By the time the girl came to her senses, Ji Huaijin had already left. Hearing her classmates whispering, she awkwardly put her phone away and rushed out of the classroom with her head down and her face flushed.
The little incident had no effect on Ji Huaijin. He had long since grown used to such things.
Ji Huaijin came from a distinguished scholarly family in the south, with generations of relatives in politics. Brilliant and upright himself, he drew admirers who flocked to him in droves.
Ever since middle school, incidents like the one just now had occurred at regular intervals in his life, to say nothing of the countless love letters piled across his desk.
Yet no one had ever stirred so much as a ripple in him. So when Lin Shuyang picked up a hint from the family doctor, he promptly gave up sleeping in, hit the gas, and sped straight to the university.
"What are you doing here?"
Ji Huaijin pushed open his office door to find Lin Shuyang slouched in his chair, swiveling idly from side to side.
"Heh. I know everything."
The family doctor had actually disclosed very few details, but that hardly stopped him from fishing for information.
Ji Huaijin nudged him out with his foot and sat down in his own seat, expressionless. "Know what?"
Lin Shuyang waggled his eyebrows mischievously. "What do you think, Young Master Ji? You really kept quiet until you could make a splash."
He usually seemed utterly free of earthly desires. Who would have thought that, once he finally got a taste, he would wear someone out so thoroughly they couldn't even get out of bed?
A man who had looked ready to take monastic vows had suddenly caught fire. Lin Shuyang's eyes shone alarmingly bright. "Come on, tell me. Who is it? Do I know them?"
It didn't matter if he didn't. He simply wanted to know what remarkable person had managed to drag this immortal down to earth.
Ji Huaijin continued his work without a change in expression. At that, he looked up and gave him a glance. "If you really have nothing to do, why not apply for a master's degree? I'm sure your brother would be delighted."
Compared with his last suggestion of pursuing a doctorate, he had dropped another two notches.
Lin Shuyang: "..."
If studying was his natural enemy, his older brother, Lin Yi, was the restraining band around his head. When his brother was happy, he got whatever he wanted. When his brother wasn't happy, it was hunting season, with the elder brother's authority crushing all resistance.
He hadn't really expected to get anything out of him anyway. They had grown up together, so of course he knew that if Ji Huaijin didn't want to talk, no one could make him.
Rebuffed but unwilling to concede, Lin Shuyang said, "Professor Ji, haven't you heard the saying? Tell someone to study, and may lightning strike you down."
Without even lifting his head, Ji Huaijin smoothly replied, "I'll repeat every word of that to your brother."
"No need to thank me."
Lin Shuyang's fists clenched. If he could have beaten him in a fight, he would already have turned the office upside down.
Cheng Yue's illness came and went for three days before he fully recovered. With neither his external injuries nor his fever bothering him anymore, he stretched his limbs and felt terrifyingly strong.
He was on the early shift today. After handing over to his colleague, he ambled back to the changing room and happened to run into Zhao Li.
"Captain, you haven't left yet?"
Zhao Li grunted in acknowledgment and lowered his head to continue tying his shoelaces. His reticence made his sharply defined features seem all the colder.
Used to his silence, Cheng Yue thought nothing of it and went over to his locker to take out his own clothes.
He had stopped to pet some cats on his way back. Everyone else had already left, leaving just the two of them in the changing room.
A voice suddenly broke the silence of the empty room.
"Want to go to the gym?"
Cheng Yue paused, then pulled on his jacket. "Sure!"
He wasn't sure whether he was imagining it, but Zhao Li's stern face seemed to soften a little.
Besides the usual employee benefits, the company also provided a fitness allowance so they could build up their strength and better keep the residential complex safe.
The gym was across from the complex, and the company issued membership cards to everyone. Cheng Yue didn't go often, only about twice a month, which was nothing compared with a fitness fanatic like Zhao Li.
Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, he hadn't brought his workout gear. He made a token effort on a few exercises, then headed to the lounge to play on his phone.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed before someone appeared beside him. Cheng Yue turned his head, and a strong, muscular arm came into view.
Zhao Li must have gotten hot during his workout. His quick-dry shirt was gone, leaving only a black tank top that made his sharply defined physique all the more striking.
Honestly, Zhao Li's muscles were sculpted just right. Rather than the exaggerated bulk of those huge bodybuilders, he had the appeal of a thug in a tailored suit.
Cheng Yue was envious. This was the physique every red-blooded top wanted. Unfortunately, he was too lazy and couldn't control his appetite. Maintaining the lean muscle he already had was his limit.
"Captain, it must take ages to get a body like yours, right?"
Having replenished his electrolytes, Zhao Li shifted his gaze and looked over Cheng Yue's slight frame before answering honestly, "For you, probably six months."
And that was with him personally overseeing his training.
Cheng Yue really couldn't manage that, but it didn't stop him from yearning for it. After all, what powerful top could resist a body like that?
"Really?"
Anyone with a dream deserves respect. What did he, Cheng Yue, lack?
"If you can handle eating fitness meals every day."
Cheng Yue: "..."
Fine, he could keep lacking it. Having those meals occasionally was one thing, but living on them was genuinely beyond him.
Noticing the light dim in his eyes, Zhao Li considered for a few seconds. "They don't actually taste that bad. You just need to get used to them."
Cheng Yue hastily declined. "No, thanks. Life is hard enough already. Let's not make it worse."
Slaving away like a beast of burden all day was one thing. If he had to eat grass after work too, that really would be fate toying with a greedy little pig.
Forget it. There was no point forcing himself into a circle he couldn't fit into. He firmly believed his personal charm could outweigh such superficial factors.
Cheng Yue's dream died before it was born. His ambition went from being a powerful top to being any kind of top at all.
Zhao Li had no idea what was going on in his head. Glancing at the dark sky outside, he suggested, "Want to get barbecue?"
After eating bland, meatless food for three days, Cheng Yue's taste buds had practically gone numb. He had been fine until Zhao Li mentioned it, but now his head was filled with a feast of tantalizing colors, aromas, and flavors. He decided on the spot. "Let's go!"
Ji Huaijin had been invited to Hong Kong for a summit. After landing, he drove from the airport straight back to the residential complex. The security guard on duty at the entrance wasn't the familiar face he knew.
He had been too busy these past two days. He wondered whether Cheng Yue had been applying his ointment properly.
He raised his wrist and checked his watch. Eight in the evening.
It wasn't too late yet. With no one home for two days, the air inside was stale. Ji Huaijin's hand abruptly stopped just as he reached for the light switch.
A photograph was clearly displayed on his phone screen. Its contents were ordinary: nothing more than a table covered in a dazzling array of food.
The accompanying caption was perfectly ordinary too.
[Another day, another dream cut short / miserable face.jpg.]
The faint glow fell across Ji Huaijin's handsome face. For a fleeting moment, there seemed to be an inscrutable smile at the corner of his mouth.
A closer look revealed nothing at all.
Click. The lights came on.
Across the table from whoever had taken the photo, a yellow cigarette pack stood out clearly against the brown tabletop.
Camel, a long-established cigarette brand from Country M.
His expression impassive, Ji Huaijin loosened his tie with one hand and walked steadily into the bathroom.
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