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

The Rolls-Royce was parked in front of a private club in downtown Kyoto.

Zhu Xun Chuan followed Jiang Yao inside, through the lobby, and into a private room.

The private room was understatedly decorated, yet it exuded an air of wealth. There were mahogany tables and chairs, genuine calligraphy hanging on the walls, and a potted orchid in the corner in full bloom.

Jiang Yao sat down and gestured for Zhu Xun Chuan to sit opposite her.

The two towering black-clad assistants discreetly withdrew and closed the door to the private room.

"Speak," Jiang Yao said, crossing her arms on the table, exuding an aura of authority. "Why did you break up?"

"After a year of being offline to prepare for college entrance exams, this online romance was..."

"What was it originally?"

"It's really...unrealistic." Zhu Xun Chuan carefully chose his words.

"And now?" Jiang Yao stared at him. "I'm right in front of you. Pretty realistic, right?"

Zhu Xun Chuan remained silent for two seconds.

"Jiang Yao, I'm telling you the truth."

"explain."

"Back in high school, I was immature. Online dating, for me...," he paused, "wasn't serious; I was just playing around back then."

The private room was silent for a full five seconds.

Jiang Yao's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers tightened slightly.

"I'm not serious, I was just kidding." She repeated the sentence.

"sorry."

"I waited for you for a year." Jiang Yao's voice was very low. "The year you disappeared, I had someone investigate you. They found out you were preparing for exams, but I didn't disturb you. I thought you would come back to me after you finished your exams."

Zhu Xun Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

"And then you came back," Jiang Yao sneered, "and the first thing you said was 'Let's break up.'"

"I......"

"Zhu Xun Chuan, you know who I am now." Jiang Yao raised her eyes, her tone carrying undisguised threat. "A daughter of the Jiang family never fails to get what she wants."

Good heavens, this is practically forcing a sale!

Zhu Xun Chuan took a deep breath. "You can't force someone to like you."

"I didn't force you." Jiang Yao suddenly stood up, walked around the mahogany table to him, and looked down at him. "I just unilaterally refuse to accept your breakup."

"You can get to know me again, and you'll find that I'm more likable in real life than online."

Her tone was frighteningly certain.

Zhu Xun Chuan looked up at her.

They were too close. He could smell her faint perfume, a cool scent with a hint of aggression.

"Give me a month," Jiang Yao said. "If you still want to break up after a month, I won't stop you."

"..."

This is a notification, not a discussion with you.

Zhu Xun Chuan stared straight into her eyes.

Those eyes were filled with seriousness; he wasn't joking at all.

Even a fool could tell that the "one month" mentioned by the Jiang family's daughter meant that he would be under 360-degree surveillance and surrounded without any blind spots for the next thirty days.

But he knew even better that if he confronted a gangster's daughter head-on now, he probably wouldn't leave this club today.

"Okay, one month," Zhu Xun Chuan conceded, "but you absolutely cannot interfere with my normal life."

"make a deal."

Jiang Yao readily extended her hand.

Zhu Xun Chuan hesitated for half a second before reaching out and shaking hands.

Her hands were smaller and colder than he had imagined.

The corners of Jiang Yao's mouth curved slightly as they shook hands.

It was very light, very shallow, but it was definitely a smile.

......

It was already evening when I got back to school.

Zhu Xun Chuan declined Jiang Yao's offer to see him off and took a taxi back by himself. He needed to be alone and clear his mind.

Three ex-girlfriends have appeared.

Shen Tianxi, a classmate and the most beautiful girl in the department.

Gu Qinghan, the instructor, is aloof and cold.

Jiang Yao, the daughter of a gangster, comes with her own bodyguards.

That was bad enough, but there are still four hidden blind boxes that I haven't opened yet!

One of them... Su Mucheng, who prioritizes the greater good, will be coming to Kyoto next week.

When Zhu Xunchuan pushed open the dormitory door, his roommate Lin Yuan was writhing wildly on the bed like a maggot.

"Holy crap! Xun Chuan, look!" Lin Yuan suddenly sat up and shoved his phone screen directly into Zhu Xun Chuan's face.

The screen displayed a brightly lit list of trending topics on Weibo.

#Su Mucheng's new song MV filmed in Kyoto#, ranked seventeenth on the trending searches.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes twitched violently as he looked at the three words "Su Mu Cheng".

"Do you know Su Mucheng?" Lin Yuan asked excitedly, his face flushed. "A top-tier new generation idol! She gained over 20 million fans in just six months since her debut! She's an excellent singer and dancer! Most importantly, she's incredibly sweet and absolutely stunning!"

Lin Yuan quickly drew a beautiful photo of Su Mucheng.

A classic oval face, big, bright eyes, energetic pigtails, and a pink sundress as she flashes a peace sign at the camera. That smile is absolutely irresistible.

Zhu Xun Chuan stared intently at that face.

"The most important thing is the orange."

In Zhu Xunchuan's memory, her WeChat profile picture was always a silly orange cat, and she never posted a selfie. He always thought she was just an ordinary girl who was a little clingy.

This is supposed to be an ordinary girl? This is a top star in the Chinese entertainment industry!

"She's actually coming to Kyoto to film a music video!" Lin Yuan was still excited. "What if they film at Kyoto University? What if I get to see my goddess up close? This is a steal!"

Zhu Xun Chuan stiffly moved to the edge of his bed, plopped down, and remained silent.

"Why aren't you reacting?" Lin Yuan looked at him, puzzled. "Don't you like Su Mucheng's type?"

"No." Zhu Xun Chuan shook his head, feeling utterly exhausted. "I was thinking... how much longer I have to live."

He pulled out his worn-out old smartphone from his pocket and found the message Su Mucheng had sent him.

"Can you come pick me up? [shy]"

No reply.

I absolutely refuse to go back.

His situation is already messed up enough. Three ex-girlfriends live in the same city, along with a teacher, classmates, and a gangster's daughter. And if a top idol with a huge following were to squeeze in...

The scene was too beautiful for him to even imagine.

"Buzzing—"

My phone vibrated again.

Shen Tianxi sent a WeChat message: "Brother Chuan, where did you go this afternoon? I haven't seen you in the cafeteria."

Zhu Xun Chuan quickly replied, "I had to go out on an urgent matter."

Shen Tianxi replied instantly: "Did you go out with that girl who drives a Rolls-Royce? :)"

"...Just a regular friend."

"oh."

It's that fatal "oh" again.

Zhu Xun Chuan discovered in despair that his ex-girlfriends were all masters of one-word killers, capable of making his heart skip a beat with just one word.

Just as he was about to toss his phone aside, another WeChat message popped up.

Gu Qinghan: "Student Zhu, please submit your reading notes on 'Regret for the Past' to my office next Monday. They should be at least 3,000 words."

The second point is: "Furthermore, I have already made a record of your undisciplined absence from class this afternoon."

Zhu Xun Chuan gasped sharply.

Skipping class?!

He frantically pulled out the freshman class schedule... The third class in the afternoon was Introduction to Modern Literature (Practice), located in the seminar room on the third floor of the library.

He and Jiang Yao were having an extreme struggle at the club when he completely missed this lesson.

And the instructor for this class was none other than Gu Qinghan!

Zhu Xun Chuan's back was instantly covered in cold sweat.

He quickly typed to make amends: "Teacher Gu, I'm so sorry, I have something very urgent to attend to today..."

Gu Qinghan: "Did you go out on urgent business with your girlfriend who drives a Rolls-Royce?"

"No, it's not me..."

"Submit your 3,000-word book report next Monday. A 1,000-word penalty will be applied for each day you are late."

The chat window remained silent.

Zhu Xun Chuan put down his phone, sprawled out on the wooden bed, his eyes unfocused.

The first day of school.

It's only the first day.

His university life had already been forced into a hellish, chaotic mode.

Lin Yuan, who was in the opposite bunk, suddenly poked his head out and said, "Hey bro, have you heard? Our Chinese department is getting a specially appointed professor next week. He's supposedly a returnee from overseas, super young, probably only twenty-seven or twenty-eight."

"Who is it?" Zhu Xun Chuan asked listlessly, like a salted fish.

"I don't know his exact name, I only heard that his surname is Fu. His background is incredibly powerful. It's said that his elders are high-ranking officials, people you can't afford to offend."

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyelids twitched violently twice.

Senior official. Surname Fu.

No way... Is God trying to kill him?!

He suddenly sat up abruptly and opened a WeChat chat window that had been unilaterally blocked and deleted by him – "Starry River".

He clearly remembered that when the two were talking about family, the other person casually mentioned something.

My dad is a civil servant.

Zhu Xun Chuan, ever the cheeky one, asked, "What level is it?"

She replied calmly, "It's quite tall."

Then he refused to reveal another word.

Quite tall. A son of a high-ranking official.

They'll be arriving next week.

Distinguished Professor of Chinese Literature.

His surname is Fu.

Zhu Xun Chuan's hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold his phone.

"Lin Yuan".

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Do you believe in fate?

"What nonsense are you talking about? You have a fever?" Lin Yuan asked, completely bewildered.

Zhu Xunchuan did not answer.

Because his phone, at that moment, lit up in an extremely sinister way.

A brand new text message. From a completely unfamiliar number, with no salutation, just a cold, impersonal sentence:

"Zhu Xunchuan, a freshman in the Department of Chinese Literature at Kyoto University. All information has been verified. See you next week."

The sender's profile picture was a dazzling galaxy.

Zhu Xun Chuan gripped his phone tightly, feeling as if he could barely breathe.

Just then, a crisp knocking sound came from outside the dormitory door.

"Knock knock knock".

Lin Yuan jumped out of bed and opened the door without warning.

The door opened, and a girl in a black sundress stood outside. Her baseball cap was pulled low, and a black face mask covered most of her face.

"Excuse me... does Zhu Xun Chuan live in this dormitory?" The girl's voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of nervousness that was barely perceptible.

Lin Yuan froze on the spot.

Zhu Xun Chuan peeked out from the bed, his gaze passing over Lin Yuan's shoulder as he looked toward the door.

When the girl saw that there were people inside, she carefully reached out and took off her mask.

She had a perfect oval face, big, watery eyes, and skin that practically glowed under the dormitory corridor lights.

"Clatter".

Lin Yuan smashed the phone in his hand to the ground.

"Su...Su Su Su Mu Cheng?!" Lin Yuan's voice cracked.

"Hello." Su Mucheng gestured for Lin Yuan to smile and nodded. Lin Yuan was completely bewildered; Su Mucheng was right at his door!

Then, peeking into the dormitory, his gaze instantly locked onto Zhu Xunchuan sitting on the bed.

Those beautiful big eyes lit up instantly.

"You haven't been replying to my messages," she muttered softly, sounding aggrieved, "so I had no choice but to come find you myself."

Zhu Xun Chuan opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single syllable, he had already made a sound.

The phone in my pocket suddenly started vibrating twice in a row, as if it had gone crazy.

Shen Tianxi: "Brother Chuan, someone in our dorm group said that a celebrity van was parked downstairs in your guys' building just now?"

Jiang Yao: "My people just reported that a woman sneaked into your dorm. Who is she? Give me an explanation."

Zhu Xun Chuan looked down at his phone screen, then looked up at Su Mu Cheng, the top female celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry, who was beaming with joy at the door, and finally glanced at his roommate Lin Yuan, who was practically in a daze.

He took a deep, deep breath.

Then he stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob.

"Bang!"

Without hesitation, he slammed the dormitory door shut.

Su Mucheng, who was ruthlessly shut out of the door, was stunned for a full two seconds.

Then, the door was banged on repeatedly.

"Hey, why are you closing the door! I'm Daju, no, I'm Mucheng! Open the door!" A soft, sweet voice echoed in the corridor.

Inside the door, Zhu Xun Chuan leaned against the cold door panel, his body slowly sliding to the ground, his hands covering his face.

The phone in my pocket was still vibrating incessantly.

This fishpond has been completely destroyed.