Chapter 1

Wednesday afternoon, Ji Su went to the Music Society on his own.

The light was just right — a tall, handsome boy in a hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, his single-strap bag slung over one shoulder, walking down the corridor; the breeze from the window stirred his slightly long black hair, and even his shadow on the wall was so striking that passing students couldn't help turning to look again and again.

Ji Su was a second-year student in the Architecture Department at A University; the moment he'd entered the School as a freshman, before he could even get his bearings, an enthusiastic upperclassman girl had dragged him into the Music Society, and from then on he became its signature and front face.

Fortunately he'd learned various instruments as a child, so he picked things up quickly — at least he wasn't just a mascot in the club.

Ji Su reached the door of the Music Society and heard a familiar Piano melody drifting out — a rendition of Wedding in My Dream, every turn of phrase aching, mournful to the extreme.

He stopped in his tracks; his instincts told him something was off.

He pushed open the half-closed door and saw a girl with long flowing hair seated at the black-and-white Piano, her ten fingers flying.

The Piano notes froze for a few seconds, then in the next breath seamlessly switched into Croatian Rhapsody, and the air seemed suddenly thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Ji Su blinked and prepared to slip quietly out of the music room.

Just then the girl at the Piano turned her face toward him, and tears fell like pearls off a broken string: 'Little Susu, your jiejie's been dumped, wuwuwu…'

Ji Su paused, then stepped forward to comfort her: 'Out with the old, in with the new — don't take it too hard, jiejie.'

'Easy to say, but I can't swallow it!' Lin Yan suddenly raised her voice. 'That bastard took my money and had his way with me, and then he had the nerve to block me — aaaargh!'

'Jiejie, calm down!' Ji Su soothed hurriedly. 'What exactly happened? Tell me slowly.'

And so Lin Yan, sniveling and weeping, poured out the tale of her brief and tragic online romance, peppered throughout with countless curses at the scumbag.

'Online romance?' Ji Su's eyes widened slightly; he couldn't quite grasp it. 'You hadn't even met face to face, and you were willing to spend that much money on him?'

Lin Yan gulped: 'I admit I'm a little bit love-brained…'

Ji Su: ……

Just a little?

'You have transfer records for all the money you spent on him — he can't wriggle out of it.' Ji Su thought seriously for a moment, then offered: 'How about this — you go demand it back first; if he refuses, I'll help you think of something else.'

'I can't — he's got something on me.' Lin Yan lowered her head, her voice a mosquito's hum. 'I sent him that kind of… video. I'm afraid he'll leak it and I won't be able to face anyone.'

Ji Su didn't catch on at first: 'What kind of video?'

Lin Yan kept on humming: 'That kind…'

Something clicked in Ji Su's chest; he knit his brow: 'Jiejie, how could you send that kind of thing to someone you only knew online —'

Lin Yan grew even more aggrieved: 'I didn't know back then that that dead scumbag was a dead scumbag…'

Being defrauded of money and body by a scumbag was already miserable enough; Ji Su couldn't bear to scold her further, so he kept on comforting her: 'He probably wouldn't dare do something that illegal. Even if he did post something, you could still track him down in person.'

'But by then I won't have any face left to show anyone.' Lin Yan raised a hand to cover her face. 'I hate myself so much, I want to die, wuuu…'

'Jiejie!' Ji Su was startled, his tone turning stern. 'Dying over a scumbag — do you think that's worth it?'

'N-no, it isn't…' Lin Yan wiped her tears away hard, viciously: 'Ji Su, you're right! I want revenge!'

Ji Su was silent for a few seconds, then asked: 'Jiejie, how do you want to get revenge?'

Lin Yan's blurred gaze drifted slowly to his face, and a bold idea suddenly surfaced in her mind.

The boy before her had sculpted, exquisite features; his translucent fair skin carried the soft sheen of mutton-fat jade, and beneath his straight nose sat full lips, the upper one adorned with a small tubercle that diluted the cool aloofness gathered in his brows and eyes, lending instead a hint of invitation.

To sum it up in four characters — the look men liked best: 'innocent yet tempting.'

Lin Yan grabbed Ji Su's arm, words tumbling out fast: 'Little Susu, go do an online romance with him — help jiejie trick that dead scumbag's nudes out of him!'

'Huh?' Ji Su's face was blank. 'Jiejie, I'm a guy.'

Lin Yan said viciously: 'Exactly because you're a guy, exactly because what you've got is bigger than his — you have to teach him how dangerous online romance can be!'

Ji Su blurted out: 'Jiejie, how do you know I —'

Lin Yan let go, her voice going a little hollow: 'One time at a club dinner you wore white pants, and someone splashed water on you and they got wet, and I accidentally glanced, just once…'

Ji Su instinctively looked down at himself, and his snow-white face flushed red in an instant.

'Just help jiejie out, Little Susu.' Lin Yan's big anime eyes began to glisten with tears again. 'Whether I get the money back doesn't matter, but if I don't have my revenge, jiejie here won't be able to sleep at night, won't be able to eat, will die full of regret!'

Ji Su: 'Is it really that serious…'

Lin Yan said firmly: 'Yes!'

Ji Su sighed lightly, weighing his words: 'I can try, but I can't guarantee it'll work.'

'Aaah, jiejie loves you!' Lin Yan selectively ignored the second half, lunging at him in excitement.

Ji Su sidestepped without a flicker of expression, smoothly pulling out his phone from his pocket: 'Jiejie, send me his WeChat.'

'That bastard blocked me, and in a rage I deleted him too.' Lin Yan thought for a moment. 'But I remember his WeChat ID.'

Ji Su nodded: 'Send me the ID first; I'll add him from a burner account in a bit.'

Lin Yan nodded rapidly: 'OK, OK.'

Ji Su pulled his phone from his pocket and only then noticed his roommate had sent him several messages.

Qiao Jin: [Susu, where are you?]

Qiao Jin: [The Basketball Game is about to start!]

'Jiejie, I've got something to do — I'll head off first.' After a brief reply, Ji Su pressed his phone dark. 'I won't make today's meeting.'

'Go on, go do your thing.' Lin Yan made a cheering gesture. 'Little Susu, you absolutely have to add that bastard — fight fire with fire, help jiejie avenge her wrongs!'

Ji Su: 'I'll do my best…'

*

That afternoon was the intramural Basketball Game between the Finance Department and the Law Department at A University — two departments thick with campus heartthrobs, which sent the watchability of the match soaring.

Ji Su approached the Gymnasium, and Qiao Jin, who had been peering around at the entrance, spotted him and immediately waved: 'Susu, hurry, hurry!'

Ji Su quickened his pace toward her: 'Why didn't you go in first?'

'No worries, I asked someone to save us seats.' Qiao Jin grabbed his arm and hurried him inside. 'Quick, quick!'

The Gymnasium was packed; the two of them squeezed through the crowded aisle and with difficulty made it to the second row.

'Qiao Jin, you finally made it!' A short-haired girl picked up the bag she'd placed on the neighboring seat. 'If you hadn't come, I was about to lose this spot.'

'Thanks, thanks!' Qiao Jin pressed her palms together in gratitude. 'Big beauty, I'll buy you milk tea later.'

They had barely settled into their seats when the atmosphere in the Gymnasium suddenly grew even more heated.

Ji Su turned his head toward the source of the sound.

Among the crowd, a strikingly tall young man was walking in their direction. He wore a black casual outfit that couldn't conceal his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs — easily over six foot three, by eye.

But more striking still was his face — handsome, deep-featured, sculpted, with an aloof, cold expression that made him stand out among the otherwise youthful, exuberant crowd of male students.

'Ahhhh!' Qiao Jin caught the excitement too, her fingers pinching Ji Su's arm. 'Gu Zhao! It's Gu Zhao!'

'Ouch…' Ji Su drew a soft breath. 'Who's Gu Zhao?'

He was sure his voice hadn't been loud, and the Gymnasium was noisy besides, but the young man suddenly lifted his head, a pair of pitch-black eyes locking precisely onto his direction.

Ji Su pressed his lips together without thinking, but the other only glanced at him once before sitting down in the front row.

'Gu Zhao — didn't I already brief you on him?' Qiao Jin lowered her voice, the words tumbling out. 'The Law Department's pride and joy — voted school heartthrob by a landslide on the forum and the official account. One-ninety-three tall, star player on the university basketball team, champion swimmer, eight-pack abs with a V-line, and supposedly filthy rich on top of it all. Apart from being way too cold, he's basically the perfect, flawless male god!'

Ji Su looked at the back of the figure seated diagonally ahead of him and nodded in agreement. 'He does look pretty cold.'

That chilly look just now had been enough to freeze him into a human popsicle.

'I was so disappointed when I heard Gu Zhao wasn't on today's roster.' Qiao Jin's voice crept up again without her noticing. 'What a pleasant surprise — seeing him up close, he's gorgeous enough to make gods and mortals both furious!'

Ji Su laughed softly. 'Qiao, keep it down a little.'

'Keep what down?' Qiao Jin's eyes were practically glued to the back of Gu Zhao's head. 'Honestly now, Susu — do you think Gu Zhao isn't handsome?'

Ji Su hesitated, then answered quietly, 'He's pretty handsome, yeah.'

The young man before him was the kind of handsome that hit you all at once — the sort both guys and girls could appreciate. No wonder he was the universally acknowledged school heartthrob.

Qiao Jin: 'That's all?'

Ji Su: 'Hm?'

'Sorry, I forgot you're straight.' Qiao Jin slapped his thigh. 'If you were even a little bit bent, you'd get what makes a male god lethally attractive!'

Ji Su replied offhandedly, 'I'd still rather go for gentle, cute girls.'

The words had barely left his mouth when Gu Zhao, seated diagonally ahead, turned his face unexpectedly and glanced at him again.

Though the other sat lower than him, there was still an indescribable pressure in the way he lifted his gaze.

Ji Su pretended to be calm and dodged that gaze, speaking almost in a breath: 'Qiao, stop talking — he's looking at us.'

'Really?' Qiao Jin excitedly looked down, but was met with nothing but that cold, unyielding back of his head.

Fortunately the game had started, and her attention quickly shifted to the court.

The court was full of tall guys, all over six foot — one team in white jerseys, the other in black, evenly matched and locked in a fierce fight.

Ji Su wasn't much of a basketball fan, but he sat patiently in his seat and watched the whole game with his roommate.

'Oh yeah!' The game finally ended, and Qiao Jin leapt to her feet, cupping her hands around her mouth to cheer. 'Law Department, you're the best!'

Ji Su reminded her, 'We're from the Architecture Department.'

The next Basketball Game was Architecture Department versus Law Department.

'So what?' Qiao Jin was already off in her own happy world. 'My future boyfriend's in the Law Department — that makes me half a Law Department person!'

Ji Su: '…'

'Lao Gu! How was that game?' Just then, a few guys in black jerseys, drenched in sweat, ran over toward Gu Zhao.

One of them glanced at the second row by accident and his eyes went wide. 'Holy—!'

'What's up, Lao Wang?' Another guy lifted his jersey to wipe his sweat. 'Which beauty did you just—'

Before he could finish, his gaze landed on Ji Su's face and he nearly bit his own tongue.

Ji Su noticed them all looking at him and tugged at Qiao Jin's sleeve. 'Let's go, Qiao — game's over.'

'No way.' Qiao Jin held her pose. 'I still haven't gotten his WeChat…'

Ji Su turned his head. 'Whose WeChat are you trying to get?'

Qiao Jin was too embarrassed to say it out loud and could only indicate with her eyes.

Ji Su laughed, silently roasting her: 'All the desire, none of the daring.'

In front of him she could say anything risqué, but the moment she faced the person she actually liked, she couldn't open her mouth — a classic case of all talk and no follow-through.

Qiao Jin made a pleading gesture, but her feet stayed rooted to the spot.

Ji Su reached out, took her phone, opened the WeChat QR code, and walked straight up to a buzz-cut guy. 'Hi there, classmate — my roommate has some legal questions she'd like help with. Would you mind adding her on WeChat?'

Zhou Yang blinked, pointing at himself in disbelief. 'Me?'

His teammates nearby started teasing, but only Gu Zhao sat perfectly composed in his chair, his face still expressionless.

Ji Su asked sincerely, 'Is it inconvenient?'

'No, no — go ahead!' Zhou Yang came back to himself, scrambling to pull his phone out of his bag, his wheat-colored face flushed red.

After the WeChat was added successfully, Ji Su thanked him politely and led the dazed Qiao Jin out of the Gymnasium.

The other teammates quickly crowded around, teasing Zhou Yang left and right.

'Not bad, Lao Zhou — your peach-blossom luck is unstoppable, even guys are coming to you for WeChat now!'

'Don't celebrate too early — the guy literally said she needs legal aid, hello!'

'Who was asking for your WeChat? She's seriously pretty — suddenly I feel like guys aren't off the table either…'

'You guys don't know Ji Su?' Wang Mingzhe announced loudly, briefing them. 'The flower of the Architecture Department! Last year a freshman was so stunned staring at him that he rode his bike straight into Lover's Lake — instant legend!'

'Holy—! That extreme?'

'Wait, I didn't see him just now — a guy can really be that good-looking?'

'I think Ji Su has this beauty that transcends gender — what they call killing both ways.' Wang Mingzhe smacked his lips, then turned to Gu Zhao in his chair. 'Gu-ge, what do you say?'

Gu Zhao, one hand in his pocket, said coldly, 'Just average.'

Wang Mingzhe was clearly unsatisfied with that answer and pressed, 'If he'd asked you for your WeChat, you wouldn't have given it?'

Gu Zhao's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly; his thin lips parted and closed, and he spat out two merciless words: 'Wouldn't.'