Yan Wenshu didn’t tell Zang Ling about Han Lanmeng’s situation at the company. Now that they were already part of the story, there was nothing they could do to stop the plot from progressing. Even if the direction changed, who knew what kind of butterfly effect it would cause?

It was better to stay put for now, at least until the storyline reached the point of no return. By then, he should have already gained his freedom.

But Zang Ling…

She didn’t have a system. Once the world’s consciousness took control, she would be completely at its mercy.

Yan Wenshu had told the system that he wanted to help Zang Ling, but honestly, he had no idea how. He’d thought about asking the system to bind with her once it had enough energy, but was he really supposed to just sit back and watch her go and try to make other people fall for her?

“Yan Wenshu, what are you thinking about? I’ve been calling you for ages.” Zang Ling waved her hand in front of him. “Could it be—”

“You’re thinking about me?”

A bright smile bloomed on Zang Ling’s face. In the sunlight, her pupils shimmered with a light amber hue, her eyes sparkling like the sun itself. Looking at her, Yan Wenshu felt the answer was already obvious.

No. He couldn’t accept that kind of ending.

“I’m thinking about you,” he said softly. He would find a better way.

Zang Ling beamed with delight, pouncing on him and wrapping her arms around his waist, rubbing her face against him. “I really like you, Shushu~”

Yan Wenshu: “You were calling me just now because…?”

She looked up seriously. “Your speech is tomorrow, right? Didn’t you say you were really nervous? Now that you’re off work, I can be your audience.”

“Don’t be scared. You can just think of me as a giant cabbage.”

The system grumbled, [A cabbage, huh.]

[Got a problem with that?]

[…No.] Damn this host.

After practicing a few times, the day of the speech arrived in the blink of an eye.

When they arrived, it just so happened that classes had ended. Watching the vibrant college students around them, then glancing at Yan Wenshu beside her, Zang Ling suddenly sighed heavily.

Yan Wenshu immediately noticed and asked, “Are you feeling bored?”

“No, I just suddenly realized, I’m like an old cow munching on young grass.”

“I’m already old.”

Yan Wenshu laughed. “How could that be? You’re still beautiful.”

“We’re six whole years apart… Yan Wenshu, do you ever feel like there’s a generation gap when talking to me?”

“There’s no gap at all. On the contrary, we have endless things to talk about.” Yan Wenshu glanced sideways at her. “Isn’t that something we’ve both experienced these past few days?”

Zang Ling only sighed about their age difference for a moment before letting it go. “You’re right. It’s almost time for you to go on stage. Nervous? Do you want me to give you a secret weapon?”

“Secret weapon?” Yan Wenshu asked curiously. “What is it?”

The system thought to itself, Whatever it is, don’t give it to him. He’s not nervous at all.

His heartbeat was perfectly steady.

Zang Ling smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out soon enough. Wait for me backstage before you go on.”

Looking at her like that, Yan Wenshu couldn’t help but start anticipating it. What would she give him?

Knowing her, it would definitely be something completely unexpected.

“Yan Wenshu, what are you smiling about?”

Yan Wenshu paused. “Was I smiling?”

Zang Ling nodded solemnly. “Not only were you smiling, but it was especially gentle. I’m kinda jealous now. What were you thinking about just now?”

Yan Wenshu slightly restrained the smile in his eyes and said, “…I was thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep walking together like this forever?”

Zang Ling exaggerated, “Wouldn’t that tire us to death!”

Even so, she quietly reached out and held his hand.

“But if it’s with you, dying together doesn’t sound so bad.”

Yan Wenshu couldn’t help but imagine that scene, and strangely enough, he thought she might just be right.

——

At the Organization Department, Gu Danyi couldn’t understand why her senior was so excited. Wasn’t it just an alumnus coming back to give a speech? Was that really necessary?

“Senior, calm down and take a break. The speech hasn’t even started yet.”

Her senior paced back and forth in excitement. “Danyi, you’re only this calm because you don’t know who’s coming! It’s Yan Wenshu! The officially recognized campus heartthrob of our school! The former school hunk!”

“I don’t care much for school hunks. The current one’s pretty average.”

“But Yan Wenshu is different. If you haven’t seen him with your own eyes, you wouldn’t understand how we’re feeling right now.”

Gu Danyi really couldn’t understand, “There are so many handsome guys at school, no matter how good-looking this Senior Yan is, how good-looking could he possibly be?”

In response to her skepticism, the senior sister directly showed her a picture.

Gu Danyi fell silent, “Senior, you didn’t photoshop this, right?”

“No way! This is a candid shot I managed to capture after much effort.” The senior sister said proudly, “Very handsome, right? Back then, Yan Wenshu had an insane number of admirers, enough to circle the school ten times! But unfortunately, even until he graduated, no one ever managed to win him over.”

“Sounds pretty cold and aloof.”

Gu Danyi glanced at the chat group, “Someone said he came today with a really beautiful woman. Everyone’s saying she might be his girlfriend.”

At that, the senior sister sighed heavily, “I knew it. Guys this impossibly handsome always end up with stunning girlfriends. I saw them too, and honestly, they looked perfect together. I can’t really even imagine what Yan Wenshu would be like in a relationship. His personality is way too cold. Most people only dare admire him from afar, never daring to approach.”

“Then why are you still hung up on him?”

“He’s my unforgettable first crush,” the senior sister replied with a profound look, “You know, no matter how rich or poor you become, or how high you rise in life, there’s always that tiny piece of your heart reserved for your first crush, someone no one else can ever replace.”

“Isn’t that kinda unfair to your future partner?”

The senior sister shrugged nonchalantly, “Danyi, you’re overthinking it. It’s just a metaphor.”

“Senior, someone just said that Senior Yan has already arrived backstage.”

“What?!” The senior sister exclaimed, “Let’s go right now!”

Gu Danyi was about to say she didn’t want to go when the senior sister grabbed her and dragged her along. Fine, fine. she’d go, okay?

By the time they arrived, there weren’t many people backstage. The senior sister looked around curiously, “Didn’t they say he was here? Where is he?”

Gu Danyi scanned the surroundings, equally puzzled. Could the people in the group have lied to them?

Turning her head, she noticed that the door to the lounge was slightly ajar, looking a little suspicious. Could he be in there? Just as she thought that, the senior sister reached out to push it open.

“Senior, wait…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the senior sister had already pushed the door open. Turning back with confusion, she asked, “Danyi, what did you just say?”

“…Senior, you didn’t see anything in there, right?”

“There’s no one inside,” the senior sister said, puzzled. “Did you see someone? There aren’t any ghosts in there, right?” She hugged herself in fear.

Gu Danyi went over and took a look. There really wasn’t anyone inside the lounge, just some chairs left in a bit of a mess.

“I didn’t see anyone either.” She fell into thought. “Senior Yan probably isn’t here. Let’s go look somewhere else.”

“Okay… I really wonder where he went!”

“…”

“Have they left yet?” Zang Ling whispered.

Yan Wenshu tilted his head and listened carefully. “They’re gone.”

“Oh.” She softly responded.

Right now, the two of them were curled up inside the wardrobe, bodies pressed tightly together, so close they could hear each other’s breathing and clearly see every expression on each other’s faces.

Zang Ling’s hands were pressed against Yan Wenshu’s chest. Right on those incredibly firm, perfect muscles. Her fingers subtly moved downward, and then, shamelessly, she swallowed hard.

It felt amazing!

Even though the people outside had already left, neither of them showed any intention of getting out of the wardrobe.

In that narrow, dim space, Yan Wenshu held the person in his arms, lowering his gaze to her trembling eyelashes. For some reason, his mood lifted. She was so small, leaning into him as if he were her entire world.

The system blushed while watching this scene. So… this was the real secret weapon, huh?

A few hours earlier, Yan Wenshu had come backstage following Zang Ling’s instructions. They had met up in the lounge.

Zang Ling had covered the surveillance cameras in advance and gave him the so-called secret weapon —

A kiss.

But just as they had started kissing, they heard voices from outside. In a panic, they quickly separated and instinctively hid inside the wardrobe nearby.

After a long while, Zang Ling finally broke the silence in a small voice, “Should we go out now? Your speech should be starting soon.”

Yan Wenshu looked at her. “Mm.”

Zang Ling left his embrace and stepped out first. Yan Wenshu followed behind, noticing her back was turned to him.

Unable to help himself, he asked, “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No…”

Zang Ling turned around and confessed, “My face is really red right now.”

As for why, Yan Wenshu knew all too well.

After that, neither of them spoke again. One of them lowered their head shyly, while the other turned his head away calmly, though the slight flush of his ears betrayed his true feelings.

Zang Ling took a deep breath. “Yan Wenshu, I think I heard someone calling you. Is it your turn?”

Yan Wenshu, “…Yeah, they’re calling me.”

“Then hurry up and go.” Zang Ling quickly pushed him out while saying, “I’ll watch you from the audience, just like yesterday.”

Before leaving, Yan Wenshu glanced back at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. He suddenly said, “I’m not nervous anymore.”

Zang Ling froze for a second before smiling.

“…Now let’s welcome Senior Yan Wenshu from the Class of 2022 to the stage to share his experiences with us. Everyone, please welcome him!”

Yan Wenshu calmly stepped onto the stage. Looking down at the packed crowd below, he immediately spotted the person he was searching for. Seeing her staring at him without blinking, he smiled lightly and began his speech.

“Today, I’m very happy to stand here and share with you all…”

“In the end, I hope that all my juniors will successfully chase their dreams and find their life’s passion!”

Zang Ling gazed at the shining man on stage, her eyes growing brighter and brighter. In that moment, it felt like she, too, had become one of Yan Wenshu’s juniors, admiring his confident, eloquent presence.

If only they went to the same school, wouldn’t that be so much fun? Zang Ling thought wistfully.

She saw Yan Wenshu coming down from the stage and was about to go find him, but the crowd was too dense to move through. Once again, she was reminded of just how popular her boyfriend was.

This… this was what he called “ordinary”?

Yan Wenshu was way too humble.

As Zang Ling struggled to make her way forward, the crowd suddenly parted. She looked up in surprise, and saw Yan Wenshu walking toward her against the light.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zang Ling stared blankly as he approached and took her hand in his. Inside, she was screaming wildly. Ahhh!! This was so unfairly swoon-worthy!!

“Yan Wenshu,” Zang Ling couldn’t help but say, “just then, you looked like a god descending from the heavens, rescuing me from a sea of people.”

“Hehe, my very own hero.”

Yan Wenshu lowered his eyes with a small smile. Just then, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the message on the screen, frowned slightly, turned off the screen, stuffed the phone into his pocket, and said in a deep voice, “It’s what I should do.”

Not far away, Gu Danyi looked at the unusually silent senior beside her and comforted, “Senior, although Senior Yan already has a girlfriend, don’t be too upset. Maybe they’ll break up soon.”

“No way!” The senior looked up. Gu Danyi realized she didn’t seem as heartbroken as expected. Instead, she smiled strangely. “Yan Wenshu isn’t my first crush anymore. I’m their CP ^[1]couple fan now. I’m shipping them hard!”

“Huh?”

The senior spoke rapidly, her face full of excitement. “Didn’t you see just now? Yan Wenshu’s girlfriend couldn’t get through the crowd, and then Yan Wenshu went to find her, located her in the sea of people, and took her hand without hesitation… Don’t you think that’s super cute?! I’ve already created their CP fan group. I don’t even know what his girlfriend’s name is yet, but do you want to join, Danyi?”

Gu Danyi thought about it, 

“I’m in.”