Chapter 19: Too Beautiful to Be a Mortal The young man’s voice seemed to carry…
Xu Ze seemed to be waiting for a call on his phone. Xiao Zhier's call was connected within one second of ringing.
"Teacher Xiao."
Xu Ze's voice rang in his ears. He seemed to always be so gentle and warm in front of Xiao Zhier. Even through the receiver, Xiao Zhier could hear the deep smile in Xu Ze's voice.
Along with Xu Ze's voice, a magpie flew over his head. Xiao Zhier subconsciously looked up and saw that the trees beside him were lush and green. The bird's shiny black feathers were swaying among the leaves. It tilted its head and pecked at the base of a leaf with its sharp long beak.
Xiao Zhier looked at the magpie struggling with the leaves with interest, and said with a low smile: "It's time to get off work. I'll wait for you at the school gate."
Xu Ze's voice was gentle, and he responded without hesitation: "Okay."
With Chi Yan's "help", Xiao Zhier was able to skip work legally for a rare time.
The sunlight was clear, the wind was gentle, and the chaotic chirping of birds passed by his ears. Xiao Zhier bathed in the warm light of autumn and squinted his eyes comfortably.
At this moment, there was a rustling sound above Xiao Zhier's head. He subconsciously took a step back and looked up to see a palm-sized green leaf floating down.
Xiao Zhier suddenly felt playful. He reached out and caught the falling leaf with his palm. His fingertips stroked the tender edge of the leaf and he squinted his eyes slightly to look at the magpie among the leaves.
The little fellow was staring at him blankly.
Xiao Zhier couldn't help laughing out loud. He pinched the leaf stalk and shook it towards the magpie. Seeing the bird's eyes fall on the leaf in his hand, Xiao Zhier put the leaf on the side of the road and took a few steps back.
Not long after, the magpie fell from the branch and approached the leaf step by step. It stared at Xiao Zhier for a long time, and when it saw that Xiao Zhier didn't move, it quickly lowered its head, picked up the leaf and ran away.
Xiao Zhier watched the bird's staggering figure disappear in the air, and laughed for a long time while holding his stomach.
It was still early, so Xiao Zhier simply strolled slowly towards the school gate. After every two steps, he took out his mobile phone to take a photo with great interest, as if he was discovering the beauty of the world on the first day.
A new coffee shop opened at the school gate. When Xiao Zhier was leaving the school gate, he received a message from Xu Ze, saying that it would take at least ten minutes for him to arrive.
Xiao Zhier blinked, sent a message to Xu Ze to inform him of his location, then turned and walked towards the coffee shop.
The store covers a large area, with dark wood veneers matched with black imitation stone decorations, which makes it particularly eye-catching on the street outside Shaocheng University, which is dominated by light and bright colors.
Xiao Zhier stood at the side of the coffee shop, quietly looking up at the high hanging wooden board.
The dark brown wooden board is half a finger thick, with irregular wavy edges. Countless flowers and plants are carved on it, a small part of which is painted. The rich and warm colors surround the huge French store name, giving off a vibrant feeling.
Bois Silencieux.
Quiet forest.
Xiao Zhier raised his eyebrows slightly. The person who came up with the name was quite interesting.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
The decoration style of the store also echoes the name of the store, with extremely strong vitality and wildness. The dark brown background is decorated with dark green broad-leaved plants. The large area of green plants makes the air in the store appear particularly fresh.
When Xiao Zhier has nothing to do, he would also grow some flowers and plants. At just a glance, he saw vases of six or seven kinds of plants, including eucalyptus, fiddle-leaf fig, and palm leaf. Various green plants filled the corners and tables of the cafe, making people feel like they were in nature.
The air conditioning in the store was set to a slightly low temperature. Xiao Zhier had been outside for a long time, and the moment he entered the door, he felt a chill. He shivered uncontrollably and rubbed his arms.
"welcome."
As the wind chimes rang at the door, the tall woman behind the counter looked up with a gentle smile on her lips.
Seeing Xiao Zhier's actions, she immediately reacted and gently called the smart housekeeper installed in the store to lower the temperature of the air conditioner. Then she curled her lips apologetically towards Xiao Zhier: "I'm sorry, I'm the only one in the store. I'm naturally afraid of heat, so I couldn't help but turn it down a little bit."
Xiao Zhier's eyebrows curved, and he shook his head gently: "It's just that I'm a little uncomfortable when I first came in, you don't have to feel sorry."
He glanced at the menu, ordered a cup of signature coffee and a small cake, then found a seat by the window and sat down, quietly waiting for Xu Ze to come find him.
The owner of the store was a very sensible person. When she saw Xiao Zhier wearing headphones and looking out the window from time to time, she knew that he probably had an appointment with someone. After bringing the coffee and cake, she quietly placed a blanket next to Xiao Zhier and returned to the counter.
I didn't talk to Xiao Zhier during the whole process.
Xiao Zhier tilted his head slightly, his eyes fell on the blanket beside him.
It was a brand new blanket with neat and tiny tassels hanging down the gray-blue edge and a dark blue and gray cross-checkered pattern in the center.
Xiao Zhier lifted it up slightly and saw a small cursive LOGO in the corner.
Escuchar el viento.
Ting Feng Yin is a niche brand from Spain. Xiao Zhier saw that Chi Yuze had a scarf of this brand. It was said that this was a strange brand that did not accept online orders and could only be purchased offline with membership.
The feature that goes hand in hand with the strange claims of this brand is its price.
Chi Yu even secretly complained to Xiao Zhier, saying that the price of this scarf was as much as his set of electronic equipment, and he didn't know what Chi Yuze was after.
This brand of blanket is not something that ordinary people can have.
Xiao Zhier blinked, looked around the store again, his eyes moving slightly.
Not only this blanket, but everything in this store, from table and chair furnishings to flower pot ornaments, as far as Xiao Zhier can confirm, is from a foreign niche fashion design brand.
Not only are they exquisite and beautiful, but each one is more expensive than the other.
Xiao Zhier took a sip of the coffee in the cup. Which young lady had he met who was out to experience life?
His eyes moved, and Xiao Zhier stared at a landscape painting hanging on the wall for a few seconds.
It was the painting "Arc Light" by the young painter Chen Hui that sold for a sky-high price half a year ago. Xiao Zhier suddenly realized.
He knew who the owner of this store was.
The eldest daughter of the Yuncheng Li family, Li Ruiqing, who returned from abroad two years ago.
Xiao Zhier couldn't help but turn around and look at the boss again.
Because of his uncle, he had also heard of the Li family, but Xiao Zhier clearly heard that Li Ruiqing had been staying in Yuncheng since she returned to China. When did she come to Shaocheng University to open a store?
Xiao Zhier was daydreaming when he heard the tinkling of wind chimes. He raised his eyes and met Xu Ze's smiling gaze.
Xiao Zhier calmly raised his hand and waved his fingertips at him, then took out his phone and scanned the code to order coffee for Xu Ze: "70% sugar?"
Xu Ze sat down opposite Xiao Zhier. He placed the small box on the table and blinked, "Full sugar, double milk. Thank you, Teacher Xiao."
Xiao Zhier glanced at him and said, "I didn't expect that Dr. Xu likes sweet food so much."
As he said this, he ordered the food according to Xu Ze's request. Then he looked over with a smile in his eyes. His long eyelashes trembled gently like the wings of a fluttering butterfly, and a warm light fell in Xiao Zhier's eyes.
Too beautiful to be a mortal.
Xu Ze's breathing paused. His fingers, which were placed on the table and just blocked by the small box, curled up for a moment. His trimmed and round nails gently scratched the palm of his hand. There was no pain, but instead a slight itch.
It was like a kitten's claws hooking into his skin.
Xu Ze's heart moved slightly, and his usually stable heartbeat suddenly became irregular for unknown reasons.
He coughed uncomfortably and subconsciously shifted his gaze to avoid Xiao Zhier's eyes: "According to scientific evidence, appropriate intake of sweets can stimulate the secretion of dopamine and bring a sense of pleasure... I will eat some occasionally."
Xiao Zhier raised his eyebrows slightly. He naturally noticed the stiffness hidden in Xu Ze's voice, but Xiao Zhier has always been understanding.
He uttered a sound softly from his nose, which was considered as a response to Xu Ze's explanation. His eyes stayed on the tip of Xu Ze's ear, which was slightly red, for a few seconds, and then fell on the small box that Xu Ze brought: "What is this?"
Xu Ze didn't know what he was thinking about. He paused for two seconds before coming back to his senses. After realizing Xiao Zhier's problem, the young man raised his hand and pressed his fingertips on the edge of the box, pushing it in front of Xiao Zhier.
Xu Ze responded to Xiao Zhier's slightly questioning gaze and smiled as if to ask for credit: "It's a small gift. Do you like it, Teacher Xiao?"
Xiao Zhier also raised his hand when he heard that. He pressed the lid of the box, looked up at Xu Ze and smiled: "It's a gift from Doctor Xu. I will like it no matter what it is."
His voice was gentle and soft, like a soft breeze blowing just the right way.
The record player in the store switched to a new song, and a female voice slowly began to play, humming a passionate French song.
The wind chimes hanging on the top of the window outside the store swayed gently in the wind, and the singing that echoed in the store seemed to replace the sound of the bells, ringing gently in the ears of the two customers by the window.
The pendant hanging under the bell tongue was a small fox. The fox squinted its smiling eyes and was blown around by the wind, just facing Xiao Zhier and Xu Ze.
Xiao Zhier blinked his sparkling peach blossom eyes, smiled softly and opened the lid of the box.
In the box is a small black jade pendant.
The so-called pen holder is a small stand used to temporarily place brushes when practicing calligraphy. The most common ones are finger-long mountain-shaped porcelain, wooden or stone objects. In modern society, pen holders made of jade are rare.
Xiao Zhier really didn't expect Xu Ze would give him such a thing. He took out the pen mountain with some surprise, and his white fingertips stroked the patterns carved by the craftsman on the warm black jade.
"Why did you think of giving me this?"
The pen mountain held in Xiao Zhier's palm was warm and smooth. The craftsman was ingenious and did not make this rare, high-quality black jade into an ordinary mountain shape. Instead, he playfully made it into a lazy, sleeping nine-tailed fox.
The nine long tails of the Fox Pen Mountain, which are used to hold pens, are either curled or bent, and the fur on the neck is carefully carved. The whole fox is lifelike and very cute.
Xiao Zhier couldn't help but secretly pinched the fox's tail.
Although Xu Ze felt a little embarrassed because of his previous distraction, he was still paying attention to Xiao Zhier. When he saw the movements of his hands, he knew that he had made the right choice in giving the gift.
His brows relaxed, with a smile on his lips: "Last time I rashly visited Grandpa Xiao's house, I was already impolite not to bring a gift. I have asked my father to pass on the gift for Grandpa Xiao, and I will naturally bring the gift for Teacher Xiao to you personally. This is my sincere gift, Teacher Xiao can't refuse it."
Although Xiao Zhier has been an orphan since childhood, his grandfather Xiao Hongchun and grandmother Ling Chunhua are both well-known old artists, and the Universal Group founded by his uncle Xiao Menghuan is even more famous.
He was also spoiled since he was a child and had used countless good things, so naturally he would not worry about the value of this pen mountain.
Xiao Zhier just smiled and said, "Since Doctor Xu said so, of course I will accept it. It's just a matter of reciprocity. I wonder what kind of return gift Doctor Xu would like?"
The young man's voice seemed to have a small hook, with the ending tone slightly rising, circling around Xu Ze's ears.
Xu Ze looked at the smile on Xiao Zhier's lips, his throat rolled slightly, and his eyes were filled with a suppressed and re-suppressed aggression.
"Anything?"
Xu Ze raised his eyes and stared into Xiao Zhier's eyes, with a hint in his voice that could not be ignored.
Xiao Zhier looked at him for a few seconds, but refused to respond as Xu Ze wished.
He leaned back: "That depends on Dr. Xu's sincerity."
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