Snowflakes tapped against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the café, making a soft, pattering sound.
Rong Shenghan stirred the latte in his cup, the milk foam spreading out in a light brown ripple around the edge of the porcelain spoon, just like the turmoil that he couldn't hide in his eyes at this moment.
"Brother Shenghan, what are you looking at?" Tang Nianzhi asked, resting her chin on her hand, her eyelashes still damp with the coolness of the outdoors.
Rong Shenghan withdrew his gaze, tapped the rim of the cup lightly with his fingertips, and smiled with just the right amount of gentleness: "It's nothing."
When he said this, there was no hint of anything unusual in his tone, as if the scene he had just glimpsed at the entrance of the astronomy club was nothing more than an insignificant illusion on a snowy day.
Yu Jiuyuan tiptoed closer to Xie Zhecheng, and the moment their lips touched was like two snowflakes colliding—brief, yet enough to leave a blurry mark on his heart.
Tang Nianzhi blinked, stirring the hot cocoa in front of her: "Oh... I'm having a welcome-back banquet next week, are you coming back?"
Rong Shenghan's tone remained calm, "That day's time clashed with our student council's regular meeting... but I'll talk to the president about it."
He picked up the menu on the table. "Would you like to try the lava cake here? I heard it's very similar to the one you had in London."
The topic was subtly shifted, and Tang Nianzhi's attention was quickly drawn to the desserts.
Rong Shenghan watched her excitedly point at the pictures on the menu, the smile in his eyes undiminished, but his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the rim of the cup.
How interesting. This seemingly innocent and harmless student council president always manages to reveal a bit of an unfathomable fang unexpectedly.
Meanwhile, in the student council office, Yu Jiuyuan had just finished dealing with Lin Yanran's flawed proposal.
The snow outside the window fell heavily, turning the red brick walls of the teaching building a pale pink.
She picked up her phone, and a message from Yuan Xu popped up on the screen, along with a photo. The butterfly wings in the petri dish glowed under ultraviolet light, and the veins on the wings looked just like the star trails in the night sky over Changbai Mountain.
[Yuanxu: Ah Yuan, look! They have a memory of starlight!]
[Yu Jiuyuan: They're very beautiful. We can bring them along on our next observation trip.]
After replying to the message, the system panel lit up in my mind:
[Yuan Xu: Positive emotions +3, current 98]
Yu Jiuyuan smiled slightly. Yuan Xu's world was very simple; living beings and she occupied almost the entirety of it.
This kind of pure focus is the easiest to control and requires the least effort.
She got up and walked to the window, looking down at the basketball court covered in snow. Her gaze lingered for a moment in a certain direction—the location of the coffee shop.
What will Rong Shenghan think? Will he think she's deliberately getting close to Xie Zhecheng, or will he take it as a harmless joke? People who are unpredictable are more worthy of being tamed.
The office door was pushed open, and Lin Yanran walked in, exuding a chill.
He threw a signed document on the table, his tone full of impatience: "Student council matters are more troublesome than my dad's board of directors."
Yu Jiuyuan turned around, her gaze falling on his open school uniform jacket: "Officer Lin, Saint Sakura's school rules do not allow wearing a jacket open on campus."
Her voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority: "At next week's meeting, I hope I won't see you break the rules again."
Lin Yanran frowned, a hint of anger flashing in her arrogant eyes: "Yu Jiuyuan, don't take yourself too seriously."
[Lin Yanran: Negative emotions +5, current level 20]
Yu Jiuyuan seemed not to hear his rebuttal and picked up the astronomy club application form on the table: "The equipment wear and tear list for the Changbai Mountain observation has already been signed by President Xie. Since Lin is a new member of the student council, why don't you take charge of following up on the subsequent reimbursement process?"
She handed over the form, her fingertips white and her nails neatly trimmed. "This is a good opportunity for you to learn how to handle these 'troublesome' matters."
Lin Yanran looked at the list, then at Yu Jiuyuan's clear yet all-seeing eyes, and suddenly felt the document in her hand become incredibly heavy.
He snorted coldly, snatched the application form, turned around, and slammed the door shut as he left.
The moment the door closed, the gentle smile on Yu Jiuyuan's face faded.
She walked to her seat, sat down, picked up her pen, and wrote "Changbai Mountain Summary Meeting" in her notebook.
The pen tip glides across the paper, making a soft, scratching sound, as if counting something.
The snow stopped in the evening.
After Rong Shenghan escorted Tang Nianzhi back to her hotel, he drove back to Saint Sakura Academy.
Outside the car window, the streetlights cast orange halos on the snow, making his shadow appear longer and shorter.
He parked his car downstairs in the student union office building and looked up to see that the lights in the top-floor office were still on.
Yu Jiuyuan's figure was reflected on the curtains, looking down at something with a focused expression.
He took out his phone and sent her a message:
[Rong Shenghan: President, are you still busy? I was just at the coffee shop with Nianzhi. I forgot to tell you, the student council's regular meeting time next week might have to be adjusted. Tang Nianzhi just returned to China and is having a welcome-back banquet, which clashes with that day.]
When the message notification popped up, Rong Shenghan leaned back in his chair, gazing at the lit window. The emotions in his eyes were like a lake covered in snow, unfathomable.
In her office, Yu Jiuyuan saw the message, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips. She replied:
[Yu Jiuyuan: Okay, I'll let them know. Have fun.]
After sending the message, she looked up and gazed out the window.
The night sky after the snow was exceptionally clear, with a few bright stars faintly visible. The star trails of Changbai Mountain still shimmer in my memory, and it's time to add another entry to her taming manual.
Xie Zhecheng's 17 points of favorability, Rong Shenghan's fluctuating negative emotions, Lin Yanran's increasingly obvious anger, and Yuan Xu's steadily increasing positive emotions...
These numbers, like musical notes on piano keys, danced at her fingertips, playing a melody that belonged to the young lady and that no one could understand.
Games always require patience.
And what she has no shortage of is patience.
As night deepened, Saint Sakura Academy was enveloped in silence.
Only the lights in the student council office were still on, like an eye overlooking a chessboard, calm and composed.
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