Chapter 4: Nervous? Or afraid of me?

My brain went blank for a second, and in an instant, the voices of the school leaders and classmates around me faded away.

Wen Yining stood there, stunned, staring blankly at him.

Perhaps it was her blank expression that amused him, because he tilted his head slightly, still looking at her, tapped his index finger lightly on the table, and suddenly smiled faintly at her.

Wen Yining felt as if she had been pricked by a needle. She quickly looked away, and when she came to her senses, she walked towards the group with a pale face and almost clumsy steps.

A senior alumnus donated money to his alma mater to show his support. What's he doing here?

Was it a coincidence, or intentional?

She recalled her name inexplicably appearing on the list, and the completely unsurprised look in his eyes when he looked at her earlier…

Wen Yining took a deep breath and squeezed her fingers so hard that her nails almost dug into her palms.

After the secretary helped the two of them over, she went back, her attitude naturally distant, as if she didn't know them.

Wen Yining's mind raced. People of their status cared most about their reputation and "handles," and he probably didn't want to show anything in front of so many people.

Thinking this, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, barely managing to keep her composure, and carefully served the tea in order.

In order, the senior students and the vice dean sat at the front, while "he" probably didn't want to attract attention and sat in a remote corner.

Just then, a school leader asked him about it.

Wen Yining heard him chuckle; his voice was deep and clear, and he spoke in a very low-key and humble manner.

"I'm just here to make up the numbers today. I'm in a lowly position, so please just call me Xiao Li."

Xiao Li...

Wen Yining recalled how the supervisor and manager treated Hall 9 as if it were a formidable enemy, how those famous people surrounded him, and the row of heavily guarded cars outside the door.

Xiao Li found this rather laughable.

The moment Wen Yining stood up, she casually turned to look at him, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and spoke to Professor Liu beside him, his demeanor relaxed and composed, his features handsome, giving off a gentle and refined impression.

He called himself "Xiao Li," but school leaders of that age have some experience in judging people, and even Chen Yu, who is over 50 and successful in his career, has never called him by his name directly, so they certainly couldn't call him "Xiao Li."

"Mr. Li's demeanor clearly indicates a promising young talent. May I ask where he works?"

"Just getting by, let's not talk about it."

Even if Wen Yining didn't want to, she soon arrived in front of him. From the moment she stood in front of him, his gaze fell on her face without any hesitation. It wasn't just a casual glance; he stared at her intently.

If someone were paying attention at that moment, they would definitely have noticed the strange atmosphere.

Afraid that his gaze would attract attention, Wen Yining lowered her eyes, kept a straight expression, held her breath, and bent down slightly to place the tea in front of him as quickly and steadily as possible.

Even though she tried to keep her distance, the two were only an arm's length apart, and she could clearly see out of the corner of her eye that he was looking at her.

Her skin felt hot, and she forced herself to suppress the urge to turn and look at him, trying her best to remain calm and composed, focusing intently on following each step.

The cup was placed on the table with a soft sound.

Wen Yining was about to withdraw her hand when she heard a deep, cold voice suddenly rang out beside her:

Wen Yining was startled, still bent over and not yet reacting.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Wen Yining's carefully maintained composure crumbled. As if by magic, the leaders sitting next to her all turned to look at them, and Lin, who was standing next to her, also turned her head in her peripheral vision.

Wen Yining almost dropped the cup. She suddenly looked up and stared at him warily and nervously, her hair standing on end like a cat with its fur standing on end.

But she discovered that he was staring at the nameplate on his chest and reading her name aloud.

Wen Yining's brain was racing, trying to guess his intentions, but she still couldn't figure it out.

The next moment, he looked up and met her eyes, seemingly pleased with her fear. He curled his lips into a smile, as if those seemingly gentle eyes held a deeper meaning that only the two of them could understand. "Why are you sweating so much? Are you nervous? Or afraid of me?"

Wen Yining felt her face turn pale instantly. Feeling the gazes around her, she took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm and natural, as if she couldn't understand his gaze. She spoke politely and formally, as if she were talking to a visitor she was meeting for the first time: "Mr. Li has an extraordinary aura. I'm nervous and scared. Please excuse my nervousness."

There was just a noticeable hoarseness in his voice.

He smiled but didn't press the matter further. He reached out and handed over a few tissues. His hand was beautiful, fair, with long, slender fingers. It was the hand that held a pen, and one could vaguely see the hand that had once stirred up storms and turned the world upside down.

Wen Yining took it and nodded her thanks, trying to appear calm and natural.

She gripped the tissue in her hand, and it instantly became damp. Casually glancing around, she saw her senior, Chen Yu, giving her a thoughtful look.

The simple task of serving tea turned into a long torture the moment I saw Mr. Li. After finally finishing, I could finally return to the tea room.

Wen Yining stood in front of the long table, gripping the kettle tightly. She took a deep breath, suppressing the anger that she couldn't show. Her pale profile was reflected in the glass, cool yet with a hint of stubbornness.

"Do you know Mr. Li, the one you were talking to just now?" Lin suddenly asked from behind.

Wen Yining's voice was stiff, "...I don't know him."

That makes sense.

Although that person was very low-key, his aura was undeniable; he was definitely not an ordinary person. Wen Yining's family background was very ordinary, so how could she possibly know someone from that social class?

This step of the task is temporarily completed; the two still need to go out.

The two came out of the tea room.

The seats were arranged in two rows. One row was occupied by senior student Chen Yu and several school leaders who were there to greet them, while the other row was occupied by the remaining school leaders and students. In the middle was a huge coffee table, on which were large bouquets of flowers and fruit.

Whether by coincidence or not, the person sitting opposite her in the remaining two empty seats was Mr. Li.

The school leaders were still reminiscing with Chen Yu, their words moving him to tears. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had just graduated, but in reality, he was older than Wen Yining when he graduated.

Wen Yining lowered her head, trying to minimize her presence, but even with her head down, she could still feel the gaze from the other side, which was faintly fixed on her face.

Mr. Li hardly spoke, but the school leaders and teachers kept trying to talk to him. He spoke very little, so it was impossible to tell whether he didn't want to talk to them or not, but every time he did speak, his tone and attitude were very polite, humble, and impeccable.

After that, when he tried to talk to him again, the secretary would subtly change the subject.

With a soft "clatter," the glass was placed lightly on the table, an inconspicuous sound in the room, but Chen Yu, who had been paying attention, immediately looked up, his heart skipping a beat.

After a moment, Chen Yu changed the subject, suddenly stood up and said with a smile that he wanted to go out and see his alma mater.

The school leaders had no reason to refuse, so everyone stood up together.

We can finally leave.

Wen Yining breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to put down the cup before standing up.

“Since Mr. Chen is reminiscing about his alma mater, we won’t disturb him any longer. We hope the leaders don’t mind.” Mr. Li smiled, his demeanor refined and handsome.

Several deans and professors quickly expressed that they didn't mind and wanted to leave a few people there to keep him company.

Wen Yining suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next second Chen Yu turned to look at her and casually said to her and the classmate next to her, "Then these two classmates can stay here and chat with Mr. Li. We older folks shouldn't get involved with young people."

A large group of people went out in a grand procession, and the door was closed. The once bustling room was now empty, with only a few people remaining. The huge room was so quiet that you could hear your own breathing.

Wen Yining's face was pale as she looked at the tightly closed door, outside which bodyguards stood guard dutifully.

No one spoke.

Mr. Li leisurely flipped through the school history book that was placed on the table as a decoration, seemingly very interested. The young man who looked like a secretary, who had once looked for Wen Yining outside the theater, sat next to him.

Wen Yining and another boy sat there awkwardly.

The room was quiet, with only the soft sound of him turning the pages.

"I remember Mr. Song Yuqing published an autobiography. As your former principal, your library should have that book, right? Could you please take my secretary to get it for me?" Mr. Li raised his eyes and looked at the male student with gentle politeness. He was unhurried and approachable, like a kind and refined teacher.

He wants to transfer Lin away!

A strong sense of crisis made Wen Yining stand up without thinking, "I'll go get it!"

He paused, and the school history was slammed onto the table with a soft thud. He looked up at her, giving her a playful smile, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

The air seemed to freeze, and Wen Yining's body instantly stiffened into a stick.

The male student, who had already stood up, stood frozen in his seat, looking at the strange atmosphere with unease and confusion.

The secretary gestured for him to enter, her tone gentle yet authoritative, "Please lead the way, student."

Wen Yining could only watch helplessly as the door closed again, the last ray of light disappeared, and she plunged completely into the ice cave.

This time, only the two of them were left in the room.

A note from the author: