Chapter 5

The young man stood quietly in the September evening breeze for a while.
His black hair was gently tousled by the wind, revealing his fair forehead. His gaze was faint, and a reddish-brown tear mole rested at the hazy corner of his eye, softening the sharp curve of his eyelids. His features were exquisite and well-defined, and he wore a pure black silk shirt. Standing silently, he resembled a meticulously shot poster.
However, at this moment, there was a faint trace of confusion on the face of the poster's male lead.
Lu Zhen found it very strange.
He didn't know why he had come, nor why he had left.
Chu Shi and Gu Qiuzhe had returned to the country, and the Chu family was hosting a banquet. He had tossed the invitation directly. His grandfather had mentioned that the Chu family had taken in a daughter, around his age, but Lu Zhen had no interest whatsoever.
Yet he had still come.
On the second floor of the Chu residence, behind the carved balustrade, behind Gu Qiuzhe, there was a girl.
Under the light, he had caught a glimpse of half her face. All Lu Zhen could see was that she was very fair, with soft contours to her cheeks. Her black hair fell obediently, making her seem like the kind of well-behaved, dull person he was used to seeing. Yet there was an inexplicable allure about her, making Lu Zhen notice her at first glance.
After standing in the breeze for a while, Lu Zhen raised his hand and rubbed his brow.
Knives falling from the sky, receiving bombs... There had been quite a few inexplicable things happening lately.
He probably needed a few days to cool off.
After Lu Zhen left, the Chu family villa's hall remained silent for a long time.
Even among wealthy families, there were hierarchies. In their circle, the Lu family stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid with their immense financial power and deep-rooted influence. Currently, Old Master Lu was in charge of the Lu family, but the second generation was vacant, the eldest son had died in a car accident years ago, leaving only an illegitimate child who couldn't be brought into the open. Among the third generation, Lu Zhen was the only boy, making him the unquestionable heir to power.
Therefore, at a banquet of the Chu family's level, Lu Zhen could come and go as he pleased, and no one dared to say a word.
It took a while for the commotion to resume downstairs. The elders continued socializing as if nothing had happened. Chu Qiuqiu, Fu Mingxuan, and the others, who had been excited for nothing, were left crestfallen. They hadn't even managed to exchange a word with Lu Zhen, let alone catch a proper glimpse of him.
Upstairs, Chu Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned her head and suddenly noticed that her brother also seemed to have relaxed from a state of high alert.
"? "So her brother had disliked Lu Zhen this early on? she wondered.
Gu Qiuzhe was already accustomed to Lu Zhen's behavior. He turned around and smiled at Chu Yin: "He's quite famous in your grade. You know him, right?"
Chu Yin's bright, beautiful face showed no reaction: "Don't know him. We're not in the same class."
Chu Shi appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was delighted, his sister wasn't in the same class as that bastard. She was much safer.
Gu Qiuzhe raised an eyebrow. "Even the girls in our grade are crazy about him."
Chu Yin replied calmly, "Really? But I don’t think he’s handsome at all."
Gu Qiuzhe: "?"
Even though he and Lu Zhen didn’t get along, from an aesthetic standpoint, Lu Zhen’s face was undeniably striking. Gu Qiuzhe had always been fairly confident in his own looks, but now he felt a flicker of doubt. He turned to Chu Shi, seeking an objective opinion.
To his surprise, Chu Shi wore the same indifferent expression and affirmed without hesitation, "Yes, Lu Zhen isn’t handsome at all."
Gu Qiuzhe: "..."
Alright, no surprise there, they were siblings, after all.

That evening, those in the know within their social circle were speculating about why Lu Zhen had suddenly shown up at the Chu family’s banquet. After all, Young Master Lu was notoriously averse to attending such events.
Because Lu Zhen’s name was involved, the topic blew up overnight, and nearly everyone at Quiwen Private High School was gossiping about it.
"Do you think Brother Zhen went to see someone?"
"Possibly, but if he went to see someone, why did he leave so quickly?"
"He really left right away?"
"Yeah, my friend was there. Brother Zhen didn’t stay a second longer than necessary."
"..."
Chu Yin didn’t join group chats or browse forums, so she had no idea how far-reaching the misunderstanding caused by her casually altered script had become.
The next day, as soon as Class 5 students saw Fu Mingxuan, they crowded around her.
"Mingxuan, what exactly happened last night?"
Though Chu Yin had also been present, after all, she was a member of the Chu family, no one thought to ask her.
Fu Mingxuan cleared her throat. "Well, Brother Zhen showed up suddenly. I was in the first-floor hall at the time, and I felt like he glanced at me..."
Chu Yin happened to overhear this and fell silent for a moment.
Forgive my bluntness, but that scoundrel’s script definitely didn’t include that glance.
The gossipers, however, were electrified. "No way!"
"So, did Lu Zhen show up just to see Mingxuan?"
"Seriously?"
"It’s possible!"
Fu Mingxuan’s cheeks slowly flushed. She hadn’t intended to steer the conversation in that direction, but under the flattery of the crowd and the thinly veiled envy of some girls, even she began to feel carried away.
What if it were true? Maybe Lu Zhen really had come to see her?
"Mingxuan, if he really showed up because of you, shouldn’t you go confirm it?"
"Yeah, if that’s what he meant..."
Encouraged by her friends, Fu Mingxuan actually went to the International Class.
Chu Yin flipped a page of her textbook and thought: If Fu Mingxuan could win over Lu Zhen, she would unilaterally declare Fu Mingxuan her reborn parent, her great benefactor.
Unfortunately, ten minutes later, Fu Mingxuan returned disappointed.
"Lu Zhen isn't here..."
Everyone comforted her: "It's fine, it's fine. Brother Zhen often skips school anyway. You can ask him tomorrow."
But tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, Lu Zhen never showed up at school.
At first, Class 5 tried to console Fu Mingxuan, but eventually, the atmosphere grew awkward. Not only was Fu Mingxuan losing face, but the onlookers were also deeply disappointed.
Only Chu Yin felt like she had entered the spring of her life.
Over the past few days, after completing her study tasks, Chu Yin would check the script and indeed found no trace of that scoundrel Lu Zhen. She was so happy it felt like she had truly returned to the mindset of a 17-year-old.
The sky was blue, the water was sweet! Rebirth was wonderful, long live freedom!
...
A couple of days later, during a break, Song Zhaolin went to the international class and, upon returning to the classroom, saw Chu Yin gazing at the blue sky outside the window.
Though she still wore a mask, making her expression unclear, he could sense that Chu Yin was in a good mood.
They had been desk mates for a while, but Song Zhaolin had never managed to get close to her. Chu Yin was always busy studying, and under her influence, even Song Zhaolin felt too guilty to sleep during class.
Today, seeing Chu Yin free for once, Song Zhaolin sat down flamboyantly: "Deskmate!"
Chu Yin turned her head: "Hmm?"
Under the gaze of her clear eyes, Song Zhaolin inexplicably felt a bit nervous. He scratched his head and found a topic: "Um, at the Chu family banquet the other day, did you see Brother Zhen?"
Mentioning Lu Zhen, Chu Yin instantly turned cold: "Who?"
Song Zhaolin widened his eyes: "Lu Zhen! Our Brother Zhen, don’t tell me you don’t know him??"
Chu Yin calmly retorted: "Do I need to know him?"
Song Zhaolin nearly choked.
As he coughed, he thought to himself, his desk mate was such a cool girl!
Probably, her heart was occupied only by studying, with no room for anything else. But he’d heard others say Chu Yin’s grades were actually quite poor. Sometimes, Song Zhaolin even felt a bit sorry for her, she worked so hard, yet her results were still lacking. It might be better to just not study at all, like him.
Song Zhaolin’s thoughts wandered all over the place, and he casually remarked, "Then next time, I’ll point out Brother Zhen to you. Maybe you just haven’t run into him? Also, Brother Zhen was recently called by his grandfather to handle company affairs..."
Chu Yin had no reaction at first, but after hearing the last part, she suddenly smiled: "Is that so..."
When she smiled, her eyes curved, and the delicate crescent-shaped puff beneath them arched. Her clear pupils shimmered with a sparkling light, like ripples on a lake, exuding a spreading beauty.
Song Zhaolin fell silent, momentarily dazzled.
Only after Chu Yin cheerfully picked up her book and walked out did he snap back to reality, speaking half a beat too late:
"...And he came back today."
Song Zhaolin scratched his head, feeling like Chu Yin had misunderstood something.
Chu Yin took the notes she had compiled over the week and left the Class 5 classroom, planning to go to the rooftop to review them.
Study System teased: "Host, you seem to be in a good mood!"
Indeed, it was quite nice. Chu Yin hugged her textbooks and walked briskly toward the small door. But before she could reach it, she suddenly sensed something off about the atmosphere, this place was usually deserted, yet today, every corner was occupied by people standing guard. When they saw her approaching, they glared at her with hostile gazes.
Chu Yin: ?
Had everyone suddenly fallen in love with reciting lessons on the rooftop?
Chu Yin sighed and was about to find another quiet spot when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision.
She turned her head inch by inch and saw the person who was supposedly "called away to handle company business" walking out of the small door, his head slightly lowered.
Chu Yin: "..."
...Song Zhaolin lied to me!!
Study System: "Life is like a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, so exhilarating."
Exhilarating my ass.
She now understood, the male lead's halo was out to mess with her.
Chu Yin steadied her mind. She was wearing a face mask and a school uniform, making her extremely inconspicuous. With so many people waiting for Lu Zhen here, it was highly unlikely he would even notice her.
The girls around her were consciously clustering near Lu Zhen. Chu Yin, with a calm expression, looked straight ahead and walked past, holding her books.
Lu Zhen, with half-lidded eyes, indeed didn't even glance her way, nor did he look at anyone around him.
As Chu Yin walked past him without turning her head, she cursed him inwardly: In his past life, he really was a big idiot who fell for looks.
Lu Zhen had just finished smoking, and a faint, very faint scent of tobacco clung to him.
He had been walking absentmindedly when, in an instant, his nose caught a subtle fragrance.
That scent was unique, like the lingering aroma of a flower blooming to its fullest before fading, light and delicate, carrying a subtle sense of destiny that inexplicably tightened his chest.
Lu Zhen suddenly stopped and turned to look at the person who had just passed by: "You, "
The moment he spoke, countless heads turned around, but the space behind him was already empty.
...
"After I left, Lu Zhen actually turned back to look?!"
"Yes, Host."
That evening, after completing her homework tasks for all subjects, Chu Yin flipped through the unlocked script,
[...
In the hallway, Lu Zhen turned around and gazed quietly for a long time. ...]
Chu Yin thought: What's that bastard looking at? She should have changed the word to "kneel"!
Study System remained silent. Once it had accepted its host's personality, it felt it had become unfazed by all kinds of wild ideas, even finding them somewhat endearing.
Chu Yin amused herself with her own imagination and continued reading, only to be startled again: "!"
[Location: Lu Family Residence. Character: Lu Zhen.]
[...
Lu Zhen had a dream that night.]
In the dream, a light drizzle was falling. Lu Zhen saw a girl, not holding an umbrella, wearing a floral dress. The jasmine on campus was in full bloom, fragrant and lush. He uncontrollably walked toward the girl, wanting to grab her shoulder...
After reading, Chu Yin couldn’t help but sneer coldly.
Holding the light pen, she thought for a moment and asked the system, "I have permission to change one word, right?"
Study System: "Yes!"
Chu Yin: "Adding one word counts too, right?"
Study System thought for a moment and couldn’t refute: "That’s correct."
Chu Yin was satisfied.
Then she added the word "nightmare" before "dream."
She sneered: Dreaming about me? You think you’re worthy...!!
-
Late at night, in the Lu family villa.
The young master’s room was still lit.
Old Master Lu had recently begun transferring some company authority, so Lu Zhen had a lot to learn. He sat at his desk and finished reviewing all the reports sent by the company before tilting his head back and rubbing his temples.
He got up to take a shower, then turned off the lights in his room.
In the spacious room, the faint scent of air freshener had almost dissipated.
Lu Zhen leaned against the soft pillow and, for some reason, suddenly recalled the faint fragrance he had smelled during the day. It carried an inexplicable weight, lingering in his heart and refusing to fade.
After a long while, he gradually drifted into sleep.
In his dream, a rain began to fall, and amidst the fine, dense raindrops, there was a figure.
It was a girl in a floral dress, her back slender and unafraid of getting wet in the rain. Her slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back, the ends swaying playfully.
The dress wasn’t particularly pretty, yet Lu Zhen felt an indescribable palpitation.
He followed her, wanting to call out to her.
But the girl walked faster and faster, until Lu Zhen was almost running.
Finally, he grabbed her shoulder: "You, "
The girl turned around, revealing a hideous face. She opened her mouth and shouted wildly:
"Lu! Zhen! You! Big! Idiot!"
Lu Zhen was jolted awake instantly.
A long while later, a sigh echoed in the empty, dark room.
"...Damn," he whispered.