But caution has already made me too weary to think.

It's hard to say exactly what impact the matter with Xiu'er had on later developments, but it certainly affected Bai Haonan's state of mind.

To be honest, over the past few years, aside from that foolishly cheerful Chen Sufen, who never knew when to keep her mouth shut, few girls had ever broken the rules. Nightclub girls with fleeting relationships were, of course, not worth mentioning—whether they shared a moment of passion or not was all left to fate. As for the few who kept in touch for longer, most were put off by the unique cultural upbringing and professional identity of a footballer, not to mention Bai Haonan’s unabashedly uninhibited lifestyle and his steadfast refusal to entertain any notion of a normal relationship. Any woman with a bit of sense could see that a man like him could never be trusted with her life, especially when their acquaintance was founded on such casual circumstances. Even if they did end up together, it would likely become a thorn in the relationship.

Take Qiao Yingna’s experience as the most typical—no matter how she might be tempted, a moment’s rational thought would convince her she must have lost her mind to even consider it. Better to keep things to mutual benefit, whether physically or otherwise, and never cross that line.

Thus, Bai Haonan rarely encountered confessions of love. In hindsight, Xiao Wen and the other nurses would band together to criticize him for making Xiu'er cry herself to sleep in the dormitory—truly, a scoundrel among scoundrels, an unfeeling brute of the highest order!

Of course, such accusations were usually leveled at him in the gym or some private setting, where, between gasps for breath, curiosity would take hold: Was it that he looked down on Xiu'er? Bai Haonan, half-heartedly working out, would explain, “Come on, tell me—would you rather have this freedom, or be tied down like a dog, constantly told what you can and can’t do? Would you enjoy sneaking around just to have some fun? Xiu’er is great, but no matter how wonderful a girl is, once she becomes your wife, it’s just not exciting anymore!”

Any girl hearing this could only roll her eyes.

What a jerk.

So they treated it as a physical affair, a fleeting passion—never develop feelings for a man like this. Xiu’er became a living example among the nurses: they would comfort her kindly, but secretly resolved never to end up in her shoes.

In the end, Bai Haonan did help these women—if not physically, then mentally—teaching them to face future men with clearer eyes.

Better to find an honest guy to marry; for now, it was fine to go a little wild and keep their hearts intact.

Qiao Yingna had clearly come to the same conclusion. Nearly a week passed before she returned to campus, and when she saw Bai Haonan again, she never brought up feelings. Even though Bai Haonan had prepared her quite a gift: “Did you arrange my internship department?” She hadn’t even reached school before her advisor called to notify her about her placement at the affiliated hospital. By now, everyone knew how this internship had probably come about.

Bai Haonan, bleary-eyed, struggled off the sofa. Last night, he’d gone drinking at a bar with another girl—fortunately, they stayed close by. He walked her back to her dorm and then came home to collapse on the couch. With the medical university’s new semester approaching, Bai Haonan, already familiar with the scene, was preparing to extend his reach to the nursing college—full of even younger, fresher nurses-to-be. He’d even resolved in his dreams to make a move. Shaking his head hard to clear it, he replied, “Ah... Big-nose Wang—yes, Wang Fu’an, the pediatric ENT specialist? I casually asked him, and he said you’d be a good fit for his department. Others recommended it too. Are you going into ENT?”

Qiao Yingna was dressed conservatively—a long black dress covering her from neck to calf—but even leaning in the doorway with arms folded, she was still graceful. “That’s called the otolaryngology specialty. Pediatrics divides into more details. I’m in pediatric internal medicine, but Wang Fu’an is the director of a national clinical key specialty project. His department can award doctoral degrees. An internship there means you could go straight from master’s to PhD. Admission is at their discretion—others would beg for such an opportunity. These young experts look down on bribes; gifts or cigarettes are out of the question. So how should I thank you?”

Bai Haonan, now sitting up and stretching, carelessly showed off his strong physique and patted the sofa. “Gifts are so tacky these days. It’s better to give someone what they want. You should give me what I want too—how about some early morning fun?”

Qiao Yingna shook her head. “No. Name your price if you must, but I don’t want to be entangled in those sorts of relationships anymore.”

Bai Haonan pulled a face and got up to head for the bathroom, unconcerned about appearances even this early in the morning. “Talking money is boring. Wasn’t it you who introduced me to that coaching job? I made two or three hundred thousand—want a share? Up to you. Should I move out? Chen Sufen is probably coming too. Maybe I should just leave.”

Listening to the loud rush of water from the bathroom, Qiao Yingna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Just come train with me at night for this one month. If I win, maybe I won’t go to Wang Fu’an’s department—I might have to go to Pingjing instead.”

Bai Haonan called back from afar, “Alright.”

Qiao Yingna sounded more confident now. “After the second round, fifty people were chosen. This month is all about training, and at the end of September we’ll be on stage for the Southwest finals. It’s essentially a concert with tens of thousands of tickets sold. The top ten go to Pingjing for the national finals—nearly a hundred contestants from eight regions across the country. That could stretch the show for two or three months, with the final champion decided around year’s end. Didn’t Sister Mai tell you all this?”

Bai Haonan, brushing his teeth and leaning in the bathroom doorway, smiled. “She never talked about any of that with me. I just gave her what she wanted. But even if you make it to Pingjing, it’s all backstage dealings, isn’t it?”

Qiao Yingna frowned. “Is it really as dirty as you say?”

Bai Haonan gestured with his toothbrush. “When I was twelve, I took part in the national ‘Soccer Star of Tomorrow’—a whole load of nonsense. Back then, fifty thousand got you in. Now it’s two hundred thousand.”

Qiao Yingna hesitated. “Things are changing, aren’t they? I know you used to have to give red envelopes for surgeries, but that’s changing now. At least Sister Mai’s program doesn’t seem so...”

Bai Haonan scoffed. “Like I said, the higher-ups don’t care about cash anymore. You have to give them what they want. Wang Fu’an isn’t interested in a few thousand yuan. Giving tens of thousands isn’t realistic. In the end, it’s all just a transaction. That team—it’s full of football fans. If the investment of interest is enough, they’ll make the exchange. It’s really simple. I can handle Sister Mai. Any other judges who so much as hint at wanting something, just tell me—I’ll arrange it. Chickens, ducks, whatever they want, satisfaction guaranteed!”

Qiao Yingna looked deeply at the man with his mouth full of toothpaste. “You’d really introduce those women to them? The nurses, at least, are in a proper profession. They’re just seeking a little excitement, not selling themselves. That’s a different matter.”

Bai Haonan gave a sly smile. “I have my own arrangements.”

Qiao Yingna was shocked. “You actually arranged that?”

The man, still brushing his teeth, kept her guessing. “When I was down and out, you lent me a hand. I naturally have to repay you—and not just in bed. Speaking of which, you really should get your teeth fixed. Make them a bit whiter.”

Qiao Yingna was left speechless. “You... you...” She clapped her hand over her mouth, not sure if she was hiding her teeth or stifling her emotions.

Who would have guessed that Bai Haonan, wiping his face and still half-naked, would come out and try to pull her into his arms. “Don’t you ever feel the urge to have a go with me at times like this?” His shameless, self-assured grin was almost charming, beads of water running down his face only adding to the effect. He even used his hips to tease her.

Such brazen lewdness snapped Qiao Yingna back to reality. She struggled free with difficulty. “Get lost! You’re just trying to trick me into bed again!” Fearing he might force himself on her, she darted into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Outside, Bai Haonan laughed triumphantly. “You almost fell for it, didn’t you? Isn’t your Uncle Bai amazing?”

Leaning against the door, the senior girl took deep breaths, feeling she had to steel herself all over again.

This man was truly outrageous—always flirting at the slightest opportunity.

And what was worse, his flirting always managed to reach her heart.