“Hey! Ziff, calm down! It was an accident—Panya just forgot herself for a moment,” Golf said, backing away from me several steps, desperate to explain.

    “Is that so?” Ziff replied tersely, fixing me with an intense stare.

    “Golf,” he said, calling his friend but keeping his eyes on me.

    “Yeah?”

    “What color is Panya’s bra?”

    “Pink. Uh, no! I mean—it's not what you think.”

    “You’re a dead man, Golf. Got any last words!?”

    Everyone could probably guess what happened next: Ziff lunged at Golf. Several people tried to hold Ziff back, but it was no use—he was too strong for anyone to restrain him.

    I watched the chaos for a moment before regaining my composure and rushing in to separate them, only for Ziff to nearly elbow me in the face. Realizing it was me, he pushed me out of the way instead,

    and I stumbled forward, nearly landing face-first. Thankfully, one of the other guys caught my arm, but it ended up looking like he was hugging me.

    “Oy, Ek, you planning to waltz with Panya!” Ziff yelled.

    This guy’s completely insane. I gasped, feeling my energy drain as I faced Ziff’s murderous glare.

    Ek, meanwhile, leapt back a distance away, as if I were infected with incurable disease.

    Since there were not many other research groups in the hall yet, only Ziff’s team and another group off in a corner, who were sleeping, no one else was there to break up the commotion.

    “Ziff, get a grip, man!”

    Ek yelled, but the noise did not reach the other group of students sleeping in the far corner.

    What was up with the Engineering Department...

    “Ziff, could you not act crazy!?”

    The rest of Ziff’s team tried to stop him as he kept charging at Golf, looking ready to tear him apart like an angry elephant.

    Worried the situation would only escalate, I decided to use my last resort—my dad’s foolproof strategy.

    “Ziff, stop it!” I yelled, launching myself at his leg and hugging it tightly.

    I was using the same trick that had worked the last time I had to get Ziff to take me back into the research group. Yes, the classic hugging the leg move.

    At first, Ziff did not even seem to notice me dangling from his leg, probably just feeling the weight dragging him down. Finally, he glanced down, yelling at me once again.

    For the hundredth time, probably.

    “Panya. What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

    He said this while still swinging wildly at his friend, the scuffle continuing chaotically.

    “I’ve got you, so knock it off, Ziff—ow. You’re stepping on my leg.” I complained as Ziff stepped on my knee.

    “Ugh! Damn it. Let go. I said let go, Panya.”

    “No! Not until you let go of Golf. I said let him go.”

    “Do you have a death wish, Panya?”

    “Ziff, my stomach hurts! Ow, you’re stepping on me again…”

    And so, Ziff’s rampage finally came to an end after nearly five minutes of wrestling.

    I swear, this guy could not be a human. Trust me on that...

    “Ridiculous!”

    I had heard Ziff mutter that word about thirty times by now.

    Seriously, I counted. He had been so forceful with Golf that he had yanked the collar of his shirt hard enough to tear its’ sturdy stitching, popping every button off the buttonhole in the process.

    Golf’s neck was red from where the shirt had scraped him, and he had slunk off somewhere to nurse his wounds, probably in tears.

    So now it was just me, Ziff the Barbarian, and the rest of the team. My own shirt was missing a couple of buttons, smeared with blood

    —all thanks to Ziff, of course.

    Ziff kept cursing under his breath, glaring at me like he was ready to tear me apart, though his fingers were surprisingly gentle as he applied a cooling gel to my bruises. He was clearly agitated, not knowing what else to do, at the sight of his fingerprints still red on my skin.

    Honestly, I had no idea who had grabbed or pulled me; everything had been such a blur. All I had done was hug Ziff’s leg for dear life, getting dragged around wherever he went.

    “Does it hurt? Serves you right.”

    He might had said it was my fault, but he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

    Our friends just sighed and shook their heads at his demeanor, dodging Ziff’s murderous glares.

    Meanwhile, his hands continued applying gel, careful and soft, as he occasionally looked up at me before resuming.

    Then, without warning, he reached for my skirt.

    Oh god, someone save me!

    “What do you think you’re doing!” I shrieked, punching him with both hands.

    “You just told me I stepped on your knee, didn’t you?” he replied casually, lifting the hem of my skirt without a second thought.

    Huff! I was going to faint. I had never met anyone as shameless and aggressive as him.

    Ziff glanced around at the others, and, understanding his silent command, they all nodded and walked out without a word.

    “Hey! Don’t leave me alone with him.” I wailed, clutching onto one of the guys' legs,

    using my usual tactics, begging him not to leave. Meanwhile, the dark aura of Ziff’s wrath loomed behind me.

    “If you keep hugging every guy’s leg you see, I swear... I’m getting you handcuffs so you can cling to my waist for forty-eight hours straight,”

    Ziff warned coldly. That threat made me let go instantly, head down and stomach churning as I caught his furious glare.

    “Come here, you little troublemaker…” Ziff growled, dragging me closer by my leg.

    And yes, just as you would expect, he lifted my skirt to apply the gel.

    My face flushed crimson as he gently dabbed the gel on my thigh. I pressed both hands down firmly on my skirt to keep it from riding up higher, though it did not do much good.

    “Why is your skin so delicate? Just the slightest touch and it bruises,” he murmured discontentedly, frowning.

    Excuse me, who was the one that caused this?

    Ziff did not look the least bit predatory this time. Every move seemed earnest, like he was honestly apologizing with each touch.

    Even though he looked calm, I could not bring myself to fully trust him.

    Just yesterday, after all, he had kissed me and held me all night.

    “Does anything else hurt? Let me check, oh great, your nose is bleeding again, Miss Plain Jane!”

    Everything finally returned to normal once Ziff’s friends returned from their excursion outside, looking perfectly refreshed.

    Meanwhile, I felt like Cinderella stuck in the kitchen, never able to please anyone. With everyone starting to glance at me strangely.

    They were whispering about me, smiling. I really wondered what they were all suggesting at. I had lost about a liter of blood, and Ziff had gone through an entire roll of tissues from my second wave of nosebleeds. My shirt was completely red by then, so Ziff ended up lending me his workshop coat.

    When I mentioned that it was hot and uncomfortable, his face instantly took on the fierce look of a demon king, silencing my complaints right away.

    "Button every last one," Ziff commanded in an even tone, and I flinched.

    Even my Papa Joshua bought me and my mom wear bikinis—who does he think he is, trying to dictate these pointless little rules?

    Tch! So what was my answer, you ask...

    “It’s hot…” I muttered weakly.

    At first, I had intended to tell him to mind his own business, but one look at his face made me back down.

    “Want me to set the AC to eighteen degrees?”

    “No! I’m freezing already.” I quickly objected, fastening the buttons with reluctant obedience.

    This guy has lost it! He was bossing me around, making threats, and leaving me with nothing but bruises. Once I finished buttoning up, he gave me a satisfied smile and went back to work, leaving me sulking alone. None of his friends dared come to my aid either—they had probably had enough with what happened to Golf and Ek.

    Where did this guy even come from?

    “I’m leaving early today. I have things to do,”

    Ziff announced before dragging me out of the research room.

    I was so fed up. Not only was I getting no work done, but I practically felt like I had turned into engineering student at this point, with people smiling, calling me by name, and greeting me wherever I went. What on earth was going on?

    “My legs feel like jelly,” I said with a big sigh.

    “No wonder, with all that blood loss. Are you sick or something? You could be running on empty by now,” he teased, casting an amused look my way.

    “Please, it’s nothing. I lose more blood than this when I get my period,” I muttered under my breath—only to realize what I had just said.

    Ziff quickly turned his head away, covering his mouth with his hand...

    Great. Another slip-up. What the heck I just said?

    I wanted to scream, but I forced myself to hold it in.

    You’re a complete mess, Panya!

    We walked in awkward silence to the parking lot by the engineering building, where Ziff said he had left something back at the department. After opening the car door and switching on the AC for me, he headed back inside. I sat in the front passenger seat, glancing around the luxury interior.

    I could not believe a college student like Ziff drove such a fancy car. His family had to be incredibly well-off.

    Seeing the motorcycle model I had given him on the dashboard, I could not help but smiled to myself.

    But my smile quickly turned to surprise when I noticed a beautiful young woman in a short skirt tapping on the window.

    “Get out...” she said, curling her finger at me to come out of the car.

    Confused and dazed, I got out, not entirely aware of what I was doing.

    If I remembered correctly, this gorgeous woman was the campus belle herself.

    “What do you want, Susie?”

    “Oh, so you know who I am?”

    She asked in a high-pitched voice, staring at me in disbelief.

    “Yeah, you’re the university belle.”

    Did she have some issue with me? I was sure I had never interacted with her personally.

    “What are you doing in Ziff’s car?” she asked sharply.

    Her heavily lined eyes pierced through me as if she wanted to see right into my soul.

    “I’m waiting for Ziff,” I replied truthfully, swallowing hard when I saw the sudden change on her beautiful face.

    Her previously calm expression darkened in an instant.

    “And why are you wearing his workshop coat!”

    She grabbed the collar of the coat right over where Ziff’s name was embroidered, yanking it with enough force to make me stumble uncontrollably forward to her.

    “Tell me, how did you get Ziff’s coat!” she barked, glaring at me furiously.

    “My shirt’s buttons came undone, and it was stained with blood, so he let me borrow it,” I said truthfully, taken aback by her anger.

    Her glare was so intense that my knees almost gave way. And with her aggression, I could not say much.

    I wanted to speak up, but her aggression left me paralyzed.

    “The buttons came undone. Did Ziff do that?” she asked, her voice quick and shocked.

    I nodded hesitantly.

    “What’s that supposed to mean? Blood? What blood? What are you trying to tell me?” Her shrill voice rose as she gripped my shoulders tightly, shaking me until my head bobbed up and down.

    Why did people keep torturing me like this? Ow, it hurt.

    “Blood, is just blood…” I stammered, unsure how to explain. Seeing her expression harden, I felt like I might cry.

    No one had ever yelled at me like this before, and I hated loud voices. They scared me.

    “Why are you crying? Just tell me what happened. What’s with the blood? Did Ziff hurt you!”

    “Hey!”

    Ziff’s voice cut through, and his tall frame stepped between us, blocking Susie.

    My heart was still pounding from fear, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

    Right, what on earth was going on?

    “What’s going on, Ziff? Why is she in your car, and why is your coat,” Susie turned her interrogation to him, much to my relief.

    Were they dating? I could not help but wonder. Looking at the two of them, they did make a striking pair.

    Unlike me, clumsy and scatterbrained, unable to hold a coherent conversation. Guys would definitely prefer a girl who was beautiful, smart, and sexy like Susie.

    But Ziff’s answer surprised me.

    “And why should I explain that to you?”

    He did not seem remotely concerned with the woman standing before him. In fact, he stood as a barrier between us, keeping her at arm’s length.

    “What’s... that supposed to mean? You didn’t answer my calls or respond to my texts—is this what it’s all about?” Susie’s voice trembled as she tried to push him aside to look at me.

    But Ziff did not budge, holding his ground as a solid shield.

    "I had some errands, and I’ve been busy picking up and dropping off this plain Jane here. I don’t have time to be with you."

    "Ziff…" Susie’s voice quivered as she called his name, her eyes welling up with tears.

    A moment later, she spun around and walked away, leaving us without another word. I heard Ziff sigh in irritation, and it made me wonder if he had been looking for a way to shake her off.

    “Sigh… Finally, took me long enough to figure that out,” he muttered before turning back to me.

    Wait, did he just say…

    “Why the sour face? Did she give you a hard time?” Ziff asked, leaning down to look at me. I averted my gaze, pretending to look elsewhere.

    “Pfft...” He chuckled, and I glanced up at him, annoyed.

    “What’s so funny?”

    “Nothing,” he replied quickly, his answer unconvincing as he opened the car door for me again.

    “Come on, it’s hot out. You don’t want another nosebleed, do you?”

    Susie’s expression was still fresh in my mind, and I had a nagging feeling that this was not the last I would hear of this.

    •

    After that, things seemed to get better between Ziff and me. Our communications started to make more sense… or so it seemed.

    As for Susie, I still did not understand the whole situation, but she did not come around again, so I did not worry about it.

    Everything was fine, no quarrel… until today. Ziff had no idea I was in the university’s swim club, and yet, here he was, out of nowhere. And, of course, my friend Paus, who was in the swim club with me, absolutely did not like Ziff.

    “So, you’re in the swim club?”

    Ziff asked in his usual flat tone, gesturing for me to come over after I put on my cover-up.

    Paus, already glaring at Ziff, tagged along to keep a close eye on him, much to my fright.

    "Uh-huh. What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to focus only on Ziff and avoid paying Paus too much attention.

    I knew that if I paid more attention to anyone else, Ziff’s temper would ignite.

    “Dropped off a report to a friend. I thought I saw you by the pool, so I came to check. Turns out it was you,”

    Ziff replied, scanning me from head to toe. The way he looked at me sent a strange, uncomfortable chill through my body.

    “Oh.” I gave him a weak smile, unsure of what to say.

    “Quit the club,”

    Ziff said abruptly, his careless words leaving me stunned, again.

“Hold on a second. I can’t stand this anymore. What exactly is going on between you and Panya? What gives you the right to boss her around like this?” Paus joined the argument. I slapped my forehead, exasperated.

    “And how exactly is it any of your business?” Ziff raised an eyebrow, looking at Paus with a challenging look.

    “Let’s all calm down. I was just about to go to your department with you anyway, Ziff. Let’s not make a scene.” I raised my hand, trying to defuse the tension as people were starting to look our way.

    Ziff was a brunt, a metrosexual like Paus could not fight him.

    “Don’t bother, get out of the way, plain Jane,” Ziff shoved my head away as he stepped forward to face Paus directly.

    “What do you want to do about it? If I win, I’m pulling her out of this swim club myself,” Ziff said, tone flat.

    “Oh yeah? I’m not much good at anything but rock-paper-scissors. Want to try that?” Paus shot back, raising an eyebrow with a taunt.

    This was bad. Ziff hated being challenged, what should I do?

    “Fine. What are the rules?” Ziff tilted his head, his eyes glinting as if he was ready to pounce.

    “Just regular rock-paper-scissors. With one twist: each round, the loser has to take off one piece of clothing. First one fully stripped loses!”

    Girls nearby squealed in excitement,

    but I wanted to scream out of frustration.

    “No way! What kind of ridiculous idea is this?” I protested, but it was as if they could not hear me at all.

    Paus put on an equal amount of clothing as Ziff, and then the two of them began their game.

    Paus, my so-called friend—the traitor. I knew all too well that he just wanted an excuse to see Ziff’s six-pack and… other things. Ugh.

    Time passed, and now Ziff was down to just his boxers.

    Oh. My. God... This was driving me crazy, and finally, Paus won, which meant Ziff had to take off his boxers too.

    “Nooo!” I yelled, horrified, as Ziff actually reached to slide his boxers off his hips.

    I rushed forward, hugging his waist tightly, pressing my face against his abs like a pervert, moaning like a cow about to be led to slaughter.

    “What the hell do you guys think you’re doing!”

“Panya, do you even realize where your face is right now? You crazy girl!”