Chapter 13

Although their romantic relationship had been established, Bai Zining always felt that Zhu Shizhou might only have a mild fondness for “Cai Ning,” far from the level of genuine affection.

Zhu Shizhou didn’t know what “she” looked like, nor did he understand “her.” He had no curiosity about “her” life or past, which was a dangerous sign.

He needed to make Zhu Shizhou fall for him as soon as possible.

But for now, his only bargaining chip was his legs.

Bai Zining decided to make the most of this sole advantage and take it to the next level.

If he was only taking photos of his legs, a half-skirt would suffice. So, he began browsing online, carefully selecting skirts to buy.

While debating which of two skirts to choose, he suddenly remembered that most guys seemed to enjoy their girlfriend relying on them. So, he decided to hand over the decision-making power to Zhu Shizhou and see how he would respond.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【[Picture]】

Hawthorn Porridge: 【[Picture]】

Hawthorn Porridge: 【Gege, which of these two skirts looks better?】

Ferry: 【Both look good.】

Ferry: 【[Transferred 1,000 yuan]】

Zhu Shizhou was this generous? Bai Zining tapped the orange transfer box and hit the refund button.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【I don’t want gege’s money. I can buy skirts for myself.】

Ferry: 【Both look good. Buy them both.】

Ferry: 【Good girl.】

Hawthorn Porridge: 【Alright, I’ve ordered both. But gege, I really can’t take your money. I hope our relationship can stay a bit more pure like it was before.】

He was a pure love scammer, not a money scammer.

Bai Zining couldn’t find a suitable or discreet place to take photos, and it wasn’t an option to take them in front of the dorm mirror. So, all his creativity had to be confined to his bed. Once the bed curtain was drawn, no one could tell what he was doing inside.

To leave the impression of a sweet, soft girl, Bai Zining even went out of his way to buy two undeniably feminine bed sheets. Otherwise, using the same background all the time might make Zhu Shizhou think “she” wasn’t tidy.

I’ve got the details nailed perfectly, Bai Zining thought smugly to himself.

He sent Zhu Shizhou a leg photo once a day, each time using a different excuse.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【The skirt I bought last time arrived. Gege gets to see it first.】

The picture showed someone wearing a black puff skirt, revealing only two fair thighs. Fingers rested shyly on the edge of the skirt, exuding a hint of bashfulness.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【My roommate said I look better in the white one. What does gege think?】

The accompanying photo featured him half-kneeling on the bed, wearing a white tiered skirt with red ribbon accents along the hem, provoking endless imagination.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【Wearing this skirt today.】

The photo showed a denim skirt paired with white calf socks. A playful “V” sign was made in front of the camera, exuding a cute and lively vibe.

As expected, Zhu Shizhou’s reactions never surprised him, that’s always a string of compliments. Although his tone wasn’t overly enthusiastic, Bai Zining could tell that Zhu Shizhou was absolutely smitten.

As the weather grew warmer, Bai Zining noticed that Zhu Shizhou’s money transfers were becoming more and more frequent.

Bai Zining mentioned that it had been so hot lately, and Zhu Shizhou transferred 500 yuan, telling him to buy cold drinks and sunscreen.

When he said his shoes were rubbing against his feet, Zhu Shizhou immediately transferred 1,000 yuan without a second thought, telling him to buy new ones.

When he complained that the watermelons at the fruit shop were newly in season and expensive, which was 68 yuan for half a watermelon, Zhu Shizhou promptly transferred 500 yuan and told him to buy one if he wanted it.

Bai Zining hadn’t accepted a single transfer. He didn’t know what had triggered this sudden behavior, so he searched online and found a post where someone described an identical situation to his.

The top-voted comment read:

【He’s only doing this because he’s confident you won’t accept the money. It lets him appear generous, makes you feel like he’s being thoughtful, and doesn’t actually cost him anything—a threefold win. Try accepting it once, and he’ll definitely stop doing it next time.】

Bai Zining stared at the comment in amazement, clicking his tongue in wonder. What a clever strategy.

So, when Bai Zining casually mentioned that his roommate had done new nail art and Zhu Shizhou transferred him 500 yuan, he clicked accept.

The next day, as usual, he sent a message to share something about his day, and a new transfer of 1,000 yuan came through again.

Bai Zining’s heart raced. As the saying goes, where a man’s money goes, his love follows.

Zhu Shizhou must really, really like him.

As expected, the power of legs was limitless.

With two-thirds of his plan already successful, Bai Zining was so happy that he spent the entire day grinning from ear to ear.

·

By mid-June, all courses were entering their final review and key-point consolidation phase, with exams gradually beginning.

After receiving a new package, Bai Zining secretly opened it and stuffed the contents into his wardrobe. He did a quick count, this was already the sixth skirt he’d bought. If someone unaware of the situation were to open his wardrobe, they’d probably think he was some kind of pervert.

Moreover, thanks to big data, his Taobao recommendations were now filled with things like spaghetti strap dresses, lace skirts, and all sorts of women’s clothing. The algorithm seemed off the rails, even recommending women’s underwear. Bai Zining clicked “Not Interested” on all of them.

Bai Zining had originally planned to break up with Zhu Shizhou in June, leaving him heartbroken. However, since everyone was currently busy reviewing for exams, he realized that with Zhu Shizhou’s level of affection for him, the breakup would undoubtedly hit him hard and affect his performance during finals.

Although Bai Zining disliked Zhu Shizhou, he was also aware that Zhu Shizhou consistently had a high GPA and ranked in the top three in his major. There was even a chance he might apply for a graduate school recommendation in the future.

If he distracted Zhu Shizhou during this critical period and caused him to underperform in finals, potentially ruining his future, the guilt would be too much to bear.

He decided to postpone his breakup plan for the time being.

Everything would wait until after they both finished their final exams.

On Wednesday afternoon, after finishing an exam, Cai Yu was invited by classmates to a birthday celebration. Bai Zining politely declined and returned to the dorm alone.

He wanted to take advantage of the empty dorm to snap some photos, further deepening Zhu Shizhou’s feelings for him before the breakup.

He had checked the class schedule; both Zhu Shizhou and Zuo Xingwei had classes this afternoon, making this a rare opportunity.

Bai Zining pulled a skirt from the depths of his wardrobe and began trying it on. This particular skirt had also been chosen by Zhu Shizhou.

It’s a gray JK uniform skirt.

After changing, Bai Zining stood in front of the mirror, occasionally admiring his legs and spinning around to test the skirt’s twirl. Completely immersed in self-admiration, he failed to notice that the door had been opened.

By the time he heard the sound, it was already a little too late. He turned his head just as the door was halfway open. In the fastest move of his life, he scrambled onto the bed, pulled a small blanket over himself, and tightly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

He hadn’t clearly seen who was at the door, but no matter who it was, they absolutely couldn’t see him like this.

“Bai Zining?” a voice called.

It was Zhu Shizhou’s voice. Bai Zining’s heart tightened, but he didn’t respond.

“Stop pretending to be asleep. The noise you made climbing onto the bed was so loud—I’m not deaf,” Zhu Shizhou said.

Bai Zining hesitantly opened his eyes, trembling slightly, only to see Zhu Shizhou standing right next to his bed, looking at him through the bed railing.

He forced himself to steady his voice and asked, “What’s up?”

“Why is your face so red? Are you running a fever?” Zhu Shizhou frowned, looking genuinely concerned.

“No, it’s just because I’m hot,” Bai Zining replied quickly.

“The air conditioner is set to 26 degrees,” Zhu Shizhou stated matter-of-factly. Suddenly, he reached out and placed his hand on Bai Zining’s forehead.

Bai Zining jolted, startled, but before he could pull away, he heard Zhu Shizhou say, “Your temperature feels off, you must have a fever. I remember your health isn’t great; you even got sick last year. Get up, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

As Zhu Shizhou reached out to support Bai Zining by the shoulder, Bai Zining was so frightened that he was on the verge of tears. If Zhu Shizhou saw him like this, it would all be over.

His mind raced, and then he coughed lightly a couple of times, pretending to feel unwell. In a soft voice, he said, “I do feel a bit sick, but I don’t want to go to the infirmary. Zhu Shizhou, could you help me buy some medicine? Thank you.”

Zhu Shizhou pulled out his phone and said, “I’ll ask Xie Cheng to buy it for you. I’ll stay here to take care of you.”

“No, no,” Bai Zining quickly reached out to stop him from calling Xie Cheng, pleading pitifully, “Don’t trouble anyone else. You helping me is enough, okay?”

“Alright, wait for me,” Zhu Shizhou replied.

Bai Zining was too nervous to notice the smile on Zhu Shizhou’s face as he turned around, or the slight tremble of his shoulders.