She had never dreamed that she would one day face such a predicament.

  Falling in love with a boy over a decade younger than herself.

  Yet, it felt worthwhile. A boy like him deserved her affection, while someone like her, no matter how she looked at it, seemed unworthy of his attention.

  Now that their feelings were out in the open, Zhou Yi's treatment of her brought both joy and gratitude to her heart.

  However, precisely because of this, Jingwen felt even stronger that she shouldn't entangle him further. It wouldn't benefit him in the long run.

  He was still so young, with a bright future ahead of him, not meant to be tied down by someone like her.

  She could only admire him silently from afar, unable to pursue a relationship with him. Jingwen believed she should feel content simply being able to see him.

  She could stay by his side under the guise of an older sister. Life shouldn't be lived with excessive greed; she needed to cherish what little she had.

  With a deep sigh, Jingwen made up her mind and returned to her room.

  From downstairs, Zhou Yi glanced up at her retreating figure.

  He knew she had been watching him, and he could almost guess what thoughts weighed on her mind.

  After finishing his tasks, Zhou Yi knocked on Jingwen's door.

  Instead of seeing him, she told him to focus on school the next day and said they could discuss other matters later.

  Zhou Yi also sensed that things were moving too fast, so he stood outside her door, urging her to rest well before leaving.

  Jingwen leaned against the window of her room, watching until the boy's figure disappeared into the distance along the street.

  She gazed at the stars in the night sky, making a wish that the boy would always shine as brightly as the stars she loved.

  In her heart, Zhou Yi was her guiding star.

  The day Zhou Yi returned to school coincided with Huaihai University's opening ceremony.

  The event was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

  Zhou Yi skipped the morning class meeting that started at 8:30.

  "Where is Zhou Yi? Why isn't he here?"

  Counselor Liu Wei adjusted his glasses and noticed Zhou Yi's absence during roll call.

  Since Zhou Yi had no friends in the class, naturally, no one bothered to cover for him.

  Besides, even the closest of friends wouldn't dare risk taking attendance in such a situation.

  Liu Wei approached Zhou Yi's seat and asked his deskmate, Zhang Wu, why Zhou Yi wasn't present.

  Zhang Wu pursed his lips and muttered, "I don't know. I don't associate with him."

  Zhang Wu harbored deep resentment toward the university's policy of assigning fixed seats and deskmates, a practice he found absurd for college students.

  They weren't high schoolers anymore. The idea that sitting with friends might affect studies seemed ridiculous. In university, most students cared only about graduating, not grades.

  The prevailing attitude among current university students was one of apathy. After enduring the hardships of high school, they were determined to slack off as much as possible in college.

  Zhang Wu's expression carried clear disdain for Zhou Yi, as if associating with him would tarnish his reputation.

  Liu Wei's face darkened with anger. "The opening ceremony is about to start. If he doesn't show up and our class loses points, I'll make sure he regrets it!"

  As Liu Wei returned to his office to look up Zhou Yi's address, the classroom erupted into whispers.

  "He wouldn't dare show up after what happened last week. If I were him, I'd be too embarrassed to come."

  "Probably scared of getting beaten up by the school beauty's admirers, huh?"

  "Brother Hui said he'd deal with him. He's probably too scared to come."

  "Poor Su Ning. Being linked to someone like him. Just seeing him would make me sick."

  Su Ning, who had been reading quietly, frowned and snapped, "Enough! Stop dragging me into this. It's infuriating."

  She slammed her book onto the table, the loud thud silencing some of the chatter, though the murmurs continued.

  Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi—his name seemed to echo everywhere these days!

  Being liked by Zhou Yi wasn't a big deal. She wouldn't spare a second glance for someone like him.

  But being gossiped about alongside him was what truly disgusted her.

  Su Ning had grown up pampered, the cherished daughter of her family. Her two older brothers treated her like a treasure, and almost no one dared to offend her or speak rudely in her presence.

  Her striking beauty had drawn attention and whispers since childhood, and her aloof demeanor quickly earned her the title of school beauty.

  Since high school, she had always been the center of attention. The label of "school beauty" followed her through her teenage years, and now in university, she was once again crowned with the same title.

  But she hated being talked about.

  She had long grown tired of people discussing her appearance.

  She never thought being beautiful was anything special, nor did she place much importance on her looks.

  Compared to superficial traits, she valued improving her academic performance far more.

  She had always dreamed of pursuing graduate studies.

  If she hadn't fallen ill during the college entrance exam, with her original abilities, she wouldn't be here.

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  She deeply resented herself for falling sick at such a crucial moment in her life.

  Her father and brothers had offered to donate a building to secure her admission to a prestigious university, but she had firmly refused.

  Her pride wouldn't allow her to take such a shortcut. Instead, she planned to study hard and earn her place in the university of her choice through her own efforts.

  The recent freshman military training had been noisy and exhausting, and now with all this gossip swirling around, Su Ning's irritation with Zhou Yi only grew.

  If it weren't for him, none of these troubles would exist!

  Su Ning frowned as she glanced at Zhou Yi's empty seat, her eyes filled with coldness and disdain.

  "The opening ceremony is about to start. Let's go, Ningning."

  Su Ning's deskmate, a slightly chubby girl with a round face, smiled as she linked arms with Su Ning, and they headed toward the sports field where the ceremony was being held.

  This year's opening ceremony was grand. The usually frugal principal had set up a massive stage and invited many prominent figures from Huaihai to attend.

  In the year Zhou Yi entered university, rumors circulated that Huaihai University was aiming to become a top-tier institution.

  Perhaps the principal's efforts were related to this.

  The principal had repeatedly emphasized that no one could miss the opening ceremony, and Zhou Yi's absence would cost the class points.

  This directly affected Counselor Liu Wei's bonus and career advancement, which explained his fury.

  Especially after failing to locate Zhou Yi's address, Liu Wei's dissatisfaction with him intensified.

  Previously, Zhou Yi had been reserved and prone to failing classes, but he had never skipped or been late. This time, however, he had disappeared without even asking for leave.

  Liu Wei flipped through Zhou Yi's file to find his parents' contact information, but the number listed was invalid.

  He could only wait helplessly for the opening ceremony to begin, dreading the inevitable scolding from the dean.

  Zhou Yi was in the art department, majoring in visual communication, a field related to advertising.

  Su Ning's family owned a renowned advertising company, and it was expected that she would inherit it in the future.

  In the art department, where handsome men and beautiful women abounded, Su Ning, as the flag bearer standing at the front, remained the most dazzling beauty.

  Meanwhile, Zhou Yi, with his plain appearance, stood out awkwardly in the art department.

  Seeing Su Ning inevitably reminded people of Zhou Yi.

  The gossip about Zhou Yi and Su Ning had already been thoroughly mocked on the university's online forum.

  The comments mirrored what Zhou Yi had initially heard.

  University students could be incredibly busy at times, pulling all-nighters to finish assignments.

  But they could also be incredibly idle, spending their days surfing the internet, indulging in gossip, and even knowing about the love lives of the cafeteria staff.

  They wouldn't miss juicy gossip like Zhou Yi and Su Ning.

  Dormitory chatter revolved around such topics, and the story of these two had only grown more exaggerated with each retelling.

  "Why is your class missing one person?"

  The student council member in charge of roll call counted the number of students in Liu Wei's class and found it didn't match.

  "Oh, it's like this. One of our students…"

  "Teacher, I just went to the restroom."

  Zhou Yi suddenly raised his hand and walked out from the back row. His voice was loud enough to draw the attention of several classes.

  "Who's that? A freshman?"

  "Damn, he's so handsome. Even more so than Senior Xu Lin. Oh my god, Pingping, look!"

  "Who is he? I've never seen him before."

  "But he looks familiar. I feel like I've seen him somewhere."

  "Isn't that the white-shirted heartthrob from the forum?"

  "Oh, it's him! Does our class have this person? I've never seen him before."

  "Damn, why did he walk out from the back of our class?"

  Zhou Yi walked over slowly, and Liu Wei breathed a sigh of relief, nodding. "Yes, I was just about to say that one of our students went to the restroom."

  The student council member nodded and left.

  Zhou Yi's appearance caused quite a stir.

  It wasn't about anything else—it was purely because of his face.

  After gaining more favorability points the previous day, Zhou Yi had immediately allocated his attribute points to his appearance.

  Now, Zhou Yi was so handsome that even a passing dog would stop to take a second look.

  A 95 in appearance was no joke!

  The system's products were always top-notch!

  Without a doubt, Zhou Yi's face was one that could launch him into stardom, with countless talent agencies vying for him.

  The impact of such a face among a crowd of students was unimaginable.

  Liu Wei leaned closer to Zhou Yi, scrutinizing him. "Which class are you from? A friend of Zhou Yi's? Did he ask you to cover for him? Where is he?"

  Zhou Yi gave a faint smile as he slightly curved his lips upward. "Teacher, it's really me. Surely you haven't forgotten who I am?"

  Liu Wei and the classmates nearby couldn't help but stare, their eyes widening with disbelief.

  "Y-you... you're actually claiming to be Zhou Yi?"