After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

The dark locker room. Zhu Xun Chuan's muscles tensed instantly.

Using the dim light filtering through the corridor, he could see a black square object on a metal cabinet in the corner.

The device was glowing with a scarlet indicator light. That chilling giggle was coming from the external speaker.

Zhu Xun Chuan stepped forward. It was a miniature recording player with a countdown timer.

"Brother Xun Chuan, your tango dance tonight was so beautiful."

The synthesized voice has undergone extremely distorted voice-changing processing, making it impossible to tell whether it is male or female, but it has a morbidly sweet tone.

"I'm very satisfied with your performance. That haughty old woman, I'll break her legs sooner or later."

"Oh, right, I'll take good care of your seed. Be a good boy and wait for me to come back. Hehehe..."

The red light flashed rapidly. Zhu Xun Chuan grabbed the tape recorder with his backhand and exerted force with his palm.

The plastic casing shattered with a crack, parts scattered all over the ground, and the sound abruptly stopped.

The other party is not only an extremely dangerous, fanatical, and yandere, but also possesses extremely professional counter-surveillance awareness.

Being able to quietly set up equipment backstage at a high-security event like the Peking University welcome party is something that ordinary students cannot do.

Zhu Xun Chuan brushed the plastic scraps from his palm and slowly unbuttoned his sweaty shirt.

He took out his phone and dialed Gu Qinghan's number.

"Ms. Gu, are we doing room checks?"

A rustling sound of files being tidied came from the other end of the phone. Gu Qinghan's tone was icy: "Zhu Xunchuan, the party's over. Stop grinning at me. Have you finished your self-criticism?"

"I haven't written a self-criticism, but I need your help with a small matter." Zhu Xun Chuan said calmly, "Dismiss the security personnel backstage at the main playground in the East District. I need to use the monitoring room."

Gu Qinghan was silent for two seconds, sensing the seriousness in his voice: "What happened?"

"A minor hiccup during extracurricular practice. See you in five minutes."

Late at night. Kyoto University East Campus Security Monitoring Center.

Zhu Xun Chuan pushed open the heavy soundproof door. Inside, only rows of pale blue surveillance screens were lit. The security guards on duty had already been sent away.

Gu Qinghan sat in the black leather chair at the central control console. She hadn't changed her clothes; she was still wearing the same form-fitting black business suit. Gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, perfectly highlighting her aloof and restrained temperament.

"Tell me, what trouble did you get into by using my counselor privileges to open a monitoring room for you in the middle of the night?" Gu Qinghan looked up, her gaze sweeping over Zhu Xunchuan.

Zhu Xun Chuan approached the control panel. The monitoring room was already cramped, and his approach instantly shortened the distance between them.

The air was filled with Gu Qinghan's unique, cool, woody scent. Mixed with the smell of computer case ventilation in the enclosed space, it created an extremely private atmosphere.

"Someone left some toys in my locker room. I need to find out which fanatic loves me so much." Zhu Xun Chuan braced his hands on the armrests of the chair, trapping Gu Qing Han between his chest and the control panel.

Gu Qinghan's body visibly stiffened. She tried to lean back, but could only press herself firmly against the back of the chair.

"If you're going to check the security footage, then check it. Why are you standing so close?" She turned her head away, her voice very low.

Zhu Xun Chuan didn't back away; instead, he leaned down, his cheek brushing against her ear, his gaze fixed on the flickering screen: "Teacher Gu, this keyboard is too far away; I can't reach it. Can I borrow your hand?"

As he spoke, his right hand covered Gu Qinghan's right hand, which was holding the mouse.

The man's large, burning palm instantly enveloped her slightly cool hand. Gu Qinghan's breath hitched, and she tried to pull her hand away, but Zhu Xun Chuan gently pressed her index finger with his fingertip.

"Don't move. Show the footage of the corridor in changing room number one between 9:40 PM and 10:00 PM." Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was deep.

Gu Qinghan gritted her teeth and let him hold her hand and slide the mouse to bring up the timeline.

The screen was divided into more than a dozen small sections. The view of the corridor in changing room number one was normal at first, with a few support staff passing by occasionally.

The time jumps to 9:45.

Ten minutes before Zhu Xunchuan entered the locker room.

The previously clear color picture suddenly froze without warning. Then, a dense layer of gray static covered the entire screen. The static lasted for a full eight minutes. When the picture returned to normal, it showed Zhu Xun Chuan's back as he pushed open the door and entered the corridor.

Gu Qinghan's expression changed. She immediately regained control of the mouse, rapidly typing on the keyboard to bring up the underlying data logs.

A few lines of complex code instructions flashed by.

"It wasn't physical damage. The wiring is intact. The camera wasn't obstructed either." Gu Qinghan stared at the code, his tone unusually grave. "This recording was directly overwritten. Moreover, a loop-generated dead data set replaced the original video stream."

Zhu Xun Chuan straightened up, his eyes turning cold: "Hacking techniques?"

"And it's top-tier hacking." Gu Qinghan turned around and looked directly at Zhu Xunchuan. "Peking University's security system is a military-grade firewall that was just upgraded this year. To be able to silently hack into the internal network, precisely cut off those eight minutes of monitoring, and not trigger any alarms—that's something no ordinary student could do. Just who did you mess with?"

That yandere girl named "Xiaobai" has the money to book rooms in luxury hotels, the ability to hack into Kyoto University's military-grade surveillance system, and carries a high-concentration incapacitating spray with her.

Zhu Xunchuan quickly pieced together the clues in his mind.

"Don't worry about this." Zhu Xun Chuan reached out and closed the computer screen.

Gu Qinghan suddenly stood up, her high heels making a dull thud on the anti-static floor. She grabbed Zhu Xunchuan's shirt collar, her eyes surprisingly reddening, completely tearing away her icy facade.

"I don't care? Zhu Xunchuan, I'm your advisor! Did you even listen to me? I warned you before, those women's backgrounds are all incredibly powerful. You stole the spotlight on stage today, but countless eyes are watching you. Now even dangerous individuals who can hack into surveillance systems are coming to your door, and you're telling me to ignore it?"

In the cramped monitoring room, the instructor's rapid breathing hit Zhu Xun Chuan's chin.

She wasn't putting on airs. She was genuinely afraid. Afraid that this man would be shattered to pieces in some corner she couldn't see.

Zhu Xun Chuan looked into those eyes, which had lost their composure due to anxiety. He suddenly smiled.

He grabbed Gu Qinghan's wrist, which was clutching his collar, and pushed her backward.

Gu Qinghan exclaimed in surprise as her lower back slammed into the edge of the control panel.

Zhu Xun Chuan pressed down on her, his long legs forcefully pushing her knees apart. His left hand braced himself on the table behind her, while his right hand gripped her delicate chin, forcing her to lift her head.

"Gu Qinghan, have you forgotten what I taught you?" Zhu Xun Chuan looked down at her with an aggressive gaze. "If the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

"You..." Gu Qinghan was about to retort.

Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his head and forcefully sealed her lips with his.

All voices were silenced.

Gu Qinghan struggled for a moment, placing her hands on his chest. But the extremely familiar masculine scent instantly overwhelmed her senses. Her pride in her rationality always crumbled before this man.

The hand pressed against his chest gradually lost its strength. It slowly slid down and finally climbed up the back of his neck.

The cold, bluish light of the monitoring room shone on the two intertwined figures. Only the hum of the server chassis fans masked certain ambiguous sounds.

A full five minutes passed.

Zhu Xun Chuan finally released her. Gu Qinghan leaned against the control panel, her chest heaving. Her once meticulously styled long hair had fallen loose, with a few strands clinging to her flushed cheeks. Her gold-rimmed glasses were also slightly askew.

Her long legs, encased in black stockings, were feeling weak due to lack of oxygen, and she could only stand steadily by having Zhu Xun Chuan hold her waist.

"Now, do you still have the leisure to meddle in other people's business?" Zhu Xun Chuan wiped the lipstick mark from the corner of her lips with his thumb, his voice hoarse.

Gu Qinghan glared at him fiercely, feeling both ashamed and indignant, but she couldn't even muster the strength to curse.

"Bastard." She gritted her teeth and spat out the two words.

"Is this what you call a bastard?" Zhu Xun Chuan whispered in her ear, "If you come back to Xinghe Bay with me tonight, I'll show you what a real bastard is."

"Get out! I have a department meeting tomorrow morning. Let go of me, I'll go back to my dorm by myself." Gu Qinghan pushed him away and turned around, frantically straightening her wrinkled skirt and shirt.