The cold December wind, carrying fine snowflakes, lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the St. Sakura Academy library, leaving winding streaks of water.
Yu Jiuyuan sat by the window, her fingertips tracing the surface of an ancient book with a gold-embossed cover, but her gaze was fixed on the biology laboratory building not far away, through the glass. Yuan Xu had been there for the entire morning, trying to ensure that the aurora butterflies would be in their best condition for the dust-washing banquet.
[Yuan Xu: Emotional fluctuations - Positive +1]
The system panel beeped softly, and Yu Jiuyuan's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
She closed the book and stood up, just as she bumped into Xie Zhecheng walking out of the reading area, carrying several thick astronomical observation yearbooks with intricate star charts printed on the covers.
The two stopped at the corner of the corridor, the air filled with the cool scent of old books and snow.
Xie Zhecheng's gaze fell on the ancient book in her hand, his voice calm and even: "A Study of Medieval Star Charts, the Astronomical Society's archives have an electronic version."
“I prefer the feel of a physical book.” Yu Jiuyuan looked up, her eyes reflecting the snowflakes outside the window. “President Xie, are you here to look up information too?”
"Organize supplementary data from the Changbai Mountain observations." He stepped aside to make way for him, his movements polite yet distant, as if he were executing a pre-set program.
Just as she brushed past him, his fingers gripping the spine of the book tightened almost imperceptibly by half a point.
[Hsieh Che-cheng: Emotional fluctuations - Positive +3]
The second kiss was clearly more effective than the first.
This aloof perfectionist is having his hard shell gradually pried open by those unconventional touches.
As Yu Jiuyuan walked past the mirror at the end of the corridor, she glanced at her reflection. The curve of her lips was just right, neither deliberate nor lacking in subtle allure.
In the student council office, Lin Yanran was throwing a tantrum at a stack of gold-embossed invitations.
He tossed one of the invitations onto the table, the gilded character "Tang" gleaming under the light, his tone filled with arrogant impatience: "Do they really have to come all the way here to deliver an invitation? Don't these people have hands?"
Yu Jiuyuan looked up from the pile of documents, her gaze falling on his open school uniform jacket. Her voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority: "Officer Lin, please zip up your jacket first. Saint Sakura's school rules aren't just something you see on the bulletin board."
Lin Yanran, her neck stiff and her face full of resentment, said, "Yu Jiuyuan, don't try to intimidate me with your status as president. It's just a welcome-home banquet, what's the big deal?"
[Lin Yanran: Emotional fluctuations - Negative +2]
"For Miss Tang, this is her first banquet back in her homeland; for Vice President Rong, it is to entertain an important person; and for the Student Union, it is to maintain the dignity of the college's exchanges with the outside world."
Yu Jiuyuan put down her pen and leaned forward slightly. "For you, Officer Lin, this is the first lesson in learning the 'rules'."
Her gaze was so clear, it seemed to see right through his arrogance and insecurity.
Lin Yanran clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms, but in the end she just snorted coldly, bent down to pick up the invitation that had been thrown on the ground, and the wind she stirred up when she turned around almost overturned the documents on the table.
The door slammed shut. Yu Jiuyuan watched his figure disappear down the corridor, picked up the pen on the table, and gently circled the line "Lin Yanran is responsible for distributing invitations" on the program schedule for the welcome banquet. She pressed the pen hard, leaving a shallow dent on the paper.
Taming an arrogant beast requires not a head-on confrontation, but rather precisely striking its weak point, such as repeatedly causing it to stumble on its most cherished "decency."
During the afternoon club activities, Rong Shenghan appeared in the student council office with a supplementary page to the guest list for the welcome banquet.
When he walked in, Yu Jiuyuan was checking the details of the venue setup. Sunlight fell on her lowered eyelashes, casting a small, gentle shadow.
"Is the president still busy?" He placed the supplementary page on the table, his tone casual as if he were chatting. "Nianzhi just sent me a message saying she wants to add a small charity auction to the banquet, with the proceeds donated to the Endangered Species Conservation Foundation."
Yu Jiuyuan raised her eyes, her smile gentle: "Miss Tang is very kind-hearted. Is there anything the student council can do to help?"
“No need for that,” Rong Shenghan’s gaze swept over the invitations on the table, his fingertip lightly tapping one of them. “Has Director Lin already sent out most of them?”
"There are only a few left, which need to be delivered to your door in person."
Yu Jiuyuan picked up the invitations, one of which was addressed to Xie Zhecheng. "For example, President Xie has an internal seminar of the Astronomy Society this afternoon, so he may not have time to come to the office."
Rong Shenghan's gaze lingered on the invitation for half a second, then he suddenly smiled: "I happen to be free this afternoon, so how about I make a trip for Secretary Lin?"
He spoke casually, as if he were talking about something trivial, "By the way, I would also like to ask President Xie if there is any observation data from Changbai Mountain that the student union can assist in analyzing."
Rong Shenghan: Emotional fluctuations - Negative +1
Yu Jiuyuan noticed the fleeting inquiry in his eyes, handed him the stack of invitations, and deliberately brushed her fingertips lightly against the back of his hand, leaving a slightly cool touch: "Then I'll have to trouble Vice President Rong. However..."
She changed the subject, a hint of slyness in her smile, "President Xie seems to be in a good mood today, perhaps he'll give you a 'special' response."
The word "special" that she deliberately emphasized was like a feather, gently brushing against Rong Shenghan's heart.
His fingers tightened slightly as he took the invitation, his fingertips still seeming to retain the coolness of her touch: "Really? Then I'll have to look forward to it."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
