After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

"With a nose like that, it's a waste that you're not training at the Tianjin Military Region Police Dog Brigade." Zhu Xun Chuan pinched her soft cheek, which felt wonderful. "I didn't have class this afternoon. Didn't my advisor ask me to submit a reading report on 'Regret for the Past'? Lin Yuan and the others were playing games too noisily in the dorm, so I went to the north playground to study. I lay on the grass for a while, and that's probably where it got."

He can lie without batting an eye, and his logic is impeccable.

"So you went to study, huh?" Shen Tianxi's mood instantly brightened, her eyes filled with admiration for her boyfriend's ambition. She picked up the thermos and shook it like a treasure, "My grandfather specially had a free-range chicken sent from Tianjin. I simmered it over low heat for four hours, and I skimmed off all the oil on top. Try it!"

The two walked to the balcony bench at the end of the floor and sat down.

Shen Tianxi unscrewed the lid of the thermos. An extremely rich and fragrant aroma of chicken soup instantly wafted out. At the bottom was stewed chicken leg meat that had fallen off the bone, and on top was a golden and clear broth, with a few red dates and goji berries floating in it.

"Brother Chuan, open your mouth." Shen Tianxi took out a small silver spoon from her side pocket, scooped up a spoonful of hot soup, blew on it carefully before handing it to Zhu Xun Chuan.

Zhu Xun Chuan swallowed it in one gulp. It was indeed delicious. But what was even more problematic was the attitude of the girl beside him.

The granddaughter of the deputy commander of the Tianjin Military Region, usually pampered and adored by various wealthy young men in their social circle, was now sitting on the balcony of the boys' dormitory, dressed in a white dress, expectantly feeding him chicken soup. The value of this "soft rice" was simply dizzying.

"Is it good?" Shen Tianxi blinked.

"No matter how delicious the chicken soup is, it can't compare to our sweetie's cooking." Zhu Xun Chuan swallowed the chicken, and his left hand slid naturally to her waist, following the openwork design on the back of her dress, and gently pressed against her warm and smooth back.

Gently rub your fingers along the groove on your back.

Shen Tianxi trembled, her cheeks turning bright red to her ears at a visible speed. Instead of dodging, she leaned closer to Zhu Xun Chuan, her voice soft and gentle: "If you like it, I'll make it for you every day from now on."

Zhu Xun Chuan's heart skipped a beat. If this girl went to ancient times, she would definitely be a femme fatale who could make the emperor neglect his morning court duties.

"By the way, Brother Chuan," Shen Tianxi said, feeding him a chicken leg while tilting her head up with bright eyes, "Next Wednesday is the school's welcome party. The arts department in our college contacted me yesterday and asked me to prepare a performance."

"Oh? Our Tian Tian can also perform talents?" Zhu Xun Chuan casually replied, his hands continuing their movements, slowly sliding down her waistline until they stopped at an extremely dangerous edge.

"Don't move...we're in the hallway." Shen Tianxi pressed down on his hand, slightly annoyed, but without much force. She bit her lower lip, her eyes revealing a mix of pride and secret excitement. "I've been practicing piano since I was little. I've even chosen a very meaningful song, and I'm going to play and sing it myself. Don't ask what the song is beforehand; I'm going to give you a big surprise on stage!"

"Okay, I'm all ears. If my sweetie sings well, I'll give you a 'big reward' tonight." Zhu Xun Chuan deliberately emphasized the word "reward".

Shen Tianxi instantly understood the lewd undertone in his words, her face flushing crimson. She playfully shoved a piece of chicken into Zhu Xun Chuan's mouth to shut him up: "Eat your meat! You rascal!"

The afternoon sun dappled the two of them. A gentle breeze blew, and Shen Tianxi's hair brushed against Zhu Xunchuan's cheek, carrying a faint scent of orange shampoo. This sweet, youthful tug-of-war allowed Zhu Xunchuan's tense nerves to relax for a rare moment.

"Buzz—"

The silence was broken when my phone suddenly vibrated violently in my pocket.

Zhu Xunchuan took out his phone. The screen lit up, and a WeChat message appeared in the center of the lock screen.

Sender: Gu Qinghan.

There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no preamble, just thirteen words, yet they carried a chilling undercurrent that sent shivers down one's spine.

[At 3:00 PM sharp, in the office, one minute late, all participation points deducted.]

Zhu Xunchuan glanced at the time display at the top of his phone.

2:48.

It takes about ten minutes to walk from the boys' dormitory to the School of Humanities office building at a normal pace.

Zhu Xunchuan's brain instantly went into battle mode.

"What's wrong? Who's looking for you?" Shen Tianxi noticed the subtle change in his expression and leaned over to look at his phone screen.

Zhu Xun Chuan calmly locked the screen and put his phone back in his pocket. He picked up the thermos and gulped down the rest of the chicken soup in a few mouthfuls.

"Counselor," Zhu Xun Chuan pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, his tone filled with utter helplessness, "Professor Gu has obsessive-compulsive disorder. If she needs to see me, I have to be there on time. That woman, she always has a stern face, she's really hard to please."

Upon hearing that it was about her studies, and that it was Gu Qinghan, the aloof and dignified tutor whom all the students held in awe, Shen Tianxi immediately dispelled her doubts. She obediently tidied up the thermos and spoon.

"Then you should go quickly. Teacher Gu is so strict, you'll definitely get scolded if you're late." Shen Tianxi stood up, not forgetting to straighten his slightly wrinkled collar. "I'm going back to the dorm to change my clothes, I have to go to the music room for rehearsal this afternoon."

"Thank you for your hard work, my big star." Zhu Xun Chuan planted a deep kiss on her forehead. "Message me when you're done rehearsing, and I'll have dinner with you tonight."

After appeasing Shen Tianxi and seeing her downstairs towards the girls' dormitory area, Zhu Xun Chuan's gentle expression vanished instantly.

He turned around, took long strides, and sped off towards the Faculty of Arts building.

Walking along the tree-lined path, Zhu Xun Chuan recalled his recent experiences and couldn't help but inwardly grumble. He was like a fire extinguisher caught in the middle. He had just calmed down the wild and straightforward rich heiress, and now he had to appease the pure and devoted school beauty. And now, he had to face that ascetic female teacher who might explode at any moment.

But for some reason, thinking of Gu Qinghan's stunningly beautiful face, always adorned with silver-rimmed glasses and cold as ice, and the astonishing curves hidden beneath her rigid business attire, Zhu Xunchuan felt a secret anticipation and restlessness stir within him.

2:58.

Zhu Xun Chuan stepped onto the corridor on the second floor of the School of Literature, panting heavily.

To avoid suspicion, Gu Qinghan always keeps the office door wide open and even rolls the blinds all the way up whenever there are male students in the office.

But today.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked to the door and looked inside through the small glass window. The heavy gray blinds were drawn tightly shut, preventing even a ray of sunlight from getting through.

He glanced at his watch. 2:59:50.

Raise your hand and bend your knuckles.

"Knock knock knock".

"Come in." Gu Qinghan's voice came from inside the door. His voice was extremely cold, without any emotional fluctuation, yet it seemed to lower the temperature of the air by several degrees.

Zhu Xun Chuan pressed down the doorknob and pushed the door open to enter.

As the door opened, light from the hallway flooded into the dimly lit room.

Gu Qinghan sat behind a large mahogany desk. She wasn't wearing her usual stiff gray suit today.

Her upper body was covered by a fine white silk shirt, with the top two buttons undone, revealing her deep cleavage in the dim light.

Her lower body was covered by a tight black pencil skirt.

She crossed her legs and leaned back slightly in the leather chair. Her long legs, tightly encased in sheer black stockings, gleamed alluringly beneath the table. The stockings were of exceptional quality, clinging to her shapely calves and revealing glimpses of her healthy skin.

What made Zhu Xun Chuan's heart skip a beat was her hand.

In her well-proportioned hands, she held a bamboo ruler that symbolized the counselor's authority. The edge of the ruler gently tapped against her palm.

"Smack."

"Smack."

A rhythmic, soft sound echoed through the deathly silent office.

Gu Qinghan raised her eyes. Behind her silver-rimmed glasses, her cold, phoenix-shaped eyes were fixed on Zhu Xunchuan.

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a full five seconds.

Gu Qinghan stopped holding the ruler. She parted her red lips slightly and uttered four words.

"Lock the door."

In the quiet office, the soft "click" of the metal latch popping out was extremely clear.

Zhu Xun Chuan loosened his grip on the doorknob and slowly turned around.

The heavy gray blinds were drawn tightly shut. The air conditioner blew cold air from the vents, and the air was filled with a strong scent of citrus perfume.

Gu Qinghan sat behind a large mahogany desk. She wasn't wearing her usual stiff suit.

She wore a fine white silk shirt on top, with the top two buttons undone, revealing her defined collarbones. She paired it with a tight-fitting black pencil skirt.

She crossed her legs and leaned back slightly in the leather chair. Her long legs, tightly encased in sheer black stockings, gleamed alluringly in the dim light under the table.

"Professor Gu." Zhu Xun Chuan put his hands in his pockets, took two steps forward, and said in a casual tone, "I close the blinds tightly in broad daylight and lock the door. If a passing student sees this, my reputation as an innocent male college student will be completely ruined."

"Innocent?" Gu Qinghan sneered, extending a slender white finger to push up the silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

She picked up the bamboo ruler on the table and tapped it twice in her palm.

"You didn't come home all night last night. I heard you went to see your cousin again? This morning you went to play golf in the suburbs in a Lamborghini, and at noon you were sitting downstairs in your dorm drinking chicken soup made from free-range chickens." Gu Qinghan stared intently at him with her phoenix eyes, her voice icy cold. "Zhu Xunchuan, your extracurricular life is quite eventful. With so much energy, isn't getting into Peking University a waste of your potential?"

This woman's intelligence network is even more outrageous than that of the Chaoyang masses. Zhu Xun Chuan thought to himself. How long has it been since the incident at the golf club and downstairs in the dormitory? She even knows about pheasant hunting.