“I’ve read every single one of your papers.” Yu Jiuyuan’s voice was soft, yet it felt like a feather brushing against the heart.
[Yuan Xu: Favorability +3, Emotional Fluctuation - Negative 0/Neutral 12/Positive 98 (Positive +7)]
Positive emotions surged again, and Yuan Xu suddenly reached out and hugged her waist, burying her face in the crook of her shoulder, her voice muffled.
"Ah Yuan, please don't get into any more trouble in the future, I'll worry myself to death."
His breath carried the bitter scent of butterfly specimens. "Last night I spent the whole night researching, trying to find a biological antidote for potent drugs, but I..."
Yu Jiuyuan raised her hand and gently ruffled his hair, her movements as tender as if she were soothing a frightened little animal: "I know you've done very well."
Yuan Xu's earlobe brushed against her neck, carrying a burning heat.
Suddenly, the butterflies in the greenhouse fluttered their wings in unison, and the fluorescent light from their wing veins swirled around the two of them, like a grand coronation ceremony.
In the student council office at dusk, four people sat around a long table discussing the details of the party.
Xie Zhecheng looked down to check the parameters of the star projection, the sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper as regular as a pendulum.
Rong Shenghan leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers, but his gaze kept falling on Yu Jiuyuan.
Yuanxu drew a pattern of butterflies in her notebook while muttering to herself.
Lin Yanran rested one hand on the edge of the table, seemingly nonchalant, but she secretly pricked up her ears as Yu Jiuyuan spoke.
“For the cross-departmental collaboration, Vice President Rong and President Xie will lead the team.” Yu Jiuyuan closed the proposal and glanced at the four people. “Yuan Xu will be in charge of coordinating the fluorescent butterflies, and Secretary Lin…”
She paused, noticing his shoulders tense instantly, and then suddenly laughed, "Being in charge of guiding the guests is a good opportunity for you to practice your 'gentlemanly manners'."
Lin Yanran's face flushed instantly, but she didn't refute as usual, only giving a muffled "hmm".
[Lin Yanran: Favorability +3, Emotional fluctuations - Negative 24/Neutral 10/Positive 0 (Negative -3, Positive +3)]
Seeing Lin Yanran's awkward expression, Rong Shenghan suddenly laughed out loud: "It seems that Lin Yanran has made great progress recently." He turned to Yu Jiuyuan, his smile carrying a deeper meaning.
"However, it's best if President Xie and I lead the way together, so that some people don't lead the guests to the storage room."
Xie Zhecheng raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping between Rong Shenghan and Yu Jiuyuan. His voice was calm yet sharp: "I have no problem, as long as no one 'casually' chats with the guests for three hours while leading the way."
Yuan Xu, clutching her notebook, looked at this and that, then suddenly whispered, "I can use butterflies to lead the way; they know the way..."
Yu Jiuyuan watched the undercurrents in the scene before her, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip. The favorability rating on the system panel was still slowly rising, like tea being brewed in lukewarm water, gradually releasing its own flavor.
The snow outside the window had stopped, and the setting sun gilded the spire of St. Sakura Academy.
The gala's planning proposal lay spread out on the table, like a meticulously drawn chessboard, while her "pets" were making increasingly clear marks on the board, each following its own path.
The young lady's training manual never contains the word "favoritism." It only contains precisely calculated balance, and the...control that ensures each piece finds its proper place.
Yu Jiuyuan put down her coffee cup and tapped her fingertips lightly on the proposal: "Meeting adjourned. Rehearsal tomorrow at nine o'clock sharp."
As the four of them got up to leave, there was an almost imperceptible tension in their steps.
Rong Shenghan pulled out the chair for her half a second faster, Xie Zhecheng took the empty coffee cup from her table, Yuan Xu quietly slipped the butterfly pattern she had drawn into her hand, and Lin Yanran awkwardly closed the window for her before leaving.
Yu Jiuyuan watched their retreating figures and suddenly smiled. This game called "taming" seemed to be getting more and more interesting.
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