The next day when Lin Jianqing woke up, his first reaction was a headache.
The “zheng” tally mark Shen Huaixue had written on his face last night wouldn’t wash off no matter what he tried. Makeup remover, facial cleanser, wet wipes—he’d used them all. His skin was nearly rubbed raw, yet a faint trace still remained.
…Wait, what did the ‘zheng’ character on his face mean?
Looking at the ‘zheng’ character on his face in the mirror, Lin Jianqing was puzzled, as if his memory had fragmented.
What had Shen Huaixue done yesterday?
Lin Jianqing tried hard to recall yesterday, but no matter how he thought, he couldn’t remember what had happened. It was as if something had covered or erased those memories.
No, the important thing was the character on his face. Class was about to start soon. What would he do if someone saw it?
Lin Jianqing kept examining it. The ‘zheng’ character wasn’t particularly obvious, but if anyone got close enough, they could tell that patch of skin was discolored.
He stood at the sink staring at his reflection, his expression grim.
Having no other choice, Lin Jianqing found some makeup concealer and clumsily smeared it over the area. The result was passable, but he felt uneasy inside. On the way to school, he kept feeling like everyone was staring at him.
During the morning classes, he kept his head down as much as possible.
Guan Ju stood at the podium. She hadn’t planned to call on him, but when she glanced over a few times during the lecture, she noticed something was off with him anyway.
Lin Jianqing had clearly not slept well—his hair was messier than usual, and there was a small covered mark under his eye.
At first, Guan Ju just assumed he’d stayed late at Spirit Jade again, but the more she looked, the more something felt wrong.
After class, she still kept him behind.
“Lin Jianqing, wait a moment.”
Lin Jianqing paused in the middle of packing his bag.
He was already somewhat conditioned to Guan Ju pulling people aside one-on-one now… Sometimes he really wished his teacher and counselor wouldn’t pay so much attention to him.
Helpless, he waited until most of the others had left the classroom before walking over with his bag, trying to make his voice sound no different from usual. “Teacher Guan, is something the matter?”
Guan Ju didn’t immediately ask about the mark on his face. She just looked at him for a moment and spoke in a relatively gentle tone.
“Have you been too tired lately? You kept your head down during class today, and you don’t look well. Has the summer project at Spirit Jade started piling tasks on you already?”
Lin Jianqing followed along with her words: “Not really. I just got back a bit late last night. Finals and the company stuff have been piling up together, so I haven’t slept well.”
Guan Ju nodded but didn’t let him leave right away.
She looked at the covered spot under Lin Jianqing’s eye and lowered her voice a little.
“What happened to your face? Were you injured?”
‘So it had come to this…’
Lin Jianqing instinctively raised his hand to touch under his eye. The moment his fingers made contact, he immediately realized how telling the gesture was. He could only steel himself and say:
“No, it’s nothing. I probably scrubbed too hard when washing my face this morning. It’s a bit red.”
Guan Ju looked at him, neither confirming she believed it nor denying it. But Lin Jianqing knew this excuse was far too flimsy.
If Guan Ju really pressed the issue, he’d probably face true social death.
She just organized the documents on her desk and said after a moment: “If it’s just a skin issue, you’d better not cover it with too much makeup, or it’ll be even more noticeable. The way you look today, it’s obvious you deliberately hid something.”
Lin Jianqing fell silent for a moment, then could only nod.
“I understand.”
Guan Ju didn’t keep pressing about the mark. She just spoke a bit more seriously than before.
“I’m not trying to pry into your personal matters, but your condition really has been unstable lately. However, Jianqing—if Spirit Jade truly has any unreasonable demands, or if Shen Huaixue is putting you in a difficult position, you can tell me. You don’t have to shoulder everything alone.”
Lin Jianqing’s fingers tightened slightly at the mention of Shen Huaixue’s name.
Of course he knew Guan Ju meant well, but how could he explain?
What was he supposed to say?
Lin Jianqing could only say: “Teacher, there’s really nothing wrong. It’s just that there’s been a lot going on lately. I’ll make sure to rest. Spirit Jade is just a normal project—it’s not as serious as you think.”
Guan Ju looked at him for a long time and ultimately didn’t call him out.
“Fine, I’ll take your word for it for now. But Lin Jianqing, if something really is going on, there’s no need to rush into making up an excuse. You’re not very good at lying. The more you explain, the easier it is to slip up.”
Lin Jianqing: …
He could only say quietly, “Thank you, teacher.”
“Also, the exams are coming up in about a week. You should start preparing.”
As he was leaving, Guan Ju added.
“O…Okay.” Lin Jianqing replied, nearly forgetting the end of the semester was already upon him.
After walking out of the classroom with his bag, Lin Jianqing only let out a slow breath once he reached the end of the hallway.
But thinking about the final exams, Lin Jianqing felt uncertain again. In the past, he’d spent almost all his time on part-time work.
Aside from his major courses, he’d barely attended any of the easy electives or required courses. Now that he had to take exams, he really couldn’t say how things would go.
On top of that, there was still a hidden threat: Shen Huaixue.
If he pleaded with Shen Huaixue to give him some time to study… She would probably be a bit accommodating, right?
‘Thinking this way, Lin Jianqing seemed to have completely forgotten about the ‘zheng’ character on his face, as if he didn’t care at all about what happened yesterday.’
Right… what was he going to do over summer break?
Lost in thought, Lin Jianqing headed back to the dorm alone.
Over on Shen Huaixue’s side, she was currently sitting in her office at Spirit Jade, staring at the computer screen with a somewhat gloomy expression.
She’d spent the entire morning alone admiring the photos she’d taken yesterday… Those lewd fairy photos.
Shen Huaixue had never imagined such a contrasting image would suit someone like Lin Jianqing, who had such a cold, aloof demeanor.
‘I wonder… in private, is he someone who would…’
No… Shen Huaixue immediately shook her head. She didn’t like men… She was only interested in Lin Jianqing in women’s clothing.
Yes… that was it.
With that thought, Shen Huaixue opened Photoshop on her computer, ready to keep editing photos—like writing more characters on Lin Jianqing’s body… or…
Imagining all sorts of scenes in her head, Shen Huaixue almost had a nosebleed right there.
Just as she was lost in her fantasies, the phone on her desk vibrated.
She casually picked it up, assuming it was just some unimportant message. But when she saw who the message was from, her brow furrowed deeply. Clearly, it was from someone she didn’t want to see.
And soon after, Lin Jianqing also sent a message.
‘Um… President Shen, could I take some time off this week? Finals are in a week, and I’d like to review a bit.’
‘An excuse?’ Looking at Lin Jianqing’s message, Shen Huaixue furrowed her brow slightly. She initially wanted to refuse, but then she thought of the previous message.
No choice.
‘Fine, but this counts as a loan. Not only will you have to make up the time later, but you may also have to satisfy a few small requests of mine.’
Shen Huaixue agreed to Lin Jianqing’s request so easily. This wasn’t because she was being “magnanimous,” but rather because someone who could be called a nuisance seemed to have appeared before her.