Chapter 36

Zhang Wei’s gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Yan Zhou.

He wasn’t a stranger to her. They were both from Qing City, attending the same junior and senior high schools. Lin Yan Zhou had been the object of many girls’ secret affections in junior high, and to the boys, he was an unattainable presence.

Zhang Wei’s family wasn’t poor, but she was overweight when she was younger. She was insecure and timid. Later, she looked up to Lin Yan Zhou countless times. He was like a star forever shining in the sky, out of reach, but his light was visible.

She worked hard because of him, studying, exercising, and beautifying herself until she was completely transformed. During college, she became a campus goddess.

Yet, Lin Yan Zhou still didn’t see her.

Zhang Wei excelled in her studies, not only in written exams but also in extracurricular activities. She participated in every activity that could challenge her. She thought that when she became as dazzling as him, they would be a perfect couple.

But when she tried to gauge Lin Yan Zhou’s feelings, she was met with his blatant rejection.

Zhang Wei was heartbroken for a long time.

She could sense his aversion to everything around him, an aversion not directed solely at her. Although he appeared gentle and kind on the surface.

They were in the same class, and apart from occasional group projects, they rarely interacted. But she was sure that no one around them truly understood Lin Yan Zhou.

Excellent, handsome, gentle.

Just superficial words.

In the large lecture hall, the entrepreneur sat on the stage, talking eloquently. The suit he wore was almost identical to Lin Yan Zhou’s, but standing next to Lin Yan Zhou, even the most expensive suit became cheap.

Wherever Lin Yan Zhou stood, it naturally became the focal point of the crowd.

As the rumored female lead in Lin Yan Zhou’s love life, Zhang Wei felt a sense of pride, a mixture of being envied and jealous by the public, while also feeling heartbroken about her own feelings. Those gazes seemed to pull her out of her past insecurities.

Look, she was now the object of everyone’s envy.

And she was rumored to be involved with the male god.

The rain pounded against the glass windows, forming a hazy layer of watermarks. The branches and leaves of the trees outside became blurred.

The room was instantly filled with a strong, damp, fishy smell.

Zhang Wei walked towards the corner where Lin Yan Zhou was sitting.

It was a dark, rainy day. The white incandescent lights on the ceiling were bright, making the corner dim. Sensing someone approaching, Lin Yan Zhou slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Zhang Wei.

The smile on Zhang Wei’s face froze under his gaze.

The man was enveloped in an indescribable gloom. Beneath his black pupils, a rich crimson seemed to overflow. His gaze was emotionless, as if she were an inanimate object. This look made her wonder if Lin Yan Zhou disliked her, but in the blink of an eye, he looked away.

Zhang Wei’s sixth sense was tingling. She should stay away from Lin Yan Zhou, but her feet moved uncontrollably towards him.

She stood beside him, her low heels clicking on the wet, sticky floor.

She sensed something was wrong.

Lin Yan Zhou turned his head to look at her, his brow slightly furrowed.

Zhang Wei moved a few steps closer to him, whispering, “Thank you for coming here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get Mr. Zhao to come. You know, he’s notoriously short-tempered in the industry.”

Lin Yan Zhou retreated half a step without a change in expression, “It’s nothing. I can learn something too.”

Zhang Wei was usually confident and outgoing. But whenever she was around Lin Yan Zhou, her eloquence and effortless demeanor vanished. She became nervous, her cheeks flushed, and her heart beat uncontrollably.

After a long silence, she took a beautifully wrapped gift box out of her coat pocket, “This is chocolate I made myself. It’s a thank you gift.”

Mr. Zhao, whom she had invited, had interacted with Lin Yan Zhou before and had publicly praised his talent and work ethic.

Zhang Wei had successfully invited Mr. Zhao through this connection.

Adding a brilliant touch to her future resume.

Lin Yan Zhou’s gaze didn’t waver, his cold tone matching his expression, “No need.”

Zhang Wei felt awkward and didn’t say anything more. She stood silently beside him.

The rain intensified.

Wei Jing An sat upright in her chair, her gaze shifting several times to the couple in the corner. She pursed her lips in displeasure, lowering her eyelashes to hide the disappointment in her eyes.

The lecture was extended indefinitely. The entrepreneur had clearly found joy in lecturing young people from his own experience, speaking endlessly.

This was a torment for Wei Jing An.

Li Jing Jing noticed her discomfort, looked over, and saw that Wei Jing An’s face was pale. Although Wei Jing An was thin, she ate a lot. If she didn’t eat for a long time, she would feel very uncomfortable.

She felt her fingers losing strength, and her vision blurred. The rain continued relentlessly, and the entrepreneur began to talk about his past hardships to encourage the students to have a long-term vision and not be afraid of difficulties.

“Jing Jing, it’s my fault. I’ll go home with you,” Li Jing Jing said apologetically.

Wei Jing An smiled at her, “It’s my own fault for coming. I’m fine, I’m just a little hungry…” She glanced around. They were sitting in the back, and she had wanted to get a better look at Lin Yan Zhou. But she was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would faint.

“You still have to get the gift. It’s prepared by Zhang Wei, the senior. You stay, I’ll go back.”

Li Jing Jing didn’t want to give up on the gift. When she came, she saw the bag and saw something she wanted, so she didn’t refuse. She gave Wei Jing An a few instructions, “If you can’t manage alone, call me.”

Wei Jing An nodded and said softly to Zhao Jing Ze, “Please, I need to go out.”

Zhao Jing Ze nodded repeatedly, his ears turning red as he stood up.

Wei Jing An slipped out the back door.

Leaving the classroom, the cool breeze blowing down the corridor instantly sent shivers through Wei Jing An’s exposed skin. It wasn’t just the discomfort of hunger, but also the shock of seeing Lin Yan Zhou and Zhang Wei standing together.

She reached into her pocket, habitually checking for the candy she carried. It was gone.

She had forgotten to replenish her supply.

Standing by the window, the fine rain seeped in. Wei Jing An didn’t have an umbrella. She was about to go to the supermarket next to the classroom to buy one when she heard footsteps behind her.

The sound of leather shoes on the empty corridor was like a drumbeat in her chest. She was enveloped in shadow, her body unresponsive. She just stared blankly at the spiderweb-like rain streaks on the glass window, the man’s unique scent quickly replacing the faint smell of rain in the air.

A faint, cotton candy-like sweetness.

Or perhaps the scent of some kind of sea creature.

In the near-suffocating silence, Wei Jing An heard Lin Yan Zhou’s gentle voice.

“Junior?”

Lin Yan Zhou stood behind her, his gaze falling on her black hair. Before she could turn around, he swallowed unconsciously, the tentacles hidden under his suit stirring again.

The dark red tentacles twisted into a ball under the cover of his clothes.

Like a huge, chaotic shadow covering her frail figure.

Wei Jing An didn’t know how to breathe. Her cheeks flushed red from holding her breath. She nervously clutched her fingers, her nails unconsciously digging into the soft flesh of her fingertips.

Before she could figure out what to do, Lin Yan Zhou walked in front of her, bent down, his smile gentle and inclusive. He extended his hand towards her.

His open palm held a piece of candy, the outer wrapper peeled off.

Wei Jing An raised her eyes abruptly.

“I saw you looking pale in the classroom,” Lin Yan Zhou bent down, looking directly at her. His deep eyes were like a sudden whirlpool on the surface of the sea, ready to pull her in. She stared up at him blankly, listening to him say, “Would a piece of candy make you feel better?”

Wei Jing An always hated her overly shy personality. At this moment, she didn’t know what to say. Her pale face was red, like two small tomatoes, whether from shyness or embarrassment.

Lin Yan Zhou’s expression was unreadable. His nose twitched slightly.

As if the sweet food was nearby, a beast lowered its head, sniffing the scent that whet its appetite.

Wei Jing An was completely unaware of the subtle changes in Lin Yan Zhou’s face. Her curled fingers quickly took the candy from his palm.

“Thank you.” Her voice was as low as a cat’s meow.

Lin Yan Zhou hummed in response.

Wei Jing An didn’t dare to look at him. She stared at the floor, seeing the man’s feet in leather shoes, his nine-point pants revealing his white ankles. Blue veins protruded.

Wei Jing An felt dizzy, unable to think about anything else. She put the candy in her mouth, the rich milky aroma spreading on her tongue. Then, a strange sweet and fishy taste.

Did candy have a filling?

She had eaten liquor-filled candies before. When she bit off the chocolate shell, the strong liquor flowed into her mouth. Before she could taste anything, it had already gone down her throat, leaving only the aroma in her mouth.

The moment she bit into the candy, she felt her tongue enveloped in a sticky liquid, tasting only a faint sweet and fishy flavor that quickly melted away.

The small piece of candy made her feel better.

Wei Jing An’s face was still a little pale.

She wanted to stay there, by Lin Yan Zhou’s side for a while longer, but on the other hand, she was afraid that Lin Yan Zhou would remember her embarrassed appearance.

Ordinary clothes, a pale face, a weak body.

Wei Jing An lowered her head almost to her chest, stammering a thank you. She turned to leave. Before she could take a step, sensing her intention, Lin Yan Zhou’s brows suddenly lowered, his eyes dark and cold, his gaze lingering on her overly pale lips.

She was nervous, her steps unsteady. The man’s strong presence, almost touching her, made her already weak legs unable to even take a step.

As she was about to fall, Lin Yan Zhou grabbed her arm.

“Junior, be careful.”

Wei Jing An hummed in response and thanked him again. She felt awkward, making a fool of herself in front of him again. She was so useless. She thought about leaving, but her arm wouldn’t budge.

The man’s hand firmly gripped her arm.

Wei Jing An blushed and looked at him.

Lin Yan Zhou released her, smiling, his eyes devoid of apology, “Sorry, I was distracted.”

He didn’t look like he was distracted at all.

Wei Jing An didn’t care about this little incident. Her heart beat as if it were about to rebel. She didn’t dare to walk fast, but walking slowly wasn’t appropriate either. She bit her lip in distress. Finally, she turned into the stairwell, the burning gaze gone. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

Leaning against the railing, she covered her face and sighed for a long time before walking out.

In the corridor, Lin Yan Zhou stood in the same spot, frowning, watching Wei Jing An disappear from sight.

His deep eyes suddenly became cloudy and dark, revealing an indescribable coldness and stickiness. A section of the soft tentacle in his sleeve quietly emerged, skillfully avoiding the camera lens, and attached itself to the palm that had touched Wei Jing An.

The dark red tentacle wriggled in dissatisfaction.

This little contact wasn’t enough.

Lin Yan Zhou lowered his head, twirling his fingers, and smiled meaninglessly.

She was… afraid of him just now?

Footsteps sounded behind him. The tentacle slowly retreated back into his sleeve. The palm that had been touched left behind a sticky black liquid. He nonchalantly took out a tissue, wiped it clean, and threw it in the trash can.

He turned around, and it was Zhang Wei.

“Mr. Zhao’s speech is over. He wants to talk to you.”

Lin Yan Zhou replied, “Okay, I’ll go in now.”

He hadn’t taken a few steps when Zhang Wei continued, “… You still carry candy with you? Can you give me one? It’s almost dinner time, and I’m a little hungry.”

Lin Yan Zhou’s feet stopped abruptly. He turned back and gave her a strange look.

The tentacle, whose head had been cut, slowly emerged from his body. The sticky black liquid dripped a few times, running down his trousers and onto the floor.

It quickly blended with the rainwater that had fallen in.

He said, “I’m out.” Then he entered the classroom.