The wind blew through the corridor, and the monotonous sound of falling leaves rolling made the campus even quieter.
The girls' skirts fluttered slightly in the wind, their sharp pleats seemingly overlapping for a fleeting moment.
Lu Shizhen could hardly believe what she was hearing.
She didn't know if it was because of this extra point, but Xu Shiyue's calm voice inexplicably took on a layer of ambiguity in her ears.
She said that if she wanted it, "it" was hers.
So, does this "it" have another meaning?
So if I want more, will she give it to me too?
Xu Shiyue only gave a sentence, but greed and delusion were nurtured by ambiguity and unexpectedness, and in just an instant, they filled Lu Shizhen's heart.
She held the heavy trophy in her hands, the crystal luster shimmering between her and Xu Shiyue. Even the wind seemed ethereal and unreal, and the intense vibrations from her waist felt like the irregular, erratic beating of her heart.
However, this tremor didn't seem to be just Lu Shizhen's hallucination. While she was still holding the trophy, unable to believe it, Xu Shiyue's calm voice came through: "Lu Shizhen, it seems you've received a phone call."
"ah?"
Lu Shizhen was brought back to her senses. She reached into her pocket and found that her phone was indeed vibrating incessantly.
Qiuqiu saw the newly updated bonus notification and was so excited that she kept scrolling it across her phone screen.
As soon as Lu Shizhen turned on her phone screen, she saw Qiuqiu covering its mouth in a terrified expression on the screen after hearing Xu Shiyue's prompt.
We almost got exposed!
Lu Shizhen's head suddenly throbbed, and she stared nervously at Qiuqiu, her reaction unusually quick.
As if settling a personal score, she flicked the small ball on the screen with her finger, making a casual swipe across the screen, and explained, "Ah, it's not a phone call, it's an alarm clock, the one I set."
Xu Shiyue glanced at Lu Shizhen's hand, seemingly unconvinced by her explanation, and gave a faint "Oh," before continuing, "Let's go."
The car arrived quickly, and the black Bentley stopped at the school gate while the two were talking.
Low-key, yet eye-catching.
As usual, Lu Shizhen watched Xu Shiyue get into the car before getting in herself and sitting down.
This time was different, though; the trophy Xu Shiyue gave her poked her hand.
The intense pain exploded in the girl's palm, but for Lu Shizhen, it was a different feeling altogether.
This trophy not only records Xu Shiyue's honor, but also her second 999 points.
As if hinting at something, Lu Shizhen gripped the trophy again and asked Xu Shiyue, "You really gave it to me?"
"Didn't you want it?" Xu Shiyue asked in return.
“But this is your first trophy,” Lu Shizhen reminded her again.
"So what?" Xu Shiyue asked, her voice seemingly hiding a hint of displeasure.
As if remembering something, she raised her eyes slightly to look at the hesitant person in front of her and asked, "You can accept Lu Shi'en, but not me?"
Lu Shizhen didn't know why Xu Shiyue mentioned Lu Shien, nor did she know why she suddenly asked that question.
Just thinking about the extra points she had just received, Lu Shizhen was afraid that Xu Shiyue would take them back because of this issue, so she quickly said, "No, no, how could I not accept them?"
Lu Shizhen denied it, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.
The sunlight moving along the side of the window flickered in Xu Shiyue's vision, and she raised her hand that had been hanging on her knee.
While still shaking her head, Xu Shiyue's slightly cool fingers brushed against the back of Lu Shizhen's hand.
A faint fragrance wafted over.
The suit jacket couldn't conceal Xu Shiyue's slender wrists; their jade-like, cold white color swept across Lu Shizhen's vision.
Whether holding it or moving it, Xu Shiyue casually yet carefully corrected her incorrect way of holding the trophy.
Lu Shizhen knew what Xu Shiyue was doing, but her finger joints were stubbornly tense and clenched.
It was truly a puzzling thing. Although she and Xu Shiyue had already had quite a few intimate encounters, for some reason, her heart was still pounding rapidly because of the warmth of his fingers.
The car may have flown past two blocks, or it may not have even passed the traffic light intersection, before Xu Shiyue finished correcting Lu Shizhen's movements.
She slowly withdrew her hand and said calmly, "Then keep it safe."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shizhen hurriedly pushed aside her chaotic thoughts and gave a crisp "Hey".
She thought today was absolutely wonderful.
Xu Shiyue not only gave me a beautiful trophy, but also gave me a lot of extra points. I wish every day could be like this.
Holding the trophy in her hands, Lu Shizhen's unrestrained fantasies made the corners of her mouth turn up especially high.
The carriage was quiet, and Xu Shiyue could hear the laughter hidden in Lu Shizhen's breath.
The sunlight clearly outlined the girl's silhouette reflected in the windowpane, and her withdrawn fingers gently caressed the shadows. No one noticed the slight upturn of another corner of her mouth in the carriage.
However, this upward trend did not last long.
As if sensing something, Xu Shiyue's gaze, which had been framing the girl's back, suddenly dimmed.
Once again, she couldn't control herself and became happy because of Lu Shizhen's happiness.
The early winter night already carried a sense of stillness, the clear night sky stretched across the branches hanging with withered leaves, and tremblingly held up the moon.
Lu Shizhen stood in front of Xu Shiyue's door carrying a simple canvas bag. As agreed, she would come every night to apply eye drops to Xu Shiyue after the band returned from the competition.
The bag in Lu Shizhen's hand looked rather heavy, as if it contained something else besides medicine.
The moonlight couldn't penetrate the sturdy bag, only casting the girl's shadow on the door: "Knock knock."
Lu Shizhen knocked on Xu Shiyue's door a little nervously, and then opened the door as she usually did during tutoring sessions.
To her surprise, Xu Shiyue seemed to be on a voice call with someone. As soon as she opened the door, she heard a voice say, "Let's call it a day then."
This person's voice was usually calmer, with a polite tone that was formal and distant.
Lu Shizhen stopped at the doorway and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were on the phone... I didn't mean to barge in."
"It's okay. I didn't tell you beforehand." Xu Shiyue shook her head and took off her earphones.
Her slender fingers brushed aside a few strands of long hair, creating a striking contrast between her jet-black and fair skin in the light.
Whether it was the influence of Xu Shiyue's voice just now or not, the composure she exuded at this moment automatically brought to mind Xu Shiyue's image in the later part of the story.
Lu Shizhen knew that Xu Shiyue had already started practicing with Lu Shize, so she casually asked, "Is it your brother?"
“No,” Xu Shiyue denied Lu Shizhen, “He is Shen Yanxing’s father.”
Suddenly, it felt like something was stuck in my chest, unable to go up or down.
Lu Shizhen knew clearly that she wasn't sick, but she felt that this discomfort was even more annoying than being sick.
Xu Shiyue's answer was clearly unexpected by Lu Shizhen, yet it did indeed fit the original setting.
The development prescribed by the main god and the system has not deviated from the track; it is Lu Shizhen herself who has forgotten.
It's forgotten that in the original story, Xu Shiyue only managed to subdue Xu Shouxian and retrieve her belongings by cooperating with the Shen family.
They also "forgot" the strong-willed love story between Xu Shiyue and Shen Yanxing, who fought side by side.
As the real world gradually unfolded in accordance with the original plot, Lu Shizhen was no longer as excited as she had been in the original world.
She looked at Xu Shiyue, who had just mentioned Shen Yanxing's name to her, and gave a faint "Oh".
I didn't have any particular emotion.
But it was full of emotions.
Xu Shiyue glanced at the blurry figure in her line of sight, casually put down the earphones in her hand, and said, "We are just cooperating."
Xu Shiyue's voice was calm and even, as if she were recounting a trivial matter.
Lu Shizhen, who had just lowered her gaze, suddenly looked up, full of surprise.
Is Xu Shiyue trying to explain herself?
Before Lu Shizhen could react, Xu Shiyue continued, "I've discussed it with Mr. Lu. After this incident, the Xu family already knows about my relationship with you. There's a crucial project now, and if I want to get involved, I can't rely on Mr. Lu anymore. I need to find a partner as a safeguard for me."
“The Shen family used to work with my family, but the cooperation has not been very pleasant recently, and they are about to withdraw. This is also an opportunity for them to withdraw from cooperating with Xu Shouxian.”
It was clearly a small matter, and she, as an outsider, had no need to know, yet Xu Shiyue still broke it down and explained it carefully.
Lu Shizhen was already surprised that Xu Shiyue was willing to explain this to her, but she never expected that she would explain it to her in this way.
The text made no mention of Shen Yanxing, as if she had been excluded from the discussion.
"I see." Although Lu Shizhen didn't quite understand what she was saying, she nodded nonetheless. Her voice, which had been full of emotion, was now only one: "How are your cooperation negotiations going?"
“A consensus has been basically reached,” Xu Shiyue said.
"Then congratulations." Lu Shizhen knew that the Shen family was the strongest support arranged for Xu Shiyue in the plot. With their appearance, Xu Shiyue was one step closer to getting back what belonged to her.
Whether it was because she was happy for Xu Shiyue or for some other reason, the tightness in Lu Shizhen's heart suddenly disappeared.
My heart felt calm and peaceful, as if it had never been there at all.
The plot is not hidden from Lu Shizhen at all, and Lu Shizhen's feelings cannot be concealed from Xu Shiyue either.
She listened to the man's voice, now full of life again. He first glanced at her, then lowered his eyelashes again: "Alright, it's getting late. Come and help me apply the medicine."
“Okay.” Lu Shizhen agreed readily and quickly walked up to Xu Shiyue.
The light cast that familiar shadow into Xu Shiyue's vision, and the scent of herbs slowly spread throughout the room, mingling with the fragrance of roses that had fallen on her shoulder.
She first felt a wisp of warm breath on the tip of her nose, and then that familiar dark green color covered her eyes.
The thin gauze could not block the temperature of the girl's fingertips. She could feel Lu Shizhen's carefulness, and she could also feel the warmth that the person was transmitting to her in the darkness.
The night wind pushed the monotonous tree shadows to sway in the moonlight, and the shadows reflected on the wall were infinitely close together.
As Xu Shiyue sensed Lu Shizhen's presence, an incredibly absurd idea popped into her usually calm mind.
She suddenly wanted to extend this second indefinitely, until the end of the world.
But before she could hold onto that thought for long, Lu Shizhen pulled her hand away: "Alright."
Xu Shiyue's eyes, shrouded in darkness, twitched slightly, as if she were waking from a deep dream.
She calmly collected her thoughts and said softly, "Thank you."
Lu Shizhen didn't notice the odd sound in Xu Shiyue's voice; she was preoccupied with something else.
The item she had put in her bag was taken out and carefully placed on the table next to Xu Shiyue: "You're welcome, this is for you."
Xu Shiyue was somewhat surprised to hear Lu Shizhen's words.
She can't see now, so she can only grope around with her hands.
The straight line flowed smoothly across her finger, ending with a sharp right angle, the four lines together resembling some kind of flat, square shape.
"What is this?" Xu Shiyue asked.
Lu Shizhen had given such gifts before, but for some reason, she felt her heart was beating exceptionally fast this time.
She simply wanted to repay Xu Shiyue for the great favor she had given her, and she had been preparing this gift for a long time.
It's nothing...
As Lu Shizhen thought this, she still scratched her nose awkwardly and mumbled, "You'll know when you open it yourself later. Congratulations on winning the award and on getting the qualification for admission to university."
After saying that, Lu Shizhen hurriedly packed the ointment and other items on the table into her empty canvas bag and turned to leave.
But as she reached the door, she seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped the car.
Lu Shizhen: "Oh, right."
Xu Shiyue paused her hand as she fumbled for the things in front of her, then looked up.
The person who had been leaning against the door frame steadied himself and, as he always had, said to her, "Goodnight, Xu Shiyue."
The unwrapped packaging made a soft rustling sound, and the blank book was brightly illuminated by the desk lamp.
Xu Shiyue's hand was already on the gift Lu Shizhen had given her, and a line of words was engraved on the uneven surface of her fingertips.
The Little Prince.
Each stroke, clumsy and awkward, was translated by this person himself.
Xu Shiyue felt that she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
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