"Ah, ah! Today is the opening ceremony of Changsha Temporary University. Principal Cai, Mr. Xiao, and Mr. Fu have all been invited to attend."
"oh."
"Do you know what this means? It means that all the nationally renowned academic luminaries will be gathered together."
"But what does this have to do with us?" The girl, who had been looking down at her book, finally looked up.
"No one's giving a lecture this morning." The girl jumped up and sat on the table, leaning closer and winking at the other person. "I'll show you around."
She opened the door and said, "Aunt Zhao, we're back."
Hello, Aunt Zhao.
The woman nodded with a smile, "Sir, the ladies are back."
"Why is Sesser Ashu back so early?"
The man who was wiping the brocade box in his hand called the two men forward.
"Brother, the boss has something to do today, so he gave us half a day off." Se Se said with a bright smile.
"In that case, a friend of mine in the business world has invited me to stay home and read. Here are two fountain pens that my friend gave me. You two will need them. Take them."
"Thank you..." Ashu was interrupted as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Brother, I just mentioned wanting a decent fountain pen and you bought it for me. You really are my brother." Jinse opened her arms and rushed forward, then... snatched the box away.
As soon as the man left, Jinse quickly pulled Ashu upstairs. "Phew, finally we're done dealing with him. Let's change our clothes quickly."
"Sese, you're definitely going to get scolded if you get caught wearing your cousin's clothes."
"What are you afraid of? I've been eyeing his room full of vain Western clothes for a while now. You have to admit, this outfit actually looks quite smart. You look good in Aunt Zhao's outfit too. Just pretend to be my female relative and follow behind me and Smith, understand?"
"Sigh..." Ashu could only sigh silently. At the same time, she was quite curious about the scholars from the north. She lowered her head, fiddling with her pen. She wondered how they differed from the professors at her school.
"What?! Women aren't allowed in?!" Sese realized she had spoken too loudly and instinctively covered her mouth guiltily.
"How about we forget about it? You and Mr. Smith go instead."
Sese turned her head and saw the vegetable deliveryman being stopped, and an idea came to her. "I've got it."
Ashu struggled to peel the radishes and squeezed out of the basket. Although she was a bit disheveled, the thought of meeting all the academic luminaries she admired made the trip worthwhile.
Ah, how do I get to the front door from the back door? Where are they?
Ashu timidly peeked out from the corner of the wall and saw several students passing by, so she quietly followed behind them.
Once outside the venue, Ashu tiptoed and peered inside. It was packed with people, some sitting, some standing, making it impossible to see anything. After searching for a while, she didn't see Jinse, but she did spot her cousin; apparently, he had also been invited. "Where is she? Where is Asse?"
Are you looking for someone?
"Yes, yes, I'm looking for myself..." Ashu froze completely 😐😦😮🤭 She stumbled and almost fell, swallowing back the exclamation that was about to come out.
The man chuckled, a brief, fleeting sound. When Ashu turned to look for him, he was gone, leaving only a cool, aloof figure standing before her.
Ashu suddenly felt a little regretful, because she thought those eyes in front of her must be very beautiful when they smiled. After all, they were quite special.
If I had to describe it, I could only think of the bright moon falling on spring water. Wave after wave, disrupting the flow of time.
"Ah, I...I..." Her mind raced. "I'm a maid in Mr. Lee Duan-jong's household. I'm waiting for him outside." She was really bad at lying, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
"Oh, Brother Li." The man nodded.
It turned out he knew my cousin; thankfully, I didn't suspect anything. I had just breathed a sigh of relief when I heard this.
"Then come inside with me. I'll take you to him."
😟This is bad. I looked up and caught a glimpse of the man's slightly pursed lips as he turned around. A hint of a smile.
Following behind him, Ashu began to analyze the situation. He spoke with a non-local accent, so he was probably from this school. Young and handsome, yet with a refined and elegant demeanor, his exact age was hard to discern. He was likely a student here; there was no need to be afraid of him. "Yes."
As Shu was muttering to herself with her head down, she suddenly bumped into the man who had turned around.
"Ah," she whispered. What's wrong? What's wrong? She stared blankly at the other person, her hand on her forehead.
The man frowned, staring at her with a rather serious expression. An aura of authority from an elder descended upon her.
What's going on? He has the same expression as when my cousin was scolding us. What is he trying to do by raising his hand?!
Without warning, he raised his hand high and struck at Ashu's head. Ashu immediately closed her eyes. She opened them. He was right in front of her. He held a radish leaf in front of her eyes twice.
He's smiling again! This time I see it clearly. Behind that deceptive smile, there's a cunning glint in his eyes.
A fox 🦊. Ashu suddenly realized. This man was definitely a fox spirit. The bright white moon he saw was just an illusion created by his own eyes.
Looking up at the bright moon, it's as if an old friend has returned.
It seems I've written too long... I originally planned to write a short story, ending in just two chapters. But then I suddenly wanted to flesh out the romance. 🤧 I've brought this trouble upon myself.