Founded in the 1920s and 30s, Hilton Hotels has survived nearly a century of global upheavals and financial crises, so its decor is quite sophisticated. For example, this lobby features a very old-fashioned decor theme.
The high dome is painted in the form of a mural, with a magnificent mural depicting a classic Christian religious story. It looks like the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, as if it were designed by the master Michelangelo himself.
On the left is a huge sextant, a tool of navigation from the Age of Exploration, placed here by the hotel manager. Combined with the deep blue stained glass windows, it makes guests feel as if they have been transported to that era of turbulent waves, where sailors maneuvered the masts, staring at the giant waves between heaven and earth with a mixture of panic and composure.
On the right is a massive, continuously circulating hourglass, modeled after the Western hourglass invented by Alexander the Great in the third century. This type of tool also existed in ancient China, where it was called a "louke" (漏刻). Unlike the now-hidden "louke," this enormous hourglass is filled with flowing sand and is clearly still functioning.
Just as the sand in the hourglass was about to surface, the guests began to behave strangely.
The oak doors of this hall are antique and exquisite, said to have been salvaged from the old castle of a fallen European nobleman, supposedly a duke. From the day they were installed here, these long-standing aristocratic doors were merely decorative objects, used but not used. But today, those doors have been opened.
The girl who entered was bright-eyed and beautiful. She wore a pink tutu with a light-colored wool sweater over it. A bright ruby hung on her fair neck, and a small silver crown was pinned to her black hair. She gracefully pushed open the oak door that originated from an ancient European castle.
For a moment, everyone had the illusion that they were in a medieval European castle, where the noble Duke was holding a grand banquet. Just when the atmosphere was at its most enthusiastic, the Duke suddenly ordered the singing and dancing to stop, saying that he wanted to introduce his daughter. So the beautiful princess pushed open the side door of the hall and walked gracefully into everyone's sight.
Now, the dilapidated castle has regained its charm, and Her Highness the Princess has once again walked out from the side of the hall, pushing open the door that had been sealed for a hundred years, and we are her servants.
Duanmu Ci was the one who lost his composure the shortest, because he recognized the person at a glance—his student, Tang Luoluo.
Tang Luoluo was also momentarily stunned, because she didn't understand why so many people were suddenly staring at her so intently. Of course, she didn't know that the door she had casually opened was actually a precious work of art; she thought it was just an ordinary door.
Tang Luoluo glanced around the crowd, her gaze instantly locking onto Duanmu Ci's direction...
"Teacher Duanmu?" Tang Luoluo walked over. "Why are you here too?"
Feeling hurt by being blatantly ignored by his younger sister, Tang Ke began to assert his presence, saying, "Brother Duanmu is my friend, and naturally, he's also a guest I invited. It's not surprising that he's here."
Tang Luoluo nodded, acknowledging the explanation, and then grabbed Duanmu Ci's arm, saying, "Teacher, come with me for a moment."
Bu Tongxun, who had been quietly clinging to Duanmu Ci's arm as a decorative figurehead, suddenly became displeased. "I'm just standing here peacefully, why is someone trying to take my place?"
She grabbed Duanmu Ci and glared at Tang Luoluo, asking, "What are you going to do?"
Tang Luoluo ignored her and kept pulling Duanmu Ci away. This not only infuriated Bu Tongxun, but also made the onlookers unable to stand it anymore.
As the princess of the Tang family, Tang Luoluo was quite accomplished. She had long been the goddess secretly admired by the sons of the elite in Haishan. Now, seeing their goddess being intimate with a man, and that man having an equally outstanding female companion by his side, was truly intolerable!
The fathers of these scions of celebrities were also very unhappy. They weren't concerned about Tang Luoluo herself, but rather about her status. As the only princess of the Tang family, Tang Luoluo's favor within the family was self-evident. If they could get this daughter-in-law, the benefits to their families would be unimaginable.
Now their chosen daughter-in-law was being intimate with another man who had a female companion—how could they possibly tolerate this? They all glared at Tang Ke, as if to say, "This is your sister, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Tang Ke, who was being stared at, had no choice but to suffer in silence. How could he possibly control his younger sister? She had a much higher status than him at home. He was lucky if he didn't get the better of her, let alone have the confidence to manage her.
So Tang Ke could only ask helplessly, "Brother Duanmu is a distinguished guest invited by your brother, sister, please don't make a fuss."
Tang Luoluo raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't making a fuss."
"If you weren't making a scene, why were you pulling on your teacher, Duanmu?"
“I didn’t pull him, Grandpa was looking for him,” Tang Luoluo said matter-of-factly.
This reason was indeed perfectly reasonable. If the old master of the Tang family wanted to find someone, even the mayor of Haishan would have to give him face and let him go, let alone Tang Ke. So after hearing this, he not only ignored it, but also signaled Duanmu Ci to go with Tang Luoluo.
However, Bu Tongxun clearly did not accept this explanation because she viewed the matter from a different perspective.
Who invites someone in this kind of fussy, pulling-and-tugging manner? What's with that little girl clinging to her parents the moment she arrives? Shouldn't they be politely saying something like, "My grandfather would like to meet you, would you be available?"? Surely the Tang family's upbringing isn't so lacking in basic manners? Even if the Tang family's upbringing is truly lacking, there are still teachers at school…
Bu Tongxun was suddenly startled when she thought of this—could this girl be planning a forbidden love affair with Teacher Duanmu?
Upon closer inspection, this little girl really does possess the beauty of a goddess… ugh… the potential of a vixen. If she were to encounter someone with a weak will, she might just happily surrender, right? I've heard that lately, the atmosphere in China has been heavily influenced by Japan, the anime superpower, with more and more people having a thing for lolis…
Bu Tongxun originally had a lot of confidence in her master's self-control. For one thing, she was beautiful and had been by his side for so long, yet she hadn't fallen for him. What was this little girl compared to him? But ever since Duanmu Ci brought a drunken beauty home and even had her stay overnight, Bu Tongxun had begun to distrust her master…
Teacher-student romance...that sounds exciting...
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P: Thank you to readers [Zhuge Jiafei] and [Rotten Wood Shavings] for their generous donations!
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