TYMRHBDES Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Cold and Crazy School Idol x Delicate and Spoiled Darling (45)

He grasped Jiang Luoluo’s slender wrist.

Jiang Luoluo turned his head in shock, meeting Mu Jianian’s gaze.

Mu Jianian glanced around at the crowd, then pulled Jiang Luoluo by the hand, leading him out of the hall.

As soon as they stepped outside, a blast of icy wind hit them.

Without the warmth of the hall, Jiang Luoluo, who was sensitive to the cold, instinctively tucked his other hand into his sleeve.

Mu Jianian suddenly stopped and released Jiang Luoluo’s wrist.

Jiang Luoluo, unsure of what he wanted to say, looked up at the man with trembling eyelashes.

Mu Jianian seemed more mature now, his entire demeanor colder. Even his silent presence exuded the oppressive aura of a superior.

Jiang Luoluo remained silent, simply watching Mu Jianian, his heart pounding in his chest.

He felt his illness worsening.

Once so desperate to escape, he now allowed Mu Jianian to lead him away.

Mu Jianian quickly removed his suit jacket and draped it over Jiang Luoluo’s shoulders.

A gust of northern wind swept through, and Jiang Luoluo instinctively ducked his head.

Mu Jianian lifted Jiang Luoluo’s arm and guided it into the oversized sleeve of the jacket.

Just like those mornings when Jiang Luoluo had lost his memory, the man he called “husband” would always coax him, supporting his arm as he helped him dress.

Jiang Luoluo froze, momentarily at a loss.

Mu Jianian silently finished dressing him, then looked up to meet those beautiful, bewildered eyes. His heart raced wildly, as if he were confessing his feelings for the first time.

“Are you close to those people?”

The words had barely left his mouth when Mu Jianian winced. ‘No wonder he hates me,’ he thought, cringing at his own tone.

Jiang Luoluo instinctively shook his head, his pale, upturned face framed by the oversized suit, looking both obedient and adorable. ‘And he’s so good-natured,’ Mu Jianian thought. ‘He never gets angry, no matter what.’

But the kinder Jiang Luoluo was, the deeper Mu Jianian’s regret grew.

A soft voice drifted through the air: “Not close…”

Mu Jianian’s heart seemed to clench. Gazing at the person before him, he was momentarily transported back to their sweet past. He desperately wanted to pull Jiang Luoluo into his arms, but he restrained himself, tracing the contours of his face with his eyes again and again.

A sharp ache rose in his chest, so intense that his regret threatened to spill over from his heart.

Mu Jianian stepped between Jiang Luoluo and the wind, his voice softening. “Don’t trust people too easily. The business world is a battlefield. Human hearts are unpredictable—anything can happen.”

“Here, there are only eternal interests, no eternal friends.”

The person before him tilted his head back, listening attentively to Mu Jianian’s words.

His round, luminous eyes blinked, the moonlight and his own reflection shimmering in their clear pupils, rising and falling with the flutter of his lashes. His expression was unusually earnest.

“I know,” he said softly, tilting his delicate, fair face upward. “Just now, many people were talking to me for the first time.”

“Comet is just a small company, so I understand they weren’t here for me.”

“Mu Jianian, they were trying to curry favor with you.”

After a pause, he suddenly asked, “Mu Jianian, what they said is true, right?”

Lost in the sweetness of his voice, Mu Jianian didn’t immediately register the question. “What?”

Jiang Luoluo pressed his lips together, the restrained flesh momentarily losing its color before flushing a deeper, richer red when released.

He rephrased more delicately: “They said Comet Technology is doing so well because you’ve been helping me behind the scenes.”

“Is that true, Mu Jianian?”

Mu Jianian denied it flatly. “No.”

Jiang Luoluo blinked slowly, letting out a small “oh,” his tone ambiguous—neither pleased nor displeased.

“Mu Jianian, I still want to thank you for today. Thank you for helping me.”

Jiang Luoluo looked troubled. “Men like Yang Cheng are really annoying.”

Mu Jianian considered this. “How annoying?”

“Who do you hate more—him or me?”

Jiang Luoluo tilted his snow-white face upward, listening to Mu Jianian’s question. His mouth gaped open in shock.

How could Yang Cheng even compare to Mu Jianian?!

Yang Cheng is such trash…

But Mu Jianian’s gaze was particularly intense, his eyes burning as he waited for an answer.

Jiang Luoluo felt completely enveloped by that gaze. His fingers gripped his sleeve as he whispered, “Of course I hate him more.”

As soon as he said those words, he sensed Mu Jianian’s eyes brighten even further.

“Excuse me! Make way!”

“Careful! Careful!”

A waiter hurrying past with a cardboard box bumped into Jiang Luoluo’s back, shoving him forward two steps until he stumbled into Mu Jianian’s chest.

Mu Jianian instinctively wrapped his arms around him. “Baby, be careful.”

In the soft glow of the corridor lights, Jiang Luoluo’s small face pressed against Mu Jianian’s chest, his ears filled with the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

His cheeks flushed crimson.

Completely encircled by Mu Jianian’s arms, Jiang Luoluo felt the broad chest shielding him from the biting cold wind outside.

Especially that endearment—”baby”—made Jiang Luoluo’s long lashes flutter like butterfly wings in a storm, casting dense shadows across his face and concealing the faint blush on his cheeks.

The arm around Jiang Luoluo’s waist slowly tightened, jolting him awake as if from a dream. He hurriedly pushed Mu Jianian away, muttering a hurried “Goodbye” before darting away.

Mu Jianian turned his head, watching the small figure gradually disappear into the distance. The wind billowed the hem of his oversized suit, making him resemble a maiden from an ancient tale, fleeing after a secret rendezvous with her lover, or Cinderella rushing away before midnight in a Western fairy tale.

The figure that stirred his heart vanished through the doorway.

Standing alone in the wind, Mu Jianian lowered his phoenix-shaped eyes to gaze at his palm. The faint, soft warmth he had felt through the fabric lingered there—a mere second’s touch that sent a tumultuous tremor through his chest.

He had to exert every ounce of self-control to maintain his composure, resisting the urge to pull Jiang Luoluo into his arms and crush him into his very bones.

Instead, he had merely traced the boy’s silhouette inch by inch with suppressed, yearning eyes, finally settling his gaze respectfully on the crown of his head.

Clenching his fingers into a fist, he pressed it against his chest, as if trying to imprint that fleeting warmth firmly into his heart.

This small sweetness was all he needed to endure the long, lonely nights, to prevent himself from tossing and turning at midnight, consumed by regret until he might cough up blood.

After winter break, Jiang Luoluo began his final semester at university.

This last semester was primarily focused on internships, with no more on-campus classes.

Given his company responsibilities, he decided to move out of the dorm.

Faced with this reality, his roommates suddenly felt the urgency of their impending separation. They helped Jiang Luoluo and his assistant carry his belongings downstairs to the car, promising to gather for one last meal, just like they had on their first day of freshman year.

The barbecue stall 200 meters from the school gate had witnessed their fleeting four years together. Third Brother, the worst drinker among them, clutched a beer bottle and wailed, “My youth is ending!”

“I’ve been single my whole life! When will it ever end?!”

“No one even wants to date me!”

His words resonated deeply with the dorm’s group of bachelors.

Second Brother scoffed, “What nonsense! With your bear-like appearance and constant gaming, who would date you?”

“Speaking of which, why hasn’t Fourth Brother dated anyone?”

Jiang Luoluo, caught off guard, let out an “Ah?”

The eldest brother slammed his hand on the table. “I still remember when Luo Luo first joined the school—it caused a sensation! Every forum post that used Luo Luo’s photo went viral, the discussion was insane!”

“With so many people chasing after you, why haven’t you dated, Luo Luo?”

Jiang Luoluo clutched his grilled horse mackerel skewer, bewildered. “No one’s chasing after me…”

“What do you mean? That heartthrob from the Physical Education Institute, Chen Chu, didn’t he declare he was going to pursue you?”

“I know, I know!”

The eldest brother cut in, “That scumbag was two-timing! He got his girlfriend pregnant while flirting with a junior. The forum nearly roasted him to death!”

“And what about the class president from Chemistry Class 7? Didn’t he ask around for Luo Luo’s contact information?”

“I know, I know! During the morning lecture, when he was helping the professor project the screen, he accidentally showed a porn video from his phone—a group one, no less! Talk about heavy tastes! He was socially crucified!”

“Wasn’t there also the vice president of the Student Council?”

“Zhang Teng? He quit the Student Council soon after! He used to act all high and mighty, offending tons of people. Now he’s keeping his head down and acting humble!”

The three friends counted again, then turned to Jiang Luoluo, unanimously concluding:

“Luo Luo, your romantic luck is truly terrible. It’s like the Old Man Under the Moon personally snipped your red string…”

“There was this crazy rumor on the forum back then, saying Luo Luo’s fate was too noble for ordinary people to handle. Anyone who confessed to him would be cursed.”

“Luo Luo, could someone have spread that rumor on purpose to scare off your admirers?”

Jiang Luoluo took a sip of his juice. “Who would go to such lengths for me? That’s impossible…”

As he spoke, Mu Jianian’s face flashed through his mind.

*—”The spring before you turned eighteen, you stood gazing at the dolls in the shop window for so long that you soon had a whole collection of them.”*

*—”The spring before you turned nineteen, you were upset when your favorite game announced its closure. That very night, the game launched a new server and gifted you the rarest equipment.”*

“During the Spring Festival when you were 20, you cried, wishing for Uncle’s safety. So, the best medical team from F Country partnered with the city hospital.”

Jiang Luoluo froze, stunned.

If that’s true, then it’s not impossible...

When they finished eating and went to pay, the restaurant owner mentioned a lottery with discounts and free meals.

Third Brother, slightly tipsy, clapped Jiang Luoluo on the shoulder and declared proudly, “Luo Luo has the best luck! He always wins lotteries. Let him do it!”

Jiang Luoluo glanced at the spinning wheel the owner brought out, pursed his lips, and shook his head.

Throughout his life, he had never been lucky enough to win every lottery. Only during college had he experienced a streak of incredible luck, winning every prize he entered for.

Back then, he naively believed he was simply lucky.

In reality, someone had been using the lottery as a way to give him gifts.

Remembering that refined, aloof face from his memories, he murmured softly, “It won’t happen again. I won’t win this time.”

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