As the gates of Saint Sakura Academy slowly closed behind her, Yu Jiuyuan was sitting in the back seat of her car.
The car window was lowered a third of the way, and a cold wind carrying snow particles and the scent of pine needles swept in, brushing against the back of her hand that was hanging down on her knees.
The warmth of the hand warmer that Yuan Xu had given him when he said goodbye still lingered on his fingertips; it had been specially heated in a laboratory incubator.
The temperature is precisely controlled at 36 degrees Celsius, which is said to be the closest to the comfortable temperature for the human body.
"Miss, shall we go straight back to the main house?" Driver Chen's voice came from ahead, as calm as a frozen lake.
Yu Jiuyuan lightly tapped the phone screen with her fingertip, and the light from the system panel reflected in her eyes, so fast it was like an illusion.
Next to Yuan Xu's name, there was a golden "Completed" icon, and the same was true for Rong Shenghan. The two 100-point favorability ratings were like two pearls set on the interface, perfect and impeccable.
Hsieh Che-cheng's 77 and Lin Yen-ran's 46, on the other hand, are like unfinished puzzle pieces, carrying a certain tension that needs to be filled in.
“Let’s take a quick look around the student council’s activity room first,” she said, turning her gaze away, her tone light as if discussing the weather. “I forgot to bring a document.”
As the car came to a stop in front of the student union building, it started snowing again.
Yu Jiuyuan, wearing the cashmere shawl handed to her by Lao Chen, walked into the building. The elevator stopped on the third floor, and as soon as she stepped out of the elevator car, she heard suppressed arguments coming from the activity room.
"...It's just asking you to help organize the activity plan for next semester, why are you giving me such a hard time?" It was Lin Yanran's voice, arrogant with a hint of anger at being offended.
"The student union's rules of procedure don't stipulate that the vice president has to clean up the messes left by the members." Xie Zhecheng's voice followed closely, as cold as icicles outside the window. "If you don't finish your own work, you should bear the consequences."
When Yu Jiuyuan pushed open the half-closed door, she saw Lin Yanran clutching a folder, her knuckles white as she glared at Xie Zhecheng.
The latter stood in front of the desk, a pen between his fingers, his expression as indifferent as ever, as if the person standing in front of him was not an object of contention, but a piece of erroneous data that needed to be corrected.
"Looks like I've come at the right time." Yu Jiuyuan's voice was like a pebble thrown into an icy lake, instantly breaking the stagnant air.
She walked between the two of them, her gaze falling on the folder in Lin Yanran's hand. "Is this the activity plan for the Arts and Entertainment Department? I remember it was due yesterday."
Lin Yanran's arrogance immediately diminished, and she awkwardly tossed the folder onto the table: "Yesterday... I forgot."
Xie Zhecheng snorted coldly, about to speak, but was stopped by the look Yu Jiuyuan gave him.
She picked up the folder and opened it. Her fingertip hovered over a certain page, then she looked up at Lin Yanran and said, "The budget here is wrong. The venue rental fee has been calculated twice."
Lin Yanran's face flushed instantly, as if a sore spot had been touched, and she said stiffly, "I'll change it later..."
“Let’s revise it now.” Yu Jiuyuan pushed the folder in front of him and pulled a red pen from the pen holder. “Xie Zhecheng has the correct venue quote. You can borrow it to take a look. I also need to check the overall budget. It’ll save us trouble if we do it all at once.”
Xie Zhecheng raised an eyebrow at her, said nothing, turned around and took a document from his drawer and handed it to her.
Lin Yanran reluctantly sat down, her pen moving with a venting force as it traced lines on the paper. However, when Yu Jiuyuan leaned over to point out an error in a formula, she unconsciously slowed down.
The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, and the only sound in the activity room was the scratching of pens on paper.
Yu Jiuyuan leaned against the edge of the table, watching Xie Zhecheng's focused profile as he checked the data, and then glanced at Lin Yanran as she pursed her lips to correct a mistake. A faint smile flickered in her eyes.
The system panel flickered softly in my mind:
Hsieh Che-cheng's positive emotional fluctuations jumped 10 points, probably because he was satisfied with her upholding of the rules.
Lin Yanran's neutral mood increased by 5 points, perhaps because she felt that the atmosphere of working together wasn't too bad.
"I've finished revising it." Lin Yanran's tone had softened considerably as she pushed the folder back.
Yu Jiuyuan took the email, flipped through it, and nodded: "That's fine. Remember to check your email during the winter break; the student council will send you the work schedule for the next semester."
She paused, then looked at Lin Yanran, "I heard you're going to the Su family to pay New Year's respects?"
Lin Yanran was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to bring this up, and gave a vague "hmm".
“The plum blossoms at the Su family’s house are blooming beautifully,” Yu Jiuyuan said casually. “When I visited last year, I happened to be there during their tea party. The tea scented with plum blossoms was quite special.”
Lin Yanran's eyes lit up for a moment, then she regained her arrogance: "What's so special about it?" Despite saying that, she didn't refute it further.
Xie Zhecheng paused in packing his things, looked up at Yu Jiuyuan with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
He knew that the Yu family and the Su family had little contact, and her statement about "going there last year" probably had a deeper meaning.
Yu Jiuyuan, seemingly oblivious to his gaze, picked up her file folder and said, "I'm leaving now. Have a happy winter break."
By the time she stepped out of the student council building, the snow had lessened. Yu Jiuyuan stood on the steps, exhaling a puff of white breath, watching the mist quickly dissipate in the cold air, like some traces that needed to be erased promptly.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Rong Shenghan: [Waiting for you in the plum garden at your old family home. I brought some freshly baked cookies.]
She replied with a smiley face, then turned and got into the car.
The plum garden at the old house was indeed bustling with activity.
Red plum blossoms covered in snow, their subtle fragrance wafting through the air. Rong Shenghan sat in the tea room by the window, a white porcelain plate in front of him displaying freshly baked cookies, the aroma of butter mingling with the fragrance of tea.
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