Chapter 5: The counselor is also an ex-girlfriend ?

Returning to the Dorm

“Kids, your dad’s back.”

Three heads poked out from behind bed curtains, glanced at Lin Lu—the bad-luck charm—and promptly retreated.

“No welcome for your king?”

“We’ve got a traitor among us!”

Fatty roared with indignation, but then yanked his curtain open.
“What’s the assigned girlfriend look like? Hot or not? Got pics?”

Slant Keyboard Immortal and Skinny Dog Bro also peeked out, hoping she wasn’t a tank but praying she wasn’t a once-in-a-millennium beauty either.
They feared for their brother’s struggles, yet envied if he landed a jackpot.

Lin Lu blinked.
“It’s that Keke girl you guys talk about.”

Three loud “Tch” sounds echoed.
As if they’d believe that.

Lin Lu sighed inwardly.
See? Nobody believed the truth.

He checked himself in the full-length mirror left by a senior, seeing a face so handsome it was unfair.
How could such a face struggle to convince people he had a pretty, cute girlfriend?

Su Keke called him a jerk and a scumbag, but never once questioned his looks.
Like how the world cursed Lü Bu as a thrice-surnamed slave, yet none doubted his martial prowess.

Whatever.
Lin Lu had outgrown needing a girlfriend to fill life’s void.
Back then, he’d overindulged, obsessing over women.
Losing them taught him his true emptiness—he’d achieved nothing.

Packing Up and Moving Out

Lin Lu opened his suitcase, packing clothes from the wardrobe.
He’d barely settled into the dorm, and now he had to move again, without even sharing a meal to bond with his roommates.

“Old Four, why’re you packing? We were just joking!”
Fatty thought his teasing had upset Lin Lu, driving him to run away.

“The state assigned us an apartment. Cohabitation starts tonight.”

“Fck, you bastard! That hurts worse than killing me!”
Fatty broke down, sobbing like a 300-pound kid.

Halfway through packing, a notification pinged in the grade’s group chat: a freshman orientation at Yifu Building was starting soon.

The Freshman Orientation

Lin Lu finished packing and joined his roommates in the packed, tiered lecture hall.
Luckily, they sat by class, but their class got stuck in the front row.

No matter.
Lin Lu opened his vocab app to study CET-4 words.
The exam was months away, but early prep never hurt.

“Wow, check out that black-stockinged hottie at the door! She’s unreal!”

“University life’s the best. Coming to class in black stockings? I saw a white-stockinged loli at the student council too, heh…”

“Oi, Old Four, stop grinding! Black stockings and big assets alert!”

Lin Lu kept his eyes on his app.
“Sima Yi said: ‘No matter how pretty a girl is, look a hundred times, she’s still not yours. Study a hundred times, and knowledge is yours.’”

“But Cao Cao said, ‘If you want her, take her—even if she’s married.’”

“And that’s why the Cao family got usurped by the Sima family.”

Women only slowed his study pace.

A Familiar Voice

“Everyone, quiet down. The grade meeting’s starting.”

A sultry, familiar voice hit Lin Lu’s ears.
He glanced up instinctively at the black-stockinged woman his roommates raved about.

Her flawless face…

Oh no, a heart attack moment!

Fck, another ex-girlfriend!

Was his horoscope screaming “stay home” lately?

Before Lin Lu could duck to avoid recognition, the woman’s sharp gaze caught his.
Her lips parted in surprise, then curled into an ambiguous smirk, like a hunter spotting prey.

Yet, she only glanced at him before shifting her gaze, striding to the podium.
Her poise was elegant, but her tight skirt and black stockings hinted at a subtle sultriness.
Her white dress shirt hugged her striking curves, buttons straining against her ample chest.

“Alright, everyone, settle down,” she said.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Zhuang Yan Yue, your counselor.
This is my first time as a counselor, so I hope we can learn and grow together.”

A Painful Past Resurfaces

Disaster!
An ex-girlfriend as his counselor?
His university years were doomed.

Recalling the awful things he’d done to her, Lin Lu donned a mask of agony, as if mourning a loss.

He zoned out through the meeting, barely registering Zhuang Yan Yue’s closing remarks.
“Lastly, our school’s 130th anniversary is coming up.
The college wants freshmen to organize the gala’s programs or activities.
Any volunteers to help your teacher plan?”

As a new counselor, Zhuang Yan Yue lacked cheap student labor.
Even senior student council members might ignore her.
She needed to handle much of it herself, and this was a chance for freshmen to bond with her.

Hands shot up instantly.
Even without career motives, chatting with a gorgeous counselor was a mood-lifter.

If it were anyone else, Lin Lu would’ve raised his hand eagerly.
Organizing could pad his resume’s student work section—his goal was a stellar resume for a high-paying job.

Now? He wanted to stay far away, avoiding her trap.

Trapped by the Counselor

Zhuang Yan Yue smiled.
“I appreciate everyone’s willingness to help.
First, we need an executive coordinator to oversee the program.
Others can sign up with the coordinator to brainstorm.”

Then, she stepped off the podium, approaching the front row.
Lin Lu buried himself in his vocab, muttering, “abandon, abandon, abandon…”

Suddenly, a fragrant breeze hit.
A pale hand lifted his vocab book.
He looked up into her smiling face.

“This student’s so diligent, studying even during a meeting—a role model!
But university isn’t just about studying.
It’s about building skills, like organizing this gala.
So, I’ll trouble this student to be the executive coordinator.”

“Teacher, I’m busy. Plenty of others want to help…”

Falling into her hands meant endless suffering.

“It’s settled. Come to my office later.”

“Teacher, I—”

“You want a pleasant university life, don’t you?”

Zhuang Yan Yue’s smile was kind but laced with menace.