Chapter 47: Chapter 46: “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.

The moment Xu Su got in the car, the intense heat made her face, already red from the cold, start to itch.

She rubbed her face and complained, “A big guy like you is afraid of the cold? It must be thirty degrees in here!”

As he drove, Zhou Mochen turned the heat down a little. “I’ll bring you a pair of gloves and a scarf tonight.”

Xu Su couldn’t hold back and turned to glare at him. “I made it very clear yesterday. I only agreed to let you drive me this one time. Zhou Mochen, can you please stop acting on your own all the time?”

There was barely any traffic on the road, but Zhou Mochen still drove incredibly slowly.

He glanced at the time on the car’s display. After calculating that she wouldn’t be late, he said, “When you ride your bike, I follow you anyway. Why not just get in the car and let me give you a ride? Or do you actually enjoy freezing in this weather?”

Of course Xu Su didn’t like freezing, but she couldn’t, in good conscience, let Zhou Mochen drive her to and from school every day.

“Have you forgotten? I’m sick.”

Zhou Mochen seemed to have figured out how to deal with her, his tone no longer as confrontational as their previous encounters. “I haven’t forgotten. To help you get better sooner, let’s start the treatment with me driving you. What do you say?”

’Not a good idea at all.’

Xu Su pouted. “Do I need to remind you? You promised you wouldn’t interfere with my studies before the college entrance exams.”

“Mm,” Zhou Mochen acknowledged. As he turned the steering wheel, he spared a glance for her. “If you feel like my driving you is a disturbance, then just pretend I’m not here. I only want to make your commute easier. I have no other motives.”

His tone was utterly sincere.

If Xu Su hadn’t been reborn, if she hadn’t already experienced what kind of person he really was, she might have actually believed his ’self-sacrificing’ act.

“What’s our relationship? Why should I let you drive me? Zhou Mochen, just pretend I like freezing, alright?”

The already slow car braked and pulled over to the side of the road.

Xu Su turned to face him, braced for a confrontation.

But instead, Zhou Mochen said casually, “I’ll just drive you for the rest of this semester. You’re planning to live on campus next year, right? I won’t stop you. How does that sound?”

’Of course! He’s been monitoring my life all along!’

Xu Su sat bolt upright, unable to take it anymore. She snapped, “Ha, you’re really something else. Your reach extends all the way to the factory where my parents work. That new subsidized apartment my family was assigned—that was you pulling strings behind the scenes, wasn’t it?”

“You even know I’m planning to live on campus next year. Zhou Mochen, do you have nothing better to do all day than spy on me?”

Zhou Mochen’s eyes never left Xu Su’s face, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. After a long moment, he explained in a low voice, “I arranged the apartment for your family because I didn’t want to see you sleeping on the sofa. It was also a way to nudge your parents to treat you better.”

“As for you wanting to live on campus, that was easy enough to guess.” He sighed. “I’m not against you living on campus. I promised I wouldn’t interfere with your studies before the college entrance exams. But how about you let me finish driving you for this semester?”

Xu Su pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Zhou Mochen couldn’t resist leaning closer, his hand reaching out to stroke her hair, but she flinched away.

Xu Su glared at him. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

Zhou Mochen chuckled, not at all angered, and simply continued to watch her.

’It’s already January 2006,’ Xu Su thought, avoiding his gaze. ’The Lunar New Year is less than a month away, which means this semester will be over soon, too.’

’Though she hated to admit it, Xu Su knew that with Zhou Mochen’s resources, if he really didn’t want her living on campus, she probably wouldn’t be able to move there next semester, even with a scholarship.’

’After thinking it through, it seemed her only option was to agree to let him drive her for the rest of this semester.’

The moment she reached this conclusion, a wave of uncontrollable irritation washed over her.

She was irritated by his careful scheming, by his confident and effortless demeanor. It was as if he was certain she couldn’t refuse, couldn’t escape the net he’d cast.

Xu Su called out to the man beside her, “Hey.”

Zhou Mochen leaned in a little, his eyes fixed on her. “What is it?”

“What is it you like about me? I’ll change it.”

Zhou Mochen’s eyes narrowed sharply. He was silent for a moment before saying slowly, “If it were that simple, do you think I’d *want* to be standing guard over you every single day?”

Though his words sounded almost desperate, his imposing presence completely masked it.

“…” Xu Su had nothing more to say. She leaned back in her seat, her voice flat with resignation. “Just drive. I’m going to be late.”

The car started moving again. A few minutes later, it stopped about a hundred meters from First High School. Just as Xu Su was about to get out, he called out to her again.

For some reason, Zhou Mochen’s expression turned cold. Seeing her look his way, he spoke in a measured tone, “I promised I wouldn’t interfere with your studies before the college entrance exams. But Susu, you understand my bottom line, don’t you?”

“What happened last night… I don’t want a repeat.” His voice turned grim. “If anyone at school hassles you, come tell me about it. Alright?”

She scoffed reflexively. “Do I even need to tell you? You’re so omnipotent, aren’t you? If you really wanted to, you could probably find out how many sips of water I drink at school each day.”

A low chuckle echoed in the car. He seemed to take her words as a compliment. “Mm, I could,” he said, his eyes filled with amusement, “but I’d still prefer it if you told me yourself.”

His tone was flirtatious, with an undercurrent of indescribable indulgence.

Xu Su couldn’t stand it any longer. She slammed the half-open car door shut.

She settled back into her seat. “That ’androphobia’ I told you about—I was lying.”

Zhou Mochen froze.

“But if you keep trying to control and monitor my life in such an overbearing way, I’m afraid I really will develop androphobia. The way you are right now makes me extremely uncomfortable. Zhou Mochen, I’ll say it one more time: we have no relationship right now. Act normal.”

“You don’t have to keep stressing that we have nothing to do with each other.” His voice turned grim. “You’re still young and focused on your studies, so I won’t bother you. But you won’t always have nothing to do with me. Understand?”

Silence filled the car, the air thick with tension.

“Alright, go on to school. You’re going to be late.” Zhou Mochen’s tone softened. “If you don’t want me monitoring your life, I can agree to that. Just remember one thing: no puppy love at school.”

“Susu, you can cause whatever trouble you want. That is my only bottom line when it comes to you.”

Xu Su couldn’t listen anymore. Without another word, she yanked the car door open, got out, and slammed it shut with all her might.

She gritted her teeth the entire way to her classroom. ’He’s treating me like his property again!’

’From the sound of it, once I’m an adult, I won’t have a choice in the matter. I’ll be *forced* into a so-called ’relationship’ with him!’

’After all this, it feels like everything is heading back toward the same ending as my past life.’

’Was I reborn just to end up living a caged life all over again?’

’Never!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep