14 Jinjiang Literature City 14

You Yun seemed to be having a dream.

She was taking a nap in the classroom. A breeze drifted in through the window screen, carrying the scent of waxed floors, desks piled high with books, and the creaking, rhythmic whir of an old fan overhead—a setting both ancient and familiar.

Suddenly, she felt a tickle in her ear, as if someone were brushing it with a foxtail grass. The greenery still held a faint, earthy aroma. Unable to stand the itch, she tried to dodge away, but someone caught her arm. "Wake up!"

You Yun didn't want to deal with him. She buried her face in her folded arms, nudged her head, and kept sleeping. Seeing they couldn't wake her, the person seemed to run out of options and left her to snooze.

With the noise gone, You Yun slept comfortably for a while, until the book she had used to block the sun was snatched away. The piercing sunlight hit her eyelids, making her entire body protest in discomfort. She squinted, furrowing her delicate brows, and muttered in complaint, "So annoying, can't a person just get some sleep!"

A shadow fell over her head. Someone was standing in front of her. Facing the light, he flipped through the pages of the book in his hand. "Lier held her tightly in his arms, the omega's gland exposed clearly before her eyes. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, she bit down... Pomelo Meow, is this the book you wrote?"

"Pomelo Meow?"

You Yun opened her eyes, dazed and bewildered, until she saw the person in front of her and the title of the book in his hand: *101 Ways to Seduce a Mermaid*.

It was Zhao Zhiyu!!

Her eyes widened in an instant, and she was jolted awake, terrified!

"Finally awake?"

The man's voice was like a clear spring veiled in mountain mist—crisp and cold, with a hint of chill that wasn't in her dream. You Yun was still reeling, her heart pounding. After a long moment, she finally snapped back to reality. Nearby, Xinyi was watching her with a gleeful, mischievous smile.

You Yun subconsciously touched her earlobe; it was burning hot and bright red. She had actually dreamed of him reading her novel to her face—that was too horrifying! How was this any different from being caught by your parents watching adult films in the middle of the night?

"If you're awake, let's continue."

The man's expression was incredibly composed. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would suspect that this cold, aloof idol had been touching a girl's ear just a minute ago.

You Yun was completely oblivious, still relieved that it was only a dream. But if she kept letting her imagination run wild, the scene in the dream might just become reality. She needed to restrain herself. *Little Yellow Pomelo!* You Yun quickly shook her head, trying to clear out the illicit thoughts.

***

Seven in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Today was for independent practice, and when You Yun woke up, the other three in her dormitory were already gone.

But it wasn't even seven o'clock yet! She hated early mornings. She went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast, grabbed a coffee for Qiyue, and walked toward the practice room while biting into a steaming soup dumpling and scrolling through her phone.

The asphalt path was covered in yellow sycamore leaves, crunching under her feet. While waiting for the elevator in the lobby, she took a moment to post on Weibo.

*Pomelo Meow: [Good morning, off to work. My mood is just like a princess being sent off to a borderland for a political marriage~]*

Attached was a meme of someone begging for food.

*Ding.* The elevator arrived. You Yun quickly locked her screen and stepped inside. Unexpectedly, a familiar face appeared before her.

It was Zhao Zhiyu.

You Yun froze in her tracks, looking up to meet the man's eyes. His deep brown irises were like some mysterious creature in the depths of the ocean—clear and bright. He truly was the prototype for her male lead; his eyes were beautiful.

*That’s it,* she decided, *I'm adding a bondage scene tonight.*

On the surface, she remained calm, but inside, she was screaming and scratching her head in a frenzy. Just as the elevator doors were about to close again, Zhao Zhiyu reached out his arm to hold them. "Are you coming in?"

"Yes," You Yun cast aside her chaotic thoughts, stepped into the elevator, and thanked him politely. "Thank you."

Zhao Zhiyu: "No problem. Which floor?"

You Yun: "The 10th."

Zhao Zhiyu gave a small hum and gentlemanly pressed the button for her. The doors slowly slid shut. They stood side-by-side, half an arm's length apart—not too close, not too far. He carried a fresh, subtle scent of lemon, and his presence was overwhelming. You Yun felt inexplicably nervous, her breathing shallow.

The elevator was agonizingly slow. The silence in the cabin was louder than a thousand words. Fortunately, she was good at social etiquette and knew how to ease the awkwardness. "I didn't expect a big star like you to take the elevator yourself."

"..."

Great. Now it was even more awkward.

Zhao Zhiyu's deep gaze fell upon her, and he chuckled softly. "Good morning."

That smile was truly bewitching. *Alright,* she admitted, she wasn't actually that good at social graces. The top star just had better composure; even if he didn't become a singer and went to work at a hotpot restaurant, he would probably be promoted to shift leader just for his standard, perfect smile.

You Yun pursed her lips. "Good morning. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Are you going to eat in a bit?"

"No, the cafeteria is too much of a hassle."

"You could have your assistant go buy something for you."

"He's not here today."

"Oh, but not eating breakfast is bad for your health. If you don't mind, I still have a few soup dumplings left..."

She had only brought up the conversation to break the tension, but as the words left her mouth, You Yun felt her soul leave her body in embarrassment. The little voice in her head slapped her hard. *What are you saying! Who would want to eat your leftover dumplings!*

She expected Zhao Zhiyu to refuse, but to her surprise, he curled his lips into a smile and agreed. "Sure."

"??"

You Yun stared at him in disbelief, wondering if he was joking or serious. Zhao Zhiyu turned his head to meet her gaze, seemingly in a good mood, and let out a low laugh. "What? Are you reluctant to part with them?"

"No, no, not at all." She quickly handed over the dumplings and coffee like an offering. Remembering his fans saying he didn't like sweets, she added, "The coffee is an Americano, more bitter than my own life. No sugar added. You should like it."

Zhao Zhiyu nodded slightly, took them, and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She gave him a sweet smile, thinking to herself that she should act even more ladylike to leave a perfect impression. That way, he wouldn't suspect that the gentle, considerate, and adorable girl in front of him was a pervert who wrote spicy fan fiction about him in private.

"But if you give all your breakfast to me, won't you be hungry?" Zhao Zhiyu glanced at the bag; there were twelve dumplings in the container, she had only eaten three, and the coffee was unopened.

"I'm already full. Teacher Zhao, please don't be polite, just go ahead and eat."

The man looked at her, seemingly a bit helpless. "Could you not call me 'Teacher'?"

You Yun blinked, confused. "Why?"

"It's a bit..." Zhao Zhiyu thought for a moment, suppressing the playfulness in his eyes, and said with a straight face, "It makes me feel old."

"Does it? All the other students call you that."

Not just the students, but the staff as well. In the entertainment industry, everyone who can breathe is addressed as "Teacher"—Teacher Director, Teacher Floor Manager, Teacher Lighting Tech, Teacher Cat, Teacher Dog. If you didn't know better, you'd think the whole industry was full of people from Shandong.

"But we are also fellow students," Zhao Zhiyu said.

"That's true. It’s a bit of a generational gap. Should I change how I address you?"

"Yes."

What should she call him? You Yun pondered for a moment, recalling the various nicknames his fans had given him in the online forums: "Paper Fish," "Beijing Circle Charmer," "Zhao Melancholy," "Old..."

Her thoughts stumbled between "Hubby" and "Boss," and the word slipped right off her tongue: "Wifey."

Zhao Zhiyu: "............"

"..."