Category: I’m Actually Really Rich

First-Hand Experience

Edited by Elv

Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le in disbelief, but Wen Le had already turned and walked away. However, Zhou Kao clearly saw Wen Le’s earlobes, which were as red as agate beads.

Zhou Kao was momentarily stunned, then squinted his eyes slightly. “Wen Le!”

Wen Le’s figure paused, then quickened her pace. Zhou Kao hurriedly caught up, grabbing Wen Le’s wrist and turning her around.

Wen Le’s face remained calm. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Kao said, “I’m still jealous. You’re leaving just like that?”

Wen Le replied, “You’re jealous? Others even know to hand me a bottle of water, but my official boyfriend is empty-handed. You’re still jealous? I’m still angry.”

Wen Le pretended to be angry and said, “If you continue to make trouble, I won’t kiss you till you cry but I can beat you till you cry!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Kao suddenly remembered the swift backkick he had seen from Wen Le three years ago in the alley. For some reason, he said, “Why not try it?”

Wen Le: ???

TN: LOL HAHAHAHA ZK really asking for a beating…

Zhou Kao continued, “Come and hit me.”

Wen Le looked at Zhou Kao, saying, “Are you crazy?”

Zhou Kao’s expression was serious. “Three years ago, I left without saying goodbye. Were you angry?”

“Let’s have a fight, whether it’s a competition or a real fight. I don’t want this resentment to continue lingering.”

Wen Le’s heart stirred. She didn’t understand why Zhou Kao brought up this topic, but if she had to say she was not angry, it would be a lie.

However, it was not just anger.

When Zhou Kao left without a word, she was both angry and sad. In the first few days after Zhou Kao left, Wen Le felt lost. She hoped Zhou Kao would come back. However, after waiting for a long time, Wen Le finally understood that Zhou Kao probably wouldn’t return.

Sometimes, Wen Le would think that Zhou Kao left without saying goodbye because he saw her true self and didn’t like her anymore.

In fact, it wasn’t just Zhou Kao. From childhood to adulthood, many people liked her appearance, but once they got to know her true self, they would leave. So, Wen Le, with astonishing beauty, rarely had suitors.

Because she was too competitive, too wild, not gentle or demure, proud, fierce, and did not attract much people’s affection.

She would always wonder if Zhou Kao left her because of these reasons.

Her personality was too proud, too strong-willed; she was nothing like her grandmother, gentle and mild. Her grandmother had put in a great effort but failed to mould her into a refined and gentle lady like herself. Even though she learned all the skills expected of a refined lady, she still didn’t look like one.

The night she realized Zhou Kao would never return, Wen Le cried in front of the dressing table for a long time. She looked at her nearly perfect face in the mirror, but her heart harbored enormous doubts.

She remembered the most popular girl in high school, with delicate looks and a personality as gentle as water, loved by everyone. Unlike her, who seemed like a dazzling blade, and few dared to approach her.

So, after graduating from high school, Wen Le, shedding her school uniform, growing her hair, discarding jeans, donning a long dress, giving up comfortable sneakers, and wearing elegant heels, drew a charming makeup to highlight her gentleness. The tight dress was like a rope, binding her wildness, restraining her fierceness. She packaged herself into a refined lady like her grandmother.

As a result, Wen Le had more pursuers in university, but the more they came, the more desperate and cold-hearted she felt. She realized that even if she pretended to be like this, she still couldn’t accept others’ affections, because what they liked was just the surface she put out—gentle and demure.

Even though she knew that the façade she had created would gradually merge with her true self over time, an assimilation from the outside in, a compromise to the environment, and also a form of growth. 

However, Wen Le couldn’t forget her true self from the past because that was her original and authentic self. The original, authentic her, after grieving, had once been so angry that she wanted to beat Zhou Kao, the scoundrel who left without saying a word.

This was the hidden Wen Le, wrapped beneath the genteel and demure exterior. Proud, strong-willed, with a wild and stubborn temperament, she was someone who could get into a fight with a guy because she wasn’t happy.

Wen Le had always known that this wild side of her still existed in her heart. So, when Zhou Kao suggested that she let out her frustration by fighting, the incredible idea that had once crossed Wen Le’s mind rapidly resurfaced.

She shivered, felt ruthless, and became somewhat excited, wanting to throw a punch.

Seeing that Wen Le was not resisting anymore,  Zhou Kao knew what Wen Le had in mind. “Bring it on,” he said.

Wen Le lowered her gaze. “Are you serious? I won’t go easy on you.”

Zhou Kao said, “Serious…” but before he could finish the sentence, Wen Le threw a punch.

Zhou Kao tilted his head, blocking with his hand. Wen Le retracted the fist, and her other hand came straight at him. Zhou Kao responded swiftly. Wen Le followed with a sidekick, her long, white leg sweeping through, striking a handsome and imposing figure, clean and ruthless.

Zhou Kao had the advantage in strength, while Wen Le was agile. They exchanged blows, each attacking and defending, the fight heating up.

In Wen Le’s eyes, flames seemed to be burning. With each move, she showed no mercy.

She seemed to want to vent all the grievances and anger from the past. She was competitive, had a strong personality, and was not gentle or demure. She was proud and fierce, and she was just not likable. So what?

These two attractive individuals, tall and with long legs, engaged in a fierce and spirited fight. Wen Le, wearing shorts that exposed her long legs, frequently struck powerful blows. The intense and handsome confrontation, with its stunning and shocking scenes, gave the impression that these two were enemies. No one could imagine that this passionate fight was between a couple.

It seemed that someone noticed and alerted the teacher. As the two fought intensely, forgetting everything around them, a loud shout came from behind, “Hey, you two students! What’s going on?” 

Startled, they quickly stopped.

After exchanging a glance, Zhou Kao grabbed Wen Le’s hand, and they ran off. After a while, they found a side road leading to the school playground. There was an iron gate, closed year-round and covered with grass. It was an abandoned entrance.

Zhou Kao lifted Wen Le, helping her climb the gate, and then he jumped over into the playground. After sneaking into the playground, they ran away from the teacher and security guards who couldn’t catch them and eventually dispersed.

Glancing at each other, they couldn’t help but burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, Wen Le patted Zhou Kao, “Why do you keep dodging and not make any attacks?”

Zhou Kao sighed, “If you make a mistake, you have to accept the consequences.”

Wen Le asked, “Am I fierce?”

Zhou Kao smiled and lightly scratched Wen Le’s nose, “Fierce.”

Wen Le questioned, “Did you leave me back then because I was too fierce?”

Zhou Kao shook his head with a smile, “How could that be? Aren’t you still fierce now, and I haven’t left? The sight of you fighting back then did catch me by surprise, but it wasn’t something that was unexplainable. When I first saw you, I could already predict that you were someone not to be messed with.”

Wen Le still wanted to ask, “Then why?”

After some thought, Zhou Kao lowered his head and whispered something into Wen Le’s ear. 

Wen Le stared at him, and after a while, didn’t know what to say. “Well, it did seem like it, but you weren’t very clever back then.”

Zhou Kao sighed, “If I was smart, then I wouldn’t have missed you for so long.”

Zhou Kao hugged Wen Le and rubbed her head, “Are you feeling better now? If not, I’ll let you beat me up again. I won’t even dodge this time.”

Wen Le chuckled, “Then that wouldn’t be fun! I’m feeling better now. Save the rest for later. If you make me angry again, we’ll continue.”

Zhou Kao innocently said, “Wow, you won’t randomly abuse me in the future, will you?”

Wen Le chuckled at Zhou Kao’s words and affectionately touched his handsome face. Unable to resist, she leaned in and kissed the corner of Zhou Kao’s mouth, saying, “Then you should be cuter in the future, behave well.”

The two of them glanced at the parking lot and saw that people had already dispersed. They stealthily returned through another side door to the parking lot.

Zhou Kao opened the car door and let Wen Le in. In the car, he had placed the desserts that Wen Le liked.

Wen Le’s eyes lit up, “When did you buy these?”

Zhou Kao sat in the driver’s seat, “Remember when you asked why I didn’t go refuel? It was because I was buying desserts for someone and ran out of time.”

Wen Le fed Zhou Kao a chocolate bean and said, “My boyfriend is amazing. Their water and wet wipes can’t even compare to my boyfriend’s little finger.”

Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le with a smile, “Is this boot-licking after enjoying the benefits of being my girlfriend?”

Wen Le said, “This is me showering you with over-the-top praises of love.”

Zhou Kao gently scraped Wen Le’s cheek, “Is there another race before lunch?”

Wen Le shook her head, “No, there’s one at three in the afternoon and another at four.”

Zhou Kao checked the time; it was only 9:53 am. “How about I take you out for lunch?”

“Where are we going?”

“Near the office.”

Wen Le blinked, “Do you have work at the office today?”

Zhou Kao said, “A little, not much.”

Wen Le asked, “Are you trying to lure me to your office to keep you company again?”

Zhou Kao said, “Why not? Hmm?”

“I have a lounge in my office; you can rest there.”

Wen Le nodded. Zhou Kao, in a good mood, leaned in and kissed Wen Le. He started the car and drove to the office.

Since Xun Fei found out that the handsome guy on the seventeenth floor was their big boss, she hadn’t been able to encounter him again. Today, after going out with a colleague to run an errand, she was dropped back at the company around 10:30 am. While chatting, she and her colleague noticed a bright black sports car parked not far away.

Xun Fei was so shocked that she stopped her movements, quickly grabbed her colleague, and pointed to the car.

Her colleague also looked over and saw a bright and cool matte black sports car parked nearby. Although there were some nice cars in this spacious parking lot, most belonged to business people with stable and mature tastes. This kind of flashy sports car was rarely seen.

Both of them were curious. Could this be a client from some company?

They stared at the sports car, wanting to see who would come out of it. They believed it would probably be a stranger.

However, when the driver’s door of the sports car opened, and that familiar and superior figure stepped out, both of them widened their eyes. It was the handsome guy from the seventeenth floor, the boss of the company.

Xun Fei had already taken out her phone and recorded a video of the handsome guy and the car.

Instead of leaving immediately, the boss opened the passenger door and pulled out a long-legged beauty. The two of them held hands and entered the elevator.

Handsome man, beautiful woman, sports car date—Xun Fei blushed and her heart raced. It felt like she was watching an idol drama.

Trembling, she sent the video she had just taken to Qian Sijia.

Xun Fei: You were right. Although the little handsome guy looks like he’s driving a Passat, there’s actually a bunch of sports cars covered in dust in the garage…

Xun Fei: … I just got a first-hand experience.

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Edited by Elv

Please, Kiss Cry Me

Just at this incredibly awkward moment, a loud and impatient voice came from behind, “First place! Where’s the first-place winner? Come out before the results are invalidated!”

Wen Le jolted, realising it was the referee tallying the results. She felt like she had been granted a reprieve, and the previously grating and impatient voice now seemed like music to her ears.

Wen Le quickly squeezed out from the group of people and said, “Hey, teacher, first place is right here.”

“Name?”

“Wen Le! Number 0357.”

Wen Le’s figure was soon swallowed by the other athletes who were reporting their results.

Cheng Hui, unsure of what to do, looked around, then hugged Wen Le’s clothes and followed after her. The people at the scene exchanged glances before turning and leaving.

Xu Tian Hao looked in the direction Wen Le had left, lowered his gaze to the opened bottle of water in his hand, chuckled, took a sip, and then tossed the remaining half of the bottle into the trash can.

Zhou Kao, on the other hand, continued to stand there with a dark expression.

After reporting her results, Wen Le checked her surroundings and confirmed that the awkward group of five had disappeared. She finally let out a sigh of relief. However, her shoulder was tapped, startling her.

She turned around to see Cheng Hui looking at her with a sly smile and said, “I’ve broadened my horizons today. I actually witnessed the legendary Shura field*.”

*Shura field, an Internet buzzword, refers to a scene where interpersonal relationships are complicated and people present have multiple connections or unequal identity recognition. More commonly used to describe romantic relationships, it is also commonly used in workplace relationships. This word is originally a Buddhist term, referring to the bloody battlefield between Emperor Shakti and Asura in Buddhist legends. It means “tragic battlefield”.

Wen Le patted her chest, still looking a bit shaken. “You scared me! And now you’re still laughing at me. That was just too awkward.”

Cheng Hui, however, said, “I don’t know why, but I feel all fired up, even a bit excited.”

Wen Le covered her ears. “I don’t want to hear you talk. You’re not being fair. You didn’t help me earlier.”

Cheng Hui couldn’t believe it. “How could I possibly help you? I wanted to see how those five guys were going to use their charms to win your attention. Don’t you think it’s like a male version of a palace struggle? Five male consorts vying for favour?”

Cheng Hui was still lost in her imagination, laughing in an oddly shriveled manner. “Hahaha, but just now, it seemed like that guy from the Xu department outperformed the rest, followed by the freshman. Oh, oh, that shy expression, ‘Senior, do you need a wet tissue?‘ Oh my, oh my, I just can’t!”

Wen Le turned to look at Cheng Hui, raising an eyebrow significantly. “Oh, so you like younger guys?”

Cheng Hui shook her head as she touched her chin. “I’m not into marriage. Just appreciating, okay? Pure appreciation!”

Wen Le suddenly glanced at the bracelet on Cheng Hui’s wrist, squinted her eyes, and smirked. “You’re really not getting married? I had plans to give you a gold necklace as a wedding gift when you got married, one with a large ruby in the shape of a pigeon egg.”

Cheng Hui widened her eyes. “What? Get married! Why not? I like shotgun weddings! We can have one right now!”

“But I know you’re against marriage,” Wen Le sighed as if she hadn’t heard, patted Cheng Hui’s shoulder, and looked very understanding. “As a good sister, I will support all your decisions, don’t worry.”

After saying that, Wen Le walked away with a smile. Cheng Hui quickly caught up, “Ah! Come back! I was lying! I swear… I’m really not against marriage. Sob…”

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked out of the crowded area. In the distance, they saw Zhou Kao standing in place.

Wen Le was taken aback and felt a bit nervous and guilty. Cheng Hui, on the other hand, gave a knowing smile and whispered in Wen Le’s ear, “Don’t forget what I told you: there’s no jealousy that a kiss can’t solve. Well, maybe two kisses. Get a bit wild.”

With that, she pushed Wen Le in Zhou Kao’s direction. Wen Le took a few steps forward but could still hear Cheng Hui’s voice behind her, sounding timid, “I’m rooting for you yea~”

Wen Le: …

Yea right….Is she really that nervous?

Approaching Zhou Kao, Wen Le noticed that he was looking down at his phone and didn’t seem to have noticed her approaching. She didn’t know what to say, so she lightly coughed awkwardly to get his attention. However, Zhou Kao remained focused on his phone.

So, Wen Le softly asked, “What are you looking at? Is it as good-looking as me?”

Zhou Kao lifted his head slightly and replied, “I’m looking at you.”

Wen Le was taken aback, “Huh?”

Zhou Kao turned his phone screen toward Wen Le and said with a stern face, “I’m reading comments from internet users praising my girlfriend’s beautiful legs.”

Sure enough, on the school’s forum, there was a picture of Wen Le stretching her legs, followed by a two-page-long thread of comments.

1st comment: Wow, those legs! Incredible, is this…wl?

2nd comment: damnnnn

3rd comment: if elder sis can do it, then I can too

Wen Le felt a bit embarrassed and whispered, “…Why are even girls…”

Zhou Kao’s face darkened even further upon hearing this. He spoke in a low voice, “So, do you want guys commenting too?”

TN: HAHAHAHAHA this is gold

Wen Le hurriedly shook her head, “No, no.”

She had thought that girls didn’t like her…

Wen Le felt a bit overwhelmed and leaned in closer, asking softly, “Are you angry?”

Zhou Kao turned his head and saw that more and more people were starting to notice them. One was the newly crowned campus heartthrob, and the other was the popular campus goddess. Just the two of them standing together was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Zhou Kao frowned and said, “There are too many people here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

He then lifted his foot and walked away.

Wen Le glanced around and indeed saw many curious eyes on them. She quickly followed Zhou Kao.

Zhou Kao led Wen Le out of the small gate of the sports field, taking a detour to the quieter parking lot at the back. Compared to the lively sports field, the parking lot was relatively calm. 

With no one around, they didn’t need to worry about many things.

Wen Le approached Zhou Kao, reaching out and tugging on the hem of his black T-shirt, speaking softly, “Are you still angry?”

Zhou Kao kept a stern face and squinted at her, “Why would I be angry?”

Wen Le nodded in response and said, “Exactly, why would you be angry? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Hearing her words, Zhou Kao felt a lump in his chest. His emotions were in turmoil, and his handsome face grew colder.

Seeing his reaction, Wen Le realized she shouldn’t tease him too much, or it might not be easy to placate him.

Wen Le smiled and took two steps forward. She slid her hands under Zhou Kao’s arm and hugged him tightly, pressing her whole body against his.

Zhou Kao felt a light and delicate fragrance enveloping him, and his chest warmed as Wen Le embraced him. Her warmth and softness melted even the coldest of hearts.

Perhaps Zhou Kao himself didn’t realize that his expression had softened noticeably, but he continued to resist making any moves.

Wen Le nuzzled her cheek against Zhou Kao’s broad chest. His light cologne mixed with his warmth and her voice sounded soft and gentle as she leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “Are you jealous?”

A sly glint passed through her eyes, and she gently blew a breath near Zhou Kao’s ear.

Zhou Kao’s body visibly stiffened.

Wen Le grinned and continued, “You’re not allowed to be jealous.”

“If you dare to be jealous! I’ll…” Wen Le didn’t finish her sentence.

Zhou Kao coldly inquired, “Oh, what will you do?”

Wen Le released Zhou Kao and looked up, determined. She had to show more determination, as Cheng Hui had advised. She appeared fierce and said, “I’ll kiss you until you cry.”

Zhou Kao remained silent for a moment. Then he coughed softly and averted his gaze slightly. With a somewhat hoarse voice, he admitted, “I am jealous.”

Wen Le frowned. “But didn’t I say you’re not allowed to…”

She was interrupted by Zhou Kao, who added, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Wen Le choked on her words. Zhou Kao continued, “Don’t just make bold threats; you should follow through on them.”

“Come on.”

Wen Le cleared her throat, feeling that she couldn’t back down now. 

Zhou Kao challenged her with a teasing tone, “What, are you too afraid?”

Wen Le responded, “I’m not afraid, alright?”

She looked around and continued, “I…it’s not about being afraid; it’s just not appropriate to do it in broad daylight…”

Zhou Kao reached into his pocket, took out the car keys, and pressed a button. A car could be heard unlocking from behind.

Wen Le was initially puzzled because she couldn’t see a car nearby but heard it beep. Then she noticed the emblem on Zhou Kao’s key, and it clicked on her. She raised her eyebrows and stretched her neck, looking in the direction of the sound. She realised that, in the area that seemed empty of vehicles, there was a sleek black sports car parked.

Its low height had made the other cars block it from sight easily, so if she hadn’t stretched her neck out to search for it, she wouldn’t have spotted it. 

Zhou Kao said, “If you think it’s not appropriate in broad daylight, we can go inside.”

Wen Le was still staring at the eye-catching sports car. “What about your Passat?”

Zhou Kao replied, “It’s out of gas.”

Wen Le, momentarily speechless, said, “Then get some gas!”

Zhou Kao didn’t fall for it. “Don’t change the subject. Do you have the guts or not?”

Wen Le began to feel a little anxious. She had kissed someone before, and she wasn’t embarrassed to initiate a kiss, but Zhou Kao’s playful roguish behaviour, paired with her earlier bravado about “kissing until you cry,” had turned her confidence into a strange feeling of embarrassment.

Wen Le’s toes even curled up in embarrassment, and she racked her brains trying to change the topic. 

She scolded Zhou Kao silently, This guy is just too provocative.

Zhou Kao refused to give in and urged her again, “Hurry up, please kiss me to tears right now.”

Wen Le, now feeling flustered till her face had turned red, searched frantically for excuses. “I think we should just forget about it, crying isn’t a very manly trait, I don’t really like that.”

Zhou Kao chuckled lightly, and that smile intoxicated Wen Le. Zhou Kao lowered his voice in a tone that was almost like coquetry, using words filled with sensuality. He said, “I can let you kiss me to the point of tears and still maintain my manly composure. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”

Saying this, Zhou Kao grabbed Wen Le’s hand and pressed it against his abdomen.

Wen Le’s eyes slightly widened, and her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. 

She felt the sensation of that thin layer of black fabric under her touch and couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

TN: hahahaha omg ZK is really going all out~

After a moment, Wen Le cleared her throat and turned her head away. She continued to speak, “We’re in public right now, what kind of behaviour are you doing?”

As she spoke, she traced along his shirt, sensually exploring Zhou Kao’s abdominal muscles, and even gave them a little pinch.

Zhou Kao let out a light laugh and pulled Wen Le’s hand, suggesting that it should go beneath his shirt.

Wen Le held her breath, her senses fully focused on that hand. She seemed slightly startled, and her fingers twitched for a moment, but then they relaxed again. It was almost as if it was an unconscious reaction. However, when her fingers spread again, they seemed to be even closer to Zhou Kao’s skin under the fabric.

Zhou Kao, who seemed unaware of Wen Le’s subtle movements, lowered his head slightly and almost in a whisper, asked, “So, you’re all talk and no work?”

Wen Le’s face reddened as she said, “Do you think I dare not?”

With that, she squinted her eyes and pushed Zhou Kao onto the car behind him, moving closer, while Zhou Kao looked at her with a darkening gaze and burning eyes.

Wen Le grabbed Zhou Kao’s clothes and lowered her head as she approached him, her eyes filled with seduction.

Zhou Kao’s breathing gradually became heavy. However, amidst the confusion and infatuation, he suddenly felt a chill followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Lowering his head, he saw that Wen Le had grabbed the hem of his clothes and lifted it, while her fair fingers had harshly pinched his abdominal muscles. She even said with disdain, “Don’t be a rogue.”

After uttering these words, she turned and walked away.

Zhou Kao: …

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Edited by Elv

A Big Battle

“Wen Le!”

The class monitor called Wen Le and waved to her.

Wen Le hurried over when she saw the class monitor calling her.

The class monitor said, “Get ready, it’ll be your turn soon.”

Wen Le nodded.

Cheng Hui came over and said, “Is it Wen Le’s turn?”

The class monitor nodded.

Cheng Hui said to Wen Le, “Come on, I’ll go down with you.”

But halfway through, Cheng Hui seemed to remember something and said, “Wait a minute.”

After saying that, she ran back and got a bottle of mineral water.

Wen Le was so touched that she moved to hug Cheng Hui, “Dorm Leader, I love you!”

Cheng Hui pushed her away in disgust.

The two of them arrived at the area inside the running track. When Wen Le came over, many people saw her. Wen Le was a school celebrity, and few people didn’t know her. So, quite a few people’s gazes followed Wen Le quietly.

The other contestants on the field also saw Wen Le. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, revealing her whole face, which showed off her delicate features. Seeing her in person, you would know that Wen Le was actually not very photogenic. Those static pictures simply 

couldn’t capture Wen Le’s charm and liveliness.

As these people sized Wen Le up, their gazes couldn’t help but pass over her long, white sunscreen jacket that went over her knees, and her snow-white, slender calves and ankles that were only exposed halfway.

It seemed that someone with such white and slender calves and ankles should have a pair of beautiful legs.

But rumour had it that Wen Le was always hiding her legs and did not show them because she had muscular legs and they weren’t good-looking.

Sure enough, even at this time, Wen Le was wearing a long, white sunscreen jacket that went over her knees. Looking at her face and then at her covered legs, it was no wonder that there was such speculation.

This thought only flashed through their minds for a second, as the nerves of the contestants rose with the race starting soon. They didn’t have too much time to pay attention to others.

After a while, the teacher came over to call the roll and arrange the group competition.

As soon as the groups were assigned, they heard a gunshot, and the people on the track rushed out quickly. This made the few contestants who were preparing feel a little nervous, and even immediately took a deep breath to calm their nerves. A few people also sat down and started warming up.

Wen Le and her friends had three more groups to go before it was their turn.

Seeing the other contestants’ nervousness, Cheng Hui couldn’t help but feel nervous as well, “You should take off your jacket and warm up too.”

Wen Le nodded and unzipped her white sun-protective jacket, taking it off and handing it to Cheng Hui.

Cheng Hui, holding the jacket, suddenly said, “Hold on, there’s a safety pin undone at the back.”

Cheng Hui stood behind Wen Le and reattached the number tag, effectively blocking Wen Le’s silhouette.

Zhou Kao drove over in the morning and personally bought some snacks that Wen Le liked. However, he arrived a bit late due to traffic.

Carrying a bag in his hand, Zhou Kao entered the sports field through a crowded gate. 

When he arrived at the sports field, the men’s 1000-meter final race for freshmen was in progress. 

In this group, there were two strong contestants. Both of them were tall and had long legs, running swiftly. During the preliminary rounds, they had each dominated their respective heats, leaving most of the competitors far behind. They continued to dominate in the semi-finals and finally faced each other in the finals.

These two long-legged runners had already attracted the attention of the audience during the preliminary rounds. Many people were eagerly waiting to see who would take first place in the finals.

Both of these athletes came from big faculties, and their respective faculty cheerleading teams and supporters were in direct competition. The competition on the track was fierce, and the two faculties were equally passionate in their support. As a result, the competition between the two runners was intense, with the entire sports field in an uproar.

When Zhou Kao entered, the screams and cheers from the audience were deafening, so no one noticed him.

Zhou Kao immediately spotted the banner hanging in front of the Economics faculty section in the audience. He climbed up the stands to the back row and looked for Wen Le’s faculty section.

Standing in the back row of the Economics College section, Zhou Kao was in the highest position. However, after looking around the entire stadium once, he still couldn’t spot Wen Le. Instead, he unintentionally attracted the attention of many students in the back row. 

Zhou Kao was a well-known figure on campus, and it was rare for someone not to recognize him. So, as people exchanged glances and pointed discreetly, many eyes turned towards Zhou Kao.

Zhou Kao, seemingly oblivious to these looks, descended a few steps and made his way to the middle of the Economics faculty section’s aisle. There, he found the class monitor for Wen Le’s class talking to a male student while holding a list.

Zhou Kao knew this person. They were both members of the Student Union, so Zhou Kao was familiar with Class Monitor Shang Wenkang.

Just as Shang Wenkang finished instructing a younger student to distribute chocolates to the athletes, he heard someone calling him from behind.

“Shang Wenkang.”

Shang Wenkang turned around and saw Zhou Kao. He was a bit puzzled. “Zhou Kao, what are you doing on our side?”

Zhou Kao asked, “Where’s Wen Le?”

Shang Wenkang replied, “Oh, she’s waiting over there for her name to be called. Her race is about to start.”

He pointed in the direction Wen Le had walked just a moment ago.

Zhou Kao asked, “Where?”

Cheng Hui was busy attaching Wen Le’s bib, completely blocking her from view.

Shang Wenkang couldn’t help but wonder, “She was just here…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Cheng Hui had already reattached the bib.

So, the two of them saw a short-haired girl in a white T-shirt and black pants walk away, revealing a back view of another girl with a high ponytail, wearing a gray short-sleeved top and gray shorts.

She had a slender and graceful figure, even from just a back view, it was very eye-catching.

Her long neck, straight shoulders, and well-proportioned back, along with the pair of long and straight legs beneath the gray shorts, were snow-white and perfectly sculpted, like they were meticulously carved from premium alabaster.

These beautiful legs had probably rarely seen the light of day, as they were exceptionally white, almost dazzling.

Shang Wenkang’s words vanished into his wide-open mouth, and the people around them were also unconsciously drawn to the sight of those snow-white legs.

However, Zhou Kao kept his eyes on that familiar figure, narrowing his eyes slightly, and his expression turned serious.

As expected, in the next moment, that figure turned around, smiled brightly, and appeared to be saying something to the short-haired girl who had just blocked her. Then, she began to stretch and move her wrists and ankles, followed by a squat and leg press.

As she squatted down with one leg, the other leg stretched out to the side, making her legs appear even longer and straighter.

*Cough, cough!*

Shang Wenkang stared wide-eyed, coughing as his face turned slightly red. He lowered his head and said in a somewhat flustered manner, “That person…you’ve found her. Now, I still have something else to do…”

Then, he hurriedly walked away.

Wen Le was still stretching her legs, her long and slender legs shining brightly.

Countless eyes were fixed on Wen Le in the surroundings.

Zhou Kao’s face turned ashen. He had a bad feeling about this.

Cheng Hui said, “Your legs have been hidden from the sun for so long just to keep them this white, right? They’re so dazzling now.”

Wen Le stood up and hopped a few times to loosen up. Suddenly, she stopped and said mysteriously, “Actually, this is to seal my ancient power.”

Cheng Hui was almost choked by her own saliva. “What nonsense is this?”

Wen Le chuckled and then explained, “Did you know I grew up in the mountains since I was a child?”

Cheng Hui shook her head, “I didn’t know. Were you really raised in the mountains?”

Wen Le nodded, “Yes, I was.”

“So, I used to climb mountains, swim, climb trees, and catch fish when I was a child. I was wild, just like a monkey. Once, I almost fell from a tree, but luckily my collar got stuck on a branch; otherwise, I might have broken my leg.

My grandfather was really scared at that time. He probably thought that letting me roam freely would put me in danger. He felt guilty about it and since then, he asked my grandmother to teach me how to be a proper lady.

My grandmother came from an aristocratic family, so it was fine if she didn’t bother much about me. But once she started to take care of me, her rules were very strict. Since I was young and full of energy, my grandmother wanted me to channel my energy elsewhere. That’s when I started learning to dance.”

When talking about her grandmother, Wen Le’s eyes softened, and she had a nostalgic look. “My grandmother is amazing; she knows many different types of dances, and I learned a lot from her. But I was still mischievous and always wanted to go out to play. So, my grandfather found someone to teach me some martial arts to keep me in check. I ended up learning all sorts of random stuff, and it got even worse.”

Wen Le reminisced about the past with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. “I relied on my martial arts skills and got into fights from elementary school to junior high.”

Cheng Hui was shocked. “You used to get into fights when you were a kid?”

Wen Le replied, “You wouldn’t believe it, but from elementary school to junior high, and even in high school, no boy dared to call themselves the school bully in my presence.”

Cheng Hui’s worldview was shattered. In her eyes, Wen Le, although sometimes playful in the dorm, appeared as a gentle and demure young lady outside. She never expected her to be so wild in the past.

Cheng Hui looked at Wen Le in shock and said, “Wow, you were the queen of the school bullies? So fierce?”

Wen Le pretended to blush and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, saying, “I’ve already turned over a new leaf.”

Her coy appearance left many people in awe.

Cheng Hui asked, “Why?”

Wen Le shook her head and explained, “Maybe it’s because I’ve grown older since I entered college, and I wanted to be more poised and refined. Plus, those tight-fitting pencil skirts can give me a psychological reminder that I’m a lady.”

Cheng Hui laughed and said, “You’ve reached the point where not being a lady isn’t an option.”

In fact, Cheng Hui was still curious. She leaned closer and nudged Wen Le with her elbow. “How wild can you be when you take off the skirt?”

Wen Le chuckled and patted her chest. “Just wait and see. I’ll scare you when I’m on stage.”

Cheng Hui glanced at Wen Le’s ample bosom and thought, “Can she really run fast with those?”

Seeing Cheng Hui’s expression, Wen Le asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t believe me?”

Cheng Hui cleared her throat and said, “Just take it easy.”

Wen Le was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Cheng Hui explained, “Don’t be too fierce, pay attention to your facial expressions, and don’t scare your fans.”

Wen Le chuckled.

Just then, the referee signaled that it was time to take the stage. Cheng Hui was very nervous but tried to reassure Wen Le. “Lele, don’t be nervous, give it your all.”

Wen Le smiled at Cheng Hui and said, “Watch me win first place for you.”

Wen Le stepped onto the track, ready to compete. In such a situation, the tense atmosphere was contagious, and the audience on the side of the track had become noticeably quieter.

Wen Le adjusted her starting position, focused her gaze on the finish line, and the referee slowly raised the starting gun. “Get ready!”

“Bang!”

The gunshot echoed, and Wen Le sprinted forward like a gust of wind. Her long legs moved gracefully, her focus fixed on the finish line, while cheers and shouts from the crowd filled the air. This atmosphere further ignited her spirit, and she couldn’t help but recall her childhood days running through the mountains, carefree and wild. At this moment, the untamed wilderness in her heart revived and grew wilder.

Wen Le quickly overtook the first-place runner. Her eyes remained focused, her strides became faster, and she soon left her competitors far behind. At that moment, she was a wild forest spirit, fearless and proud, exuding a relentless determination.

The screams grew louder as Wen Le approached the finish line. Cheng Hui, waiting at the end, was also thrilled.

Wen Le crossed the finish line, and the referee announced, “First place!” She spotted Cheng Hui waiting for her, smiled, and went in for a hug. “How was that?”

This time, Cheng Hui didn’t push her away and was excited. “Damn! First place! You’re amazing!”

Wen Le let go of Cheng Hui, still catching her breath, sweat glistening on her forehead. Cheng Hui handed her a bottle of water. “Have some water…”

Before Cheng Hui could finish her sentence, several voices interrupted in unison, “Xuejie*, water.”

*Chinese term for senior sister

It was a male junior from their department.

Another male voice, on Wen Le’s right, also held a water bottle and said to her, “Wen Le, impressive!”

This was a senior from the Student Union.

There was also a shy-looking boy holding an individually wrapped wet tissue, blushing as he softly asked, “Xuejie, do you need a wet tissue?”

He seemed familiar but had forgotten his name…

Lastly, someone seemed to have not had the chance to speak yet and held out a handkerchief halfway.

These four people appeared stunned by the synchronized moment.

Wen Le and Cheng Hui were also left in a daze.

Just then, another voice chimed in, “Congratulations, Wen Le.”

Without acknowledging the bizarre situation, the person handed Wen Le a drink and considerately opened the bottle cap. It was Xu Wen Hao.

Wen Le thought, There’s probably nothing more awkward in this world.

But in the next moment, she changed her mind.

She thought, turns out it can get even more awkward…

Zhou Kao stood nearby, glaring at them, his hands empty.

TN: hahahaaha all these busy bees flying around our charming flower female lead!!

Previous | Index | Next

Edited by Elv

Kiss Him If You’re Jealous

At noon, Zhou Kao took Wen Le to a restaurant near the company. There were many white-collar workers from the same building there, and when the two of them appeared, they attracted a lot of attention.

Wherever handsome guys and beautiful women went, they were the centre of attention, and with the level of looks that Wen Le and Zhou Kao possessed, they were like walking beacons, shining brightly.

After lunch, Zhou Kao didn’t have any meetings in the afternoon. He just needed to review some documents in his office, and occasionally someone would come in and ask him to sign something. However, such documents were rare because Zhou Kao, as a student, wasn’t yet independent enough to make decisions on most matters. Therefore, most of the documents had to be approved by the vice president, and Zhou Kao only needed to sign a few of them.

Occasionally, young team leaders would come in and discuss projects with Zhou Kao. Sometimes, they sought his opinion, and other times, they just wanted to share their thoughts with him. Zhou Kao was not a micromanager, but he was an open-minded and gentle leader. It was clear that he had a good relationship with these young employees.

Zhou Kao didn’t just listen and casually agree with what others said. He listened carefully, thought about it, and sometimes even humbly sought advice. Therefore, even though Zhou Kao was just a university student yet to graduate, he was not underestimated.

Perhaps this had something to do with Zhou Kao’s family background. Both his father and mother were leaders, and they had unique insights into handling interpersonal relationships and leading subordinates. Influenced by his family, Zhou Kao had an advantage in leadership that his peers couldn’t match.

While Wen Le appeared to be working on her laptop, her ears were actually perked up, listening to Zhou Kao’s conversations with the employees. 

Maybe Wen Le didn’t realise it herself, but she thought she was doing a good job of pretending to work on her computer. In reality, the upward curve of her lips and the stars in her crescent-shaped eyes had already given her away.

Even though Zhou Kao was talking to the employee, his gaze occasionally couldn’t help but drift towards Wen Le. Seeing Wen Le’s expression made his heart feel sweet and tender.

After chatting with Zhou Kao, the employee quickly left Zhou Kao’s office. It was truly heartbreaking for the unattached employee to witness the lovey-dovey interactions between these two. These tyrannical dogs, who thought they were doing a good job at hiding it with their ambiguous glances, were really too much for the single dogs. 

After leaving Zhou Kao’s office, the employee stood at the door and shivered, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.

At that moment, the girl with shoulder-length hair who had delivered water to Wen Le happened to pass by and saw him shivering. She narrowed her eyes playfully, smiled, and walked away. Judging by his expression, it seemed she understood something.

After sending the employee away, Zhou Kao approached Wen Le and said, “Feeling bored? How about I give you a tour of the company?”

Wen Le was actually quite curious, but after some thought, she shook her head. This was her first time here, and everyone was busy working. If she, as an outsider, followed Zhou Kao for a tour, it might not be appropriate.

Zhou Kao probably sensed Wen Le’s hesitation and didn’t insist. He glanced at the time and said, “Is your assignment almost done?”

Wen Le replied, “Almost. It isn’t urgent, the assignment isn’t due until next week.”

Zhou Kao suggested, “How about we go watch a movie?”

Wen Le was a bit surprised and glanced at the stack of documents on Zhou Kao’s desk. “Aren’t you going to continue working?”

Zhou Kao replied, “I’ve almost finished. It’s rare for both of us to have free time, so we shouldn’t waste it.”

With that, Zhou Kao reached out to hold Wen Le’s hand, pulling her up from her seat with a smile. He said, “Let’s go.”

Wen Le smiled and closed her laptop, standing up with the help of Zhou Kao’s pull.

After tidying up her belongings, Wen Le followed Zhou Kao out of the office.

Zhou Kao’s secretary, seeing him leave, stood up and glanced at the bag Wen Le was carrying. “President Zhou, are you going out?”

Zhou Kao nodded. “I’ve finished reviewing and signing the documents. They’re in the office. You can take them later.”

The secretary asked, “Are you leaving work now?”

Zhou Kao nodded again. “If there’s anything urgent, call me.”

In reality, both of them knew that there was hardly ever anything urgent in the company that required Zhou Kao, who didn’t involve himself much in daily affairs, to be called.

The two of them left the office and waited for the elevator in the elevator lobby.

Both elevators, left and right, arrived on the 17th floor almost simultaneously, but one was going up while the other was going down. Zhou Kao put his arm around Wen Le and walked into the right elevator.

At this moment, the left elevator’s doors also opened, and a few people stepped out. Among them, a man in his thirties dressed in a suit suddenly stopped and turned around. He caught a glimpse of something through the closing doors of the right elevator, and his handsome eyebrows raised slightly. However, the couple inside the elevator, engrossed in their conversation, didn’t notice the gaze.

The elevator doors closed, completely blocking the man’s line of sight.

“President Lu.”

The man snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

This man was currently the main manager of the company and the confidant that Li Hua had assigned to Zhou Kao, Lu Bohan.

Lu Bohan took a step towards the company entrance but ran into the secretary, who was coming out of Zhou Kao’s office with some documents. “President Lu.”

Lu Bohan nodded then paused for a moment, asking, “Did President Zhou just leave?”

The secretary hesitated but then nodded. “He just left.”

Lu Bohan remembered the scene he had seen through the elevator doors—Zhou Kao and the girl behaving intimately. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and smile. “Did he bring someone with him?”

The secretary nodded and, thinking that almost the entire company knew about it, didn’t see the need to hide anything. “President Zhou said she’s his girlfriend.”

Lu Bohan and Zhou Kao had a good and close relationship, so when he heard this, Lu Bohan chuckled. The kid sure is quick on the uptake. He already has a girlfriend now and even brought her to the office so openly.

Lu Bohan checked the time on his wristwatch and guessed since he was knocking off at this time, it had to be for a date. 

At 6:00 PM, after dinner, Zhou Kao promptly dropped Wen Le off at her dormitory. Just before getting out of the car, Zhou Kao pulled Wen Le in for a kiss once again.

Couples in the honeymoon phase were always stuck together, reluctant to part.

Zhou Kao released Wen Le, pushed a stray strand of hair away from her forehead, and then kissed her forehead gently. He said, “You have a competition tomorrow, so get some rest early tonight.”

Wen Le nodded.

Zhou Kao continued, “I’ll come to watch your competition tomorrow. Don’t be nervous.”

Wen Le smiled and replied, “Why would I be nervous? I used to win awards every year at the high school sports meet.”

Zhou Kao teased, “It seems like your hobby of collecting certificates and medals extends to all areas.”

Wen Le retorted playfully, “Why, is that a problem?”

Zhou Kao smiled warmly. “I just love your enthusiasm.”

Wen Le playfully tapped Zhou Kao’s chest and said, “You smooth talker.”

Zhou Kao held Wen Le’s hand, kissed it again, then finally let her get out of the car.

As Wen Le stepped out of the car, she encountered Cheng Hui, who was on her way downstairs to buy dinner. Cheng Hui looked puzzled and asked, “Why are you back so early?”

Wen Le replied, “Early?”

Cheng Hui remarked, “Isn’t it early? Last time, when you said you were going to visit your dad, you came back really late.”

That night was when Zhou Kao had fallen ill, and Wen Le had taken care of him at his place. Remembering this, Wen Le blushed and stammered, “I really did go to see my dad that day!”

Cheng Hui gave Wen Le a strange look. “Who said you didn’t go see your dad? Why are you acting so guilty? Wait… Oh, so the night you came back late was actually because you were seeing Zhou Kao, right? I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said it.”

Wen Le regretted giving herself away and felt like slapping herself.

To divert Cheng Hui’s attention and prevent further questions, Wen Le quickly changed the subject. “Why didn’t you guys go out for fun?”

Cheng Hui replied, “Couldn’t get out of bed, just lazed around all day.”

Wen Le asked, “Who’s in the dorm?”

Cheng Hui answered, “It’s just me and Man Qingxuan. Bao Xiaofan went home for a meal. And those other two you know.”

As they continued chatting, the two of them entered the dormitory.

Man Qingxuan was sprawled on her bed, engrossed in her phone. Wen Le asked, “Have you eaten?”

Man Qingxuan turned around and continued staring at her phone. “On a diet.”

Cheng Hui put down her meal box, opened a video to watch while eating, and glanced at Bao Xiaofan, who was lying on her bed giggling. “Are you still browsing the internet forums?”

Man Qingxuan grinned and said, “This batch of male juniors is quite something.”

Cheng Hui remarked, “Why didn’t I see any handsome guys?”

Man Qingxuan replied, “Don’t set your standards too high. If you’re looking for someone like Zhou Kao, there won’t be any. But the overall quality is slightly better than previous years.”

Man Qingxuan swiped her phone screen a couple of times and said, “Le Le, your photos from last year, holding up the sign, have resurfaced.”

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk, if they’re not comparable then there’s nothing great about them.”

“People online are saying that after seeing your grace and charm holding up that sign back then, they have no desire to look at the girls who came after.”

Hearing this, Wen Le said, “So I’ve gradually become the enemy of girls.”

Cheng Hui pretended to say, “Oh my, I also want to be the enemy of girls~”

Wen Le tossed a pillow at Cheng Hui and said, “Please take that title away quickly.”

At this point, Cheng Hui suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, “Quick, show me your uniform for tomorrow’s competition. Let Daddy enjoy it in advance.”

TN: LOLLLL hahahaha I love Cheng Hui!

Wen Le glared at her. “Friend, can’t you speak properly?”

Cheng Hui laughed, “Haha, when you step onto the field tomorrow in those shorts, and your beautiful legs appear on the BBS, you’ll become the enemy of girls again.”

Because of this comment, Wen Le felt a bit uneasy when she called Zhou Kao that night.

Unfortunately, Zhou Kao couldn’t predict what he was about to face.

Although it was Wen Le’s competition, the entire dormitory was already awake early the next morning.

There were currently five people in the dormitory. Ai Fei was going to the library for self-study, and the rest were going to the sports field to cheer for Wen Le.

Everyone was excited, but before leaving, Wen Le insisted on wearing a sun-protective jacket that covered her knees. Cheng Hui couldn’t persuade her to take it off.

Cheng Hui was puzzled, “Aren’t you feeling hot?”

Wen Le gripped the collar of her sun-protective jacket. “I’m cold.”

Cheng Hui sighed, “Cold my foot!”

Wen Le whispered in Cheng Hui’s ear, “Zhou Kao is coming to watch my competition.”

Cheng Hui responded, “So what? Let him watch.”

Wen Le said, “What if he gets jealous? I think if he comes to watch my competition with excitement but ends up feeling jealous, it won’t be good.”

Cheng Hui said, “What’s the big deal? If he gets jealous, just kiss him. Kiss him again if he’s still jealous. Just kiss him until he surrenders.”

Cheng Hui shivered at her own words, unable to control herself. “I can’t stand you lovey-dovey couples.”

She spoke with a tone of disdain and disgust.

Wen Le: ……

Wen Le: Wait, how is this relationship-virgin even better at flirting than couples …

TN: Hope you guys enjoyed the double chapters during this festive season~ Wishing everyone a happy new year!

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Edited by Elv

My Girlfriend

Wen Le looked at the address on the takeout receipt and found it somewhat familiar but didn’t dwell on it. She proceeded to open the packaging.

It was once again the dessert and milk tea from the same brand that Zhou Kao had bought for her last time. Wen Le glanced at the selection and saw several dimsums*, but there was only one cup of milk tea. She couldn’t help but give Zhou Kao a questioning look.

*dimsums = large range of small Cantonese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch

Zhou Kao understood and said, “These are snacks for you. When everyone is here, I’ll have to go for a meeting. Will you wait here for me?”

Wen Le chuckled and said, “Are you trying to pamper me like a child?”

Zhou Kao gently patted Wen Le’s head.

Wen Le moved away from his touch, gave Zhou Kao an annoyed look, and warned, “Don’t mess up my hair.”

Zhou Kao chuckled softly and moved closer to Wen Le, his gaze filled with affection. It made her blush and her heart race as if even the air around them had become sticky with sweetness.

Wen Le felt embarrassed being in Zhou Kao’s office under these circumstances. She was afraid that at any moment, Zhou Kao might try to kiss her. She quickly diverted her attention to the dimsums to avoid his gaze.

She found a strawberry daifuku that she liked among them. Wen Le immediately disregarded Zhou Kao’s sticky gaze, picked up an individually wrapped daifuku from the beautifully packaged box, and took a bite.

It was sweet but not cloying, and its rich and dense texture made Wen Le close her eyes in happiness.

Zhou Kao, seeing Wen Le’s adorable expression, couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection. His eyes darkened slightly, and he leaned in as if he was going to kiss her.

Wen Le got a shock – they were in the office!

Feeling flustered, she took the half-eaten strawberry daifuku in her hand and directly stuffed it into Zhou Kao’s mouth.

Zhou Kao was momentarily stunned, then a smile crossed his lips. His gaze remained on Wen Le as he slowly swallowed the half-eaten strawberry daifuku.

Wen Le recalled that it was a daifuku she had half-eaten. Her ears turned red, and she cleared her throat, pretending to be calm. Without looking at Zhou Kao, she reached for the nearby milk tea and took a few sips.

Zhou Kao knew that Wen Le was feeling embarrassed in his office and didn’t want to push further. He sat with her for a while, engaging in a conversation.

Wen Le noticed an economics book on Zhou Kao’s office desk. She picked it up, flipped through a few pages, and then placed it back.

“I noticed you were borrowing books related to economics from the library last time. Are you pursuing a second major?” Wen Le asked.

Zhou Kao replied, “I did consider it initially, but studying for a second major would increase my academic workload. I don’t have that much time. It’s better to learn from the company’s seniors while gaining practical experience. In practice, I find that this approach is more effective.”

Wen Le nodded and said, “That makes sense.”

They continued chatting for a while. Someone knocked on the door from outside, and a man in a white shirt entered the room.

“President Zhou…” The man paused when he saw the girl in Zhou Kao’s office, and his gaze showed a hint of amazement as he glanced at Wen Le’s face. However, he quickly regained his composure and said, “President Zhou, the meeting is in ten minutes.”

Zhou Kao nodded and said, “Got it.”

The man closed the door and left, but not before stealing another discreet glance at Wen Le. It wasn’t just curiosity about Wen Le’s identity; it was also because Wen Le was a rare beauty.

Wen Le sat on the sofa, and the sunlight behind her cast a golden hue on her hair, turning her light brown hair almost into a golden sheen. Her porcelain-like fair skin was adorned with distinct eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes that were both large and narrow, an elegant nose, and lips that were soft and rosy from the milk tea she had just sipped.

The extraordinary fusion of these perfect features and her charm created a stunning beauty. In her outfit – a white round-neck blouse paired with a vibrant red skirt – she appeared radiant and innocent, yet subtly alluring.

This sight was simply captivating, leaving people mesmerised.

The secretary, still dazed, walked out of the office, and a colleague from the marketing department, seeing the secretary’s absent-minded demeanour, gave him a friendly pat and asked, “What are you thinking?”

The secretary blinked and subconsciously looked back but only saw the closed office door.

He shook his head and replied, “Nothing, I’m going to prepare for the meeting.”

With that, he left, leaving his colleague somewhat puzzled. He looked at the secretary then took another look at Zhou Kao’s office. Did he get scolded by the boss?

He couldn’t figure out what was going on and scratched his head before taking the elevator to the sixteenth floor.

Zhou Kao pulled out a chair for Wen Le and asked her to sit down. He said, “I see you brought your laptop. If you’re more comfortable using a computer, you can sit here. I’ll be going for a meeting, and will be back soon.”

He added: “Usually they won’t come in when they know I’m in a meeting. But if someone does come in, you can just ignore them too.”

Wen Le nodded and said, “Okay, I got it. You can go.”

Zhou Kao leaned down and planted a kiss on Wen Le’s cheek.

Wen Le quickly pushed Zhou Kao away, covering her face, and scolded him, “Heyy, I have foundation on. Why are you so sticky!”

Zhou Kao laughed heartily at her reaction.

Wen Le grabbed Zhou Kao’s face and examined it closely, saying, “Let me check if there’s any foundation on your lips.”

While getting closer to Zhou Kao, she muttered under her breath, “I can’t afford to let this guy be humiliated…”

Zhou Kao’s heart was melting as he gazed at Wen Le with stars in his eyes.

He was about to indulge in another kiss when Wen Le pushed him away with a smack and said, “Hurry up and go, you’re annoying.”

Zhou Kao: …

This heartrending feeling is real.

About an hour later, the door to Zhou Kao’s office was forcefully pushed open, and a young man in a white t-shirt with a baby face peeked inside, his face beaming with a bright smile. “President Zhou…”

Then his gaze landed on Wen Le, who was sitting at the desk. The young man’s round bright eyes widened instantly, and a series of emotions, including astonishment, shock, and suspicion, flashed in his eyes. When Wen Le looked back at him, he apologised and then retreated from the room. He glanced at the door plate to confirm he was in the right place, and a look of self-doubt briefly crossed his face.

He hadn’t entered the wrong room.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he cautiously poked his head back inside.

Wen Le found the young man with a baby face amusing and was about to remind him that Zhou Kao was in a meeting when they heard a familiar voice from outside.

“I’m here.”

It was Zhou Kao’s voice.

The baby face quickly withdrew his head, but due to the initial shock, he didn’t close the door. Wen Le could vaguely hear their conversation from outside the office.

The young man’s voice was filled with astonishment.

“Wow! Boss, you have a beautiful lady in your office?”

Zhou Kao replied casually, “She’s my girlfriend.”

Wen Le blushed upon hearing Zhou Kao’s words and quickly shook her head, refocusing her attention on the laptop screen.

Shortly after, Zhou Kao returned to the office and told Wen Le that he had some business to attend to and would be back in about twenty minutes.

Wen Le nodded. She didn’t mind being alone in the office, as it provided a quiet environment for her to work on her assignments, similar to studying in a library or a self-study room.

After Zhou Kao left again, not long passed before there was another knock on the door. Wen Le paused her typing and said, “Come in.”

A young woman with shoulder-length hair entered. She appeared just slightly older than Wen Le, probably a recent graduate, and an employee at the company.

The woman carried a tray with disposable cups filled with various beverages such as fruit juice, water, and coffee. She smiled and said, “Would you like something to drink? How about coffee?”

Wen Le smiled and stood up, replying, “Thank you, just water is fine.”

The woman placed the water on the desk, sneaking several glances at Wen Le during the process. Without saying much, she smiled and left the room.

At first, Wen Le thought Zhou Kao had arranged for someone to provide her with drinks, thinking she might find the milk tea and dimsum too sweet. However, as more snacks and fruits arrived later on, Wen Le realised that the baby-faced man had probably said something.

It seemed like the entire company now knew that Zhou Kao had brought his girlfriend along.

Wen Le couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands, her face turning bright red. Even though… she felt quite embarrassed…

Twenty minutes later, Zhou Kao returned and saw the pile of snacks, fruits, and bottled drinks on Wen Le’s desk. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, “I’m sorry, I forgot that Yufang has a big mouth.”

Wen Le guessed that Yufang was probably the young man with the baby face.

Wen Le was about to say, “It’s okay; they’re all very friendly,” but then Zhou Kao spoke up, “But you should just consider it an early adaptation. Once our schoolmates find out that we’re together, I bet we’ll be the centre of attention whenever we meet on campus.”

Wen Le’s words got stuck in her mouth, leaving her feeling frustrated, and she shot Zhou Kao an annoyed glance.

Zhou Kao chuckled softly, walked behind Wen Le, and leaned over, resting his chin on the tall backrest of the office chair. He softly reassured her, “Actually, they’re just a bit too curious. Everyone in the company now knows that I have a very good-natured beauty as my girlfriend, and they couldn’t resist coming to take a look.”

Wen Le blushed a little at Zhou Kao’s compliment and stopped glaring at him. Instead, she turned her attention back to the computer screen and waved her hand as if saying, “Go on, you can retreat. I’m busy.”

Zhou Kao chuckled and refused to leave. He continued teasing her, “What are you working on?”

Wen Le replied, “Microeconomics homework.”

Realising that she might be occupying his workspace, Wen Le asked, “Do you need the desk? I can make some space for you.”

Zhou Kao put his hand on Wen Le’s shoulder and said, “No need. You can sit here. I want you to keep me company.”

Wen Le smiled and said, “Okay.”

Zhou Kao brought over a chair and sat beside Wen Le. He used the desktop computer, while Wen Le sat in his office chair with her own laptop, focusing on her research.

–

Xun Fei, on the nineteenth floor of the gaming company, was a female programmer with a penchant for staying indoors. She wasn’t much into sports, but she loved watching TV dramas, handsome men, and chasing celebrities. 

Xun Fei had a habit of quickly gathering information about all the handsome guys around her whenever she entered a new environment.

Several months ago, she had noticed that there was an exceptionally handsome guy on the seventeenth floor of the tech company downstairs. 

However, this handsome guy was hard to come across in the elevator, and she didn’t know his exact working hours. Xun Fei had only managed to run into him twice in the elevator.

Xun Fei was incredibly curious about this handsome guy.

Coincidentally, she had recently become acquainted with Qian Sijia, a girl from the seventeenth floor, in the second-floor cafeteria. They had struck up a conversation because both of them had the same screensaver on their phones – Su Tianyu, a second-tier idol. Both of them were Su Tianyu fans, and this common interest led to their growing friendship.

As they got to know each other better, it became easier for them to discuss topics that might have been awkward initially.

Today, Xun Fei noticed a message in her group chat about the handsome guy from the seventeenth floor bringing a beauty over, and it seemed like they were dating. 

While chatting in the break room, a colleague who was particularly close to her poked fun and nudged at her saying: “Didn’t you get to know a buddy from the seventeenth floor? You could ask around during lunch.”

Xun Fei nodded in agreement, as she had been thinking along those lines as well.

So, at lunchtime, Xun Fei made plans to eat with Qian Sijia and casually brought up the topic during their conversation.

Xun Fei said, “Is there a handsome guy in your company? He looks quite young, my God, he’s super handsome, and his physique is just…damn! The first time I saw him in the elevator, I thought he must be a male model your company hired. I’ve been following him for a while!”

Qian Sijia, upon hearing this, choked on her water and began coughing vigorously.

Xun Fei quickly patted her back and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qian Sijia wiped her mouth with a tissue, took a moment to compose herself, waved her hand, and after taking a sip of water, she finally said, “The handsome guy you’re talking about, is he particularly young and tall?”

Xun Fei’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at Qian Sijia. She nodded repeatedly and then whispered, “To be honest, I think he’s even more handsome than Ah Yu… but I still love Ah Yu the most.”

Qian Sijia shook her head, showing a tinge of regret, and said, “Don’t think about it anymore; that’s our boss.”

Xun Fei was shocked, “What?*“

*Xun Fei said this in English.

“WTF…WTF…WTF”, Xun Fei’s jaw was about to drop in astonishment.

“He isn’t just an ordinary salary worker? But he is obviously still so young…”

Qian Sijia chuckled lightly and said, “He’s probably a second-generation heir, or should I say, maybe even an nth-generation heir.”

Xun Fei still couldn’t believe it and said, “But my colleague clearly saw him. He came out of the garage and drove a car worth around RMB 300,000…”

Qian Sijia rolled her eyes, “Naive.”

“This is probably the low-key lifestyle of old money. Even though he appears to drive a 300,000 RMB car on the surface, there’s a garage full of supercars gathering dust.”

Xun Fei was left dumbfounded, her mouth wide open, and it seemed like her jaw was about to hit the floor.

Qian Sijia sighed in exclamation, “There is no end to the envy for our boss. He’s 20 this year, a sophomore at A University, and the biggest stakeholder in the company. Rumour has it that his grandfather gave him the company as a gift when he got into A University.”

Xun Fei was stunned, “What! He’s still a sophomore at A University?”

She couldn’t believe it, “OMG, he looks so handsome, comes from such a wealthy family, and he’s excelling academically. My gosh! It turns out that the male lead from idol dramas actually exists in real life…”

“I genuinely thought that the handsome guy was just an intern at your company…”

Qian Sijia clicked her tongue twice, “That’s definitely our big boss. Their family background is remarkable, tsk tsk.”

Xun Fei asked in shock, “So, what about that little girlfriend? I heard she’s incredibly good-looking.”

Qian Sijia sighed even more deeply, shook her head, and said, “I’ve never seen someone as good-looking in my entire life. She looks like a work of art, probably even more beautiful than the actresses in the entertainment industry. I have no idea how she managed to look like that. It’s infuriating.”

Xun Fei said, “Who asked you about that? I was talking about her family background. Are they in a business alliance marriage?”

Qian Sijia replied, “I don’t know. How would you be able to tell? Maybe she’s from the film school just next to A University since she’s so beautiful.”

Xun Fei let out a sigh, “Ah, with a face like that, she’s definitely going to marry into a wealthy family. I envy her so much.”

After finishing her meal, Xun Fei hurried back to the company. She excitedly pulled out her phone, trembling as she sent several messages.

Xun Fei: I’ve got the information about the little handsome guy you asked about! It’s super juicy!

Marketing Department, Jiang Yumeng: Quick, spill it!

Planning Department, Lou Xiaoxiao: Hurry!

Sales Department, Gao Mengyu: We’re craving the details!

Marketing Department, Wu Jiejing: Could it be that the handsome guy is involved in some scandalous affair with a rich older woman?

Front Desk, Tong Zhuyue: Hurry, hurry!

Xun Fei: You’ll never guess.

Xun Fei: That handsome guy who drives a Passat is actually the big boss of the tech company on the sixteenth and seventeenth floors!

Marketing Department, Jiang Yumeng: What!

Secretary, Xu Baiman: !! He’s actually not an intern??

Finance Department, Zhuang Xiuni: Is it too late to have a cross-age relationship? Auntie also wants to marry into a wealthy family…

TN: hahahaha, I have a feeling we will be seeing more of such reactions as our lead’s relationship blossoms for everyone to see!!

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Hope you guys have been enjoying the double weekly updates! Wishing you guys a lovely Merry Christmas ~

Edited by Elv

The ‘Wen’ of Wen Corporation 

At around eight o’clock, Cheng Hui went to the washroom to freshen up. She didn’t stay in there for long and came out looking a bit excited, pulling Wen Le to the washroom with her.

Wen Le was puzzled and asked her quietly, “What’s going on?”

Cheng Hui pulled Wen Le to the window and pointed outside, saying, “Who is that?”

Wen Le took a quick look and recognized the figure of Zhou Kao immediately, mainly because of Zhou Kao’s outstanding physique. 

Wen Le blushed slightly and cleared her throat, saying, “I’m leaving.”

Cheng Hui teased, “Oh, wasn’t it scheduled for 8:30? You can’t wait, huh?”

Wen Le gave Cheng Hui a sideways glance and said, “No more talking. He’s already here. I’m leaving.”

Wen Le grabbed her bag and quietly left the dormitory.

When Wen Le came downstairs, Zhou Kao was leaning against the car door, looking at his phone.

Wen Le walked over, tapped Zhou Kao on the shoulder, and only then did Zhou Kao react. 

He looked up and saw a hint of admiration in Wen Le’s eyes. His gaze intentionally slid over Wen Le’s red skirt, and he smiled, saying, “It suits you well.”

Wen Le smiled, a bit playful and proud.

As Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le’s smile, his eyes deepened, and his throat moved up and down. 

He couldn’t help but want to kiss her immediately.

Zhou Kao quickly averted his gaze, walked to the passenger side, and opened the car door for Wen Le, gesturing, “This way, miss.”

Wen Le smiled and sat in the passenger seat. When she looked up at Zhou Kao, her gaze casually swept over the window of room 307 on the third floor, where she saw Cheng Hui peeking out of the window. 

She seemed almost ready to jump out.

Wen Le’s mouth twitched, and she took out her phone to send Cheng Hui a message.

wl: Had fun watching?

wl: Take it easy, don’t fall over.

As soon as Zhou Kao got in the car and closed the door, he hugged Wen Le and kissed her passionately.

Zhou Kao’s breathing became heavy, and his voice was a bit hoarse as he said, “I’ve missed you so much.”

Saying that, he leaned in to capture Wen Le’s lower lip.

Wen Le felt weak in the knees from Zhou Kao’s kiss and pushed him away with a smile.

Zhou Kao tried to move closer, but Wen Le covered his mouth with her hand.

Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le with desire in his eyes.

Wen Le pushed Zhou Kao away and said, “You’re so annoying. You’ve smudged my lipstick again.”

Upon hearing those words, Zhou Kao chuckled, took Wen Le’s hand, and kissed it. He leaned in close to Wen Le and said, “Do I have lipstick on my lips? If the people at the company see it…”

Wen Le blushed at his words, pushed Zhou Kao’s face away, and took out a tissue to wipe his lips. Fortunately, she had applied a moisturizing pink lipstick today, which was light in color and easy to remove.

Wen Le took out her lipstick from her bag to touch up her makeup and then looked over Zhou Kao’s face again to make sure there were no traces of lipstick on him.

Zhou Kao kept his eyes glued to Wen Le throughout as if there were stars in his eyes.

Wen Le blushed under Zhou Kao’s gaze but felt sweet inside. She lowered her head shyly, and suddenly her phone vibrated with a message from Cheng Hui.

Human Microscope: Hehe, you’ve been caught.

Human Microscope: Why haven’t you left yet?

Human Microscope: Are you two kissing?

Wen Le felt a bit embarrassed and sent an emoji in response.

Zhou Kao raised an eyebrow when he saw Wen Le texting and asked, “Is there something going on today?”

Wen Le replied, “No, it’s just that my roommate is spying on us.”

Zhou Kao glanced toward the women’s dormitory and indeed saw a girl on the third floor leaning against the window.

Zhou Kao chuckled and started the car, saying, “Should I invite your roommates for dinner next time? It’s a customary rule, I hear.”

Wen Le replied, “Let’s wait a bit; I haven’t told them everything yet.”

Just as Zhou Kao was about to say something, Wen Le preempted him, asking, “Did you tell them?”

Zhou Kao sighed and said, “I haven’t been back to the dorm lately, but I’ll have to tell them sooner or later.”

Zhou Kao drove to the underground parking lot of a CBD building and asked, “Are you hungry? Did you have breakfast this morning?”

Wen Le replied, “Not hungry. I woke up early and had something to eat.”

Zhou Kao inquired, “Oh?”

Wen Le explained, “There’s a sports event today, and it’s noisy outside.”

Zhou Kao thought of something and said, “I’d like to see pictures of you holding up signs.”

Wen Le responded, “I don’t have any. You can check the forum.”

Zhou Kao remarked, “Then I’ll have to thoroughly search the forum.”

As they spoke, Zhou Kao had already parked the car, and they both got out. It was during working hours, and Wen Le noticed that the people getting out of their cars were all dressed in suits or white shirts and high heels, looking like elite professionals.

Wen Le said, “I made a mistake.”

Zhou Kao asked, “What’s wrong?”

“If I had known we were coming to the CBD, I would have worn high heels. This outfit looks out of place among all these office workers in heels and dress pants.”

Zhou Kao stepped closer and put his arm around Wen Le’s shoulder, saying, “They are here for work, but you’re here for a date. How can they be the same?”

Zhou Kao’s company occupied the 16th and 17th floors of this building. His team consisted mainly of young professionals. 

Originally, the company was a tech firm given to Zhou Kao by his grandfather. Later, they acquired a small online shopping platform specializing in beauty and fashion, and the two companies merged to create a note-sharing platform with a focus on the original market.

Recently, the company had reached a plateau in its growth. Although they still had some momentum due to their innovative model, they knew that if they continued along their current path after the initial buzz faded, they would lose a significant number of users and eventually be overtaken by increasingly diversified competitors and markets.

During the ride to the company, Zhou Kao and Wen Le discussed the development issues facing the company. Wen Le was from the School of Economics, so she had some knowledge of marketing and management, which allowed her to engage in a conversation with Zhou Kao. Honestly, Wen Le found these topics quite interesting.

On the other hand, although Zhou Kao was the one who initiated the project, the actual operation was carried out by the company’s talented professionals. Zhou Kao mentioned, “I may say that I’m leading them on the project, but in reality, I’m learning through this project.”

The company had hired various high-caliber talents who were more than capable of running the project. Zhou Kao, as the largest shareholder of the company, mainly played the role of initiating the project, while the rest was a learning process alongside the company’s more experienced colleagues.

Most of the company’s staff were young, and many of them had been recruited personally by Zhou Kao’s mother, Li Hua, who was a trusted figure. Bringing together a group of talented individuals with competitive salaries and shared visions, working hard for a project—it was a unique and somewhat magical process. The youthful energy within the company was palpable.

As Wen Le listened to Zhou Kao, she found herself somewhat envious and excited to meet them.

While they were talking, the lift arrived and Zhou Kao shielded Wen Le as they moved inwards of the carriage. 

More people started entering the lift as it began its ascend. Upon entering, it was hard not to notice Zhou Kao and Wen Le in the corner of the elevator.

Zhou Kao had been here many times before, and most people in the building were already aware of the tech company on the 17th floor with a handsome young man who looked exceptionally youthful and had a physique akin to an international male model.

Whether married or single, the women in the building had been secretly paying attention to Zhou Kao for a long time. A handsome young man like him was a scarce resource and scarce resources naturally drew attention.

When they saw Zhou Kao with a beautiful young woman by his side, their eyes initially brightened. 

Isn’t she too beautiful? Is she a new celebrity or a pre-debut artist from the art school?

They couldn’t help but wonder.

Then came the realization, followed by sighs: So, the handsome young man already has a girlfriend.

So, within less than two hours, all the women in the entire building regretfully learned that the handsome young man was already in a relationship with a very beautiful girlfriend.

The two of them exited the elevator on the 17th floor, and as they walked towards the front desk, the receptionist stood up and greeted, “Good morning, President Zhou.”

Zhou Kao held Wen Le’s hand and approached the front desk, nodding in response.

Wen Le, being led by Zhou Kao in front of everyone, had a slightly red face.

The receptionist, upon seeing Wen Le, opened her eyes wide.

Her gaze was fixed firmly on Wen Le as she stammered, “President Zhou, here’s your takeout.”

Zhou Kao then noticed the bag placed on the front desk, nodded, and picked it up, still holding Wen Le’s hand as he led her into his private office.

It was not yet nine o’clock, and not many people had arrived, so only a few had seen Wen Le.

Zhou Kao asked Wen Le to sit on the sofa and handed her the takeout.

Wen Le took the takeout but didn’t open it immediately. The address on the food receipt had caught her eye.

Looking at the address of this building, Wen Le found it somewhat familiar.

“This building…”

Zhou Kao asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Le said, “I just feel like this address is somewhat familiar.”

Zhou Kao responded, “It’s said to be owned by the Wen family.”

As Zhou Kao spoke, he suddenly turned to look at Wen Le, and his eyes widened slightly.

Suddenly, several images flashed through Zhou Kao’s mind, and he remembered where he had seen Wen Le’s bangle before.

Her mother seemed to be quite disappointed because she didn’t win the bid for a particular bangle during the last auction event in Hong Kong that his mother attended. Zhou Kao remembered it because she had mentioned it several times. And now, that very bangle was on Wen Le’s wrist…

Furthermore, after Zhou Kao left his place a few days ago, Li Hua, his mother, had been calling him incessantly, talking about how he was their only son and needed to make his parents proud – so if he were to bring home a girl and marry into their family, she and his father would definitely not allow for such matters.

At the time, Zhou Kao found her words a bit strange. Why would she mention the words “marry into the other family” or talk about bringing someone home as if he were from a different social background? After all, he was from the prestigious Zhou family, and his future was bright. Why would he have anything to do with the term “marry into their family”?

Now, Zhou Kao suddenly thought of a possible explanation. If Wen Le’s “Wen” was the same as the “Wen” in “Wen Corporation”…

In cases where top-tier old-money families having only one sole heir were involved, the request for the male party to marry into the female family was not entirely impossible…

Thinking of his parents’ concerns, Zhou Kao couldn’t help but look at Wen Le with a complex expression.

Wen Le asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Kao said, “May I ask for your father’s name?”

Wen Le was a bit puzzled but had nothing to hide, so she answered, “Wen Tianqi.”

Zhou Kao’s mouth twitched.

Well, it seemed that his mother’s concerns were not entirely unfounded.

So, the question remained, if the Wen family were to make such a request and insist on it…

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to refuse, after all.

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Edited by Elv

First Date

Wen Le was running on the school track with her earphones when suddenly her music was interrupted by a phone call. It was Zhou Kao calling.

Wen Le slowed down her pace and walked towards the center of the field to catch her breath on the grass.

Thinking about it, she realized it had been two or three days since Zhou Kao had dropped her off on Sunday, and they hadn’t seen each other since. Zhou Kao seemed to have been quite busy recently, and they had only been in touch through WeChat and phone calls.

She checked the time, and it was around the time they usually talked on weekdays. She answered Zhou Kao’s call, and his voice came through, “Hello.”

Hearing Wen Le’s slightly heavy breathing, Zhou Kao asked, “What are you doing?”

Wen Le regulated her breath and replied, “I’m jogging.”

Zhou Kao recalled that Wen Le had mentioned signing up for this year’s sports meet. He asked, “Why did you sign up for events this year? You didn’t participate last year, did you?”

Wen Le explained, “I was holding up a signboard in my freshman year, so I didn’t participate.”

Thinking about her freshman year made Wen Le chuckle. Back then, the school assigned a photographer to take pictures of each signboard model, and they initiated an online vote for the most beautiful signboard holder. She ended up winning with the highest number of votes. Despite the Economics faculty not having an absolute advantage in terms of population, many male students from other faculties secretly voted for her when they heard about the competition between the faculties. It was said that the counselor from the Business School was quite frustrated about it for a while.

Wen Le playfully scolded, “You didn’t know? I was quite popular back then.”

Zhou Kao rubbed his forehead and said, “I was busy at the time. I didn’t even participate in the sports meet, so how could I have known all that?”

But then, Zhou Kao’s voice lowered, “But if I had participated in the sports meet back then, maybe we wouldn’t have had to wait until our sophomore year to meet…”

His voice sounded downcast, and his mood seemed to have soured a bit due to this regret.

In reality, it was impossible not to regret it.

Talking about the past…

Wen Le took a couple of steps on the grass, sat down, and gazed at the dark track. The field was dimly lit by a few faint lights. In the dim environment, hidden thoughts could easily emerge and dwell. In a secretive corner of her heart, Wen Le harbored a question that she had never asked before. But at this moment, amid this darkness, those emotions buried deep within her memories seemed to quietly resurface.

Sitting on the grass, Wen Le hugged her knees and spoke softly, “Zhou Kao…”

Zhou Kao softly hummed in response, and Wen Le continued, “In our first year of high school, I thought that we…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it all, but she asked, “Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

Her voice was quiet, and when she spoke of the past, there was a hint of grievances in her tone.

The night breeze gently brushed a strand of hair across Wen Le’s cheek. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes appearing somewhat dim in the glow of the lights. Her fingers subconsciously twisted the artificial grass on the lawn, circling it between her fingertips.

Zhou Kao’s breath caught at Wen Le’s words. On the other end of the call, his expression turned a bit awkward, tinged with regret and remorse.

There were reasons he couldn’t put into words, and he suddenly felt that even the mistakes made in youthful recklessness shouldn’t be forgiven so easily. Yet, here Wen Le was, just as he had hoped, not questioning or making a fuss, and giving him another chance.

He felt grateful, yet also sad.

Wen Le was a kind-hearted girl. He had wasted one chance, and he still held regrets for the foolishness of his past actions. Thinking about those three years that slipped by, Zhou Kao’s heart wasn’t at ease.

He didn’t speak, because the real reason was both stupid and absurd. He couldn’t say it out loud.

Wen Le didn’t press for details. It was as if she could sense Zhou Kao’s remorse through the phone. She didn’t chastise or get angry; instead, she gently asked, “Zhou Kao, do you regret it?”

After a moment, Zhou Kao gave a slight nod, then realized that Wen Le couldn’t see him. He replied in a husky voice, “Yes.”

Wen Le continued, “So you know: once bitten, twice shy.”

“You need to remember well what caused us to miss three years.”

“If you make the same mistake again, you’ll be a big fool. You’ll be a big fool not worthy of another chance or forgiveness.”

Although her words seemed a bit petulant, they held a sense of warmth and cuteness that Zhou Kao found endearing. A gentle breeze seemed to brush across his chest as if Wen Le’s words were a soft caress. Suddenly, he felt a bit relieved.

Zhou Kao’s voice was low and strained, “So, can you forgive me?”

Wen Le’s voice was crisp and resolute, “I won’t forgive.”

“I want to leave this thorn in your heart. If you ever make another mistake, I’ll prick it a bit to make you feel some pain.”

“And if one day, when I prick that thorn, you don’t feel the pain anymore, then I’ll know that you probably don’t like me anymore.”

“Then, I might do what you did to me back then: leave without a word.”

At Wen Le’s words, his heart suddenly ached, as if he could truly feel a thorn lodged in his chest.

“It won’t come to that day. It’ll keep hurting.”

Zhou Kao’s voice was gentle, “Wen Le, please don’t leave me.”

Wen Le’s lips curled slightly, “Will you be a good boy?”

Zhou Kao seemed to lose his pride, becoming like a dejected puppy, “Yes, I will be.”

Wen Le’s smile was triumphant.

She laughed heartily, dissipating the tiny cloud of gloom that had lingered in the deepest recesses of her heart.

“Listen, Wen Le…” Zhou Kao tenderly called her name.

“Yes?”

Zhou Kao said, “I really love you.”

TN: This whole section really got me in the feels 🥹….before our female lead ruined it hahaha

Wen Le felt a sweet sensation in her heart, her lips curling into a smile. However, she remarked, “The love during the honeymoon phase doesn’t necessarily carry a high level of credibility.”

Zhou Kao, rubbing his temples, complained, “Wen Le, do you have to be so rational at a time like this?”

Wen Le defended herself, saying, “What can I do? It’s because I’m a science major.”

Zhou Kao sighed, looking utterly disoriented.

Wen Le thought, I hope I didn’t crush his spirits too much…

Just as she was thinking this, she heard Zhou Kao muttering to himself, “I can already foresee my future – a life with no status and no say… all thanks to you eating me alive…”

Wen Le couldn’t help but picture a scene in her mind: Zhou Kao wearing an apron, humbly kneeling on the floor, scrubbing it diligently, while she sat on the sofa, comfortably eating fruits that Zhou Kao had peeled and diced, watching TV.

Wen Le couldn’t hold back a chuckle but quickly realized how absurd her imagination was. She cleared her throat and said seriously, “Don’t think too far ahead, we’ll see how things go with your performance.”

Zhou Kao let out a soft sigh and changed the topic, asking, “When is the competition? Can I come and watch you?”

Wen Le replied, “It’s on Friday.”

The sports meet spanned two days, Thursday and Friday. Thursday was primarily for freshmen, while most of the sophomore events were scheduled for Friday.

Zhou Kao smiled and said softly, “Alright, I got it. What about Thursday? Do you have any plans?”

Wen Le thought for a moment, shook her head, and replied, “No. There are no classes on Thursday due to the sports meet, but I’m not sure if I’ll have any events. So, no plans for now.”

Zhou Kao asked, “Since that’s the case, how about you spend the day with me tomorrow?”

“Where to? Doing what? Aren’t you busy with the sports meet too?”

Zhou Kao nodded, “Yes. Tomorrow is Thursday, and I have a meeting at my company. Have you ever been to my workplace?”

When it came to Zhou Kao’s workplace, Wen Le was indeed a bit curious. “No, I haven’t.”

Zhou Kao said, “Come and accompany me tomorrow. I’ll pick you up.”

“It’s been a few days since we met. I miss you.”

Wen Le felt her heart flutter a bit and readily agreed, “Okay.”

They set a time, chatted for a while, and then Wen Le returned to her dorm. The sweat she had worked up during her run had already been dried by the wind.

When Wen Le got back to the dorm, Ai Fei had already returned. Cheng Hui asked, “Why are you back so late today?”

Wen Le simply replied, “I went out late today.”

Cheng Hui nodded, “Ah that’s right too.”

She glanced at Wen Le’s black sports leggings and teased, “Why aren’t you wearing your sports shorts?”

Wen Le said, “There are a lot of mosquitoes in the field at night.”

Cheng Hui replied, “No way, it’s November, and there are still mosquitoes?”

Wen Le playfully stuck out her tongue at Cheng Hui.

Man Qingxuan poked her head out from the bed and asked, “We don’t have classes on Thursday, what are your plans? Let’s go out and have some fun.”

Cheng Hui rolled over and said, “Sure.”

Wen Le remembered her plans with Zhou Kao and felt a bit embarrassed, “I have something to do tomorrow.”

Bao Xiaofan also raised her hand and said, “I’m going home tomorrow.”

Man Qingxuan chuckled, “Are you going home or are you going to see a handsome guy?”

Bao Xiaofan grinned at Man Qingxuan, “I’m going home.”

Man Qingxuan made plans to go out with Cheng Hui, while Wen Le went to take a shower.

After showering and drying her hair, Wen Le lay on her bed. Her phone vibrated, and it was a message from Cheng Hui.

Human Microscope: Are you going on a date with Zhou Kao tomorrow?

Human Microscope was the nickname that Wen Le had given Cheng Hui.

WL: Mmm.

Human Microscope: Tsk tsk.

Human Microscope: Tsk tsk tsk.

Wen Le seemed to recall something and got out of bed to find the long skirt that Zhou Kao had given her. 

She decided to wear it tomorrow.

On Thursday morning, Wen Le was awakened by the noisy commotion outside the dormitory building. The women’s dormitory was close to the school’s main sports field, and students heading to the sports meet had to pass by the women’s dormitory. The sports meet was an exciting event for the students, especially the freshmen, who were full of energy. Therefore, early in the morning, it sounded like a flock of sparrows chirping outside.

The noise not only disturbed Wen Le but also the other occupants of Room 307. Being woken up from a deep sleep was quite annoying, and someone let out an irritated sound, followed by the creaking of bed frames as they turned over.

Wen Le couldn’t fall back asleep after being awakened. She played with her phone in bed for a while before quietly getting up to wash and get dressed.

She had a date with Zhou Kao at 8:30 in the morning.

Wen Le washed up and changed into a white cotton linen round-neck shirt paired with the red skirt that Zhou Kao had given her. She wore white ankle socks and round-toe flats, giving her a demure yet charming look. It was a style that was both eye-catching and understated.

She applied light makeup, curled her hair, had a slice of toast and a small bottle of yogurt for breakfast. Checking the time, she realized she had half an hour left before her meeting with Zhou Kao. Wen Le sat at her desk, playing with her phone.

Then, Wen Le received a WeChat message from her dad.

Dad: Your grandfather mentioned that you called and inquired about those two keys a few days ago?

Dad: It seems like you’ve finally figured it out.

Dad: I’ll have Xiao Yang send you the addresses of the two properties.

Dad: If you have time, you can go take a look.

Soon after, Wen Le received a message from Xiao Yang.

Wen Le briefly glanced at the addresses and then saved them in her notes.

Wen Le didn’t know when Cheng Hui woke up, but she found Cheng Hui sitting next to her with a box of chewing gum in her hand. Cheng Hui looked at the ring on Wen Le’s hand and then at her red skirt, smiling meaningfully as she formed a silent question with her lips, “A date?”

Wen Le blushed and nodded.

Cheng Hui placed two pieces of chewing gum in Wen Le’s hand, smiling suggestively.

Wen Le immediately understood and blushed even more, putting the chewing gum in her mouth.

Cheng Hui mischievously stuffed the entire box of chewing gum into Wen Le’s bag and patted it, implying her point.

Wen Le’s face turned beet red.

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Edited by Elv

Rich People Have No Humanity

“Just a courtyard house near the east side of the Forbidden City. What’s the matter? Have you finally remembered to go see it?” 

Wen Le’s heart skipped a beat, and her breathing became somewhat erratic.

After steadying her mind, Wen Le asked, “So, what about the key Dad gave me?” This key was probably just a token of encouragement, right?

Grandpa Wen sounded impatient, “It’s a commercial office building. I don’t know the specifics.” 

He muttered under his breath, “What kind of thing will your dad give? How could it be better than what grandpa gives?”

Wen Le took a deep breath. What was happening? Did she suddenly become rich overnight? Or did she just discover that she had been wealthy all along?

TN: LOLLLL finally Wen Le!!!

Wen Le tried to keep her voice calm and asked, “Yesterday, my dad had me sign a document. I didn’t pay much attention at the time. Do you know what it is, Grandpa?”

Upon hearing this, the old man became even more displeased. After all, his granddaughter had been raised by him. He felt his son was trying to bribe her. Hmph, that scoundrel.

Grandpa Wen retorted, “How would I know? Your dad is always trying to disrupt you with all this nonsense. You must not disgrace me, and those things your dad gives you aren’t worth anything. The good stuff is with grandpa. Next time if your dad gives you some random stuff again, just say you don’t want those pieces of junk and tell him not to cause trouble.”

Wen Le said, “Grandpa, do you really not know what it is? It seems like it’s from some foreign place.”

Wen Le tried to recall, but she could only remember a foreign place name.

Suddenly, Grandpa Wen’s voice faded. After a pause, he disdainfully huffed, “It seems like he bought a ruby mine some days ago…”

Wen Le inhaled sharply again.

Grandpa Wen’s tone carried a hint of annoyance, “What’s with that tone of yours? What has grandpa told you?”

Wen Le quickly covered her mouth and said, “Nothing, Grandpa. I just accidentally burned myself with hot water.” 

She definitely wasn’t shocked by her dad’s wealth.

Unconsciously, Wen Le fiddled with her skirt and whispered, “Grandpa, our family is this wealthy? But when I was little, Dad used to say he was working as a laborer.”

Wen Le still vividly remembered her grandpa and dad wearing frayed singlets, shorts, and slippers, sitting on the couch looking distressed, saying, “Money is hard to come by these days.”

She added, “Could our family have gone bankrupt before?”

Grandpa Wen angrily retorted, “Nonsense!”

Wen Le’s mind raced, and she sourly asked, “Could it be that Dad has other children…”

Was he hiding this to pass on the family fortune to other children?

Grandpa Wen angrily scolded, “Nonsense! The family fortune is all yours, not a penny less! You’re the only descendant in the family. If we don’t give it to you, who else should we give it to?”

Wen Le said with a hint of grievance, “Then why did you all keep it a secret from me?”

Grandpa Wen felt guilty for a moment but then toughened up, “That’s your own stupidity! After you got into college, we didn’t keep it a secret. You’ve only just realized it now. Fool!”

Wen Le asked, “But why did you keep it a secret from me?”

Grandpa Wen choked a bit and retorted, “Raising a daughter in poverty, don’t you know?”

Wen Le was taken aback, “No, I didn’t know.”

Grandpa Wen snorted lightly, “Hmph, ignorant.”

He added, “Read more books when you’re free, and learn less from your dad.”

After saying that, he quickly hung up the phone as if he were fleeing.

Wen Le held her phone in a daze for a while.

Listening to Wen Le’s conversation, Cheng Hui couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but she caught the phrases “Is our family this wealthy?” and “Why did you hide it from me?”…

She was a bit confused and asked, “W-What’s going on?”

Wen Le turned her head towards Cheng Hui and asked, “Have you heard the phrase ‘raising a daughter in poverty’ before?”

Cheng Hui replied, “No, I haven’t heard of it.”

Cheng Hui murmured, “Aren’t they supposed to say ‘raising sons in poverty, raising daughters in prosperity’?”

Wen Le still looked somewhat dazed, “Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard too, ‘raising daughters in prosperity.’”

Cheng Hui felt a bit nervous, took a sip of water from her cup, and asked, “What exactly happened?”

Wen Le looked at Cheng Hui and murmured, “I might have become rich overnight.”

Cheng Hui spewed out the water in her mouth in shock, utterly astonished.

Wen Le truthfully told Cheng Hui about her situation. She talked so much that her mouth became dry. She grabbed a bottle of milk and sipped from the straw a couple of times, but her eyes still looked somewhat vacant.

Cheng Hui held the two keys in her hand, staring at these seemingly ordinary keys with shock. She asked, “So, these two seemingly normal keys are actually for a courtyard house in Beijing and an office building?”

Wen Le bit the straw and nodded dazedly.

Cheng Hui opened her mouth wide, looking at the keys and then at Wen Le, utterly disbelieving.

Cheng Hui asked again, “So, what did your dad give you yesterday?”

Wen Le scrolled through her phone and pulled up a WeChat message from Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang was probably like Uncle Jiang, supposedly serving as her housekeeper and driver.

On WeChat, it was a photo that Xiao Yang had sent her yesterday, informing her that all the gifts her dad gave her, whether they were jewelry, handbags, or sports car, had already been arranged in her new residence.

Cheng Hui took the phone and flipped through the photos. “Oh my god, this is insane! Seriously, this sports car! Ahhh, are all these bags yours?”

Wen Le leaned her cheek on her hand and said, “I still can’t quite believe it.”

Cheng Hui handed the phone back to Wen Le and suddenly leaned in closer, asking, “Wen Le, you’re not suffering from some kind of delusion, right? Could it be that you’ve imagined this whole overnight wealth thing?”

Wen Le looked at Cheng Hui, pondered for a moment, and then nodded seriously, “It’s not impossible.”

Cheng Hui exclaimed, “Wow,” and still found it hard to believe. “I still feel like we’re both dreaming.”

“You’re dreaming of overnight wealth, and I’m dreaming of attaching myself to a rich woman’s thigh.”

Wen Le held Cheng Hui’s hand and let out a sigh.

Cheng Hui saw the diamond ring on Wen Le’s hand, picked it up, and examined it closely. “Whose blue-blooded family is this diamond from? Could it really not be a dream?”

Wen Le lifted her hand to look and said, “Oh, this one was given to me by Zhou Kao.”

Cheng Hui: “!!!?”

“What?” 

*TN: Cheng Hui said this in english haha

“Why did he give you a ring?”

Wen Le looked at the ring and chuckled softly, “Because this is a pair of couple rings.”

Cheng Hui: “???!!”

“He just had nothing better to do, huh? Why would he give you couple rings? What a weirdo.”

Wen Le looked at Cheng Hui, speechless, “Is there a problem with couples wearing couple rings?”

Cheng Hui rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you’re not a couple. Why wear couple rings?”

Wen Le looked at Cheng Hui silently.

Cheng Hui: “!!!”

“Wait! What did I just say?”

“What did you say?”

Cheng Hui was flustered, “Couple…couple rings, you, Zhou Kao?”

Cheng Hui struggled, “Why can’t I reason this out? I’m lost, this is too difficult.”

Wen Le couldn’t believe it, “Is it really that hard for you to accept that Zhou Kao and I are together?”

Cheng Hui stared at Wen Le blankly, struggling to say, “Honestly, this is even harder for me to accept than your overnight wealth.”

“Both of you were considered the least likely to get into a relationship.”

Cheng Hui stood up, covering her forehead, and walked unsteadily to the edge of the bed, flopping down onto it. 

“Wen Le became wealthy overnight, Wen Le and Zhou Kao are together. I’m definitely not fully awake yet, and you probably aren’t either. You should go to sleep too, and we can catch up later when we’re both awake.”

Wen Le grabbed Cheng Hui and shook her, “I’m being serious.”

Cheng Hui waved her hand, “Alright, alright, it’s for real. I’ll take a nap.”

Wen Le said, “When my house has finished renovation, I’ll invite you over to visit.”

Cheng Hui suddenly sat up, looking at Wen Le, “Oh my god, you’re really a rich woman!”

Wen Le said, “I need time to adjust too. I can’t handle this on my own. Help me share the burden.”

Cheng Hui said, “Oh my god, I once read in a magazine about a rich man who had so much money that his child didn’t even know how to tie his shoelaces. So he pretended his family had gone bankrupt. When the child grew up, he revealed the truth that he was wealthy. Oh my god, your family isn’t like that, right?”

Wen Le said, “I don’t know. This situation seems different.”

Cheng Hui said, “Heavens, this kind of story is happening right around me. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!”

“Do you want anyone else to survive? Even the toughest guys would be driven crazy. What would happen if others heard about this?”

“With your already near-perfect looks, getting into the top national university, A University, and being the top student in every exam, winning all sorts of awards, delighting in collecting certificates and accolades, and having such an amazing and wealthy family, oh my god! You’re even the sole heir to the family business, born for a rich family drama. Damn it! And on top of that, you’ve won the heartthrob of every girl in school, Zhou Kao. Damn it! Wen Le, I can’t take it anymore! Aaaah!”

“How am I supposed to go on living like this?”

Cheng Hui was on the brink of a mental breakdown.

“They wouldn’t even dare to write novels like this.”

After a while of chaos, Cheng Hui gradually calmed down and sighed like a salted fish, “It’s fortunate that the rich woman is my friend. Can I cling to your thigh, rich woman?”

Wen Le laughed and hugged her.

Cheng Hui patted Wen Le’s shoulder and sighed, “This life is like a drama, damn!”

“But to be honest, you and Zhou Kao actually make quite a pair. He’s practically the male version of you. Apparently, a certain tycoon who often appears in the news is his dad.”

Wen Le said, “It’s too early to discuss these things now.”

Cheng Hui asked, “Are you planning to tell our friends about what you told me today?”

Wen Le said, “Not yet. Let’s take it slow. I haven’t fully come to terms with it myself.”

Wen Le continued, “Actually, I had suspicions earlier, but I didn’t dare to think about it too much. But my dad really defies common sense.”

Cheng Hui said, “I also thought your family probably wasn’t as poor as outsiders suspected, but I never imagined your family would be this wealthy.”

Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open. The two of them stopped their conversation as Qing Xuan and Bao Xiao Fan entered, playfully wrestling with each other. They saw Wen Le holding a pair of sports shorts and Qing Xuan said, “Wow, Le Le, you finally get it! You’re planning to show off your beautiful legs to the world!”

Wen Le said, “We have a track and field meet, so I need to run. My other pants would hinder my performance. I need to unleash my full potential.”

Bao Xiao Fan said, “Now all those people who said Le Le had thick legs will have to eat their words. With Le Le’s beautiful legs revealed, ah, this will be a hot topic. Hahaha, I want to see them proven wrong.”

Cheng Hui suddenly had a thought, “Le Le, if the photo of your beautiful legs becomes a hot topic on the BBS forum, wouldn’t your boyfriend get jealous?”

Wen Le raised an eyebrow, surely not…

Previous | Index | Next

It’s a Courtyard House

Edited by Elv

Man Qingxuan stared at the skirt, her eyes shining, “Wen Le, did you strike it rich?”

Bao Xiaofan denied this speculation, saying, “No, her scholarship hasn’t come in, and Wen Le just donated her royalty. She shouldn’t have struck it rich…”

“Your dad’s allowance, right?” Cheng Hui said with a tone that seemed to see through everything. “Tell me, how much discount did you get at the mall today?”

Man Qingxuan suddenly realized and complained, “Wen Le, you’re not being fair. You didn’t even invite us to the mall sale.”

Bao Xiaofan said, “Ah, my first thought when I saw this skirt was that a guy had given it to you. If I didn’t know you better, I would think you had a boyfriend.”

Wen Le hesitated, “I…”

I just happened to have started dating a guy…

Wen Le was about to reveal the truth when the dormitory door was pushed open and Ai Fei walked in.

For some reason, whenever Wen Le saw Ai Fei, she was reminded of the initial conversation with the teacher. Although there was no confirmation that Ai Fei was behind it, the seed of suspicion was planted, and it was easy for resentment to grow.

Wen Le looked at Ai Fei and stopped talking.

Bao Xiaofan, Man Qingxuan, and Cheng Hui greeted Ai Fei as she entered but then shifted to other topics as if by unspoken agreement.

Wen Le also greeted Ai Fei as usual. Perhaps Ai Fei thought that Wen Le still didn’t know who was responsible, so she acted as if everything was normal, chatting and laughing like before.

Ai Fei also noticed the skirt in Wen Le’s hands.

Although Ai Fei usually left early and returned late, appearing completely devoted to her studies, she was also well-informed about the popular brands on the market. She could even name many of them in casual conversation.

Ai Fei was the one who received financial aid but actually used luxury skincare products. Her skincare products were all around a thousand yuan each, but she kept them well hidden.

The outermost layer on her desk was filled with inexpensive hand sanitizers, hand creams, and various small bottles, giving the impression that she was living frugally. However, hidden behind this outer layer were high-end skincare products, mostly from luxury brands.

Ai Fei was the person in Room 307 who used the most expensive skincare products, apart from Sun Youmei. 

Of course, all of Wen Le’s skincare products were gifts from her aunt, and they had no logos, so they couldn’t be compared in terms of branding.

When Ai Fei saw the skirt in Wen Le’s hands, she exclaimed, “Wow, Wen Le, this skirt must be a limited edition from their brand. Gao Shijing wore one like it, and I’ve seen people dissect it online; it must be around six thousand.”

Gao Shijing was a popular rising star, known for her good fashion sense. Her outfits were often dissected and discussed by online influencers.

Wen Le smiled and didn’t say anything, placing the skirt inside her wardrobe.

Ai Fei put down her bag and started packing up her stuff, but her eyes were fixed on Wen Le’s wardrobe the entire time.

Wen Le frowned uncomfortably. She didn’t know if it was psychological, but ever since she started suspecting Ai Fei, she felt like she had changed, becoming somewhat unsettling.

As Wen Le pondered over Ai Fei’s odd behaviour, she forgot to tell her roommates about her situation with Zhou Kao at the moment. After finishing her routine, she noticed her vibrating phone on the desk.

The contact name for Zhou Kao in Wen Le’s phone had changed from “Zhou Kao” to “Playboy,” and now it was reduced to just a set of numbers.

Wen Le was quite sensitive to numbers; she had memorised Zhou Kao’s phone number a long time ago. So when she saw that sequence of numbers, she immediately recognized it as Zhou Kao’s phone number.

Since their classes were different on alternating weeks, and tomorrow being Monday they had the first two periods of classes in the morning, they didn’t talk for long. After reminding Zhou Kao not to forget his medication, Wen Le was about to hang up.

Suddenly, Zhou Kao asked, “Do you like the skirt?”

Wen Le recalled the red skirt and replied with a smile, “When did you buy it?”

Zhou Kao answered, “I saw it when I had dinner with my senior last time. This skirt reminds me a lot of the one you cut apart previously.”

Wen Le asked, “You still remember how that skirt looked?”

Zhou Kao said, “I remember every single one of your looks.”

Wen Le’s lips curled slightly, “Alright, I like it.”

Zhou Kao’s lips curled too, “Show it to me next time.”

Wen Le responded, “Let’s see how you behave.”

Wen Le hung up the call and got into bed. Cheng Hui turned over and yawned, casually remarking, “Are you so busy lately? Anyone who doesn’t know might think you’re in a relationship.”

She continued to chuckle while staring at her phone screen.

Wen Le: …..

This human lie detector is not as sharp anymore.

TN: LOL hahahaha I look forward to Cheng Hui’s reaction once she finds out the truth…

The next day, the class leader talked about signing up for this year’s autumn sports meet. The sports meet mainly involved freshmen and sophomores, with freshmen being the primary participants. The sophomores had fewer slots available, so the class leader suggested that students who hadn’t participated last year should sign up enthusiastically.

Since Wen Le was in charge of holding signs last year, she didn’t participate in the events. She directly registered for a short-distance running event.

When Wen Le returned to her dorm, she started rummaging through her clothes. Cheng Hui walked past her with a bottle of milk, asking, “What are you looking for?”

Wen Le replied, “Clothes to wear for the sports meet.”

Cheng Hui asked, “What about the sportswear you wore in physical education class?”

Wen Le pulled out a pair of black pants from the wardrobe. “I think these are a bit tight. They’re okay for physical education class, but for sprinting, they might restrict my movement.”

Cheng Hui’s eyes lit up with an idea. She played the role of a human microscope, rummaging through Wen Le’s pile of clothes, and pulled out a gray pair of sports shorts. “Yeah, these are good.”

Wen Le looked at the shorts and then realised that these were the comfortable, elastic shorts she had bought online. She originally got them for wearing in the dorm during the summer. However, when they arrived, she found that while the fabric was good, they seemed shorter than she expected. Later, because they seemed comfortable to wear as pajamas, she had left them untouched, and she hadn’t worn them yet.

Seeing the sports shorts, Wen Le frowned and hesitated, “This… won’t it be too short?”

Cheng Hui rolled her eyes, “Come on, this is a proper sports shorts. There’s no compromise on quality. It means everyone wears them like this.”

With a slightly disdainful tone, Cheng Hui patted Wen Le’s arm and said, “Others can wear them. Why do you have so many concerns?”

“Comfort that can win awards is more important, right?”

Wen Le nodded, “You’re right.”

Leaning against the wardrobe with her arms crossed, Cheng Hui scrutinized Wen Le from head to toe and said, “You’re a young lady, but you dress like an old-fashioned person. I’ve known you for so long, and I’ve never seen you wear super short shorts. It’s either long pants or long skirts. Tsk tsk, so old-fashioned.”

Wen Le chuckled, “It’s not that I can’t wear them, I just prefer this style.”

Cheng Hui commented, “Do you know the direct consequence of this style you’re sporting?”

Wen Le asked, “What?”

Cheng Hui replied, “Everyone is saying that you don’t show your legs because they’re ugly, thick, and bent.”

Cheng Hui took a sip of her milk and continued, “So, all those department and school beauties who are competing with you for the title of the campus belle love showing off their legs.”

Wen Le laughed, “Didn’t I wear a qipao last time that exposed my legs?”

Cheng Hui replied, “Beauty, your qipao covered till your ankles in the front. What could you see from that side slit? So…”

Squinting her eyes and clenching her fist, Cheng Hui was determined, “You should show everyone that there’s absolutely nothing imperfect about you.”

Wen Le put the clothes away and closed the wardrobe, “you’re childish.”

Cheng Hui asked, “So, are you going to wear it?”

Wen Le said, “Yes, why not? The competition comes first, everything else second.”

Cheng Hui snapped her fingers, “Beautiful.”

When Wen Le closed the wardrobe, the keys hanging on the lock swung slightly. She immediately noticed the two familiar keys – one big and one small. Wen Le took off the keys, gently touched them, and became lost in memories.

Wen Le remembered it was the summer vacation during her senior year of high school when she received a call from the local post office, saying her acceptance letter had arrived and she should come to collect it. 

Since she lived in a mountainous area where express delivery was inconvenient, she rode her bicycle and took her ID card to the post office to pick up the package. 

After a sweaty ride, she returned home with excitement, waving the document in her hand and shouting, “Grandpa! Dad! My acceptance letter is here!” 

Her grandfather and father came out of the study, wearing satisfied smiles. Then, they went back to the study, each holding a small box, and told Wen Le, “These are your gifts.”

Wen Le opened the two small boxes with delight, only to find two keys inside. She was curious and somewhat disappointed, so she asked, “What are these keys for?”

Her father just smiled and said, “You’ll know when the time comes.”

Wen Le responded with an “Oh,” thinking that these keys were like a metaphorical encouragement, something like “unlocking the unknown doors.” She didn’t think much of it and slightly disappointedly put the keys away, hanging them on her keychain as if they were a kind of talisman.

But now, after the conversation with her father yesterday, Wen Le suddenly wondered if her family’s financial situation had changed. Could these keys be more than just symbolic? Could they actually represent a tangible gift?

Thinking about this, Wen Le’s eyes widened.

Cheng Hui noticed that something was wrong with Wen Le and asked, “What’s going on?”

Wen Le’s voice trembled as she replied, “Hang on, I…I need to make a call.”

Cheng Hui, sensing the urgency, also became anxious, wondering if something important had come up for Wen Le.

Wen Le took out her phone and found her grandfather’s number in her contacts. To be honest, after her father’s words yesterday, she still felt a strong sense of unreality. She took a deep breath and slowly dialed the number.

At that moment, there were only Wen Le and Cheng Hui in the dorm room. Seeing Wen Le’s nervous appearance, Cheng Hui put down the milk in her hand, sat down beside her, and accompanied her.

Each ring of the phone seemed unusually long. Wen Le took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. After a faint electronic noise, the call connected.

“Hello.”

Wen Le carefully placed the phone to her ear and began by asking about her grandparents’ well-being. Grandpa Wen, Wen Bingqiu’s voice came through the speaker. 

He had missed his granddaughter, who hadn’t been seen in a while. Though separated by distance, his affection was evident in his patient tone during the phone call.

After confirming her grandparents were doing well, Wen Le got to the main point. She hesitated to speak, her mouth opening and closing.

Grandpa Wen huffed and said, “Why beat around the bush? Just say it directly.”

With determination, Wen Le bit her lip and asked directly, “Grandpa, what did the key you gave me on the day I got my acceptance letter in the summer vacation of my senior year of high school mean?”

Grandpa Wen huffed a couple more times, his tone quite casual. “Oh, that’s the key to a courtyard near the east side of the Forbidden City. Why? Have you finally decided to visit it?” 

Wen Le’s heart trembled slightly. She felt her grandfather’s words today were much more provoking than what her father had said yesterday.

Previous | Index | Next

Lipstick Is Yummy!

Edited by Elv

Zhou Kao put the bangle on Wen Le’s hand and held her hand while giving her a kiss, his eyes full of admiration.

Wen Le had grown up surrounded by compliments about her appearance. However, she didn’t have any satisfaction or vanity in the praises from strangers. Occasionally, facing compliments from others would even make her feel awkward because she didn’t know how to respond.

But Wen Le found that she was highly receptive to compliments from her boyfriend. She even enjoyed the way Zhou Kao praised her beauty or acted charmed by her.

Unfortunately, Zhou Kao was a bit stingy with his compliments. Maybe it was this stinginess that made Wen Le excited, satisfied, and even emotionally moved when she saw him fascinated or admiring her.

Zhou Kao’s admiration in his eyes pleased Wen Le. When she was in a good mood, she was exceptionally easy to talk to.

Zhou Kao noticed Wen Le’s delight and the slight coquettish laziness in her demeanor. It was as if Wen Le had softened the thorns on her. Zhou Kao’s eyes carried a smile as he hugged her, and he whispered sweet words into her ear while they cozied up against each other.

Holding Wen Le from behind, Zhou Kao leaned her against the headboard of the bed. He turned his head slightly and kissed the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he grabbed Wen Le’s hand and made her touch the corner of his lips.

“Hmm?”

Wen Le tilted her head to look at Zhou Kao.

Zhou Kao seemed somewhat troubled. “Can your lipstick be removed by face wash?”

Wen Le burst into laughter, her eyes crescent-shaped and her smile sweet, softening her coquettishness. She was like a pool of honey, melting into people’s hearts.

Wen Le sat up in Zhou Kao’s embrace and faced him as she knelt on the bed. She held his face in her hands and smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, examining him carefully. She tilted her head, her appearance revealing an adorable and somewhat foolish look. “I don’t know. I purposely chose the hardest-to-remove, non-transferable kind.”

Zhou Kao asked, “What should we do then?”

Wen Le said, “I don’t know. It’s your own fault for wanting to eat.”

As she spoke, a mischievous smile briefly flashed across Wen Le’s lips, but it disappeared in the next moment.

Wen Le looked directly into Zhou Kao’s eyes, raising her index finger to press against her lower lip, then slowly traced over it. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Zhou Kao, her gaze combining innocence and charm, exuding an irresistible allure.

Unconsciously, Zhou Kao’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, and his expression darkened a bit.

Wen Le chuckled softly as she gently wiped her own full, red lips. She lowered her head to glance at her fingertip, where most of the red lipstick had mostly faded.

A faint smile curved Wen Le’s lips as she used her index finger, still bearing a trace of red lipstick, to press against Zhou Kao’s lips.

Zhou Kao stared at Wen Le, and his expression seemed unchanged on the surface.

Wen Le slowly slid her index finger, which was pressed against Zhou Kao’s lips, downward, gliding over his lips and reaching his jawline. 

Wen Le gazed at Zhou Kao, her smile captivating, and her voice soft and seductive, “Is my lipstick delicious?”

Zhou Kao’s breath hitched, and when he spoke again, his voice was somewhat husky,”I’ve  forgotten.”

Suddenly, Zhou Kao reached out and held Wen Le’s head, pressing her towards him.

Zhou Kao said, “Let me taste it again, and then I’ll tell you.”

Caught off guard, Wen Le’s body wavered, and she quickly extended her hand to support herself on the bedside near Zhou Kao’s ears. A familiar, soft sensation met her lips. 

Wen Le bit Zhou Kao playfully, and that bite seemed to only excite Zhou Kao more. Their kiss became even more fervent.

After a while, Zhou Kao released Wen Le, his breath still somewhat erratic, and his voice husky as he said, “It’s not bad, it’s sweet.”

Wen Le was left dazed by the kiss and hadn’t fully reacted yet.

Zhou Kao added, “Without lipstick, the taste should be even better.”

Wen Le finally realized what Zhou Kao was implying. Her face flushed red. It was true, she couldn’t resist. She held her hands together in a fist and said, “A master! You’re too cunning.”

Zhou Kao chuckled lightly at her words, embracing her again and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Wen Le pushed Zhou Kao away, touching her own forehead and laughing at the red mark on Zhou Kao’s lips. She could imagine the two of them right now looking like idiots.

Getting off the bed, Wen Le was stopped by Zhou Kao, who held her hand. “Where are you going?”

Wen Le pulled Zhou Kao towards the edge of the bed. “Wash our faces. Young master, don’t we look like we just escaped from a mental hospital?”

Zhou Kao got off the bed with a laugh. “That’s why those scenes in dramas where the lipstick is still perfect after kissing are completely unrealistic.”

Wen Le was speechless. She pointed to her lips and then to Zhou Kao. “But normal people don’t have it like this, right?”

Zhou Kao raised an eyebrow. “How do you know when you haven’t seen it?”

Wen Le led Zhou Kao into the en-suite bathroom in his room and said, “I just know.”

Remembering that she had makeup remover wipes in her bag, Wen Le fetched her bag from the entrance and handed a wipe to Zhou Kao. “Use this.”

Bending over slightly, Zhou Kao tilted his chin up. “You do it.”

Taking the makeup wipe, Wen Le replied, “I’ll do it on the account that you’re not feeling well.”

Zhou Kao’s lips curved with a smile as he watched Wen Le carefully remove the lipstick from his lips and the surrounding area using the makeup wipe.

After washing his face, Zhou Kao stood aside with his arms crossed, observing Wen Le removing her makeup.

Wen Le’s hand paused for a moment. She turned her head towards Zhou Kao, motioned towards the door, and gestured for him to leave.

Zhou Kao didn’t insist and obediently stepped out, giving Wen Le’s cheek a peck before leaving. “Don’t wear makeup, I like your natural look.”

Wen Le pushed Zhou Kao away and said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

However, after Wen Le removed her makeup and washed her face, she only applied a bit of the convenient moisturiser from her bag.

To be honest, Wen Le was naturally blessed with almost flawless skin – fair, smooth, and blemish-free. Her regular sleep patterns and the family’s emphasis on dietary balance contributed to her lack of dark circles or dull skin. Her skin had a healthy pinkish hue. Thick eyelashes served as natural eyeliner, and her wild eyebrows were thick and well-shaped. Her lips also had a faint pink color.

There was hardly a noticeable difference between Wen Le’s natural face and her daily light makeup, yet she always felt a lack of security without foundation. So, she still applied a bit of light makeup when going out.

Around 9:30pm, Zhou Kao intended to drive Wen Le back to school.

Before leaving, Zhou Kao pulled out a bag from the wardrobe and handed it to Wen Le.

Seeing the logo on the bag, which belonged to a luxury brand, Wen Le took a quick look inside. However, she could only see the exquisite packaging box. Curious, she asked, “What’s this?”

Zhou Kao replied, “A gift, open it when you get back.”

Wen Le didn’t know what Zhou Kao was implying, but she didn’t press for details. She planned to open it when she got back.

Zhou Kao accompanied Wen Le to the garage and approached the Volkswagen Magotan* parked there.

*VW Magotan is the Chinese version of the European Passat model.

Once she got into the passenger seat, Wen Le noticed a small jade Buddha ornament in the car.

Finding it strange, Wen Le thought it didn’t quite match Zhou Kao’s style and seemed more like something an older person might choose.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Wen Le asked, “Is this really your car?”

Zhou Kao chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

Wen Le inquired, “It doesn’t seem like your style.”

Zhou Kao explained, “It’s my dad’s car.”

He continued, “When he first arrived in the capital, he intended to drive to work himself, so he bought this car. However, after just a couple of days, his workplace provided him with one. This car has been sitting idle. Lately, I’ve had some business, and since this car suits the purpose, I’ve been using it.”

Wen Le was a bit surprised. She had heard from Sun Youmei about the impressive background of Zhou Kao’s family, and Sun Youmei’s information came from none other than Su Zhenzhen, who once claimed to be Zhou Kao’s fiancée and therefore had knowledge about the Zhou family’s circumstances.

She never expected that a member of such a prominent family would only be driving a car valued at two or three hundred thousand.

Seeing Wen Le’s silence, Zhou Kao asked, “Why, surprised?”

“A little.”

Zhou Kao explained, “A car is just a tool, like clothes. You choose the right car for the occasion, just like dressing appropriately. My dad uses the Magotan for work reasons, while my mom might opt for a Bentley for certain business meetings.”

Leaning on her hand, Wen Le suddenly thought of the sports car her father had given her. She asked, “So, in what kind of situation would a sports car be appropriate?”

Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le and replied, “For informal occasions, why?”

Wen Le asked, “Do you have a sports car?”

If another girl had asked this, a guy might take the opportunity to show off his wealth, or he might assume that the girl was materialistic and vain. However, Zhou Kao and Wen Le’s conversation was as casual as asking, “Do you have a notebook?”

Zhou Kao replied, “I have a few, but I haven’t driven them much.”

Wen Le nonchalantly commented, “I see, all flowers that bear no fruit*.”

*all flowers that bear no fruit = a chinese idiom that is similar to the phrase ‘white elephant’, meaning something that is impractical which only looks good exteriorly but has no substance.

If anyone else had been present, they would probably think that Wen Le was making a sarcastic comment about rich people. But Zhou Kao completely agreed with her, nodding and adding, “You’re kind of right.”

He further elaborated, “But they are really beautiful.”

Wen Le chuckled at his words, “Yes.”

Zhou Kao drove the car directly to the entrance of the female dormitory building.

It was Sunday night, not even ten o’clock, and all the couples who had gone out for a date were back, lingering at the entrance of the female dormitory building.

Zhou Kao parked the car by the entrance. The black sedan blended in among the row of cars and wasn’t particularly conspicuous.

Stopping the car, Zhou Kao looked at Wen Le. His gaze was fixed on her, filled with reluctance.

Wen Le unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to look at Zhou Kao, and their gazes locked affectionately. Wen Le’s heart softened. She reached out and touched Zhou Kao’s forehead, saying, “No more fever.”

Zhou Kao nodded, “Mhm.”

Wen Le gently cupped Zhou Kao’s face and kissed his lips. Her voice was soft, “Rest early tonight.”

With Zhou Kao’s lips still lingering on hers for a moment, Wen Le slowly let go.

Glancing at the time on her phone, Wen Le realized it was getting late.

Holding the bag, she said, “I have to go.”

Zhou Kao nodded quietly, waving goodbye to Wen Le.

Surprisingly, Wen Le also felt reluctant. She leaned in and kissed Zhou Kao again, “Call me when you get home.”

Zhou Kao softly acknowledged, “Sure, go on. If you don’t leave soon, I’ll take you back with me.”

Wen Le chuckled, “Goodbye, boyfriend.”

Zhou Kao said, “See you tomorrow, girlfriend.”

Wen Le got out of the car and took a few steps, but Zhou Kao’s car remained idle.

Without thinking, Wen Le turned back and waved in Zhou Kao’s direction. She raised the hand adorned with the couple’s ring that Zhou Kao had given her, gesturing, then bent down to kiss the ring.

Seeing Wen Le’s gesture from inside the car, Zhou Kao’s heart warmed. He also lowered his head and kissed the men’s ring on his finger.

Wen Le returned to the dormitory, her smile not fading from her face.

Her roommates were all in the dorm, and seeing Wen Le return so late, they gathered around, questioning, “Where were you? With whom?”

“Wow! You even have a gift in your hand!”

“Damn! This brand is crazy expensive!”

Wen Le laughed as she squeezed out of the circle of her roommates and sat at her desk. She was curious about the gift Zhou Kao had prepared for her.

Her roommates also gathered around.

Wen Le opened the packaging box, revealing a red skirt inside.

Cheng Hui exclaimed, “Oh my, Wen Le, isn’t this the same skirt you saw before, the one worth six thousand? Who’s so generous?”

TN: hehe I wonder who’s so generous~

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