Young People Should Exercise Moderation

Looking at the neat row of question marks on the screen, Chen Zhi felt a tingling numbness in his scalp.

Was Pei Ningxue out of her mind this early in the morning?

He rubbed his sleep-filled eyes, tapped his finger on the screen, and replied with an unadorned symbol.

[Chen Zhi: ?]

Less than a second after the message was sent, "typing..." appeared at the top of the chat box.

Immediately after, a message popped up.

[Bad Woman: Did you guys use protection last night?]

"Pfft—!"

Chen Zhi nearly choked to death on his own saliva and started coughing violently.

What kind of dirty trash was this woman's brain filled with?!

What did she mean by "did you guys use protection last night"?

Before Chen Zhi could figure out how to refute these wild words, Pei Ningxue tossed over an image.

It was a screenshot of a WeChat Moments post.

Chen Zhi clicked to enlarge the image and instantly froze on his bed.

In the photo, under the dim, ambiguous light of the bedside lamp, he was sleeping like a log. A bright red hickey on his neck was incredibly conspicuous, while a fair and tender little hand making a peace sign playfully appeared in the frame by his shoulder.

Looking at the caption:

[Finally waited for you, glad I didn't give up. Goodnight, my big idiot.]

Chen Zhi was a smart guy; with a little thought, he figured it out.

It was one thing for that girl Lin Wanwan to sneak a photo of him while he was asleep, but she actually used the "visible only to certain people" trick when posting it on her Moments?

This was a demonstration to her love rival, a declaration of sovereignty!

No wonder Pei Ningxue was acting like she had swallowed gunpowder this early in the morning.

Anyone's mentality would collapse after being directly targeted and taunted by a love rival in the middle of the night.

Chen Zhi did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The phone buzzed again.

[Bad Woman: Cat got your tongue? Or are you feeling guilty?]

[Bad Woman: Chen Zhi, you are really something. Just finished the college entrance exam and you couldn't wait?]

Chen Zhi took a deep breath, feeling that he had to defend his innocence.

[Chen Zhi: Classmate Pei Ningxue, please watch your words.]

[Chen Zhi: Am I that kind of person? Before marriage, I absolutely will not touch a single hair on the girl I love. This is a matter of principle.]

After typing out this line, Chen Zhi felt that his whole body was radiating a holy light, simply the modern-day Liu Xiahui.

However, Pei Ningxue only replied with one word.

[Bad Woman: Heh.]

This "Heh" was filled with the utmost sarcasm.

Chen Zhi became a little unhappy.

[Chen Zhi: What do you mean? Who are you looking down on? I have always kept my nose clean and am full of righteousness.]

[Bad Woman: Full of righteousness?]

[Bad Woman: Then I wonder who it was that grabbed my foot on the bus and wouldn't let go? I wonder who was playing so wildly under the school desk?]

Chen Zhi's old face flushed, and the fingers typing on the screen trembled slightly.

[Chen Zhi: That was an accident! That was force majeure! Besides, I was single back then. Can the affairs of a single young man be called being a hooligan?]

[Bad Woman: And now?]

[Chen Zhi: Now I have a family. Lin Wanwan is my girlfriend, and I have to be responsible for her. Joking around with you before was in the past, now please call me Niohuru Pure Love Warrior.]

Chen Zhi sent these words with such self-righteousness, as if he had engraved the words "pure love" on his forehead.

Even he himself was almost moved by his own words.

The other side went silent for about half a minute.

Just when Chen Zhi thought Pei Ningxue was intimidated by his awe-inspiring righteousness and was reflecting on her own dirty thoughts, an image suddenly popped up.

Chen Zhi subconsciously clicked on it.

The next second, his pupils shrank violently.

The background of the photo seemed to be in Pei Ningxue's bedroom, brightly lit.

A pair of long, straight, beautiful legs occupied the main part of the frame.

But this time was different.

She was not wearing her usual black pantyhose, but had changed into a pair of thick-knit black over-the-knee socks.

The top of the socks tightly squeezed the soft flesh of her thighs, creating a slightly indented mark.

That glimpse of snow-white skin, contrasted against the black cotton socks, was dazzlingly white and boundlessly tender.

Compared to sheer pantyhose, this thick texture actually added an indescribable, pure temptation, like a campus goddess stepping out of a manga, carrying a kind of ascetic sexiness.

Chen Zhi only felt his throat go dry and subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

[Chen Zhi: What are you doing?]

[Chen Zhi: I'm warning you, don't do this nonsense. I have a girlfriend, it wouldn't be good if she saw this.]

His mouth said no, but Chen Zhi's fingers honestly did not swipe away; instead, he enlarged the image to examine it carefully.

Hmm, this leg shape was indeed top-tier.

The material of these socks looked like it would feel great to the touch... no, it looked warm.

[Bad Woman: Does it look good?]

[Chen Zhi: Just so-so. This kind of thing has zero lethality against a gentleman like me.]

[Bad Woman: Is that so?]

Following this sentence came a bombardment of images.

"Ding ding ding ding ding..."

The WeChat notification sounds rang non-stop.

Chen Zhi stared dumbfounded at the continuously refreshing images on the screen.

It was all legs.

Various angles, various poses.

There was one sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, toes pointed straight, outlining the perfect arch of the foot.

There was one lying face down on the bed, calves raised, the over-the-knee socks wrapping around the ankles, exuding a sense of laziness.

There was also a close-up, fingers gently hooking the edge of the sock, as if ready to tear off that layer of restraint in the next second.

Every single one accurately hit Chen Zhi's aesthetic sweet spot.

This woman... she really knew how to manipulate men.

Gulp.

Chen Zhi silently swallowed his saliva.

He felt his moral core undergoing an unprecedented test.

On one side was his childhood sweetheart with whom he had just established a relationship, pure and cute, her heart and eyes full of him.

On the other side was a highly skilled bad woman who understood human nature deeply, crazily attacking him with this simple and brutal method.

[Bad Woman: I won't recall the messages this time.]

[Bad Woman: You don't need to save them. Since you're a gentleman anyway, you definitely wouldn't stoop to looking at these.]

She was provoking me!

Who is she looking down on!

Chen Zhi gritted his teeth, his fingers flying across the screen.

[Chen Zhi: Pei Ningxue, you underestimate me too much.]

[Chen Zhi: Am I that kind of person? This kind of low-class stuff only makes me think you're childish.]

Sent.

Then, with lightning speed, Chen Zhi long-pressed the image.

Save.

Next image, save.

The next one, save.

Are you kidding!

Does being a gentleman conflict with appreciating art?

Not at all!

He was doing this to critically examine the sugar-coated bullets of capitalism, to know his enemy and himself so he could fight a hundred battles without defeat!

In just over ten seconds, more than a dozen high-definition images were safely lying in Chen Zhi's encrypted album.

After doing all this, Chen Zhi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that he had conquered his inner demons once again.

He reopened the chat box and replied one last time.

[Chen Zhi: Boring. I'm getting up to eat breakfast, play by yourself.]

After sending this message, he did not hesitate at all and directly clicked the three dots in the upper right corner.

Clear chat history.

Confirm delete.

With a flash of the screen, all the conversations and pictures vanished completely, as if they had never existed.

Having successfully destroyed the evidence, Chen Zhi looked at the empty chat box and nodded in satisfaction.

He tossed his phone onto the nightstand, hopped out of bed humming a little tune, and got ready to go wash up.

Just as he reached the bedroom door, before he could even pull it open, Chen Zhi suddenly stopped in his tracks and instinctively touched his neck.

Oh, crap.

The chat history was wiped clean, but what was he supposed to do about the "medal" on his neck?

Chen Zhi rushed over to the mirror to take a look.

The red patch stood out glaringly against his fair skin. It was so red it was turning purple, and so purple it was almost black. One look and it was obvious that Lin Wanwan, that crazy girl, had bitten down hard.

"Is that girl part dog or something..."

Chen Zhi muttered helplessly, trying to pull the collar of his pajamas up a bit.

But it was the middle of summer. His pajamas naturally had a wide neckline and couldn't hide a thing.

Just as he was debating whether to find a Band-Aid and make up some lame excuse about being "bitten by a toxic mosquito," the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

"Son, why aren't you up yet? The sun is already shining on your butt!"

His mom, Zhang Guifang, marched in briskly with a spatula in her hand.

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat. Almost as a conditioned reflex, he threw his hand up to cover his neck and jerked backward, his back slamming into the wardrobe with a loud thud.

"Mom! Why didn't you knock before coming in!"

Zhang Guifang was startled by his overreaction and eyed him suspiciously. "What are you making such a fuss about, kid? Why would I knock in my own house? What, are you hiding somebody in here?"

Saying this, Zhang Guifang's eyes began to dart around the room, and she even bent down to peek under the bed.

"N-no... I'm not hiding anyone." Chen Zhi gave a dry laugh, his hand glued firmly to his neck. "I just woke up and haven't put on proper clothes yet. I'm feeling shy."

"Shy?" Zhang Guifang looked as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "I still have photos of you running bare-bottomed down the street in our family album. Who are you trying to play the innocent virgin boy for?"

She straightened up, her gaze falling back onto Chen Zhi, and her eyes lingered on the hand covering his neck for two seconds.

No one knows a son better than his mother.

Zhang Guifang narrowed her eyes, rested the spatula on her hip, and her tone became deeply meaningful. "Move your hand."

"Mom, I got a crick in my neck, it hurts..."

"Cut the crap, move it!" Zhang Guifang took a step forward, her mom-aura fully unleashed.

Chen Zhi knew he couldn't dodge this one.

Rather than covering it up and making it look like he had done something shameful, it was better to face it openly.

Anyway, the college entrance exams were over. It was time for some things to be brought out into the open.

He sighed and slowly moved his hand away.

The air suddenly went quiet for a few seconds.

Zhang Guifang stared at the mark for a long time. The expression on her face shifted from surprise, to confusion, to sudden realization, and finally turned into pure gratification.

She lowered her spatula, clicked her tongue twice, and shook her head.

"Well, well, Chen Zhi. You've really grown up."

Zhang Guifang looked at her son with a half-smile. "Looks like the thief who climbed over the balcony last night didn't make the trip for nothing."

Chen Zhi: "..."

So, his mom had heard all the noise Lin Wanwan made climbing over the balcony last night?

The soundproofing in this building was way too terrible!

"Mom, listen to my explanation. Actually, this is..."

"Explain what?" Zhang Guifang rolled her eyes at him and turned to walk out. "Hurry up, wash your face, brush your teeth, and come out to eat. Oh, by the way, go next door and call Wanwan over later. I have some questions for her."

At the door, Zhang Guifang stopped again, looking back to add one more thing: "Also, pay attention to appearances next time. Even though the exams are over, don't go too wild. You young people need to learn some restraint."

With that said, she walked off humming a song, clearly in a very good mood.

Leaving Chen Zhi alone, completely flabbergasted.

Restraint?

Restraint from what?

He didn't even do anything last night. They literally just slept!

Great. Now there was absolutely no way he could ever clear his name.