Liu Xu was stunned, standing there dumbfounded.
After a moment, he hugged his arms and leaned back, looking horrified. "Y-y-y-you... you like men?!"
Lin Zhihua sneered. "A woman."
Liu Xu let out a sigh of relief, then dropped his arms and feigned shock again. "If it's a woman, then what's the problem?"
"Underage," Lin Zhihua spat out the two words.
"H-h-how old?"
"Not even seventeen."
"That's not too bad, you scared me to death." Liu Xu picked up his water glass and took a sip.
"I swear, you either stay completely silent or drop a bombshell out of nowhere!"
Lin Zhihua frowned, not speaking, his gaze fixed absently on the glass on the coffee table.
Liu Xu shook his head. "It's no big deal. Just wait two years until she's legal."
As if struck by a thought, a teasing smile curled at his lips. "So, big boss, how does it feel to have a crush?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lin Zhihua shot him a cold glare before picking up the glass and taking a couple of gulps.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Liu Xu turned serious—after all, he was a professional psychologist. "Zhihua, is it really just her? You don't feel repulsed by her at all?"
Liu Xu knew jokes had their limits. A bit of exaggeration and teasing could help the "client" relax, but too much would backfire.
Lin Zhihua was his friend—and also his "patient."
Before, when he refused treatment, there was nothing Liu Xu could do. But now that he had finally come of his own accord, Liu Xu had to do his duty.
Lin Zhihua trusted Liu Xu's professionalism and knew he wouldn’t gossip.
"Right. When she saved me, we had physical contact, and I didn’t feel repulsed."
"What kind of contact?" Liu Xu frowned.
Lin Zhihua always felt uncomfortable around women, avoiding them entirely. How could someone touch him without triggering his usual reaction?
Two strangers...
So was this woman’s body special in some way? Or was there another reason?
"Old Master Lin tampered with my car. That day, I got into an accident and was half-unconscious in the wreck. She risked her life to drag me out before the car caught fire."
"A life-saving favor?" Liu Xu was slightly surprised.
"Yes. My mind wasn’t clear at the time, but I vaguely remember her face. Her voice was especially distinct—I can still recall it clearly now. Later, in the hospital, I realized I hadn’t felt any discomfort from her touch."
"That makes sense," Liu Xu said seriously. "Just like how a hero saving a beauty easily wins a woman’s heart, it’s an intense emotional shift from peril to rescue, combined with other factors—a hormonal surge."
He paused. "A beauty saving a hero works the same way. I suspect your body’s survival instinct under extreme external stimulation made you accept the person who rescued you."
"So?" Lin Zhihua frowned.
"So when you came into contact with her, you didn’t feel repulsed. In fact, your body’s sense of danger might have made you seek comfort in the person who gave you safety. In that state, your body felt pleasure, so naturally, you didn’t experience the usual aversion to women."
Liu Xu glanced at Lin Zhihua. "In other words, her touch first gave you a sense of security, overriding your usual repulsion toward women."
Lin Zhihua frowned. He understood Liu Xu’s explanation, but his mind was still in turmoil.Liu Xu continued, "So that's why you don't reject her. If nothing unexpected happens, unless you encounter such an extreme situation again in the future, you'll still only be able to touch that one woman... oh wait, girl."
Lin Zhihua remained silent, gesturing for him to go on.
"What happened afterward? I don't believe you wouldn't investigate this situation thoroughly!" Liu Xu laughed.
Lin Zhihua nodded, "I had many more interactions with her afterward, including WeChat messages."
"Hmm?"
"At first it was fine, but then I started thinking about her frequently, even... wanting to hide her away." Lin Zhihua's expression shifted slightly, showing rare discomfort.
Liu Xu was nearly bursting with laughter inside but knew that since Lin Zhihua had deigned to share this today, if he laughed now, this man would never open up again in his lifetime.
"Recently, due to some matters, we've been in frequent contact. These past two days without any communication, I've felt physically uncomfortable, even slightly distracted at work. I want to talk to her but don't know what to say."
Don't underestimate this "slightly"!
Lin Zhihua usually works with tenfold concentration—this slight distraction would have been unthinkable for his former self!
"And... I dream about her at night."
Liu Xu nodded, "What else?"
"Is this some aftereffect of her saving me during that car accident?" Lin Zhihua frowned, recalling Liu Xu's earlier explanation about why he didn't reject her.
"No." Liu Xu shook his head firmly, then said, "Your condition has a two-word medical term..."
"What?"
"Lovesickness."
Lin Zhihua: "..."
Liu Xu laughed, stood up, and walked over to pat his shoulder, "As a complete novice who's never been in love, you might not understand. When you can't eat or sleep properly because of someone, when your mind keeps wandering—that's the beginning of falling for someone!"
Lin Zhihua shifted slightly, instinctively saying, "Impossible."
"Why impossible? Love comes without reason, yet runs deep! The net of love may be wide, but none escape its mesh."
"She's too young."
"Then imagine her as an adult, throwing herself into some young man's arms..."
Before Liu Xu even finished speaking, Lin Zhihua's frown could have crushed a fly, his expression turning extremely unpleasant.
"See? You don't like that idea."
Liu Xu walked behind him, "Boss, this is the only person you can touch, and the only girl who's ever made you jealous. Either she's incredibly charming, or... she's heaven's perfect match for you."
Lin Zhihua looked up at him sideways, "Who knew you were such a love expert?"
"Of course! I've had enough girlfriends to form a team."
"...And you're proud of that."
Liu Xu grinned, "Why not? Not everyone can be like you—pushing thirty without ever having a girlfriend, mistaking feelings for some girl as an illness."
"What's the point of having so many girlfriends? Just trouble." Lin Zhihua gave him a sidelong glance.
"How can you call it trouble? It's our duty as men to let every beautiful woman experience the joy of hormones." Liu Xu started getting cheeky.
Lin Zhihua said nothing, his expression full of disdain.
"Alright, I'm leaving." Lin Zhihua stood up to leave.
Liu Xu looked shocked, "Hey, aren't you going to talk more?"
"Didn't you say there's nothing wrong with me?""Don’t you want your body to fully recover? So you can date more in the future?"
Lin Zhihua adjusted his cuffs and gave him a disdainful look. "No need. One is enough."
He walked to the door, but Liu Xu hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Then can you at least tell me who this girl is?"
"Don’t get any ideas." He paused. "She’s still young."
With that, Lin Zhihua quickly left the room.
Liu Xu looked exasperated. Once an old house catches fire, it truly burns uncontrollably.
As if struck by a thought, he suddenly chuckled. "If that couple from the Lin family knew there was a girl who could make the big boss act normal, they probably wouldn’t care about age at all."
Liu Xu shook his head. He was always tight-lipped—there was no way this would slip from his mouth.
As for how long Lin Zhihua intended to keep this hidden, that was none of his concern.
"Things are about to get lively."
——
Ever since her fallout with Cheng Mingjiao, who no longer bothered her every now and then, Xue Jiao’s life had become simple and peaceful.
Li Sitong, knowing she owed her an apology, didn’t dare say much. Xue Jiao would return to her room after meals, and Li Sitong didn’t try to stop her.
Life had suddenly turned tranquil, and she poured all her energy into studying.
Xue Jiao wasn’t stupid, but she wasn’t a genius either. Her previous college entrance exam results had been mediocre, and she couldn’t expect effortless success this time around.
Because of this, she had to give it her all to achieve the results she wanted.
"Listen up. This month’s exam is the midterm. I want all of you to focus. Last time, we fell far behind Class Two. This time, I expect you to catch up! Understood?!" Yin Fang bellowed.
Last time’s poor performance had earned her, as the homeroom teacher, a month of criticism. All subject teachers had been frequently observed, with the entire class under scrutiny.
This was the most humiliating result in all the years Yin Fang had taught.
For the past month, she had been especially strict with the class, monitoring them during breaks and mealtimes, forbidding any fooling around.
"Understood!" the students chorused.
Yin Fang’s stern gaze swept over them. "Let me make this clear—anyone whose ranking drops this time won’t have an easy month ahead. Of course, those who improve will be rewarded."
Seeing the students with their heads bowed, she roared, "Lift your heads and look at me!"
All the students immediately snapped their heads up, their eyes fixed on her. Xue Jiao’s gaze, like everyone else’s, was locked on Yin Fang.
"Today is Monday. The exam is on Thursday. Stay sharp these next few days, and be careful when answering questions. Anyone who makes careless mistakes will regret it! Also, next Monday is parent-teacher day. The school will send texts to your parents this week. I don’t care about other classes, but every parent in our class must attend!"
She paused. "You’re already in your second year of high school. If your parents still don’t care about your grades, then fine—your teachers won’t either."
"Do well on this exam. When your parents come, I’ll have a thorough discussion with them about your performance! Now, let’s begin the lesson."
Yin Fang’s words left everyone trembling, and the class immediately turned serious.
When the bell rang, Yi Tianyu slumped onto his desk, looking utterly defeated.
Beside him, Xue Jiao was still solving problems—again, material from later chapters.
"Bookworm, the midterms are coming..."Xue Jiao continued solving problems while asking, "Hmm... what's wrong?"
Ever since Yi Tianyu had helped her last time, although she hadn't said much, her attitude had changed somewhat. At the very least, Yi Tianyu hadn't noticed that Xue Jiao had become much more patient with him.
"Parent-teacher conference is coming ahhhh!" He banged his head on the desk. "My dad's gonna kill me!"
"Your dad seems pretty easygoing, doesn't he?" Xue Jiao asked, puzzled.
"Easygoing my foot! He didn't do well in school himself, so now he's desperate for me to be the top scorer! Ugh. Hey, dummy, aren't you scared of the parent-teacher conference? That mom of yours doesn't seem great either." Yi Tianyu tilted his head to look at her.
Xue Jiao's pen paused slightly before she answered firmly, "No, I'm not scared."
She wasn't scared—because this time...
She wouldn't hold back!
Author's note: Xue Jiao: Time to show what I'm really made of!!
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