Chapter 5

In the deep autumn of the capital city, wearing canvas shoes had already started to chill her feet, yet Chu Tong felt as if the soles of her feet were sweating, as though her entire being was being roasted from the inside out, warm and flushed.

She quickened her pace, and as she neared the school gate, she glanced sideways.

Shao Yihuai had already turned and was walking away.

In the vast night, his tall silhouette carried a sense of mystery that stirred the heart.

A Maybach pulled up nearby with its hazard lights flashing; the driver stepped out to open the rear door for him, and he bent down to get in.

Chu Tong withdrew her gaze and continued walking, her head bowed.

The distance from the west gate to the dormitory was not far. She deliberately restrained herself, warning not to overthink, but the joy in her heart inevitably showed on her face.

Opening the dorm door, Tao Ge was sitting on a chair reading. Hearing the door open, he turned and looked at her, his eyes scanning her face meaningfully. “...What did Professor Chen say to you? You look so happy.”

“Ah? Nothing much,” Chu Tong smiled. “I brought you some jujube cake.”

“Thanks,” Tao Ge took it, sighing softly. “Professor Chen really values you. Are you planning on applying to be her graduate student?”

Ever since Chu Tong participated in a poetry recitation competition in the first semester of her freshman year, she had gained a bit of fame. From the Chinese department, with a clear and melodious voice, hailing from a small town in Jiangnan, with striking beauty, black hair, and pale skin—she embodied all the traits of a traditional, graceful beauty, quickly becoming the focus of classmates' chatter.

A few wealthy young men on campus caught the scent and rushed over. At that time, small bets were often made to see who could win over the Chinese department's most admired girl within two weeks.

When two such young men fought over the chance to ask her out, Professor Chen Xizhen took notice of this student.

After the incident, the counselor called her into the office for a reprimand.

Anyone with eyes could see that although it started because of her, she was the most innocent party. The counselor probably dared not confront the two well-off young men and instead vented on her.

Professor Chen was sitting at the other end of the office, originally preparing lessons. Hearing the counselor's increasingly harsh words, she diverted her attention and intended to intervene, but saw Chu Tong remain composed and speak with a clear, gentle voice. She basically said: The wealthy young men are fickle; their attention would likely shift soon, so there was no need to worry.

It was this statement that caught Professor Chen’s attention.

Ordinarily, a student her age would respond to such grievances with anger or tears. Chu Tong skipped those emotional reactions, addressing the root cause of the counselor’s trouble—likely reprimanded by higher-ups and with no outlet for her frustration. Chu Tong instead comforted the counselor, saying it was a one-time thing and unlikely to happen again.

Professor Chen sensed a maturity and detachment in Chu Tong uncommon among her peers. Learning that Chu Tong came from a modest background, she became curious and intentionally offered support. From then on, Chu Tong was invited to high-profile activities and occasionally engaged in brief conversations with the professor.

Thus, the entire grade knew Chu Tong was Professor Chen’s favored student.

“...We’ll see. My current goal is to make money,” Chu Tong said with a smile.

She put down her bag and peeked towards the balcony bathroom. It seemed both Ding Xue and another roommate, Jin Ranran, were not around, which explained why Tao Ge was so relaxed chatting with her.

Tao Ge only knew Chu Tong grew up in a single-parent family, with her mother still doing manual labor and living frugally. He smiled, offering some comfort, “Makes sense, focus on the present. Who knows what the future holds, haha.”

“Where’s Ding Xue?”

“Oh, Miss Ding went on a trip. She complained yesterday about the cold in the capital, felt miserable, skipped tomorrow’s class, and went to Sanya.”

“Did she ask you to take roll call for her again?”

“No, this time she left the task to Ranran.”

“Congrats, you’re off the hook.”

Tomorrow was Friday. There was a morning class taught by the department head, who was strict about attendance. If someone helped mark attendance and got caught, Ranran would be fined too.

Tao Ge smiled and noticed her packing her bag. “Why do you have two copies of ‘The Collected Works of Lü Bicheng’?”

“One belongs to Professor Chen. I’ll return it during class another day.”

Chu Tong pressed down on the cover, pushing the book inward slightly. The wooden bookmark inside caused a small raised dent—hard and noticeable.

“Professor Chen treats you well,” Tao Ge remarked again. “Besides the graduate seniors she mentors, no one else in our grade is known to be invited to her home so often.”

“I won’t go anymore. It’s not proper, and besides, I can edit videos right here in the dorm.”

Chu Tong pulled over a chair, sat down, and opened her laptop to start editing the next video.

“I’ll go take a shower first.”

Tao Ge gathered his clothes and towel and went into the bathroom.

After finishing, he came out just as Chu Tong completed her post-production work. She exported the file and sent it to Professor Chen, then closed her laptop, took out clean pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

With the most difficult roommate, Ding Xue, absent, Chu Tong felt a bit more at ease. The showerhead poured steaming hot water, its soft pattering sound isolating her from the outside world.

No one could know this was Chu Tong’s most relaxing moment of the day.

Having shared a single bed with her mother since childhood, and then dorming in college, at 19, she had never experienced the luxury of having a bedroom to herself.

Yet, she was thoughtful and did not see it as hardship. She only hoped to earn more money in the future to rent a place with privacy and security, where she could shower and change without worrying about others.

Once relaxed, the mind tends to wander.

Shao Yihuai.

Chu Tong recalled how he had introduced himself earnestly, a faint smile at his lips, a gentleman as gentle as jade.

Looking back now, his act of returning the scarf on the spot was truly honorable; he did not suspect any ill intent on her part.

A subtle feeling of shame arose within her.

But she did not regret it. If given another chance, she would do the same.

He was so unattainable that, by ordinary means, she feared she could never catch his eye.

Also, when he said “in the future,” perhaps he meant future chance encounters at Professor Chen’s house? But the professor’s home was not a place she could visit freely, especially now without the excuse of editing videos there.

After showering and drying off, she changed into clean pajamas, ran her fingers through her damp hair, and closed the bathroom door behind her.

Her phone screen on the desk lit up with several new messages, all from Liu Hao.

“Liu Hao: Are you free this weekend?”

“Liu Hao: Let’s meet? Talk about that thing I mentioned last time.”

“Liu Hao: At least reply, will you?”

Chu Tong glanced briefly and swiped right, clearing all notifications.

Professor Chen soon replied, saying the video was fine. Chu Tong opened her laptop, saved the video file to drafts, and scheduled it for release.

Having completed this important task, she began packing the books needed for tomorrow’s class. After organizing her bag, her eyes inevitably fell on the copy of “The Collected Works of Lü Bicheng.”

Without hesitation, she opened the book, took out the wooden bookmark, and placed it into a small inner pocket of her bag.

—

The Maybach drove steadily toward the Manhe Residence on the edge of the Fourth Ring Road.

The rain had stopped.

Shao Yihuai raised his hand and pressed the button to lower the car window. The glass slid down slowly, letting in a damp, cool breeze tinged with the scent of rain.

His phone vibrated. It was a voice message from Professor Chen Xizhen, asking what had just happened and if the person had been found. Shao Yihuai typed back: Found her, and already returned it.

Ordering Uncle Zong to turn around was a moment of impulse. It happened suddenly, and only upon returning to the west gate did he realize he knew nothing about her except her name. He could only call Professor Chen, using the excuse that Chu Tong had left something in the car, asking the professor to help find out which dorm building she lived in. He had planned to ask the dorm supervisor downstairs to call her down, but she hadn’t even entered the school yet.

He was usually calm and unruffled, detached from worldly affairs. Such an impulse was rare.

Elders from several old family friends praised him as gentle, refined, talented, and capable—a true Confucian gentleman embodying the dignity of an Eastern man. Among peers and juniors, he was a role model and elder brother figure.

Only one female childhood friend once drunkenly joked that Shao Yihuai seemed warm to everyone but was actually the coldest of all.

He had smiled casually then, neither confirming nor denying, but inside, a vast, windless loneliness stretched like a boundless plain.

His emotions were extremely stable, rarely fluctuating, perhaps because he was disenchanted with all things—maybe he truly was cold-hearted.

Today’s impulsive act toward Chu Tong likely stemmed from a flicker of admiration and sympathy in his heart.

He admired her pure spirit and primal vitality, and her girlish emotional outpourings stirred his compassion.

The innocence of a young girl's heart was crystal clear; he could not bear to see it cracked.

Strangely, a younger girl from another old family had once blushed while handing him a love letter, but he had felt no pity whatsoever.

Shao Yihuai had no desire to analyze his own double standards.

In the end, none of it really mattered.

—

Two days passed swiftly. It was Saturday evening.

Shao Yihuai was dining at Rong Ji with his old family friend Ren Mingyuan.

In such social dining occasions, they rarely discussed work or family matters, preferring to talk about hobbies, collections acquired, and secluded vacation spots.

Ren Mingyuan did most of the talking. He was talkative and Shao Yihuai listened with mild interest, his attention drifting in and out.

After the meal, Shao Yihuai stood, paid the bill, and stepped outside.

In a corner of the courtyard corridor was a smoking area. He went over, stood sideways, lowered his head slightly, and lit a cigarette.

Ren Mingyuan stood at the other end of the corridor watching him for a while, then strolled over, lighting a cigarette as he smiled, “I’m serious—don’t you want to have some fun?”

He shook his head mockingly and sighed, “Such a pity, with your good looks.”

Shao Yihuai glanced at him, indifferent. “...Fun?”

Ren Mingyuan thought it over, “Not bad. Better than not playing at all.” He shrugged. “Are you really going to guard your ‘perfect’ self until marriage? Not worth it.”

Seeing Shao Yihuai unmoved, he added, “Think about it. After marriage, everything’s routine, even that stuff. How boring.”

“You playing around isn’t that interesting either,” Shao Yihuai said flatly.

Dressed in a black suit, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the cigarette at his side, his long fingers flickered the ember’s faint glow, dark and inscrutable like his eyes.

Ren Mingyuan seemed struck by the remark, smiled bitterly, and after a long pause recalled, “...My mom said the Lin family’s second young lady is returning to the country next month?”

Shao Yihuai said nothing.

Ren Mingyuan dropped the subject; such topics were always unpleasant. He found an escape, “Alright, enough of that. Boring.”

The cigarette was nearly finished.

Ren Mingyuan casually asked, “Going to Baishen? My brother said there’s a show tonight.”

Shao Yihuai lowered his gaze, paused, and then said, “...I’m not going.”

“Then where are you going?”

This question only found an answer in his mind when the Bentley reached the Third Ring Road.

—

The doorbell chimed.

The housekeeper at Professor Chen’s home answered and went to open the door. Peering through the peephole, she quickly unlocked and exclaimed, “Mr. Shao, what brings you here today?”

“Is the professor home?”

“She’s not in the capital, went to Shanghai to give a lecture—an invitation.”

Shao Yihuai recalled that Professor Chen had mentioned this trip to Shanghai.

The housekeeper invited him inside, “Please come in. I’ll make some tea. I’m the only one home, so if you want to read, no one will disturb you.”

Shao Yihuai paused at the entrance, not moving further. “Then I won’t bother. I’ll come another day.”

He turned to leave before the housekeeper could react, only managing to say, “Take care.”

Tonight, there was no rain.

The deep autumn night sky was as dark as ink. Shao Yihuai stood at the entrance of the building, looking up at the sky.

Unexpectedly, a faint sense of melancholy washed over him.