Zhi Jiu’s voice was low and husky as he said, “A-Fu, I miss you.” There was a faint touch of tenderness in his tone, almost like a soft plea.
Mu Fu turned off the hairdryer and replied absentmindedly, “I miss you too.” Her eyes didn’t even glance at the phone screen, and her hands kept moving as she spoke.
Zhi Jiu pressed his lips together. He could hear the indifference in her voice. A wave of unease crept into his chest. Has A-Fu grown tired of me? In an instant, the warm haze he’d been feeling evaporated.
“A-Fu… I want to see you now. Is that okay?” he asked. His whole body tensed without realizing it. He felt nervous, even afraid—afraid she might get upset.
But the night was already deep. Technically, it was the next day. In just a few hours, the crew from the reality show would arrive at his home to start filming. If he went to Mu Fu’s place now, how would he explain it if they found out? And if he rushed back before sunrise, it would be exhausting—there’d be barely any time to rest. Worse still, paparazzi had been tailing his car ever since he left the building. They hadn’t shaken them off yet. Going over now just wasn’t an option.
Mu Fu was taken aback by his request—her heart caught between surprise, sweetness, and concern. She could hear the hesitation in his voice, how careful he was being with her. He’d just wrapped up a full day, yet the first person he wanted to see was her. That said everything about how much she meant to him.
“A-Jiu, it’s really late. Go home and get some rest, okay? We’ll see each other tomorrow—I’ll come earlier.”
Zhi Jiu looked dejected, like a puppy left behind by its owner—his expression tugged at the heart, the kind that made you want to reach out, ruffle his hair, and soothe him.
Mu Fu wavered for a moment, her heart softening. Maybe she shouldn’t have turned him down. But then she remembered the early call time for tomorrow’s filming—and the clock. Steeling herself, she gently pressed on.
“A-Jiu, be good. Just a few more hours and we’ll be together again. Don’t you want to look refreshed and full of energy when you see me?”
She spoke to him like coaxing a child, and to her surprise, Zhi Jiu didn’t get upset. Instead, the tightness in his chest eased a little. His A-Fu still cared for him. He just didn’t know how much space he really took up in her heart. That thought darkened his gaze for a moment, but he quickly masked it, his face returning to calm.
Then he said with a quiet smile, “Do you really think I don’t have the energy?”
The way he said it was like a whisper brushing against her ear—his voice magnetic, lazy, and oh-so-smooth.
Mu Fu’s cheeks flushed. Her mind drifted to Zhi Jiu’s “stamina” in bed.
This man… does he have to say everything out loud?
“You’ve changed, A-Jiu. You’re not that sweet, innocent boy anymore.”
There was a brief pause. Then Zhi Jiu said seriously, “A-Fu, I’m a man now.”
Through the camera, his gaze was intense and unwavering—as if they were sitting face to face. Mu Fu could feel the weight of his stare through the screen.
The two assistants in the front seat exchanged a silent look. Ye Xin awkwardly rubbed his nose, genuinely worried that Zhi Jiu might ditch everything and run to Mu Fu right then and there. If that happened, their manager, Brother Hong, would absolutely lose it. Thank goodness Mu Fu managed to calm him down.
Mu Fu couldn’t help but laugh softly at his comment. It was such a typical guy thing—not wanting anyone to doubt their manhood.
Thankfully, Zhi Jiu didn’t bring up coming over again for the rest of the night.
……
Morning came, and Mu Fu was woken by her assistant.
“Sister Mu, I’ve set your breakfast on the table.”
Still half-asleep and groggy, she mumbled, “What did you get?”
Xiao Cheng glanced at her as she struggled to sit up, then replied hesitantly, “Plain porridge with greens… and veggie dumplings.”
“What? No meat? Even just some pork dumplings would be nice.”
“None,” Xiao Cheng said apologetically. “Sister Liu told me last night to make sure you eat clean today. She said you went a little overboard with high-calorie food at the dinner party.”
Fully awake now, Mu Fu let out a dramatic groan. Guess it was time to return to her ‘bunny lifestyle’ again.
After she got ready, the variety show crew arrived at her place.
One of the staff handed her a mission card.
“Please put on the blindfold and follow our team to today’s secret date location.”
Mu Fu raised her brows—so mysterious? A blindfold, really?
Before long, she was being carefully escorted to the destination. Holding onto the staff’s arm, she slowly stepped out of the car.
“You can take off your blindfold now,” someone said beside her.
With the cover removed, Mu Fu finally saw everything around her clearly.
The person in front of her wore a deep navy, British-style school uniform. A crisp white shirt peeked out from beneath the blazer, paired with a neatly knotted plaid tie. He looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old student—handsome, calm, and surprisingly mature. But the moment his gaze fell on her, the cold, sharp aura around him softened, like a blade carefully put back in its holder.
Bathed in the light of the rising sun, he stood there smiling gently, eyes filled with quiet affection. His gaze was unwavering, as if the world around them had disappeared and she was the only one left.
Mu Fu froze for a second. A chill ran up her scalp. She hadn’t expected to be so stunned—Zhi Jiu looked breathtaking. In that moment, he had stepped straight out of her imagination and become the real-life version of the school crush every girl dreams of. And when he looked at her like that, full of tenderness, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d been transported back to her teenage years, falling sweetly in love with the most popular boy on campus.
“Why are we at a school?” she asked, trying to collect her thoughts.
What she didn’t know was that Zhi Jiu had always been the campus heartthrob—admired by the girls, approached daily with confessions and flirtations.
“A-Fu, go change first. I’ll explain everything in a minute,” he said.
Only then did Mu Fu notice he was hiding something behind his back—a folded set of clothes. She guessed it must be a matching outfit to what he was wearing.
“Alright,” she replied.
Sure enough, when she went to the dressing room and opened the outfit, it was indeed the same style as Zhi Jiu’s, only in the girls’ version. The pants had been replaced with a pleated skirt that reached just past the knees, and the tie was swapped for a cute butterfly-shaped ribbon.
She quickly changed, then smoothed her hair and checked her makeup. Thankfully, today’s look was fresh and playful—it matched the school uniform perfectly. Looking in the mirror, she thought she looked every bit the youthful schoolgirl.
When she walked back toward Zhi Jiu, he smiled subtly, the corners of his lips lifting as he watched her.
Despite the slightly young-looking uniforms, there was nothing awkward about it. With their glowing skin and youthful energy, the two of them genuinely looked like high school students. It felt like Mu Fu and Zhi Jiu had traveled back in time.
Sister Liu, watching from the sidelines, kept her expression neutral—but inside, she was overjoyed. She already knew: once this episode aired, offers for teen romance dramas would come flooding in.
A-Fu really was her lucky star!
Since this was the last episode, Sister Liu had tagged along with the crew so she could personally take care of Mu Fu.
Mu Fu chuckled and asked, “So… are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing here?”
Zhi Jiu rubbed his nose a little awkwardly. “How about we do a bit of role-play today? Spend the day as college students. What do you think?”
Mu Fu stared at him quietly, her expression a mix of emotions.
Zhi Jiu began to feel uneasy under her gaze, worried that she wasn’t on board with the idea. He quickly added, “If you’re not into it, we can just—”
Before he could finish, Mu Fu interrupted him. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I really like it.”
Her heart stirred deeply—she hadn’t expected him to remember something she had mentioned so casually. But he had. He’d taken it to heart.
Zhi Jiu smiled, a little shy now.
He reached out and gently took her hand, linking their fingers as naturally as if they’d always been meant to fit together. Just like Jiao and Meng—always together, never apart. After all, falling in love is practically a required course in college, isn’t it? So what harm was there in holding hands on campus?
The people around them couldn’t help but feel momentarily stunned by the pink cloud of romance surrounding the couple—but by now, they were more or less used to it.
The university Zhi Jiu had brought her to was his alma mater: the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Once back on familiar ground, he lit up—sharing stories about his student life, funny memories, the awards he’d won—telling it all to the one person he wanted to impress most.
Mu Fu listened with gentle patience, never cutting him off. Occasionally, she’d ask him questions, encouraging his excitement.
By the time they finished exploring the campus, it was nearly noon. They grabbed lunch together in the cafeteria before Zhi Jiu sent her off to rest.
“Aren’t you going to rest too?” she asked.
His eyes flickered for a split second, then he smiled. “Brother Hong needed to talk to me. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done.”
Mu Fu blinked. She hadn’t seen his manager approach him all day. Still, she nodded. “Alright. Go ahead.”
Zhi Jiu felt a pang of guilt. He had lied to her. Even though he had his reasons, he hated the idea of keeping anything from Mu Fu. Just this once, he told himself. It would be the only time.
But as the afternoon wore on and four o’clock approached… Mu Fu still hadn’t seen any sign of Zhi Jiu’s return.
Mu Fu frowned slightly and turned to ask Sister Liu, “Sister Liu, have you seen A-Jiu come back?”
“No,” Liu shook her head. “He’s probably still handling something. Don’t worry, he’s with his manager. I haven’t seen his manager around either.”
“But… aren’t we supposed to start filming soon?”
Sister Liu gave her a pointed look, then gestured toward the director nearby. “Weren’t you usually the sharp one? What happened? I guess it’s true what they say—love makes people silly. Look at the director—he’s not worried at all. That means he knows exactly what A-Jiu’s up to. And clearly, it’s nothing that’ll delay the shoot.”
Mu Fu gave an embarrassed cough. She hadn’t noticed any of that. Ever since she woke up, she hadn’t seen A-Jiu, and she couldn’t help but worry. What if something had happened to him? Last time, he’d been stalked and harassed by obsessive fans. Now they were on a public campus with so many people around—it was hard to guarantee no outsiders had slipped in.
Just then, a staff member approached her. “Ms. Mu, please get ready. We’re about to start recording.”
“Aren’t we waiting for A-Jiu?”
The staffer smiled. “Mr. Zhi is waiting for you on the other side.”
Mu Fu’s eyes lit up. At that, everything suddenly made sense.
She smiled and turned to the staff member. “Where is he? Could you take me there?”
The young woman gave Mu Fu a sideways glance. She hadn’t expected to witness something so genuine in this industry. Thinking of Zhi Jiu, working so hard behind the scenes just for Mu Fu’s sake, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. She wanted a boyfriend like that too—one who truly, deeply cared.
Axolotl Translations 
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