Chapter Four: A Secret Collision

To this day, Natsuki had always been keenly aware that there was still a long road ahead for him and Rouxue Su. Their future would be fraught with twists and turns, and they would have to withstand a certain amount of pressure. After all, in some ways, their situation was not one that most people would look upon favorably.

On the day they confirmed their relationship, Rouxue Su had earnestly emphasized to him that while love could be sweet, it was important to maintain a proper distance while at school. In Natsuki’s view, he was already an adult; since he and Rouxue Su were devoted to each other, what need was there to care about the opinions of others? Yet society was ruthless—public opinion could truly crush a person at times.

Lying on the bed, he absentmindedly stroked Rouxue Su’s long hair with one hand, while with the other he scrolled through the latest movies on a certain ticketing app. “Is there any movie you’re interested in?” he asked.

“I heard from a friend that ‘We Made a Beautiful Bouquet’ is pretty good,” Rouxue Su replied, idly tracing circles on his chest as she spoke.

“Let’s go with that one, then!”

“Is the cinema far from here?”

“It’s in this area. I’ve already bought the tickets.”

“Mm.”

Rouxue Su responded softly. Natsuki smiled, gently pinching her soft cheek, and lowered his head to kiss her. For some reason, no matter how many times he kissed her, he never seemed to tire of it.

After tidying up briefly, they left the hotel once again. Along the way, they stopped by a nearby fruit tea shop and ordered two drinks.

“Boss, two Grape Deluxe, please.”

“Coming right up.”

Rouxue Su stood behind Natsuki, a joyful smile curling at her lips. She remembered one night, during a phone call, she had told him all her favorite foods and flavors. Now, seeing him order her favorite fruit tea without even asking, her heart swelled with gratitude, and his reliability in her eyes grew all the more.

By the time they got their drinks, there were only seven or eight minutes left before the movie started. The two of them hurried off to the cinema. After picking up the tickets, Natsuki held Rouxue Su’s hand as they approached the ticket checkpoint, lost in a world of their own.

Just then, a hand suddenly landed on Rouxue Su’s shoulder. She turned around abruptly.

“Senior Su! What a coincidence!” came a sweet, clear voice.

“Xiaoning Luo? Wait… Mr. Hu?!”

Rouxue Su was already flustered at being spotted by someone she knew. But when she saw the man standing beside the girl, her heart was filled with shock. Still, she managed to keep her expression composed, though her eyes betrayed her surprise.

“Rouxue Su, what a coincidence! Ah… and the gentleman beside you is…?” Hu Zhigang asked with an awkward smile. He was a teacher at Yun City University, though he taught in the School of Information and Electrical Engineering, not the same department as Rouxue Su. Of course, he also knew that in recent years Rouxue Su only visited Yun City University as a part-time lecturer, sharing her academic expertise.

Back in her student days, Rouxue Su had been a renowned campus beauty, and she’d been on good terms with Xiaoning Luo. Hu Zhigang himself had met Rouxue Su by chance on a few occasions. With his glasses and scholarly demeanor, he looked honest and unassuming—if he had any flaw, it was a slightly receding hairline.

“This is my boyfriend! Just call him Natsuki,” Rouxue Su said with a smile. At this point, there was no need to hide anything—after all, she was holding Natsuki’s hand.

Natsuki returned a polite smile, friendly and warm. Of course, hearing that the man before him was also a teacher, and then comparing him to the girl in the pale yellow dress beside him, Natsuki felt a twinge of surprise. Still, falling in love wasn’t anything to be ashamed of; after all, they were all adults.

Hu Zhigang was taken aback. “Ms. Su, your boyfriend looks quite young!”

“I just turned eighteen this year,” Natsuki answered proactively.

“Eighteen…”

A look of astonishment crossed both Xiaoning Luo’s and Hu Zhigang’s faces. They exchanged glances, then Xiaoning Luo beamed and said, “No matter the age, you and Natsuki really do look perfect together!”

“Thank you for the compliment. You and Mr. Hu make a great pair too. By the way, Xiaoning, you’re graduating with your master’s next year, aren’t you?” Rouxue Su asked.

“Yes,” Xiaoning Luo nodded. She had once been a member of the university’s art troupe, and her connection with Rouxue Su, the former troupe leader, was deep. She had always held Rouxue Su in high regard. For a woman as exceptional as her, it wasn’t just the boys—most girls couldn’t help but like her.

“So, what are your plans after graduation?”

“If all goes well, I’ll stay on as a teacher here!” Xiaoning Luo said, clinging to Hu Zhigang’s arm with a smile.

“That’s wonderful,” Rouxue Su replied, a trace of envy in her heart. She was genuinely optimistic about Xiaoning Luo and Hu Zhigang’s relationship. If Xiaoning also became a teacher and they eventually married, surely they would have everyone’s blessing.

“Natsuki, which university are you attending? You must be in college now, right?” Xiaoning Luo asked, looking at him curiously.

“I’m at Yun City University, first year, majoring in Telecommunications at the School of Information and Electrical Engineering,” Natsuki replied with a smile.

“Oh?”

Hu Zhigang’s eyes lit up at his reply. He smiled and cleared his throat deliberately, “Well, what a coincidence! That means you’ll be taking my class this year, Natsuki!”

“What?!” Natsuki was dumbfounded, giving a sheepish smile. Never had he imagined he would meet his future university lecturer in such a way.

“Don’t be nervous. At university, we’re teacher and student in formal settings, but on days like this, just treat me as a friend,” Hu Zhigang said warmly. In truth, he wanted to give Natsuki a thumbs up on the spot, and even looked for a chance to interrogate him: just how did he manage to win over Rouxue Su?

After all, Rouxue Su was beautiful, kind, talented, and had a stunning figure. Back in her university days, she’d been a well-known figure—almost every teacher and student knew her name. When Hu Zhigang started teaching at Yun City University, he was still young himself, in fact, of the same age as Rouxue Su. He knew she’d rejected countless suitors during her college years.

Now, to suddenly hear she was in a relationship—he and Xiaoning Luo were both stunned.

“Understood, Mr. Hu,” Natsuki said. Meeting like this for the first time, he didn’t dare say much more.

Just then, their turn came up in the ticket line.

“It’s time to go in!”

“Mm.”

……