Chapter 6

Afraid Ji Shu would never speak to him again, Jiang Zhixu immediately called her.

Her phone was off. WeChat video calls got the same result.

Frowning, he opened the ticket-booking screen. He almost set off for Jiangcheng that instant.

“What's wrong, Zhixu? You look awful.”

Lin Yanan came over, took the watermelon from him, and urged him toward the ward.

“Come on. Ranran's making a fuss about wanting watermelon.”

“Shushu says she wants to break up.”

He showed her the message. One glance was enough to make Lin Yanan laugh.

“Is that all? Don't tell me she scared you. It's not the first time she's said that. She threatened to break up when you argued before, didn't she? You always made up.”

She patted his shoulder.

“Relax. She's only trying to scare you. Last time, she even called me and said that was what she was doing. I bet it's the same now. She's waiting for you to come and coax her.”

“I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling. I think she means it this time.”

“Stop overthinking. Ranran comes first right now. You made an agreement. In three months, you'll break up for good. Go to Jiangcheng then. Knowing Shushu, a little sweet talk and she'll forgive you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She pulled him into Wen Ran's room.

“Stop complaining, Ranran. Your Zhixu's here!”

Wen Ran looked at him, a shy flush mingled with hurt on her face.

“You're finally here. I've been waiting ages. I'm hungry.”

Her gaze fell to the milk tea in his hand, and her eyes dimmed.

“Is that for Shushu? Have you two made up?”

“No.”

Lin Yanan answered for him, scooping out a piece from the center of the watermelon and holding it to Wen Ran's lips.

“Zhixu's broken up with Ji Shu for now. For you.”

“How could that happen?”

Wen Ran looked distraught, though inwardly she was already blooming with joy.

“I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have broken up.”

She lowered her head and cried bitterly.

Lin Yanan signaled urgently to Jiang Zhixu with her eyes. He went over and held Wen Ran.

“Silly. I don't want anyone calling you the other woman. For these last three months, I want you to be my girlfriend openly.”

“You're so good to me.”

Wen Ran clung to him.

“When I saw that car coming toward you, I ran to push you away without even thinking. That was when I realized how much you mean to me.”

“When you went into surgery, I realized how much you mean to me, too.”

Watching them embrace, Lin Yanan felt deeply satisfied. She took a photograph and sent it to Ji Shu on WeChat.

[Shushu, thank you for letting them be together. Let Zhixu give Ranran a proper relationship for these last three months. When their agreement ends, he'll come back to you. I'll keep a close eye on him then. If he does anything to hurt you, I promise you'll be the first to know!]

## Chapter 9

Over the next three months, Jiang Zhixu tried contacting Ji Shu a few more times.

Every message, every call vanished without an answer.

He would be breaking up with Wen Ran in three months anyway, he thought. Then he could go back to Ji Shu for good. He decided to leave things alone until graduation and surprise her.

During those three months, he called, video-chatted, and messaged Wen Ran almost every day.

She even traveled several hours to Qingbei to see him.

His roommates teased him.

“Four years of Zhixu running back and forth, and we finally get to meet her!”

“No wonder you've been hiding her. Your girlfriend's… pretty cute.”

“Not coming back tonight, then? I'll sign you out with the dorm supervisor!”

He really didn't return that night.

It wasn't the first time he and Wen Ran had stayed out together. Before, though, they had only shared a bed, kissed, and held each other. Nothing more. He had promised Ji Shu they would save their first time for their wedding night.

Tonight, at last, he failed to hold back.

Wen Ran emerged from the bathroom in seductive nightwear. She wasn't beautiful, but with makeup and the soft light, she had an allure of her own. Besides, he was a man. Faced with a woman's temptation, he couldn't resist.

He pressed her down onto the bed.

Yet before going further, he asked, his voice trembling:

“Are you sure?”