Chapter 161 Modern Era: If we ever meet again, I'll take the initiative to speak up...

"Ah... Ah? Wake up, or you'll be late for class."

Bai was pulled from her long dream by her roommate Liu Yue's calls, one after another.

She responded groggily, and it took her a long time to open her sleepy eyes. For some reason, this sleep felt exceptionally long, as if she had spent hundreds of years in a dream.

With a "whoosh," the bed curtains were pulled open, and Liu Yue's big head popped out onto her pillow. She patted her face with her still-damp hands. "Hey, hey, hey, don't sleep! There are only twelve minutes left. You'll be late for class. If you don't get up, your sister won't wait for you."

"Hey, stop touching me, take your stinky hands off me." Bai slapped her hand away in disgust and sat up.

The blanket slipped off as she got up, revealing her bright yellow SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas.

When Liu Yue saw her wearing children's pajamas, she couldn't help but complain, "I'm not trying to be mean, but you're already twenty years old, how can you dress like that?"

"This was picked by my mom, what do you know?" Bai Ye's voice came from the bathroom.

The cool water splashed on her face, dispelling some of her sleepiness. She looked up at herself in the glasses; her hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under her eyes, making her look somewhat tired.

Bai grabbed a handful of hair and tied it up casually at the back of her head. She quickly changed into a simple white T-shirt and jeans, grabbed her backpack, and rushed out of the dormitory with Liu Yue, who was waiting beside her.

The morning breeze in October already carried a slight chill, and when it blew in, it invigorated the early-rising students.

Bai glanced around. The students were walking hurriedly in twos and threes, their expressions full of excitement, which seemed rather unusual.

"What's going on today? Are any celebrities coming? Why does it feel so lively?"

Liu Yue glanced at her and said, "Didn't the campus network go viral a couple of days ago? That outstanding alumnus donated a building to our college and is coming back today to give a lecture. Everyone is rushing to grab a spot so they can catch a glimpse of him."

Bai slapped her forehead, then suddenly remembered that there seemed to be such a thing. Some people in the class group had also discussed it, but she had been busy with part-time work recently and had only glanced at it quickly without looking at it carefully.

The two showed little interest in the lecture and stopped paying attention, running all the way into the teaching building, luckily not being late.

After choosing seats in the back row, Liu Yue took two croissants out of her bag and handed one to Bai Ye. The two of them lowered their heads like thieves and quickly finished their breakfast.

The professional courses were difficult and obscure. After finally getting through a long lecture, Bai felt his head was throbbing. He and Liu Yue helped each other out of the classroom, like two prisoners who had just been released from prison.

"One long lecture has completely drained my energy, and I'm still a bit hungry. Shall we go get breakfast?" Liu Yue asked, tilting her head.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, I'm hungry too."

Bai responded and walked towards the cafeteria with Liu Yue. Ahead, a large crowd of students lined both sides of the road, holding up their phones and eagerly waiting.

"This is like a fan meeting," Liu Yue muttered to herself, then pulled aside a girl and asked, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"

"We're waiting for President Zhong. She'll be here soon," the female student replied, suppressing her excitement. Before she could finish her sentence, the crowd suddenly stirred.

A black Maybach slowly drove up, its sleek body gleaming with a matte sheen in the autumn sunlight, as smooth as black satin.

Just as the car was passing in front of them, a girl who had been squeezed into the middle of the road accidentally fell, forcing the car to stop.

The driver's side door opened, and a tall, stern-faced woman in a black suit stepped out. She quickly walked over to the female classmate, helped her up, and asked with concern, "Are you alright, classmate?"

The student who fell was very nervous, his cheeks flushed, and he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I just accidentally lost my balance. I'm really sorry, I didn't try to scam you."

"Okay, it's good that you're alright. If anything happens, be sure to go to the hospital for a checkup." The driver gave her a business card, handed her a business card, and turned to walk back.

Before she even reached the car, the back door opened.

In an instant, the autumn light and shadow seemed to focus on this one spot.

All eyes were on the woman getting off the bus. Her pearl-white silk shirt fluttered in the wind, the cuffs rolled up halfway, revealing a vintage Patek Philippe watch on her wrist. Apart from that, she wore no other adornments.

Her waist-length hair cascaded down like seaweed, and her well-tailored wide-leg trousers swayed gently with her steps.

Gasps rose and fell from the crowd, but the legendary CEO Zhong seemed to be used to being watched, and his expression did not change much.

She said to the approaching driver, "Xiao Zhang, there are too many students now, it's not safe to drive. I'll walk."

"Okay, Ms. Zhong." Xiao Zhang replied, and four tall women in black suits got out of the car behind the Maybach and quickly followed Ms. Zhong, protecting her.

Amidst the gasps and exclamations, Ms. Zhong, who was in the center of the crowd, suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward Bai Ye's location.

A pair of clear, cold eyes met Bai Ye's gaze directly.

Bai couldn't describe what kind of eyes they were. They were like a calm lake reflecting the starlight, or like the first snow of winter, clear and cold yet pure.

Just that one glance made Bai Ye's heart skip a beat.

Their eyes met for only a brief moment before she looked away and, accompanied by four bodyguards, calmly walked towards the auditorium.

Wherever it passed, the crowd automatically parted to make way.

Even after that figure disappeared from sight, Bai remained standing there in a daze.

"My God... Ah Ye, did you see that?" Liu Yue grabbed Bai Ye's arm, her voice trembling with excitement. "That's President Zhong from Sanqing Group? Her beauty is unreal! What kind of top-tier rich, beautiful, and successful woman is she?"

"Do you think she was looking at me just now? What if she's blind and falls for me, then throws a billion dollars in my face and says, 'Woman, you can quit school and come home with me to serve me'?"

Liu Yue rambled on and on, but Bai Ye completely ignored her. She nudged Bai Ye's arm and said, "Hey, hey, snap out of it."

Bai Ye then came to her senses, clutching her wildly beating heart. She realized she couldn't stay up late anymore, or she'd have a heart attack. She was already feeling unwell.

The surrounding discussion continued; all the students were stunned by Zhong Jiuli's beauty. To paraphrase them, it was like saying, "Even when editing photos, you wouldn't dare to look like this, yet someone actually looks like this."

"How about we skip breakfast and join in the fun?" Liu Yue suggested.

"Okay." Bai followed his heart and walked towards the auditorium with Liu Yue.

......

The auditorium was already packed with people, and it took the two of them quite a bit of effort to squeeze in.

Bai also squeezed into the venue, his eyes unconsciously searching through the crowd.

There was no need to search at all; that figure radiated light. Wherever she stood, that was the center of attention, with school leaders surrounding her like stars around the moon.

A perfectly timed smile played on her lips, polite yet subtly aloof.

Bai stared at that figure in a daze, not even hearing Liu Yue call out to him several times.

"Wake up," Liu Yue teased. "You actually dare to swoon over someone like that? Jokes are fine, but even if we're dreaming, let's be realistic, okay?"

Bai glared at Liu Yue, who was making a lot of noise: "You're talking a lot today."

"It's all because I'm worried about you." Liu Yue smiled and led her forward. "This spot has a great view, so you can see everything you want."

They stood amidst the noisy student crowd, like two inconspicuous specks of dust, while the person in the distance was as dazzling as the sun, every movement drawing the attention of the entire audience.

Bai had to admit that Liu Yue was right. Ordinary students like them wouldn't even dare to dream of being as close to the bright moon as they were.

She didn't know why, but the moment she saw this woman, she felt completely captivated and couldn't take her eyes off her. It was as if she was born to be attracted to her.

The speech on stage ended quickly, and Mr. Zhong left surrounded by several school leaders. The students in the auditorium also dispersed one after another.

Hungry, Bai and Liu finally managed to escape from the crowd and headed straight for the cafeteria.

After the meal, as they walked out of the cafeteria, Bai saw that figure again.

However, this time it was just a receding figure that quickly disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path.

A vague sense of melancholy welled up in Bai's heart. Perhaps this was the last time they would see each other? He should have been bolder and mustered the courage to go up and strike up a conversation.

"If we can meet again, I will take the initiative to speak up." She silently made this seemingly impossible vow in her heart.

To her surprise, the opportunity came even faster than she had imagined.

......

After dark, Bai arrived at the bar where she worked as usual. After changing into her uniform and washing a few glasses behind the bar, she finally had a chance to take a break after working for several hours. Just as she looked up, she saw the same figure from earlier that day walking into the bar surrounded by a group of people.

Unlike her cool and intellectual attire during the day, tonight she wore a dark red dress. The red was so deep it was almost inky, and only when the light swept across it did it shimmer with tiny starlight, as if the entire starry sky had been inlaid into the fabric.

What was even more striking than her long dress was her expanse of snow-white skin; her beautiful back shone even more brightly against the backdrop of the red dress.

Bai Ye's gaze lingered involuntarily on that expanse of white until the other person seemed to notice and turned to look at him.

Those eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the dim light, sweeping lightly across the room as if they couldn't pinpoint the source of the peeping gaze.

She didn't recognize Bai Ye, only glanced at the staff behind the bar who were pretending to be ostriches with their heads down, and then turned back to continue chatting and laughing with her friends.

Only after that gaze completely shifted away did Bai dare to secretly raise her eyes, looking at the slender figure with her back to her, and couldn't help but despise her own cowardice in her heart.

"What a loser... Who was it during the day who swore that if they saw each other again, they would definitely go up and talk to her? And you just hide when she gives you a look? What are you hiding for? Does she think she can eat you?"

After some self-reflection, Bai felt at ease forgiving his cowardice and threw himself back into his work, focusing on mixing drinks for the customers and no longer daring to look at that corner.

When it was time to leave work, Bai finished handing over to his colleagues, changed back into his regular clothes, and pushed open the locker room door, only to be unexpectedly blocked from entering.

"Are you a student at Jiang University?"

The voice was no longer as clear and cold as it had been during the day; perhaps it was tinged with alcohol, carrying a languid hoarseness that was particularly alluring under the dim light.