On a winter afternoon, sunlight streamed through the frosty glass windows, casting cool, dappled patterns on the floor.

In the student council office, Yu Jiuyuan was looking down at the club budget sheet, the sound of her pen gliding across the paper was particularly clear.

Lin Yanran stood in front of the table, holding an event application in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

He was wearing a new black turtleneck sweater today, which accentuated the sharp lines of his neck, but couldn't hide his overall unease. "This...this application..."

"Just leave it here." Yu Jiuyuan didn't even look up, her tone indifferent. "I'll give you an answer this afternoon."

Lin Yanran didn't move, her Adam's apple bobbing twice: "My dad said... I should learn more from you how to handle things."

His voice was harsh, as if he were saying something he found difficult to say.

Yu Jiuyuan finally looked up, seeing him awkwardly turn his face away, his ears burning red, and suddenly laughed: "Want to learn?"

"Who...who wants to learn!" Lin Yanran immediately retorted, but couldn't help asking, "If you have time..."

“I’m free tonight.” Yu Jiuyuan closed the file. “Come to my villa, I’ll teach you.”

Lin Yanran suddenly looked up, her eyes shining brightly, then quickly dimming: "Going to your house? That's not a good idea..."

“What’s wrong with it?” Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow. “Or are you afraid of Rong Shenghan?”

"I'm not afraid of him at all!" Lin Yanran, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately raised her voice, "Fine, I'll go!"

Watching his almost hasty retreat, Yu Jiuyuan picked up the application, her fingertips tracing his flamboyant signature, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

To deal with a proud hedgehog, you have to use reverse psychology. Even if you care deeply, pretend to be indifferent – ​​it's really cute!

When I went to the lab to deliver some documents in the afternoon, Yuan Xu was squatting on the ground fiddling with the incubator.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, a speck of white powder on his nose, like a cat that had just stolen a bite of flour. "Jiuyuan!"

"What are you busy with?" Yu Jiuyuan walked over and casually wiped the powder off his nose. "Researching new bacterial strains again?"

"Hmm!" Yuan Xu proudly presented a petri dish, its mycelium intertwined in a heart shape, emitting a faint golden glow. "I hybridized 'Jiuyuan Powder' with another type of mycelium. Doesn't it look like a heart?"

The golden hearts in the petri dish shimmered under the light, their pure beauty melting one's heart.

Yu Jiuyuan took the petri dish and gently touched the glass wall with her fingertips: "It's beautiful. Yuan Xu is getting more and more amazing."

"Really?" Yuan Xu's eyes lit up like stars. "I want to make it into a necklace for you, the kind that sparkles when you wear it around your neck..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a cough coming from the doorway.

Rong Shenghan leaned against the door frame, holding a black coat in his hand, and smiled gently: "It's getting colder outside, so I brought you a coat."

His gaze fell on Yu Jiuyuan and Yuan Xu's intertwined hands, the warmth in his eyes waned slightly, but he still maintained a polite smile.

"Thank you." Yu Jiuyuan took the coat and casually draped it over her shoulders. "Yuan Xu just cultivated a new variety, isn't that amazing?"

She deliberately steered the conversation toward Yuan Xu, as if she were showing off her treasure.

As expected, Yuan Xu immediately forgot what she had just said and excitedly began to explain to Rong Shenghan, completely unaware of the undercurrents between the two.

Rong Shenghan listened patiently, nodding in agreement from time to time, but his gaze always lingered on Yu Jiuyuan's neck, where it was empty; the silver fox brooch he had given her was pinned to her schoolbag.

As they were leaving the lab, Rong Shenghan suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the stairwell.

His palm was burning hot, with an irresistible force: "Teach Lin Yanran tonight?"

"Hmm." Yu Jiuyuan looked up at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "What? Are you jealous?"

"No." Rong Shenghan lowered his head to kiss her, his tongue prying open her teeth with a hint of punishment. "Just reminding you, don't forget tonight..."

His voice was low and had an ambiguous magnetism, "We still have things to do."

The warm breath brushed past her ear, and Yu Jiuyuan's ears instantly turned red.

She remembered a few nights ago when he pinned her down in front of the bathroom mirror and kept asking, "Whose is it?" until she begged for mercy in a hoarse voice.

"You rascal." She glared at him reproachfully, but didn't push him away.

"I'm only a rogue to you." Rong Shenghan chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Wait for me tonight."

When I went to the student center to find Xie Zhecheng, he was setting up the projector.

A beam of white light shone on the wall, illuminating his cold, hard profile; even the shadows cast by his eyelashes exuded meticulous refinement. "You've arrived?"

"Yes, the budget form is signed." Yu Jiuyuan handed him the document, her gaze falling on the fountain pen beside him. It was the sandalwood fountain pen she had given him, the engravings on the cap gleaming from being rubbed.

Xie Zhecheng took the document, and the sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper as he signed it was exceptionally smooth.

"There's a classical music concert tonight, and I have an extra ticket," he said suddenly, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "Are you free?"

Yu Jiuyuan was somewhat surprised. Xie Zhecheng had never liked participating in these kinds of activities, let alone actively inviting people. "Tonight I need to teach Lin Yanran how to handle documents..."

"It's alright." Xie Zhecheng interrupted her, placing the tickets on the table. "The tickets are here. Go again when you have time."

His tone remained calm, but a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

Yu Jiuyuan picked up the ticket and traced the gold-embossed name of the concert hall with her fingertips: "Are you free the day after tomorrow? I'd like to invite you to another concert the day after tomorrow, which is supposedly a Bach concert that you like."

Xie Zhecheng looked up abruptly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes before turning into a gentle light: "Okay."

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