Obsessed with This Sweet Love

After taking graduation photos, Saul Harvey was invited to a series of gatherings, one after another. By the time he returned to his apartment, it was already past two in the morning.

Lying in his single apartment, a mix of emotions overwhelmed him. Saul pulled out his phone and noticed that he had received over a hundred messages on WhatsApp at some point.

He clicked on his mother's profile picture, and she gleefully asked, "Saul, not bad! Am I going to be a grandmother soon?"

Saul was bewildered. He exited and clicked on his childhood friend's profile picture, "Buddy, not cool! When are you going to introduce your girlfriend to us?"

Saul realized something was amiss. He opened his social media feed and was greeted by a photo of Jane Francis smiling sweetly, snuggled close to him.

The caption read, "Happy Graduation, so glad to have you."

The photo had been posted on the social media at ten-thirty in the morning. That girl had posted it secretly while he wasn't paying attention.

1

On an ordinary Saturday afternoon, as the sun was setting, Jane strolled leisurely through the campus with her favorite teddy bear backpack.

Passing by the sports field, she habitually stopped, widening her eyes to search for handsome guys, all while munching on a bag of potato chips.

"Wow!" With a beautiful shot, the crowd cheered excitedly.

Suddenly blocked by the crowd, Jane had to stand on her tiptoes to see.

Her balance was poor, and she wobbled uncontrollably forward, "Ah." Jane closed her eyes in fear, hoping she wouldn't fall too hard.

But the anticipated pain didn't come. Instead, a pair of fair hands appeared around her waist, and she heard a boy's voice, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jane turned around awkwardly, seeing a clean and tidy black-gray wool coat with a faint minty scent.

She cautiously looked up and met a pair of piercing eyes.

The boy pursed his lips slightly and took a subtle step back, "Seems like you're fine. Be careful next time."

Jane was stunned, her gaze following the boy's hands as they fell.

Such beautiful hands! Long and fair fingers, with the winter sunset casting a warm glow.

Seeing she didn't respond, the boy turned to leave. Almost unconsciously, Jane bent down to grab his hand, flashing an innocent smile, "Um... Hey!"

Clearly, she needed something from him. Her round eyes half-closed, eyelashes fluttering as she tried to please, "Thank you..."

The boy looked somewhat puzzled at their clasped hands, raising an eyebrow to signal her to continue.

Jane was at a loss. If she admitted she was simply captivated by his hands, would he be angry?

She glanced around in a slight panic. And finally she found an excuse.

Under the boy's leisurely gaze, Jane held up her half-eaten bag of butter potato chips with a flattering smile, "Here, it's super delicious. Please have some."

"Ha-ha." The girl was soft-spoken yet earnest, making the boy chuckle.

He gently pulled his hand away, looking at the bag of potato chips offered to his mouth. On the surface of the potato chip, there were a few crumbs and a faint indentation, as if it had just been bitten into.

"Thanks, but no need." He turned and disappeared into the crowd with long strides.

"Eh?" The warmth suddenly gone from her hand, Jane pouted in dissatisfaction and bit into a potato chip.

She thought, "Humph... I'll definitely find you."

Jane was a prominent figure in the Journalism Department of the university. With a privileged background and a pretty, adorable face, she was extremely popular among everyone.

However, the girl wasn't spoiled at all. She was diligent and down-to-earth, excelling in her studies and making a name for herself in the student council.

Using her wide circle of connections, Jane quickly found out that the boy's name was Saul Harvey, a doctoral student in engineering.

Jane lay on her little bed, biting her finger as she hesitated for a moment before sending Saul a friend request.

It was her first time actively pursuing a boy. Ever since she sent the message, Jane had been restless.

Holding her phone, she tried watching her favorite drama series but couldn't focus.

The girl pouted, sitting cross-legged on her bed, frequently checking her WhatsApp.

Seeing no new messages, she lowered her head in disappointment, her fair fingertips brushing through her bangs as she sighed repeatedly.

A girl on the top bunk heard her and teased unkindly, "I never thought our Jane would have a day like this!"

Indeed... In the past, with so many outstanding boys around her, Jane only needed to shake her head to refuse them, never experiencing such anxiety.

"Oh, stop laughing at me."

Her roommate curiously leaned over the bed, "Are you really into him? Tell me, what attracts you to him? Is it his looks? His education? Or is it... Because he's older?" The girl teased with a mischievous grin.

"No." Jane buried her head. That day happened so suddenly, she only had time to notice those hands.

She suddenly remembered something and slapped her head, "Oh! Could I be a hand fetishist?"

"Ding dong." Just as Jane was questioning her sanity, her phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up and saw that Saul had accepted her request!

"Oh yeah!" Jane shouted in delight, hugging her pillow and rolling around several times.

2

In the quiet study room, Jane whispered as she approached, speaking softly into Saul's ear, "Saul, let me treat you to some coffee! It's just been made, you'll love it!"

Jane had just come in from outside, her cheeks flushed from the cold, paired with a sweet, flattering smile, making her look both pitiful and adorable.

Saul sighed, rubbing his forehead, and pulled out a chair for her.

Jane smiled and said, "Ha-ha, thanks, Saul! You're awesome!"

Jane was an outgoing girl. After getting Saul's contact information, she sent him messages every day without fail.

Initially, Saul had no idea who the girl was. Seeing the silly faces in the chat, he quickly typed a question mark.

"Who are you?"

Jane giggled on the other side of the screen, tilting her head, "Hello, Saul. I'm Jane Francis. Remember? You saved me outside the stadium last time."

"Oh." Saul replied nonchalantly.

Jane didn't care what his attitude was. She continued on her own, "Ha-ha. Saul, I want to treat you to a meal as a thank you!"

"No need."

"Oh, please... just this once! I really, really want to thank you." Jane pleaded, knowing he couldn't see her.

"I'm busy."

Clearly, Saul wasn't buying it, and their first conversation ended in failure.

But Jane wasn't one to give up easily. If one approach didn't work, she would try another. She followed him every day until she figured out Saul's routine.

Saul was indeed very busy. With only half a year left until graduation, he spent his days either eating or buried in the library, working on his tedious thesis.

People all said there was nothing more attractive than a man who was focused, and Jane wholeheartedly agreed.

Like now, Saul was frowning at the glowing computer screen, his hands poised over the keyboard, typing rapidly.

He wore glasses, which only made him look more focused.

Jane watched him, entranced, a straw in her mouth but not sipping.

She openly stared at him, the sweet aroma of bubble tea lingering in the air. Even with Saul's usual strong concentration, it was hard not to be distracted.

He paused, turning to face her directly, "Jane, I really have things to do. I can't play with you."

Jane responded innocently, spreading her hands, "I know. See, I'm being good. I'm not disturbing you."

Saul felt helpless. She really hadn't touched him, not even saying an extra word.

But did staring count as a disturbance?

Saul adjusted his glasses, his fingers resting on the golden frames, highlighting his distinct knuckles. "Jane, you should go. Once I'm done with this, I'll take you out to eat, okay?"

"Really? But I feel like you don't seem to like me." Jane was skeptical, pouting and looking at Saul with a pout, as if he were a heartless scoundrel.

Saul frowned, earnestly defending himself, "I don't dislike you."

"So you do like me! Can I touch your hand? Just for a little while, and then I'll leave, I promise." Jane was excited but didn't dare raise her voice. She leaned over and hugged his arm.

Without waiting for Saul's response, Jane eagerly took his hands and began to gently caress them.

Saul wasn't in the habit of using hand cream, so his skin was clean and smooth, not soft, but enough to make Jane's heart flutter.

She stroked them a few times, still not satisfied. Suddenly, she lowered her head, her delicate face nestled into his palm, giggling shyly.

Saul was unsettled. Jane's face was soft, like tender tofu, easily deformed with a squeeze. He should have pushed her away. Given their current relationship, this was quite inappropriate.

But for some reason, Saul didn't move. Instead, he slightly raised his arm to make her more comfortable.

After a while, Jane finally lifted her head and said to the blushing Saul. "Thank you, I'm leaving now!"

After months of hard work, the day of the graduation defense finally arrived. Saul stood outside the classroom, rubbing his stiff face, exhaling deeply before straightening up and walking in.

The graduation defense went surprisingly smoothly. The professors didn't miss any opportunity to critique, pointing out numerous flaws, while also subtly reminding the young doctoral candidate to be down-to-earth when doing things.

But it didn't matter. The final result was fine.

"Thank you, professors. I'll continue to work hard." Saul thanked them respectfully, relieved.

He gathered his things and walked briskly on the campus.

He had been at this university for ten years, from a naive young boy to a mature man, having experienced countless hardships and loneliness along the way.

No one was happy all the time.

"Saul! Hurry up!" Outside the school gate, a pretty girl waved at him.

Saul looked down and smiled. He was wrong. Right in front of him was a little girl, blissfully ignorant of life's struggles.

In the dark cinema, Saul sat with his long legs crossed, holding a large bucket of popcorn, watching the melodrama unfold on screen. It was quite boring.

"Saul, it's so touching. Graduation time, breakup time, it's so tragic!" Jane leaned in, grabbing a handful of popcorn, mumbling with her mouth full.

Saul remained indifferent.

Thanks to his rich research achievements during his studies, he had smoothly stayed on at the university as a mentor. So, for him, there was no such thing as a breakup time.

He patted the girl's dark hair, casually saying, "Not everyone is like that."

"Hmm?" The movie was too loud, and Jane didn't hear him clearly. She turned, suddenly very close to Saul.

The two of them stared at each other and were both stunned. Finally, Jane, quick-witted, grabbed a few pieces of popcorn and stuffed them into Saul's mouth, awkwardly laughing, "Try it, it's really sweet."

The popcorn was indeed sweet. Saul chewed it passively, agreeing with the girl for the first time.

In the darkness, he seriously observed Jane's profile.

Jane was in her early twenties, in the prime of her youth. Her fair skin and soft body were like a budding flower.

He wondered who would eventually own her.