Just one second before sending the message, Shen Zhirou’s message came through.

Shen Zhirou: [But it’s such a pity, Little Darling is busy with something right now.]

Zhou Jiayu read the message, feeling a strange sense of disappointment.

He had thought he would be able to see her again.

Looking at their brief conversation, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Zhou Jiayu: [Alright, let me know when you have time.]

Shen Zhirou saw the reply and locked her phone.

Let him know when she has time? She might never have time…

With these thoughts, Shen Zhirou got off the car and went home.

Before entering the house, she was thinking about telling Xu Jia that she had met Lu Fanghuai and even added him on WeChat.

But the excitement of sharing this ended abruptly.

As soon as she walked in, she saw a message from Xu Jia on the small blackboard by the door: “Some idiot messed up my research area. I have to go save my life! I’ll be at the lab for the next few days and won’t be coming home. Handle meals yourself!”

Not coming back for a few days…

Shen Zhirou scratched her head, wiped the message off the blackboard, and walked inside.

Her relationship with Xu Jia was always quite subtle. They were WeChat friends, but aside from financial transactions like paying back rent and sharing food expenses, they never chatted on WeChat.

Even at home, unless they bumped into each other in common areas, they wouldn’t disturb each other’s private space. They wouldn’t knock on each other’s doors unless it was an emergency.

Their mutual non-disturbance policy and respect for personal space actually made them feel more comfortable. This incident with Lu Fanghuai was the first time their personal lives had overlapped.

So, with Xu Jia saying she wouldn’t be back for a few days, Shen Zhirou didn’t plan to tell her about the encounter on WeChat.

She thought it would only be for two or three days.

However, after two days, Xu Jia hadn’t returned.

On the third day, before she could see Xu Jia, she received a message from Zhou Jiayu.

Zhou Jiayu: [Still busy?]

Shen Zhirou: “???”

Seeing the time since the last message, she realized she had forgotten about “Lu Fanghuai” while waiting for Xu Jia to return!

If she didn’t keep him interested, he might just slip away like a fish.

Shen Zhirou slowly typed a coquettish message in reply.

Shen Zhirou: [Little Darling has been waiting for you to come to find me. Why didn’t you take the initiative to chat with me these days? I’ve been wanting to show you the typing skills I learned just for you.]

After sending the message, Shen Zhirou scoffed at the screen.

She thought this “Lu Fanghuai” must not be with his girlfriend today, so he thought of her and sent a message to check in.

She knew many men like that—a bunch of players who text girls when they’re bored or when they find someone they think is easy to hook.

On the other end, Zhou Jiayu did send the message because he was free.

But it wasn’t because he was bored and wanted to pass the time with her.

After receiving Shen Zhirou’s message saying she was busy, he had seriously waited for her to be free, focusing on his work in the meantime.

He didn’t expect that after waiting for three days, there was still no message from her.

Realizing this wasn’t right, he decided to send her a message, thinking she might forget about him if he didn’t.

Reading her flirtatious reply, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Zhou Jiayu: [So, Little Darling, do you want to meet today?]

He asked directly.

Shen Zhirou read his message, her face scrunched up in annoyance.

Little Darling?

This guy is so cheesy!

He’s so handsome, definitely a player! Flirting so easily and calling everyone “Little Darling”!

She didn’t realize that she hadn’t told Zhou Jiayu her real name and had said she was called “Little Darling.”

Holding her phone, she hesitated, feeling conflicted.

After a long while, she replied.

Shen Zhirou: [Okay.]

Zhou Jiayu: [Do you need me to pick you up?]

Shen Zhirou: [No! Let’s just meet at Wanda Plaza.]

She quickly refused.

She didn’t want this player to know where she lived.

Thinking for a moment, she sent another message, [Little Darling wants to surprise you, so I have to keep a bit of mystery.]

She needed to act coy and stay in control…

Reciting this to herself, Shen Zhirou got up and opened her wardrobe, reaching for a plain T-shirt.

Eventually, she chose something a bit nicer, a little more flirtatious.

Xu Jia wanted her to help hook this guy, so she couldn’t dress too plainly…

After putting on some makeup, she left.

When she arrived at Wanda Plaza, Zhou Jiayu was already waiting.

Following his directions, she found him at Starbucks.

As soon as she entered, she saw his tall, straight figure.

He was tall, had a lean physique, and a gentle, handsome face that stood out in the crowd.

“Not knowing what you like to drink, I ordered you a new coffee,” Zhou Jiayu handed her the coffee, with the straw already inserted.

Even his hands were attractive, with well-defined joints and long, strong fingers.

If he wasn’t a scumbag, she would find him very much her type.

Shen Zhirou’s gaze shifted from his hands to the coffee. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it.

“If you don’t like it, I can order something else. It’s no problem, just tell me,” Zhou Jiayu said, thinking she didn’t like the coffee he had chosen.

“No, this is fine. But I like it sweeter, so I’ll add some sugar. You wait here,” Shen Zhirou said, walking towards the self-service station.

Zhou Jiayu watched as she covered the cup with her hand, and upon reaching the station, removed the straw and threw it in the trash.

Then, he saw her looking back, seemingly checking if he noticed her actions.

When their eyes met, Shen Zhirou moved the coffee closer to her, “Never mind, I can drink it without sugar.”

She took another straw, inserted it into the coffee, and covered it with a take-out net, walking back towards him.

Shen Zhirou suspected that Zhou Jiayu had secretly taken a sip of the coffee before giving it to her, a creepy act to create an indirect kiss.

She didn’t want to take the coffee but didn’t want him to notice, so she reluctantly accepted it and changed the straw.

Approaching Zhou Jiayu, she smiled, trying to cover up her earlier actions.

“Let’s go.”

“Not drinking?” Zhou Jiayu asked, looking at the coffee she was holding.

“Too much ice, I’ll wait for it to melt a bit,” Shen Zhirou made an excuse.

“I ordered another one without ice for you, sorry I didn’t consider that you don’t like it too cold,” Zhou Jiayu said.

His hand suddenly reached over to take the coffee from her, fingers brushing against the back of her hand, breaking the last bit of distance between them.