leading her into the hotel.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare speak or look around at people for the entire walk in.
She had forgotten to wear a face mask and cap! What if someone saw her?
What should she do?
Zhu Liheng brought her through the grand hotel lobby, walking straight towards the elevators with familiar ease: "A ss reunion with my university ssmates."
Lin Jianzhi abruptly lifted her head: "Huh???"
There seemed to be a vague smile on Zhu Liheng''s expression: "A University ssmates reunion. Can''t consider them ssmates, but seniors and juniors from the same researchb. They just happen to have a research project in Jingyi City and are upstairs eating dinner."
Lin Jianzhi nodded nkly. "Oh, I see, like that ah."
Zhu Liheng: "Bringing you to meet A University''s pride and joy."
Lin Jianzhi continued to react nkly: "Oh, okay."
Chapter 14: Your Friends Are So Weird.
Chapter 14
After going up in the elevator, they arrived at a private room.
Zhu Liheng pushed open the door and entered.
There were probably more than ten people in the private room, both men and women. They all looked quite old, clearly not undergraduates, but more like a group of graduate students and PhD students.
They gave off an aura of sessful people and looked very intelligent.
They were gathered around a table, discussing academic topics. Their voices were loud and the discussion was intense.
It was so intense it was like they were arguing, arguing so fiercely that a whole table of dishes had gone untouched.
Lin Jianzhi not only did not understand, but was also shocked.
This waspletely different from what she had imagined A University''s top students to be like!
She had thought everyone at A University would be like Zhu Liheng - calm, handsome and excellent.
If not, then they would at least be focused on academics, with a strong schrly aura, and not interested in things outside their field.
But the reality was theplete opposite.
How could these proud geniuses be arguing!
Lin Jianzhi stood stunned in the doorway, not even daring to go in.
At this time, the heated debate gradually died down as everyone collectively turned their heads to look. When they saw it was Zhu Liheng who had appeared, everyone anxiously stood up.
"Zhu Liheng! You say it! Is my algorithm right or not?"
"Right, my ass! It doesn''t work in practice! The data matching rate is so low! Your starting point was wrong from the beginning!"
"I''m not wrong, if you have the guts then you say it!"
"Everyone stop arguing, we are a team. What''s the use of arguing? Let''s just sit down and stab each other twice!"
"Zhu Liheng, why did you only just get here now? They were about to argue themselves to death!"
"......"
Lin Jianzhi took a step back, frightened.
Zhu Liheng first reached out to steady the agitated senior who had rushed over. Then he pulled back and pulled Lin Jianzhi forward.
He pushed her into an empty seat!
Zhu Liheng: "Didn''t we agree to have a small dinner gathering? No talk of academics at the dinner table."
With these words, the group of people collectively calmed down and picked up their chopsticks to start eating again.
One of them was named Yu E. He was considered the youngest among this group of top masters. He was the one advising them to stop arguing just now. At this moment he was sitting next to the two of them.
Yu E looked at Lin Jianzhi and asked, "Zhu Liheng, who is this...?"
The others also looked at her curiously.
They didn''t dare guess she was his girlfriend, because that would be too outrageous.
It was well known that Zhu Liheng was devoted to academics, had a rich inner world, and was also very busy without any time or need to obtain pleasure from a romantic rtionship.
And who could match up to Zhu Liheng?
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to make a peep.
Zhu Liheng however was calm: "Oh, a student I''m tutoring."
A sh of disappointment went through Lin Jianzhi''s eyes. As expected, to him she was just a student he was tutoring.
"Pfft..."
At the table, a female student named Ruan Tang who wore sses suddenly spit food.
She burst outughing immediately: "No way, Zhu Liheng? You''re tutoring someone? Tutoring what? This young girl looks like she''s still in high school."
Zhu Liheng: "Tutoring high school math."
"Hahahaha!" Ruan Tang immediatelyughed even more exaggeratedly, her chopsticks almost shaking loose from her grip.
Yu E said in disbelief: "Are you telling us that the past few nights you''ve been absent, have actually been spent tutoring a high schooler?"
Zhu Liheng nodded: "That''s right."
Everyone at the table was speechless, unable to say anything. The atmosphere was strange for a moment.
Lin Jianzhi felt even more upset, her eyes instantly turning red, her nose sour.
The gap was too big, really too big!
It was only Ruan Tang who keptughing uncontrobly, saying: "The prized student of Professor Xiong turned out to be earning side money by tutoring others! Hahaha!"
Yu E: "Good grief, the bonus from just one of Zhu Liheng''s papers is over a hundred thousand, not to mention the earnings of the Yanling Research Lab. No matter how you earn side money it shouldn''t be from tutoring high school math!"
Lin Jianzhi looked up in surprise, unable to help but nce at Zhu Liheng.
He was that expensive?
Zhu Liheng''s expression was calm: "I didn''t charge money."
Ruan Tang nodded, as expected that''s how it was. Then she looked at Lin Jianzhi: "You''re about to take the college entrance exam right? Then I''m your senior sister from the A University Physics Department!"
In her eyes, the tutoring story was fake. This girl must have talent that caught Zhu Liheng''s attention, that was the truth.
Maybe she was the next physics prodigy?
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly shook her head: "No..."
She couldn''t get into A University, let alone the Physics Department which required a score of 670.
Zhu Liheng helped her answer: "She''s an arts student aiming for B University."
"Ah?" Ruan Tang was extremely surprised: "An arts student looking for you to tutor math?"
Using top talent for trivial matters had reached an unbelievable degree!
Yu E''s gaze lingered on Lin Jianzhi as a sudden thought came to his mind.
Could it be...?
In that instant, the way he looked at Lin Jianzhi changed.
"Little girl will be taking the college entrance exam soon right? Eat more." Yu E started piling food onto Lin Jianzhi''s te!
Lin Jianzhi didn''t know what to do. She wanted to refuse but also didn''t know how.
Upon seeing this, Ruan Tang seemed to grasp the key point. She vigorously stood up to push arge te of shark''s fin in front of Lin Jianzhi.
"Eat this!" Ruan Tang yelled.
The others quickly reacted one after another, all vying to offer Lin Jianzhi food and drink.
Lin Jianzhi was scared silly!
Just what was going on here?
Zhu Liheng reached out to block these senior brothers and sisters, saying: "We''ve eaten."
Everyone''s enthusiasm deted, but they didn''t insist. They spoke some physics professional terminology, then asked Lin Jianzhi for her opinion.
What opinion could Lin Jianzhi have?!
She couldn''t even understand what they were saying!
Yet this group of top masters from A University''s Physics Department, whether graduate students or PhD students she didn''t know, tirelessly stared at her, wanting to include her in practically every topic.
In the end, Lin Jianzhi felt oxygen deprived in her brain.
She was about to suffocate!
Not only that, she also found out at the dinner table that apart from Zhu Liheng, not one of them was an undergraduate. They were all PhD students, some even post-docs!
Even Yu E who seemed young, had already been a PhD student for a year. When he graduated with his Master''s, he was the most outstanding of that year.
This dozen or so of them formed a team, each following their own advisor, working with China''s quantum mechanics master Xiong Pengtian on a research project.
It could be said that this group before her eyes was usually impossible to meet. They were the cream of the crop among the best in the country.
Yet today, they had all gathered in such a small city like Jingyi!
And Zhu Liheng was the only one in this group who was Xiong Pengtian''s personally taught disciple, exceptionally allowed to participate in the research project as a second-year undergraduate student still studying.
Professor Xiong had only taken on three disciples in his life. The first two were already legends in the physics world. The third was Zhu Liheng.
Quantum mechanics - what was that?
Why could quantum mechanics subvert and even change the world?
As a high school senior arts stream student, Lin Jianzhi simply didn''t understand.
The more she heard, the more inferior and shocked she felt.
She didn''t even know what virtues and abilities she possessed to be able to sit at the same table and eat with these people.
The things they spoke of, the horizons they envisioned, were all things Lin Jianzhi was unable to imagine and could not understand...
On the other hand Zhu Liheng sat there unmoving like a mountain. With just a sentence or two from time to time he could immediately incite heated discussion around the table.
It was evident that these original proud geniuses already saw Zhu Liheng as someone to deeply respect, even revere.
Chapter 15: Your Breath Is So Gentle
Chapter 15
When the dinner party ended, it was already 10 pm by the time Lin Jianzhi walked from the hotel to the parking lot.
Lin Jianzhi felt dizzy and disoriented, as if she had no idea where she was.
A group of physics geniuses had left herpletely confused!
In fact, Lin Jianzhi had even forgotten where Zhu Liheng had parked his car and walked right by without realizing it.
Seeing her wandering ahead in a daze, Zhu Liheng reached out and grabbed her by the cor to pull her back: "Where are you going?"
Lin Jianzhi had a nk expression on her face: "Huh? Ah?"
Zhu Liheng opened the car door and stuffed her inside.
He started driving to take them home.
On the way, Lin Jianzhi gradually regained her senses and suddenly felt incredulous.
She was told they were going to practice her spoken English, but she didn''t even get a chance to say a single sentence in English!
Test her mental resilience?
She was baffled the entire dinner and didn''t get a chance to speak up either.
But she did gain some insight after getting to know a group that were the future pirs of the physicsmunity, listening to them discuss all kinds of groundbreaking concepts and theories that could change the world.
Thinking of this, Lin Jianzhi looked over at Zhu Liheng next to her.
His hands on the steering wheel looked so nice, and the exposed parts of his arms seemed very powerful.
He could probably lift her up easily right?
Zhu Liheng always seemed very calm, never impatient or revealing his emotions.
He was clearly straight too, enjoying basketball, detective stories, yet unlike many straight guys.
He wasn''t arrogant at all, without any sense of masculine superiority.
Perhaps she had stared too directly, but Zhu Liheng nced over.
His face in the passing streetlights had an illusory beauty, with that tear-marked face now only a few dozen centimeters from her own.
So close!
The closer it was, the more wless he seemed.
Lin Jianzhi unconsciously nced down at Zhu Liheng''s lips.
The tempting breath she had felt earlier outside her home came rushing back, instantly reminding her of that scene.
Were those enticing breaths really from these lips?
And then, her face turned red!
She quickly turned her head away, not daring to look anymore.
Her heart started racing again.
Over the past few days, she had been spending so much intimate time with Zhu Liheng, going home together, eating meals together, even meeting his upperssmen.
It felt like they were inseparable.
If this kept going on, Lin Jianzhi felt she would go crazy, that she wouldn''t be able to control herself.
This feeling was almost like...
Boyfriend and girlfriend?
Lin Jianzhi was frightened by her own thoughts!
She hurriedly shook her head, trying to shake these ideas out.
How could they possibly be boyfriend and girlfriend...
Zhu Liheng looked at her puzzledly, seeing her face turn red one moment and then shake her head wildly the next.
Is she crazy?
By the time they got home, Lin Jianzhi had regained herposure. In the elevator, she bid Zhu Liheng goodbye.
But Zhu Liheng suddenly took out his phone and showed her a QR code.
Lin Jianzhi almost died from blood rushing to her brain!
Zhu Liheng: "Add me on WeChat so we can contact each other easily in the future."
Lin Jianzhi: "Ok, sure."
She scanned the code with trembling hands and added him as a friend.
On the 10th floor, Zhu Liheng exited the elevator and the doors closed behind him.
Lin Jianzhi felt her entire body go limp. After arriving on the 11th floor, she rushed home like crazy, bursting into her room!
Lin''s parents hadn''t gone to bed yet, and sounds of surprise came from behind her.
Lin''s Mother: "You''re home so early today?"
Lin''s Father: "Did you learn well?"
Lin Jianzhi was in no state to answer. She closed her bedroom door with a bang and dove straight under her quilt.
She hugged her phone and started looking through Zhu Liheng''s Moments.
But she was shocked to find that there was nothing at all there!
He hadn''t posted anything!
Looking at her own inparison, as soon as she opened her Moments feed, she had as many as three posts a day documenting everything from meals to shows she watched to getting sick, and at least ten posts on days she went out.
Suddenly, Lin Jianzhi felt very embarrassed. Seeing their stark contrast highlighted how much more immature she was.
She gloomily opened Weibo.
The earlier drama around the fish pond had quieted down, and she had returned to her invisible small fry status.
No one was liking or following her posts, no one cared what she was posting.
Her fingers tapped lightly on her phone screen as Lin Jianzhi typed out a line with a flushed, pounding heart:
¡¾@ZhuJianZhiHeng: Your breath was so gentle.¡¿
Downstairs.
Zhu Liheng looked at this Weibo post and frowned deeply in thought for a long time.
What the heck?
It seemed totally disjointed and nonsensical.
He wanted to ask her directly, but then figured he shouldn''t scare the little girl with the examsing up.
A dreamless night.
The next morning Lin Jianzhi rode the bus to school, in an incredibly cheerful mood, even humming a tune.
Previously she had never dared to admit that she knew Zhu Liheng, since they didn''t even have each other''s contact info and had no direct connection.
But now it was different. She really had his WeChat!
She would just have to think of a way to clear up the rumors about them at school, lest Zhu Liheng really got a girlfriendter and she became a totalughingstock.
Just the thought of Zhu Liheng getting a girlfriend in the future made Lin Jianzhi incredibly sad!
As a normal person, he would date, get married, have kids.
Walking into Senior Year 3 ss 2.
Almost the entire ss weed Lin Jianzhi to her seat with open arms.
Led by ss president Lang Shu, the usual crowd that loved gossiping surrounded her andunched into today''s interrogation under ''enhanced interrogation techniques''.
Mu Yin: "Talk! How far have you and Zhu Liheng gotten?!"
Lang Shu: "The of heaven hasrge meshes, yet nothing slips through! Confess at once!"
Quan Kaiji: "ss president, that''s not how you use that idiom..."
Jiang Jingyi: "Who cares! Confess!"
Lin Jianzhi took a deep breath, then stood up and walked to the lectern.
Silence¡ª
The entire ss went silent, looking at her in shock and anticipation.
What was she about to say?
Is she finally going public?
The two spearheads, Mu Yin and Lang Shu, were so excited they almost screamed!
Recalling Zhu Liheng''s advice that mental resilience was critical for passing her English speaking exam in the college entrance exam, Lin Jianzhi decided that speaking to the entire ss would be the first step in changing herself!
So gazing at her ssmates with determination, Lin Jianzhi spoke: "Zhu Liheng and I live upstairs and downstairs from each other. My parents asked him to tutor me in preparing for the college exams. We don''t have the kind of rtionship you all imagined, so please stop spreading rumors."
She enunciated clearly and her voice was steady. After finishing, she stepped down from the lectern, sat down and started working on test papers.
That''s right!
No matter how much she liked Zhu Liheng, she shouldn''t pin her fantasies to him through these stories.
Zhu Liheng had his own life and choices ahead. His world was so big and his social circle so impressive and mindset so broad that she couldn''t even understand so much of it.
Since she didn''t match up to him, secretly liking him was enough.
What was most important to her, Lin Jianzhi, right now were the college entrance exams, math, the English speaking test!
She needed a good score, and she needed a sense of her own existence in society.
She didn''t want Zhu Liheng to think she was stupid!
Such an outstanding person was giving her one-on-one tutoring. If she still didn''t test well, she would truly feel awful for wasting his time and energy.
The ssroom was quiet, and quite a few students felt extremely disappointed.
The protagonist herself had rified everything, so all their gossiping these past days had just been a waste. ss president Lang Shu in particr heaved a huge sigh: "Lin Jianzhi, you''ve let me down!"
Chapter 16: Lin Jianzhi, do you have the ability to say it to my face
Chapter 16
Because Zhu Liheng didn''t charge for his tutoring sses, Lin''s Father and Lin''s Mother felt very embarrassed, so they invited him to their house for meals every day.
Zhu Liheng stoppeding to pick her up.
Lin Jianzhi felt a little disappointed, but soon figured it out.
The two didn''t have any rtionship. How could Zhu Liheng, who was so busy, possibly have time toe pick her up from school every day?
It was already great that he was willing to tutor her despite being overqualified!
These days, she took the bus home by herself without causingrge crowds to surround the school gate and spread rumors again.
In addition, after she exined the situation solemnly, her ssmates also gradually believed her exnation.
But when the story spread to other sses and lower grades, the narrative changed.
"Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng broke up!" was trending at the top of the campus rankings!
Rumors were flying everywhere, some rather over the top, even saying that Lin Jianzhi had deliberately unted having Zhu Liheng pick her up and drop her off every day, which led to their breakup.
Lin Jianzhi almost vomited blood and nearly burst into tears!
But she paid little attention to these things after scrutinizing them briefly, as she was busy sprinting towards the college entrance exam. She didn¡¯t want to argue with these people.
On the other hand, ss Monitor Lang Shu couldn''t stand it and debated with them vigorously for 300 rounds!
In the end, he was utterly defeated.
He simply couldn¡¯t win against them!
The entire school deeply believed the reasons for the two''s breakup, and agreed that Lin Jianzhi was the one at fault.
How could someone as perfect as Zhu Liheng possibly be wrong?
No matter how insensitive or disagreeable, just his face made it impossible to get angry with him.
Not to mention he was both the school heartthrob and the top scorer on the college entrance exam.
Who could possibly date him? It wasughable!
In the following days, Lin Jianzhi took the initiative to block out the rumors and gossip. Her ssmates also supported her and didn''t chatter about these annoying things in her ear.
She desperately suppressed her thoughts, buried her head into studying hard, doing practice questions or working on her oral English skills whenever she had free time or nothing to do.
She didn''t even want to think about her crush!
After discovering her diligence, Zhu Liheng also increased the intensity and difficulty of his tutoring.
Lin Jianzhi''s math scores began to improve by leaps and bounds!
In a recent mock exam, she even scored an impressive 115 points!
The moment she received the test paper, she practically sprinted home, wanting to share the exciting news with Zhu Liheng.
But when she arrived home early, she happened to catch Zhu Lihenging out of the shower after ying basketball, before he got dressed.
When she opened the door and saw the scene shrouded in steam before her, Lin Jianzhi froze in ce.
Zhu Liheng.
He.
Wasn''t wearing a shirt!
Water droplets were still dripping from his wet hair, and he looked a bit surprised. After opening the door, he simply let go, allowing her inside.
Zhu Liheng: "Let me put on some clothes."
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned beet red: "Okay."
After putting on a T-shirt, Zhu Liheng came back out and guided the stunned Lin Jianzhi, who didn¡¯t even dare to move, off to the side.
He closed the door that had been left wide open.
Only then did Lin Jianzhie back to her senses. The earlier shock had been too great, and she just stood there foolishly without even remembering to close the door.
She was so embarrassed!
Her face turned red again, but this time it was from both shyness and frustration.
Zhu Liheng''s tone remained calm, however: ¡°You¡¯re home early today?¡±
Lin Jianzhi held up the crumpled test paper to hide her ming cheeks: ¡°Um, I scored 115 points on the math test.¡±
Zhu Liheng took the paper: ¡°You still got thest questionpletely wrong...¡±
Normally, hearing this would have made Lin Jianzhi very sad without any other thoughts.
But right now, her mind was full of the earlier scene.
Let alone feeling sad, she almost had a nosebleed!
How could Zhu Liheng be...so good-looking?
Oh my god!
Lin Jianzhi truly felt she was about to suffocate. The smell throughout the room overwhelmed her senses, Zhu Liheng''s scent was too strong, so strong that her whole body grew hot.
Her cheek flushed crimson, smoke pouring from her brain.
Zhu Liheng was still looking over the test paper, highlighting each incorrectly answered question and pointing out the key mistakes.
Yet Lin Jianzhi didn''t take in a word he said.
Zhu Liheng quickly realized she wasn''t paying attention. He turned his head to look at her.
Seeing Lin Jianzhi slightly trembling, her face red to the tips of her ears, staring down at her toes without moving for who knows how long...
Zhu Liheng was taken aback for a moment before closing the test paper, ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs for dinner.¡±
Lin Jianzhi: ¡°Okay.¡±
After the meal was their usual one-on-one tutoring session.
Lin Jianzhi once again pulled her chair far, far away, but even with the physical distance between them, her face remained flushed the entire time.
Then she began worrying¡ªwould her strange behavior at dinner tonight give something away to his parents?
As a result, she barely absorbed anything taught in that night¡¯s tutoring session!
Zhu Liheng didn''t push her and let her go to bed early.
She returned home at 10:30 PM. Lin Jianzhi locked herself in her room, burying herself under the covers for a long, long time.
She didn''t know how much time had passed before poking her head out and opening Weibo.
It had been days since shest posted. She hadn''t recorded anything in a long time.
Weibo was also quiet, nothing happening.
Lin Jianzhi thought it through very clearly¡ªZhu Liheng still had an irresistible attraction over her. No matter how she tried to numb herself, it was useless.
Blushing, she tapped the screen with her fingers.
Downstairs.
Zhu Liheng sat at hisputer, spinning a pen while refreshing Weibo.
The bloggers he followed hadn''t posted anything, but instead something popped up that made his eyes pop wide open.
¡¾@ZhuJianZhiHeng: I crave your body.¡¿
The pen in his fingertips jerked to a sharp stop, halting and ced on the table beside him.
Zhu Liheng''s body straightened as he clicked into the page of the user ''ZhuJianZhiHeng.''
Latest post, one minute ago.
Thest Weibo post was still the ¡°Breathing is gentle¡± from a few days ago.
Putting it together, Zhu Liheng understood instantly!
So at that time, this is what she had been thinking...
Zhu Liheng raised his hand to his forehead. His eyes moved back to thetest Weibo post.
Lin Jianzhi.
You¡¯ve got guts.
Just try saying that to his face.
On the 15th day of their one-on-one tutoring, a weekend arrived.
High school students didn¡¯t really get any holidays, only having one day off every two weeks, still with unfinished assignments and practice questions that couldn¡¯t be ignored.
That one day of vacation didn¡¯t really exist.
But Lin Jianzhi still looked forward to this vacation day very much, because this way she could spend the whole day at Zhu Liheng''s house.
Zhu Liheng said he would tutor her the entire time during the holiday.
Saturday morning.
Lin Jianzhi got up early and started rummaging through her closet for clothes.
She always wore her school uniform on normal days, without any opportunity to dress up. With only 10 days left until the college entrance exam.
The time she had left to interact with Zhu Liheng was dwindling. She wanted to boldly try out every tiny opportunity, even if just a little bit.
Her parents would be at work during the day and not home.
She had told them early on that she¡¯d order takeout for lunch and dinner, wanting to study hard for a full day without interruptions.
At night, she could go hometer, since her parents would already be asleep after 11 PM.
There¡¯s no way Lin¡¯s Father and Lin¡¯s Mother would know what she wore today or how she dressed up.
And so.
Wearing a sleeveless dress ending at her knees, hair nicely styled into a gentle nted bangs showing her best look, Lin Jianzhi appeared at Zhu Liheng¡¯s door.
Knock knock!
¡°Coming!¡±
A woman''s voice came from inside, sounding in her forties.
Lin Jianzhi: ¡°!!!¡±
She wanted to run but it was already toote.
Swish¡ª
The door opened wide, Zhu Liheng¡¯s mother!
Chapter 17: Do you get chased by boys at school
Chapter 17
Lin Jianzhi was so scared she almost had a panic attack!
In over ten days of cram sses, Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother had never shown up before. How could they just happen toe back on the day she deliberately dressed up?!
Ah!!!
She wanted to die!
At first, Zhu''s mother did not recognize her, until she saw Lin Jianzhi''s eyes redden and tears begin to well up. Profound memories caused Zhu''s mother to suddenly remember.
"Is that little Jianzhi? My, you''ve grown into a youngdy! Come in,e in!"
Zhu''s mother enthusiastically led Lin Jianzhi inside and brought out those exclusive pink slippers for her.
Lin Jianzhi burst into tears!
She really felt like she was going crazy!
Yet Zhu''s mother handed her tissues as if it was only natural: "Oh dear, did I startle you? Don''t cry, we musn''t panic."
Lin Jianzhi: "..."
Ah!!!
She wanted to die!
What kind of impression had she left on her friend''s parents?!
Zhu''s mother was stillforting her: "Such a pretty youngdy, you won''t look good if you cry. You''re here for cram sses, right? Go ahead and dry those tears."
Upon seeing Lin Jianzhi''s tears flow even harder, she quickly changed her tune: "Oh, I misspoke, you look beautiful even when crying, still beautiful!"
Lin Jianzhi: "..."
She had truly lost all face!
She hurriedly calmed herself down, drying her tears while beginning to apologize.
"I''m sorry, auntie!"
Zhu''s mother: "Oh you silly girl, what''s there to be sorry about! What would you like to eat for lunch and dinner? I''ll make it for you."
Lin Jianzhi: "Wu wu, braised pork."
Zhu''s mother: "Alright, we''ll have meat."
Lin Jianzhi: "Wu wu wu, okay!"
Zhu Liheng was in the middle of writing his thesis when he nced back to see Lin Jianzhi walking in, big teardrops rolling down her face.
He silently handed her some tissues and gestured for her to sit next to him, before getting up to close the door.
At this point, Lin Jianzhi had no spare attention to unt her outfit, crying so hard she was nearly hysterical.
She plopped down on the chair,pletely oblivious to the fact that the two chairs were ced rather close together, nearly touching.
Although bawling her eyes out, there were still assignments to finish.
She opened up her bag and took out piles upon piles of test papers, spreading them out on the desk.
She started answering questions amidst sniffles and sobs.
After shutting the door, Zhu Liheng walked over to see Lin Jianzhi already hard at work on math problems, huping all the while.
His gaze lingered on her face for a bit before looking away, unsure what she was so upset about but clearly it had nothing to do with him.
Soon after, he quickly noticed Lin Jianzhi''s attire.
A dress?
The top half was a sleeveless whitece while the bottom was a red pink skirt with ordion pleats that red slightly above her knees in gentle ruffles.
The color scheme was pleasingly soft on the eyes.
The crying girl remained oblivious to the fact that her flushed cheeks from weeping only enhanced her fairplexion, her nose a small cherry red bud that looked both cute and pitiful.
Her hair neatly pinned to one side, cascading gently over one shoulder.
The nted bangs were somewhat disheveled but happened to elegantly frame the side of her face right by her ear, evoking an itchy ticklish feeling.
Lin Jianzhi sniffed and wrinkled her nose as she puzzled out math problems, her wailing gradually subsiding amidst the logical deductions.
At this moment Zhu Liheng suddenly asked, "Are there boys chasing you at school?"
"Huh?" Lin Jianzhi jerked her head up in astonishment, unable to believe Zhu Liheng would ask such a question.
Yet at this time Zhu Liheng frowned with unpleasant thoughts running through his mind.
If she went outside like this she''d surely get pestered on the streets for her number right?
Seeing Lin Jianzhi stunned speechless, he asked again, "Who are you close with at school?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I''m on good terms with my ssmates."
Zhu Liheng: "The closest?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Um... Chinese ss rep Mu Yin, and my homeroom teacher Lang Shu."
Upon hearing this name, Zhu Liheng asked, "Lang Shu? Your homeroom teacher is male?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Yes..."
Zhu Liheng: "I see."
He fell silent.
Lin Jianzhi grew apprehensive for a bit, but seeing he had no follow-up questions, she resumed solving problems.
At lunch time, Zhu''s mother called them to eat. She had cooked up a huge tter of braised pork.
Lin Jianzhi felt awfully embarrassed, regretting having blurted out that dish. She didn''t expect Zhu''s mother would actually make braised pork!
But Zhu''s mother seemed to be in a rush herself, leaving with her bag without eating after serving up the food.
With Zhu''s father also not home, it was once again just Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng.
At the dining table.
Lin Jianzhi kept her head lowered the entire time, not daring to eat too much either as she took tiny nibbles, highly self-conscious of her manners.
This was her first time sharing a private meal alone with Zhu Liheng.
Just the two of them.
She didn''t dare initiate conversation nor nce at the person across from her.
She didn''t even dare let her thoughts run wild, afraid that thinking too much would make her blush.
Looking at her, Zhu Liheng found a conversation topic, "Is your homeroom teacher good at math?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Huh??"
She was baffled.
Why did he suddenly ask about her homeroom teacher again?
She nodded nkly, "The teacher''s grades are very good."
Zhu Liheng''s frown deepened, as ifpeting, "What about physics?"
Lin Jianzhi was perplexed. "Our liberal arts ss doesn''t study physics."
Zhu Liheng''s momentum deted as he suddenly felt somewhat foolish.
"Let''s eat." He said.
Lin Jianzhi lowered her eyes at the white rice in her bowl, feeling strange.
Why did Zhu Liheng ask these things?
Why did he care about her homeroom teacher...
After the meal.
Lin Jianzhi continued working on math problems. By now she could see through math questions at a nce, no longer mixing up forms.
She just needed more practice with the solution process, still prone to little mistakes here and there.
Afterpleting a full mock exam paper, Zhu Liheng helped check her work.
Lin Jianzhi got up to take a little break.
A flutter of pinkish-white drifted by from the side, trailing a sweet floral breeze.
Zhu Liheng suddenly turned his head and asked, "Has your homeroom teacher ever chased you?"
Lin Jianzhi was shocked and quickly shook her head: "No! Not possible!"
Zhu Liheng''s expression was calm and nonchnt. "Why is it impossible?"
Lin Jianzhi''s voice trembled, "My homeroom teacher, he, he''s dating Mu Yin..."
"I see." Zhu Liheng turned his head back and continued marking the exam papers.
Lin Jianzhi was frightened stiff, legs gone soft. She had absolutely no clue nor dared guess at Zhu Liheng''s motive for asking all these questions about her homeroom teacher, popping up intermittently the entire day!
That extremely handsome side profile was seriously poring over the test paper, marking each mistake.
His hand was captivating to look at, the way he gripped his pen standard form, strokes bold and masterful.
Lin Jianzhi lowered her gaze, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. Her heart felt a little sweet.
Could there be a chance...he cared a tiny bit?
That afternoon, Lin Jianzhipleted two full mock math exam papers under Zhu Liheng''s guidance. After verifying her solutions contained no errors, Zhu Liheng helped check over them again.
Her progress was significant. Often Zhu Liheng had barely finished indicating the key points before she instantly grasped where she had gone wrong.
She didn''t tire of staying cooped up in this room the entire day.
But at five in the evening when she assumed they would have dinner together, Zhu Liheng began packing up and said, "I need to head to Yanling for a bit."
Chapter 18: Leaving, Making Secret Arrangements
Chapter 18
Lin Jianzhi was stunned for a moment, looking at him with apletely crestfallen expression on her face.
Yanling was a neighboring city, located a few dozen kilometers away from Jingyi.
Moreover, during the previous dinner, she had heard those talents from A University say that Zhu Liheng had a researchb in Yanling.
A sophomore already having his ownb clearly meant he was no longer just a student, but was dedicated to research work.
He must be very busy, right?
Zhu Liheng nced at the girl and instructed: ¡°I¡¯ve taught you everything I should. If there are questions you don¡¯t know how to solve, ask me on WeChat.¡±
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s heartpletely sank. She wanted to cry.
How long will you be away?
Does this mean you won¡¯t tutor her anymore in the future?
Zhu Liheng looked at her. ¡°There¡¯s an important project in Yanling that requires me to go process data. It will probably take about a month.¡±
Lin Jianzhi quickly responded: ¡°Oh, I see, I understand.¡±
She didn¡¯t know what to say¡ªsaying ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± made it seem like she was making too big a deal of herself. Saying anything else made her afraid of morally pressuring Zhu Liheng.
The time they had spent together these days was like a windfall. She had hoped for too much.
Moreover, Zhu Liheng had already helped her so, so much.
If it weren¡¯t for the half month of tutoring, she wouldn¡¯t have known what to do about her math studies.
She was in no position to have any other thoughts on this matter.
It was just that she couldn¡¯t control her low spirits and all her emotions were written on her face.
Zhu Liheng frowned, seeming to want say something but ultimately didn¡¯t.
When Lin Jianzhi returned home for dinner, she kept her head lowered with a dejected aura as she opened the door and entered.
As soon as she went in, her parents rushed over and yelled at her!
Father Lin: ¡°Where were you? Why weren¡¯t you home studying properly?¡±
Mother Lin was even more direct. ¡°Teacher Zhu is busy so you just gave up studying during vacation, didn¡¯t you? You went out to y!¡±
Seeing Lin Jianzhi¡¯s outfit, Father Lin stamped his feet angrily, ¡°You even went out shopping! The gaokao is right around the corner and you''re still going shopping!¡±
Lin Jianzhi had almost been scared to death. She was just busying being dejected and sad; she hadn¡¯t considered whether her parents would be home or not.
She even thought her little secret had been discovered red-handed!
But upon hearing what they said¡ª
Huh?
Her parents knew Teacher Zhu was leaving today but didn''t seem to know what time he left?
So they thought Lin Jianzhi had been out ying the entire day.
Well...this misunderstanding was pretty good.
It was still better than having her crush on the neighbor downstairs exposed.
Lin Jianzhi felt both lingering fear and relief. She obediently admitted her mistake, then had dinner and went straight to her room to do homework.
In the days that followed, aside from studying and preparing intensely for the gaokao, Lin Jianzhi spent all her remaining time staring nkly at Zhu Liheng¡¯s WeChat profile picture.
Countless times she opened up their chat, and countless times she exited.
The two hadn¡¯t exchanged any messages at all since adding each other on WeChat, leaving the panel empty and a bit awkward.
He had said to ask him if she didn¡¯t understand anything. And now with the gaokao just days away, if she didn¡¯t ask now, there would be no chance left.
And so,te that night, Lin Jianzhi worked up her courage and sent over a photo of an extremely difficult question.
¡°Lin Jianzhi: [Image attachment]¡±
¡°Lin Jianzhi: Senior, are you free? I can¡¯t solve this problem. Could you teach me how to do it?¡±
She deliberated carefully over her wording and tone, even to the point of humility.
Then, Zhu Liheng didn''t reply!
Lin Jianzhi went from hopeful expectation to gradual disappointment and finally resignation.
When it was midnight, she put down her phone, turned off the lights, and prepared for bed. But then her phone lit up¡ª
He had replied to the message!
She immediately sat up and looked.
¡°Zhu Liheng: Page 5 of the notes has a prototype of this question.¡±
Lin Jianzhi: ¡°......¡±
Alright!
From his tone, he clearly didn¡¯t want to say much to her.
While it was an extremely difficult problem, the question was indeed an example that Zhu Liheng had talked about before. Referencing the notes and using some brainpower, she could figure it out.
Asking more would just be a waste of Zhu Liheng¡¯s time!
Her chosen topic of conversation had just been too awkward and dull...
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s eyes turned red again. She felt so dejected that she didn¡¯t know what to do. She angrily tossed her phone aside and curled up under the covers, starting to shed tears.
She didn¡¯t know how long she cried before falling asleep in tears.
The next morning when her rm went off and opened her eyes, the first thing she thought about wasst night¡¯s happenings, making her feel so sad she didn''t even want to go to school!
After struggling for five minutes, she crawled out of bed and picked up her phone.
There were 5 unread messages on the screen. Lin Jianzhi¡¯s eyes widened and she hurriedly unlocked it to look.
¡°Zhu Liheng: [Image attachment]¡±
¡°Zhu Liheng: This is the solution process.¡±
¡°Zhu Liheng: Are you sleeping?¡±
¡°Zhu Liheng: Rest well.¡±
¡°Zhu Liheng: Work hard on the gaokao!¡±
Lin Jianzhi nearly screamed out loud. She ced her trembling, excited fingers on the screen, wanting to reply right away.
But her hand shook so badly that she spent half the day typing a response, only to delete it entirely.
She calmed herself down, feeling that she shouldn¡¯t be too impulsive and needed to carefully consider her wording.
The main thing was, after replying, she needed toe up with topics that would allow their conversation to continue.
Otherwise, once she finished the gaokao, she would havepletely lost the chance if she couldn''t find something more to talk about.
That''s right! Lin Jianzhi''s eyes lit up. She started quickly typing.
¡°Lin Jianzhi: Thank you, senior!¡±
¡°Lin Jianzhi: Senior, for the speaking exam on the 11th, is there anything I should pay particr attention to?¡±
This time, the response was immediate.
¡°Zhu Liheng: Focus on your gaokao first for the next two days. After you¡¯ve finished with thest exam, I¡¯ll go over the details with you.¡±
¡°Lin Jianzhi: Great!¡±
Her whole being felt like it was flying, with her entire face beaming an ted smile.
It was Zhu Liheng who had signed her up and was handling all the details for the speaking exam.
Right now, she didn¡¯t need to worry at all about not having a reason to talk to Zhu Liheng. She just needed to concentrate on getting through the gaokao.
She felt so happy!
Lin Jianzhi skipped merrily all the way to school, not even bothering with insults thrown at her from other sses.
She didn¡¯t care what others thought of her. As long as she knew she had a connection with Zhu Liheng, that was enough.
At the school gates, an inconspicuous sedan was parked along the roadside.
In the driver and passenger seats sat two people wearing sunsses, masks, and hats.
Dressed rather oddly.
Yu E took out his phone, tapped on Zhu Liheng¡¯s profile picture, and sent an audio message: ¡°Sir Zhu, target has entered school! Over!¡±
In the passenger seat, Ruan Tang also took out his phone and sent an audio message: ¡°Sir Zhu, target had xiaolongbao for breakfast today! Over!¡±
After sending their messages, they put their phones away and started chatting.
Yu E said, ¡°How many times do I have to say it? You gotta speak Cantonese to get into character, get that feeling!¡±
Ruan Tang rolled his eyes. ¡°And how many times have I told you your tone is off, no vigor¡ªhow can you still not get it?¡±
Yu E responded, ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t argue. I¡¯m trying to work here!¡±
Ruan Tang shot back, ¡°And am I not working? Who isn¡¯t little sister-inw¡¯s errand boy now!¡±
Yu E said, ¡°Zhu Liheng is eight years younger than you. Calling someone else¡¯s girlfriend your little sister-inw, have you no shame?¡±
Ruan Tang replied, ¡°Still better than you, fighting to be the first in line for this stalking gig when you¡¯re so free and bored!¡±
Chapter 19: Across the Road
Chapter 19
In thest two days before the college entrance exam, the school''s management had already rxed, and they were preparing to set up the exam rooms.
Yingyi No.1 Middle School was one of the exam locations, and today they had to let the 10th and 11th graders off for vacation and clear the area for inspections.
The younger students were packing up their things and leaving the school, while 12th graders like Lin Jianzhi were immersed in their books, sprinting to the finish line.
The 12th grade teachers were also hunkered down in the ssrooms, ready to go over test questions with the students at any time.
A busy atmosphere permeated the entire 12th grade hallway.
In this kind of atmosphere, Lin Jianzhi also had no mind to think about Zhu Liheng, focusing on memorizing thest bits of foundational knowledge.
At the school gate, Yu E and Ruan Tang were sitting in a car, one in the front row, one in the back, each hugging aptop and reading academic papers.
Even in their spare time, they were busy with research.
At noon,rge groups of 10th and 11th graders poured out from the schoolyard.
They were clearing the area in preparation for the college entrance exam venue, so those students started their vacation today.
Ruan Tang nced over andmented, "Ah, youth!"
Yu E gestured: "Shh!"
Ruan Tang: "???"
Just then, some students walked past the car, loudly discussing something.
"Why did Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng break up after all?"
"Did you get that backwards? It was Zhu Liheng who broke up with Lin Jianzhi! What girl with a boyfriend like Zhu Liheng would take the initiative to break up?"
"That''s true too. But the gap between those two was also too big, I never thought they were well-matched."
"The rumors that the ss monitor of 12th Grade 2 spread seemed so real, he was so arrogant about it!"
"That monitor had hundreds of criticalments on the school forums, he got totally overwhelmed!"
"I said all along that there was no way Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng would work out, it was wishful thinking!"
"I suspect they were never together at all, just baseless rumors!"
"..."
As the students walked away, Ruan Tang and Yu E looked at each other in shock.
Yu E: "Should we tell Zhu Liheng?"
Ruan Tang frowned. "Let''s tell him. How did the rumors get so out of hand? My sister-inw is under a lot of social pressure at school!"
Yu E: "But did those two really break up? Just a little tiff?"
Ruan Tang: "Did Zhu Liheng get dumped?"
Far away in Yanling, Zhu Liheng frowned at the constant iing messages on his phone during his lunch break.
He didn''t think much of it at first, but when he saw the messages from Yu E and Ruan Tang, he was totally confused. He replied with a lone question mark.
What the heck was going on!
The next day.
The 12th graders started cleaning up their personal items, getting ready to take the exam tomorrow.
Students taking the test at other locations had to go scout out the test sites and seats ahead of time.
Luckily for Lin Jianzhi, her exam was at her own school.
She was usually prone to cracking under pressure, but for some reason, the closer they got to the college entrance exam, the calmer she felt.
She had studied everything she needed to study, crammed everything she needed to cram. All that was left was to rest well and ensure she was in peak mental condition.
After checking out the exam room and seat number, Lin Jianzhi went to buy a milk tea at the school gate before heading home.
Behind her, the ss monitor Lang Shu and Mu Yin ran to catch up.
"Lin Jianzhi, wait up!" Lang Shu yelled.
Lin Jianzhi looked back at them. "What''s up?"
Lang Shu ran up to her. "The college entrance exam is tomorrow. Zhu Liheng really isn''ting?"
Lin Jianzhi: "He''s noting."
Mu Yin stamped her foot in irritation. "Those rumors are so annoying!"
Lin Jianzhi covered her face. "That''s why I avoided them on purpose! Don''t mess with my headspace!"
Lang Shu: "Alright, good luck on the exam!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Thanks! You too!"
She smiled and waved as she boarded the bus.
Unbeknownst to her, across the street in a small sedan, Yu E and Ruan Tang looked back at the person sitting in the rear passenger seat from both sides.
Zhu Liheng silently rolled up the car window and booted up hisptop to start working.
Yu E anxiously scratched his head. "Zhu Liheng, you came all this way. Why don''t you go say hi?"
Zhu Liheng: "Take me to the high speed rail station. I''m going back to Yanling."
Ruan Tang: "Good lord! I just...cannotprehend this!"
Zhu Liheng: "Same pickup time tomorrow at the station."
Yu E: "..."
Ruan Tang: "..."
When Lin Jianzhi got home, her parents were even more nervous than her, going overboard to soothe her emotions.
Looking at the dinner table with several times more dishes than usual.
Lin Jianzhi: "It''s just an exam, not my execution!"
Mrs. Lin spat out: "Don''t speak such ill omens!"
Mr. Lin quickly stopped her: "Dear, watch your emotions. Calm."
Mrs. Lin also quickly shut her mouth: "Yes, yes, don''t be nervous Little Jianzhi."
Lin Jianzhi heaved a long sigh, utterly helpless.
She discovered an excellent method to stabilize her emotions - making the people around her anxious calmed her down instead.
The college entrance exam was the most important moment in every 12th grader''s life.
After eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well, double checking all her required items, Lin Jianzhi declined her parents'' offer to take her to the exam location. She took the bus by herself.
On the first day she took the Chinesenguage exam in the morning, performing slightly above her usual level.
In the afternoon math exam, she was nervous at first, but as she kept solving problems and working through the logic, she became immersed in it.
It was like solving a puzzle game, giving her a sense of aplishment every time she reasoned her way to an answer.
As for right or wrong, she would know only after getting the answer sheet back.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t let her thoughts wander and steadfastly moved on to tackle the exams over the next two days.
On the second day she took the history exam in the morning, which posed no problems for her.
In the afternoon English exam, she went trigger happy!
On the third day, the morning geography exam felt better to Lin Jianzhi than her usual showings.
Finally, after all was said and done, she calmly packed up her things and exited the school gate.
Many parents were already waiting outside. Her own parents had arrived too.
As soon as she emerged, Mrs. Lin started wailing: "We''re going for barbecue! Let''s go, go!"
Mr. Lin was also excitedly at a loss what to do with his hands and feet. "You finished! How did it go?"
Mrs. Lin fiercely smacked him. "She just finished the exam! Don''t say anything unlucky!"
Mr. Lin: "Oh right, of course."
Lin Jianzhi allowed herself be pulled along by her parents and got in the car, but her gazended on a ck sedan across the street.
Strange. She had an odd feeling someone in that car was watching her.
Her noisy parents prattled on at her, but she didn''t pay much attention.
After getting in the backseat, Lin Jianzhi unlocked her phone, wanting to message Zhu Liheng that she had finished the written exam.
Unexpectedly, his message came through first.
''Zhu Liheng: How did the exam go?''
All of Lin Jianzhi''s pent up emotions over the past few days erupted at once. Face flushed and heartbeat quickening, she started typing a reply.
Just then, Mrs. Lin in the front passenger seat twisted around to re at her. "Little Jian! Why are you ignoring me?"
Lin Jianzhi gave a start. "Oh! I was looking at my phone. Yes?"
Mr. Lin turned the steering wheel. "We asked which barbecue restaurant you want to go to?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I don''t want barbecue. Let''s have something light. I still have the speaking exam in three days."
Chapter 20: I Am a brother and Sister
Chapter 20
Lin''s Father almost mmed on the brakes in surprise.
"Oral exam? What oral exam?" he asked nervously.
Lin''s Mother was also very surprised: "I''ve never heard you mention an oral exam before?"
Lin Jianzhi blinked: "Ah? Didn''t I say so? The major I want to apply for requires an oral foreignnguage exam."
Lin''s Mother: "So you mean, even though you haven''t finished the college entrance exam, there''s still another exam?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Yes, that''s right. The oral exam is very important and will determine my choice of major in the future."
Lin''s Father rubbed his head in distress: "Tough, tsk!"
At dinner they had rice porridge, and her parents didn''t dare keep her out for long, wanting her to go home and practice oralnguage.
As soon as Lin Jianzhi got home, she locked herself in her room.
She hid under the quilt, holding her phone, and opened Zhu Liheng''s chat box.
''Lin Jianzhi: I''ve checked everything I know how to do, no problems, and I''ve also tried answering what I don''t know.''
''Zhu Liheng: For the oral exam, take a look at the file I sent you with the things that need to be prepared and the practice methods for these three days.''
''Lin Jianzhi: Okay!''
After that, she didn''t know what else to say.
She had a belly full of words she wanted to say but didn''t know how to start or dare to start.
Zhu Liheng didn''t send any more messages either, and the chat box fell silent.
On the other hand, the ss group next door was exploding!
¡¾ss 2 Senior 3 of Jingyi No.1 Middle School¡¿
''Lang Shu: @All let''s have an all-nighter tonight!''
''Mu Yin: I can''t, my parents don''t agree!''
''Jiang Jingyi: All-nighter! All-nighter!''
''Quan Kaiji: @Mu Yin sneak out, why are they still keeping such a tight rein when the exam is over?''
''Mu Yin: I have to be home before 10 pm!''
''Lang Shu: Can the rest have an all-nighter? Hit 1 if you cane! I''ll organize it, we must have a st!''
A stream of ''1''s started flooding the screen.
''Mu Yin: I''m crying! Am I the only one who can''t have an all-nighter? Ahhhh!''
''Lang Shu: @Lin Jianzhie out! Lin Jianzhi answer up!''
''Mu Yin: @Lin Jianzhi can you bring Zhu Liheng?''
''Lang Shu: Sounds perfect!''
''Lin Jianzhi: I have to practice oralnguage, I have an oral exam in three days.''
''Lang Shu: ???''
''Mu Yin: ???''
''Jiang Jingyi: ???''
''Quan Kaiji: Kick Lin Jianzhi out!''
''Lin Jianzhi: I¡¯ll definitely have an all-nighter with you guys after I finish the exam!''
The other students were still fooling around, but most were just sighing that the exam was finally over and they were free now. Lin Jianzhi''s little interjection did not cause too many ripples.
Only a few people contacted her privately to ask about it.
After Lin Jianzhi gave them a simple exnation, she started opening the materials Zhu Liheng had given her and began practicing long oral readings and Q&As.
Over these three days, she had to develop an absolute sense for thenguage.
Zhu Liheng had even provided specific practice ns in the materials.
As a result, when ssmates sent her messages, her voice replies were pure English.
When her parents called her for meals or to talk, she would also reflexively reply in English.
Lin Jianzhi had practiced herself into a frenzy!
Forget about developing an absolute sense for thenguage, she was almost forgetting Chinese grammar.
After three straight days immersed in this endless English environment, Lin Jianzhi was almost numb on exam day, her heart a dead calm.
On the contrary, her parents were very nervous. Since the exam site was in another location, her parents drove her there.
All the way, Lin''s Father''s foot on the gas pedal kept shaking.
Lin''s Mother kept frequently turning back to look at her daughter.
They were both very clear about Lin Jianzhi¡¯s situation. What oral exam? What if she breaks down crying in the exam venue?
It was said that in addition to testing oral proficiency, the oral exam also scored psychologicalposure.
When Lin''s Mother asked her a question in Chinese, Lin Jianzhi nkly responded in English.
Lin''s Mother couldn''t understand at all, so she had to turn her head away to avoid the attempt atmunication.
When they arrived at the exam site and watched Lin Jianzhi walk in, Lin''s Father and Lin''s Mother started chatting with nearby parents, asking about the specifics of this oral exam.
They had never heard of an oral exam as part of the college entrance examination process before this.
The parents at the door were also very enthusiastic and immediately started a conversation.
"The oral exam! It''s required for some special majors at prestigious universities!"
"My son wants to be a diplomat. He learned two foreignnguages and chose one oral examnguage."
"My child wants to major in trantion, which is also quite difficult!"
"......"
The parents took turns talking and also asked Lin''s Father and Lin''s Mother.
"What major does your child want? Which university?"
Lin¡¯s Father and Lin¡¯s Mother were stumped by the question!
Seeing that the two couldn''t answer, the parent who said his son wanted to be a diplomat arrogantly said, "My son is going to test for B University!"
The surrounding parents immediately flocked over and barrage them with questions.
"Your son''s grades must be very good, right?"
"What''s his estimated score?"
"For B University¡¯s diplomacy major, the requirement for the foreignnguage score is at least 140, right? "
The parent waved his hand: "It''s not that high, just an estimated 141."
There were sounds of disbelief all around, full of envy.
Lin''s Father was a little unwilling to admit inferiority. He quietly asked Lin''s Mother, "How much is our daughter''s estimated score?"
Lin¡¯s Mother: ¡°She was busy practicing oralnguage, I was afraid it would affect her mood so I didn''t ask her to estimate her score!¡±
Lin¡¯s Father lost his courage to show off in front of the parents and pulled Lin¡¯s Mother to stand in the corner without saying a word.
Across the street in a car.
Zhu Liheng was sitting in the back seat, ncing back without paying further attention, his head lowered handling documents.
In the driver''s seat and passenger seat, Yu E and Ruan Tang were chatting more.
Yu E: "Is 141 very high? Don''t diplomacy majors have requirements for foreignnguage scores?"
Ruan Tang: ¡°It¡¯s considered high, but I think little sister can easily exceed that score."
Zhu Liheng frowned: "Don''t call her randomly."
Ruan Tang: ¡°Oh, Sister Zhu.¡±
Zhu Liheng closed hisptop: ¡°She''s my younger sister.¡±
Yu E: "Hahaha!"
Ruan Tang: ¡°Fine by me, I''m older than both of you anyway."
Inside the oral exam venue.
Lin Jianzhi was sitting in the hallway with other exam candidates, one person per seat.
No belongings were allowed in the oral exam venue other than the admission ticket.
While waiting to enter the venue, there were also serious security personnel patrolling the hallway, one every few meters.
Candidates were not allowed to converse in the hallways while waiting to enter.
Lin Jianzhi was the fifth candidate in this exam venue. She had an early number and was called in quickly.
Ever since she came in, she had spaced herself out, trying hard to restrain her nervousness under the solemn atmosphere.
If it was unbearable, she would take out thest question from her math test and rework it through logical deduction again.
Math is something that can make herpletely calm down.
Soon, the security personnel came over to check her admission ticket and then led her to an exam room inside.
The small room was not big. Inside were two senior officials: a chief invigtor and another person recording something in the corner.
After Lin Jianzhi entered, she did not forcibly make herself smile. She simply greeted them and sat down.
Zhu Liheng¡¯s instructions were that if smiling was difficult for her, she need not force herself, in case her smile turned out uglier than crying and deducted impression points.
The chief invigtor had piercing eyes with oppressive force as he stared at her. He gave her a passage to read aloud.
The oral exam started!
Lin Jianzhi did not meet the chief invigtor¡¯s gaze. She quickly nced over the entire article and started reading out loud.
Chapter 21: Lucky it wasn’t her crying.
Chapter 21
The foreignnguage oral examination consists of three parts, with the first one being reading aloud.
The examiner evaluates the volume, pronunciation, and natural intonation of the candidate''s reading and gives a score based on these aspects.
Lin Jianzhi has been immersed in an Englishnguage environment these days, and her reading is very fluent. Her voice started off a bit quiet, but as she delved into the reading, she gradually opened up.
The examiner''s expression is good, clearly quite satisfied.
Next is the second part, answering questions.
The examiner randomly asks five questions, and the candidates have to respond on the spot.
In addition to assessing volume, pronunciation, and intonation, this part also values the ability to adapt to unexpected situations.
It''s also the part that Lin Jianzhi is most afraid of facing!
The examiner asks the first question in English, "Apart from regr sses, where do you usually study English?"
Lin Jianzhi takes a deep breath, slightly excited.
She has seen a simr question in the materials given to her by Zhu Liheng!
After a brief moment of thought, she answers fluently in English, "I listen to radio broadcasts and read English books. I enjoy reading science fiction novels, simr to those adapted into movies..."
She speaks for about two minutes, at a moderate pace, providing aprehensive introduction to her extracurricr life.
In reality, that''s not entirely true. She mainly watches American and British TV shows.
But in an oral exam, she can''t answer like that; it would give the examiner the impression that "this student is wasting time on entertainment."
However, she can''t respond too rigidly either. It would be too fake to say she reads ssical literature, so an all-English novel is the most suitable answer.
After she finishes speaking, the examiner''s expression indeed carries a smile.
Lin Jianzhi safely passes all the following questions without any mistakes.
Thest major part is the oral essay.
It''s also impromptu, with a time limit of ten to fifteen minutes.
The candidate needs to express their views on a certain topic, simr to a debate, but entirely in English.
It involves presenting arguments, giving examples, making transitions, establishing cause-and-effect rtionships, and makingparisons.
Of course, this is also summarized by Zhu Liheng for her. Lin Jianzhi herself would never be able to identify so many patterns and steps.
It''s a form to follow, regardless of the specific topic. Start with these aspects in sequence.
After receiving the essay topic, Lin Jianzhi takes a minute to prepare and then begins speaking.
At first, she struggles to find the right feeling and state, but neither of the two examiners look at her. They are either scoring or taking notes.
This eases Lin Jianzhi''s nervousness, and she confidently delivers a lengthy discourse.
Her English has always been excellent, and her spoken English has be even more proficient during the three days of practice. She speaks without a single mistake.
Excellent!
Even at the end, the head examiner and the invigtor look up and apud her.
"You have a remarkable talent fornguage, and your words carry power. I wish you sess in getting into your ideal university," the head examiner wishes her in English.
At the final moment, Lin Jianzhi naturally smiles and replies in English, "My aspiration is to attend University B. Thank you!"
The exam ends, and she leaves the examination room under the guidance of the staff.
It''s not until she steps out of that solemn building that Lin Jianzhi''s legs tremble with relief.
Her eyes turned red, and she started running towards the door.
Oh my goodness!
This speaking exam is so terrifying!
She had intended to cry, but before her tears could flow, she saw another candidate copsing and crashing into a tree at the entrance.
Beside him were several parents, pulling him and trying to console him.
Lin Jianzhi stood there stunned, and her tears retreated.
At that moment, Lin''s father and mother noticed her and hurriedly approached, each holding her from one side.
Lin''s mother: "How did it go? How did it go?"
Lin''s father: "Oh dear! Don''t ask! As long as it''s over!"
Lin''s mother: "Oh, I see."
Lin Jianzhi pointed at the candidate who had lost control: "What happened to him?"
Lin''s mother whispered, "He scored 141 and was supposed to take the exam for University B. But the results came out saying that his on-the-spot response was poor, and his mindset copsed during the speaking exam. He didn''t even finish it beforeing out."
Lin''s father: "Enough, let''s go."
Originally, after all the exams were over, she should have embraced her parents at the entrance or burst into tears.
But because of the other candidate''s mistake, the three of them were afraid of causing trouble and slipped away secretly.
Before getting into the car, Lin Jianzhi took another look at the candidate who crashed into the tree. He was a tall guy, over six feet, a strong young man, but now he was crying in despair.
She suddenly felt fortunate that she hadn''t cried.
Otherwise, she would have been the one attracting attention.
In a car across the street,
Zhu Liheng closed hisputer and rubbed his forehead. "It''s over. I have to go back to the research room."
Ruan Tang turned to look at him and asked, "Is that it? At least go up and say hello!"
Yu E said, "Why not ask how the exam went? That guy next to us was wailing!"
Zhu Liheng replied, "No need. If she didn''t do well, her reaction would be even more intense than that guy''s."
Ruan Tang and Yu E struggled to find a response for a while.
Zhu Liheng continued, "I''ve been running back and forth these past few days, and there''s still a lot of unfinished work on the other side. I have to go back and work overtime."
Yu E said, "My vacation is over! I''m going back to Beijing!"
Ruan Tang said, "I also have to make a trip to Yanling. My advisor asked me to assist with your project as logistics support. It''s infuriating!"
The three of them chatted casually as they drove away from Jingyi City.
Lin Jianzhi''s delighted parents dragged her out for a big meal, and Lin''s father even opened a bottle of wine, wanting to fill her ss.
Lin''s mother was also happy and had a few drinks with them.
As a family of three, they hadn''t had such a joyful gathering since Lin Jianzhi started preparing for the college entrance exam.
After all the hard work, shouldn''t they celebrate?
Just as Lin Jianzhi was about to lose consciousness, she suddenly stepped on the brakes and firmly declined her father''s offer to pour her more wine.
She was afraid that if she got drunk, her parents would notice something.
Besides, she wasn''t in the mood to chat with them at all. She was not happy at all.
From getting into the car to having dinner until now, in a slightly tipsy state, she had been constantly checking her phone, looking at it hundreds of times.
Zhu Liheng had disappeared.
They had a good chat before the exam, and he told her to do her best and not to be nervous.
After the exam, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t wait to share her results with Zhu Liheng.
But she received no response.
Looking at that profile picture, that chat box, Lin Jianzhi felt abandoned.
Feeling so wronged!
She had already had a few drinks, and her emotions were amplified infinitely. In an instant, tears streamed down her face, crying so hard that she couldn''t catch her breath.
Lin''s Father and Lin''s Mother were celebrating their daughter''s triumph, toasting each other.
But who would have expected that after just a few sips, they would see their daughter crying uncontrobly, struggling for breath!
Lin''s Mother pushed Lin''s Father aside and rushed over, asking, "Xiao Jian, what''s wrong? What happened?"
Lin''s Father shook his head and hurriedly consoled her, "Huh? Didn''t do well on the exam? Oh dear, not doing well on the exam."
Lin Jianzhi cried out, "I want to go home!"
Lin''s Mother said, "Alright, let''s go home."
Lin''s Father echoed, "Go home, go home."
Chapter 22: Are You in Jingyi City
Chapter 22
The days after the college entrance examination were not calm.
On June 19th, Lin Jianzhi returned to her alma mater to collect her high school diploma. It was thest time that the students of ss 2 Senior Year 3 would gather together.
Today was the day to hand out graduation certificates.
ss advisor Hu Tan''s eyes were red. He gave each student their certificate, speaking words of encouragement and blessing every student''s future life to go smoothly.
Stepping out of high school meant truly bing an adult!
Lin Jianzhi sat by the window, staring nkly at the campus scenery outside.
Over the past few days, she had emerged from the emotional pit of losing Zhu Liheng.
The month leading up to the college entrance exam had been like a dream.
Of course, it had also seemed like she was cheating.
After finishing the foreignnguage speaking test, Lin Jianzhi went to estimate her score. The number was unbelievable, making her afraid to believe it and only able to silently wait for score release day.
Zhu Liheng had already given her so much, enough to change a life.
The chat box was still without movement. Zhu Liheng had not appeared again after that day.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare rashly send a message either, only able to watch the days go by, waiting.
She didn''t end up waiting for anything.
"Lin Jianzhi!" Hu Tan called out her name.
Lin Jianzhi got up and walked over to the podium to receive her diploma.
Unexpectedly, she didn''t cry but Hu Tan suddenly burst into tears!
"Lin Jianzhi ah! Teacher will miss you most!" Hu Tan said while heavily patting her shoulder, "No matter how you did on the test, don''t worry. You''ll always be teacher''s best student. You have toe back and see me in the future, you hear!"
Bring Zhu Liheng back with you.
Lin Jianzhi was bewildered as she nkly watched her homeroom teacher break down in tears in front of her.
She suddenly discovered a rule for not crying.
If someone else cried, she didn''t want to cry anymore.
That was great!
Oh, no...
That was cruel!
She began tofort Hu Tan, promising toe back often to see him.
Students were also very grieved below the podium. Many had huddled up together, crying loudly.
ss president Lang Shu wiped a tear just then and shouted: "Don''t cry! We''re going to pull an all-nighter together tonight!"
Jiang Jingyi: "All-nighter! All-nighter! Teacher Hu,e with us! Let''s eat first then sing!"
Other students also voiced simr statements, pulling Hu Tan to join them.
Quan Kaiji suddenly asked: "Teacher Hu, we''re splitting the cost. No treating."
Crack!
The sorrowful atmosphere of the ss instantly crumbled into awkwardness, not knowing what to do.
Hu Tan was also someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. He waved his hand grandly: "Teacher will treat you all!"
Suddenly, the whole ss erupted.
"Ah! Our teacher is the best!"
"Let''s go, eat!"
"There are so many of us. Won''t it be too much of a financial hit?"
Hu Tan stuck out his chest, barely hanging on.
ss president Lang Shu then spoke up: "It''s fine. There''s some ss funds left over. Teacher Hu only needs to chip in a little."
Last time, because Lin Jianzhi didn''t attend, there weren''t enough people so they didn''t use the ss funds.
When Hu Tan heard this, he instantly regained his confidence!
And so, the whole ss began deciding on a gathering location. As expected of the ss president, Lang Shu''s organizational abilities were superb. He made reservations and haggled prices very impressively.
Hu Tan went back to the office to tidy up. The students hugged each other as they walked out of the school gates, nning to take the same bus over together.
As always, Lin Jianzhi walked at the very back by herself. Her mood had lightened up quite a bit.
Sometimes, after losing some things, there would still be other joys that filled your heart.
At this time, someone from the neighboring ss walked out. Seeing ss 2 Senior Year 3 mobilizing altogether, many stared nkly.
The ss president of ss 1 Senior Year 3, Chen Jingman, also saw them. She furrowed her brows and asked: "Your ss is having another outing?"
ss 2 would have frequent get-togethers at the drop of a hat. Many sses envied them a lot.
Lin Jianzhi smiled and nodded: "Mm, Teacher Hu is also joining us today."
Chen Jingman nced at her and said coldly: "I wasn''t asking you."
Lin Jianzhi''s heart instantly squeezed tight as she lowered her head without speaking again.
Mu Yin angrily ran from the front to the back and shouted loudly: "What''s it to you! What kind of ss president are you, your ss never hangs out!"
Chen Jingman red at Mu Yin but ignored her, flipping her hair and walking away.
Lang Shu also rushed over, pulling Mu Yin behind him: "What happened? She causing trouble again?"
Mu Yin stamped her foot: "She was being passive aggressive again."
Lang Shu rolled up his sleeves: "She really pisses me off!"
Seeing their reactions, Lin Jianzhi sensitively noticed something amiss. She asked: "Did something happen before? Did she say something?"
Mu Yin: "Aiyah! Don''t ask!"
Lin Jianzhi followed the main group while scanning her phone as she walked.
In order to make that final push for the college entrance exam, she had blocked all outsidementary and even deleted the school''s forums. She only just remembered now that she should check them.
After looking, she discovered that her affair with Zhu Liheng had topped the rankings for twenty-something days straight!
It was still the hottest topic even now. Not only that, but the content was...
[Congrattions Zhu Liheng and Lin Jianzhi! Happy break up!]
The original poster was none other than the ss president of ss 1 Senior Year 3, Chen Jingman.
In the post, she had calmly yet logically analyzed the situation.
She had depicted Lin Jianzhi extremely poorly, and even wildly spected many overly interpreting guesses, loudly proiming the fact that Lin Jianzhi wasn''t good enough for Zhu Liheng.
Underneath the post, the number ofments already exceeded nine hundred discussions, still increasing even now.
Everyone in school had participated in the discussion, all kinds of analyses and conjectures.
But unanimously, they all believed that Zhu Liheng absolutely wouldn''t even look Lin Jianzhi''s way. It must have been Lin Jianzhi forcing herself onto him!
Lin Jianzhi''s emotions crumbled right then!
She really hadn''t expected that this matter would be a hotly debated issue with the participation of the entire school while she was heads down sprinting towards the college entrance exam!
She also saw Lang Shu and the others'' fierce counterattacks, but they werepletely overwhelmed by the masses and repeatedly beaten back in arguments.
In the end, Lang Shu and the others announced they would quit the school forums and cease interacting with other sses.
But even so, it did not stem the influx of follow up posts continuing the discussion.
There were even people closely tallying up that Zhu Liheng had disappeared for however many days already, even more precisely than Lin Jianzhi herself!
The rest of the ssughed and joked as they walked forward, only Lin Jianzhi hiding behind a tree, sobbing her heart out.
When Lang Shu did a headcount and discovered she was missing, he hurriedly called her cell phone.
Lin Jianzhi repeatedly declined the call, stifling her mouth and nose as she curled up in the corner.
She felt awful enough to die!
She had exined!
She said they weren''t dating!
Why would it be like this...
Just as Lin Jianzhi felt her sanity crumbling and didn''t even want to attend the ss gathering anymore,
her phone screen lit up with a WeChat notification.
''Zhu Liheng: Are you in Jingyi City?''
Lin Jianzhi was shocked and overjoyed. Her crying paused with a hup.
She hurriedly began to reply.
''Lin Jianzhi: I''m here!''
''Zhu Liheng: That''s good.''
Lin Jianzhi was puzzled, but also didn''t dare ask any questions.
That''s good?
Good what?
How strange!
Just then, Lang Shu called again.
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly wiped her tears and picked up: "I''ll be right there! I went to the bathroom!"
Lang Shu faltered before urging: "Hurry hurry! The bus is almost here!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Cominging!"
Chapter 23: What are you Laughing at
Chapter 23
Lang Shu, the ss monitor, truly lived up to his reputation after so many years. With his strong organizational skills, he managed to gather the whole ss and bring them to a restaurant.
He even secured arge private room with three round tablesbined and negotiated a discount with the owner.
It was spacious enough to amodate the entire ss!
Lin Jianzhi followed the group and walked to the far corner, sticking close to the wall.
She had just finished crying and didn''t want anyone to notice.
Moreover, what did Zhu Liheng mean when he approached her earlier?
She was eager to know but didn''t dare to message him. All she could do was stare at the chat box and wait anxiously.
Before long, the homeroom teacher, Hu Tan, arrived as well. As soon as he stepped into the private room, he was greeted with cheers!
It gave Hu Tan the mistaken impression that he was the most popr teacher in the whole school.
Once everyone was seated, Lang Shu started busy ordering dishes, while Mu Yin excitedly called for beer.
Hu Tan initially thought as a teacher and adult, he should take charge, but he soon realized he was entirely unnecessary. The students could handle things themselves.
The whole ss started cheering and drinking beer!
Hu Tan nodded with a smile, saying, "Have a drink, have a drink. Exams are over, haha."
Lin Jianzhi didn''t want to dampen everyone''s spirits, so she timidly raised her hand in agreement.
The boisterous noise in the private room never ceased. Since Lang Shu and Mu Yin were always seen together, everyone teased them to drink a toast.
Mu Yin was a bold and assertive person. She promptly mmed her ss on the table and dered, "Drinking a toast is fine! After finishing, all of you have to drink too!"
Jiang Jingyi chimed in, "I''m not good at drinking, but three bottles won''t be a problem!"
Lang Shu replied, "You call that not being good at drinking?"
Quan Kaiji yfully calcted, "We''ll match how much you two drink!"
Mu Yin retorted, "Stop trying to trick us!"
Everyone burst intoughter.
On the side, Hu Tan raised his phone to record a video, thoroughly enjoying the lively scene.
Lin Jianzhi watched from the corner,ughing along with everyone else.
How wonderful it was...
As the dishes were served one by one, the whole private room was already buzzing with excitement.
...
Outside the restaurant at that moment.
Several cars parked in their designated spots.
One by one, people got out of the cars and greeted each other before heading into the restaurant.
Among them was Chen Jingman, who had dressed up beautifully and followed her cousin, Chen Wei.
Chen Wei pulled Chen Jingman along quickly and approached the man wearing a white shirt at the front.
Chen Wei said, "Zhu Liheng! Let me introduce you. This is my cousin, also from Jingyi High School, and she''s the ss monitor. Isn''t she beautiful, haha?"
Zhu Liheng turned his head and politely nodded, saying, "Hello."
Chen Jingman''s heart raced as she took a step forward and extended her hand, saying, "Hello, senior. I''m two years younger than you. My name is Chen Jingman."
Her cousin and Zhu Liheng were ssmates. They had returned to Jingyi ahead of others and organized this small gathering, which consisted of a very close-knit group of eight people.
As soon as she found out, she immediately asked her cousin to bring her along, giving her the chance to interact with Zhu Liheng up close.
It was truly wonderful!
She had been a ss monitor, organized activities, and was confident. Wasn''t she even better than Lin Jianzhi?
As long as Chen Jingman could show her excellence to Zhu Liheng, she believed that she could definitely get acquainted with him.
Moreover, after today, she was certain that Zhu Liheng would have a favorable impression of her and maybe even ask her cousin for her contact information privately.
Rumor has it that Lin Jianzhi doesn''t even have Zhu Liheng''s WeChat.
Clearly, these two haven''t even talked before, right?
Zhu Liheng looked at the hand extended in front of him and subconsciously remembered that crybaby.
He felt a bit repulsed by the hand in front of him.
Coincidentally, a ssmate named Pu Ren walked by and bumped into Zhu Liheng''s shoulder, saying, "Long time no see, Science Freak. Let me treat you!"
Zhu Liheng walked alongside Pu Ren and replied, "Sure, I''ll pay for my own order."
Pu Ren was a rich second-generation, and he waved his hand, saying, "I was just joking. Forget it, next time I''ll treat you to a big feast!"
As Zhu Liheng and several male ssmates walked inside, Chen Jingman felt a sense of anxiety and disappointment in her heart.
She quickly nced at her cousin, Chen Wei, only to find that he didn''t pay much attention to what just happened and was engaged in conversations with others.
Chen Jingman hurriedly caught up. This gathering was all boys, and she was the only girl.
Her opportunity was immense!
As they walked through the corridor outside the private room, they were drawn to the noisy soundsing from the opposite private room.
Chen Wei smiled and said, "It looks like a high school graduation reunion. We were just as crazy back in the day."
Pu Ren whistled, "Ah, youth!"
A waiter opened a door next to them and said, "Your private room is over here."
...
Inside therge private room, several rounds had already passed.
Lang Shu had an impressive alcohol tolerance. While taking care of every ssmate, he held a ss of wine in his hand and clinked sses with everyone he met.
As for Mu Yin, she was already drunk.
Almost everyone had a few drinks, and Lin Jianzhi couldn''t avoid being toasted a few times.
Lang Shu came over and took a look, clinking sses with Lin Jianzhi. He asked, "So, how did you do on the oral English exam?"
Lin Jianzhi replied, "I did pretty well."
It wasn''t just pretty well; she could have aimed for a perfect score!
But due to her personality, she didn''t boast and hadn''t told anyone about it.
Lang Shu''s eyes lit up. "How about a toast then? Cheers!"
Lin Jianzhi forced herself to finish the drink in her ss.
She hadn''t even had a bite of food yet...
Lang Shu shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone,e and congratte Lin Jianzhi!"
As for what they were congratting her for, it didn''t matter, and no one asked.
At the same time, he opened the door of the private room and shouted, "Waiter! Hangover soup! Ten servings!"
It seemed like they were all ready to drink as much as they wanted and then have hangover soup.
Everyone rushed over, surrounding Lin Jianzhi and starting to celebrate.
Lin Jianzhi nearly went crazy!
She sat in this corner trying not to attract attention, but thanks to the ss monitor''s shout, well, this corner became the liveliest ce.
She didn''t reject the enthusiastic ssmates, just that she wasn''t used to it.
Fortunately, after a few drinks, this group of people forgot what they were supposed to do and found seats to sit down and chat about everything and anything.
No one would actually force a girl to drink excessively at a gathering like this. The main purpose of this gathering is to make everyone happy.
Lin Jianzhi quietly changed her seat and sat at another table that was rtively quiet.
Here,
there''s Jiang Jingyi, who ims to have an extraordinary tolerance for alcohol, sleeping soundly.
There''s also Quan Kaiji, who is determined to create trouble for couples, imitating Jiang Jingyi''s sleeping position.
And there''s the homeroom teacher, Hu Tan, enthusiastically capturing videos of the lively atmosphere.
Mu Yin, who was initially lying down, sensed some movement nearby and raised her head to take a look.
"Lin Jianzhi..." she mumbled sleepily, handing over a ss of wine absentmindedly.
Lin Jianzhi was slightly tipsy and after a moment''s hesitation, she epted the drink.
After finishing it, she unlocked her phone, gazing at Zhu Liheng''s profile picture.
No response.
She felt very sad, and tears flowed down her cheeks.
Mu Yin, still in a daze, leaned closer and asked, "Why are you smiling?"
Lin Jianzhi replied, "Sob, sob, sob!"
Mu Yin said, "They''re talking about you like that, and yet you can still smile?"
The thought of the posts on the campus forum made Lin Jianzhi cry even harder!
Mu Yin eximed, "Damn it! You''re still smiling? Today, I must make you drink!"
With that, she copsed.
Chapter 24: All by the squad leader’s voice.
Chapter 24
The neighboring small private room.
Eight men and one woman walked in and took their seats after entering.
Chen Wei originally wanted to sit at the outermost table near the service window, but was pulled fiercely by Chen Jingman. The two of them sat next to Zhu Liheng.
Chen Jingman sat in the middle, with cousin Chen Wei on the left and Zhu Liheng on the right.
Zhu Liheng didn''t pay any attention to his surroundings at all. He kept his head down looking at his phone.
He had just returned from Yanling today. Professor Xiong was chatting with him about specific data and it looked like he would have to go on another trip afterwards.
His summer vacation was ruined as he had been busy following experiments the entire time.
Pu Ren sized up the three and asked, "Wow! Who brought their family member?"
It was meant as a tease. ¡®Family member¡¯ meant girlfriend to him.
Chen Wei waved his hand, "My cousin, blood-rted cousin."
Pu Ren was a little speechless, but didn''t say anything either. It was boring to bring your cousin to a ssmates reunion.
The others ttered,
"What a good looking cousin!"
"Have you graduated from high school?"
"You must have done well on the exams, right?"
Chen Jingman was enjoying the attention. She answered her cousin¡¯s ssmates questions one by one, trying her best to leave a good impression on everyone.
At this moment, she nced at Zhu Liheng sitting next to her.
He had been looking at his phone the whole time,pletely disinterested.
Chen Jingman was a little anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
At the dinner table, Zhu Liheng was the quiet type. Pu Ren kept talking, mainly about business and stocks.
This topic easily sparked discussion and most people joined in, even Chen Jingman''s cousin Chen Wei delved deeply into it.
Chen Jingman saw everyone else chat animatedly and turned to ask Zhu Liheng, "Senior, why don''t you talk?"
At this moment, a loud roar came from the big private room next door in the corridor,
"Waiter! Sober-up soup! Ten servings!"
The roar was extremely loud, instantly quieting all the chatter at the table.
Chen Jingman immediately felt nervous!
Lang Shu?
Was that Lang Shu''s voice?
Was the next room the senior year (2) ss reunion? Why did they happen to choose here?
Didn''t that mean Lin Jianzhi was also here?
Chen Jingman felt both anxious and angry!
She looked nervously at Zhu Liheng and found he had no visible reaction or anything out of the ordinary.
Chen Jingman anxiously clutched at her clothes, trying hard to calm herself down.
Zhu Liheng knew Lin Jianzhi but not Lang Shu, and couldn''t recognize Lang Shu''s voice either.
He had only yelled once, there was no way he would know.
The others at the tableughed and started chatting.
Pu Ren: "The room next door is really lively, haha!"
Chen Wei: "Makes me want to join them!"
Chen Jingman was afraid they would chat too much about the private room next door. She quickly interrupted, "I didn''t understand what you said earlier about shorting. Could you exin again?"
Pu Ren was stunned, "Huh?"
...
In the big private room.
Lin Jianzhi felt the alcohol rushing to her head and simply sprawled on the table crying.
She cried very restrainedly at first, but under the stimtion of alcohol she cried more and more fiercely until she was crying uncontrobly.
At this time, Lang Shu was toasting, "Why are you sprawled out a third of the way in? No more drinking, there¡¯s still another scene tonight!"
Hu Tan also started persuading, "Alright alright, drink less, eat some dishes."
The drunken ssmates started drinking sober-up soup while the sober ones restrained themselves too. It would be too embarrassing if people passed out after just the first scene.
When it quieted down, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s cries became very noticeable, getting louder and louder, crying drunkenly until even the sober people looked over in astonishment.
When others got drunk they would pass out or act belligerently, why was Lin Jianzhi crying?
Quan Kai raised his head, ¡°Lin Jianzhi was cyberbullied before the gaokao (college entrance exam)..."
Jiang Jingyi also sobered up, wiping his face, "Lin Jianzhi is awesome, it didn¡¯t even affect her gaokao results, badass!"
Mu Yin who had been sprawled out abruptly raised her head, snarling viciously, "Let¡¯s not go sing next scene, let¡¯s go to the inte caf¨¦ and smash those damn bastards!"
Lang Shu got angry directly and roared loudly, "Lin Jianzhi! Be a man and stop crying!"
At this time the private room door was opened by a service staffing in with dishes.
Lang Shu''s voice once again spread through the entire corridor.
...
In the private room next door.
Pu Ren was talking about stocks but it was making him a little annoyed.
Because Chen Wei¡¯s cousin didn¡¯t understand anything yet kept asking questions, kept asking questions.
Asking until Pu Ren nearly exploded!
Just then, a roar came from the corridor, the same voice as before.
"Lin Jianzhi! Be a man and stop crying!"
It quieted down at the table again.
Everyone''s thoughts were drawn over once more.
"Haha! What''s going on in the private room next door?"
"These graduating students are so funny, haha!"
Only Pu Ren was extremely grateful for that voice, he really didn''t want to repeat the same question over and over again.
Chen Jingman¡¯s face paled. She wanted to immediately find a new topic to liven up the conversation.
But it was toote.
Zhu Liheng, who had been looking at his phone the whole time, suddenly turned his head to look towards the corridor.
Then he stood up and strode out to open the private room door before walking out.
Chen Jingman instinctively stood up to pull him back!
Zhu Liheng!
Don¡¯t go...
But Chen Wei was faster to act. He pulled Chen Jingman back and frowned, ¡°What are you doing?¡±
Chen Wei was actually already regretting bringing his cousin. She kept interrupting people and asking strange questions.
Chen Jingman anxiously said, ¡°Zhu Liheng left!¡±
Chen Wei rolled his eyes, ¡°He probably just went to the bathroom. Did you want to follow him in?¡±
Pu Ren cut in, ¡°He probably went to settle the bill. I¡¯ll treat everyone next time.¡±
Chen Jingman was so anxious her voice grew louder, ¡°No! He went into the private room next door!¡±
Everyone looked at her in confusion, not understanding at all.
No matter where Zhu Liheng went or what he was doing, what did it have to do with her? Why was she so agitated?
...
In the big private room next door.
The whole ss was denouncing the cyberbullying before the gaokao. That battle with over 900 posts was one the entire ss had participated in.
But it was only one ss against more than a dozen sses.
In the end, Lang Shu still went to each person privately for them to stop engaging with Lin Jianzhi and called for the entire ss to ceasefire in preparation for the gaokao. He didn¡¯t expect that after the gaokao ended, that post was still at the top of the rankings!
Everyone had already been drinking and they were even more furious now.
It was Hu Tan''s first time hearing about the school''s inte incident. The way he looked at Lin Jianzhi was filled with distress.
She was actually cyberbullied? And right before the gaokao?
No wonder she was crying so broken down!
Hu Tan spoke up to calm everyone, ¡°Let her cry it out. Don''t bring this up again.¡±
Everyone quieted down, leaving only Lin Jianzhi''s sobbing as she sprawled over the table crying. Her cries were heartbreaking.
At this moment, the private room door was pushed open.
Everyone looked over and the first thing they saw was a crisp white shirt.
It was Zhu Liheng!
The room with over thirty people instantly froze, even breathing halted!
Chapter 25: He Admitted It
Chapter 25
Zhu Liheng looked around at the stunned crowd, and his eyes fell on Lin Jianzhi, who was slumped over the table.
What a crybaby, evidently not all talk.
Although Zhu Liheng''s gaze went to Lin Jianzhi first, he greeted Teacher Hu Tan first: ¡°Teacher Hu.¡±
Hu Tan nodded, a matronly smile on her face.
Zhu Liheng walked towards Lin Jianzhi.
The whole ss held their breath, their gazes following him, and many whispered to each other.
¡°So handsome!¡±
¡°I want a boyfriend who wears white shirts too.¡±
¡°Me me me! I''ll wear one!¡±
¡°I think you may have misunderstood something...¡±
Right now, Lin Jianzhi had no rationality left. She was drunk to the point of passing out, crying herself to exhaustion.
She only felt someone approaching, and instinctively looked up.
¡°Oh...Zhu Liheng...¡±
Her voice sounded like a cat stretchingzily.
Zhu Liheng felt his heart melting!
The next second.
Lin Jianzhi directly reached out and put her arms around Zhu Liheng''s waist.
Right in front of everyone, she threw herself into his embrace.
Lin Jianzhi: "Wah...wah wah...!"
Zhu Liheng was startled for a moment, and patted her back: "Why did you drink so much?"
Lang Shu weakly argued from the side: "She didn''t drink that much..."
Teacher Hu Tan took out her phone with one hand and signaled Lang Shu to shut up with the other.
She was going to start taking pictures!
Only then did Lang Shu react that he should be taking photos. He frantically looked around the room for his phone, but had no idea where he had put it.
Lin Jianzhi cried and huped. She was long past knowing what she was doing.
Drunk, she had no strength to stand on her own. All she felt was the world spinning as she leaned closer and closer to the ground.
So Zhu Liheng simply swept her up into his arms.
Carrying her, he walked out of the private room.
He had gone ahead because he needed to greet the people in the next room, so he stood there holding Lin Jianzhi.
This pose, this princess carry, the overwhelming sense of romance¡ª
Everyone inside was stunned!
Pu Ren sprayed out the tea he was drinking!
Chen Wei stuttered as he asked: ¡°Zhu...Liheng...is she...your girlfriend?¡±
Zhu Liheng: ¡°Yeah, she drank too much. I''m going first.¡±
Chen Jingman only felt her vision go dark for a second as her face instantly lost color.
He admitted it.
He admitted it!
Why...
Didn''t that make her own earlier desperation seem like a jumping clown?
Pu Ren quickly stood up: ¡°Then go ahead, leave this to me.¡±
Zhu Liheng: ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve got it.¡±
Saying so, he turned around holding Lin Jianzhi and went to find a server to pay the bill, and also paid for ss 3 Senior 2 of Yingyi No.1 Middle School¡¯s gathering.
After a brief silence, the big private room exploded!
Boom!
Noisy chaos, some people even ran around the room excitedly like monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain.
In the small private room, Zhu Liheng¡¯s former ssmates also began heated discussion, incredulous.
¡°Zhu Liheng has a girlfriend, holy sh*t!¡±
¡°I heard girls from A University and B University lined up from the school gate to Sanyuanqiao to chase him...¡±
¡°Did you guys see what the girl looked like clearly?¡±
¡°Just the back of her head. Zhu Liheng sure kept this secret huh!¡±
¡°......¡±
Only Chen Jingman bit hard into her lips, her mood plummeting to the bottom of a valley.
How could this be?
Lin Jianzhi was actually Zhu Liheng¡¯s girlfriend!
Outside, the night had already fallen.
Zhu Liheng carried Lin Jianzhi all the way like this to the car he drove here.
Perhaps the night wind was a bit cold. Lin Jianzhi burrowed further into his embrace, mumbling drunkenly.
Zhu Liheng bent his head and asked: ¡°What did you say?¡±
Lin Jianzhi had already lost consciousness: ¡°Zhu Liheng...don¡¯t ignore me...¡±
Zhu Liheng felt a pang in his heart. He wanted to put her in the passenger seat.
But Lin Jianzhi stubbornly refused to let go, clinging tightly to him. She even started wailing.
¡°Don¡¯t leave...I don¡¯t want to get off...I want to be with you...¡±
Zhu Liheng had no other choice. He could only call a chauffeur service over while holding Lin Jianzhi as he sat in the backseat.
Smelling the familiar scent, Lin Jianzhi gradually rxed, falling asleep half lying and half hugging Zhu Liheng¡¯s leg.
The chauffeur soon arrived to drive them back to the residential district parking lot.
On the way, Lin Jianzhi kept lying on Zhu Liheng¡¯s leg, her head restlessly nuzzling about.
Zhu Liheng sat rigidly until the chauffeur parked the car and left before rxing.
He looked down at the little crybaby.
Longshes fluttering, her face flushed, probably from the alcohol, pink splotches smearing her cheeks.
She breathed with her mouth half open, still huping softly as she mumbled something.
Zhu Liheng patted her back: ¡°We¡¯re home.¡±
Lin Jianzhi opened her eyes. Her expression did not seem sober, but even more drunk.
She suddenly sat up, her gaze wandering as she stared at Zhu Liheng.
¡°Zhu Liheng...¡±
The girl before him moved closer and closer.
Lin Jianzhi just like that, clumsily kissed him.
Zhu Liheng¡¯s body tensed up as his eyes widened!
How dare she?
This little coward...
Empowered by the alcohol, not only did Lin Jianzhi kiss messily, she babbled nonsense.
Gibberish murmurs like a mewling kitten.
Zhu Liheng looked at her, voice hoarse: ¡°Lin Jianzhi, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±
Lin Jianzhi: ¡°Hmm?¡±
She was not sober at all, struggling harder to climb up, hugging Zhu Liheng¡¯s neck tightly and sticking close.
Lips so close he could feel her alcoholic breath, her fingers running through his hair.
The more clumsy and innocent she was, the more it stirred Zhu Liheng¡¯s heart.
After resisting for a long time, he finally lowered his head to kiss her.
You started this first, Lin Jianzhi.
Their breathing burned within the car, getting hotter and hotter.
Steam misted up the windows, blurring the inside of the car.
Just as Zhu Liheng was about topletely give in, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s head suddenly lolled to the side as she passed out.
Zhu Liheng: ¡°......¡±
He got out of the car to stand outside for a bit, calming himself down.
The open car door revealed the girl deep asleep in the back seat, one slender fair arm unconsciously dangling out.
Zhu Liheng looked back at her, helpless in his eyes.
She probably cked outpletely huh. Will she wake up tomorrow remembering nothing?
Oh well...
He really asked for this from her.
Sunlight shone on Lin Jianzhi¡¯s face at 7am the next day.
She blinked confusedly awake and the first thing she saw was a familiar basketball. She sat up and looked around.
"Ah!!!!"
A shriek escaped her as she frantically crawled up, utterly horrified.
What time was it now? What day?
How was she in Zhu Liheng¡¯s room!
She rushed out and found Zhu Liheng¡¯s home empty and eerily quiet.
ncing down at herself, she still wore yesterday¡¯s party clothes, just somewhat wrinkled but nothing else amiss.
Lin Jianzhi raced back to the room, body shaking as she hunted for her phone.
Just what on earth happened yesterday?
Why did she open her eyes to broad daylight, lying in Zhu Liheng''s bed!
Finding her phone by the pillow, she was stunned silly seeing the time.
It was already 7am!
Although she had informed her parents of the all-nighter, she had zero recollection of what kind of all-nighter this was!
She checked the chat group. What was going on?
It was empty like a ghost town, not one person had sent any messages!
Opening Zhu Liheng¡¯s chat, there were also no messages.
Lin Jianzhi was bewildered!
How did she end up at Zhu Liheng¡¯s ce?
Surely she couldn¡¯t have drunkenly made her way here herself!
Chapter 26: Takasa, Do you like Me
Chapter 26
High-Speed Rail Station.
The first high-speed train from Jingyi to Yanling is about to depart. Zhu Liheng closed hisptop in the waiting hall and walked towards the tform with Bluetooth earphones on.
At that moment, his mentor, Professor Xiong, called.
Zhu Liheng pressed the call button on his Bluetooth earphones. "Professor, I estimate that I will arrive in about an hour."
Xiong Pengtian said, "Zhu, the uing research is very important. I appreciate your hard work."
Zhu Liheng replied, "It''s not a problem, Professor."
Xiong Pengtian continued, "You''ve sacrificed your vacation, unlike other undergraduate students. Moreover, what you''re currently working on is a project that many people aspire to."
Zhu Liheng said, "Students at A University are all busy, and what I''m doing now is something that many people would love to do."
Xiong Pengtian asked, "Is it inconvenient for you to always take the high-speed train? Should I arrange a car for you?"
Zhu Liheng replied, "No need, Professor. I usually drive my father''s car at home, and I won''t need a car when I stay in the research room in Yanling. As for returning to Yanjing, I won''t be using a car either."
Xiong Pengtian suggested, "Then, how about I arrange a secretary for you?"
Zhu Liheng smiled and said, "It''s not necessary. The section I''m in charge of doesn''t require that much organization work."
Xiong Pengtian said anxiously, "Oh, but you''ll need technical writing, right? I can find someone for you. It will be a professional who may not be willing to cooperate with a current university student, but with your reputation, it shouldn''t be a problem."
Zhu Liheng paused for a moment and replied, "No need, I know someone."
Xiong Pengtian eximed, "Oh? Is it someone from B University? Just be careful not to be misled by the physics department of B University!"
The professor was a bit anxious, afraid that his student might be snatched away.
Zhu Lihengughed, "Don''t worry, Professor. I need to go to the tform now."
Xiong Pengtian said, "Alright, take care."
...
Lin Jianzhi anxiously checked her belongings three times before leaving Zhu Liheng''s house and returning to her own doorstep.
She was confused and afraid.
She gently opened the door and quietly entered the house.
Great, her parents were still asleep!
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly ran back to her room, locked the door, kicked off her shoes, andy on the bed, finally feeling at ease.
It was terrifying and inexplicable.
What exactly happened yesterday?
She opened her phone, wanting to ask in the group but hesitated. Instead, she clicked on Mu Yin''s profile picture to initiate a private chat.
To her surprise, the moment she clicked on the profile picture, she saw Mu Yin''s first post in the Moments.
It was a photo.
A photo of Zhu Liheng!
Lin Jianzhi quickly opened Mu Yin''s Moments and her brain exploded with a "boom."
The photo was posted less than ten o''clockst night.
The scene was a messy dining table, and Zhu Liheng stood tall in a white shirt, holding a girl in a princess carry.
The angle, lighting, and technique of the photo were like a movie poster.
He walked forward confidently, tightly embracing the girl.
Though the girl''s face was only partially visible, it was undoubtedly Lin Jianzhi!
Not to mention, she was wearing the exact same clothes as herself.
Lin Jianzhi''s brain crashed, and she stared wide-eyed at the photo, unable to recall how this scene came to be.
Yesterday was a ssmate gathering, and everyone had a few drinks.
The ss monitor shouted, and Lin Jianzhi was surrounded and then given a drink by Mu Yin.
After that, she didn''t remember anything!
She must have simply gotten drunk and fallen asleep, right?
Huh???
So when did Zhu Liheng appear?
And he even carried her away?
Lin Jianzhi pped herself on the forehead heavily, feeling utterly confused.
She wanted to send a message to Zhu Liheng to ask, but when she opened the chat box, she got scared and exited again.
How can she bring herself to speak? Oh no!
She scrolled through her friends'' posts, and then something even more shocking happened.
This photo was going viral!
The whole ss posted it, even the homeroom teacher, Hu Tan!
It had a feeling of the entire school''s students and teachers shipping the couple.
Lin Jianzhi felt as if something was bursting forth, and the situation had escted beyond what she could handle.
What happened next?
After Zhu Liheng carried her away, what happened?
She didn''t say or do anything strange, did she?
Does Zhu Liheng know something?
Ah!!!
How terrifying!
Then, Lin Jianzhi logged into the campuswork.
Sure enough, the photo was spreading on the campuswork too!
The post was getting a lot of attention, surpassing the previously top-ranked "Happy Breakup."
The entire ss 2 of Grade 12 mobilized andunched an all-out attack!
They collectively criticized everyone who had attacked Lin Jianzhi and even singled out the main culprit, Chen Jingman.
Lin Jianzhi checked the posting time and saw that it startedst night at ten and continued until three in the morning.
The peak was around midnight, the most intense moment!
Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded, closed the campuswork, and started questioning her life choices.
Many of the things mentioned in the post left her utterly bewildered.
What did Zhu Liheng admit?
What did he admit?
The one who was going to suffer was herself, as she couldn''t remember anything and was left dazed in the center of the explosion.
After thinking it over, Lin Jianzhi mustered up the courage to open the ss group chat.
''Lin Jianzhi: Are you guys awake?''
No one responded; they were probably all sleeping.
But then, the ss monitor, Lang Shu, suddenly sent her a private message.
''Lang Shu: Hehehe!''
''Lin Jianzhi: !!!''
''Lang Shu: Where did Zhu Liheng take you yesterday?''
''Lin Jianzhi: ...''
''Lang Shu: He definitely didn''t just take you home, right? Did anything exciting happen?''
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned red, and she quickly replied.
''Lin Jianzhi: Nothing! Nothing!''
She wanted to exin further, but she realized it would be hard to rify.
She couldn''t just say that Zhu Liheng wasn''t home now, right?
That would be a dead giveaway!
Besides, this whole situation had a tremendous impact on her. She never expected Zhu Liheng to show up yesterday.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Jianzhi decided to grab Lang Shu, who knew what happened, and ask for a clear exnation.
''Lin Jianzhi: What happened after I got drunk yesterday? I can''t quite remember.''
''Lang Shu: ???''
''Lang Shu: You forgot all that?''
''Lang Shu: You cried so hard that the ss shattered!''
''Lin Jianzhi: What???''
''Lang Shu: I didn''t know you could cry so much! But your boyfriend is such a good person, he actually bought the tickets for our ss gathering!''
''Lin Jianzhi: !!!''
The amount of information was overwhelming, and she couldn''t quite process it.
However...
''Lin Jianzhi: He''s not my boyfriend.''
She still said those words.
''Lang Shu: A feeble rification.''
Lin Jianzhi looked at that sentence, her eyes darkening.
Her cheeks flushed, and there was a faint sense of anticipation in her heart.
The two of them had never defined their rtionship, and she didn''t even dare to confess her feelings.
She did want to test the waters, but every time she was about to speak up, she would back down.
But Zhu Liheng...
How could he hold her like this?
Even taking her away from the public eye when she was drunk.
Not only would people who saw them think that way, she herself would think so too.
Do you like her?
Chapter 27: Basketballs and Hoops
Chapter 27
For the entire next day, Lin Jianzhi would pick up her phone from time to time and look at Zhu Liheng''s profile picture and chat window over and over again.
There were no chat messages. She wanted to type and ask countless times, but ultimately didn''t dare take that step!
She really felt that sometimes she thought too much. Zhu Liheng''s kindness wasn''t necessarily just towards her alone.
From that bowl of noodles two years ago, Zhu Liheng had shown absolute calmness and goodwill.
He was possibly just simply helping others out of kindness?
Her underssman living upstairs had gotten drunk and encountered danger, so he simply moved her to a safe ce.
Lin Jianzhi imagined that if she were Zhu Liheng, she would do the same.
Pure kindness, unrted to love.
Thinking this way, Lin Jianzhipletely calmed down and felt that she was right not to act rashly.
She must not impulsively go ask over the slightest misunderstanding!
If she made aughing stock and made everyone feel awkward, they might not even remain friends.
She didn''t want to lose the hard-earned closeness between them.
At the same time she calmed down, Lin Jianzhi became sad again.
Zhu Liheng¡¯s profile picture was of a basketball, probably the one in his room.
She didn¡¯t understand basketball, she just felt using a basketball as a profile picture was very unique.
She didn¡¯t know how long these back and forth emotionssted, but eventually Lin Jianzhi exited WeChat and opened Weibo.
...
On the high-speed train from Jingyi to Yanling.
Zhu Liheng opened the WeChat chat window with Lin Jianzhi and just left it on the screen in front of him.
The disy box at the very top lit up with the words ¡°The other party is typing...¡± countless times.
Zhu Lihen waited and waited for half a day.
In the end, he discovered that the little crybaby hadn¡¯t sent anything over.
He absolutely could not figure out what she was agonizing over that made her want to say something yet not say it.
Did she remember what happened yesterday or not?
If she remembered, why didn¡¯t she just tell him openly.
If she didn¡¯t remember, why didn¡¯t she ask him?
Could it be that he had to take the initiative to exin the situation to her, that she, Lin Jianzhi, had kissed and hugged him like an octopus yesterday?
Wouldn''t that scare the little girl into tears again!
He wasn¡¯t by her side right now, who wouldfort her if she cried?
Oh well...
Zhu Liheng finally flipped his phone facedown with a p and started working on hisptop.
By the time the little scaredy cat had thought things through, he had alreadypleted most of the data.
An hourter, Zhu Liheng arrived in Yanling and took a car to the researchb.
On the way there, he opened his phone again to check WeChat.
Well!
Still nothing.
After thinking for a bit, Zhu Liheng opened Weibo to take a look as well.
This time there was something.
The user ¡°ZhuJianForever¡± had posted a photo, a very dreamlike pink basketball hoop.
There was no text exnation whatsoever.
Not only that, the user ¡°ZhuJianForever¡¯s¡± profile picture had also been changed to this pink basketball hoop.
Zhu Liheng was confused by all this.
What exactly did this mean?
Did she want to y basketball?
After carefully thinking it over, Zhu Liheng decided that the next time he was free he would take Lin Jianzhi to go y basketball.
It was pretty rare for a girl to like ying basketball though.
...
After posting the Weibo update, Lin Jianzhi¡¯s face remained red for a long, long time.
She didn¡¯t dare use that picture as her profile photo, she could only silently put it in her Weibo feed and fantasize a little.
It counted as couple profile pictures, right?
Next, she opened up Moments to look through the barrage of updates from her ssmates yesterday one by one.
So many, many people were circting talk about their rtionship, some just guessing while others were absolutely certain like Lang Shu.
But no matter what kind it was, they were all apanied by that photo.
The photo showed Zhu Liheng hugging her, hugging her in a very boyfriend-like way.
With a flushed face, Lin Jianzhi saved the photo to the personal collection folder in her phone¡¯s album and tapped a red heart on it.
Then she erged the photo to observe it closely.
He was hugging her so tightly, pressed together.
Even if she couldn¡¯t remember, she must have been ecstatic to the point of losing her mind at the time, right?
While Lin Jianzhi was immersing herself in the photo.
Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on her door as her mother Lin¡¯s voice sounded from outside, ¡°Little Jian? You there?¡±
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly called out, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±
She was so startled that she felt a burst of panic over her little secret almost being discovered.
Lin''s Mother: ¡°Come out for lunch!¡±
Lin Jianzhi: ¡°Coming!¡±
Without realizing it, it was already noon.
At the dining table.
Lin''s Father looked at his phone, ¡°The scores can¡¯t be checked yet, but the full-creditpositions have been released.¡±
Lin Jianzhi absent-mindedly ate her meal while her mind was still on that photo.
Lin¡¯s Mother casually asked, ¡°What did you write?¡±
Lin''s Father: ¡°Let me read it, ahem! From an examinee in Jingyi City...¡±
¡°You¡¯re like the wind of early summer, gently caressing my face and bringing warmth, also bringing the revival of all things...¡±
He hadn¡¯t even finished reading the first sentence when ¡°Pfft¡ª!¡±
Lin Jianzhi sprayed out a mouthful of rice directly at her dad¡¯s face.
Lin¡¯s Father looked at her in shock, restraining the urge to beat up his daughter as he wiped his face.
Lin¡¯s Mother also watched her in astonishment, ¡°What are you doing? Choking?¡±
Lin Jianzhi excitedly set down her chopsticks and tears instantly welled up as she rushed over to snatch Lin¡¯s Father¡¯s phone.
She began reading that full-creditposition.
It was identical!
The one she had written!
Her college entrance examinationposition had gotten full credit!
At the end of this article reporting the full-creditposition were professionalmentary remarks.
¡®The examinee¡¯s emotions were rich, writing style delicate...¡¯
Lin Jianzhi didn¡¯t read or remember the parts that followed.
In truth, when she was writing thisposition, she had fully channeled her feelings towards Zhu Liheng ¡ª
That admiration, infatuation, and desire to be someone like him!
Lin Jianzhi repeatedly checked every little detail of thisposition as well as every punctuation mark.
Right! Right!
This was what she had written!
She had performed exceptionally well on thenguage portion of the college entrance exam!
After confirming everything, Lin Jianzhi was already crying so hard she was gasping for breath as her entire body trembled with excitement.
Lin¡¯s parents had both been stunned speechless by her at first, but as their daughter became more and more emotional with that overjoyed and tearful expression, they both guessed what had happened and yelled out in unison.
Lin''s Father: ¡°Your college entrance examposition got full credit?!¡±
Lin¡¯s Mother: ¡°Your college entrance examposition got full credit?!¡±
At this point, Lin Jianzhi couldn¡¯t even speak anymore as she cried with apletely flushed, tear-stained face.
¡°Waa¡ª! I...Waa¡ª!¡±
Lin''s Father excitedly spun circles on the spot: ¡°My daughter got full credit on her college entrance examposition! My daughter is a literature goddess!¡±
Lin¡¯s Mother excitedly hugged Lin Jianzhi tightly as mother and daughter cried happily together.
Lin''s Mother squealed tedly as Lin Jianzhi sobbed tedly.
Lin''s Father suddenly thought of something and loudly eximed, ¡°When can we check the scores?! Oh right, I¡¯m going to start preparing a celebratory feast right now!¡±
Such wonderful news called for early preparation to wee that day on the 22nd when the scores would be released.
After crying, shouting, Lin Jianzhi sat back down to continue wolfing down her meal.
She was eating extremely quickly, at about a third of her usual speed, and finished everything on her te in one go.
Then she rushed into her room and locked the door.
She was overjoyed and the first person she wanted to share the news with was Zhu Liheng.
Chapter 28: Takasa, I can go to college next to you.
Chapter 28
Lin Jianzhi deliberated for a long time before forwarding this news report to Zhu Liheng.
Then, not daring to say it outright, she sent an extremely vague sentence:
"Lin Jianzhi: This is this year''s full-markposition, from an examinee in our Jingyi City."
She didn''t even dare say directly that she was the one who wrote it.
Firstly, the scores hadn''te out yet; secondly, the content of this essay had Zhu Liheng as its implied subject, so she felt nervous.
After sending it, she stared fixedly at her phone, motionless as if in meditation.
She remained that way until her neck grew stiff, but the other party showed no sign of activity.
Lin Jianzhi blinked and checked the time¡ª1 PM.
Zhu Liheng was probably busy right now.
Had she disturbed him?
Just as she was about to give up on waiting for a response, a message finally came into the chat box.
"Zhu Liheng: Received."
Lin Jianzhi choked in surprise. What kind of response was "Received"?
But very quickly, Zhu Liheng sent over several photos too.
"Zhu Liheng: Sorry, I''m in Yanling right now, I was just doing data analysis in theb and didn''t see my phone."
Lin Jianzhi''s breathing grew ragged.
What...what was this? Was he exining himself to her?
So Zhu Liheng was no longer in Jingyi, he had already gone to Yanling.
"Lin Jianzhi: No problem, you''re busy!"
Zhu Liheng did not respond again. But Lin Jianzhi''s face turned red as she buried her whole head in her quilt.
What was all this about!
Next, she opened the photos Zhu Liheng had sent, zooming in and erging them.
So this was what hisb environment was like in Yanling?
It looked so advanced!
Also, it seemed he was the only one using this office.
Not only was theyout clean and simple to the extreme, everything was tidy and well-organized, just like his room.
Suddenly and inexplicably, Lin Jianzhi got up and started tidying her room!
She couldn''t carry on living in a messy state. She would arrange her things to be as neat and orderly as Zhu Liheng''s.
Lin''s parents had been excitedly nning to take their daughter out for a nice time. But when they knocked on her door and it opened, they saw her busily spinning about like a top!
First organizing the desk, then the wardrobe, she even swept and mopped the floor herself, cleaning up the whole afternoon.
Lin''s mother and father were dumbfounded.
Just what had stimted their precious daughter?
The next two days, Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng did not contact each other. That night, and that photo, were like a dream.
It wasn''t until two dayster, on the day of the college entrance examination score release, that things changed.
Early in the morning, Lin''s father anxiously awoke and chain-smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in the living room.
Lin''s mother paced back and forth, too anxious to even go to work.
As the time of score release crept closer, Lin Jianzhi''s hands shook.
The ss group chat had long since exploded with activity.
Those who felt they did well eagerly anticipated the moment scores came out, while those who didn''t do well had already left the group.
Lin Jianzhi was the silent lurking type. She grew even more nervous watching her ssmates chat!
Finally, it was time to check scores.
Lin Jianzhi''s fingers tapped the screen, she was so nervous that she mis-tapped several times even inputting her examinee number.
She was too flustered, taking two minutes longer than others.
Her ssmates had all already posted screenshots in the group!
And she still hadn''t managed to check hers!
So tears flowed down her cheeks unbidden.
She wiped them while cursing herself.
How many times would she cry in one day?
So annoying!
In the living room, Lin''s parents had wanted to ask several times but didn''t dare knock on her door.
They had agreed to let their daughter check her scores alone, ande tell them herself when ready.
At first during the five minutes of waiting both were rtively calm, but after ten minutes, twenty minutes...their daughter still hadn''t emerged!
Lin''s parents grew anxious, hovering outside Lin Jianzhi''s room like ants on a hot pan.
How did she do in the end?!
Finally, the door opened from inside.
Lin Jianzhi came out with red, swollen eyes.
Lin''s parents'' hearts lurched in unison, thinking it must be that she didn''t test well.
But didn''t she get full marks for theposition?
At minimum she''d have 600 points right?
The parents stood dumbfounded!
Lin Jianzhi cried till she couldn''t speak properly, only able to hold up her phone screen in front of her parents.
Total score: 650!
Lin''s mother shrieked, "Ahhh!!! 650! My darling!"
She too began crying, hugging her daughter tightly.
Lin''s father looked over the score details and excitedly read them aloud: "Chinese 135, English 150, Math 110, the other three subjects totaling 255! Hahaha! We got full marks for English! And theposition was full marks too!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Wahhh!"
She had tested too well!
She didn''t know she was capable of such a score. Scoring much higher than usual in both Chinese and English, and getting 20 more points in math.
All three other subjects had slight outperformance too, shooting her total score to unbelievable heights.
Lin Jianzhi herself was frightened, repeatedly double checking in her room just to confirm she wasn''t dreaming.
Only after confirming things in multiple score inquiry apps did she emerge to share the great news with her parents.
In the process, she had cried her eyes out.
She had never scored this highly before!
Even the standard Zhu Liheng first gave her was only 630-plus points.
Yet she managed 650, 20 points above Zhu Liheng''s expected level!
Thinking of this, Lin Jianzhi rushed back to her room wanting to share with him too.
Her parents were overjoyed, no longer caring what their daughter was up to now.
Closing the door...
She sent him a screenshot of her scores with trembling hands, typing while crying.
"Lin Jianzhi: Zhu Liheng!"
"Lin Jianzhi: I can go to B University!"
I can attend university right next to you.
This time, she didn''t have to wait at all. He responded almost instantly.
"Zhu Liheng: With this score, you can choose any major at B University''s Foreign Languages Institute."
"Lin Jianzhi: I want to study trantion,nguage enhancement courses, and technical writing!"
"Zhu Liheng: You definitely can."
To be honest, Zhu Liheng was also quite surprised. The little crybaby actually tested so extraordinarily! With this score, she could pick whichever subject area she wanted, avoiding anything unwanted while focusing solely on trantion-rted professions.
"Zhu Liheng: What was your oral exam score?"
Lin Jianzhi gave a start, then calmed down.
Oh right, she hadn''t checked her oral score yet!
So she rushed to open the app and input her oral exam candidate number.
The result was simrly great!
Total score of 5/5! During testing, her improvisation and absolute specialized expertise had earned the approval of exam officials.
Lin Jianzhi quickly updated Zhu Liheng with the good news.
But Zhu Liheng suddenly forwarded the news article from several days ago about the full-mark gaokaoposition.
"Zhu Liheng: Teacher Hu shared this on his Friends Circle. This...did you write it?"
Lin Jianzhi''s heart raced wildly. She weakly responded with a "Mm".
Right after, Zhu Liheng showed no further reaction.
Lin Jianzhi repeatedly tapped his profile pic, and once when opening his profile found that shockingly, for the first time ever he had made a Friends Circle post!
Lin Jianzhi eagerly took a look.
It was a re-share of her own full-markposition!
Chapter 29: Your Girlfriend
Chapter 29
Lin Jianzhi''s mind went nk all of a sudden.
She knew that Zhu Liheng was someone who never posted on Weibo!
Yet after confirming that this article was written by her, he shared it on the spot?
Why?!
Zhu Liheng, you...
Just as Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded, she discovered that Zhu Liheng had shared another post, which was a follow-up report on her perfect-score gaokao essay.
It turned out that on the night before the scores became avable two days ago, the media had already investigated the source of this perfect-score essay and interviewed the students'' head teacher Hu Tan.
It was even a video...
Still in a daze, Lin Jianzhi clicked open the video to watch. Teacher Hu was on screen, smiling with a face full of wrinkles.
Hu Tan: "Yes, Lin Jianzhi is my student. She''s in Senior Year 3 ss 2 at Zhengyi No.1 Middle School in Jingzhou."
Reporter: "Could you tell us about Lin Jianzhi''s academic history?"
Normally, someone who could write a perfect-score essay must have won various awards before, maybe even made the newspapers.
Unfortunately, Lin Jianzhi had never participated in any majorpetitions.
Hu Tan knew this well. He deliberately acted mysterious: "I can''t say much. I can only say her English essays often get full marks too!"
Reporter: "Wow! So you were her English teacher?"
Hu Tan: "Oh no, I taught her math!"
The reporter was clearly taken aback, but still continued asking: "What are your thoughts on this perfect-score essay, Teacher Hu?"
Hu Tan got excited: "The theme was admiration and gratitude. She obviously wrote this for me! You should know, this kid''s math was really poor in the past. I put in great effort tutoring her and she made huge progress right before gaokao!"
Hu Tan: "Look how intricately she wrote about her gratitude and admiration - clearly she was writing about me. I''m her mentor in life!"
Reporter: "As your student, she must have a close rtionship with you, right?"
Hu Tan shook his head: "You''re mistaken. If not for reading this essay, I wouldn''t have known she was so grateful to me. She kept her delicate feelings hidden in her heart, silently working hard and using this perfect-score essay to repay me. What a good kid..."
At this point, Lin Jianzhi waspletely dumbfounded with confusion all over her face.
Teacher Hu, you got it wrong!
Though it does make some sense. After all, in that essay she mentioned "mentor in life" many times.
She felt that Zhu Liheng had the greatest impact on her - not only directly teaching her math, but influencing various aspects of her life. Even her much improved thinking patterns now were taught by Zhu Liheng.
Teacher Hu totally misunderstood!
Exiting the video, Lin Jianzhi stared nkly again at Zhu Liheng''s two Weibo posts.
He shared two reports in a row, and the second one even contained Lin Jianzhi''s name and ss.
Now everyone on his followers list could see...
Just imagining this, Lin Jianzhi''s face flushed red again!
Zhu Liheng, what exactly do you mean?
Just then, the ss WeChat group suddenly blew up. Various mentions flooded Lin Jianzhi''s phone with rings.
[Zhengyi No.1 Middle School Senior Year 3 ss 2]
Mu Yin: "Ahhhh! @Lin Jianzhi gaokao essay got perfect score! Made headlines!"
Lang Shu: "Brothers and sisters help share this and make it blow up big time!"
Jiang Jingyi: "I''m friends with a girl called Chen Jingman from the ss next door. I sent it to her ten times and she blocked me hahaha!"
Quan Kaiji: "Shared to schoolwork. Already 500ments at the top of trending."
Mu Yin: "@Quan Kaiji that''s so like you!"
Lang Shu: "@Quan Kaiji the dark horse doing big things without a sound!"
Quan Kaiji: "@Lin Jianzhi I even attached your photo with Zhu Liheng."
Mu Yin: "Sick!!!"
Lang Shu: "Hahaha! Fatal blow!"
...
Seeing how excited her ssmates were, Lin Jianzhi wanted to say "thanks everyone." But Quan Kaiji''s words left her at a total loss.
Why did it get back to the photo thing?!
The whole world witnessed with their own eyes her passing out dead drunk at the critical moment.
She wished she had been sober for Zhu Liheng to princess carry her...
At that moment, Zhu Liheng''s phone was also ringing nonstop. He had to mute it.
Under his two Weibo posts, there were already over a hundred likes and several dozenments.
Many people were surprised that Zhu Liheng actually started posting on Weibo. A minority immediately caught on.
Yu E: "Yo! Little sister-inw is that awesome?"
Ruan Tang: "Sister-inw got perfect essay score. When''s Zhu Liheng treating us to dinner?"
Chen Wei: "Is this the girl fromst time?"
Pu Ren: "Damn! You got perfect scores in physics and math back then. Now your girlfriend has a perfect essay score?"
Zhu Liheng reply to Pu Ren: "She got perfect in English too."
Pu Ren reply to Zhu Liheng: "Sick! Monopoly in sciences and liberal arts. Thisbo is invincible!"
Xiong Pengtian: "Your girlfriend?"
Zhu Liheng reply to Xiong Pengtian: "Yes."
Xiong Pengtian reply to Zhu Liheng: "Bring her to A University!"
At first thements were quite normal. But after the exchanges between Pu Ren, Xiong Pengtian and Zhu Liheng''s replies, the two men''s circles collectively exploded!
First, it was Zhu Liheng''s university ssmates. Those close to him could directly see the conversation. Those who didn''t passed screenshots around various group chats.
Zhu Liheng''s got a girlfriend!
What blew up even more crazily was A University. Professor Xiong and Zhu Liheng''s conversation instantly spread like wildfire.
Sooner orter, all A University students saw the conversation or screenshots.
Zhu Liheng himself acknowledged having a girlfriend!
What''s more, his girlfriend is very outstanding. She got a perfect gaokao essay score that made headlines!
Once the news exploded, everyone knew. Countless girls shed tears. Countless guys heaved sighs of relief.
Zhu Liheng himself remained indifferent. After simply replying to two people, he turned off his phone and continued his data work.
Meanwhile, Lin Jianzhi secretly logged into Weibo again with her "Eternal Zhu and Lin" ount, posting a photo.
It was blurred, the repeatedly edited version of the princess carry.
She had scribbled all over it until the original was unrecognizable.
Only the vague silhouettes of two people could be seen - a tall, straight-backed boy carrying a girl.
After posting the photo, Lin Jianzhi immediately logged off, burying herself under her nket again giggling foolishly.
If possible, she hoped time could rewind.
Go back to that moment two days ago in Zhu Liheng''s arms.
She wanted to soberly feel being carried by Zhu Liheng, away from the noisy world.
Just then, a sh of memory suddenly surfaced in Lin Jianzhi''s mind!
Car window. Fogged ss.
A breath that cut bone-deep to the soul.
Boom--
Lin Jianzhi''s mind exploded!
Was she hallucinating?
Oh my god!
She must love Zhu Liheng so much that she started fantasizing about them kissing!
Lin Jianzhi''s entire body flushed red from embarrassment as she tightly bit her lips to restrain that split-second feeling.
How was that possible!
Someone as aloof as Zhu Liheng, beyond worldly affairs - how could he be so reckless with her?!
Chapter 30: Go Travel to Yanling
Chapter 30
A fleeting moment of memories was too......
His white shirt, crumpled all over.
Lin Jianzhi screamed and rolled herself up in the quilt.
Damn it!
She must be crazy!
For the next few days, Lin Jianzhi hid away, even when her ssmates asked her out to y, she made excuses not to go.
Just like a snail, hiding in its shell.
Zhu Liheng didn''t text her again either, busy with work at theb.
In between, Zhu Liheng privately found Gu Shouwen, a senior in theputer department, and sent him a mosaic-filled photo.
''Zhu Liheng: Can you restore it?''
''Gu Shouwen: Most mosaics are irreversible, don''t make it difficult for me.''
''Zhu Liheng: Try it?''
''Gu Shouwen: Damn! Blocked!''
''Zhu Liheng: I''ll treat you to a meal.''
''Gu Shouwen: Coincidentally, this person is an amateur novice who doesn''t understand technology and just scribbled randomly.''
Five minutester.
''Gu Shouwen: !!!''
''Gu Shouwen: Zhu Liheng! Come out!''
''Zhu Liheng: Restored?''
''Gu Shouwen: Answer me one question first, is it true you have a girlfriend?''
''Zhu Liheng: I guess so.''
''Gu Shouwen: What do you mean you guess so! Scumbag! What''s the story behind this photo? Who''s the girl?''
''Gu Shouwen: [Photo]''
''Gu Shouwen: You two are hugging so tightly you''re almost melded into one! I don''t even have the nerve to look, this photo could be clipped if posted on social media!''
''Gu Shouwen: Hugging like this, were you filming adult content?''
Zhu Liheng stared nkly at the restored photo, so this was it?
The photo that user "Zhu Jian Zhiheng" had scribbled all over, turned out to be the princess carry fromst time they were photographed.
The shooting angle was quite ambiguous indeed......
Seeing Gu Shouwen still grumbling, even wanting hush money.
''Zhu Liheng: She is.''
''Gu Shouwen: Huh? She¡¯s what?''
''Zhu Liheng: My girlfriend, the one you guys have been gossiping all about.''
''Gu Shouwen: ......''
Closing the chat window, Zhu Liheng gazed thoughtfully at the photo.
His thoughts also uncontrobly recalled that night, the girl''s kitten-like muddled voice.
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath, hurriedly looking away.
When will thisb work finally be done?
He wanted to go back to Jingyi......
Lin Jianzhi''s mood finally stabilized in mid-July, the aftermath of the photo was too great.
Fortunately, she would soon be busy filling out her university preferences, and Zhu Liheng had no movement at all.
She finally brought her heart back to her own affairs.
First preference: B University foreignnguage department.
Second preference: B University foreignnguage department.
Third preference: B University foreignnguage department......
She must get into B University!
Her parents had originally wanted to persuade her to go to a university closer by for college, but considering her test scores, she could indeed aim for the best foreignnguage university in the country.
So Mr. and Mrs. Lin didn''t force her anymore, at least theypromised to get her to change herter major preferences.
All filled with foreignnguage department, if she didn''t get in it would be aplete disaster!
At this time other ssmates had already yed several rounds, ss monitor Lang Shu spoke up in the group again.
¡¾Jingyi No. 1 High School ss 12 Grade 2¡¿
''Lang Shu: The ss fees we didn''t use upst time were covered by Lin Jianzhi¡¯s boyfriend, he picked up the bill.''
Seeing these words, Lin Jianzhi shuddered!
Boyfriend?!
Zhu Liheng had already been acknowledged as her boyfriend, what should she do!
''Lang Shu: So I was thinking, why don¡¯t we organize a trip for everyone to go sightseeing in the next city over? I¡¯ll contact the travel agency to charter a coach bus.''
''Mu Yin: The city next door, Yanling?''
''Jiang Jingyi: I want to go to the dinosaur park, I still haven¡¯t been!''
''Quan Kaiji: I second that.''
''Lang Shu: Okay, anything else? Let everyone say where they want to go, I''ll arrange it.''
''Mu Yin: How many days?''
''Lang Shu: Due to limited ss funds, everyone can choose between going for a day trip back on the same day, or staying overnight for two days and one night.''
''Lang Shu: For those staying overnight, you¡¯ll have to pay extra for hotel amodations yourselves. I¡¯llpare and find the best value hotel to negotiate with, after I figure out the costs everyone chips in and that¡¯s it.''
''Lang Shu: For those not staying overnight, dividing the ss funds evenly should work out just right, the cost of the round trip coach is also included, no need to pay extra.''
''Quan Kaiji: I want to take a detour and tour other ces too, five days and four nights.''
''Lang Shu: Don¡¯t add to my workload! You guys can organize your own travels after ending the group tour!''
Lin Jianzhi didn''t join the discussion, because when she saw the three characters Yanling City, she was already breathing rapidly.
Zhu Liheng''sb is in Yanling!
Some students also said they couldn''t go, not in Jingyi City anymore.
In this case, Lang Shu refunded their ss fees.
Most of the students were willing to participate in the group activity, they knew the chances to gather together after graduating would only be less and less.
Pure student camaraderie would also be increasingly rare after entering society.
Soon, the discussion in the group ended.
Lang Shu counted the number of people before going to make arrangements, contacting travel agencies to rent coach buses, negotiating room prices with hotels, contacting the dinosaur park for group discounts......
It''s pretty troublesome, but he took delight in it!
Of course Lin Jianzhi wanted to go, and joined the group that would stay overnight in Yanling. She even wanted to stay in Yanling for a few more days.
Just in case she could run into Zhu Liheng!
She really hadn''t contacted Zhu Liheng for a long, long time.
Mu Yin was most excited about this, she even made a phone call.
Mu Yin: "Hellooooo? You''re finally willing to go out!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Mmhmm, I......"
Mu Yin was too ecstatic to even hear her say anything, bbering on enthusiastically: "Do you know? Five people in our ss filled out preferences for universities in Yanjing!"
Lin Jianzhi''s train of thought also followed hers on a tangent, hurriedly asking: "Who are they?"
Mu Yin: "You, me, Lang Shu, Jiang Jingyi, and Quan Kaiji."
Lin Jianzhi: "Oh, how do you know my preferences?"
Mu Yin: "Mr. Hu said it! And with your 650 points, you must be going to B University right? Otherwise it would be letting your high score go to waste?"
Lin Jianzhiughed: "Mmhmm!"
Mu Yin''s tone dropped: "But our universities are a bit far apart, sigh, oh well, at least we''re in the same city, we can hang out on weekends!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Okay."
Mu Yin: "Bring Zhu Liheng when the timees too!"
Lin Jianzhi instantly blushed: "I...I''ll have to ask him."
Mu Yin: "Lang Shu and I applied for the same school!"
Lin Jianzhi breathed a sigh of relief, joining her in happiness: "You two will end up together."
Mu Yin: "Alright, gotta go pay first!"
Impulsive as ever, Mu Yin immediately hung up, not even giving Lin Jianzhi a chance to say goodbye.
Chapter 31: Ten Fingers Tied
Chapter 31
Lin Jianzhi was going to tell her parents that day that she would go to Yanling. Lin''s parents were extremely supportive.
Lin''s Father said, "Dad will give you money to y more for a few days."
Lin''s Mother said, "Oh my! My daughter is finally willing to go out and y! I thought she was depressed from staying indoors so much recently!"
Lin Jianzhi also didn''t expect that during this period of time when she was stabilizing her emotions, her parents would think her istion was a precursor to depression.
She did so well on the exams, why wasn''t she going out to y?!
So when they learned it was the ss''s group trip, Lin''s parents even hoped she could y for a few more days beforeing back.
This happened to align perfectly with Lin Jianzhi''s intentions.
Although the chance of a coincidental encounter was small, Lin Jianzhi still carefully chose to bring arge suitcase full of nice clothes to prepare.
In addition, there were all kinds of cosmetics and jewelry.
Just when she thought she had considered everythingprehensively, Mu Yin sent a message.
''Mu Yin: Lang Shu said summer is the peak tourist season. The travel agency booked it but has to dy it a few days and tentatively set it for July 25th.''
''Lin Jianzhi: That''s only 3 days left! Very soon. Usually you can''t even book a hotel during peak seasons.''
''Mu Yin: Yeah......''
''Lin Jianzhi: What''s up with you?''
''Mu Yin: Are you free tomorrow? Go with me to buy lingerie.''
''Lin Jianzhi: ????''
''Mu Yin: Um, have you done anything with Zhu Liheng?''
''Lin Jianzhi: !!!!''
''Mu Yin: I want to pick out some nice lingerie.''
Lin Jianzhi was so shocked she almost threw her phone!
Mu Yin was too direct!
But the next day, she still went as invited and apanied Mu Yin shopping with a red face.
Damn it, while shopping, her mind was full of Zhu Liheng.
What color does he like?
Crap! Crap!
She was led astray by Mu Yin!
Mu Yin bought two sets total, and while choosing, urged Lin Jianzhi multiple times to also buy a nice set.
Lin Jianzhi frantically shook her head and strongly refused!
Mu Yin looked at her and said, "You''re too innocent. Have you asked Zhu Liheng?"
Lin Jianzhi''s face was so red it seemed to be bleeding. "We aren''t dating at all."
Mu Yin clearly didn''t believe her. "Oh, I''m going to go pay."
While Lin Jianzhi was waiting in ce, her eyes couldn''t help but look over the several nice sets of lingerie a few times.
Mu Yin quickly finished paying and rushed back to pull Lin Jianzhi to go buy skirts.
Girls should wear nice skirts!
This time Lin Jianzhi didn''t blush again and followed along to pick out a dress that had a big bow at the hem, very beautiful.
Mu Yin was very different, she bought an ultra short skirt!
After a day of shopping ended, Lin Jianzhi returned home and locked the door.
Then she started going online to pick out lingerie.
The three days passed quickly. On the morning of July 25th, over 30 lively people gathered at 7 AM.
The drive from Jingyi City to Yanling City was only about an hour. Going to Dinosaur Park was a bit further but there was still plenty of time.
By 9 AM, Lang Shu had sessfully brought them into Dinosaur Park.
The way to y amusement parks is to queue and scream.
Lin Jianzhi regretted a bit wearing her new dress today. The hot weather was a bit extreme. She hadn''t yed much before being drenched in sweat.
Also because she was wearing a dress, and had a constitution where she''d cry from stimtion, she couldn''t participate in the high altitude rides.
So Lin Jianzhi just stayed on the ground to watch everyone''s bags and phones.
The rollercoaster roared past from the front. Quan Kaiji''s shouts pierced through everyone else''s, exceptionally outstanding.
Lin Jianzhiughed while taking out her phone to record video.
Quan Kaiji usually liked to pretend to be cold, she didn''t expect a single rollercoaster to reveal his true nature.
After the rollercoaster ended, the ssmates all walked outughing while asking each other.
"Who was shouting so loudly just now? I wanted to shout but when I heard him Iughed out loud directly."
"It was Quan Kaiji! He was next to me, I nearly went deaf!"
Quan Kaiji walked at the very back of the group, coldly saying, "You heard wrong, it was Lang Shu shouting."
Lang Shu: "Bullshit! Mu Yin you say, was I shouting or not shouting?"
Mu Yin: "I was shouting the whole time, how would I know if you guys shouted or not?"
Everyone burst intoughter again.
Lin Jianzhi was also smiling radiantly at the side, posting the pictures and videos she took to the group chat.
At this time, she suddenly caught another glimpse of the pinned chat at the top.
Zhu Liheng still had no messages...
She thought about it and picked out a photo of the whole ss with their mouths wide open shouting. She posted it to Moments with her location tagged.
''Lin Jianzhi: [image] Having so much fun! ''
[Location tagged: Dinosaur Park, Yanling City]
After posting Lin Jianzhi felt very nervous. Zhu Liheng should be able to see it right?
Even if he didn''t see it today he''d see it tomorrow right?
At this time Mu Yin walked over and grabbed her. "Let''s go, let''s go on the pirate ship!"
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly turned off her phone screen and followed the group forward.
After a whole day of ying at Dinosaur Park it quickly turned to afternoon.
Most ssmates were nning to go and return the same day. Only less than 10 people chose to spend the night in Yanling City.
These 10 didn''t take the bus back and grabbed taxis in batches heading to the hotel instead.
Lang Shu arranged everything perfectly. Only after seeing each ssmate off on the bus back to Jingyi City was he assured.
Next was the group of 10 who could keep ying for a few more days.
Lin Jianzhi and Mu Yin were thest to leave Dinosaur Park, taking a cab together with Jiang Jingyi and Quan Kaiji.
During this entire day, Lin Jianzhi opened her phone countless times to check if Zhu Liheng had any activity.
But disappointingly, there was nothing.
It was as if Zhu Liheng had disappeared,pletely unaware she hade to Yanling.
But just when Lin Jianzhi was about to give up, walking out from Dinosaur Park to the roadside.
A figure ahead under the glow of sunset attracted all her attention!
Still a white shirt, clean as a cool breeze.
How did Zhu Lihenge here?
Lin Jianzhi almost forgot to breathe, shocked while looking at that figure.
Mu Yin, Jiang Jingyi and Quan Kaiji were chatting andughing while walking forward. ncing back they discovered Lin Jianzhi was missing.
Mu Yin hurriedly yelled "Lin Jianzhi! Keep up!"
This shout not only brought Lin Jianzhi back to her senses, but also made Zhu Liheng standing in the distance look over.
Then, he strode over!
Lin Jianzhi watched with wide eyes as Zhu Liheng walked towards her. He took her luggage from her in one swift movement.
Zhu Liheng said, "Next time youe to Yanling call me. I almost didn''t see your Moments post."
At this time Lin Jianzhi couldn''t even speak!
Dazedly looking at Zhu Liheng. One hand pulling her luggage, passing by her other hand reached out and grabbed hers.
Lin Jianzhi felt her brain explode with a ''boom''!
His hand was big and powerful.
He pulled her up decisively without hesitation.
Their ten fingers interlocked.
Lin Jianzhi dazedly looked at their sped hands, then up, at Zhu Liheng''s shoulder. So close, so close to her.
So close she felt the next second they would crash into each other.
She suspected she might be dreaming?
You...Zhu Liheng, you pulled her hand?
Chapter 32: Please tell me if they kissed.
Chapter 32
Lin Jianzhi felt like the scene around her was slowing down, the surrounding noises fading away, time and space frozen in this moment.
All that remained was the delicate fragrance close by and their hands held together.
She looked straight ahead at Zhu Liheng''s shoulders.
Then she saw those shoulders leaning towards her, his breath above her head.
At this instant, Lin Jianzhi''s heart was beating so fast she could barely feel it!
She looked up, meeting Zhu Liheng''s bright, intent gaze looking right at her.
Instinctively, Lin Jianzhi''s eyes shifted down slightly, staring at Zhu Liheng''s lips.
Immediately after, her pupils constricted!
The scene from that night in the car surfaced in her mind once more.
The intertwined lips ovepping with the face before her eyes.
She instantly blushed crimson, a mistiness gathering in her eyes.
Zhu Liheng was so close to her!
So close that her body trembled, her mind furiously spinning out a series of impulsive thoughts.
Lin Jianzhi''s lips parted slightly, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.
Zhu Liheng...
If she were to kiss you now, would you pull away?
Suddenly!
"Whoa f*ck! Zhu Liheng?"
Jiang Jingyi''s shout roared in from the distance, breaking the atmosphere between them.
Mu Yin was also there, waving madly: "Zhu Liheng! Ahhhh!"
Quan Kaiji was the first to whip out his phone: "You two idiots, don''t shout, quick take a photo!"
Snap!
The moment the camera shutter sound rang out.
In fright, Lin Jianzhi jerked her hand out of Zhu Liheng''s sp!
Her entire being reacted like a startled deer, in an instant running three meters away into the shadows.
As if to find a ce to hide.
Zhu Liheng looked at his empty palm, then back at Lin Jianzhi hiding with her back facing him over there.
He hadn''t even started, and she was already so frightened?
Shortly after, he turned and nodded at Mu Yin and the other two rushing over.
Mu Yin was so excited her eyeballs nearly popped out: "Zhu Liheng! Did youe to pick up little Jianzhi?"
Just as Zhu Liheng was about to reply...
Jiang Jingyi: "Send us back too! We can''t get a cab!"
Quan Kaiji was practically suffocating with exasperation nearby!
Are you two morons?!
Zhu Liheng paused briefly before nodding: "Alright, my car''s in the parking lot."
He was also just a university student himself, he hadn''t considered buying a car previously. The car he drove in Jingyi City belonged to his father, and at the university in Yanling City he spent all day in theb so didn''t need one either.
It was only because of the special circumstances this time that he borrowed his senior''s car on impulse and drove over without a second thought upon seeing Lin Jianzhi''s social media update.
Zhu Liheng took a look at Lin Jianzhi hiding in the shadows over there, her nice sundress revealing calves and arms that were flushed from the ring sunlight, damp hair stuck to her forehead.
He suddenly felt reluctant for her to be left baking under the sun.
Perhaps he should take his teacher''s suggestion after all.
Zhu Liheng pulled Lin Jianzhi''s suitcase up front as he led the group towards the parking lot.
Mu Yin, Jiang Jingyi and Quan Kaiji merrily followed behind, thrilled all the way.
Lin Jianzhi walked at the very back, head lowered the entire time.
She was still blushing, unable to calm down.
Upon reaching the vehicles in the parking lot, Zhu Liheng loaded Lin Jianzhi''s luggage into the trunk.
The other three briskly sorted themselves out and dove straight into the rear seats,
three heads uniformly watching out the window.
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
She was stuck in an awkward spot now, the only seat left was the front passenger seat.
But she was so very nervous, nervous to the point she couldn''t get any words out.
Finally, after Zhu Liheng closed the trunk he circled around to the other side and opened the passenger door, gently assisting her in.
"It''s hot outside." His voice was low and gentle.
Lin Jianzhi froze up all at once, as if struck by lightning, involuntarily raising her head to look at Zhu Liheng.
But all she glimpsed was a sh of white shirt as he swiftly shut the car door after seating her in front.
Lin Jianzhi felt her whole body burning up, even though the air-conditioning was switched on full st she still felt like she would explode from the heat!
Behind her in the rear cabin, three pairs of eyes gazed fixedly right at her.
She didn''t even need to turn back to know Mu Yin and the other two were practically seeing right through her!
Atst, Zhu Liheng got into the driver''s seat, starting up the engine after he sat down.
From this angle she had a perfect view of Zhu Liheng''s slender yet powerful looking hands adeptly maneuvering the steering wheel.
Mu Yin sat smack in the middle of the rear seat, instantly tugging excitedly at Jiang Jingyi and Quan Kaiji''s clothes.
Quan Kaiji impatiently pped her hand away, holding up his phone to record video.
As for Jiang Jingyi, he directly called out: "Senior Zhu Liheng! You look so cool driving! I could just marry you!"
Mu Yin: "Pfft!"
Quan Kaiji rolled his eyes again.
Only Lin Jianzhi gave a startled jerk, hurriedly shifting her gaze from Zhu Liheng''s hands.
His hands really were too good-looking, she could never get enough of watching them.
Especially when he silently drove, that utterly absorbed look was just too charming!
Lin Jianzhi never dared to say things like this, only silently watching every time,ter reminiscing by herself.
Who knew Jiang Jingyi would blurt it out loud this time?
Causing even Zhu Liheng himself to pause briefly in surprise.
Quan Kaiji was the strong, silent type who let his actions speak, he recorded a video and uploaded it straight to their ss group chat.
As expected, the group blew up!
[Jingyi No.1 Middle School ss 3 Grade 12 (2)]
''Whose hand is that?''
''Ahhhhh! I''ll take those hands thank you!''
''Why does your driver look like a hottie? Show us his face!!''
''F*ck, watch until the end of the video, that''s Jiang Jingyi''s voice yelling Zhu Liheng!''
''I heard it! Jiang Jingyi hahaha!''
''Wait, why is Zhu Liheng your driver?!''
''Gotta @Lin Jianzhi for this one.''
Right then, Quan Kaiji unleashed his killer move, posting the earlier shot of the two holding hands in the group.
The summer sunlight shone down upon two figures dressed in white standing out starkly front and center in the frame, surrounding pedestrians and scenery fading into unimportance.
White shirt and sundress, ten inteced fingers, gazes locked intensely upon one another.
So very, very close!
The entire group started wailing!
''Why did I have to go back to Jingyi early? What did I miss?!''
''Help, they''re already holding hands and still denying they''re a couple? No drunkenness to me this time eh!''
''Looks like it was Zhu Liheng who made the first move?''
''Drove to pick her up at the theme park entrance, hand holding, pulling her luggage...this is way too sweet!''
''Sparks are flying! Kiss her! Kiss already!''
''I got so excited I literally yelled out loud in the car, the uncle driver turned back to re at me!''
''@Quan Kaiji quick tell me if they kissed!''
''Quan Kaiji: Nope, that moron Jiang Jingyi hollered and interrupted things.''
''......''
Of course Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare check the group messages right then. Sitting in the passenger seat she was nearly paralyzed from tension!
She didn''t dare chat with Mu Yin and the others behind, didn''t dare look at Zhu Liheng either.
All she could do was stare idiotically out the window like a dummy.
Nothing but highways in sight, she had no idea what she was even looking at.
Chapter 33: Is This a Date
Chapter 33
Lin Jianzhi felt that the road from the amusement park to the hotel was so long that she almost couldn''t stand it before arriving.
Finally, after half an hour, Zhu Liheng drove the car to the hotel they had booked.
Mu Yin and the two others got off the car giggling and thanking him, and took their own luggage respectively.
Lang Shu was even more excited to run out from the hotel lobby, wanting to chat with Zhu Liheng for a moment.
At this time, Lin Jianzhi also got out of the passenger seat silently, and walked to the trunk to get her luggage.
Zhu Liheng, who was talking to Lang Shu, suddenly reached out and closed the trunk!
Lin Jianzhi was left empty-handed, stunned as she looked up at him.
At this moment Zhu Liheng was expressionless, with a domineering attitude: "You''re not going in, you''reing to dinner with me."
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly lowered her head again, her face flushed.
Lang Shu was clever, simply thanked Zhu Liheng for driving them over before waving goodbye.
He also pulled the still chattering Jiang Jingyi away!
Zhu Liheng''s attitude towards Lang Shu had changed from initial wariness to great satisfaction today.
First he took advantage of the group trip to send the little girl over to him, then took away the very talkative ssmate, giving them time alone together.
The monitor was quite capable.
The two got back into the car and fellpletely silent.
Zhu Liheng breathed a sigh of relief. It had really been noisy just now, unexpectedly the girl''s ssmates could chat so much.
As for Lin Jianzhi, she suddenly became nervous and at a loss about what to do. Why was she suddenly alone with Zhu Liheng for no reason?
Zhu Liheng nced at the person next to him from the corner of his eye, smiling in his eyes: "What do you feel like eating?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Anything is fine."
At the moment her mind was full of nervous emotions, where could she think about what to eat.
Zhu Liheng: "Shall I decide?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Okay, good."
After speaking, she felt that she really didn''t say much. Zhu Liheng hade to pick her up on such a hot day, and had even helped send her ssmates to the hotel.
Although she wasn''t the ss monitor, it started because of her, so she should properly thank Zhu Liheng.
So Lin Jianzhi quickly said, "Thank you for today. It''s my treat, I''ll pay."
Otherwise, they would probably have had to stand in the zing sun at the door for much longer.
She was bad at talking, and was even more like she had lost her ability to speak in front of Zhu Liheng. She just kept expressing her intention to treat him to a meal.
Little did she know that before they arrived at the restaurant, it would seem more and more awkward.
Fortunately, Zhu Liheng did not mind such things at all. What he cared about were other aspects.
He immediately frowned and firmly refused: "No."
Lin Jianzhi was stunned: "Ah?"
Zhu Liheng thought for a moment and said, "You just finished the college entrance examination and don''t have an ie yet. I¡¯ll pay."
For a moment, Lin Jianzhi didn''t even know how to refute it and stupidly nodded.
At a traffic light, Zhu Liheng asked again: "Do you like ying basketball?"
Lin Jianzhi was stunned!
She looked at Zhu Liheng in bewilderment and shock,pletely unable to understand how he could ask such a sentence.
Did she look like someone who liked ying basketball?
In fact, Lin Jianzhi even suspiciously nced at her own outfit.
Dress, white sneakers, gentle ponytail.
Looking like this, how could she y basketball???
Zhu Liheng was silent for a second, suddenly not understanding.
If she doesn''t like ying basketball, what does the basketball frame mean?
Afterwards, Lin Jianzhi did not speak again. Her mind was full of thoughts about what to do if Zhu Liheng wanted to take her to y basketball after the meal.
Should she refuse or refuse!
After a while, Zhu Liheng asked again: "So what do you like?"
Lin Jianzhi''s heart rate suddenly elerated again. She stuttered, "I like..."
You.
She clenched her teeth tightly. She didn''t have the courage to say thest word out loud no matter what.
She was afraid she would go crazy from nervousness!
But she also had a glimmer of anticipation, her heartbeat pounding wildly faster.
The fleeting bewilderment and ambiguous feeling made Lin Jianzhi feel like she was on a roller coaster.
No, more exciting than a roller coaster!
In the end, she didn¡¯t manage to blurt anything else out.
Fortunately, Zhu Liheng did not ask further.
Just as her emotions were being pulled back and forth, and her mind was about to snap.
The car stopped at a brownish red facade. The style of the house looked very retro, like a building left over from the Republican era.
"We''re here," Zhu Liheng said, opening the car door and getting out.
Lin Jianzhi also hurriedly got out of the car to catch up, afraid to keep Zhu Liheng waiting.
In her opinion, he must be very busy. Busy but taking time out to take her to eat, she could not dawdle.
This was an inconspicuous alley. Zhu Liheng led her towards that unique retro brown building.
Walking closer, Lin Jianzhi saw that there was a very chic little door.
As Zhu Liheng pushed the door open, he propped it open for her.
Lin Jianzhi''s face flushed red as she squeezed past him. The two were very, very close again.
She could even feel Zhu Liheng''s breath, as well as the scorching gaze looking at her from up close.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t know how to describe it. It was a very hot gaze.
She knew she definitely would not dare meet it head on.
She would desperately sink into it!
Soon, she was attracted by the exquisite and retro decor.
The ck walnut theme ran through the entire interior of the restaurant. All kinds of exquisite little objects were ced in the most suitable ces.
It made this private kitchen look very special and attractive. Every angle was suitable for taking pictures.
Zhu Liheng walked forward and reported his surname and phone number.
Immediately a waiter came forward to lead the two inside.
Lin Jianzhi was a little surprised to find out that he had booked a table for them to dine beforehand.
The lighting throughout the restaurant was not very bright, slightly dim, very hazy.
Their dining spot was in a corner of the hall, a little hidden. Wooden table, wooden chairs, retro and delicate.
Sitting here, Lin Jianzhi felt like she had traveled back decades ago.
On a date.
She didn''t know what she was doing throughout the whole process of ordering food and dining. She also didn''t remember what she ate.
It should have been very delicious, every dish was delicious.
But nothing attracted her more than Zhu Liheng...
Under the dim warm light, that figure in a white shirt sat across from her.
Unlike his sunny, youthful temperament in the daytime, Zhu Liheng now looked so mature and elegant.
In such an environment, he was like a young master who had walked out of the Republican era.
Lin Jianzhi stared at him unconsciously as she looked at him,pletely engrossed.
Zhu Liheng looked up from his meal during a lull and met her intent gaze.
Lin Jianzhi quickly shifted her eyes away. Fortunately, her blushing face was not obvious due to the dim lighting.
The corner of Zhu Liheng¡¯s mouth curved up imperceptibly: ¡°Where do you want to go after eating? To watch a movie? Or go shopping?"
Where could Lin Jianzhi possibly answer? She hemmed and hawed for a long time.
She didn¡¯t want to go anywhere, she just wanted to look at you under such dim lights.
¡°What did you say?¡± Zhu Liheng thought she had said something, but couldn¡¯t hear clearly because it was too soft.
So he moved his chair over and leaned in.
Suddenly, their shoulders were only ten centimeters apart!
Chapter 34: Who have You Been Here with
Chapter 34
Lin Jianzhi felt the temperature of the air around her rising, every pore of her skin was giving off heat, as if she had entered a heating jar and was being roasted.
And the reason that made her feel this way was because Zhu Liheng was getting closer and closer.
She was so sensitive now that she could jump up at the slightest sound!
Zhu Liheng also seemed to feel the tension of the person next to him, but he didn''t move away because of it. Instead, he reached out his hand...
Lin Jianzhi shuddered directly!
Who would have thought, Zhu Liheng just handed over the dessert on the table.
Lin Jianzhi: "......"
It was a strawberry ice cream.
She ate it in small mouthfuls, afraid to look at the person next to her.
Zhu Liheng supported himself with one hand and looked at her from the side, asking: "What are you hiding from?"
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Zhu Liheng''s eyes swept over her hair, down to her drooping eyes that kept trembling.
"Look at me," he seemed tomand.
Lin Jianzhi was about to cry. She forced herself to lift her face and make a normal human expression.
It was just polite eye contact, chatting, talking.
Why was she so afraid?
She made a series of mental preparations and looked up nervously at Zhu Liheng.
His eyes were really bright, so bright that even in such dim light, they were still very spirited.
But...
He was too close!
So close that in his eyes, Lin Jianzhi could even see her own reflection.
She felt hot all over again, and her cheeks were incredibly red.
Zhu Liheng stared at her and asked, "Where do you want to goter?"
When dating, chasing girls, what should you do?
He came in a hurry and didn''t do his homework. He could only ask Lin Jianzhi for her opinion on the spot.
Lin Jianzhi''s mind waspletely nk without any ns. She was even more nervous and couldn''t think of anything. She was almost blown crazy by the smell of Zhu Liheng surrounding her, losing her ability to think.
Moreover, Zhu Liheng''s voice was so close and soft, tingling her ear like a feather tickling her.
She really felt like she was going crazy!
Seeing that she couldn''t speak, Zhu Liheng simply made the decision directly: "Then let''s go see a movie."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head again: "Okay."
Zhu Liheng said, "Let''s go, I''ll pay the bill first, you check on your phone to see what movie you want to watch."
He hadn''t watched a movie for a long time and wasn''t sure what new films were currently showing.
Lin Jianzhi followed him with her head down. At the same time, she quickly took out her phone to check.
At the front desk, the smiling waiter reported the amount: "Sir, your total consumption is eight hundred, let me scan you."
Zhu Liheng very naturally took out his mobile phone to pay.
But Lin Jianzhi was stunned beside him!
How could it be so expensive?
There were only two people, not many dishes, how could they spend eight hundred yuan?
For Lin Jianzhi, who had just graduated from high school, this was unbelievable.
And when she thought of her previous words in the car, boastfully saying that she would treat him, how could she afford it?
Looking at Zhu Liheng again, he was paying very calmly.
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes suddenly dimmed. She suddenly remembered the dinner party Zhu Liheng had taken her to before.
The senior sister named Ruan Tang sitting at the dinner table had revealed a lot. Zhu Liheng kept winning prizes, not schrships, but various paper awards.
And working with such influential figures as Professor Xiong, Zhu Liheng had his own researchb in Yanling.
He had an ie, and it was not low.
But Lin Jianzhi had nothing. She relied on her parents for food and shelter. In hering university years, the possibility of her making her own money was slim.
Just one meal, and she already felt somewhat hesitant.
The gap between the two of them was probably very big from the beginning, and now it would only get bigger and bigger.
How could she catch up?
She''s not good enough!
Lin Jianzhi was depressed the whole time, and did not notice the content on the bright phone screen, which happened to be a romance film.
Zhu Liheng understood when he looked back after paying the bill.
Dating and chasing girls, you should indeed watch romance films. The other people who said watching horror and mystery films were probably joking around.
The two returned to the car.
Lin Jianzhi was very silent. She quietly fastened her seat belt, her mind full of inferior emotions.
Zhu Liheng didn''t say anything either, but looked at the showtimes, bought two tickets, and drove to the theater.
On the way, he asked, "It ends at 11:30, and it will be almost 12 o''clock by the time I send you back to the hotel. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah." Lin Jianzhi answered in a low voice, depressed.
Zhu Liheng nced at her strangely.
The white dress had arge butterfly bow on the hem, which was very cute and chic.
Matched with her good girl personality, the little dress looked very attractive on her.
Lin Jianzhi knew Zhu Liheng was looking at her, but she was in no mood to think too much now.
Her heart was almost filled with inferior emotions!
When they arrived at the cinema, Zhu Liheng went to get the tickets, while Lin Jianzhi cheered herself up and took the initiative to buy drinks and popcorn.
She had been thinking a lot on the way. If the two were really ipatible,
then calmly ept this brief encounter. At least the happiness she felt today was real.
The movie started at 9 o''clock, and there were still more than 10 minutes to wait.
Lin Jianzhi handed the popcorn and drink to Zhu Liheng and asked quietly, "Do you often go to the movies?"
Do you also often take girls to such expensive restaurants?
She didn''t have the courage to ask the question behind.
Whether on the way to the restaurant or to the cinema, she noticed that Zhu Liheng didn''t use navigation and seemed very familiar with the route.
It meant he had been here before.
Who did hee here with?
His expertise in ordering food and taking care of girls, with whom did he gain such experience?
Where would Zhu Liheng know she had so many strange thoughts in her mind? He just answered normally: "I haven''t been watching muchtely, but I often watch movies when I have free time."
Lin Jianzhi became even more disappointed and bit her lip to ask, "Who do you usually watch with?"
If he said girl names, or showed inclination in that direction,
she would definitely not have any more illusions about him after today.
Zhu Liheng answered, "With my teacher, Professor Xiong."
Lin Jianzhi was stunned.
She looked up nkly at Zhu Liheng who had said this.
Even because of this extremely unexpected answer, her expression looked incredibly dumbfounded, even a little silly.
Zhu Liheng: "My teacher likes to eat in that private kitchen. He often asks me to go with him. If there is a sci-fi movie, he muste to watch after dinner."
Yeah, watch while scolding.
Scold the director, screenwriter, actors.
As for the plot, he would criticize it from beginning to end for being unreasonable.
A towering figure in quantum mechanics still insisted on evaluating entertainment sci-fi movies from a professional perspective.
"Oh..." Lin Jianzhi nodded nkly.
The loss of mood from before was relieved a lot in an instant.
She even felt somewhat fortunate and surprised?
Lin Jianzhi felt that she was thinking too much!
The movie was about to start and there were quite a lot of people, crowded together.
Little Lin Jianzhi was almost squeezed away. At the critical moment, a big hand reached over and pulled her into his arms.
Zhu Liheng even grabbed her hand and frowned, "Don''t get lost."
Chapter 35: The Movie God Assists
Chapter 35
The crowd was a bit crowded. Lin Jianzhi felt dizzy as she was pulled along to walk forward, with all kinds of strange thoughts popping up in her mind.
She always felt that people around were looking at them, making her extremely nervous!
Fortunately, she soon realized that everyone was actually looking at Zhu Liheng. The sudden appearance of such a handsome guy in the movie theater had caused a minor spectacle.
She looked up again, it was Zhu Liheng''s back and shoulders.
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned red, her heart almost overflowing with happiness.
She lowered her head to look at their tightly held hands, hidden in the bustling crowd, inconspicuous.
Just holding hands, yet it felt like they were doing something forbidden.
Both thrilling and blissful!
Zhu Liheng kept pulling her along, taking her into the theater.
On the way, Lin Jianzhi suddenly stopped for a few steps.
Zhu Liheng turned back and asked, "What''s wrong?"
Lin Jianzhi looked at the lights on the ground and shook her head, "Nothing."
The two let go of each other''s hands when looking for seats. As they let go, Lin Jianzhi also felt her heart let go. The tense atmosphere disappeared, reced by a touch of loss.
After finding their seats, the two sat down and the movie started shortly after.
It was then that Lin Jianzhi realized that this turned out to be a romantic film.
It started out pretty normal - the male and female leads met, all kinds of misunderstandings happened by chance, interspersed with some humorous plots.
Lin Jianzhiughed along, eating popcorn and drinking soda.
But after half an hour, the atmosphere began to turn weird.
The male and female protagonists in the movie...
Started kissing!
Not only that, but it was also in a quiet, dead of the night setting.
The huge screen gave some close-up shots.
Lin Jianzhi''s whole face turned bright red!
She could even feel herself emitting heat all over, and Zhu Liheng was sitting so close beside her.
She felt the plot had reached a point where things were kind of awkward between them.
In order to ease the embarrassment, Lin Jianzhi tremblingly tried to reach for her drink to have a few sips.
Who knew, she reached in the wrong direction!
Her drink was on the right side of the cup holder, but she reached out with her left hand.
Her left hand collided with Zhu Liheng''s right hand, almost knocking over the drinks!
Lin Jianzhi quickly pulled her hand back as if frightened, and hurriedly grabbed her drink on the right to start chugging it down.
While drinking, she stared straight ahead, trying her best to forget what had just happened.
Just then, a couple sitting in the row in front suddenly hugged and even kissed each other.
At the same time, the movie screen happened to give a close up. The sounds in the theater were already loud to begin with, and most of the audience here were couples.
Lin Jianzhi felt intimate whispers of couples everywhere around her.
In such an atmosphere, she was filled with unease.
Watching a romantic film with her crush, this this this... the ambiguity level was through the roof!
She also wondered what Zhu Liheng''s reaction was at the moment?
Lin Jianzhi suddenly became very curious and couldn''t help but nce at him from the corner of her eyes.
Who knew, with just one nce, she saw that superior side profile of his, merely a dozen centimeters away from herself.
In fact, if she leaned in slightly, she could kiss him.
In the dark environment, no one would know...
She was going crazy!
More and more thoughts kept popping up in her mind, making her heart race as if it was pounding.
Romantic movies really knew how to set the atmosphere, with that kind of feelinging one after another.
Lin Jianzhi slumped back in her seat, curling up into a little ball.
Suddenly, Zhu Liheng took a deep breath.
Lin Jianzhi was so scared she immediately sat up straight!
What happened? Why did he need to take a deep breath? Did something happen?
Immediately after, she felt the person next to her lean over.
But he was blocked by the armrest between the seats.
Lin Jianzhi sat there stiffly, not daring to move an inch!
Then she heard Zhu Liheng sigh, and he sat back again.
Lin Jianzhi: "???"
Ah!
She was going mad!
Just then, the little couple in front began again, with asional giggles from the girl.
Snap!
Suddenly, Zhu Liheng flipped up the armrest that was between them. Turned out it could be lifted.
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
She turned to him in horror, and came face to face with Zhu Liheng''s approaching face.
Zhu Liheng asked, "Do you like watching this?"
How could Lin Jianzhi answer? She hadn''t really paid attention to the plot at all, only knowing that the protagonists were interacting from time to time.
This movie was really...
How could she brazenly say she liked watching it?!
Fortunately, Zhu Liheng seemed to just want to casually chat with her about the movie, and did not make any extra moves.
On the contrary, it was Lin Jianzhi who had thought too much, intoxicated by his pleasant voice.
The bizarre yet intimate atmosphere lingered on for a long time.
Finally the movie ended, and Lin Jianzhi almost died from embarrassment.
The lights in the theater had not fully turned on yet, and people around started getting up to leave.
Lin Jianzhi just wanted to get out of there quickly. She couldn''t stay in this atmospheric setting, afraid she might do something reckless in a moment of impulse.
Seeing her get up, Zhu Liheng also stood up.
The floor lights were not turned on, and the steps below were still a bit dark.
Actually, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t see clearly, she could only follow the crowd. But on one step, she suddenly missed it!
"Ah!"
She let out a soft cry.
The next second, the person next to her suddenly pulled her into an embrace, her whole body enveloped.
The voice was right by her ear, "Do you have night blindness?"
When they entered earlier, Zhu Liheng had noticed that Lin Jianzhi had to look down very carefully with each step. In the visible light that normal people could see, she only saw darkness.
Lin Jianzhi waspletely nestled in Zhu Liheng''s arms, her forehead pressed against his shoulder. She felt the hot breath by her ear.
She quietly buried her face down low, her voice as soft as a mosquito buzz, "Yeah."
Then, Zhu Liheng''s arms tightened around her as he walked her out.
Lin Jianzhi''s whole body trembled, unable to control the emergence of various movie scenes in her mind.
How did they suddenly end up hugging each other like this?
The smell in their breaths was so strong.
It wasn''t until they walked out of the theater that Zhu Liheng let go of her. Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare look up either, and had no idea what to say or do now. She just kept her head low all the way out of the movie theater and into the car.
Zhu Liheng was silent the whole time as he quietly drove the car.
Lin Jianzhi secretly nced at him a few times, both expectant and nervous, with thoughts filled of the hand-holding and embrace from earlier.
Didn''t you feel anything after watching the movie?
Would something continue from this?
It was past 11 pm, and the streets of Yanching City were very spacious. But Lin Jianzhi was reluctant for the night to end just yet...
She still felt a hint of unfinished business...
Zhu Liheng remained silent as he drove all the way to the hotel parking lot where they were staying.
Lin Jianzhi kept her head low. "Thank you for driving me back."
She had just opened the car door to get out.
Zhu Liheng suddenly said, "Lin Jianzhi."
"Huh?" Lin Jianzhi looked over in shock.
Her hand was still resting on the car door, not knowing whether to push it open or put it down.
Zhu Liheng looked at her calmly, "How long will you be staying in Yanching?"
Lin Jianzhi''s heart raced faster, "Three days."
Actually there were only two more days left. The n after tomorrow was to leave this ce and travel to other cities.
She had lied.
Chapter 36: The Little Liar
Chapter 36
Zhu Liheng suddenly smiled, "I''lle pick you up tomorrow."
Lin Jianzhi said, "Okay."
After speaking, she got out of the car and closed the door before she started grinning like an idiot.
She quickly walked towards the hotel lobby. But before she could take more than a few steps, Zhu Liheng''s voice came from behind her, "Where are you going? Aren''t you going to take your luggage?"
Lin Jianzhi gave a start and hurriedly turned back.
Zhu Liheng opened the trunk and took out her luggage.
Lin Jianzhi felt very embarrassed. She was like an idiot in front of Zhu Liheng.
She lowered her head and reached out to take her luggage.
Unexpectedly, instead of handing over the luggage to her, Zhu Liheng held out a hand to her.
Lin Jianzhi looked up in surprise, her eyes full of bewilderment.
Just like that, in the open parking lot, Zhu Liheng grabbed her hand again!
This time, there was no crowd pushing them together and no outside factors.
There was no reason for this hand-grab anymore.
Zhu Liheng asked in a calm tone, "You haven''t answered me yet, did you like that movie?"
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
She felt her head steaming up. Why was he asking such an ambiguous question?
And he was holding her hand while asking!
Zhu Liheng took a step closer, "If you like it, then I like it too."
Lin Jianzhi felt her brain was going to explode!
She didn''t know how to respond. And, and why are you getting closer!
Zhu Liheng let go of the suitcase in his other hand. He pulled Lin Jianzhi into his arms, spun her around, and pressed her back against the car door.
In the deserted parking lot, it was just the two of them breathing heavily against each other.
The kiss onlysted a moment.
Zhu Liheng released Lin Jianzhi. Holding one of her hands and pulling her suitcase with the other, he escorted her into the hotel lobby.
Lin Jianzhi was stunned silly!
She followed him in a daze, her mindpletely nk.
Did he just...kiss her?
Five minutester.
Knock knock!
There was a knock on the door. Mu Yin quickly ran over to open it.
Whoosh! Standing at the door was Lin Jianzhi with a dazed expression and flushed red cheeks, dragging a suitcase behind her.
Mu Yin poked her head out in surprise and looked up and down the empty corridor, "You''re alone?"
It was as if Lin Jianzhi''s soul had been sucked out. She didn''t answer and dragged her suitcase into the room.
Mu Yin was shocked. She closed the door and followed Lin Jianzhi, examining her up and down.
Nothing seemed wrong. Her clothes were normal and her hair was normal too. Her suitcase didn''t seem to have been opened either.
Why did she turn silly?!
Next, Mu Yin watched as Lin Jianzhi mechanically opened her suitcase, took out a change of clothes, and went to wash up - all in a robotic fashion.
Mu Yin tilted her head curiously and chased after her, shouting loudly, "Hey! Lin Jianzhi! What''s wrong with you?!"
Lin Jianzhi gave a jerk at her shout.
The next second, she suddenly covered her face with both hands, stomped her feet on the ground, and started screaming, "Ah----!!!"
Mu Yin was so frightened that she covered her ears and shuffled back further, even more confused.
After quickly washing up, Lin Jianzhi darted into bed and buried herself under the quilt.
Mu Yin watched the whole thing unfold, unable to understand any of it.
Has she gone mad?!
The next afternoon.
Lang Shu arranged for everyone to have lunch together. Their two-day-one-night trip to Yanling City was considered over.
Mu Yin and the others were going to happily head off to their next destination, while the rest were going back to Jingyi with their big and small bags after the morning''s activities.
The only exception was Lin Jianzhi, who didn''t follow Mu Yin and the others to continue sightseeing or return to Jingyi after checking out.
She counted how much money she had left andpared hotel prices.
What her parents had given her was originally enough. She just didn''t know what to do for an afternoon alone.
She wandered aimlessly on the streets, opening Weibo to look for Yanling City travel guides.
Other than Dinosaur Park, there should be other fun ces too.
Soon, she saw a well-organized one.
"[Yanling Solo Travel Guide Ultimate]"
Lin Jianzhi quickly shared it and started studying it carefully.
Before she could read much, her phone suddenly rang. As soon as Lin Jianzhi saw the caller ID, she became nervous. When she picked up, her voice even trembled a little, "Senior."
Zhu Liheng paused and said, "It''se to this, yet you still call me senior?"
Lin Jianzhi gave a start, her heartbeat speeding up.
Zhu Liheng on the other end asked again, "Where are you?"
Lin Jianzhi mechanically reported her location. Her mind became muddled again.
In less than ten minutes, Zhu Liheng appeared before her.
When he saw the girl alone with arge suitcase beside her, his eyes shed with coldness for a moment.
Little liar!
After taking her suitcase, Zhu Liheng grabbed Lin Jianzhi''s hand and led her to a car nearby.
Only then did Lin Jianzhi realize he had changed cars.
A driver got out of the car. He nced at her and then took the suitcase from Zhu Liheng''s hand, putting it in the trunk.
The driver didn''t look like an average person. Very professional, wearing sunsses and a suit - more like a bodyguard.
Zhu Liheng opened the rear passenger door and had her sit on the left while he went around to the right side.
Then he didn''t say a word, and was even a little cold.
He opened up hisptop in the backseat, tapping away at the keyboard.
Lin Jianzhi was confused and at a loss.
Was he angry?
Just then, the driver looked at them through the rearview mirror and asked, "Mr. Zhu, back to theb or...?"
Zhu Liheng looked up, "Take the little liar to the hotel first and get her settled in."
The driver seemed tough, "Sure, Mr. Zhu."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head again, her eyes instantly turning red.
Soon, a tear rolled down her cheek,nding heavily on the back of her hand.
She didn''t mean to deceive him.
She just wanted to be with him.
Upon arriving at the hotel, the driver respectfully took out the suitcase again. He had originally wanted to help carry it in but Zhu Liheng stopped him.
Zhu Liheng took the suitcase himself and pulled the still crying Lin Jianzhi inside.
Lin Jianzhi cried while apologizing, "I''m sorry! Did I get in your way?"
Zhu Liheng had clearly rushed over from theb. Although she didn''t know how he found out she was wandering around alone.
But she had interrupted his work and even made him arrange for a driver.
That driver clearly wasn''t an average person but more like a bodyguard.
In other words, she, apletely irrelevant person, had wasted theb''s money, resources, manpower and energy.
She really was stupid!
She should have just left with Mu Yin and the others.
Zhu Liheng stopped and turned to look at her, "Are you going to lie again in the future?"
Lin Jianzhi bawled her eyes out and shook her head vigorously, sending tears flying.
Zhu Liheng sighed, "If you had just told me earlier, I could have made arrangements earlier too. You can sleep in or go shopping, whatever you want. I can have a driver follow you. What are you doing standing under the hot sun alone outside?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Wah...I''m sorry!"
Outside the hotel.
Old Chen sat in the driver''s seat, craning his neck to look at the two people. Just then his phone rang and he hurriedly picked up, "Hello? Professor Xiong! Yes, I''ve picked them up ... Pretty, cute, but crying... Yes yes, don''t worry! I''ll stick close by them!"
Chapter 37: Someone Who Can Cry
Chapter 37
Zhu Liheng took Lin Jianzhi into the hotel to check in, pulling her luggage along.
She cried the whole way, eyes downcast as she followed him.
Front desk staff: "May I please see your IDs?"
Flustered, Lin Jianzhi quickly took out her ID card and handed it over, not having realized how awkward the situation was.
Seeing her ID, the front desk staff looked to Zhu Liheng: "Sir, may I see your ID as well?"
Only then did it dawn on Lin Jianzhi. She tried to wave her hands to exin.
But Zhu Liheng had already handed over his ID...
The front desk staff swiftly processed their check-in and passed them their room keys.
Lin Jianzhi: "..."
Zhu Liheng was nonchnt. One hand pulling the suitcase, the other leading her to the elevator.
Lin Jianzhi had stopped crying, but her face was growing redder!
How could this happen? Somehow they''d end up checking into a room together?
Upon entering the room, Lin Jianzhi''s face grew even redder!
Because it was a double bed room.
That is, they hadn''t even talked about their rtionship.
Yet here they were, alone together in a hotel room?
It was a proper hotel. Just that on the bed there was a heart-shaped memo that read:
"Esteemed guest, sleep well!"
Zhu Liheng was perfectly normal, not thinking anything was amiss about bringing Lin Jianzhi to the room. Visitors had to register anyway, he just didn''t want to exin at the front desk.
But Lin Jianzhi''s mind was racing. Seeing the memo, she crumbled it up in embarrassment and threw it in the trash.
Zhu Liheng wouldn''t have noticed it otherwise, until he saw her odd behavior.
He looked down at the waste basket. A red heart-shaped sticky note.
What was wrong?
What did it say?
Why was her face so red?
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even dare look his way. Eyes on her toes, she asked:
"Zhu Liheng, are you going to theb?"
Zhu Liheng: "Are you trying to kick me out?"
Panicked, Lin Jianzhi waved her hands in denial. "No, no!"
Seeing her beet-red face and extremely flustered state, Zhu Liheng was brought into a certain mood.
Something had to happen!
And so, Zhu Liheng drew the curtains and pulled Lin Jianzhi into his embrace on the couch.
Eyes wide, Lin Jianzhi''s mind floated up into the clouds, dizzy and clueless.
Zhu Liheng looked down at her: "Is this what you were thinking about?"
Stunned, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t get the words out.
Zhu Liheng held her gaze calmly, looking at her eyes, nose, chin.
In the closed room, the dim lighting, she couldn''t possibly still be afraid could she?
But again he was wrong.
Lin Jianzhi wasn''t afraid, she was shy!
Precisely because it was just the two of them, even their breathing sounded deafening in the quiet room. The close proximity made her incredibly self-conscious.
In fact, with a cry she catapulted herself out of his arms, truly catapulted, with so much force that Zhu Liheng, caught unawares, fell back onto the sofa.
He couldn''t help but nce at her heels¡ªthat was quite some leg strength, if she practiced more she could probably dunk.
Having sprung up so abruptly like a fool, Lin Jianzhi felt even more awkward. She stood there, eyes glued to her toes again.
Zhu Liheng pulled her to stand right before him.
Lin Jianzhi ced both hands on his shoulders, pushing lightly.
They gazed into each other''s eyes.
One''s carried an interrogative weight.
The other''s harbored deep affection, yet didn''t dare express it outright.
Zhu Liheng looked at her, wanting to say something.
But Lin Jianzhi suddenly cut in, asking:
"Zhu Liheng! What is our rtionship?"
She wanted to rify, to know¡ª
did he like her or not?
She was afraid, yet full of hope.
Zhu Liheng held her gaze and asked in return:
"What kind of rtionship would you like us to have?"
Wasn''t she quite bold on social media?
Why turn into a frightened rabbit before him?
Indeed, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t find the words!
Zhu Liheng relented the pressure and gently said:
"I''ll do as you say."
Lin Jianzhi''s face burned crimson!
Do as she says?
Then she would...
Whoosh!
Lin Jianzhi forcefully pushed Zhu Liheng away again, so hard that the unprepared Zhu Liheng fell back onto the sofa.
Then he saw Lin Jianzhi stamping her feet, hands covering her face...
The words Zhu Liheng wanted to say vanished; the atmosphere was ruined by the push. He didn''t know whether tough or cry. Getting up, he drew the curtains open to let the bright sunlight in.
Lin Jianzhi, you really are a character.
It''s all written on your face, everything you''re thinking.
Seeing that she was still frantically embarrassed, turning pink from face to neck, not knowing what had just gone through her mind...
Zhu Liheng ced the room key card on the table. "I have to get back to theb, still got work to do."
Lin Jianzhi nodded profusely. "Yeah, yeah! Get to work..."
Let her be alone here to calm down.
She still didn''t dare meet his eyes, only looking at her toes.
Zhu Liheng: "I''lle to find you tonight."
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
By the time she looked up, all she saw was Zhu Liheng''s retreating back as he closed the door behind him.
The room''s atmosphere dissipated.
Lin Jianzhi rushed to the window, threw it open, and took huge gulps of air.
She nearly lost it!
Next, hands shaking, she hurriedly opened up social media.
[@ZhuJianForever: Want to kiss you! Kiss you! Kiss you!]
Downstairs at the hotel entrance.
As driver Uncle Chen pulled up and opened the car door for Zhu Liheng, he gave Zhu Liheng a careful once-over.
What happened?
That was fast!
Nothing happened?
Disappointing!
Once inside the car, Zhu Liheng checked his phone.
He knew that the moment he left, the little girl would start with her antics!
Seeing the post from user "ZhuJianForever", Zhu Liheng very much wanted to respond.
Why were you hiding just now?
But ultimately he didn''t type anything. He would lose track of her thoughts if the secret was uncovered.
If he didn''t already know, Lin Jianzhi''s bizarre behaviors wouldn''t make sense.
After putting his phone away, Zhu Liheng was about to open hisptop.
When the phone rang!
Zhu Liheng saw the caller ID: Professor Xiong.
He nced over at Uncle Chen wholly concentrated on driving.
Odd!
Had someone snitched?
Zhu Liheng picked up. "Professor."
Xiong Pengtian hemmed and hawed. "Little Zhu, where are you now?"
Zhu Liheng peered again at Uncle Chen driving. "On my way to theb."
Xiong Pengtian: "Oh I see, alone?"
Zhu Liheng: "With Uncle Chen."
Xiong Pengtian: "Just you and Uncle Chen?"
Zhu Liheng: "What are you trying to say, Professor?"
Xiong Pengtian: "Well, nothing much. By the way, what''s your girlfriend like?"
By now Zhu Liheng knew what was going on. Expressionless, he answered: "Quite the crying type."
Bewildered, Xiong Pengtian responded: "Huh?"
Zhu Liheng: "Don''te by, you''ll make her cry."
Xiong Pengtian: "Oh..."
Chapter 38: Eat the melon and eat Your own Head.
Chapter 38
Lin Jianzhi, who was alone in the hotel, began to flip through Zhu Liheng''s Weibo posts over and over again.
She realized that her understanding of him in the past was only superficial.
Apart from knowing that he liked basketball and physics, she couldn''t learn anything else about him through Weibo.
His Weibo was as simple as his room, without any extra content.
Lin Jianzhi really wanted to know if Zhu Liheng had a third favorite thing other than physics and basketball.
Just as her thoughts were drifting, she opened Zhu Liheng''s "following" list.
She had flipped through it before, but at that time she didn''t have a clear concept of who was who, and waspletely unaware of the rtionships between them.
But now at a nce, many people were connected.
Especially when she pulled the list to the very bottom, the first user Zhu Liheng followed was his teacher, the titan of quantum mechanics in China, Xiong Pengtian.
Lin Jianzhi had never looked at Professor Xiong''s Weibo before. Judging from his profile picture, he was already very old, a white-haired old man.
Unlike Zhu Liheng who became popr in and out of the physicsmunity due to his good looks, very few people followed Xiong Pengtian, and people outside the physicsmunity would note looking for him at all.
She was suddenly curious what kind of person his teacher was.
Who would have thought that when she opened Professor Xiong''s Weibo, she was astonished to discover that the Zhu Liheng content was extremely high!
Lin Jianzhi suddenly felt like she had discovered a new world, and read through Professor Xiong''s Weibo along the timeline from the earliest time point.
That was two years ago, Xiong Pengtian had posted many Weibo posts in a row:
"What the hell is A University doing again? Annoying!"
"Are these supervisors crazy? Staring at a new student! Just because he got full marks in physics and math! How silly!"
"No, I have to join in the fun, snatch the boy they eyed!"
Just like that, Xiong Pengtian overwhelmed everyone with his absolute status, defeated a group of supervisors at A University who wanted to take on disciples prematurely, and took Zhu Liheng as his closed-door disciple.
The two then began a series of daily life that astonished Lin Jianzhi!
Xiong Pengtian''s thinking was unconventional. He liked to eat home cooked meals, watch movies while scolding people, and even argue with stray dogs on the street when drunk...
For a period of time, Zhu Liheng was like a little follower, following him while not only learning, but also taking care of the elderly teacher, and along the way cleaning up the entric old man''s rotten moods.
At some point, the little follower became a capable assistant, and the old teacher became his mentor and friend.
In an extremely good environment, Zhu Liheng was deeply exposed to physics knowledge that he could not learn in his sophomore ssroom.
And he sessfully stepped into the world of quantum mechanics!
The spiritual spark that the two collided in the field of physics, although Lin Jianzhi could not understand, she understood the feeling of finding a confidant.
How nice!
Lin Jianzhi watched it as if she was watching a little story,pletely absorbed in it.
But the bliss suddenly took a sharp turn a year ago!
Professor Xiong was hospitalized.
Zhu Liheng began running between Yanjing and Yanling, extremely busy, and even slept less than 4 hours a day for a whole month.
Lin Jianzhi felt so distressed watching this.
Two monthster Professor Xiong was discharged from the hospital. Although he returned to his research, his health was much worse than before.
He gradually handed over the affairs of theb to Zhu Liheng...
This closed-door disciple made him very proud!
Seeing this, Lin Jianzhi was already moist around the eyes, with big teardrops falling on the pillow.
So he was so busy, bearing burdens on his shoulders that she could not imagine!
Thatb was the future of quantum mechanics!
Yet she foolishly kept thinking about dating, even disturbing his condition.
She really, should not have done that!
Lin Jianzhi cried while wiping away her tears. Her eyes had always been prone to tearing up easily, now her heart ached and was filled with guilt that she couldn''t even breathe.
Soon, she saw the twotest Weibo posts from two months ago.
"Xiong Pengtian: My little disciple doesn''t need me anymore."
"Xiong Pengtian: Little disciple! Master wants to eat ice cream!"
Lin Jianzhi was taken aback upon seeing this, and checked the time.
Oh, wasn''t this during the time of her college entrance exam?
So Zhu Liheng was...
Lin Jianzhi was both moved and surprised. She continued reading down the timeline.
"Xiong Pengtian: Outstanding! My little disciple is outstanding! I''m gonna have a disciple daughter-inw hahaha!"
Looking at the time, it was the day the college entrance exam scores came out.
Lin Jianzhi: "???"
She was stunned, what did that mean, the disciple daughter-inw Professor Xiong mentioned, who was that?
Her heart suddenly "thumped", nearly missing a beat!
Finally, she also saw the twotest Weibo posts from today.
"Xiong Pengtian: No! My little disciple seems to be clueless about love! He took a girl to a hotel but didn''t do anything! Will I get to witness his wedding in my lifetime? I still want to be his witness at the wedding!"
"Xiong Pengtian: Got it! My little disciple won''t let me watch..."
Lin Jianzhi looked at this content in shock, as well as the timing.
Today, wasn''t it when she was with Zhu Liheng, and there was even a driver watching them?
Professor Xiong knew about it?
How did he know!
Lin Jianzhi let out a shriek. She was eating melon but it turned out to be about herself, and was so embarrassed she couldn''t lift her head up.
That meant, her and Zhu Liheng checking into this hotel, had been reported to Professor Xiong throughout the process by the driver?
Ah!!!
Who else knew?
How did Professor Xiong post everything!
Lin Jianzhi was so anxious she nearly jumped up, then became extremely embarrassed with a flushed red face.
And so she spent the entire afternoon in an extremely anxious emotional state.
Not until it turned dark outside, then came a knock on the door.
Lin Jianzhi gave another startled jump and ran to open the door.
Whoosh!
As soon as she opened the door, it was Zhu Liheng holding a backpack looking at her.
Lin Jianzhi opened her mouth wanting to say something.
But Zhu Liheng had already walked in, closed the door, and put down the bag on the floor.
Lin Jianzhi looked at that bag, her mind unable to think straight.
Zhu Liheng gave a faint smile looking at her. "I''ll apany you these few days."
Lin Jianzhi immediately thought of the content she saw on Weibo, and hurriedly shook her head in fright. "No, no need, you''re so busy! And..."
You even brought a bag with you, which clearly contains change of clothes.
Could he be nning to stay with her?
She really couldn''t muster the courage to ask outright.
Zhu Liheng took a step closer. "And what?"
Lin Jianzhi''s face betrayed her once more, blushing again, retreating all the way back until her back was against the wall. "And there''s only one bed."
After saying that, her face had already turned blood red, even the skin around her eyes took on a crimson tinge.
Zhu Liheng moved closer once again. "Yeah, so what''s wrong with one bed?"
Lin Jianzhi''s mind went "boom", her whole body nearly going mad!
Zhu Liheng, you knew perfectly well what you were asking!
But Zhu Liheng not only showed no intention to exin, he even daringly moved closer.
Until Lin Jianzhi had retreated as much as she could, and Zhu Liheng could advance no more.
He reached out, cupping her face.
Lowering his head for a kiss.
As their lips rubbed against each other, his voice sounded. "Lin Jianzhi, be with me."
Chapter 39: On Twitter, you sent it.
Chapter 39
Lin Jianzhi had not been drinking, nor was she dreaming; this was the real Zhu Liheng!
She didn''t even know why things had developed to this point when they had barely exchanged a few words.
Yet they were...
And what had he just said?
Ah!!!
Lin Jianzhi''s first instinct was to flee.
But it seemed Zhu Liheng already knew she wanted to escape, beating her to it by grabbing her head first and pulling her towards him.
Lin Jianzhi felt she was about to lose control, the feeling right then like her soul was being sucked away, robbing her of her ability to think for herself.
She leaned back against the wall, Zhu Liheng blocking her way forward.
He had sealed off her exits to the left and right too.
She was forced to look him in the eye, their faces just centimeters apart.
"Do you want to be with me or not?" he asked.
Lin Jianzhi''s legs instantly turned to jelly!
Zhu Liheng reached out and hoisted her by the waist, kissing her again.
"If you don''t answer, I''ll take that as a yes."
He murmured this as their lips locked.
It sent tingles through her body.
Lin Jianzhi found herself unable to speak, forcibly pried open.
This time, Zhu Liheng kissed her with particr force.
The air was thick with heavy breathing. Lin Jianzhi felt she was drowning in the sea.
Not until she could no longer stand steady, barely able to keep herself upright, did Zhu Liheng finally stop his reckless attack. He dropped his chin onto her shoulder.
His breathing was a little ragged.
Lin Jianzhi''s mouth hung partly open, the taste of Zhu Liheng still lingering on the corners of her lips.
Her heart pounded - ''thump thump thump'' - filled with indescribable joy.
So did this mean they were together now?
Zhu Liheng stroked her hair. "Do you like it?"
The post you made on Weibo.
Lin Jianzhi had no idea how red her face was, only that Zhu Liheng was so close in this atmosphere, she had lost count of how many times or for how long he had kissed her.
She was spellbound!
Their eyes met, the air growing hotter.
"Let''s go eat," Zhu Liheng said suddenly, letting her go and opening the door.
The rush of fresh air instantly dissipated the mood between them.
Lin Jianzhi gasped for air, her ears bright red.
It took her some time to regain herposure. She tidied her mussed hair and followed him out.
Zhu Liheng held out his hand to her from outside the door.
Lin Jianzhi hesitated briefly before cing her hand in his palm.
The corners of Zhu Liheng''s lips turned up as he led her out.
Both their hands were hot.
In the elevator, she didn''t dare look at the man beside her.
Zhu Liheng leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Calm down a little. Old Chen will be able to tell."
Lin Jianzhi gave a start!
The sensation of heat coursing through her body instantly receded by half. She pped her own cheeks with her other hand.
She even shook her head vigorously, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind.
Just now, she had almost believed something might happen between them.
The elevator doors opened.
Zhu Liheng gave her hand a little squeeze as he led her out.
Old Chen was waiting by the car outside the hotel. Seeing them emerge, he got out and opened the door.
Sure enough, Lin Jianzhi noticed Old Chen size her up briefly.
Frightened, she immediately ducked into the car and retreated to the furthest corner.
Old Chen stared at Zhu Liheng again.
Zhu Liheng met his gaze expressionlessly.
Old Chen gave a little cough and pointed to Zhu Liheng¡¯s clothes. "Young Master Zhu, your shirt tail is wrinkled."
Lin Jianzhi¡¯s face instantly turned beet red!
Yet Zhu Liheng remainedposed. He straightened out his shirt without a word and sat down next to Lin Jianzhi.
Old Chen grinned brightly and hopped back into the driver¡¯s seat, starting the car.
For dinner, Zhu Liheng took her to a Western restaurant with dim mood lighting, which nicely concealed her blushing face.
After they were seated, Lin Jianzhi nced towards the entrance.
Knowing what she was thinking about, Zhu Liheng exined, "Old Chen is upied. It''s just the two of us."
Lin Jianzhi wouldn''t pry. She nodded obediently.
Western cuisine set a romantic mood.
In truth, Lin Jianzhi couldn''t tell good from bad. She didn''t understand, only knowing that the shadowy restaurant had many tables with couples.
Each table was secluded, affording good privacy.
She secretly took out her phone and looked the ce up.
Sure enough, it was a hot dating spot for lovers!
Zhu Liheng was also looking at his phone, reading the Weibo posts of user "Zhu Jian Zhi Heng" [Zhu + Jianzhi + Forever].
He had fulfilled most of what she wrote there.
When the meal ended, Zhu Liheng asked, "Want to catch a movie?"
Lin Jianzhi quickly shook her head. "Oh, no no! You must be very busy, right?"
He should have been at theb at this hour instead of here dating her.
Zhu Liheng said, "I''m not busy. Whatever you like, I''ll apany you."
In a voice as soft as a mosquito''s buzz, Lin Jianzhi answered, "You."
The restaurant music was loud. In the distance, a table of guests conversed andughed boisterously.
Her voice was so soft it would normally be inaudible.
But Zhu Liheng didn''t listen with his ears. His eyes were fixed on her lips.
He could make out what she said.
Zhu Liheng promptly shifted to sit beside her, their shoulders almost touching at a distance of less than 10 cm. In an overbearing tone, he demanded, "Say it again. What do you like?"
He wanted to hear it.
Lin Jianzhi''s face reddened intensely!
Zhu Liheng leaned in even closer, his voice gentler now. "What do you like? Tell me. I''ll give it to you."
Staring into those eyes less than 10 cm from her own, as if bewitched, the words slipped from Lin Jianzhi''s lips: "You."
Zhu Liheng: "Good."
He reached out and ced his hand behind her head, fingers threading into her hair, giving it a gentle tug.
He pecked her on the cheek.
Then he moved to her ear and murmured, "I''m yours."
Lin Jianzhi''s mind went nk!
He was giving himself to her?
Was it what she thought?
Zhu Liheng further tempted her. "What else do you want? I''ll give you anything."
I''ll give you all of me.
Lin Jianzhi was utterly overwhelmed by those few short sentences.
What''s more, as soon as Zhu Liheng finished speaking, he started kissing her again.
From her ear to the corner of her mouth.
His hot breath against her skin.
Lin Jianzhi squirmed away a little. In a voice as soft as a mosquito''s whine, she pleaded, "Don''t...there are so many people."
Zhu Liheng nced around and asked, "So it''s okay if no one''s looking?"
His words were ambiguous!
Lin Jianzhi blushed furiously!
One touch was enough to make a person think she had a fever.
Zhu Liheng gave her a tug, pulling her deeper into the shadows in the corner.
He grasped her chin, kissing her once more.
Slightly off-bnce, and with Zhu Liheng deliberately tugging at her, she half-copsed against him.
Her hair was mussed, a few strands falling by her ear. In the dim light, the sight was vaguely tempting.
Coupled with her shy, flushed face, the scene was surprisingly impactful.
Zhu Liheng''s kisses were gentle, but the way he held her was forceful and overbearing.
It instantly drained Lin Jianzhi of her strength.
She clung tightly to Zhu Liheng¡¯s shirt with both hands, her whole body taut yet instinctively yielding.
Zhu Liheng: "You like it?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Mm-hmm."
Chapter 40: You’re Pretty Good
Chapter 40
It was uncertain how much time had passed when footsteps could be heard from the adjacent corner hallway.
Swish!
Lin Jianzhi abruptly pushed Zhu Liheng away, freezing in a stiff, bewildered posture.
One of Zhu Liheng''s hands remained on her hair, but with a tug, he released her entire hair, allowing it to cascade down and fall on her back.
Without any further unnecessary actions, he got up to pay the bill.
Lin Jianzhi''s mind was in aplete haze, and she felt that all her logic and thoughts were in disarray. She sat there in a daze for a long time, so much so that she didn''t even hear the waiter who came by to ask if they could take away the empty tes.
Zhu Liheng returned after paying the bill, while she remained in a state of paralysis.
She was stunned by the intimacy.
He pulled her up and led her out of the restaurant.
At this moment, Lin Jianzhi didn''t know where she was or where she was going. She was like a thoughtless puppet, with her mind full of that recent kiss.
And the unspoken conversation that urred the moment their lips touched.
At the entrance, the driver, Old Chen, looked on in astonishment.
How could a meal change someone''s hairstyle so drastically?
When they went in, she had a ponytail.
But when they came out, her hair was loose and flowing?!
In the car, Lin Jianzhi blushed the whole way and dared not look at Zhu Liheng, let alone the other people around.
On the contrary, Zhu Liheng remained unnaturally calm, even chatting with Old Chen about everyday matters.
It was as if the person who had just whispered sweet nothings in her ear at the corner of the restaurant was not him.
Old Chen promptly brought the two back to the hotel, and even in a mysterious manner, he handed a small box to Zhu Liheng.
It was made of wood and about half the size of a palm.
After a three-second pause, Zhu Liheng epted it.
Lin Jianzhi dared not look at it from the side!
She wasn''t foolish; she knew what it meant.
But... it was truly embarrassing!
While in the elevator, Lin Jianzhi kept an eye on the small box in Zhu Liheng''s hand.
She nned to take a showerter and ce the small box on the bedside table for easy ess.
Little did she know that as soon as they entered the room, Zhu Liheng began to open the small box.
This scared Lin Jianzhi to the point of nearly jumping up!
What time is it now?
You, you, you!
But when Zhu Liheng opened the small box, she was dumbfounded.
It wasn''t what she had expected.
Inside the boxy a ne, quietly resting.
It was a jewelry box.
Zhu Liheng inspected the ne for a moment, made sure it was the one he had set his sights on, and then looked up at Lin Jianzhi. "Come, take a look. Do you like it?"
Lin Jianzhi walked over in a daze, nced at the ne, and then at Zhu Liheng.
She suddenly realized something¡ªOld Chen didn''t join them for the meal, did he buy this?
Did Zhu Liheng ask him to buy it?
That''s right, Zhu Liheng didn''t have time to prepare all this himself.
The ne was a crystal pendant, very beautiful, and purple in color.
Zhu Liheng studied it for a moment, unfastened the ne sp, and gestured for her toe closer. "Try it on and see."
Lin Jianzhi remained dazed throughout the whole process, allowing Zhu Liheng to put it on her and then leading her to the mirror.
"Do you like it?" he asked again.
Lin Jianzhi looked at herself in the mirror. With her fair skin and the purple crystal ne, it added a touch of allure to her pure temperament.
"I really like it. Thank you, Senior," she said with a shy blush.
Who wouldn''t like it?
Especially since it was given by you.
Suddenly, Zhu Liheng embraced her from behind and kissed her neck lightly. "Who is your Senior?" he asked.
Lin Jianzhi instantly felt a shiver down her spine!
Why would you kiss her neck?
She couldn''t handle it.
Feeling the girl in his arms trembling, Zhu Liheng paused his actions.
Then, he gently nibbled on her neck.
Lin Jianzhi shuddered again!
Zhu Liheng turned her body around, pressing her back against the mirror.
He asked forcefully, "After we''vee this far, you still call me Senior?"
Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare to look at him, keeping her head lowered. "What... what have we be?"
Zhu Liheng raised an eyebrow, looking at the girl who couldn''t even lift her head.
Taking charge, are we?
Leading themb to the ughter?
Lin Jianzhi, you''re quite skilled at this.
The purple crystal pendant hung just below her corbone.
Coincidentally, she was wearing a V-neck top today.
Zhu Liheng''s gaze uncontrobly followed the crystal as it descended.
He found it strange. Lin Jianzhi appeared innocent, yet she always made him want something to happen.
It must be because of this crystal.
With that thought, Zhu Liheng furrowed his brow, reached out, twisted the crystal pendant, and tucked it into Lin Jianzhi''s clothes.
Don''t wear it on the outside.
That''s what he thought, but at the moment he grabbed the cor...
Zap!
His hand recoiled as if shocked.
The crystal swung and then stopped, motionless.
Lin Jianzhi was stunned, looking up at Zhu Liheng.
Zhu Liheng took a step back and reflected for a moment.
"Well, I''m going to take a shower," he said.
Lin Jianzhi nodded anxiously, "Okay."
Then she quickly went to the window, standing by it and opening it to let in some fresh air.
This is crazy!
Their height difference in that instant...
Zhu Liheng must have seen!
Ah!!!
She wasn''t wearing her most attractive outfit today!
Inside the bathroom, Zhu Liheng didn''t immediately start showering. He leaned against the sink, furrowing his brow.
By the way, he picked up his phone and casually scrolled through Weibo.
Little did he know, with just one scroll, he came across a post from the user ''Zhu Jianzhiheng'' that had just been published.
''Zhu Jianzhiheng: White or big?''
Zhu Liheng widened his eyes, put down his phone, and nced at the tightly closed bathroom door.
Sometimes, he really wanted to crack open her head and take a look.
What color is it?
Shortly after, within two minutes, the user ''Zhu Jianzhiheng'' posted again.
''Zhu Jianzhiheng: I want to devour you.''
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath, feeling hot and wanting to take a cold shower.
The sound of water in the bathroomsted a long time.
Meanwhile, Lin Jianzhi anxiously searched the entire room but couldn''t find what she was looking for.
Where is it?
Why isn''t it here?
In such a big hotel, she could see it in the hotels she had stayed in before. Why not this one?
What should she do now?!
She didn''t know if Zhu Liheng was prepared...
Lin Jianzhi''s mind was filled with various thoughts and she even considered ordering takeout from a food delivery tform.
At that moment, the sound of water in the bathroom ceased.
Lin Jianzhi quickly put away her phone and sat upright on the sofa.
Her nervous heart raced!
Zhu Liheng came out of the bathroom, neatly dressed, and pointed towards the bathroom.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t need him to say anything, she jumped up and rushed in, even locking the door behind her.
She was extremely anxious and it took her twice as long as usual to finish washing up.
What should she do next?
Should she be bold and daring?
Countless thoughts raced through her mind, and her face turned red to an exaggerated extent in the mirror.
Half an hourter.
She wrapped herself in a bath towel, opened the door, and walked out barefoot.
It was quiet, so quiet as if there was no one there.
Lin Jianzhi cautiously moved forward and discovered that Zhu Liheng was asleep on the sofa.
She froze, feeling a bit lost.
Had she been overthinking?
Chapter 41: You don’t want to Play Anymore
Chapter 41
Lin Jianzhi walked over barefoot without making a sound and got close to Zhu Liheng''s face.
His breathing was very steady, sleeping soundly.
Lin Jianzhi looked at his exquisite features and couldn''t help secretly kissing him.
Right after the kiss, she darted far away like lightning.
He didn''t wake up.
Lin Jianzhi then found a nket and covered him with it.
Right after that, she hid under the quilt herself, with her body and head together buried inside, twisting like a worm on the bed.
Heaven knows how excited she was!
The whole day from yesterday to today was like a dream.
How did she suddenly get together with Zhu Liheng?
What''s more, it was Zhu Liheng who proposed it.
He liked her.
Lin Jianzhi never knew about this before, nor did she dare to think about it.
When happiness came all of a sudden, she didn''t even have time to think about it properly.
They held hands, kissed, and stayed in the same room.
Zhu Liheng obviously didn''t think about doing anything to her. Every time, he gave her the most perfect feeling right at that delicate point!
He really knew how to kiss.
But it was also at the most ambiguous point!
It didn''t matter. No need to rush.
Although she had liked him for a long time, for Zhu Liheng, it had just begun!
Lin Jianzhi giggled softly in the quilt, rolling around happily.
She became shy again.
After calming down, Lin Jianzhi sneakily poked out her head, wanting to observe if Zhu Liheng had woken up because of her.
Luckily he was still asleep.
Lin Jianzhi went to turn off the light, then hid under the quilt again and started browsing her phone.
She flipped through Zhu Liheng''s and Professor Xiong''s Weibo pages, but neither had updated.
Bored, she went to check out Zhu Liheng''s follow list.
Then she saw a familiar name: Ruan Tang.
In fact, Lin Jianzhi didn''t dare get to know too much about or take the initiative to talk to this excellent PhD candidatedy.
She was just too outstanding!
A girl who went to the physics department of A University and was said to be the most excellent physics genius of their batch!
Ruan Tang was also very beautiful. More than her looks, what attracted people was her temperament.
At first nce, one could tell she was a very strong person!
Ruan Tang probably never knew what inferiority was!
Lin Jianzhi''s eyes dimmed a little.
That''s right!
She couldn''t even understand what quantum mechanics was.
But both Zhu Liheng and Ruan Tang were already famous in the industry, having made a name for themselves.
She felt a little worried vaguely.
Lin Jianzhi clicked into Ruan Tang''s Weibo page.
She saw a post made three hours ago right after entering.
"@Ruan Tang: Is Zhu Liheng crazy?"
Lin Jianzhi''s heart shuddered violently. She clicked to open thements anxiously.
Why did Ruan Tang mention Zhu Liheng? Were they very close, closer than others?
As a result, she saw Ruan Tang''sment exchange with someone else, Yu E, under this Weibo post.
[Yu E: What? Did Professor Little Zhu dating affect you?]
[Ruan Tang replied to Yu E: For the sake of dating! Hepressed the amount of work in the evening to the daytime! Andpressed three days of work into two days! Like a robot, my logistics can''t keep up! He went dating now, while I''m still working hard in theb doing data!]
[Yu E: Oh, in other words, you''re just ipetent, right?]
[Ruan Tang replied to Yu E: Are you looking to die? If you are capable,e do it yourself!]
[Yu E: Sorry senior sister! Butining like this really makes you seem ipetent!]
[Ruan Tang replied to Yu E: Shut up!]
Lin Jianzhi was stunned after reading this.
Her first reaction was heartache. She poked her head out towards the sofa in the darkness.
So Zhu Liheng fell asleep as soon as hey down because he was tired.
Turned out hepressed his work time for her, operating like a machine non-stop.
In the quiet room was Zhu Liheng''s calm breathing. He really slept very soundly.
Lin Jianzhi retracted her head again. Along with heartache she also felt uneasy.
Not only Professor Xiong, but senior sister Ruan Tang and senior brother Yu E also knew about their dating?
How did they find out?
They had just confirmed their rtionship today, and...
Lin Jianzhi twisted about under the quilt again, extremely shy.
She touched the ne on her chest.
Zhu Liheng was really good at this!
His friends alsopletely exceeded her expectations, impressively good.
Most importantly, he told everyone openly without hiding anything.
Reliable.
When the excitement passed, Lin Jianzhi only felt extremely happy.
He had arranged everything properly, gave gifts, made time to apany her even when busy, and kissed her gently.
He was serious about wanting to be with her.
Who in this world was better than Zhu Liheng?
Lin Jianzhi felt she couldn''t find a second person.
And how lucky she was, to be able to enter Zhu Liheng''s life and upy a ce in it.
When the morning sun shone in through the curtain cracks,
Zhu Liheng frowned and opened his eyes.
He sat up, nced at the nket on him, then at the sleeping girl on the big bed.
One of her arms was exposed outside, still holding her dead phone.
Zhu Liheng sat up to clear his head. He had been too tired yesterday and fell asleep as soon as he sat down, unexpectedly sleeping through the night on the sofa.
He got up and walked quietly to Lin Jianzhi''s side.
The girl didn''t know what time she sleptst night either, and was in deep sleep now.
He took the phone from her hand without waking her up.
Zhu Liheng put Lin Jianzhi''s phone on the table to charge it, then sat lightly on the edge of the bed and tucked the nket around her.
But Lin Jianzhi slept messily. Right after he covered her, she flipped the nket open with a swoosh.
Zhu Liheng''s pupils contracted as he looked at the girl lying there.
This pajama...
How is it...
He averted his eyes and took out his phone to log into Weibo.
Sure enough, the only user he had secretly followedst night posted a Weibo at 3 AM this morning.
''@Zhu Jian Zhi Heng: I really want to do something to you, or you do something to me.''
Zhu Liheng''s breathing even stalled for a moment!
Lin Jianzhi.
How are you two different personalities on Weibo versus in real life?
He covered her with the nket again, his eyes darkening.
Lin Jianzhi.
Don''t go overboard with your y.
He couldn''t guarantee he wouldn''t do anything to her.
Chapter 42: Romance in the Fountain
Chapter 42
Lin Jianzhi woke up at noon.
The first thing she did was look towards the sofa, but Zhu Liheng was already gone. The folded nket was left on the sofa.
She patted her slightly flushed cheeks and reached for her phone, but couldn''t find it.
After looking around, she discovered her phone was on the table across the room, plugged in and charging.
Lin Jianzhi couldn''t quite remember how she had fallen asleepst night.
Did she plug in her phone to charge herself?
She scratched her head in confusion and got up to wash up.
Two minutester.
Click!
The room door opened.
"Ah!" Lin Jianzhi let out a shriek.
Zhu Liheng was startled by the scream and rushed in, "What''s wrong?"
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned bright red. She didn''t know what to do and leaned back against the sink.
She didn''t expect Zhu Liheng toe back at this time when she was washing up still in her pajamas.
Those pajamas...
She had bought them online, red-faced as she added them to her cart.
Zhu Liheng instantly understood what was going on. He hadn''t meant to look, but his eyes instinctively nced downward.
And he saw.
Under the bright lights of the bathroom, the girl''s skin glowed white. The amethyst ne she wore hung in a precarious spot.
Her back was also visible in the mirror above the sink.
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath and turned to leave the room.
"Get changed and call me when you''re done," he said.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t even know how red her face had be. What kind of development was this?
She had nned to show himst night but didn''t get the chance.
Today she hadn''t thought much about it and ended up giving him a full view instead.
Mainly because she wasn''t prepared...
She quickly changed into her regr clothes and opened the door to call Zhu Liheng back in.
The first thing Zhu Liheng said upon entering was, "I still have experiments to do this afternoon."
It took Lin Jianzhi a moment to react. She looked up, "Oh? I know."
Zhu Liheng moved in close, a suppressed emotion in his eyes, "How am I supposed to concentrate after what I just saw?"
Lin Jianzhi''s face flushed red again!
Zhu Liheng looked her up and down once more, then took a deep breath, "Let''s eat first. I''ll have Old Chen drive you to the scenic spots this afternoon."
Then he handed her tickets to the attractions.
He was busy during the day, so he could only let her go y by herself.
Lunch was rather in, but Lin Jianzhi didn''t find it boring at all.
She kept her eyes fixed on Zhu Liheng''s white shirt, staring at his buttons.
Zhu Liheng had to look away several times. If this kept up, he wouldn''t be going to theb either.
Lin Jianzhi, restrain yourself a little!
In the afternoon, driver Old Chen escorted her and even took on bodyguard duties.
Lin Jianzhi had guessed right that Old Chen was no ordinary man.
Tall and sturdy, wearing a suit and sunsses, with a stern expression. When he stood next to her, no one dared approach within a five meter radius.
There were quite a lot of people at the attractions, and yet around her it was like a vacuum zone, spacious wherever she went.
Even the very nondescript car Old Chen drove could drive right into many ces.
The security guards at the entrances would stand at attention and salute when they saw this car!
In the afternoon, Zhu Liheng took a break to check Weibo.
Sure enough, the user he had secretly followed posted again!
[@ZhuJianZhiHe: Does it look good?]
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath and turned his phone face down on the table.
He started pondering.
Lin Jianzhi.
You''re the real hunter here.
...
Lin Jianzhi was in a great mood all afternoon as she toured the sights and saw the scenery.
On the drive back, she asked a question that had been on her mind, "Uncle Chen, is Zhu Liheng very busy usually?"
Old Chen nced at the rearview mirror and grinned, "Little Master Zhu is one of Professor Xiong''s sessors, so he''s naturally very busy."
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head and asked again, "How is Professor Xiong''s health?"
The question came a bit out of the blue, but she had seen Professor Xiong''s Weibo, as well as hints on other people''s Weibo.
Old Chen frowned and shook his head, "To be honest, not very good."
Lin Jianzhi''s heart sank. She felt sad, even though she had never met the entric professor in person. She quite liked him based on his lively personality.
Old Chen looked at her again in the rearview mirror and said, "Don''t overthink it, young Miss Lin. Things will work out."
Lin Jianzhi: "Okay, I understand."
It was time for her to leave. She couldn''t keep staying in Yingling, disturbing Zhu Liheng, and affecting his work.
Dinner.
Zhu Liheng arrived right on time as usual to apany her for the meal.
He had booked a buffet restaurant.
Lin Jianzhi felt like a pet fish being fed. She didn''t need to think at all following Zhu Liheng, who arranged everything perfectly, time and location.
"We''ll go see the musical fountain after eating, right? It starts at 8, just below this mall." He asked.
Lin Jianzhi forced a smile and nodded, "Okay."
Zhu Liheng noticed herck of enthusiasm.
The musical fountain was in arge open area, surrounded by people who hade to watch the timed show. Under the y of lights, the fountain would jet high and cascade down with the music, spraying water.
Cheers andughter rang out everywhere, with children running around ying.
Lin Jianzhi''s gloom disappeared as she watched the beautiful fountain, mesmerized.
The lighting created a magical scene, each color perfectly coordinated.
There was also a fine mist that fell on her face and arms together with the lights, creating an unreal sight.
The girl in a dress stood amidst the fountain, her clothes slightly damp.
Before her was Zhu Liheng, holding her hand as they weaved through the fountain.
Both their clothes were wet in ces from the water, with the lights constantly sweeping over them, blurred.
When Lin Jianzhi looked up, she saw Zhu Liheng looking at her.
His handsome features were intoxicating.
Then she saw him spread his arms to pull her into an embrace.
Right at that moment.
A huge surge of water sprayed high around them, several meters into the air.
"Zhu Liheng, I like you," the girl''s voice was drowned out by the water.
She thought he hadn''t heard.
But Zhu Liheng''s voice whispered by her ear, "I like you too."
Lin Jianzhi''s hands suddenly clutched tightly at Zhu Liheng''s clothes, crumpling them.
In the embrace, she heard Zhu Liheng inhale deeply, as if enduring something.
Just as he was about to let her go, Lin Jianzhi suddenly leaned hard into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his back.
It was as if that bump collided with Zhu Liheng''s heart.
Lin Jianzhi tiptoed, hooking Zhu Liheng''s neck, and clumsily kissed him.
At that, he waspletely sunk.
At nine, the fountain show ended.
The two sat in the back of the car on the ride back to the hotel.
Lin Jianzhi kept her head lowered, twisting her skirt in her hands, face flushed.
Zhu Liheng stared straight ahead without a word.
Driver Old Chen nced at the rearview mirror several times. He felt something was off about the atmosphere in the car.
What did you two see at the fountain that''s got you acting like this?
Chapter 43: Hello Mom
Chapter 43
To ease the awkwardness, driver Old Chen put on a song in the car.
As a result, the two people in the back seat rxed a little.
However, when it got to the third song and reached the lyrics "a kiss in the fountain for an hour" ...
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned red again!
Driver Old Chen didn''t notice anything wrong, and even said with augh: "This song is pretty good."
Zhu Liheng nced at Lin Jianzhi next to him, and calmly replied: "Yeah."
His hand, however, reached over the backseat divider and held Lin Jianzhi''s hand.
Their fingers intertwined.
Lin Jianzhi lowered her head almost to her chest, biting her lip as her eyes misted over.
Under the cover of the fountain and music, heaven knows how she suddenly became so bold.
Zhu Liheng listened to the music, his eyes drifting to the person next to him lowering her head.
The streetlights shed by on her profile.
An hour ago, it was the girl''s reckless kisses and breaths.
It stirred up feelings.
Not letting him let go of her hand.
Now she was like an ostrich avoiding his gaze directly, wishing she could hide.
Zhu Liheng shook his head, finding it amusing.
The noisy environment made you bolder?
Oh, it''s precisely because there were many people.
No matter how reckless, nothing would happen anyway?
Lin Jianzhi.
You''re quite good at ying games.
Zhu Liheng unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand.
Lin Jianzhi reflexively jerked, even more afraid to look at him.
Driver Old Chen was still self-indulging, humming along with the music, but it seemed he was tone deaf.
And so, the three people in their three different states arrived at the hotel.
Old Chen was a capable driver, sending the two to the entrance and watching them get out of the car and enter the hotel before leaving.
It was just that the departing figures of these two people seemed quite strange.
Old Chen couldn''t figure out for the life of him why Young Master Zhu had to mp Miss Lin''s hands together.
It was as if he was kidnapping her.
She couldn''t run away anyway.
Shaking his head, Old Chen drove away from the hotel, while also calling the professor to report on the progress.
No major problems, still talking it out, staying together on the second day!
In the hotel elevator.
Lin Jianzhi had already beenpletely controlled. She had tried to run, and also used evasive maneuvers.
But they were all refuted by Zhu Liheng one by one.
Seeing the elevator getting closer and closer to their floor...
Lin Jianzhi steeled herself and said awkwardly: "I want to eat barbecue."
Zhu Liheng tightened his grip on her hands: "We just had dinner, why eat barbecue?"
Eating you would be more urate.
Ding¡ª
The elevator arrived at the floor.
Zhu Liheng gave a pull and dragged her out, as light as a pendant.
Swiping the card, entering the room, closing the door.
It was done in one go.
The next second, Lin Jianzhi was pressed against the wall.
In the dim light, Zhu Liheng looked at her with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth: "Still want to run?"
You were quite bold when seducing me, now it''s toote to run.
Lin Jianzhi''s face was red. With the critical moment upon her, she just wanted to stall for time: "I want to go down and buy Coke."
She was a coward.
Zhu Liheng reached out and opened a cab door next to them.
Then Lin Jianzhi saw a small fridge inside.
With one hand pinning her, Zhu Liheng used his other hand to open the fridge and took out a can of Coke.
Throughout it all, he never took his eyes off Lin Jianzhi.
Staring straight at her.
Seeing that can of Coke, Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded.
Zhu Liheng held the Coke out to her, while moving even closer himself: "Here''s the Coke you wanted."
Lin Jianzhi had practically thrown herself into the fire to be roasted. She was stuck in a bind, unable to advance or retreat.
She didn''t even know if she should take the can of Coke.
She nced awkwardly and quickly at Zhu Liheng before immediately lowering her head again.
Zhu Liheng put the Coke down on the counter. With one hand still holding her hands up against the wall, his other hand lifted Lin Jianzhi''s chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
At this moment, he was quite aggressive, with a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
Zhu Liheng: "Lin Jianzhi, do you see me as prey?"
Lin Jianzhi blinked, not understanding what he meant for a moment.
But very soon, Zhu Liheng smiled imperceptibly.
At the same time, he moved close to her mouth.
Zhu Liheng''s voice was low and seductive: "Or, do you want to be the prey?"
Then, Lin Jianzhi was kissed.
She was somewhat dizzy, only knowing that she was picked up by Zhu Liheng and ced on a table.
With one hand supporting her back so she wouldn''t fall over, Zhu Liheng had her sitting steadily on the table.
His other hand was freed up, and undid the first button of his shirt.
Shortly after, he kissed her again.
Lin Jianzhi was passively brought into the atmosphere. After a while, she was moved somewhere else again.
Zhu Liheng carried her to the sofa, letting her whole body lean against the sofa backrest.
As for himself, he boldly and directly stood before Lin Jianzhi.
Undoing the cuff links on his shirt.
He rolled up his sleeves, up to his elbows, revealing his strong, muscr forearms.
Lin Jianzhi''s heart was pounding wildly, swept away by his pace to the point of dizziness.
Next, her field of vision was blocked by his silhouette, very dark, as if being pressed down.
Zhu Liheng''s kiss was overbearing and forceful. The unbuttoned shirt buttons were annoyingly in the way.
He paid no attention to these details.
The room was heating up, the air growing hot.
Lin Jianzhi was already starting to feel dizzy. She didn''t know what she was doing, only that her hands were randomly grabbing at something.
Suddenly!
"Don''t move around." Zhu Liheng''s voice came from above her head.
He raised his head a little, looking at the dazed Lin Jianzhi.
Her hands were on a button, halfway undone.
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath.
You win.
A natural talent.
Using hisst shred of reason, Zhu Liheng tried to stand up.
But at this moment, Lin Jianzhi pulled his shirt cor down.
Zhu Liheng''s eyes widened, with the girl''s hands behind his neck.
Lin Jianzhi''s voice was as soft as a cat stretchingzily, and like a feather lightly brushing past his ear.
"I''m ready." She said.
Zhu Liheng felt the string in his mind snap!
That''s right, he was the prey.
From the very beginning, he had not escaped her precision sniping.
Lin Jianzhi was definitely nervous, extremely nervous even, and afraid during the kisses so she closed her eyes.
When clear-headed, there was a lot of reason holding her back.
But whenever Zhu Liheng kissed her, her body chose to reciprocate.
When Zhu Liheng decided to do something and was serious about it, he instead became very gentle, as if afraid to break this girl.
He tried little by little to find what she liked.
The two of them entered an extremely pleasurable state.
Just then!
Ding ling ling¡ª
The sudden ringing of the phone, loud and frightening!
It gave Lin Jianzhi a shock!
She tumbled and crawled out from the crevice of the sofa, not hesitating to crawl on the floor to grab her phone.
Zhu Liheng was also stunned. He looked down at his open shirt, then back at the trembling, afraid, even terrified Lin Jianzhi.
He silently got up and buttoned up his shirt again.
"Hello? Mom?" Lin Jianzhi had already answered the call, her voice shaking badly.
Chapter 44: Are You Showing Your Love
Chapter 44
Lin Jianzhi was so frightened!
Her voice was shaking as if she was being electrocuted!
She knew she was definitely wrong, this would not work. Her parents would find out and give her a beating with mixed doubles!
They would break her legs!
As expected, none knows a daughter better than her mother.
Lin''s mother immediately heard that her voice was wrong, and asked sternly: "Lin Jianzhi! What bad thing did you do?!"
Lin Jianzhi burst into tears all at once, stuttering without saying a word.
Lin''s Mother: "Where are you?! Are you lying?!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Wah wah wah!"
Not far from the cab, Zhu Liheng was just about to find something to calm down. He casually saw the Coke that was previously ced on the cab.
He opened the can of Coke but hadn''t drank a few sips when the little crybaby started sobbing over there.
Zhu Liheng put down the Coke and walked over.
He hadn''t even gotten close yet when he heard Lin''s mother yelling angrily over the phone.
He reached out and took the phone from Lin Jianzhi''s hand.
Lin Jianzhi was so scared she almost jumped up!
Don''t!
Don''t say anything!
She had a guilty conscience, and her first reaction was to try to conceal all the key people.
But Zhu Liheng was tall, not only did he avoid Lin Jianzhi''s attempt to grab the phone back, he also turned around and shook her off, taking a big step to the window.
Then, to Lin Jianzhi''s terrified gaze, he spoke into the phone.
Zhu Liheng: "Auntie, it''s me, Zhu Liheng."
Lin''s mother was stunned for a moment, but her voice softened immediately: "Little Zhu?"
Zhu Liheng: "Yes, Lin Jianzhi is in myb, just now when your call came, the electromaic fluctuations caused a light bulb to spark and she was scared and cried."
He started improvising on the spot.
Because he knew the nature of Lin''s parents'' work, he knew they didn''t understand physics at all.
And indeed, there was a sphere in theb.
This thing really sparked electricity!
Lin''s mother was shocked and immediately started asking questions: "Are you guys okay now? No explosions, right? Is it dangerous?"
Zhu Liheng spoke calmly: "Don''t worry Auntie, it''s a safe experimental device within safety limits."
Lin''s mother breathed a sigh of relief: "That''s good, that''s good."
She didn''t even react to why Lin Jianzhi would be with Zhu Liheng, and why they would be in theb.
Zhu Liheng seamlessly started covering up: "Yes Auntie, let me not keep talking, it''s gettingte, I''ll take Lin Jianzhi and her ssmates back to the hotel first."
Lin''s Mother: "Okay, okay, thank you so much Little Zhu!"
Zhu Liheng: "You''re wee, it''s what I should do."
After hanging up the phone, he handed it back to Lin Jianzhi, calm from start to finish, even doing it in one go.
Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded, still with tears on her face.
Zhu Liheng helplessly wanted tough, but in the end just sighed, reaching out to rub her head.
"Go to sleep," he said, going to wash up.
Then heid down on the couch on his own initiative.
Lin Jianzhi looked at her phone, then looked at Zhu Liheng.
The awkward room, even the air had solidified.
Neither knew what to say, and eventually Zhu Liheng was the one to speak first: "The pajamas look nice."
The ones from this morning.
Lin Jianzhi''s face turned red as she nodded vigorously: "Mm-hmm, I think they''re pretty cute too."
The teddy bear pattern even had a little bow tied on the ears!
She burrowed into the quilt, feeling sorry for Zhu Liheng lying on the couch.
"You, do you want toe over and sleep?" she suggested.
Then her face turned red again, and she even hid in the quilt a bit.
Zhu Liheng looked at her yfully and asked, "What, not scared anymore?"
Lin Jianzhi was extremely embarrassed, using the quilt to cover her head.
But very soon, she felt the quilt over her head being lifted up.
Zhu Liheng sat on the edge of the bed looking at her.
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Zhu Liheng reached out his hand...
Lin Jianzhi instinctively shrank back!
Click!
He had just turned off the lights.
Lin Jianzhi: "......"
Zhu Liheng felt her personality was very strange.
How exactly did this extreme tug-of-war personality, both bold and timid, loudmouth yet a crybaby, form?
He was about to go back to the couch, but was grabbed by the girl.
Then she started crying!
And it was particrly sad crying.
Zhu Liheng was dumbfounded and asked, "You don''t want me to sleep on the couch?"
Lin Jianzhi: "Wah wah wah! That''s not it."
Zhu Liheng was even more confused: "Then what is it?"
Lin Jianzhi: "I have to go back to Jingzhou tomorrow."
Zhu Liheng: "......"
He really couldn''t keep up with her train of thought.
Eventually Lin Jianzhi cried herself to sleep. She had walked a lot yesterday afternoon, and had a shock in the evening, so she fell asleep soon.
Zhu Liheng breathed a sigh of relief andy down to rest.
The night passed peacefully. The next morning, the two got up early.
Before going to theb, Zhu Liheng first sent Lin Jianzhi to the high speed rail station.
But before leaving, Lin Jianzhi pulled him reluctantly and asked, "How much longer do you have to be busy in theb?"
She remembered Zhu Liheng saying it was a month.
It''s been more than a month now, still not over yet?
Zhu Liheng: "In the near future, just these few days, once it''s done I''ll go back."
Lin Jianzhi nodded: "Oh, oh, can it bepleted before August 4th? I''m just asking, no problem if it can''t make it."
Zhu Liheng: "It can."
Having received an affirmative answer, Lin Jianzhi happily smiled and walked into the high speed rail station without regrets.
Zhu Liheng watched her walk in the whole time until she was out of sight, and immediately opened Weibo.
Sure enough, she had posted again.
[If he leaves, what if I can''t find him anymore?]
Zhu Liheng waspletely confused.
Where was he leaving to?
Mars?
Unless he left Earth, Zhu Liheng really couldn''t understand how she wouldn''t be able to find him.
Their parents knew each other across multiple floors.
Zhu Liheng thought about it, a little worried about Lin Jianzhi''s extremeck of sense of security.
Going through his friends, it seemed like the only female was Ruan Tang?
He called Ruan Tang.
Zhu Liheng did not reveal the content of Lin Jianzhi''s Weibo post, but ryed her situation and asked for a solution, preferably for Ruan Tang tomunicate with her briefly.
In his opinion, since they were both girls, they should be able tomunicate better.
But Ruan Tang''s answer was unexpected: "I don''t think she has any problems, the one with problems is you."
Zhu Liheng: "?"
Ruan Tang: "I can hear it, you''re showing off your lovey-dovey rtionship, right?"
Zhu Liheng was silent for a second, then asked: "Onest question, what day is August 4th?"
Ruan Tang cursed loudly: "I knew you were showing off your rtionship! If you want to celebrate Qixi Festival then do it! No need to show off! Hanging up!"
Looking at the hung up phone, Zhu Liheng suddenly understood.
Chapter 45: Admission Notice
Chapter 45
Lin Jianzhi couldn''t help but think of him as soon as she entered the station. She looked at the chat box on her phone, wanting to send something but not knowing what to say.
Would he dislike it if she spoke nonsense to him?
But unexpectedly, Zhu Liheng messaged her first.
''Zhu Liheng: Let me know when you arrive home, just to be safe.''
''Lin Jianzhi: Okay.''
Lin Jianzhi blushed, feeling as sweet as honey in her heart.
''I miss you so much, Zhu Liheng!''
After typing these words, she silently deleted them.
Zhu Liheng, on his way to the researchb, looked at the top of the chat box that said ''The other party is typing...'' and waited for a while, but ended up waiting for nothing.
He thought for a moment and sent another message.
''Zhu Liheng: I will return to Jingyi on August 4th, for sure.''
Even if I haven''t finished my work at theb, I will make time to see you.
He wanted to reassure Lin Jianzhi.
Looking at the message on her phone, Lin Jianzhi''s heart blossomed with sweetness.
The high-speed train was quick, and an hourter, she was already back home in Jingyi City.
Mu Yin and the others were still enjoying themselves in another city...
Her parents were at work and not at home.
Lin Jianzhi tidied up her room, humming a cheerful tune, and eagerly awaited her eptance letter.
At the end of July, eptance letters from B University started to be sent out.
It was already July 28th, and she expected it to arrive in these few days.
The happiest thing was undoubtedly being epted to a top university and being in the same city as the person she liked.
She was even happier because her university was just across the street from Zhu Liheng''s university.
Compared to her time in Jingyi and Yanling, Lin Jianzhi was actually more looking forward to her university life in Yanjing.
She could go to A University to see Zhu Liheng anytime.
Lost in her thoughts, Lin Jianzhi went from thinking about university life to thinking about Zhu Liheng and everything they experienced in Yanling.
It felt like a surprise of happiness had fallen from the sky!
She reached out and touched her flushed face, unable to shake off the sensation of Zhu Liheng''s kissesing to her mind.
He always wore a white shirt, but it never got boring.
It was especially tempting when her fingers caressed her own cheeks.
They were so close to...
"Oh, Xiaojian! You''re back?" Suddenly, her mother''s voice came from the doorway.
Lin Jianzhi was startled and turned pale.
When her mother came closer and saw her, she was taken aback and quicklyforted her, saying, "Were you scared yesterday? Oh my! Next time you enter that experimental area, leave your phone outside! You scared Mom to death. As long as you''re okay!"
Lin Jianzhi nodded absentmindedly, feeling extremely nervous.
She never expected her mom to believe Zhu Liheng''s casual remarks about theb and electric balls. They almost caused a spark on the sofa!
In the following days, Lin Jianzhi waited for her eptance letter while waiting for Zhu Liheng.
Her friends'' moments and social media were filled with photos of ssmates traveling all over the ce.
Among them, one photo was spread everywhere.
It was the one where Zhu Liheng and Lin Jianzhi were holding hands at the entrance of the Yanling Dinosaur Park!
This time, Lin Jianzhi didn''t exin anymore.
Everything was real. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, together.
On the morning of August 3rd, Zhu Liheng gave her a phone call. The background noise was loud, as if he was calling from a high-speed rail station.
"I''ming back today," he said.
While Lin Jianzhi held the phone and spoke, she rushed to the wardrobe to find clothes. "You''reing back today? I thought it would be tomorrow!"
Zhu Liheng had a hint of a smile in his voice. "Yes, the things at the researchb are already finished. You today..."
He paused mid-sentence.
"What?" Lin Jianzhi''s heart skipped a beat and rose to her throat.
She was incredibly nervous!
Zhu Liheng was direct. "Can youe out tonight?"
Lin Jianzhi blushed even more. "Um, yes, I can."
She quickly rummaged through the wardrobe, picking and choosing.
Zhu Liheng continued, "I have some errands to run during the day, and I''lle to pick you up at night."
Lin Jianzhi replied, "Okay."
Zhu Liheng hesitated again.
Lin Jianzhi held her breath, feeling incredibly anxious!
Zhu Liheng said, "Bring your ID."
Those words made Lin Jianzhi''s face flush.
But she didn''t refuse; instead, she softly said, "Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Jianzhi paced nervously around the room, going back and forth like a madwoman.
She threw all the nice clothes onto the bed and tried various outfits.
Although there was still time, it felt urgent to her.
She had to carefully select her clothes from head to toe, put together the best ensemble, and then do her makeup and hairstyle.
Ah! Right!
If she was going to stay outside, she would need toe up with a reason to exin to her parents.
Lin Jianzhi suddenly became busy like a spinning top.
Two hourster, she put down her phone and breathed a sigh of relief.
Her parents didn''t say much, assuming she was going on a trip to the neighboring city. They reminded her to stay safe.
So Lin Jianzhi started to quickly tidy herself up, making herself look attractive.
At four-thirty in the afternoon, her phone rang.
Lin Jianzhi practically jumped to answer it. "Hello!"
The person on the other end paused for a moment, then spoke, "Hello? Is this Lin Jianzhi?"
Lin Jianzhi blinked. "Oh, yes, it''s me."
It wasn''t Zhu Liheng calling. She had answered too hastily and didn''t check the caller ID.
The phone call began with cheerful congrattions. "Congrattions, Lin Jianzhi! Your eptance letter from B University has arrived! Come and pick it up!"
Lin Jianzhi expressed her surprise and gratitude several times before rushing out of the house.
At the entrance of the residentialplex, there was a security booth.
The security guard stood under the scorching sun, proudly chatting with a delivery guy.
Delivery guy: "Yourmunity has produced a student who got into B University. Impressive!"
Security guard: "We even have a provincial top scorer living here, studying in the physics department at A University!"
Delivery guy: "Wow! A University and B University, both covered!"
Security guard: "Good feng shui! You should buy a house here when you get married in the future."
Delivery guy: "I''ll work hard!"
Lin Jianzhi happened to overhear their conversation as she ran over, feeling a bit embarrassed. She took the eptance letter from them.
The security guard was particrly excited. "Here she is! A talented student has arrived!"
Delivery guy: "The young girl is really amazing!"
Lin Jianzhi repeatedly waved her hands, blushing, and said a few words to the two people before finding an excuse to slip away.
She was dying to know what her eptance letter looked like!
As she walked, she eagerly tore open the envelope, and when she caught sight of the full name of University B, her mouth almost split from ear to ear.
At that moment, an Audi A6 drove into the neighborhood.
Lin Jianzhi nced at the license te and rushed over with joy, holding the freshly opened eptance letter in her hand.
Zhu Liheng!
The Audi A6 also noticed her and stopped in ce.
She hurried to the passenger side of the Audi A6, knocking on the door with a bright smile, while raising the eptance letter high in her hand.
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing two faces with equally radiant smiles.
It was Zhu Liheng''s parents!
Chapter 46: Mom and Dad, I’m in love.
Chapter 46
Lin Jianzhi: "!!!"
Seeing the smiles on Zhu Liheng''s parents'' faces, her toes were almost curling into a castle.
One of her hands was still holding up the admission notice, not knowing whether to put it down or hand it over.
Lin Jianzhi thought Zhu Liheng was in the car and wanted to share with him the happiest moment in her life.
She had no idea it was his parents!
At this moment, Zhu''s mother took the express delivery email from her hand and eximed excitingly: "Little Jianzhi''s admission notice? Which university! Wow! B University! Dear,e and see!"
Zhu''s father was even more enthusiastic to invite Lin Jianzhi into the car, saying it was too sunny outside and to go back together.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t know what to feel. She felt her series of actions were really stupid.
Why on earth did she have to run in front of someone else''s parents and show off her admission notice?
The key was that Zhu Liheng''s parents didn''t seem to think there was anything wrong with it at all. They chatted enthusiastically with her, congratting her in every possible way, and even giving her a 360 degreepliment.
When getting off the car at the parking space, Zhu Liheng''s mother even wanted to take out her cell phone and take pictures of Lin Jianzhi''s B University admission notice to post on Moments.
Lin Jianzhi was about to go crazy.
She didn''t even know what mood she was in when she went back home. Her excitement of being officially admitted to B University had faded away.
It became very subtle!
The two families upstairs and downstairs got to know each other because of something that happened two years ago. The parents on both sidesmunicated in a friendly manner, but they weren''t very close.
Lin Jianzhi''s parents said the neighbors downstairs were very reasonable and enthusiastic.
Zhu Liheng''s parents said the neighbors upstairs were very polite and quite interesting.
But they were just neighbors!
Why did she have to run in front of them and show off her admission notice?
Lin Jianzhi awkwardly threw herself on the bed, not even bothering if her makeup would smudge on it.
It was the afternoon now, not the evening Zhu Liheng had said yet.
She didn''t even know how to face Zhu Lihengter!
6 p.m.
Lin Jianzhi found that her parents hadn''te back yet. Taking a look at Moments, she discovered that the two had even gone out for a romantic dinner.
Great great!
She was afraid that her parents would see her with makeup on, because the makeup she had on was embarrassing.
There was a slight upturn in the corners of her eyes, a bit charming.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t want her parents to discover her little thoughts, or she would be beaten!
At the same time downstairs.
Click!
Zhu Liheng came in, but didn''t immediately change his shoes. Instead, he knocked on the door to get his parents'' attention.
Zhu''s father came out, full of question marks: "Son, you''re back. Why don''t youe in?"
Zhu Liheng said: "I''m going out again. Where are the car keys?"
Zhu''s father took out the car keys from his pocket and handed them out: "Hanging out with friends? Don''t drink and drive."
Zhu Liheng: "I won''t drink. It''s not a get-together. I''m going on a date."
Zhu''s father was dumbfounded, his sses nearly slipping off his nose bridge.
Did he hear that right?
His son was dating!
Just then, Zhu''s mother also walked out of the kitchen. She didn''t hear the conversation between father and son, and kept saying: "Oh oh! Son, you''re back? Let me tell you, that little Jianzhi upstairs, the one you tutored, got admitted to B University!"
Zhu Liheng, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks and looked at his old mom.
Zhu''s mother still didn''t know the situation. As she spoke, she pulled her husband along: "Why don''t you say anything dear? When we came back today, we happened to see Little Jianzhi at the door holding her admission notice! The B University notice looked great!"
Zhu''s father calmed down a little and nodded: "Oh right, Little Jianzhi has grown up and be a youngdy now."
He still hadn''t recovered from the shock that his son was dating. His reaction was a little slow and abnormal.
Zhu''s mother quickly noticed this and yelled angrily with her hands on her hips: "What are you two hiding from me?!"
Zhu''s father shook his head wildly.
Zhu Liheng was straightforward and said: "The Lin Jianzhi you mentioned is my girlfriend."
Boom!
Zhu''s mother was stunned straight away. She mechanically turned her head to look at her husband.
Thetter returned a very strange smile.
Immediately after that, their faces instantly moved closer together, looking at Zhu Liheng as if he was a monster!
It was understandable that Zhu''s parents reacted so strongly. It had to do with Zhu Liheng''s character since he was little.
To put it nicely, he was a genius. To put it not nicely, his IQ was mutated.
There were also smart children among other rtives in the family, but none like him.
Zhu Liheng''s IQ had been excessively high since he was a child, to the point where it worried his parents at one time.
Many of the things he said, many of his reactions, and even many of his thoughts when he was little.
Were all very scary!
In order not to let their son be too freakish, they didn''t let Zhu Liheng skip grades. Instead, they made him go through the whole student career as normally as possible.
If he liked ying basketball then y! Having a hobby other than studying was what the parents hoped for!
At the same time, Zhu''s parents looked at many reports and knew that many people of this type were very special emotionally.
From the time he reached puberty, they started paying attention. Sure enough, Zhu Liheng didn''t show any interest in the opposite sex.
When he got to college, there was still no thought of falling in love.
At that time, Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother felt it was over!
They were even mentally prepared that their son''s future wife would be physics or basketball.
They didn''t expect that when he was about to enter his third year of college, he started dating!
What''s more, it was the neighbor upstairs, who looked super soft and cute at first nce!
Very nice!
Knowing the ins and outs well!
Seeing his parents reveal a strong desire to find out more, Zhu Liheng shook the car key in his hand: "I''m going out to date her now. At night..."
He paused and said, "I may note back."
Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother nodded eagerly, nodding violently.
Zhu''s mother even rushed up to open the door for him and pushed him out: "Go date! Date hard!"
Zhu''s father''s excited face turned red, but he didn''t know what to say. He just kept following behind Zhu''s mother and clenching his fists.
Zhu Liheng was worried, so he turned back and exhorted: "Calm down a bit. Don''t expose this for now. She''s only 18 years old. Her parents may not be willing."
As expected, Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother shuddered. Zhu''s father nodded wildly to show he understood, and Zhu''s mother put down the cell phone she was about to post on.
That was close!
After exining, Zhu Liheng didn''t take the elevator. Instead, he went straight upstairs and knocked on the door.
Lin Jianzhi had already texted earlier that her parents weren''t home today.
The moment the doorbell rang, Lin Jianzhi was still putting on makeup in front of the mirror.
She had cried again for a while earlier. When the awkwardness passed, she couldn''t help but cry bitterly for being so silly and stupid.
Just then, the doorbell rang again!
Taking a look at her phone, it was Zhu Liheng at the door.
Lin Jianzhi was in a flutter, answering ing'' while hurriedly finishing up thest stroke of makeup.
Luckily her hand didn''t shake!
Perhaps because she had cried, the skin around her eyes was flushed. Along with this makeup, she looked pitiful yet a bit charming.
Bag in hand, she opened the door.
Zhu Liheng''s tall figure stood at the door.
Seeing the person she had been thinking about day and night these past few days, Lin Jianzhi''s heart was thumping wildly.
Zhu Liheng was more straightforward. He pulled her into his arms as soon as she opened the door.
Chapter 47: The Circle of Friends
Chapter 47
Lin Jianzhi thought he would kiss her, subconsciously tiptoed.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Liheng just hugged her, then asked another thing: "Have you received the admission notice?"
"Ah..." Lin Jianzhi blinked, her heels fell to the ground, nodded: "Yeah, red, looks good."
Zhu Liheng: "Show it to me."
In fact, he had seen it on Moments already, posted by his mother.
It''s just so magical.
Lin Jianzhi ran back to her room to get the admission notice, and Zhu Liheng changed his shoes and walked into the house.
This was not Zhu Liheng''s first timeing to Lin Jianzhi''s house, but he didn''t know why, he just wanted to go in and take a look.
Lin Jianzhi stood at the door of the room with the admission notice, seeing Zhu Liheng walk over, she was very nervous.
Fortunately, she usually learned to tidy up the room, so the room was not unpresentable at this time.
But she had thrown some clothes on the bed when she was picking out clothes and putting on makeup during the day, and the table was also full of messy makeup.
Lin Jianzhi nced at her own bed, a little nervous.
Fortunately, Zhu Liheng had no intention of going into her room, so he took the admission notice and read it.
Lin Jianzhi hurriedly turned around and stuffed the pile of clothes into the wardrobe.
Don''t look!
Zhu Liheng, like his mother, took out his phone and took a photo, then posted it on Moments.
After doing all this, he looked up, and then saw Lin Jianzhi''s embarrassed and busy figure.
Zhu Liheng was startled, his eyes inadvertently nced over.
Uh...
He hurriedly blinked, with a strange feeling in his mind.
Why are there so many different colored matching little clothes?
At the same time downstairs.
Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother were sitting on the sofa discussing something.
Zhu''s mother: "I said, why did this kid suddenly repost that full-markposition, turns out it was written by little Jianzhi!"
Zhu''s father: "Ah? Whatposition? What repost?"
Zhu''s mother looked at her husband speechlessly: "Your son! The first and second posts on Moments! He never posted on Moments before, and I thought he was advertising for the upstairs neighbor, but it turned out to be boyfriend and girlfriend!"
Speaking of this, she became excited: "When do you think they got together? Could it be two years ago!"
At this moment, Zhu''s father didn''t listen to his wife much, and shouted out while looking at his phone: "My son posted another Moments post! All three Moments posts are for little Jianzhi!"
Zhu''s mother: "Let me see, let me see..."
At this time on the 11th floor.
Lin Jianzhi followed Zhu Liheng with a red face and got into the elevator.
She carried a small bag with her ID card and mobile phone inside.
Zhu Liheng didn''t hold her hand, and she was a little disappointed.
He was looking at his phone. Due to their height difference, she couldn''t see the content on his phone screen.
She only knew that he looked at it for a long time, frowning as he looked.
What was disyed on Zhu Liheng''s phone at this time was a Q&A.
[Q: Why does my girlfriend''s little clothese in sets?]
[A: If you find your girlfriend wearing matching little clothes when something happens, then don''t doubt, don''t think you''ve won, let alone think you''re awesome... She''s fishing for you! You are the prey!]
Zhu Liheng took a deep breath after reading this, and looked at Lin Jianzhi with rosy cheeks next to him.
You really are, step by step luring him into the hook.
Ding¨C
The elevator arrived at the underground parking lot.
Zhu Liheng was about to stride forward, but felt resistance behind him.
Looking down, he saw Lin Jianzhi''s two fingers clutching the corner of his clothes.
Her face was flushed, and her voice was soft, like feathers stroking his heart over and over.
Zhu Liheng''s breath stalled, and he waspletely defeated.
He reached out and sped her little hand tightly.
Lin Jianzhi, you really won!
Even if he knew it was a trap, he still couldn''t control himself and walked into your trap.
Completely grasped.
Sitting in the car, Zhu Liheng took her to the edge of the city.
At this moment, Lin Jianzhi''s mood wasplicated. She had just sat in this car this afternoon, and now she sat in it again at night.
Zhu Liheng suddenly spoke up: "I told my parents."
Lin Jianzhi didn''t react, her expression was still dazed: "Ah?"
Zhu Liheng: "I told them you''re my girlfriend."
Lin Jianzhi was shocked!
She mechanically turned her head, staring with wide eyes, shocked to look out the window.
Her mind went nk!
When did he say it?
Even uncle and auntie knew about it?!
So this afternoon Zhu''s father and Zhu''s mother...
Ah!!!
Lin Jianzhi instantly covered her face, her ears flushed red!
How long have they been together?
How did the whole world know about it already!
Lin Jianzhi suddenly thought of something else, looking at Zhu Liheng in horror, wanting to say something.
But Zhu Liheng spoke first, calmly: "Well, wait another two years before telling your parents, you''re still..."
A little young!
Although he''s not much older either.
Lin Jianzhi breathed a sigh of relief, and was also shocked by the huge impact, making her almost silly.
It had to be said, it was very stimting!
On the rest of the way, she kept thinking about the reactions of his parents knowing about this matter. She wanted to ask, but was too embarrassed.
Zhu Liheng didn''t seem to worry at all, focusing on driving, all the way taking her to the entrance of a park.
Lin Jianzhi didn''t expect it was here, staring nkly at this park that was rarely visited by people and required real-name registration tickets to enter.
She had heard about this park for a long time. It was well built and had a full set of facilities inside.
But she never had the chance toe.
Zhu Liheng took her hand and led her to the ticket office.
"ID card." he said.
Lin Jianzhi was dumbfounded again!
So he asked her to bring her ID card because he wanted to use it here?
It wasn''t what she thought!
Silently taking out her ID card, she handed it to Zhu Liheng.
Zhu Liheng quickly registered, then took her hand again and entered the park.
The sky was getting dark, and some lights came on in the park.
It was clear that it had been carefully designed, even better than the musical fountain light show she saw in Yulingst time.
This was Lin Jianzhi''s first timeing to this ce. She didn''t know the way and followed Zhu Liheng all the way inside.
Since the car was parked outside, they could only walk.
After walking for a while, Zhu Liheng suddenly stopped and looked down at her shoes.
"I''ll carry you." he said.
Lin Jianzhi had deliberately worn high heels today. Her feet did hurt a little, but she didn''t expect Zhu Liheng to notice this at all.
Who said science guys don''t pay attention to details?
Looking at the broad and powerful shoulders squatting in front of her, Lin Jianzhi''s heart beat faster as she slowly put her arms around his neck.
Zhu Liheng straightened up with a push of his hands and stood up, carrying Lin Jianzhi lightly and easily.
"Are you wearing a short skirt?" he asked after walking a few steps.
Lin Jianzhi said softly, "Yeah."
Zhu Liheng: "Luckily there''s no one on the road."
Although he said that, he was still worried and reached out to press down her skirt hem.
Lin Jianzhi actually wanted to say that she was wearing shorts underneath, but still sank under his careful and gentle care.
Especially when his hands lightly touched her, her face turned red and hot, but she was reluctant for him to let go.
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