Chapter 6: The Promise

The group stood outside the hot pot restaurant, waiting for a taxi to arrive.

Lu Yi lazily tucked his hands into his pockets, standing beside Lin Zhizhi. He slightly lowered his head to look at her.

Under the warm glow of the streetlights, Lu Yi seemed almost godlike— his features chiseled and handsome, his eyes captivating. His thin lips parted slightly. “I’ll take you home.”

Lin Zhizhi tilted her head slightly to look at Lu Yi, momentarily stunned.

Too handsome! Way too handsome! This level of attractiveness should be illegal!!!

Although Lin Zhizhi was internally screaming like an excited groundhog, she maintained a calm and graceful demeanor, exuding gentle elegance.

“Alright, but you have to wait for me for a moment.” After saying this, without giving Lu Yi a chance to respond, Lin Zhizhi headed to the parking lot to get her car.  

Lu Yi watched the tall and slender figure gradually walking away, a trace of doubt flashing through his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Lin Zhizhi’s last smile looked like that of someone about to succeed in a prank.  

“Eh? Old Lu, where is Goddess going? Isn’t she coming with us?” Liao Hui noticed that Lin Zhizhi had left alone.  

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lu Yi. He glanced at them before casually shifting his gaze toward the direction Lin Zhizhi had left. His demeanor remained indifferent, but he still responded: “She’ll be back soon.”  

At that moment, a fiery red convertible sports car drove toward them and stopped steadily in front of the group.  

What a perfect match of luxury car and beauty! Dressed in a pure white dress, Lin Zhizhi sat gracefully in the sports car. She looked delicate and gentle, with one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other was raised in greeting to everyone.  

“Wow, Goddess?!” Liao Hui’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he excitedly patted the person next to him.  

“Haha, Old Lu, are you jealous?” Li Haoming teased as he looked at Lu Yi mischievously.  

Lu Yi stared at Lin Zhizhi, who was smiling radiantly at him.

At that moment, his heart, which had never beaten faster for anyone, suddenly quickened for her.

It turned out she was not just delicate and in need of careful protection—she could also be bold and passionate, shining brilliantly. The combination of these two types of beauty made her unique and mesmerizing.  

Since they were all still university freshmen in their youthful years, it was clear that they had a deep admiration for sports cars.

The boys excitedly examined the vehicle, their hands eager to touch it, while the girls, though equally thrilled, maintained a more reserved demeanor as they admired it.  

After Lu Yi got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, Lin Zhizhi cheerfully bid farewell to the others before skillfully starting the engine. With a light press on the accelerator, the sports car swiftly disappeared from their sight.  

The group continued to talk animatedly, still immersed in excitement and dreams of the future.

However, none of them noticed that Song Nuan remained silent, her fingers clutching the fabric of her dress so tightly that her knuckles turned white.  

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Lin Zhizhi didn’t drive fast, as they were in the bustling city center filled with people.  

The city’s night was as bright as day, illuminated by countless dazzling lights.  

“So? My driving skills aren’t bad, right? Giving you a ride was definitely worth it, wasn’t it?” Lin Zhizhi tilted her head slightly to glance at Lu Yi.  

“Not bad. But could you pull over up ahead? I think we need to talk.” Lu Yi said, his body completely relaxed as he leaned lazily against the passenger seat, one hand resting casually on the window.  

“Okay, no problem.”  

Lin Zhizhi parked the car, then turned to look at Lu Yi.

“Lin Zhizhi, let’s officially start dating!” Lu Yi stared intently at Lin Zhizhi, his tone serious.

That one sentence left Lin Zhizhi stunned.

She had thought Lu Yi would bring up that night or ask why she had left without saying goodbye the next morning. She never expected Lu Yi to propose officially dating right away.

“Is it because we slept together that night? Lu Yi, you need to know I don’t need you to take responsibility. We can just pretend that night never happened.”

“But…”

Before he could finish, Lin Zhizhi interrupted him. “How about this — let’s date for two months. If we don’t fall in love with each other within two months, we part ways. What do you think?”

“Alright.”

“Great, it’s settled then, boyfriend.” Lin Zhizhi blinked playfully at her newly minted, handsome boyfriend.

“Boyfriend, I’ll tell you a secret in two months.”

“Alright, I’ll be waiting.” A hint of amusement flickered in Lu Yi’s dark, ink-like eyes as his deep voice resonated softly.

The atmosphere between them was just right.

Meanwhile, in one of the dorm rooms at Peking University’s girls’ dormitory, the atmosphere was cold and silent. None of the four roommates spoke, as if each was waiting for someone else to break the silence.

“Song Nuan, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?” Liu Ji, known for her fiery temper, finally broke the silence.

“Nuan Nuan, that dinner was really awkward. Fortunately, Lin Zhizhi didn’t know about our plan. Otherwise…” The dorm leader, Zhang Yening, chimed in.

“Aren’t you and Lu Yi from the same high school and in the same class? They were already dating in high school. How could you not know?” Liu Ji blurted out bluntly.

How could Song Nuan not know? When Lu Tian came to cause trouble for Lu Yi, it happened right at the school gate. She had been following Lu Yi then and had witnessed everything — including how Lu Yi had shielded Lin Zhizhi behind him and admitted she was his girlfriend.

But she had liked Lu Yi for so long, and suddenly, without warning, he had a girlfriend. How could she accept that?

After starting university, she hadn’t seen Lin Zhizhi and Lu Yi together. She didn’t know if they had broken up or not. But… what if they had?

With a mix of fear and hope, Song Nuan had dressed up carefully before heading to the hot pot restaurant.

Faced with her roommates’ questions, Song Nuan quietly clenched her hands into fists, refusing to admit that she had known about Lu Yi and Lin Zhizhi’s relationship in high school.