"No." Shi Muxi shook her head. The sed, her face flushed as she tiptoed and whispered, "I just want to stay with you a little longer."

  Before she could get any closer, Jiang Yihuai took trol, ing his arm around her slender waist and kissing her forcefully.

  Hiss!

  The onlookers erupted into cheers.

  "Whoa—that’s bold!"

  "My god, he must love her so much!"

  Su Yumian witnessed everything, gripping her book so tightly that her fiurned pale. Turns out, the heart still aches. But... her expression remained eerily calm—almost numb. She thought, I’ll get used to it.

  Even quitting smoking causes withdrawal symptoms, let aloing go of someone you've loved for six years. Without lingering any longer, Su Yumian turned a. She had studying to do.

  Jiang Yihuai, standing among the crowd, seemed to sense something. He turned his head, catg a fleeting glimpse of a vaguely familiar figure. But in the sed, a soft hand slipped into his palm, their fingers interlog intimately.

  Shi Muxi: "What are you looking at?"

  Jiang Yihuai withdrew his gaze. "...Nothing."

  After walkio her dorm, he was about to leave. Shi Muxi g to his hand, unwilling to let go, her eyes filled with reluce. "It's still early. 't you stay with me a little longer?"

  Jiang Yihuai patted her head. "Be good. I'll pick you up this weekend."

  Uhe streetlights, his figure was cast in shadows, making his sharp features look even more defined. Shi Muxi's eyes gleamed with a hint of allure. "Huai-ge... I e home with you tonight?"

  Every adult knew what those words meant.

  Jiang Yihuai was briefly stunned, something plicated flickering in his eyes. "You're still young. Wait a little longer."

  Shi Muxi was surprised, but deep down, a trace of delight surfaced. The fact that he wouldn’t touch her meant he cherished her—not just seeking fleeting pleasure, but pnning for a long future together.

  "Alright, I have something to do. I'm leaving." Jiang Yihuai checked his watch.

  Shi Muxi nodded obediently. "Okay, rest early. I’ll bring you pe tomorrow."

  He didn’t respond, his mind momentarily drifting elsewhere.

  —

  In her room.

  The puter s glowed softly as Su Yumian typed, but her hands suddenly slowed. The image of the kiss fshed through her mind. She pursed her lips. She stood up, went to the bathroom, and spshed herself with cold water three times befaining crity.

  There was no point dwelling on the past. Her priority now was her exams—time was running out.

  Back at her desk, Su Yumian flipped open two books given to her by Professor Ouyang. One was a textbook on bioinformatics, and the other was more like a notebook, filled with annotations by Ouyang Wenqiu. There was also a USB drive taining an unfihesis from her undergraduate days.

  It was inally meant for her graduate studies, but ter...

  Back then, she had spent days and nights in the b, skipping meals and sleep, just to plete it. The data colle alone had taken her months, and she had refined every step meticulously.

  But in the end, she gave up on pursuing her master’s and doctorate, choosing io stay home and take care of Jiang Yihuai. Even so, she had ruly abahat thesis.

  For years, she had done only two things:

  One, pying housekeeper for Jiang Yihuai for free.

  Two, perfeg that thesis.

  rofessor Ouyang had given her was only the part she pleted during undergrad. The rest, she retrieved from her puter, pieg together a plete research paper.

  At that moment, it felt like her muddled past and her now-clear future had finally ected—f a whole version of herself.

  W until dawn, Su Yumian stared at the finished draft. Without hesitation, she submitted it to Se of the world’s top three academic journals, representing the pinnacle of natural sce research.

  She had no fide would get published. After all, there were tless brilliant researchers worldwide. What was she pared to them?

  But still, she wao try.

  Before the sun fully rose, she shut her puter and caught a few hours of sleep.

  At 8 AM, she woke up on time, washed up, ate breakfast, grabbed her study materials, and headed to the library. She hadn’t expected to run into Shao Wenbai just as she stepped outside. It was raining. His umbrel was folded, droplets still dripping from its edges.

  "M. Did you pull an all-nighter?"

  Shao Wenbai: "Yeah, I had to rush some b results."

  He had just e back from the b to grab something before heading back again.

  "Here." Su Yumian handed him hot milk. "This will warm you up."

  "...Thanks."

  "You got caught in the rain—make sure to ge clothes."

  She poi his damp shoulder. Shao Wenbai g it, just now notig the wet patch.

  "I’ll get going then." Su Yumian smiled and walked away.

  —

  By 9 AM, the library was already filled with people.

  Just as she was about to enter, a familiar voice called out.

  "Su Yumian—"

  Jiang Qiting was visiting the school administratiarding her postgraduate studies today. As she passed the library, the rain started falling, f her to take shelter nearby. She hadn’t expected to run into a familiar face.

  "Why are you at the library? Another part-time job? You must be short on money again, huh? Don’t worry, I already talked to my brother—told him to be menerous with you."

  "So, you should quit those jobs soon. Taking care of my brother is more important than anything else. I heard his stomach problems fred up agaierday. You—"

  "Tingting, who are you talking to?"

  Before Jiang Qiting could finish, a voice suddenly interrupted. A tall, elegant middle-aged proached. She was dressed iest spring haute couture from C, her fwless plexion showing barely any wrinkles. In her hand, she carried a rare Hermès Kelly bag.

  Shu Yuqin stopped beside her daughter and g the girl in front of them.

  Oh? Wasn’t this her son’s little cheap girlfriend?

  She looked Su Yumian up and down, her expression shifting from disapproval to ht disdain.

  A T-shirt and jeans? No makeup? Hair unstyled?

  Utterly uable.

  Her gaze flickered toward the library, then the books in Su Yumian’s hands, before deepening.

  "Miss Su, what a ce." That word—ce—was deliberately emphasized.

  The implication?

  You went out of your way to stage this pathetic little enter just to impress me?

  "You sure put in a lot of effort." Shu Yuqin sighed dramatically. "But as the saying goes—no matter how well a monkey dresses up, it's still just a monkey. You stop with these little tricks. I’m not buying it."

  "Since we’ve run into each other, I might as well make things clear. Yihuai will never marry you."

  "But, sidering you’ve taken care of him all these years, I’ll be generous. Once he’s married, I’ll make sure you still have a pce by his side."

  "So don’t get greedy. Stay in your ne, and you’ll st lot it?"