Chen Zhi looked at Pei Ningxue, who was tightly entangled around his body, and broke out in a cold sweat.
Lin Wanwan was already waiting downstairs at her dorm!
He carefully moved Pei Ningxue's pale leg off his waist. This woman was a restless sleeper; the moment he moved her even a little, she let out a soft groan and prepared to snuggle up to him again.
With quick reflexes, Chen Zhi grabbed a down pillow from the side and stuffed it into her arms.
Pei Ningxue hugged the pillow, rubbed her cheek against it, and her breathing became even again.
Success.
Chen Zhi got dressed, splashed some cold water on his face in the bathroom, and rushed out the door.
The morning rush hour traffic in Beijing was so congested it made one doubt the meaning of life.
By the time the taxi pulled up to the entrance of the Central Conservatory of Music, it was almost eight-thirty.
From a distance, Chen Zhi spotted Lin Wanwan standing in the cold wind.
The little girl was wearing a long off-white down jacket today, with a matching off-white scarf wrapped around her neck, revealing only a pair of clear, expressive large eyes.
She was standing on her tiptoes, looking toward the intersection. The tip of her nose was red from the cold.
Chen Zhi hurried over.
"What took you so long?" Lin Wanwan looked at Chen Zhi as he ran over, her tone carrying a hint of grievance and complaint.
Looking apologetic, Chen Zhi took her freezing little hands and stuffed them into his pockets to warm them up.
"I'm sorry, baby. There was an emergency at the company yesterday, and I had to fix bugs overnight, so I went to bed a bit late." Chen Zhi lied without batting an eye.
Lin Wanwan was originally still angry, but when she looked up and saw Chen Zhi's face clearly, most of her anger instantly vanished.
He had faint dark circles under his eyes, and his face was somewhat pale. The word haggard was written all over his face.
Little did Lin Wanwan know, those dark circles were entirely the result of being kept awake all night by a certain female hooligan.
She actually thought Chen Zhi was working desperately hard for their future.
"Don't work yourself too hard." Lin Wanwan reached out with heartache and touched Chen Zhi's cheek. "Why don't you go back and rest today? I'm fine, we can go shopping another day."
"How could I do that?" Chen Zhi refused righteously. "Accompanying my girlfriend shopping is the most important thing in the world. No matter how tired I am, it's still a blessing."
Feeling a sweet warmth in her heart, Lin Wanwan pulled Chen Zhi over to a nearby bench.
"Sit here and wait for me. I'll go buy you some breakfast!"
"You don't have to, I'm not hungry..." Chen Zhi had actually eaten the late-night snack Pei Ningxue ordered last night.
"No refusing!" Lin Wanwan widened her eyes, threatening him in a cute, fierce manner. "Otherwise, I'll hate you!"
Seeing the little girl's puffed-up cheeks, Chen Zhi had no choice but to obediently sit down on the bench.
Lin Wanwan turned and sprinted into the nearby cafeteria.
Ten minutes later.
She ran back carrying a steaming plastic bag.
"Here, freshly steamed meat buns." Lin Wanwan handed the piping hot buns to Chen Zhi.
Chen Zhi took a large bite. The skin was thin, the filling was generous, and rich juices filled his mouth.
Lin Wanwan then took out a cup of soy milk, carefully inserted the straw, and the moment Chen Zhi swallowed the bun in his mouth, she immediately brought the soy milk to his lips.
Chen Zhi took a big sip of the soy milk directly from her hand.
Watching Lin Wanwan's focused expression as she fed him, a strong wave of guilt suddenly welled up in Chen Zhi's heart.
This sweet girl was here feeling sorry for him staying up late to work, yet he had slept in another woman's bed last night.
Was he even human?
However, this sense of guilt lasted for less than five seconds before he snuffed it out.
Those who achieve great things do not bother about trifles. To be a qualified scumbag who wants to give every girl a home, this was a necessary psychological trial.
Finishing the bun in two bites, Chen Zhi wiped his mouth.
"I'm full. Where are we going to play today? It's all up to you." Chen Zhi stood up, ready to set off.
But Lin Wanwan grabbed him and shook her head.
"We're not going."
Chen Zhi froze for a moment. "What's wrong? Didn't we agree to go to Wangfujing to buy a bag, and then watch a movie in the afternoon?"
Lin Wanwan looked at his tired eyes and bit her lip.
"You must have stayed up really late last night. Today, as long as you just hold me and chat for a bit, I'll forgive you for ignoring me these past few days."
After saying that, before Chen Zhi could react, Lin Wanwan took a step forward.
She unzipped Chen Zhi's down jacket and then snuggled inside like a little kitten.
Chen Zhi naturally wrapped the large down jacket around her, his arms circling her waist.
In November, the winds of Beijing were piercingly cold.
But the small body in his arms was fragrant, soft, and warm.
Lin Wanwan had been standing outside for quite a while, and her cheeks were icy from the cold wind. She buried her face deeply into the crook of Chen Zhi's neck.
It felt cold and ticklish.
"Chen Zhi," Lin Wanwan's muffled voice came from inside the down jacket.
"Yeah, I'm listening."
"My agent took on another newcomer last week. It's a little boy who really loves to show off."
"A super nice teacher came to the recording studio recently. She has a very gentle temper and patiently guides me on my vocal techniques every day."
"But practicing singing every day is really, really tiring. Sometimes I sing until my throat feels like it's smoking."
The little girl chattered away in his arms.
She poured out all the daily events she hadn't been able to share with Chen Zhi during this time, piece by piece.
"Oh right, yesterday my roommates actually started asking me for autographs on behalf of students from other departments! Chen Zhi, am I getting a little famous?"
"And also, the stray cat I've been feeding for days finally let me pat its head nicely yesterday."
Lin Wanwan's arms wrapped tightly around Chen Zhi's waist, hugging him tighter and tighter.
"And..." Her voice suddenly became very soft, like a murmur.
"I missed you so much every single day."
Chen Zhi didn't interrupt her.
He rested his chin on the top of Lin Wanwan's head and listened quietly.
Through the two layers of clothing, he could even clearly feel Lin Wanwan's steady, rhythmic heartbeat. The faint scent of shampoo from her hair lingered at the tip of his nose.
At this moment, Chen Zhi truly felt that Lin Wanwan was incredibly, incredibly cute.
So cute it was almost a crime.
He really, really liked Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan seemed to have tired herself out from talking. With her cheek pressed against his chest, she didn't speak again for a long time. The two of them just held each other quietly by the campus bench in the winter cold.
"Wanwan," Chen Zhi suddenly spoke softly.
"Mhm?" A very soft nasal sound came from inside the down jacket.
"I like you so much," Chen Zhi rubbed his chin against the top of her hair.
The person in his arms visibly stiffened for a second, then tightened her arms a bit more.
"I like you so much too, Chen Zhi."
A cold wind blew past their ears, and Chen Zhi pulled the hem of his jacket closer, wrapping her up even tighter.
"When you graduate, let's get married, okay?" Chen Zhi blurted out. Even though he still had Li Zhiyi and Pei Ningxue in his heart, in this exact second, all he could think about was completely locking down this soft girl in his arms.
Chen Zhi felt the girl in his arms move.
Lin Wanwan poked her little head out from the collar of the oversized down jacket, tilting her head up and staring at him unblinkingly with those large, watery eyes.
"I won't say yes to you," Lin Wanwan wrinkled her nose with a touch of playful arrogance. "You haven't even formally proposed to me yet. You can't just be so casual about it."
"Then I'll pick an auspicious day, buy a huge diamond ring, and officially propose. Will you marry me then?" Chen Zhi smiled, leaning his head down close to hers.
"No."
"Why not?" Chen Zhi was taken aback.
"Hmph, it depends on your performance," Lin Wanwan blinked slyly.
"That won't do. You have to marry me, it's non-negotiable." Chen Zhi deliberately put on a stern face.
"Why are you so bossy, Chen Zhi!" Lin Wanwan laughed, reaching out to playfully punch his chest. "Why must I marry you?"
"Because when we played house as kids, you said you would marry me and be my wife. We've been betrothed since childhood, there's no way you're backing out now."
Hearing Chen Zhi bring up their childhood, Lin Wanwan suddenly remembered something.
She slipped her hand out from his down jacket and gently pulled Chen Zhi's left arm toward her.
Through the thick winter clothes, she couldn't actually feel his skin, but her fingers pressed accurately on a specific spot on his forearm. Right there lay a faint scar, left behind from a boiling water burn he suffered while saving her years ago.
"If you..." Lin Wanwan lowered her head, her voice suddenly becoming incredibly soft, carrying a mix of shyness and earnestness. "If you bully me a little less in the future, I'll give you lots and lots of babies, okay?"
Chen Zhi blurted out without hesitation, "Okay!"
Time flew by as the two exchanged sweet nothings. Chen Zhi kept his down jacket unzipped, keeping Lin Wanwan wrapped up in his arms as they chatted the entire morning away.
At noon, the two had a simple lunch at a restaurant outside the university gates.
After eating, as they stood at the restaurant entrance ready to part ways, Chen Zhi actually felt reluctant to let her go.
"How about we go hang out for a bit this afternoon?" Chen Zhi held her hand. "We haven't bought your bag yet, and we haven't seen a movie either."
Lin Wanwan firmly pulled her hand back and gave him an exasperated look, reaching out to poke the faint dark circles under Chen Zhi's eyes.
"Hang out? No way! Hurry back to your dorm and get some rest!" Lin Wanwan scolded with a stern little face. "You're as exhausted as a giant panda and you still want to run around. If you ruin your health, who's going to take care of me?"
Chen Zhi felt a twinge of guilt.
This silly girl. Her mind was entirely focused on his well-being, to the point where she was willing to drop the date she had been looking forward to for so long at a moment's notice.
"Alright, I'll go back and catch up on my sleep." Chen Zhi leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
Watching Lin Wanwan walk through the university gates, glancing back at him every few steps, the sleepiness on Chen Zhi's face vanished without a trace.
He did leave.
But of course, he wasn't going to obediently head back to his dorm at Peking University to sleep.
Chen Zhi stood by the road, casually hailed a taxi, pulled the door open, and got in.
"Driver, to Renmin University."
He certainly couldn't rest right now.
Because he had a date with Li Zhiyi this afternoon.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
