Forbidden

Jiang Ci also took out her phone to check the group chat. Just ten minutes ago, Jin Mo had sent a message.

Zhen Qiancen said, "It probably won't just be a single department gathering together. I'm guessing it's a get-together for the entire Student Union."

This was an opportunity to get closer to Zhang Heyu.

Jiang Ci lowered her head to ponder for a few seconds. "I'm going."

Building 7, Men's Dormitory.

Jin Mo was curled up in his gaming chair playing a game when something suddenly occurred to him. "Heyu, bro, isn't tomorrow your birthday?"

Feng Qi laughed. "Master Jin, you're only remembering this now? Unlike me, I've already prepared a gift for our Heyu."

With that, Feng Qi tossed a medium-sized box toward Zhang Heyu. Zhang Heyu raised his gaze and instinctively reached out to catch it.

"Thanks." Zhang Heyu put the item aside and continued playing the game with them.

Jin Mo twitched the corners of his mouth and let out a dry, forced chuckle. "Look at you showing off. If you didn't say anything, people would think you had a secret crush on our Heyu."

"Nope, I've got a secret crush on you," Feng Qi said to Jin Mo, intentionally putting on a squeaky, affected voice.

Jin Mo felt goosebumps rise all over his skin and cursed, "Get lost, stop disgusting me."

After arguing and bickering through a few rounds of games, Zhang Heyu felt an inexplicable wave of irritation. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his drawer and walked out to the balcony to smoke.

By this time, the sky had long since grown dark. Zhang Heyu leaned lazily against the railing, a cigarette clenched between his teeth. A tiny red ember flickered and dimmed, while a piercing coldness was hidden between his brows.

Jin Mo also emerged from the inside and walked up beside him. "I recruited your white moonlight into the Student Union."

Zhang Heyu had guessed long ago that he would do this and didn't feel surprised; he merely uttered a faint sound of acknowledgment.

"If nothing goes wrong, you two will run into each other tomorrow." Jin Mo patted his shoulder. "Stop hiding from people."

With that, Jin Mo returned to the interior of the dormitory.

At that moment, Zhang Heyu's mind was completely filled with Jiang Ci's every smile and frown. It was like he was under a spell, unable to erase it no matter what.

Even after nearly two years had passed, he still couldn't forget her.

It was a memory carved deep into his bones, crystal clear, impossible to let go of or discard.

He still liked her, didn't he?

Even if she didn't like him, he still wanted to keep her locked safely in his embrace forever.

He admitted it—he simply couldn't forget Jiang Ci, and he still loved her.

*

The gathering started at around eight in the evening. Worried that everyone would feel awkward since they weren't familiar with each other yet, Jin Mo simply decided to host it at a lively venue.

Neither Jiang Ci nor Zhen Qiancen expected that the lively place Jin Mo mentioned would be a KTV.

Following the location pin Jin Mo sent, they arrived at an extremely upscale KTV.

Jiang Ci and Zhen Qiancen were still standing foolishly at the entrance when suddenly, someone opened the door from the inside.

To break the momentary awkwardness, Lu Ze regained his composure and gentlemanly pulled the door wider. "Junior sisters are here, come on in."

There were a lot of people inside the private room, many of whom were freshmen. The senior students were also afraid the atmosphere would turn cold, so they tried their best to liven things up.

Jiang Ci touched the small box resting in her pocket and sighed, an inevitable sense of disappointment washing over her.

"Cici, this juice is actually pretty good, hey." Zhen Qiancen poured her a cup. "Have a taste."

"Thanks." Jiang Ci accepted the juice from her and took a small sip. A sweet peach flavor spread across her mouth; it was sweet and very delicious.

Just as she set her cup down, the door to the private room was abruptly pushed open by a strong, forceful hand.

Everyone turned their gazes toward the entrance.

Jiang Ci was no exception.

A young man wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue jeans appeared in everyone's line of sight. His pale, cool skin appeared even whiter against the backdrop of the black clothing.

He instantly captured the attention of quite a few people.

Seeing that Zhang Heyu had arrived, Jin Mo pulled him over without a word and introduced him to everyone present.

"This is our Student Union President, Zhang Heyu. Everyone's heard of him, right?"

"Of course!" many people in the room answered in unison.

Knowing that Zhang Heyu's arrival would inevitably spark a strong reaction, Jin Mo continued, "I forgot to mention to you all, today is our Heyu's birthday."

Zhang Heyu hadn't actually intended to bring this matter up, but since Jin Mo had blurted it out first, he had no choice and could only nod in acknowledgment to confirm it was true.

He didn't let the lively mood die down either, saying in a calm voice, "I've ordered a cake for everyone to share. I hope we can all have a pleasant cooperation in the coming years."

With that, Zhang Heyu casually found a corner to sit in.

It was only two seats away from Jiang Ci.

"Wow!" a male student couldn't help exclaiming, "The President is so awesome!"

Jin Mo smiled. "Naturally."

From the moment he entered the room until now, Zhang Heyu hadn't cast a single glance in Jiang Ci's direction.

Jiang Ci lowered her eyes, picked up the cup of juice that Zhen Qiancen had just refilled for her, and bowed her head to take small sips.

Zhen Qiancen had a carefree and outgoing personality, so she quickly mingled with the people around her, but Jiang Ci was different. She had always been a person of few words, very introverted.

After a little while, a waiter pushed a cart in and delivered the cake.

The cake was a large three-layered creation. When Jiang Ci saw the pattern on top of the cake, she froze.

It was the aviator puppy doll holding a medium-sized snow pear that she used to give to Zhang Heyu.

Jiang Ci instinctively glanced toward a certain corner. The young man still maintained a lazy and relaxed demeanor, leaning against the sofa with his eyelids lowered, looking down at his phone completely indifferent to the surrounding noise.

Jin Mo shouted out to Zhang Heyu from the crowd, "Heyu, come over, make a wish and cut the cake."

Not wanting to spoil the mood, Zhang Heyu raised an eyebrow, stood up, and walked over at an unhurried pace.

Passing by Jiang Ci's side, it felt as though he stirred up a negligible breeze that inadvertently slipped into her heart.

And lingered there persistently.

Under Jin Mo's strong urging, Zhang Heyu closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and made a wish facing the cake.

The tiny flame of the candle flickered unsteadily, casting its faint, generous glow onto the young man's face. His facial bone structure was already exceptionally superior, and at this moment, it took on an extra hint of rebellious charm.

Jiang Ci lost herself in a daze watching Zhang Heyu like this.

Zhang Heyu cut a slice of the cake, carved out the little snow pear on the pattern to take with him, and let Rui Jin and the others divide the rest.

He walked over to Jin Mo with his slice of cake. Before he could even speak, Jin Mo understood his intentions in a second, took the plate of cake, and walked toward Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci looked at the cake Jin Mo handed her, feeling a bit dazed. After hesitating for a moment, she took it anyway.

Jiang Ci had just dug in and eaten a few bites when suddenly, a few brave girls walked over to Zhang Heyu's side.

"Senior, happy birthday," a girl said with a radiant smile. "This is a gift I prepared for you."

Zhang Heyu lifted his eyelids, glanced at her nonchalantly, gave a hum of acknowledgment, and replied politely, "Thank you."

Once the ice was broken by one person, the rest followed suit one after another to present their gifts.

Jin Mo was completely baffled as well; clearly, he hadn't announced in advance that today was Zhang Heyu's birthday, so how had people managed to prepare gifts?

Later on, he heard from Rui Jin that those little fan girls had long since found out in advance exactly which day Zhang Heyu's birthday fell on.

Jiang Ci touched the small box in her pocket, wondering if she should follow the others and give her gift to Zhang Heyu.

As she thought about it, Jiang Ci grew even more melancholic and casually picked up a bottle that looked like juice, pouring some into her cup.

She took a sip; a rich lychee flavor spread across her palate, so fruity that Jiang Ci failed to realize it was actually alcohol.

After drinking several cups in a row, the alcohol kicked in. Jiang Ci suddenly felt her face grow hot, and her head began to spin hazily.

Enduring the discomfort, Jiang Ci fished out her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. Her eyes had trouble focusing, and she couldn't clearly see the numbers on it.

She glanced sideways at Zhen Qiancen, who was having a blast beside her, and patted her hand. "Cen-cen, I'm going to the restroom."

The lighting in the private room was very dim, so Zhen Qiancen didn't notice that anything was wrong with Jiang Ci. She nodded and asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"

Jiang Ci shook her head. "No need, I can go by myself."

Out of the corner of his eye, catching a petite figure leaving the private room, Zhang Heyu frowned, put away his phone, and stood up from his seat.

Seeing him rise, a girl sitting near Zhang Heyu altered her voice and asked nosily, "Senior, where are you going?"

Ignoring the girl, Zhang Heyu pretended not to hear and strode past her with his long legs.

Jiang Ci swayed unsteadily as she took a detour before finally locating the restroom.

She turned on the faucet at the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed—the alcohol had rushed to her face.

She tried to splash water on her face to sober up, but it didn't seem to help much.

After a few attempts, Jiang Ci gave up and stumbled out of the restroom with unsteady steps.

Just a few steps out of the restroom, Jiang Ci abruptly crashed straight into a solid chest. The familiar scent inexplicably brought a sense of reassurance.

Suddenly being crashed into the arms of the girl he had been thinking about for two years, Zhang Heyu's body involuntarily stiffened for a moment.

Jiang Ci dazedly raised her head, her consciousness still foggy. Looking at that face belonging to Zhang Heyu, she tilted her head in confusion.

Why on earth would Zhang Heyu be appearing right in front of her?

Zhang Heyu frowned, unable to quite figure out what was going on in Jiang Ci's head at the moment, yet seeing her tilt her head like a little rabbit looking so foolish, a softening touched his heart.

The next second, gathering her courage, the young woman stood on tiptoe, extended a fair index finger, and gently poked the tip of Zhang Heyu's nose.

She curved her lips, dimples appearing on her cheeks, and spoke in a soft, inebriated voice, "It's Zhang Heyu!"

Zhang Heyu paused for a fraction of a second, his heartbeat skipping a beat. Recovering his senses, he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, fearing she might fall.

The young lady was already slender with practically no extra flesh on her waist.

Vaguely, he caught a very faint scent of alcohol on Jiang Ci.

"Did you drink?"

Zhang Heyu's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably. Lowering his eyelashes as heat crept up the tips of his ears, his voice turned deep and husky.

Jiang Ci leaned even closer into his chest, her small hand clutching the hem of Zhang Heyu's shirt. With slightly pursed red lips, she shook her head.

The temper he had been holding onto vanished for the most part upon seeing Jiang Ci's reaction.

"Can you get drunk without drinking?" Zhang Heyu raised a hand to pinch her cheek, his heart softening into a mess before he suddenly laughed. "Are you stupid or what?"

Jiang Ci pouted her small mouth, unhappily slapped Zhang Heyu's hand away, and looked at him. A wave of grievance welled up inside her, and she retreated from his embrace.

Soften her tone, she spoke with aggrieved sadness, "I don't want to play with you anymore, Zhang Heyu is a bad guy!"

This was the first time Zhang Heyu had ever seen Jiang Ci being both this cute and foolish. Without even realizing it himself, the corners of his mouth had already curled upward.

"How is he a bad guy?"

Jiang Ci turned her head away, her eye sockets brimming with tears as her little mouth turned down in a pout. "He told me to get lost."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "But I didn't want to."

"He didn't even give me a chance to speak. I had so, so many things I wanted to say to him." As Jiang Ci spoke, tears involuntarily spilled down her cheeks.

Seeing her looking like that made Zhang Heyu realize just how cruel he had been that night.

Zhang Heyu reached out to wipe away the tears hanging at the corners of her eyes and played along with what she was saying. "Yeah, he's simply not human."

Hearing this, Jiang Ci looked at the person in front of her and became a little annoyed again. She reached out to cover his mouth and said fiercely, "You're not allowed to scold him!"

Zhang Heyu was exasperated to the point of laughter. "Fine, fine, fine. I won't scold him, I won't."

Being a jerk wouldn't do, and being human wouldn't do either.

Zhang Heyu pulled the girl into his embrace and massaged her head to comfort her. The young woman shifted slightly in his arms, as if wondering what to do next.

The next second, the girl pulled out a small box, lifted her face from his embrace, and said, "This is the birthday gift I wanted to give to Zhang Heyu."

Zhang Heyu lowered his gaze, his attention lingering on the small box in the girl's palms. She was holding it up with both hands, her small face beaming with a smile. "It's a really nice watch."

He paused, picked the box up from her hands, and opened it carefully to take a look. It was the newest model of a black mechanical watch.

He had thought that Jiang Ci had long since forgotten.

Especially after she had pushed him away so ruthlessly back then.

"Silly girl," Zhang Heyu didn't accept it, placing the item back into her palm. "Give it to him when you're sober, and he'll definitely like it."

Jiang Ci remained half-doubtful, muttering with a pout, "Will he like it? Does he hate me a lot? I'm afraid he'll throw my things away."

With that, Jiang Ci lowered her face. "I'm also afraid he'll throw me away too."

"I won't," Zhang Heyu gave her a firm, reassuring answer.

After a brief moment of silence, he heard steady breathing—Jiang Ci had fallen asleep leaning against his arms.

He had intended to return to the private room and tell Jiang Ci's friend so she could send Jiang Ci home.

Yet the next second, he saw Rui Jin and Jin Mo carrying a small figure out of the private room. The person being carried was none other than Zhen Qiancen.

Jin Mo's gaze instantly locked onto the girl in Zhang Heyu's arms. Recognizing her in a split second, he asked with a grinning smile, "Made up already?"