“Senior Zhou, do you have some time now? I have something to discuss with you.”

Zhou He exuded a cold aura. “Lin, I don’t think we’re close enough to sit down and chat like that.”

Startled by the icy look in his eyes, Lin Bai instinctively let go of Zhou He’s sleeve. His eyes welled up with tears as he gazed at Zhou He innocently. “I’m sorry, Senior Zhou. I just wanted to ask you some questions about our coursework.”

Zhou He frowned at the face that bore some resemblance to Shen Nanxing’s. Feeling repulsed, he replied curtly, “I’m not a teacher. You’ve got the wrong person.”

With that, Zhou He rejected him without mercy and strode away.

Lin Bai felt utterly humiliated. He had assumed that since he’d met Zhou He twice through Fu Chengyu, Zhou wouldn’t refuse him so bluntly in public. But he was dead wrong. Zhou He had denied him outright, leaving him no dignity.

Feeling aggrieved, Lin Bai endured the strange looks from the surrounding crowd and stumbled away from the food street.

Back in his dormitory, he opened his phone and messaged Fu Chengyu. For some reason, Lin Bai always felt confident that Fu Chengyu would never reject him.

He first sent a photo of his scraped knee but deleted it a moment later.

Still, Fu Chengyu saw the image and asked him what had happened.

A trace of satisfaction flashed in Lin Bai’s eyes as he picked up his phone to reply.

[“I was…”]

He quickly deleted the message.

[“No, it’s nothing. I just accidentally fell.”]

Lin Bai had crafted his words carefully, deliberately trying to make it seem like someone had bullied him.

As expected, Fu Chengyu misunderstood and assumed someone had pushed him. He immediately called, his voice full of concern, promising to stand up for him.

Lin Bai pretended to brush it off, saying, “The other person probably didn’t mean it. Just let it go.”

Fu Chengyu, eager to impress Lin Bai and win his favor, insisted, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will dare mess with you.”

After gently comforting Lin Bai, Fu Chengyu finally hung up.

He couldn’t help but recall the first time he saw Lin Bai.

Behind the school’s main building was a lush grove where many stray cats often wandered.

Lin Bai, as usual, had brought cat food to feed them. Wearing a simple white shirt and gray trousers, he crouched down, gently petting the cats while speaking softly, “There’s plenty for everyone. Eat slowly, okay?”

His tone was tender, a warm smile on his face. Occasionally, a playful kitten would lick his fingers, making Lin Bai chuckle.

Fu Chengyu had stood frozen, captivated by the scene. The quiet, delicate aura Lin Bai exuded reminded him of Shen Nanxing.

When Lin Bai finally turned around, Fu Chengyu was taken aback. His breath caught—this person looked so similar to Shen Nanxing.

A strange desire surged within him. He wanted Lin Bai to belong to him.

The famously aloof Fu Chengyu had, for the first time, taken the initiative. With a rare, charming smile, he approached and asked,

“Hey, do you often come here to feed the cats?”

Lin Bai was startled and let out a small gasp, feeling the intense gaze Fu Chengyu was giving him.

It was the first time anyone had looked at him like this, and it made him feel a bit uneasy. His ears flushed slightly, and he answered quietly, “Y-yes.”

Seeing him shy, Fu Chengyu deliberately took a step closer, now standing very near, his voice low and pleasant, “You really are kind.”

Lin Bai could smell Fu Chengyu’s unique scent at such close range and instinctively took a step back. “Do you need something?”

Fu Chengyu was a little surprised; he hadn’t expected the person in front of him not to recognize him. After all, he was very popular at school, with countless followers and admirers. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Nothing. I just thought you looked like a younger brother of mine.”

Lin Bai responded with a simple, “Oh,” and didn’t engage any further, continuing to feed the cats.

This was the first time Fu Chengyu had been ignored like this, and his expression darkened. He persisted, “Don’t you think we’re fated to meet? How about we get to know each other?”

By now, Lin Bai realized that Fu Chengyu was trying to hit on him. He turned down the offer, saying, “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think your way of hitting on someone is a bit old-fashioned?” Lin Bai added with a glare before quickly walking away.

Fu Chengyu watched him leave but didn’t immediately chase after him. Instead, he became more determined to make Lin Bai his. It was the first time someone had spoken to him like that.

Thinking back to Lin Bai’s every action, Fu Chengyu found him to be a livelier version of Shen Nanxing. Although Shen Nanxing was beautiful, his frailty lacked the liveliness Lin Bai possessed. Lin Bai’s presence made up for that gap.

Having grown up with Shen Nanxing, Fu Chengyu had known for a long time that they would marry one day. Although he liked him, it didn’t stop him from letting other people into his life. Shen Nanxing’s fragile health meant he couldn’t endure too much, so Fu Chengyu never showed his darker side in front of him.

From that point on, Fu Chengyu began to frequent the complex building, pretending to “coincidentally” run into Lin Bai.

On their second meeting, Fu Chengyu had done his homework. He brought cat food and claimed he was there to feed the strays too, hoping to get closer to Lin Bai.

On their third meeting…

What Fu Chengyu didn’t know was that Lin Bai had already known who he was from the first time they met. As a well-known figure on the school forum, it was impossible not to recognize him. Lin Bai had purposely pretended not to know, wanting to leave a strong impression on Fu Chengyu.

He understood that men always want what they can’t have, so he was determined to become Fu Chengyu’s most special person.

At this moment, who was the hunter and who was the prey? Who could say for sure?

On the other side, Shen Nanxing distanced himself from the two, slowing his pace only after putting quite a bit of space between them.

He had been walking quickly earlier, and now his forehead was sweaty and his breathing was a bit labored. He felt his heart racing. He found a nearby spot to sit down and took a while to calm down.

In his heart, he felt a bit relieved—thankfully, he had escaped quickly. All he wanted was to stay away from the main characters and live his life peacefully.

When he exited the school gate, Shen Nanxing immediately spotted the car waiting for him. He patted his nearly-empty stomach and resignedly got in. Sigh, he hadn’t even had time to buy something good to eat.

Back home, after eating, Shen Nanxing switched to his reading mode. This kind of life was simply wonderful.

As evening approached, Shen Chuanqiong came back. He walked straight to Shen Nanxing’s room with ease. Knowing his obedient little brother, Shen Chuanqiong was sure that he was lying in bed reading a novel.

When he opened the door, he was proven right.

Shen Nanxing was reading an apocalyptic novel, where the protagonist had awakened superpowers and was incredibly strong. He crushed a zombie’s head with one hand and even extracted its crystal core.

He was currently engrossed in the novel’s climax, where the protagonist was battling the antagonist. Shen Nanxing was so absorbed in the story that he didn’t even notice anyone had entered his room.