No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

The offensive is fierce.

c.

The unique woody scent emanating from Pei Jingnian kept wafting over, so strong it could drown her.

I'm so annoying.

She fell for their trap again.

But looking into Pei Jingnian's wet eyes and hearing his aggrieved voice—

Who could resist surrendering?

How can I harden my heart?

So you think you're so great just because you're good-looking?

She turned her head slightly and saw his flawless profile again.

Well, that's really impressive.

After an unknown amount of time, Shi Qiao squeezed Pei Jingnian's arm tightly, "I know, let go of me now."

"If I linger any longer, I'll be late."

Pei Jingnian shook his head like a child, "I can hug you for another seven minutes. I'll drive you there, that'll be just right."

"Wife, wife, what else could we be but a couple?"

Even if the Heavenly King himself came, we'd already be a couple.

[We're like newlyweds now~]

My wife let me kiss her yesterday, and today she let me hug her for a while; she even felt sorry for me.

Does that mean I can sleep in tomorrow, and then I can do some chiseling the day after?

Who has such an indulgent wife? It turns out it's me!

Shi Qiao's lips twitched; she would rather let a dog bite her conscience now.

The next second, both hands were raised high, and a backward elbow strike was delivered.

Her face flushed red. "Don't push your luck!"

"You don't need to drive me or pick me up today. Just stay home and rest!"

She emphasized the words "get some rest" and then squatted down, sliding out of Pei Jingnian's arms.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Three seconds later, she silently opened the door again, snatched her bag back from Pei Jingnian's hand, and even patted the spot where he had taken it with feigned disgust.

Bang! The door slammed shut again.

Pei Jingnian clenched his fists twice, his sudden change in attitude leaving him completely bewildered.

Everything was fine just now, so what went wrong?

*

Shi Qiao arrived at school breathlessly. Physiology was one of the few classes that Shi Qiao and Jiang Youran had different classes. She stood at the door, carefully looking for a seat that was slightly forward but wouldn't attract the professor's attention.

"Shi Qiao?" A familiar female voice came from behind.

She looked in the direction of the voice and met Lin Ruo's doe eyes. "Hello, Lin Ruo."

Lin Ru blinked. "Are you looking for a seat?"

Shi Qiao scratched her head sheepishly. "Um, I'm a little late. I quite like the physiology teacher in this class. I don't want to sit in the back, but I don't want to sit too far in the front either..."

Lin Ruo mustered her courage slightly, "I've reserved a seat, in the third row, slightly to the left. If you don't mind, would you like to sit with me?"

Shi Qiao's eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you so much, Lin Ruo. You're so kind."

Lin Ruo smiled shyly and scratched her earlobe embarrassedly, "It's okay, we're in the same class."

They sat down together. There were still five minutes before class started. Shi Qiao took out her tablet, and when she unlocked it, it was the Romeo and Juliet script that Pei Jingnian had stopped her on the sofa yesterday.

She fanned away the haphazard memories that were starting to wander in her mind, coughed seriously, and took the initiative to start a conversation:

"Lin Ruo, I read your script yesterday, it's absolutely fantastic!"

Lin Ruo smiled slightly, her face beaming with excitement, "That's great! I was worried that some parts wouldn't be adapted well enough."

Shi Qiao shook her head vigorously, "That's absolutely not true! If you told me it was written by a professional screenwriter, I wouldn't doubt it at all."

Lin Ruo started to talk a little, and the two quickly became familiar with each other after sitting and chatting for a while.

Three long classes passed, and the bell rang, which happened to be the deadline for yesterday's Romeo and Juliet questionnaire.

The two did not leave immediately. It was the busiest time of day, and they planned to stay in the classroom for a while before going out.

Lin Ruo glanced at it casually, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing instantly. "Hiss..."

Shi Qiao leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Ruo helplessly put her phone on the table. "Waaah, it seems like everyone in our class is a bit socially awkward. Why did they all end up in the logistics department?"

"Currently, the female leads are all cast, but the male leads... are all vying for supporting roles; nobody wants to play Romeo..."

"I originally thought the guy who was going to act sent me a private message."

She was on the verge of tears. "He said he felt Romeo was too much of a jerk and it damaged his image."

"He was afraid that if he acted in the role, he would lose his priority in choosing a partner for the next few years."

Lin Ruo rested her chin on her hand and said, "Luckily, we have you, Shi Qiao, otherwise there would be no one to play Juliet."

"Am I... asking too much? Does everyone actually not really want to perform in this play?" Lin Ruo's voice gradually weakened, and her eyes trembled slightly.

Shi Qiao quickly waved her hand, "Of course not! Show some confidence!"

"People are probably just a bit shy. Could you try encouraging them in the group chat?"

Lin Ruo lay on the table, "Actually... this is already the result of my efforts to mobilize them."

"If I were to press further, it would seem rather impolite of me."

She suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, that guy who picked you up before, would he be willing to act in this?"

Shi Qiao froze. "Him?"

Lin Ruo nodded, "Yeah, yeah, although your eyes did look a bit fierce at first glance, actually you two look quite good together!"

"Look at them, the height difference, the body shape difference, and the handsome man and beautiful woman, they look so good together."

"And it just so happens that you two are both Chinese, and you're both handsome men and beautiful women with good bone structure. Even if you go on the field, your facial features won't melt like cream when you're 800 meters away."

"Could you try asking him?"

Shi Qiao muttered under her breath, "But um... isn't this a program our class put on?"

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate to invite someone from another class to participate, especially to play a lead role?"

Lin Ruo shook her head. "How could that be! Is he in medical school?"

Shi Qiao nodded. "Yes."

Lin Ruo smiled happily, "Then there's no problem!"

"I did some research beforehand, and some third- and fourth-year students couldn't get scholarships or meet graduation requirements because they didn't have enough time for extracurricular activities."

"Then they'll look for projects that can add a lot of extra study time to participate in; our arts festival adds just as much time as two other festivals."

"The school also stipulates that as long as we are from the same college, there is no problem, because we all use the same college seal."

"How is it? How is it? Should we ask?"

"I can't even imagine how beautiful it would be if the two of you went on stage together!"

Shi Qiao gasped.

"He's... a junior, seems to be working on some project, probably pretty busy..."

"Can."

A cool, clear voice rang out from the classroom doorway.

When I looked up, Pei Jingnian was leaning against the door frame.

"I happen to be short of study time."