Cheng Hao felt gloomy. His mom had just called again, ordering him to meet his fiancée.

This left him utterly overwhelmed. He had no idea how to handle this mess.

So, his top priority was to find a way out of this bind.

Lying on his bed, he thought for a moment, then opened his phone to chat with his childhood sweetheart.

"Zihan, what are you up to right now?"

"I'm doing a face mask. Missing me already?"

"Of course! Hey, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Where are you right now? When can we finally meet?"

"Huh? Why ask this all of a sudden? What happened?"

Xinran’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She stared tensely at her phone screen.

She knew Cheng Hao had always looked forward to meeting her. But he’d never pushed her like this before.

Now he was asking where she was and when they could meet. Xinran instantly sensed something was off.

Was he... tired of waiting? Done with this endless hold?

Or did he want to cut ties because his other self had grown too close to her?

Either outcome was unacceptable to Xinran.

For the first time ever, the usually calm girl felt her heart race with panic.

A terrifying, bone-deep panic.

Cheng Hao: "Straight talk—two reasons. First, that campus beauty won’t leave me alone. Now everyone thinks I’m her boyfriend. I’m clueless how to fix it. I need you to show up soon. Then those rumors will vanish on their own."

Zihan: "Oh... I see. And the second reason?"

"Second... my family secretly engaged me to another girl. Lately, Mom’s been forcing me to meet her. I don’t know how to deal with this. I need you to come early, meet my parents. Only then will Mom stop pushing me to marry a total stranger."

Reading this, Xinran finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d nearly died of fright. Turns out this dummy was so eager to meet her for these two reasons.

Truth was, Xinran already knew about Cheng Hao’s fiancée.

At first, she’d panicked, desperate to appear before him and run away together.

But she realized that wouldn’t solve anything.

Besides... she had no reason to panic.

Their families were from the same social circle.

After all, they’d been childhood sweethearts—that said it all.

They’d known each other for years, shared deep feelings, and both sets of parents were familiar. Xinran was sure Cheng Hao’s family would adore her as a daughter-in-law.

What she hadn’t expected was this idiot planning to introduce her to his parents without even asking her first. She hadn’t even accepted his confession yet!

This made Xinran feel... overwhelmingly happy.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably with joy. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly into a radiant curve. A shy blush spread across her flawless face, making her look adorably flustered.

Cheng Hao hadn’t let her down. Her choice had been perfectly right.

As a top-tier beauty, Xinran had countless suitors.

But no matter how impressive they were, she never spared them a glance. Only Cheng Hao held her heart.

She knew those suitors cared only about her status and looks. None truly understood who she was.

That wasn’t real love. Xinran would never accept such hollow feelings.

Cheng Hao was different. Even after ten years apart, he hadn’t changed. He was still the boy she remembered.

Sure, he was a bit slow, not the sharpest tool, a hopeless straight guy... but to Xinran, these weren’t flaws.

Quite the opposite—she found this version of Cheng Hao utterly endearing.

Maybe it was true: love makes even flaws shine. To Xinran, Cheng Hao glowed no matter what.

Thinking this, her blush deepened, spreading down her neck. A warm, sweet scent seemed to bloom from her skin.

"Hmph! Rushing to introduce me to your parents? Are you trying to kidnap me or something?"

"You caught me. Honestly, I want to kidnap your heart. Is that okay?"

Xinran covered her burning-hot cheeks and rolled frantically on her bed.

This jerk—how could he say such things without shame or awkwardness?

Oh right. He was a hopeless straight guy. No concept of embarrassment.

Strangely, instead of cringing at his cheesy confession, Xinran felt... deeply romantic.

Ugh. She must be crazy!

After gathering her thoughts, Xinran quickly replied:

"Well, it depends on how you behave tomorrow. Hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮"

"So... you’re agreeing?"

Cheng Hao’s heart leaped with excitement. He was already imagining reuniting with Zihan, holding her tightly in front of everyone.

"Since you’re so eager, I’ll reluctantly say yes. How about... tomorrow?"

"That soon?! Wait, Zihan—you’ve been at Donghai University this whole time?"

"Duh. And don’t get ahead of yourself. Meeting’s fine, but I have one condition."

Confused, Cheng Hao sent a meme of a puzzled Black man with text: "So many conditions just to meet? Feels harder than a legendary quest."

"Oh, it’s simple. I won’t tell you who I am beforehand. I want you to recognize me with your own eyes."

Xinran had wanted to reveal herself ages ago. But she kept this last bit of mystery, hoping Cheng Hao would finally see her.

This idiot! She’d dropped so many hints, yet he never recognized her. It had kept her awake for days.

Cheng Hao: "No problem at all! Zihan, we grew up together. If I can’t recognize you face-to-face, I might as well kill myself. I’m not that stupid."

"..." Xinran stared at the message, utterly speechless.

Were you insulting yourself just now?

Or did you forget how you got the nickname "dummy"?

Zihan: "Fine then. Meet tomorrow at the sports field—where you’re doing military training."

"Got it! I’ll definitely recognize you and announce to everyone that you’re my girlfriend."

"Hmph. Better be. Go to sleep now. You’ve got training early tomorrow."

Cheng Hao: "Okay. Goodnight."

Zihan: "Mhm. Goodnight!"

Xinran’s face burned with shy fury. She clung to her teddy bear like an octopus, burying her head completely.

Her heart fluttered with anticipation. What would tomorrow’s reunion be like?

Hmph! She couldn’t wait to see Cheng Hao’s face when he realized she was that annoying campus beauty senior.