Chapter 10 Bathroom Confession
I stared at the question flashing in my mind.
I wondered what you did when you ran into a bear.
Play dead.
So… what did you do when you ran into the online boyfriend you’d ghosted in the most brutal way possible—offline?
Maybe… still play dead?
“Professor Shen, you must have the wrong person. I don’t know any Brand. Is that your English name?”
Shen Xiuming leaned against the sink counter, eyes narrowing slightly. The corner of his mouth curved. Without a word, he pulled out his phone.
And started reading aloud.
[…I actually wanted to meet you today. But I chickened out at the last second.]
…
[I’ve never regretted the time we spent talking. Every morning I woke up looking forward to your messages.]
…
[Maybe we could try…]
Aaaah!
This was mortifying!
I couldn’t listen anymore. Dignity and respect for teachers forgotten, I lunged to snatch his phone.
He raised it high. His thin lips kept moving.
[Professor Shen, nice to meet you. I’m Cen Cen.]
[Maybe we could try…]
I couldn’t take it.
I slapped my hand over his mouth.
Hot breath burst against my palm.
It scalded straight to the tip of my heart.
He finally stopped. Long lashes lowered. He looked at me quietly.
That gaze… felt like a silent accusation.
I pulled my hand away and stomped my foot in frustration. “I already tapped Recall on them! Why did you keep them!”
He let out a low chuckle. “I was just about to reply when you tapped Recall on everything, hit Block on me instantly—no hesitation at all.”
“Then why didn’t you just ask me…” He clearly already knew who I was…
“That day we suddenly got pulled into a classified closed-door mission. Phones were confiscated.”
“I finished isolation, stepped out—and the first thing I saw was my Baby on a blind date with some sports major.”
One second gentle complaint, the next calling me Baby again. My scalp tingled.
—Oh no. It actually felt kind of good.
This Baby sounded completely different from the thousands I’d heard through the screen.
Right now it was the real Brand. My Professor Shen.
“I wasn’t there to blind-date. I was just dragged along to fill numbers. But you…”
Remembering what he said to Professor Qiao that day, and the pretty woman beside him, my mood sank even lower.
“So that’s why you hit Block on me?”
I didn’t want any more misunderstandings. I laid it all out.
“That day in the library when you were talking to Professor Qiao… I was nearby. First of all, I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose…”
“That noise was you?”
I nodded.
“I knew you were picking up Professor Qiao from the airport. You two are the best academic partners, and I was just…”
My head dropped. My fingers twisted into knots.
Shen Xiuming looked both amused and helpless. “When I was abroad, Qiao Zhi and I did collaborate closely on a project for a while. But her coming back this time has nothing to do with me. We’ve known each other for years—more like siblings.”
“How does that old saying go? If we wanted to be together, we would’ve done it long ago.”
But the way Qiao Zhi looked at him definitely didn’t scream “siblings.”
Probably just this straight-as-an-arrow man who couldn’t read the room.
I wasn’t going to point it out.
“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up… can you add me back?” Shen Xiuming curved his brows and looked at me gently.
Face burning, I handed him my phone.
After confirming the friend request went through, Shen Xiuming extended his hand in a formal introduction.
“Cen Cen, I’m Brand—Shen Xiuming.”
The moment I reached back, he caught my hand—
and pulled me straight into a warm embrace.
The scent of mint mixed with woody notes instantly drowned me.
His chin rested on my shoulder. “Finally met you in person.”
I wasn’t used to this side of him.
I sneaked a sideways glance.
Only then did I notice he’d taken off his glasses. His eyes shimmered, the corners faintly red, breath carrying a light drunken haze.
“How much did you drink?”
“Saw you hit Block on me, then hanging out with young guys. Was in a bad mood. Chen Xu took the chance to get me drunk.”
No wonder.
Someone as proper and restrained as Shen Xiuming would never act this impulsively sober—let alone hug me and refuse to let go the moment we met.
His warm palm pressed against my lower back. “Baby smells so good.”
I remembered Zhou Wang mentioning shower gel too, and blurted without thinking, “Then I’ll buy you the same one!”
The man leaning on my shoulder let out a muffled laugh. The vibration traveled through his chest straight to my heart—tingling and numb.
He lifted himself slightly. Lashes fluttered up. His hand gently pinched my chin.
“Baby is even more obedient and cuter than I imagined.”
Rough fingertips brushed my lips. Wine-scented words curled around my ear.
“What do I do? You still have half a year until graduation. I told myself I can’t kiss you before then.”
His normally cool, handsome face was flushed from alcohol, saying such shameless things. My ears burned.
“Then… should I leave?”
He smiled and hooked my waist. “But you can kiss me.”
What kind of rogue logic was that?
As if I’d believe it.
But…
Seeing Shen Xiuming leaning against the door, drunk eyes slightly挑起, clearly convinced I wouldn’t dare—
I seized the moment, stood on tiptoe, and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.
The next second.
The world spun.
One hand cradled the back of my head, the other pressed my jaw, pinning me against the door.
His eyes darkened. Breathing grew heavy. He slowly leaned down…
My heart hammered.
In the end, Shen Xiuming only pressed his thumb against my lips. The restrained kiss landed on his own knuckle.
Breaths tangled and lingered like fire burning through both our melting points.
We didn’t even touch—and yet I was kissed until my legs gave out. I clung weakly to his shoulders.
Minutes later, he reluctantly released me and told me to go out first—he needed a moment.
I looked down.
I almost screamed.
Face flaming, I fled the bathroom.
I’d barely taken two steps when I saw a very drunk Tao Zi stumbling around looking for me.
I hooked her shoulder, planning to drag this lightweight back first.
As soon as I pulled out my phone to order a ride one-handed, a message from Brand—now back in my contacts—popped up.
【I already booked the car for you. Plate number and driver’s phone are here. My number is this one.】
【Message me when you get to the dorm.】
Always one step ahead, thinking of things I hadn’t even considered.
I stuffed Tao Zi into the car and used her phone to call her brother.
“Wait!” The girl who had been limp as mud suddenly shot upright and nearly hit the roof.
I quickly pressed her down.
“Cen Cen! You’ve changed!” She pointed at me. “How are you taking such an expensive ride! What a waste!”
I immediately clamped my hand over her mouth, terrified the driver would kick us out.
Back at the dorm, I showered quickly and crawled into bed.
I tossed and turned.
【I’m back at the dorm. You?】
A while later, Brand replied:
【Mm, I’m back too. Just finished showering.】
Before I could recover, the screen lit up with a no-face half-body photo.
Bathrobe slightly open. Full chest faintly visible. Water droplets rolled down, disappearing into his waistline.
He clearly still wasn’t sober. Sober Shen Xiuming would never send me eye candy like this.
I decisively saved the picture. For the first time, I used his real name.
【Shen Xiuming, good night.】