Chapter 28

Before going to bed that night, Bai Zining was still pondering: when exactly had he given himself away?

This question had troubled him for a long time, but he couldn’t directly ask Zhu Shizhou. He needed to avoid bringing up anything related to his online dating days in front of him.

Was it solely because the dress he wore on the day he was discovered was the same as Cai Ning’s?

But even then, he shouldn’t have reacted so quickly. A normal person would first be shocked, then in disbelief, and it would take a long time to accept it, right? Yet Zhu Shizhou looked as if he had known all along.

Or was it during the earliest test, when he asked what the lake at B University was called? No, that didn’t seem right either. Zhu Shizhou had genuinely fallen for Cai Ning afterward; that much was undeniable.

If he had known all along that Bai Zining was Cai Ning, Zhu Shizhou couldn’t have played along with the act for so long. Even on the day he was discovered, Zhu Shizhou’s online demeanor had been completely normal, just like someone interacting with a girlfriend he deeply cared about.

Going around in circles, Bai Zining couldn’t figure out the answer and eventually gave up. Whatever, he thought. Zhu Shizhou hadn’t done anything to him so far, and the two of them were getting along peacefully enough. No need to overthink it.

Recently, the two had been practically glued together every day, to the point where Xie Cheng came to the dorm to complain. He grumbled about how Zhu Shizhou was acting like a clingy little wife, constantly sticking to Bai Zining and abandoning him.

“And another thing,” Xie Cheng added seriously, raising a valid question. “Zhu Shizhou, don’t you have a girlfriend? Shouldn’t you be spending time with Cai Ning instead?”

As soon as that name was mentioned, Bai Zining’s expression changed drastically. He wished he could immediately cover Xie Cheng’s mouth. Why did he have to bring that up of all things?

Zhu Shizhou nodded casually. “Yeah, I have a girlfriend. And who says I haven’t been spending time with her?” He glanced at Bai Zining, smiling nonchalantly. “I’m with her every day.”

Xie Cheng, uninterested in Zhu Shizhou’s response, turned to see Bai Zining’s face flushed red, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Confused, Xie Cheng asked, “Xiao Bai, why are you acting all shy?”

“I wasn’t!” Bai Zining exclaimed, on the verge of breaking down. He was just feeling a bit guilty under Zhu Shizhou’s gaze, but how did that turn into “shy” in Xie Cheng’s mouth?

“Fine, don’t admit it then.” Xie Cheng snorted. “You two are getting harder and harder to understand.”

After Xie Cheng left, only the two of them remained, staring at each other. Zhu Shizhou raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why didn’t you tell Xie Cheng just now that I’m always spending time with my girlfriend? My one-sided statement doesn’t hold much weight. You see, he didn’t even believe me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, you know very well this is just a contractual relationship,” Bai Zining emphasized.

“Yes, a contract,” Zhu Shizhou agreed, standing up from his chair and walking toward Bai Zining step by step.

“W-what are you doing?” Bai Zining’s heartbeat quickened at Zhu Shizhou’s sudden approach, but he didn’t move away.

Zhu Shizhou leaned in close, almost too close. “Do you remember when you once said we have an eighteen-centimeter height difference? I’m here to verify it.”

Bai Zining vaguely recalled that he had indeed said those words, but it was back when he was pretending to be Cai Ning. The height difference he had assigned to “Cai Ning” was 1.68 meters, an eighteen-centimeter gap from Zhu Shizhou. He had said it was the most ideal height difference, making hugs feel perfect.

But that was just something he’d said to flirt, it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.

Besides, with his actual height of 1.78 meters, the difference between him and Zhu Shizhou was only eight centimeters.

Before Bai Zining could react, Zhu Shizhou had already pulled him into a hug. His scent enveloped Bai Zining completely. A faint mix of laundry detergent and citrus, soft and comforting, making him feel unexpectedly at ease.

Whether it was from the tightness of the embrace or something else, Bai Zining’s heart pounded rapidly in his chest, each beat so forceful it felt as though it might break through his ribs and leap onto Zhu Shizhou.

Due to their height difference, Bai Zining’s chin naturally rested on Zhu Shizhou’s shoulder. He felt as though his heart, exhausted from all its pounding, had finally found a place to rest. Leaning against Zhu Shizhou’s shoulder, he let it settle, only to feel the arms around his back tighten in response.

After an unknown amount of time, a satisfied sigh came from above. Bai Zining’s ear was pressed against Zhu Shizhou’s neck, and as he spoke, Bai Zining could almost hear the sound of blood flowing through his veins.

Zhu Shizhou said, “Your heartbeat is so fast.”

Bai Zining stubbornly retorted, “Yours is fast too. I must have caught it from you.”

Zhu Shizhou didn’t deny it, leaning his head closer toward Bai Zining. “After verifying, I can confirm, it does feel very comfortable to hug you.”

“Then can you let go now?”

“Just a moment.”

Three minutes later, Bai Zining asked again, “Are you done yet?”

“No, wait a bit longer.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

Bai Zining couldn’t take it anymore. He struggled out of Zhu Shizhou’s arms and glared at him. “Why can’t you just stop?”

Zhu Shizhou looked at Bai Zining’s face and chuckled. He tapped Bai Zining’s cheek with his index finger. “The way you look right now makes anything you say completely unconvincing.”

Bai Zining stumbled awkwardly to the dormitory mirror and took a glance. Reflected back at him was a small tomato, red all over.

He tried to break the strange, somewhat ambiguous atmosphere by making a request. “I want passion fruit tea.”

Ten minutes later, the passion fruit tea was brought back. Zhu Shizhou inserted the straw and handed it directly to Bai Zining, who had already retreated to his bed.

As he sipped the sweet and tangy drink, Bai Zining thought to himself, having a lackey really wasn’t so bad.

If only he could take advantage of him a little less, it would be perfect.

These past few days, Zhu Shizhou’s attentiveness was so excessive that it left Bai Zining feeling uneasy.

When he woke up in the morning, breakfast was already bought, toothpaste was squeezed out, the water in his cup was at the perfect temperature to drink, and when his shoelaces came undone, someone was already kneeling down to tie them before he could even react.

Even Cai Yu couldn’t help but ask him if he had caught some major dirt on Zhu Shizhou that could ruin him. He even advised Bai Zining not to go too far, reminding him to leave some room for reconciliation in the future.

This made Bai Zining suspicious. On the way to the lab with Zhu Shizhou, he asked, “Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? What’s your ulterior motive this time?”

“It’s the 25th today,” Zhu Shizhou replied, completely avoiding the question.

Bai Zining suddenly realized that there were only four days left until the one-month term of their lackey agreement ended.

No wonder Zhu Shizhou was in such a good mood. Bai Zining had thought it was a rare moment of conscience, but it turned out… he was just celebrating their impending “clean break” in advance.

He couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt off, but Bai Zining was undeniably upset, and even looking at Zhu Shizhou started to annoy him. When they reached the lab entrance, he said stiffly, “You can go back now. Don’t bother picking me up tonight.”

Despite his words, when Bai Zining finished his work, Zhu Shizhou was still there, waiting downstairs as usual, holding a cup of lemon Yakult.

Oh, so you’re trying to get rid of me, huh? Then I’ll make these last few days unforgettable for you. Bai Zining thought angrily while working on his experiment. But when he saw Zhu Shizhou’s smiling face again, he deflated like a punctured balloon, his anger quickly dissipating.

He didn’t really have a reason, nor the right, to do anything excessive to Zhu Shizhou. After all, Zhu Shizhou didn’t owe him anything in the first place.

Bai Zining decided to let him off the hook. Starting the next day, he stopped giving Zhu Shizhou any tasks. But, to his surprise, Zhu Shizhou seemed overly thrilled. Aside from attending class, he stuck by Bai Zining’s side every waking moment.

“Can you give me some peace and quiet? You’re so annoying,” Bai Zining said, trying to shoo him away.

“No, I can’t. The agreement says I have to be available anytime you call.”

“I’ll come to you if I need anything.”

“No, I’m worried I might not show up fast enough. That’s why I’m staying by your side every moment, ready to meet your needs at any time.”

This response left Bai Zining at a loss for words. He began to blame that cursed agreement. If not for it, there wouldn’t have been so many entanglements between them. No, the root cause should be traced back to the fact that he should never have started an online relationship with Zhu Shizhou in the first place.

No matter how annoying Zhu Shizhou could be, Bai Zining shouldn’t have used such a mutually destructive method.

Was it really his fault?

Bai Zining lowered his head, his thoughts a tangled mess.