After Chu Yuanxun created a Weibo account, he remained very low-key, never posting anything. However, he still managed to attract a decent number of followers. So when a newly registered account named [Jian Wantong] appeared, it was immediately scrutinized.
The profile picture was indeed a candid shot of Jian Wantong, one that had never been circulated online before. Some of the displayed profile information matched publicly available details, while the rest didn’t seem fake either.
Some idle netizens decided to send direct messages to the account.
Because of this, Jian Wantong’s Weibo inbox was flooded with messages. Her old phone, which she had used for years, couldn’t handle the sudden influx of notifications. After a brief freeze, it automatically shut down.
At the entrance of B University, Jian Wantong anxiously pressed the power button, but the phone remained unresponsive.
There was a repair shop near the school. After some hesitation, she decided to head over—staying put made her feel uncomfortable, as if she was being watched.
Meanwhile, on Weibo, a trending topic was rapidly climbing into the top ten :
#B University Jian Wantong#
A beauty blogger from B University posted several photos. Under dim lighting, a lone figure sat on a small stone post by the roadside, with only half of their face visible, pale under the cool glow.
Despite the graininess of the nighttime photos, the figure’s silhouette and side profile closely resembled Jian Wantong. Considering that the account had just followed Chu Yuanxun, speculation exploded online.
Among the eight guests on the show, Jian Wantong was the only one without a Weibo account. The latest episode, the seventh, had just aired. In it, Jian Wantong had seemingly disrupted the CP between Chu Yuanxun and another guest. People were reminded that she had unknowingly done the same thing in the previous season. This led to her getting dragged into controversy, trending due to criticism, only for her to suddenly show up at B University?
Could it be that the two of them were actually a couple?
But looking at the lonely silhouette of Jian Wantong sitting on the stone post… it seemed more like a case of unrequited love.
At a bar, Chu Yuanxun took one look at his phone and bolted.
Startled, Leng Jing, who was sitting beside him, thought something serious had happened and quickly ran after him.
“Chu Yuanxun, are you crazy?” Leng Jing finally caught up and grabbed his shoulder.
Chu Yuanxun shook him off without stopping. “I need to go back to school.”
Leng Jing was baffled but had no choice but to follow, wanting to figure out what was going on.
Jian Wantong rarely used her phone, and the model was already four years old. The repair shop even advised against fixing it.
However, she hadn’t brought her wallet when she went out. Even if she wanted to buy a new one, she had no way to pay. Left with no other choice, she dejectedly returned to the entrance of B University.
It was almost dorm curfew, and there were barely any students going in or out. Unwilling to leave just yet, she sat back down on the stone post, planning to rest before heading back to her hotel.
She had pressed the power button so many times that it was heating up. Her fingertips ached, yet the phone remained lifeless.
Not far away, Chu Yuanxun’s footsteps slowed as he spotted the familiar figure sitting on the stone post. He took a deep breath, steadying his racing heartbeat.
Who knew how long she had been sitting there? She was hunched over, fiddling with her phone, lips pursed in frustration.
The soft sound of approaching footsteps made Jian Wantong look up. The moment she did, she saw the one person she was most familiar with.
Tonight, Chu Yuanxun was dressed formally—black shirt, top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, his bangs slicked back. The appearance made him look mature, calm, and composed.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was utterly flat, devoid of emotion.
Meeting his deep, indifferent gaze, Jian Wantong felt a pang in her chest.
She had traveled all the way to B City, waited at his school entrance, and even ended up with a broken phone after an hour of frustration. And yet, when he finally saw her, he was so calm, so distant, as if she were just a stranger.
The night air was dry and cool. Her eyes began to sting.
“I’m staying at a nearby hotel…” She gripped her phone, stood up, and blinked away the soreness in her eyes. But her body betrayed her. Her eyes reddened, and a thin layer of mist welled up in them.
Chu Yuanxun’s heart clenched. Before she could finish explaining, he suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his arms.
It happened in an instant. Jian Wantong found herself pressed against his chest, the warmth of his body radiating through the thin fabric. His heartbeat pounded fast against her ear.
A faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air, sending a shock through her system. She momentarily froze.
“Are you an idiot?” His low, sultry voice rumbled in her ears. His breath was warm against her skin, making her ears burn.
“I… Chu Yuanxun, you’re the idiot.” Her mind was spinning as she looked up to retort.
His black eyes darkened. He lowered his head, cupping her face in one hand. His thumb brushed lightly against the corner of her lips, his gaze hazy with the night’s deep allure.
The shift in atmosphere made her hold her breath. She stared at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed, her mind blank.
And then, in that fleeting moment, his face dipped down, lips pressing firmly against hers, breath mingling.
The night air suddenly became warm and sweet.
Not far away, Leng Jing stood frozen in shock.
That was definitely Jian Wantong.
But the man who had just kissed her so forcefully. Was that really the Chu Yuanxun he knew?
He had always thought there was nothing in this world that could shake the guy.
Yet here he was, completely out of control.
Jian Wantong, too, was utterly stunned, standing there, letting it all happen.
The current progress was completely beyond her expectations.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but Wan Tong could still feel the deep yet carefully restrained emotions in Chu Yuanxun.
It was as if… he was utterly in love with her.
“I’ll take you back to the hotel first.” Chu Yuanxun gazed at Wan Tong and spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse.
His heart was in turmoil, beating wildly, crashing against his chest. He carefully observed her expression, afraid of catching even a hint of displeasure or rejection.
But she hadn’t quite processed it yet. Her dazed and slightly foolish look instantly melted his restless heart into a puddle.
How could there be such a soft and adorable person in this world? Every little movement of hers seemed to gently tug at his heart.
“…Okay.” Wan Tong, feeling a little disoriented, nodded absentmindedly, sensing that this wasn’t the right setting for such emotions.
Her obedient demeanor struck another blow to Chu Yuanxun’s already fragile heart. He held her wrist in his palm and, for a moment, couldn’t bring himself to let go.
She was like opium—just one encounter was unforgettable, and once he had tasted her, he was addicted.
Everyone else didn’t understand why he would join a dating show, wasting time on something so trivial and melodramatic.
He never explained it to them.
He was doing it for one person.
But after filming began, he found out, she wasn’t coming.
At this moment, Leng Jing stepped forward without asking anything and simply handed Chu Yuanxun a baseball cap. “Wear this.”
Wan Tong pressed her lips together, her gaze shifting between the two men.
“My friend, Leng Jing.” Chu Yuanxun put on the cap, lowering the brim as he gave a brief explanation.
“Hello, I’m Jian Wantong.” She nodded politely at Leng Jing.
“Hello…” Leng Jing swallowed hard, instinctively lowering his voice.
Seeing her up close, he felt like he had just taken a direct hit from an overwhelming wave of beauty. And her voice—soft, sweet—was even more captivating than it had been on the show.
To keep up with his friend’s world, Leng Jing had watched a few episodes of the previous season. He had to admit, Jian Wantong was an undeniable beauty. But her strong personal charm had unintentionally broken up two CPs, and although she had interacted with all the male contestants, she ultimately rejected them all. This led the audience to label her as a heartless flirt, a ‘green tea b*tch.’
But judging from the scene just now, A’Xun and her seemed to be together. For someone like A’Xun to care so much about her, she must have something special. She couldn’t possibly be as terrible as the internet made her out to be.
Before Leng Jing could think further, Chu Yuanxun had already taken Wan Tong and left without even saying goodbye.
“…”
—A’Xun was actually… jealous?
On the way, Wan Tong told Chu Yuanxun about her phone issue. He took it for a moment, and when he handed it back, it had already restarted.
Wan Tong’s eyes lit up with joy. “How did you do that? That’s amazing! The repair shop told me I had to replace it!”
Chu Yuanxun’s lips curved slightly as he lowered his gaze to her. “I’ll go with you to buy a new phone tomorrow.”
“…Okay.” Wan Tong didn’t even have to come up with an excuse to meet him again.
As they spoke, they arrived at the hotel entrance. But from a distance, she saw Jian Shitong quickly walking into the revolving door.
She froze for a moment, then instinctively pulled Chu Yuanxun aside to hide.
Just then, her phone finished rebooting, displaying 27 missed calls from Jian Shitong.
She bit her lip and quickly dialed back.
The call was answered almost immediately, and a stern voice demanded her location.
“Cousin, you’re already at my hotel, why are you even asking? I called you just to let you know I’m safe. I just wanted to relax a bit in B City…” Wan Tong didn’t dare to meet Jian Shitong face-to-face, or she might be forcibly dragged back home.
The men in her family were all the same, convinced she couldn’t take care of herself, always wanting to keep her under their watchful eyes.
The old Jian Wantong might not have found this odd, but now, she realized that being overly protected wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Her mental resilience was weak, which was why she had fallen seriously ill after reading all the nasty rumors online.
After a moment of silence, Jian Shitong asked, “Are you with Chu Yuanxun right now?”
Wan Tong turned to glance at the quiet Chu Yuanxun and answered softly, “Mm.”
“I’ll have your uncle call you. Don’t ignore it. Understand?”
“…Cousin—”
“Don’t ignore it.”
“…Okay.”
As soon as Jian Shitong hung up, Zheng Tianqiong’s call came in.
Wan Tong hurriedly answered and, in her panic, grabbed Chu Yuanxun’s hand and ran away from the hotel.
It was as if Chu Yuanxun knew exactly what she was thinking. He casually hailed a cab and got in with her.
After reporting an address, Chu Yuanxun watched as Wan Tong finally answered the phone. On the other end, Zheng Tianqiong spoke in a calm tone, trying to pry for details, but she brushed off his questions.
With a sigh, Zheng Tianqiong muttered, “The little cabbage has escaped.”
Outside the hotel, Jian Shitong searched for her but ultimately found nothing.
Inside the taxi, Wan Tong looked down at her phone, which had powered off again due to low battery, and turned to Chu Yuanxun. “What do I do now?”
Now, she had truly become a runaway.
And he was the only person she knew in B City.
Which meant she had every reason to keep in touch with him.
“Find a backer,” Chu Yuanxun said in a serious tone, though his dark eyes glimmered with amusement.