Gu Nansheng did not return to the apartment that day. Instead, she sent Lu Shijing a message, letting him know she would head back tomorrow.

That night, she slept beside her mother in the same bed, just like she used to when she was little.

Ever since starting work, she rarely had the chance to come home.

Her parents understood how hectic her schedule was, so they never pressured her. They simply waited for her to reach out whenever she had time.

It seemed that once people grew up, they could no longer live entirely as they pleased.

Especially in the entertainment industry, where every move was constantly placed under public scrutiny.

The warm bedside lamp bathed the room in a soft golden glow.

Shen Neng wrapped an arm around her daughter and asked gently,

“Shengsheng, you’ve been in the industry for years now. Has there been anyone who made your heart race?”

Only then did Gu Nansheng realize…

She had never actually told her mother about Lu Shijing.

“There is someone,” she said seriously. “Someone I like very, very much.”

Shen Neng instantly became curious.

Her daughter had been beautiful since childhood. Countless boys had pursued her over the years, yet she had never shown interest in any of them.

“What kind of person is he?” she asked softly.

“Him?”

A smile unconsciously appeared on Gu Nansheng’s lips.

“He’s an incredibly, unbelievably good person.”

“Then when are you bringing him home for your father and me to meet?” Shen Neng asked as she gently stroked her daughter’s hair.

“Next time,” Gu Nansheng replied. “I’ll bring him back next time.”

She could already imagine how happy Lu Shijing would be when he found out.

The next morning, after having breakfast with her parents, Gu Nansheng drove back to the city.

When she arrived at the apartment, Lu Shijing was nowhere to be seen.

He had probably gone straight back to the lab.

Somehow, it always felt like one of them was busy.

Whenever she had free time, he was occupied.

Whenever he had time, she was swamped.

They never seemed to be free at the same time.

Should she go find him at school?

Since it was graduation season, most students had already left campus, so it should not be too crowded.

Gu Nansheng deliberately dressed as casually as possible.

She slipped into a pair of white canvas sneakers and loose blue jeans, then dug out an oversized white T-shirt.

She swapped her contacts for plain black-rimmed glasses, put on a black face mask, and topped it off with a brown baseball cap.

Finally, she braided her hair into two loose plaits that rested over her chest and slung a white canvas tote bag over her shoulder.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she looked startlingly ordinary.

Honestly…

A little plain.

Surely even paparazzi would not recognize her like this.

Gu Nansheng had visited S University plenty of times before.

But as for where exactly the chemistry department laboratory was…

She had absolutely no idea.

After all, she had graduated three years ago.

Sure enough, walking across campus in her current outfit, nobody paid her any attention.

She looked exactly like an ordinary university student.

If she remembered correctly, the chemistry labs should be in Building B.

As for which floor…

She would just have to search one level at a time.

First floor.

Computer Science Department.

Not here.

Second floor.

Literature Department.

Still not here.

Third floor.

Fine Arts Department.

Nope.

Fourth floor.

Physics Department.

Still wrong.

Seriously?

This building had ten floors!

She was already slightly out of breath.

Just as she reached the fifth floor, she spotted a female student exiting the restroom and immediately hurried over.

Su Li looked at the girl blocking her path and instinctively wondered if wearing that many layers in this weather was unbearably hot.

Also…

That oversized white T-shirt looked strangely familiar.

“Excuse me, classmate,” Gu Nansheng asked politely, “could you tell me how to get to the chemistry department laboratory?”

The girl’s voice was bright and pleasant.

Though most of her face was hidden, her expressive eyes and long lashes stood out.

“Oh, you’re looking for our lab?” Su Li said. “It’s right ahead, I’ll take you there.”

She could not help feeling curious.

Who exactly was this girl looking for?

She had never seen her before.

“Thank you so much!” Gu Nansheng said cheerfully.

“No problem.”

Su Li led her down the hallway until they reached the entrance to the lab.

Turning around, she asked,

“Who are you looking for? I can help call them out.”

Gu Nansheng’s eyes curved slightly in a smile.

“I’m looking for Lu Shijing.”

Su Li froze.

Senior Lu?

Her curiosity instantly skyrocketed.

Seeing the other girl standing there in stunned silence, Gu Nansheng waved a hand in front of her.

“Classmate?”

Snapping back to reality, Su Li nodded quickly.

“Please wait a moment.”

Inside the laboratory, Lu Shijing was recording experiment data.

One of the machines had malfunctioned earlier, and he had only just finished recalibrating it.

“Senior Lu,” Su Li said softly as she approached, “someone’s here to see you.”

Lu Shijing glanced toward the doorway.

There stood Gu Nansheng.

She was leaning against the doorframe, peeking inside.

With her face mask still on, only the top of her head and bright eyes were visible.

Standing nearby, Su Li noticed the subtle change in Lu Shijing’s expression.

The corners of his lips curved upward ever so slightly.

Then she heard him say to the others,

“You guys keep an eye on things for now.”

Suddenly, realization struck her.

No wonder that T-shirt had seemed familiar.

Wasn’t that exactly what Senior Lu had been wearing a few days ago?

“Why did you come here?” Lu Shijing asked as he took her hand and led her toward a quieter corner of the hallway.

“Am I really that easy to recognize?” she complained.

She had gone through so much effort disguising herself.

“The shirt you’re wearing is mine,” he whispered near her ear, amusement clear in his voice.

“What do you mean?”

Gu Nansheng puffed out her cheeks.

Their clothes were stored together, and she owned far too many things already.

Half the time, she genuinely forgot what belonged to whom.

“There’s absolutely no surprise anymore,” she muttered, crossing her arms dramatically.

“How could there not be?” Lu Shijing pulled her into his arms. “Seeing you is always a surprise.”

“That female student seems to like you~”

“Which one?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“The girl who helped call you out.”

Lu Shijing thought for a moment.

“Su Li?”

“Oh~ so her name is Su Li~”

“How would you know that?”

“A woman’s intuition.”

Gu Nansheng sounded utterly certain.

She had clearly noticed the shy look on Su Li’s face while speaking to him.

“Are you jealous?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as a smile tugged at his lips.

“Why would I be?” she replied confidently. “Your girlfriend is already this gorgeous. Do you seriously have room to think about anyone else?”

She had complete confidence in her appearance, thank you very much.

“Mhm,” Lu Shijing said with complete sincerity. “My girlfriend really is amazing.”

“Alright then, Mr. Boyfriend,” she said, tilting her head. “Would you like to have lunch with me?”

Lu Shijing glanced at the time.

It was almost break time anyway.

“Wait here a minute,” he said. “I need to go tell them first.”

Back in the lab, he informed everyone that he had something to do and would be stepping out.

Song Xiao, who had also seen the girl earlier, finally gathered the courage to ask,

“Senior Lu… was that your girlfriend?”

The entire room immediately turned toward him.

Everyone was clearly dying to know.

Lu Shijing nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Wooow~ Senior, aren’t you going to introduce her to us?” someone teased.

“No.”

A faint softness appeared in his expression as he recalled how bundled up she had been.

“She’s shy.”

“Agh! Unexpected public display of affection!”

The students groaned dramatically.

“Back to work,” Lu Shijing said calmly.

After packing up, he headed outside.

Gu Nansheng had heard the commotion and looked at him curiously.

“What did you even say to them?”

He reached over and held her hand.

“They wanted to meet you, so I told them my girlfriend is shy.”

“Why did you tell them I’m your girlfriend?” she grumbled, pinching his waist lightly. “You should’ve said I was your older sister. It would’ve sounded more mysterious.”

Lu Shijing suddenly stopped walking.

“Sister?”

His expression turned playful.

Lowering his head closer, he chuckled softly near her ear.

“What kind of sister?”

His voice dropped lower.

“The kind from the bed?”

Gu Nansheng nearly choked.

Since when had this boy become so shameless?