Little Sweetheart

Zheng Peipei sobbed softly, pouring out her heart. Su Han sat beside her, feeling terrible. Yet, each and every incident she recounted was so real, so undeniably true that he was powerless to explain.

As a celebrity, he basked in the limelight and enjoyed accolades, while his friend had to endure loneliness in private.

It was these very concerns that had held him back from confessing his feelings. He wasn't sure he could offer her the complete happiness she deserved…

Su Han embraced Zheng Peipei, gently patting her back and whispering soothing words.

Gu Siyi, seated behind them, couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and a pang of discomfort struck her.

Turning her head, she saw Xia Zhijun's handsome profile. He was dozing, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Reaching out, she gently took his hand. Compared to Zheng Peipei, her own happiness was readily within reach. How fortunate she was.

After the several-hour flight landed, Su Han donned a mask and a cap, pulling the brim low.

As they walked through the secure passage, a sharp-eyed fan suddenly recognized him, shouting, "Su Han—It's Su Han—!"

Zheng Peipei, who had been holding Su Han's hand, instantly let go.

With the airport bustling with people returning from the National Day holiday, the shriek quickly attracted the surrounding crowd.

People surged towards them, the younger ones pushing forward recklessly.

Xia Zhijun quickly shielded Gu Siyi in his arms, protecting her from the oncoming wave of people. Su Han was trapped in the crowd, while Zheng Peipei was pushed to the edge.

Fortunately, airport staff arrived to maintain order, and soon Su Han's manager and bodyguards appeared.

Surrounded and escorted by them, Su Han hurriedly departed.

Zheng Peipei watched his retreating figure. In this situation, a proper goodbye was out of the question, even exchanging a glance was a luxury.

She might have cried on the plane, but faced with reality, she minimized her presence, careful not to cause him any trouble.

The commotion only subsided after Su Han got into his car and left.

The three of them remained at the airport. Xia Zhijun hailed a car and offered to take Zheng Peipei back to school first.

In the car, Zheng Peipei exchanged messages with Su Han.

Su Han: "I'm sorry…"

Zheng Peipei: "What's there to be sorry for? ~This vacation was incredibly fun!~"

Su Han: "Were you hurt at the airport?"

Zheng Peipei: "No, but…"

Su Han: "But what?"

Zheng Peipei: "[Whimpering emoji] We parted ways too abruptly. Next time, you have to hug me longer to make up for it!"

After a pause, Su Han replied: "Okay!"

Su Han put down his phone and leaned back against the seat, his heart a tangled mess.

His manager lectured him, "In the future, try to avoid appearing in public with your friends. If someone with sharp eyes notices something, the consequences could be disastrous."

"Is it really that serious?" Su Han gazed at the world outside the windshield.

"You're only eighteen, at the prime of your career. Your public image is one of inspiration and positive energy. If your relationship is revealed, you'll lose a bunch of fans and 'mom' fans."

"Does being in a relationship mean I'm not striving to improve?" Su Han retorted.

"It's not appropriate… You're only eighteen, it's really not appropriate… Even thirty-year-old actors are afraid of losing fans when they announce relationships. You're only eighteen; this is career suicide." The manager, fearing Su Han's impulsiveness, patiently advised him, "Focus on building a solid foundation. In this industry, people only celebrate the newcomers and forget the old ones. You're young and famous, and many are waiting to see you fail. Cherish everything you have, and don't disappoint your tens of millions of fans. You're still so young; relationship matters can wait a few years."

Su Han raised his hand, covering his eyes in silence.

The manager didn't press further. If it were anyone else, the company would explicitly forbid relationships, unwilling to take such a risk. However, due to Su Han's extraordinary family background, the company had to make an exception. Moreover, to promote him, the company had poured its best resources into him, investing a fortune.

His career was tied to the interests of too many people; no one wanted to see him fall.

After calming down, Su Han messaged Gu Siyi, "Little Dimple, can you do me a favor?"

Gu Siyi replied: "What is it?"

Su Han: "Help me send Peipei back to school and have dinner with her before leaving."

Gu Siyi: "No problem. We're on our way to the school now. I was definitely going to drop her off."

Su Han: "Thank you."

Gu Siyi: "Don't mention it, she's my bestie~"

Xia Zhijun initially planned to drop Zheng Peipei off at school and then head back, but Gu Siyi suggested they all get out and walk around campus, grabbing a meal at the school cafeteria. Zheng Peipei was instantly delighted.

Gu Siyi said to Xia Zhijun, "If you have something to do, you can go back first. I can take a taxi back to school later."

Xia Zhijun: "I'll stay with you."

Zheng Peipei teased, "Tsk tsk, watching her so closely? Afraid I'll introduce your Little Dimple to some cute guys?"

"…" Gu Siyi blushed.

Xia Zhijun, unfazed, calmly replied, "Su Han asked me to check on her for him."

Zheng Peipei paused, then turned to look at the scenery outside, a small smile playing on her lips.

The three of them strolled around campus, had a meal together, and saw Zheng Peipei to her dormitory building before saying goodbye.

Zheng Peipei hugged Gu Siyi tightly. "It's so great that we're in the same city! Let's hang out again next vacation!"

"Okay," Gu Siyi nodded, smiling.

Gu Siyi and Xia Zhijun got back into the car and returned to their own campus.

Holding hands, they walked leisurely across the campus, eventually reaching Gu Siyi's dormitory building.

Xia Zhijun said, "Classes don't start until the day after tomorrow. You're free tomorrow, right?"

Gu Siyi nodded. "Yeah, I was planning to go to the library."

"Then…" Xia Zhijun played with her hand, his gaze deep and intense. He murmured, "How about we stay out tonight?"

"…" Gu Siyi pursed her lips, unsure how to respond.

"We came back early to accommodate Su Han's schedule. Otherwise, we'd still be on vacation."

"…"

"I'll take you on a city tour for the remaining day."

"…"

"Let's go." He put his arm around her shoulder, turning her in the direction he wanted to go.

"…" Gu Siyi didn't say a word or resist, silently letting him talk as he led her away.

Although hesitant, her rational mind told her she should refuse, maintaining a semblance of maidenly restraint… However, the voice in her heart was shouting, "Go, go! There's still one day of vacation left! If you don't want to be apart, go with him!"

And so, Gu Siyi was once again led to a hotel by Xia Zhijun.

Past the initial period of restraint after their first time, he no longer held back his desires.

The intimacy of the past few days hadn't been enough. The thought of returning to school and their separate dormitories was unbearable.

Once at the hotel, his desire surged forth once more…

Later that night, Gu Siyi was brought to tears, begging him to stop.

Xia Zhijun gently kissed away her tears, treating her with both tenderness and unrestrained passion.

From pleasure to pain, and pain intensifying the pleasure, her mind could no longer distinguish between the waves of sensation.

After the final time, Gu Siyi fell into a deep sleep, and Xia Zhijun carried her to the bathroom to clean her up.

After drying her, he held her close, gazing at her peaceful face, a sense of contentment filling him. This person in his arms was his entire world.

Gu Siyi, now a university student, no longer needed to study as intensely as she did in high school. Her inner slacker emerged, and she rarely attended even her major-related classes. Her extracurricular activities with clubs and the student union took up much of her time, leaving precious little for studying. She often resorted to copying her roommates' homework. However, she was completely immersed in this relaxed atmosphere.

When Xia Zhijun invited her to study together, she readily agreed, eager for the date and the chance to be with him. She brought her assignments and sat with him in the study room.

As he read and worked on problems, she would occasionally mutter the lyrics to the song "Headache": "Oh my, my head hurts, my head hurts, my head hurts… Looking at homework, my head hurts, my head hurts, my head hurts…"

Xia Zhijun, sitting beside her, couldn't help but smile at her self-talk.

Xia Zhijun offered, "Which problems are giving you a headache? I'll teach you."

"You can teach me? We're not in the same major," Gu Siyi said, looking at him skeptically.

Xia Zhijun calmly replied, "Quickly learning a bit about your major wouldn't be difficult."

"Oh great one, I bow down to you! Why can't you just share half your brain with me and study for me…"

Xia Zhijun pulled her book closer, and as he flipped through the pages, a small piece of paper fluttered out.

"Hi, Gu Siyi, I've heard so much about you. I'm Qi Xuan from Class 3. We're both in the student union's activities department. Would you like to get to know each other? It would be convenient to look out for each other in the future. My WeChat ID: 1XXXXXXXXXX"

After reading the note, Xia Zhijun's gentle expression gradually turned cold.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Gu Siyi leaned in for a look. Surprised, she said, "Oh, where did this note come from? I didn't even know it was there."

"It was in your book," Xia Zhijun said, his voice laced with a chill.

"…I didn't even notice it," Gu Siyi shrugged.

Xia Zhijun tore the note to shreds, then picked up Gu Siyi's phone and effortlessly unlocked it.

Gu Siyi asked in astonishment, "How did you know my passcode?"

"Setting your birthday as your passcode is typical for someone as simple-minded as you."

"…" He had actually guessed it correctly. Gu Siyi was speechless.

Xia Zhijun opened her phone and checked her WeChat.

Gu Siyi felt frustrated. "Hey, I said I didn't see it, and you still don't believe me? Are you checking up on me?"

"No," Xia Zhijun explained, "I'm just checking your WeChat to see if there are any other men with ulterior motives."

"You're overthinking it…" Gu Siyi grumbled, but she didn't take her phone back, letting him look.

As he continued scrolling, she felt it was unfair and said, "Then let me see your phone too."

Xia Zhijun didn't hesitate, handing her his phone.

Gu Siyi asked, "Passcode?"

Xia Zhijun unlocked it in front of her, then, as if remembering something, he took her hand and recorded her fingerprint.

"Hey, you don't have to do that…" Gu Siyi felt uncomfortable. "This is your phone."

"Mine is yours," he said calmly, then looked at her seriously. "Not just my phone. Everything I have is yours for the taking."

"…" Gu Siyi met his deep, focused gaze, froze for a few seconds, then looked away, lowering her head and murmuring, "Don't be so good to me…"

"Why?"

"I'm afraid I'm not good enough, that I don't deserve it."

Xia Zhijun was taken aback. How could she think that?

Such pure feelings, how could there be a question of deserving or not deserving?

He explained, "I'm not being especially good to you, and I haven't made any special sacrifices. All of this is natural, something I do willingly. It has nothing to do with whether you deserve it or not; it's simply that I want to do it."

As they were talking, a WeChat notification sounded.

Zheng Peipei had sent a message: "Do you want to dream about the god of studying tonight? Do you want to… you know… with him?"

"[Grinning emoji] [Grinning emoji] You've already… you know… so do you miss it when you're not together?"

Xia Zhijun, after reading the message, handed the phone back to Gu Siyi, a playful look on his face. He said, "She's asking if you miss it."

URGENT: Our Google Ads account was blocked due to violations. We'd deeply appreciate your support through donations to help us continue our work. Or we won't be able to continue the translations.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

Love what you read?