Chapter 1 Mojito's Clearly Visible Collarbone
In early June, Jingjia was just entering summer, and the air was thick with sweltering heat. Sunlight filtered through the tender green leaves of the sycamore trees, creating patches of dappled light on the ground.
Kyoto University.
With the crisp and melodious sound of the school bell, the entire campus awakens from the summer afternoon.
Goodbye, Teacher Shen!
"See you next time, Teacher Shen!"
...
"Okay, see you next time."
The woman above the podium had skin as white as snow. Although she was smiling and saying goodbye to the students, her cool and aloof demeanor could not hide her temperament.
That kind of slightly cold temperament, like ice water melting on a snow-capped mountain.
Despite this, the students still liked Professor Shen very much, even calling her the "Ice Queen" of the history department. Some students from other departments even secretly came to audit her classes, just to see this legendary "Ice Queen".
Seeing that the last student in the classroom had left, Shen Cen took out her phone from her bag, and the first thing she saw was a message from her colleague from two minutes ago:
We've already gone over there. Just come over after class.
She sighed softly, her slender fingers tapping on the screen.
【good. 】
The teaching building was only a five-minute walk from the north gate, but she dragged it out for more than ten minutes. Along the way, she encountered many students who recognized her, and a few kind people came up to ask her if she was feeling unwell.
Shen Cen merely smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "I'm fine."
They continued moving forward at a snail's pace, and the moment they saw the school gate, Chen Cen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died, and his temples suddenly started pounding.
She was about to take out her phone to tell Chen Shili that she really couldn't come to "Siji" today. But before she could send the message, a video call came in.
"Junior Sister Cen, why haven't you left the school yet?" Chen Shili was so surprised to see that Shen Cen was still at school that she stared wide-eyed.
His legs don't seem as nimble as those white-haired old professors in the history department.
"Sister Shili, perhaps I should..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Shili interrupted him, saying, "Wait, wait, wait. Why did you refuse to come this morning when we mentioned that the location was Siji?"
She guessed that Shen Cen might not come to bars often or not like the bar environment, so she explained:
"Don't worry, this is a proper bar, and it's not noisy. The decor looks very stylish, and the waiters are all incredibly handsome. More importantly... hehe, it's a secret, I'll tell you when you get here."
secret?
If this had happened six months ago, Shen Cen would definitely have been captivated by her words.
But coincidentally, three months ago, her best friend Wen Jie used the same tactics to lure her into a state of panic, and what happened afterward far exceeded her expectations.
So now, whenever Si Ji is mentioned, she avoids it like the plague.
Seeing that Shen Cen on the other side of the screen had stopped, Chen Shili thought his internet connection had failed, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that Shen Cen's eyelashes were blinking slightly.
"If you don't say anything, I'll just call a car for you."
This method worked, and Shen Cen quickly refused: "No, I'll take a taxi myself and come right away."
Seeing this, Chen Shili finally smiled and said, "Okay, see you later."
-
Kyoto University is located in the city center, making transportation extremely convenient. The driver was also exceptionally efficient, taking less than five minutes from placing the order to the car stopping in front of Shen Cen. As soon as Shen Cen opened the car door, a blast of cold air hit her, and she got into the car with a look of utter despair.
"Master, the last four digits are 1102."
"Okay." The driver was a very outgoing guy. He glanced at Chen Cen out of the corner of his eye and then asked, "Miss, what year are you in college?"
Shen Cen smiled and said, "I am a teacher here."
The driver looked incredulous. He slowed down and turned around to examine Shen Cen closely. "Really? I thought all the professors at Peking University were old and inexperienced. I didn't expect there to be someone so young."
After saying that, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Young and promising, so young and promising!"
The driver's words were not an exaggeration. Kyoto University is one of the top 5 universities in China, a prestigious institution that countless students study late into the night to try and get into. Parents would say that their ancestors were incredibly lucky if their child could get into Kyoto University, let alone someone like Shen Cen, who went straight to his master's and doctoral degrees at Kyoto University and successfully stayed on as the university's youngest lecturer. He can certainly be described as "young and promising".
Shen Cen didn't try to be overly modest; he simply and frankly said "thank you" to the driver.
-
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of Siji.
Siji is located in the downtown business district of Jingjia, offering views of the city's iconic buildings. As it's positioned as a high-end bar, its clientele is primarily composed of men and women dressed in expensive attire.
This is a bar with an ancient Greek style, decorated in yellow and black tones. The statues and fireplaces on display seem to pull people back to that mysterious and romantic era, making them want to subconsciously escape the hustle and bustle of the city and return to their most primal humanity.
No matter how many times Shen Cen came here, she would always be deeply impressed by Jiang Shiyu's taste.
Stepping into the bar, the noise disappeared, leaving only the clinking of glasses and the hushed whispers of a few customers. On stage, a resident singer with a guitar was playing a song by an indie band.
"Here!" Chen Shili waved to Shen Cen as she entered.
Shen Cen turned around and waved gently.
She wore a pale yellow dress today, which made her skin look even whiter, and her low bun added a touch of languid charm. Although her movements were small, many people were still drawn to her, unable to resist stealing a glance at her.
She found an empty seat, ordered a glass of lemon wine with a low alcohol content, and looked around as she listened to everyone chatting casually.
After not seeing Jiang Shiyu for half a day, Shen Cen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that working at the bar is indeed busy.
Being busy is good.
At this moment, Chen Shili, who had been fiddling with his phone, turned off the screen, leaned close to Shen Cen's ear, and said mysteriously, "Do you know why I chose to have a gathering here today?"
Shen Cen knew the answer in her heart, but didn't say it aloud. She shook her head, "Why?"
“Because—” Chen Shili drawled, “I heard that the owner of this bar is extremely, extremely, extremely handsome!”
Shen Cen: "..."
Chen Shili was already used to Shen Cen's reaction. Before, whether she shared photos of handsome men or abs with her, she didn't seem interested. She would just glance at them and leave a "not bad" comment.
For a while, Chen Shili even wondered if there was something wrong with his aesthetic sense. After posting the photos to everyone, he found that only Shen Cen had such a calm reaction.
"Oh, I'm really not kidding you. My friend was drinking here last week and saw the owner. She told me he's the most handsome man she's ever seen, the kind who could be sent straight to the entertainment industry. I just had her send me a picture..."
As he spoke, Chen Shili opened the chat history, found the photo, and held it up in front of Shen Cen: "Take a look."
Shen Cen took the phone and saw a man in the center of the photo mixing drinks at a bar. He was wearing a black shirt, buttoned all the way up, and only half of his Adam's apple could be vaguely seen.
She exudes an air of asceticism yet remains undeniably sexy.
Although his features weren't clearly visible in the dim lighting of the bar, Shen Cen had to admit that sometimes handsomeness is just a feeling. Even though the man in the photo didn't fully show his face, anyone who saw the photo would immediately think—
handsome.
He's really handsome.
Shen Cen stared blankly at the screen until Chen Shili pulled the phone back.
"How about that? Now you believe me, right?"
Chen Shili keenly noticed that Shen Cen's reaction this time was somewhat different from before, but she changed the subject again, saying in a slightly exaggerated tone, "My friend didn't succeed in picking her up, he didn't even add her on WeChat! Do you know what that boss said? He actually said..."
She suddenly stopped, pointed behind Chen Cen, and asked, "Hey? Look, isn't that the boss?"
Shen Cen immediately turned around and saw a man walking down from the second floor.
The first thing she noticed was the man's long, slender legs. Slowly, like the curtain being drawn back before a stage performance, the man's face gradually became clear until she could see it completely.
The man had deep-set features, a high nose bridge, a mole on the tip of his nose, and wispy hair falling above his brow bone.
When the waiter called him "Boss Jiang," he simply nodded slightly in response.
Even though the two were some distance apart and the lighting in the bar was dim, the man still managed to catch Shen Cen's gaze. The instant their eyes met, Shen Cen's eyes seemed to be burned by something, and he hurriedly turned his head away.
As expected, what I feared most came to pass.
Meanwhile, Chen Shili's eyes were practically sparkling with pink hearts. She frantically shook Chen Cen's shoulders, exclaiming, "Ahhh, he's so handsome! Quick, quick, let's go chat him up!"
"Huh? No, thank you." Shen Cen refused without even thinking. "You go ahead."
Chen Shili was now completely focused on this handsome boss, and didn't care whether Shen Cen wanted to go together or not, so he got up and walked over.
Although Shen Cen appeared indifferent, his gaze unconsciously followed her past.
Just then, Zhou Mingrui, who had been sitting to her right, asked her a few questions. So she changed her seat and, while answering Zhou Mingrui's questions, glanced at the bar out of the corner of her eye.
At the bar, the man was mixing drinks with his head down, while Chen Shili excitedly spoke and gestured.
Because Chen Shili had her back to him, Shen Cen couldn't judge whether it was successful from her expression.
The man never looked up.
Zhou Mingrui noticed Shen Cen's absent-mindedness. After asking two questions, he gave an awkward smile and didn't ask any more.
About two minutes later, Chen Shili returned dejectedly, pouting in dissatisfaction: "It failed."
Shen Cen blinked: "Didn't get their WeChat?"
Chen Shili: "Yeah. I was thinking that it might be too presumptuous to ask for his WeChat directly, so I was going to try to get closer to him first and ask if he could mix me a drink, but I didn't expect to be rejected."
Chen Shili counted on his fingers, "He didn't utter a single ten words the entire time."
After hearing Chen Shili's words, Shen Cen looked over again and saw two girls with big wavy hair walking up to chat with him, but they left in frustration after a couple of words.
Just then, the man who had been looking down while mixing drinks suddenly looked up again and met Shen Cen's gaze once more.
This time, before Shen Cen could dodge, she saw a smile suddenly appear on the man's lips.
There was a hint of something more to it in his smile.
"Xiao Cen, are you still listening to me?"
"Huh?" Shen Cen turned around, a hint of confusion in her clear eyes. "What did you just say?"
"I say, why don't you give it a try too?" Chen Shili pointed at the man. "I want to see if he'll also be heartless enough to reject you when he sees such a beautiful woman like you."
Fearing that Shen Cen might be unwilling, Chen Shili added, "Just think of it as helping me get a drink!"
Shen Cen knew that Jiang Shiyu had already seen her, and there was no way to avoid it today, so she might as well speak to him frankly to break the awkwardness. After thinking for a moment, she nodded: "Okay."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shili immediately pushed Shen Cen forward, shouting, "Go for it!"
She walked straight toward the bar, attracting a lot of attention along the way. Everyone watched with expressions of amusement, some even whispering among themselves, wondering if this woman, beautiful as a fairy, would be the first person they successfully flirted with that day.
Shen Cen clenched her fists. She suddenly felt a little nervous, and her initial 80% confidence level dropped to 60%.
When she got to Jiang Shiyu, she noticed that he was wearing the same black shirt as in the photo. The difference was that two buttons were undone, revealing his clearly visible collarbone.
The pleasant scent of cedarwood wafts into my nose.
She coughed twice to signal Jiang Shiyu.
However, the man still didn't look up, continuing to mix the cocktail in his hand that was almost finished.
Like an artist finishing a piece, it seems that nothing around him matters as much as this cocktail.
The words she had just prepared stuck in her throat, and Shen Cen couldn't say them for a moment. After awkwardly standing there for more than ten seconds, she thought again that she was the one who avoided him first, and Jiang Shiyu was probably very dissatisfied now, just waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.
Ignore them.
She turned to leave.
Just then, Jiang Shiyu suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked up.
The next second, the man's cold voice pierced my ear:
"Teacher Shen."
A note from the author:
----------------------
The story has begun! The story has begun! [Rabbit head with upright ears]
I consider this a very sweet and heartwarming story, and I hope it will bring you all a good reading experience!
Mine clearance:
1. Both characters are virgins, but the female lead has an ex-boyfriend, though they never had any physical relationship. If you're bothered by this, please don't read this.
2. Neither the male nor female lead is a perfect character. The female lead is somewhat conflicted about relationships due to her family background, but the male lead is the kind of lover you can't shake off; he will wholeheartedly love and heal her.
3. The male lead didn't only start pursuing the female lead after their reunion; he did a lot of things over the past ten years as well. [Rabbit head with upright ears]
My next book is "Misguided Heartbeat [Pseudo-Siblings]", please add it to your favorites~
★ Siblings with pseudo-bones | The superior's true love | Brothers vying for supremacy in a fierce battleground | Forbidden tug-of-war
★A seemingly refined but actually ruthless older brother in power x a seemingly tough but actually cowardly younger sister who's good at seduction
Qin Chengyan loathed his stepsister.
She relied on her stunning looks to act arrogantly and domineeringly.
She even started a relationship with her younger brother, Qin Yuzhou, who was also her nominal stepbrother.
He has always been intolerant of any imperfections, and he would never allow such a materialistic and superficial woman to seduce the Qin family.
In particular, her restless hand resting on Qin Yuzhou felt like a thorn, making him feel uncomfortable no matter what.
Qin Chengyan warned repeatedly, his eyes filled with a terrifyingly sinister glint as he looked at the woman.
"Stop using your low-class tricks to seduce Yu Zhou."
-
Lin Qinghe felt that her older brother was sick.
The illness is quite serious, it has reached a critical stage, and there is no cure.
She had only dealt with a few rich young men at the banquet out of politeness, but when she got home, he gave her a cold shoulder and scolded her, telling her to stop using her usual tricks.
Hey, she hates this kind of fame and fortune place the most. It was Qin Chengyan who insisted on bringing her here.
Fortunately, her second brother was gentle and caring, completely the opposite of her annoying eldest brother.
Ever since she learned that her older brother disliked seeing the two of them being intimate, she deliberately tried to annoy him in front of him.
So much so that she went too far and completely ignored the growing possessiveness and jealousy in Qin Chengyan's eyes.
-
Then one day...
Qin Chengyan pinned her against the wall in the study like a madman, his kisses nearly devouring her.
Outside the door, Qin Yuzhou was searching for her, calling her name, each call drawing ever closer.
"Qin Chengyan, you're a madman! Let me go!"
"What, are you afraid he'll find out?"
The man's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his shirt collar was covered in ambiguous kiss marks.
"When we were making love in bed until midnight last night, why didn't you seem scared?"
Qin, Early Period, Cheng Yan: Stop using those tricks on men.
Qin, late period, Cheng Yan: Come, use all those methods you have on me.
A reading guide:
*1V1, SC, he
*A blended family; the female lead is not related to her brothers by blood, they are never on the same household registration, and there are no intimate scenes between them before she reaches adulthood.
*The male lead is a gloomy, ghostly figure, while the second male lead is a sunny, ghostly figure; both are eccentric and not perfect characters. The plot is quite melodramatic, with some minor wallpaper-like moments later on.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
