◎ I Want to See You No Matter What ◎

Everything was going according to Xu Tiancheng’s plan. From her increasingly heavy breathing, he could tell that his efforts were working. Just as he was about to relax, she suddenly ended the call, making some ridiculous excuse about needing an “anti-addiction app.” A true heartless flirt.

It was bad enough that she wanted to restrain herself, but she even suggested that he do the same. Did she think that was possible? If neither of them made a move, wouldn’t their relationship just fade away?

This time, Xu Tiancheng wasn’t going to let her brush him off so easily. Every time she tried to dismiss him with a casual remark, he would immediately counter. He originally planned to force her to admit that she wouldn’t run away again, but then reconsidered. He couldn’t push too hard—she was someone who could let go just as easily as she could hold on. If he pressured her too much, she might really end things once and for all.

So, he decided to take a softer approach and stick to what had been working.

Thus began Xu Tiancheng’s peacock-display phase of life. Since Teacher Seagull liked muscles, he made sure to cater to her tastes. At work, he dressed formally, keeping up a professional image. But once his colleagues left for the day, he would change into carefully selected, subtly revealing outfits and wait for Teacher Seagull to ring the call on WeChat.

His evening workouts gradually turned into performance pieces. To maintain his actual fitness, he had to work even harder during other hours. Aside from work, his days were filled with intense gym sessions and a ridiculously strict diet. His discipline was almost terrifying—his already low body fat percentage hit a new record. The fear that his physique might decline and cause her to lose interest kept him going.

Xu Tiancheng wasn’t even sure how he managed to take things this far. Every time he thought about it, he found it both absurd and terrifying. But in the end, he just kept going.

Of course, his “butterfly effect” behavior was further fueled by Teacher Seagull’s playful words. Their late-night chats had long surpassed simple flirting—every conversation was so thick with tension that a single spark could set off an explosion.

Every night, Xu Tiancheng would chat with her, his ears burning red. In truth, he had no prior experience with this sort of thing, and he felt like he had already reached his absolute limit.

Then, one day, Teacher Seagull asked to watch him take a shower.

He was completely dumbfounded.

His carefully planned, steady approach had just been hit with an unexpected challenge—or maybe a temptation. It was as if he had been struck by a wrecking ball, leaving him momentarily unable to think straight.

Seeing him speechless for so long, Teacher Seagull mercifully granted him a grace period, meaning she would watch next time instead.

Xu Tiancheng thought about it. Actually, letting her watch wasn’t the issue—the real problem was…

She couldn’t watch for free.

What right did she have to see? If she were his girlfriend, then sure, she could watch however she wanted. If she wanted to see, he would be all hers.

In the bathroom, Xu Tiancheng felt like he was losing his mind, flustered like a lovestruck teenager. She hadn’t even given him a clear answer yet, but in his head, he was already planning a future together.

He abandoned his slow-and-steady strategy. Now, all he could think about was how to make Teacher Seagull agree to be his girlfriend.

What does a man need to attract a woman?

First impressions definitely mattered—appearance was the first thing people noticed.

Beauty standards were subjective, but considering how long Teacher Seagull had maintained interest in him, she must at least like his type.

What else?

“Obviously, financial security,” a friend confidently told him.

So, Xu Tiancheng began subtly showcasing his financial situation in their conversations and photos. While he wasn’t filthy rich, he had more than enough to ensure a lifetime of comfort for her. He could give her the freedom to chase her dreams without worries and provide a safety net if she ever wanted to take a break.

He knew Teacher Seagull was an independent and accomplished professional woman, not someone who cared about money.

But… well, he couldn’t think of a better strategy at the moment. Whether it was a clever tactic or a dumb move, he decided to try everything.

As expected, Teacher Seagull didn’t seem to care at all. He had tried several times, directly and indirectly, to give her gifts, but she always rejected them with a playful remark.

Xu Tiancheng had also tried being direct.

“What do you think about me?”

“What do you think our relationship is?”

 “What do you think of me as a person?”

But no matter how he asked, she never gave him the answer he wanted.

He had asked similar questions many times before.

Seagull always gave intriguing answers, such as: “Haven’t I made it obvious enough?” “What do you think?” “Take a guess. No prizes if you’re right~”

One time, when he was pressed to the limit, he outright confessed that he liked her, only for her to reply, “Who doesn’t like me? Even I like myself.”

Xu Tiancheng wasn’t sure if people saying such ambiguous things meant they were indirectly admitting to something. But when it came to Teacher Seagull, if he didn’t get a definite answer, then it might as well mean nothing at all.

Time and time again, his attempts at testing the waters led to nothing. Xu Tiancheng was growing anxious. Being confined to the internet, there was only so much he could do.

That was when he started thinking about breaking into her real life.

At the very least, he could ask her out for a meal or a coffee, drive her to and from work, and if she was willing, he could even cook for her on weekends. She liked muscles, didn’t she? He could mop the floor shirtless for her.

Anything was better than just existing in her life as a remote presence.

He was completely consumed by love, but who cared? People might only fall this hard once in their lifetime. If he let this chance slip away, there wouldn’t be another.

With that thought in mind, Xu Tiancheng didn’t hesitate to call his old classmate, Old Xie. “Old Xie, it’s me, Tiancheng. Are you still planning to transfer those two stores?”

Old Xie had long since given up hope of selling to him since Xu Tiancheng had always been reluctant to expand to other cities. He had even started negotiating with other buyers. So when he got the call, he was pleasantly surprised. “Huh? Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in expanding?”

“Yeah, I’ve changed my mind,” Xu Tiancheng said firmly. “If you’re still thinking about it, I can come over one day to discuss the details.”

“No! No need! I’ll come to you!” Old Xie was afraid he would back out. “Wait for me. I’ll come over in the next few days!”

Taking over a new store meant he would have to put in extra effort in the short term. Xu Tiancheng planned to work directly from the new location and shift his life there as well. His three existing stores were already running smoothly, and since they weren’t too far away, he could just check in from time to time.

He hesitated for days over whether he should tell Teacher Seagull about this.

Previously, he had sought advice on Xiaofanshu, and someone had warned him against making grand romantic gestures that were touching only to himself but a burden to the other person.

They had a point. He and Teacher Seagull weren’t even at that stage yet. If he suddenly told her, “I’m moving to your city for you,” wouldn’t that be blatant emotional blackmail?

So in the end, he said nothing to her. Everything remained the same between them.

His efforts to impress her had paid off. The dynamic of their conversations had improved significantly.

For instance, in the past, Seagull only flirted with him. But now, when she was feeling down, she would take the initiative to message him:

“Teacher X, warning, warning. A massive wave of negativity is about to be unleashed.”

Xu Tiancheng was actually quite happy about this. When someone is always cheerful and optimistic around you, it means you aren’t that close. It’s only when they trust you enough to share their sadness and frustrations that you become part of their inner circle.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

It seemed she had run into some difficulties at work. She ranted furiously:

“Ahhh! Explosion! Why hasn’t the universe exploded yet?! Ahhh! Praying for the apocalypse! Why isn’t the world ending already?! Boom!”

At the time, Xu Tiancheng was reviewing documents with his lawyer. Old Xie had dumped a mountain of paperwork on him. Old classmates or not, former partners or not, Old Xie had dug plenty of pits for him, trying to squeeze as much out of this deal as possible.

Since they had history, Xu Tiancheng decided not to make a big deal out of it. He sent a few subtle warnings to Old Xie, hinting at him to ease up. Then he exited the chat, feeling a bit frustrated.

With a bitter smile, he sent Teacher Seagull a message: “Who knows, maybe today really is the end of the world.”

Teacher Seagull was clearly still in a terrible mood and completely unhinged: “Boom! Boom! Boom! Blow everything up!”

Then, after sending that, she disappeared.

Xu Tiancheng was used to this. He cheered her up with a message: “Hang in there. I don’t know what’s bothering you, but I know you’ll handle it just fine.”

Over an hour later, Teacher Seagull reappeared. “Ta-da! Problem solved! As expected of me.”

Just a while ago, she had been ready to destroy the world. Now, she was back to teasing him again:

“Since I’m so amazing, Teacher X, would you consider letting me take a little peek at your abs? Just a tiny glimpse. If a full view is too much, I’ll take a partial one. I don’t need it by the kilo, just by the gram.”

Xu Tiancheng chuckled. Wanting to keep the conversation going and learn more about her, he asked, “If today really were the end of the world, what would you do?”

He thought if she mentioned something she wanted to do or a place she wanted to visit, he could take note of it and help her fulfill that wish in the future.

Teacher Seagull replied matter-of-factly, “If today were the end of the world, I would do whatever it takes to come see you.”

Xu Tiancheng saw stars. He knew it was just another one of her sweet words, something she said casually without real intent.

But that didn’t stop him from feeling happy about it.

So, so happy. Even the dense legal documents in front of him didn’t seem as unbearable anymore.

Seeing how cheerful he was, his lawyer—also a long-time friend—patted his shoulder in alarm. “Hey, Brother Cheng, have you lost your mind?”

Xu Tiancheng covered his mouth with his hand, smiling like a fool. “You wouldn’t understand.”

The magic of “I would do whatever it takes to come see you” lingered in his mind. Even after working tirelessly for days to finalize the transfer of Old Xie’s stores, Xu Tiancheng was exhausted yet grinning like a tree coming back to life in spring.

Everyone around him thought he had lost his mind from overwork.

Finally, when he found a rare moment to take a break, the first thing he did was check what brilliant, world-shattering words Seagull had for him today.

Picking up his phone, Xu Tiancheng opened the Xiaofanshu app. The smile on his face froze slightly, and his pupils instantly dilated.

Teacher Seagull—her IP location had changed.

Now, it was exactly the same as his.