Lu Jin replied, “It depends on the person. Some relax in college, while others stay disciplined.”

He Ye responded, “You must be one of those disciplined ones, right?”

Lu Jin smiled, “I don’t want to disappoint my girlfriend.”

He Ye tried to convince him, “Then don’t come here every week. It’s a waste of time going back and forth.”

Lu Jin said, “I won’t waste time. I can read on the high-speed train, and I can use my laptop, so I won’t fall behind on homework.”

He Ye quietly muttered, “…You’re amazing, but I still want to read on weekends.” 

If he follows his plan, leaving Saturday noon and returning Sunday afternoon, He Ye will have to set aside one day each week to be with her boyfriend.

Lu Jin suggested, “I’ll go to the library with you. We can study and eat together. College couples from the same school should spend weekends this way.”

He Ye was surprised.

Lu Jin squeezed her hand and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t distract you from your studies.”

He Ye didn’t have anything else to say to change his mind.

Lu Jin carefully took her on a tour of the school, followed signs to find the teaching building for the School of Mechanical Engineering, and then walked around the girls’ dormitory building.

He Ye asked, “If you come here, won’t you have to spend money on a hotel?”

Lu Jin ruffled her hair playfully, “Why do you always think about money?”

He then showed her his phone, which displayed his savings: six figures (100,000 or more).

He Ye also had a six-figure savings account, but hers started with “1” while Lu Jin’s started with “6.”

She stammered, “Where did you get so much?”

Lu Jin explained, “New Year’s money, competition prize money, college entrance exam scholarships, red envelopes from family, and my recent internship pay.”

He Ye was shocked.

Lu Jin added casually, “If you’re not comfortable living in the dorm, we can rent a place outside.”

He Ye thought this was a silly suggestion and protested, “Why would we rent? Rent in Shanghai must be super high. Even if I had a lot of money, I can’t be as reckless as you!”

Lu Jin replied, “I’m just worried your roommates might be hard to get along with.”

He Ye responded, “You’re overthinking it…”

Even though she was socially anxious, she had never had conflicts with classmates.

It was past noon when they finished exploring the school.

The two found a nearby restaurant that looked nice.

The air conditioning made He Ye feel lazy, and with the bright sun outside, she wasn’t excited about their afternoon travel plan.

Lu Jin was full of energy and took her outside to hail a taxi. After a sleepy hour in the car, they finally arrived at the Bund, a famous waterfront area in Shanghai.

The scenery was beautiful, but the sun was strong.

He Ye, usually a homebody, felt tired after the initial excitement and just wanted a cool place to relax.

“Why don’t we go back now?” she suggested after posing at the photo spot Lu Jin picked.

Lu Jin laughed, “Tired?”

He Ye nodded, suggesting they could visit later when it was cooler.

Lu Jin led her to a place to sit and took out his phone.

He Ye thought he was booking a high-speed rail ticket, so she ignored him, fanning herself with a folding fan he had brought for her.

After a moment, Lu Jin put his phone away and pointed to an expensive-looking hotel. “I’ve booked a room there. Let’s go rest first. I’ll take you out later when it’s cooler. The Bund looks beautiful at night, and I want to see it with you.”

He Ye was surprised and said, “It’s already three o’clock. Just to find a place to rest, you…”

Lu Jin replied calmly, “I value rest. If I rest well, I can enjoy the night.”

He Ye wanted to say more, but Lu Jin took her to the hotel, insisting, “It’s already booked, so don’t overthink it.”

Her feet were sore, and seeing her boyfriend’s confident demeanor made her curious. “How much was it?”

Lu Jin said, “Three thousand five. No refunds.”

He Ye was shocked.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the hotel’s luxurious lobby.

It was He Ye’s first time in a hotel, and she tried to act normal while looking around.

The receptionist greeted them politely and confirmed Lu Jin’s reservation: “You booked a deluxe room with a river view, right?”

Lu Jin nodded.

The front desk needed both of their ID cards.

Lu Jin was prepared when they arrived.

He Ye stood behind him, but she didn’t expect facial recognition to be required.

She stiffened as she looked at the scanning camera.

“Okay, here’s your room card. Check-out is tomorrow at noon. If you need anything, just call us. Enjoy your stay!” 

Lu Jin took the room card and headed to the elevator with a nervous He Ye.

He Ye asked quietly, “You don’t really want to stay overnight, do you?”

She started to feel anxious.

Lu Jin replied, “It’s up to you. If you want to see the night view, it’s fine to stay overnight.”

He Ye said, “No, I told my dad I’d go home tonight.”

Lu Jin looked at her, his expression unreadable, whether reassuring or slightly displeased.

He Ye couldn’t tell.

The elevator arrived at their floor, and the quiet, beautifully carpeted hallway made her even more nervous as they approached the room.

But the money was already spent, and if she regretted it now, she would just be wasting what Lu Jin had paid.

With a “beep,” Lu Jin swiped the room card and opened the door.

He stood aside to let He Ye enter first.

He Ye tried to act natural.

The deluxe room wasn’t very big, but everything inside, from the bathroom to the double bed in the center, showed luxury.

He Ye quickly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside, there was a beautiful river view, which made the “river view room” worth the price.

She heard water running in the bathroom. Lu Jin was washing his face.

He Ye needed to take care of some personal matters too.

Lu Jin came out and asked, “Do you want to use it?”

He Ye blushed and went in, closing the door behind her.

She stayed inside for a few minutes, taking extra time to wash her face and wipe her arms, feeling nervous about what Lu Jin might do when she came out.

Before coming here, she thought he might hug her, kiss her, or more.

However, standing in this setting, her worries grew.

Finally, He Ye gathered her courage and stepped out.

Lu Jin had drawn the curtains and left just a night light on. He was sitting on the desk chair and said, “You can sleep now. I set the alarm for two hours.”

He Ye replied, “What about you?”

Lu Jin showed her his phone.

She didn’t believe it.

She sat on the love seat by the window, hugging a pillow.

Lu Jin smiled and asked, “Why don’t you go rest?”

He Ye gave him a side glance.

Lu Jin stopped pretending. He put down his silent phone, left his chair, and walked toward the sofa.

He Ye clutched the pillow tightly.

Lu Jin easily pulled it away and pushed her back against the sofa.

She grabbed his arm nervously and said, “Don’t do that.”

Lu Jin hummed softly and started kissing her.

His hands wanted to roam, but his dress limited him, so he whispered in her ear, “Take it off? I’m afraid it will get wrinkled.”

“No,” came out of He Ye’s mouth, but he half-blocked it with his kiss.

She tightly held the hem of her skirt.

Lu Jin kissed her for a long time. When she started to relax, he suddenly lifted her up and placed her on the bed.

As her body went into the air, her hands released the hem of her skirt, which now sat at her waist when she landed on the soft bed.

She felt scared, but surprisingly, Lu Jin just continued to kiss her, supporting her with one hand and holding her face with the other.

However, He Ye couldn’t relax and stayed alert.

Eventually, his hand moved toward her back.

This had happened before, and He Ye quickly counted, hoping he would stop in time.

She shouted for him to stop. He did pause, but before she could relax, he went lower.

He Ye grabbed his head and exclaimed, “Lu Jin!”

The room was dark; her heart raced like a drum as he loomed over her, his hot breath on her skin.

The tension felt dangerous, and each breath heightened her fear.

After what felt like an eternity, Lu Jin pulled down her skirt and innocently kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep; I’ll take a shower.”

He left, leaving behind an unsettling fear.

When the bathroom door closed, He Ye sat up, feeling weak from fear.

Although Lu Jin treated her well, she was reluctant to take the next step.

The guest room was silent enough that she could hear Lu Jin taking off his shirt, and her mind wandered to the scene.

Why was he showering?

He Ye felt panicked and confused, and she was also thirsty from being out in the sun for too long.

She glanced at Lu Jin’s backpack on the desk; both of their water bottles were inside.

He Ye tiptoed over and unzipped his bag.

When she reached for her bottle of water, her hand brushed against a box of items.

Her family owns a supermarket, so she was familiar with many product shapes and textures.

But at this moment, only one thought crossed her mind.

She secretly opened the inner pocket.

In the dim light of the night light, He Ye saw familiar adult products, many of which were displayed at the supermarket’s cash register.

Her gaze drifted to the bathroom.

The sound of running water indicated Lu Jin was showering.

A grown man who could easily lift her into bed.

Separated by a wall.

Lu Jin stood in the shower, water running over him.

He wanted to act on his plans since he suggested the trip to Shanghai. Zhou Xiangming was right; he was clever and calculating.

But she was so scared that she wouldn’t relax no matter how much he kissed her.

On one side was logic, and on the other was emotion and desire.

Lu Jin didn’t know what he would do once he stepped out.

So, he took a long shower—twenty minutes, or maybe half an hour?

Even cold water didn’t help; his desire remained strong.

He put on a short-sleeved shirt and pants, looked at himself in the mirror, then opened the door.

The room was eerily quiet, so still that even her breathing seemed absent.

Lu Jin turned around, quickly scanning the desk, the sofa by the window, and finally the luxurious bed.

The bed was empty except for the wrinkled quilt, which showed someone had been there.