A handsome junior came to our department.
In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the smooth floor of the economics department. Shen Yanzhi had just finished organizing some materials for Professor Yin Che and was about to slip back to his pile of books in the archaeology department when Professor Yin called him back with a smile.
"Yanzhi, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Yin Che pushed up his glasses and pointed to a young man standing quietly beside him. "Come here, let me introduce you to a junior student, Lu Zhian. He just got into the master's program this year, not full-time, but he's pretty good at economics. I'm busy lately, so could you help me mentor him and get him familiar with the environment?"
Shen Yanzhi looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes lit up. The young man in front of him was tall and slender, wearing a simple white shirt and trousers, with a clean and gentle temperament. He had medium-length hair, which was loosely tied at the back of his head, with a few strands falling in front of his forehead and cheeks, which made his eyebrows and eyes look softer and his skin fairer.
He looked at Shen Yanzhi, a perfectly polite smile curving his lips. "Hello, senior. I'm Lu Zhian. I'll be troubling you from now on." His voice, like his appearance, was gentle and pleasant.
"Hello, I am Shen Yanzhi, and I am also considered half a student of Professor Yin." Shen Yanzhi smiled back, feeling quite fond of this outstanding junior.
Old Yin often engaged in this kind of "conscription" behavior, assigning promising young talents to him for mentorship, euphemistically calling it "mentorship by a senior brother," but in reality, it was just creating trouble for him. However, this junior student, Lu Zhian, did not evoke any dislike.
And so, Shen Yanzhi gained a "little tail" by her side. Although Lu Zhian was not a full-time student and needed to take care of matters outside of school, he was extremely talented, quick to grasp things, and humble, making him very comfortable to be around.
Shen Yanzhi showed him around the campus, discussed coursework, and occasionally shared interesting anecdotes about the archaeology department. Lu Zhian always listened attentively, his gentle eyes often sparkling with interest.
Over time, the two became good friends.
As they walked side by side along a tree-lined path after class, Shen Yanzhi glanced at Lu Zhian and was suddenly stunned when his gaze fell upon him. He clearly saw two extremely thin lines, faintly glowing red, wrapped around Lu Zhian's body.
A marriage line? Or two lines?
That evening, upon returning to his and Yan Ci's residence, Shen Yanzhi, unable to contain his curiosity, told Yan Ci, who was lazily leaning on the couch flipping through ancient books, about the matter.
"Yan Ci, today... I think I saw two red lines on Junior Brother Zhi An's body. What's going on?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Ci looked up from his book, put it down, and pulled Shen Yanzhi to his side. He twirled a strand of Shen Yanzhi's hair with his fingertips and began to explain with a touch of doting: "Zhizhi, you have been with me day and night, and you have been imbued with my scent. It is only natural that you can see things that are invisible after a long time."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window, his tone now tinged with caution: "As for why there are two... Fate is intricate and complex, not all of them are auspicious, nor are they immutable. Just observe and do not interfere lightly, lest you disturb the natural order and cause further trouble."
Shen Yanzhi nodded as if he understood, and kept those words in mind. From then on, he had a secret—to silently observe the movement of the two mysterious red lines on his junior's body.
After a while, Lu Zhian had adapted to campus life and began looking for internships or jobs. One day, he excitedly asked Shen Yanzhi to meet him that evening, saying he wanted to treat him to a late-night snack to celebrate finding a job.
Instead of going to a typical restaurant, the two went to a charming bar. The lighting was dim, the music was soothing, and the air was filled with the aroma of alcohol and a faint scent of fruit and wood smoke.
"So, which one did you finally choose?" Shen Yanzhi asked with a smile as he ordered a gin and tonic.
Lu Zhian seemed a little excited. He ordered a fancy-sounding cocktail before answering, "Shuoguang! I originally applied for the marketing department, but after the interview, the HR said there were no openings there at the moment. However..." He paused, a subtle expression appearing on his face, "He said the president's office happens to need a secretary and asked if I would be willing to go."
He took a sip of his drink, the sweet taste making him squint slightly, and continued, "To be honest, the secretary position isn't quite what I expected. But it's Shuoguang! Such a big company, the opportunity is too rare. I thought about it and decided to agree to give it a try."
They said they were having a late-night snack, but the food and fruit on the table were barely touched, while the drinks kept coming in one after another. Shen Yanzhi quickly realized that this seemingly gentle and composed junior was actually a gluttonous and playful drunkard. After a few drinks, Lu Zhian's fair cheeks flushed, his eyes became hazy, and he started talking non-stop, with the conversation gradually veering off course.
"Senior... let me tell you..." Lu Zhian leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of excitement about sharing a secret, "Our CEO, the one who's rumored to be incredibly mysterious and low-key, Xiao Yuan... he himself... is really, really handsome!"
Shen Yanzhi leaned forward to listen with great interest.
“He wears those custom-made three-piece suits every day, buttoned up meticulously, very ascetic, and very imposing!” Lu Zhian gestured with his hands, trying to describe the feeling. “And…you can tell he has a really good physique, his pectoral muscles…um…are very well-developed. Once when I went to his office to deliver some documents, I think…I think I glimpsed the shirt clip marks under his suit trousers…”
As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, his eyes darted around, and his ears turned so red they seemed to bleed. After a long pause, he mumbled a comment: "...It feels a bit astringent."
Shen Yanzhi almost choked on his own drink. He suppressed a laugh and looked at the junior in front of him, who was so different from his usual gentle demeanor, and tentatively asked, "Zhi'an, from your description... you wouldn't happen to like... guys?"
As if his secret had been exposed, Lu Zhian immediately sat up straight and stammered in defense, "It's not entirely... I just admire those beautiful and standard figures, and I think they're very suitable to be models!"
Shen Yanzhi nodded knowingly, not pressing the matter further. He knew that Lu Zhian was extremely talented in design, with first-rate aesthetic sense, far surpassing his abilities in economics. He had asked him before why he chose economics over design.
Lu Zhian's answer at the time was very clear: "Design is my hobby, a way for me to relax and express myself. I don't want it to become a work task that I have to complete, otherwise I might lose the original fun."
Under the dim light and with soothing music playing, the two sipped their drinks and chatted idly. They talked about everything from work trivia to anecdotes about their studies, and shared some harmless gossip.
Lu Zhian was clearly fully intoxicated, and in the end he was almost half-lying on the table, his fingertips unconsciously drawing circles with the water droplets on the glass, mumbling things like "suit... cold face... perfume smells good..."
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