Chapter 64: Just Parallel Lines.

Yun Shuiyao glanced at the woman behind Lu Zhao.

Her bare face carried a playful smirk.

Who was she? Why did Lu Zhao seem to dislike her so much?

Always attuned to him, Yun Shuiyao caught the fleeting tension in his body and the cold disdain on his face.

She never imagined seeing such an expression from him.

In her mind, this sunny, angelic boy was always kind, never confrontational.

Why such strong resentment toward this woman?

The moment of raw emotion passed, and Lu Zhao turned, smiling at Yu Baiwei.

“Miss Yu, fancy meeting you here. Eating at the cafeteria?”

Yu Baiwei sat awkwardly on a nearby chair. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I had campus food. Kind of nostalgic.” She licked her lips, as if genuinely interested in the meal.

“Aunt Yu, I meant to ask—why’re you limping?” Qingxin, back with another plate, sat across from her.

Lu Zhao scoffed inwardly. Heh, silly girl, that aunt of yours is no saint. Limping? I’m too embarrassed to say why.

Suppressing an eye-roll, he decided to ignore her.

Yu Baiwei glanced at Qingxin, feeling a twinge of guilt before burying it. “Oh, I was late this morning and twisted my ankle rushing. No big deal.”

“You were late too? Baby was late as well. Bet he didn’t wake up and forgot to call you, haha.”

What could Lu Zhao say? Her intuition was too sharp—it’d blow up eventually!

He shot Yu Baiwei a look, then focused on eating, channeling his anger into his food.

Yun Shuiyao whispered to Ling Cang, “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s our new counselor, Yu Baiwei. She’s super close with Qingxin.”

“I see.”

That didn’t explain Lu Zhao’s dislike.

Yu Baiwei, noticing the expressionless blonde, greeted her. “Hey, you’re Qingxin’s friend, right?”

“Hi, I’m Yun Shuiyao, a third-year medical student.”

Qingxin chimed in, “Senior Yun’s amazing—Professor Mei’s star pupil.”

To Qingxin, Aunt Yu and Aunt Mei were both cherished elders.

“Mei Zi?” Yu Baiwei’s lips curled with faint scorn.

“You know Professor Mei?” Qingxin didn’t mention calling her Aunt Mei—unnecessary.

Yun Shuiyao’s ears perked up at Mei Zi’s name.

“Know her? Oh, I know her well,” Yu Baiwei said, her tone exaggerated.

If Yu Baiwei was Yan Ruyue’s fangirl, Mei Zi was Yan Ruyue’s loyal devotee.

She shared some safe anecdotes with Qingxin.

Qingxin, engrossed in stories about Aunt Mei, forgot her food.

Lu Zhao wasn’t listening. He just wanted to finish and leave.

“Qingxin, don’t keep dragging Miss Yu into chatter. Are you guys eating or not? I’m heading to class.” He stood, taking his tray to the recycling area.

“Oh! Right, sorry, I held you up, Aunt Yu.”

“No rush, take your time,” Yu Baiwei said, feigning concern.

Yun Shuiyao left after finishing, making Qingxin panic.

But with food left and her guard lowered toward Yun Shuiyao, she made a call.

“Ling Cang, go keep an eye on Baby!” She sent Ling Cang to ensure nothing happened between Lu Zhao and Yun Shuiyao.

“Me?” Ling Cang pointed at herself, reluctant. Even she, slow as she was, had figured out the earlier tension was Qingxin’s jealousy.

“Please, Ling Cang, go!” Qingxin dove into her food.

“I… ugh…” Ling Cang glanced at Yu Baiwei, who shrugged helplessly.

“Fine, fine, I’m just following, okay?”

Ling Cang, planning to wait for Qingxin, jogged after Lu Zhao.

Yu Baiwei watched Qingxin eat, her lips curving, leisurely enjoying her meal.

*

Lu Zhao walked toward the academic building, lost in thought.

“Junior Lu,” Yun Shuiyao called from behind.

He turned. “What’s up, Senior?”

She looked concerned. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No, I can tell. You really dislike that new counselor. Why?”

She always prioritized his matters.

Lu Zhao paused, a bitter smile forming. “You noticed, huh? Sharp as ever, Senior.”

Yun Shuiyao lowered her head as they walked at a distance along the campus path.

After a moment, he spoke slowly. “That woman… she’s not as proper as she seems. She’s actually…”

He couldn’t continue. It was too hard to say, even to Yun Shuiyao.

“Anything I can help with?”

He shook his head, smiling. “Thanks, Senior, but you can’t help with this. Oh, you said you had a boyfriend to fool Qingxin, right?”

Her laughter caught her off guard, her eyes lighting up with surprise.

Saying that lie had pained her—what if it made Lu Zhao distance himself?

But he was still the same, easy to be around.

“Yeah, she’s super protective of you and wary of me. I wanted to tell her it’s unnecessary, but she wouldn’t listen. So I said that to ease her mind.”

“That’s a bit unfair to you. I don’t know why Qingxin’s so guarded around you—she’s not like that with Ling Cang.”

Yun Shuiyao didn’t reply. She didn’t understand either, but it didn’t matter. Problem solved.

A sunny breeze brushed past, too weak to nudge their parallel paths closer.

At a fork, they parted.

“See you, Senior.”

“Bye.”

They headed to different buildings.

After a few steps, Yun Shuiyao looked back, her gaze lingering on Lu Zhao’s retreating figure. Her usually blank face held a faint, wistful smile.

Under the noon sun, the golden-haired girl watched a boy who wasn’t hers.

She turned away only when he vanished.

Ling Cang, trailing behind, saw it all.

“Lu Zhao, you sinful man,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Qingxin told me to follow—how? I can’t break into their cozy vibe!”

Her mission failed, she trudged toward the academic building.