The September wind, carrying the last warmth of late summer, brushed against the neatly trimmed sycamore branches of St. Ying College, casting dappled shadows.
Yu Jiuyuan, carrying several heavy textbooks, walked slowly along the path leading to the laboratory building. Her white skirt swayed gently with her steps. In the sunlight, her fair cheeks had a healthy blush, and her clear almond-shaped eyes looked innocent and harmless, much like a noble girl who was unaware of the ways of the world.
"Student Yu."
A gentle voice sounded from behind, with just the right amount of laughter, neither overly warm nor distant.
Yu Jiuyuan paused slightly, and when she turned around, a perfectly timed smile, tinged with surprise, appeared on her face: "Senior Rong? What a coincidence."
Rong Shenghan was wearing the iconic dark gray suit uniform of Sheng Ying Academy, his posture was upright, and there was his usual faint smile on his lips.
Those seemingly gentle eyes held a depth like a bottomless lake, making it impossible to fathom his true emotions. "Unfortunately, I just happened to see you. I was thinking you might be heading to the lab building?"
“Hmm,” Yu Jiuyuan nodded, hugging the book in her arms even tighter, her posture appearing obedient and quiet. “I have a biology lab class this afternoon. Yuan Xu said she’ll be demonstrating a new cell staining technique today, and she wants me to go and take a look as soon as possible.”
She deliberately mentioned Yuan Xu's name, her eyes catching the subtle changes in Rong Shenghan's expression. However, the smile on his face remained unchanged, as if he had only heard an ordinary name.
“Yuan Xu is indeed very talented in biology,” Rong Shenghan continued naturally. “Speaking of which, Yu hasn’t gone to the student council to collect her prize from the last physics competition yet, right? I checked for you; it’s a set of the latest quantum physics research yearbook.”
Yu Jiuyuan smiled inwardly. This Rong Shenghan always managed to subtly display his "thoughtfulness," as if he knew everything about everyone, yet never seemed to be deliberately probing. This just-right sense of distance made her somewhat unsure of him.
"Thank you for reminding me, Senior Rong," she said with a grateful expression and a sincere tone. "I've been quite busy lately and completely forgot about it. I'll go get it after my lab class."
"It's alright, I've temporarily placed it in the student council office for you. You can pick it up anytime." Rong Shenghan smiled slightly, his gaze falling on the books in her arms. "They look heavy. Do you need any help?"
"No need," Yu Jiuyuan gently shook her head, her smile sweet. "I can manage on my own. Where are you going, senior?"
"Go to the Academic Affairs Office, I have something to take care of." Rong Shenghan stepped aside and gestured for you to go. "I won't delay you from seeing Yuan Xu, go quickly so you won't be late."
"Okay, goodbye then, Senior Rong." Yu Jiuyuan nodded politely and turned to continue walking towards the laboratory building.
The smile on Rong Shenghan's face slowly faded only after her figure disappeared through the entrance of the laboratory building. He stared at the closed door, a barely perceptible hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes.
This Yu Jiuyuan is like a perfect work of art, beautiful and poised, always wearing an impeccable smile. But the more she is like this, the more people feel as if they are looking through a thin mist, unable to see her clearly.
He had specifically mentioned the prize for the physics competition to test her interest in science, since most noble ladies at St. Ying Academy tended to avoid such dry theoretical books.
Her reaction was so natural, as if she already knew what the prize was and was genuinely interested.
interesting.
Rong Shenghan withdrew his gaze, turned and walked in the opposite direction. The smile on his lips was still gentle, but beneath that gentleness, there seemed to be more scrutiny.
When Yu Jiuyuan entered the biology lab, Yuan Xu was already wearing a white lab coat and busy at the workbench.
He lowered his head slightly, focusing intently on adjusting the microscope. Sunlight streamed through the tall glass window, illuminating his slender profile.
Long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyelids, and his focused expression made it seem as if the entire world consisted only of the experimental equipment in front of him.
Hearing footsteps, Yuan Xu looked up and saw Yu Jiuyuan. His previously expressionless face seemed to soften slightly. "You've come," he said softly, with a hint of barely perceptible joy in his voice.
[System notification: Yuan Xu's favorability +5, current favorability 20.]
Yu Jiuyuan paused for a moment, then a pleasant smile spread across her face as she quickly walked over. "Yuan Xu, you seem to be in a good mood today?" She leaned closer to the workbench, looking curiously at the colorful reagent bottles. "Are these the new dyes you mentioned?"
Her approach brought a faint, sweet fragrance, different from the smell of disinfectant and chemical reagents in the laboratory. Yuan Xu's nose twitched slightly, her eyes flickered, and then she nodded, pointing to one of the bottles of light purple reagents and saying, "This is improved hematoxylin, which has a better staining effect on cell nuclei and is not easy to fade."
As he spoke, he picked up the dropper, carefully drew up a little reagent, and dripped it onto the sample on the slide. His movements were precise and fluid, possessing an almost artistic beauty.
Yu Jiuyuan watched him operate quietly without disturbing him.
She knew that the best way to deal with someone like Yuan Xu, who was so engrossed in her own world, was to show sufficient respect and interest, rather than interfering too much. Her gaze was focused and earnest, as if she were truly filled with curiosity about the mysteries of these microscopic worlds.
“Look,” Yuan Xu placed the prepared slide under the microscope, adjusted the focus, and moved aside, “this way you can see the morphology of the chromosomes more clearly.”
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