Su Mianmian, trembling with fear, was pulled by Gu Yizhou to a dimly lit corner. Her back was pressed against the wall, head bowed, like a student caught red-handed.
Gu Yizhou stared at her for a long time, his unease growing with each glance. He turned his head, took a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. "Is this what you meant by studying in the library?"
Last night, when Gu Yizhou took Su Mianmian back to school, he had asked her if she wanted him to pick her up after her exams today. But Su Mianmian had refused without a second thought, using the excuse that she was going to the library to study that evening.
Thinking back to this, Su Mianmian felt even more ashamed. "I'm sorry, I was wrong, I shouldn't have lied." Her obedient admission softened Gu Yizhou's heart instantly. He smoked the cigarette more heavily, his voice husky and alluring.
"What else did you do wrong?" Su Mianmian pursed her lips, her lowered eyelashes trembling violently. "You shouldn't have looked at that guy's chest muscles." "Just looking?" Su Mianmian immediately looked up, her dark eyes glistening with tears, washed clean by the rain.
"I promise, I really didn't touch them!" Gu Yizhou's handsome eyes narrowed slightly. "What if I had been a few minutes later?" Hearing this, Su Mianmian immediately lowered her head again.
A few minutes later, it was hard to say. After all, Song Zhi had been so excited; she wouldn't have given up until she got a chance to touch them. Gu Yizhou finished his cigarette and casually stubbed it out in the ashtray. He draped his suit jacket over Su Mianmian's shoulders.
"Mianmian, move out of the dorm tonight."... As Gu Yizhou pulled Su Mianmian towards the booth, her head drooped, looking utterly hopeless. Seeing this, Song Zhi, thinking she'd been scolded, immediately stood up and went to greet her.
"Brother-in-law, oh no, Mr. Gu, please don't misunderstand Mianmian. It was all my fault. I brought her out, and I forced her to interact with the male models. Luckily, you arrived just in time; she didn't even get to touch a single hair on their heads."
"You know it's lucky you arrived in time. If A-Zhou had been even a little bit later, you would have corrupted someone's wife, and you wouldn't have been able to defend yourself." Song Zhi was about to ask which troublemaker interrupted.
Her gaze shifted, and she suddenly froze. "Xue, Xue Jing?" The lighting had been too dim, and she hadn't noticed. Turns out, a big star was sitting next to her! Xue Jing raised her index finger and shushed her, her upturned almond-shaped eyes shimmering under the light.
"Keep your voice down. I just want to have a quiet get-together with my friends. I don't want to be stared at." Song Zhi nodded understandingly with an "Oh." Just as she was about to take another photo with her after they were done, she saw Xue Jing's red lips slightly parted as she continued speaking.
"Ah Zhou, don't keep such a stern face. You might scare Mianmian. She's still young, and it's normal for her to be curious about new things." Song Zhi frowned. With her naturally keen sense for manipulative women, she sensed something was amiss.
Xue Jing's words, while seemingly understanding, were actually quite provocative. "I'm sorry, I just explained. I was just curious and dragged Mianmian out to play. Please don't blame her."
Xue Jing seemed to realize her tone was a bit off. She covered her mouth and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." Song Zhi finally relented. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Jiang Ning smiled and suggested, "Since we're all friends, why don't we sit down and play together?" Gu Yizhou offered his refusal. "No, I just brought Mianmian to say hello. I'm leaving now. You guys have fun." Xue Jing frowned and stood up abruptly.
"You should at least finish the cake before you leave," Jiang Ning glanced at Xue Jing and also tried to persuade her to stay. "Yes, let's finish the cake before you go. Last time I saw Mianmian seemed to really like sweets," Gu Yizhou smiled and turned to ask Su Mianmian for her opinion.
"Should we go back to school now to pack our things, or finish the cake before going back?" Su Mianmian didn't particularly want to eat the cake, but it was Jiang Ning's birthday, and the birthday boy himself had asked her to stay; she had to give him face.
Besides, she secretly felt that she should delay as long as possible. What if it got too late and the school security wouldn't let her leave? She really didn't dare go home with Gu Yizhou; the bruises on her legs from that night hadn't faded yet.
Thinking of this, Su Mianmian pursed her lips, "Then let's finish the cake."... Su Mianmian and Song Zhi sat silently on the sofa eating cake. Gu Yizhou, Jiang Ning, and Xue Jing were drinking nearby. "Mianmian, Mr. Z didn't do anything to you just now, did he?"
Su Mianmian shook her head, her tone dejected. "Zhi Zhi, I might have to move out of the dorm tonight." "Huh? So suddenly? Isn't your internship only starting next Monday?" Song Zhi said, then suddenly realized. "No, Mr. Z is really angry?"
Su Mianmian didn't speak, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Song Zhi sighed. She didn't know what Su Mianmian was thinking and comforted her, "This is my fault. I'll apologize to you in person another day. But then again, you're going to Hua Rui for your internship soon anyway, so moving out is only a matter of time, just two or three days earlier."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard Xue Jing giggle, "A-Zhou, it's settled then. I'll bring the contract to your company tomorrow." Gu Yizhou's face didn't show much expression as he slowly took a sip of his drink. "No problem."
Song Zhi looked at Xue Jing and frowned slightly. "Mianmian, don't you think Xue Jing is a little strange?" Su Mianmian was focused on eating her cake and paused, startled by the question. "What's strange?"
Song Zhi frowned. "Haven't you noticed that she always brings up your Mr. Z in every topic?" Su Mianmian observed silently for a while and indeed, there was a hint of something. "They're classmates, maybe they have a lot in common."
Song Zhi pouted. "Such a beautiful classmate, and a big star too, Mianmian, you'd better be careful, don't let someone steal your husband away." "Pfft! Cough! Cough!" Su Mianmian almost choked upon hearing this. Song Zhi had just picked up a glass of water to hand to Su Mianmian.
Someone was faster than her, gently patting her back while feeding her water, the movements practiced and familiar, as if she had done it countless times before. "Eat slowly, your throat is thin." Su Mianmian said somewhat embarrassed. "I didn't choke because I was in a hurry to eat!"
Gu Yizhou nodded, his fingertip gently tracing the corner of her lips, wiping away the spilled water. "I know, I just wanted to tell you." His gentle and soft-spoken manner captivated Song Zhi, who was standing nearby.
Glancing at Xue Jing, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant, Song Zhi had a sudden inspiration. She feigned intimacy and took her arm, "Sister Xue Jing, look how considerate Mianmian's husband is to her!"
Xue Jing awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, silently pulling her arm away from Song Zhi's. "He is quite considerate."... When Gu Yizhou drove Su Mianmian and Song Zhi back to school, it was only five minutes before curfew.
Originally, Su Mianmian had considered staying in the dormitory another night, citing the late hour and the security guard's refusal to let them in. However, when his car drove smoothly to the girls' dormitory building, Su Mianmian, her pink lips slightly parted, completely abandoned the idea.
As they went upstairs together, Song Zhi couldn't help but sigh. "So he really is the guy who donated a library to University A! He can just come and go as he pleases, amazing!" Su Mianmian didn't respond, mainly because her wishful thinking had fallen through, and she had no idea what to say.
She had even specifically mentioned that she had something very important in her dorm that she had to take back. If only she hadn't gone through all this trouble, she would have just gone back with him directly. When the two returned, Tan Huilin was still watching a beauty livestream. She glanced at them but didn't say anything.
Song Zhi helped Su Mianmian pack her things, and at first, she kept muttering to herself. "Mianmian, you won't need this after you go back, just give it to me." "That one too, I thought it was cute when you bought it, just let me inherit it too."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she hugged Su Mianmian's plush pillow tightly. "We clearly agreed to go out for internships together, why did you do this so suddenly? I'll feel really uneasy coming back to the dorm without you."
Su Mianmian was also a little sad; after all, she and Song Zhi had lived here together for almost three years, and their bond was quite strong. Her nose was slightly red. "Zhizhi, just tell me, why are you holding onto my doll so tightly? Tell me, isn't it because you can't bear to part with my doll?"
Song Zhi chuckled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Wow, you saw right through me! You have such sharp eyes!"
Tan Huilin glanced expressionlessly at the two of them, laughing and crying, and scoffed. "You're sick. It's just an internship, not like you've disappeared from the face of the earth. Why make such a fuss?"
Song Zhi wiped away her tears with her sleeve and glared fiercely at Tan Huilin. "Shut up, you emotionless, makeup-covered cellular being, what do you know!"