The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

Chapter 225 Extra: Jiang Shubai x Shen Zhixian

Jiang Shubai recalled the day he first met Shen Zhixian countless times, and he felt extremely annoyed.

If he had known better, he wouldn't have created this playboy persona just to save face; otherwise, Shen Zhixian wouldn't have kept her distance from him in the first place.

On their first day of university, Jiang Shubai and Wen Yu caused a sensation as soon as they stepped into the school; their names were all over the confession wall.

Because of his sunny and cheerful personality, he quickly surpassed Wen Yu to become the number one on the list of male gods.

He boasted smugly to Wen Zhaoyue and Wen Yu. Wen Zhaoyue shrugged, "Shu Bai, what's the use of being number one on the male god list? You're still a blank slate, aren't you?"

Jiang Shubai looked indignant. "You, what nonsense are you talking about! I, I've been in many relationships!"

Wen Zhaoyue gave him a half-smile. "Oh? Really? I've never seen this before, not since I was a child."

Jiang Shubai, though lacking conviction, retorted confidently, "That's right! From now on, that's it!"

To prove himself, he gritted his teeth and went on a date with the girl who was pursuing him.

He thought, with so many girls, surely there must be one he likes.

But even by his sophomore year, he still hadn't met anyone who sparked his interest.

This incident actually spread his reputation as a playboy.

Girls all knew he was rich and generous, and even if they didn't succeed in confessing their feelings, they could still receive a valuable gift. As a result, even more people who liked Jiang Shubai flocked to him.

Jiang Shubai, thoroughly annoyed, dismissed a bunch of suitors and listlessly slumped onto the table, looking at Wen Zhaoyue.

"Wenwen, what does it feel like to like someone?"

Wen Zhaoyue was frowning as she stared at Wen Yan's message box, typing with a displeased expression.

"I have the urge to kill him. That bastard wasn't like this in bed last night. He slept with me and then ran away."

Jiang Shubai leaned closer with a smug look on his face. "Oh, you still haven't won over your little brother?"

Wen Zhaoyue rolled her eyes, picked up her bag, and left.

Jiang Shubai stared at her back, thinking of Wen Yu who was still receiving treatment in the United States, shook his head, and leaned back lazily in his chair.

Forget it.

It's good that I don't have anyone I like.

He was proven wrong the very next day.

The counselor asked him to deliver a stack of documents to the student union office. Jiang Shubai casually pushed open the door and went in, with an unopened lollipop in his mouth.

"Teacher, put the materials down—"

The words came to an abrupt halt.

A girl was standing in the office, her back to him, looking down as she organized the documents on her desk.

The light green shirt was clean and crisp, with the collar slightly open, revealing a slender, fair neck. Black jeans accentuated her straight legs, and she wore a pair of simple canvas shoes.

Her long, jet-black hair was loosely tied into a low ponytail, with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears, swaying gently in the breeze blowing in from the window.

A faint scent of ink wafted in the air.

It's not perfume; it's more like the scent of some kind of plant mixed with paper—crisp, clean, like the air in the mountains after rain.

Jiang Shubai's hand holding the documents paused, and his heart skipped a beat without warning, as if he had been hit hard by something.

The girl heard the noise and turned around.

Jiang Shubai felt his breath stop at that moment.

It was a face that was extremely aloof.

Her skin was very fair, and you could faintly see the fine blue veins under her temples. Her eyebrows and eyes had a kind of aloof beauty. Her eyebrows were thin and light, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned. Her pupils were a deep black, like a cold pool, calm and deep, revealing no emotion.

With a straight nose and pale lips, slightly pursed, he exudes a coldness that keeps people at a distance when he's not smiling.

The frameless glasses sat on her high nose bridge, and the eyes behind the lenses were as clean as the first snow of winter.

She was like a meticulously drawn ink painting.

Without elaborate colors or superfluous decorations, it stands there simply and quietly, yet it is so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off it.

It's not the kind of flamboyant, bright beauty.

Rather, it is a quiet, sharp beauty that makes people hesitant to approach.

Like a white flower blooming on the edge of a cliff, it moves with the wind, but you can never reach it.

Jiang Shubai stood there blankly at the door, almost dropping the lollipop in his mouth.

He had lived for twenty years, going to bars, fighting, and pretending to be a playboy; he had done all sorts of outrageous things. He thought he had seen plenty of beautiful girls and had never been attracted to anyone.

But at this moment, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, beating fast and erratically, each beat pounding into his chest, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe. He even forgot his own name.

The girl glanced at him indifferently, her gaze calm as still water. She tilted her head slightly and spoke in a polite but distant tone, "The teacher isn't here. Just leave the materials on the table."

The sound was clear and melodious, like spring water flowing over a stone surface—cool and without any temperature, yet extremely pleasant to hear.

Jiang Shubai stood still, the documents in his hand crumpled from his grip.

He had only one thought in his mind.

It’s over.

Yesterday he was confidently thinking that "it's okay if I don't have anyone I like," but today God pulled this stunt on him.

He swallowed hard, trying to make his voice sound normal. "You...you're in the student council?"

The girl nodded casually, without saying anything more, and turned back to continue organizing the documents, leaving him with a cold and distant back view.

Jiang Shubai stood there, looking at the white figure, and suddenly felt that the office lights were too bright, so bright that his eyes were a little blurry.

He dawdled as he placed the documents on the table, glancing back at them one last time before leaving.

A breeze blew by, and the scent of ink wafted into my nostrils once more.

He walked out of the office, leaned against the wall in the corridor, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a long breath.

My heart is still racing wildly.

He looked down at his slightly trembling fingers and suddenly smiled.

"Jiang Shubai, Jiang Shubai, you've finally met your match."

After returning from the office, Jiang Shubai frantically inquired about the girl.

Shen Zhixian, eighteen years old, is a freshman majoring in astronomy. He was admitted to Peking University with the highest score in his major.

My father, Shen Mo, is a renowned calligrapher and painter in China, and comes from a family of scholars.

Shen Zhixian was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but her favorite subject was not music or books, but astronomy.

I dreamed of being an astronomer since I was a child. I enjoy observing the stars at night and can identify hundreds of constellations. I even won a gold medal in a national astronomy competition in high school.

Jiang Shubai stared at the ID photo on the document. The girl in the photo was expressionless, looking at the camera with indifferent eyes, aloof and distant.

He touched his chest, and his heart skipped a few beats.

It turns out the girl I fell in love with at first sight is so outstanding.

Jiang Shubai has always been a man of action. If he likes something, he'll take the initiative.

He carefully studied the astronomy department's course schedule, memorized the classrooms and times of those general education courses, and meticulously selected a few less deliberate classes. He then appeared at the entrance of the teaching building right on time, pretending to casually brush past her.

Several times in a row, she ignored him as if he were invisible.

Jiang Shubai was not discouraged.

He also found out that Shen Zhixian would go to the art academy's practice room every Tuesday and Thursday evening to practice piano for an hour each time, without fail.

On Tuesday evening at seven o'clock, he changed into a clean white shirt, made himself look presentable, and arrived at the music room downstairs ten minutes early.

He leaned against the wall, his posture casual and natural, thinking that this time everything should be foolproof.

A few minutes later, Shen Zhixian walked over from the other end of the corridor.

Today she wore a light gray thin sweater, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing her clean profile. With the corridor lights shining down, she looked like a light-colored painting.

Jiang Shubai cleared his throat, just as he was about to speak, when Shen Zhixian walked right past him.

He walked at a steady pace, his gaze fixed straight ahead, not even glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

It's just air again.

Jiang Shubai froze on the spot, almost unable to maintain his smile.

He turned around and watched Shen Zhixian push open the door to the music room and walk in. The door closed lightly in front of him.

A melody drifted from the crack in the door; it was a tune he couldn't name, clear and clean, like moonlight shining on snow, just like Shen Zhixian himself.

Jiang Shubai leaned against the wall, listening to the music, and suddenly smiled.

It's okay, guys have to take the initiative in these kinds of things, you can't just wait for a chance encounter.

So he listened to the piano music outside the music room for an hour, and the more he listened, the more he liked it.

As expected of Zhizhi, her piano playing is also beautiful.

When Shen Zhixian finished practicing and came out, Jiang Shubai stepped forward and spoke in the gentlest voice he had ever used.

"Hello, Shen Zhixian, your piano playing is so beautiful."

Shen Zhixian glanced at him; his eyes, peering through his frameless glasses, were cold and unmoving.

"Thanks."

Those two short words made Jiang Shubai's heart race, and his ears turned red.

"I... I'm Jiang Shubai, a sophomore majoring in Economics and Management. I'm your senior. We met in the counselor's office before."

Shen Zhixian thought for a moment, as if she had dug up this insignificant piece of information from a corner of her memory, and nodded lightly, "Hmm."

Then she walked past him and headed down the corridor.

Jiang Shubai quickly caught up with him, "Student Shen, you play really well, can you teach me?"

Shen Zhixian kept her eyes straight ahead. "It's just a hobby. If you want to learn, you can find a teacher."

"But I think you played the best. Would it be convenient to add me on WeChat so I can ask you for advice later?"

He reached for his phone as he spoke.

Shen Zhixian finally stopped and turned to look at him, her gaze calm and devoid of any warmth.

"Senior Jiang, if you want to play, you can find someone else. My time is very precious."

"W-what?"

Jiang Shubai was flustered and his voice stammered as he tried to explain.

"No, no, I've never been in a relationship. Those are just rumors..."

Shen Zhixian frowned, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her, "It has nothing to do with me."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Jiang Shubai stood in the corridor, watching that slender figure walk further and further away until it disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

He looked down at the WeChat QR code in his hand that he hadn't scanned yet, and suddenly felt a little amused, but also a little aggrieved.

"No... what was I thinking, insisting on creating a playboy persona?!"