Moving to the Golden Courtyard

"What time did you guys stay up until last night... When I woke up this morning, that stupid cat was still asleep in the living room."

She must be talking about Pardofelis...

"It's a rare Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Alysia is still asleep in my room right now."

Kalpas paused his wok flipping.

"I see... phew..." Exhaling a smoke ring, Kalpas sighed, "It's good to be young."

No, no, no, I feel like you've misunderstood something.

Just as I was thinking this, a pair of same-sex partners walked down from upstairs.

Of course, Xu Qi knew that wasn't the case.

The mature woman in the lead was wearing a white dress, and as she came down the stairs, the scenery in front of her chest trembled, making it impossible to look away.

So much so that every time Xu Qi saw such a scene, he would subconsciously ignore the cute little girl following behind.

"Are you going to your hobby class again today, Aponia?"

Everyone living here was already familiar with each other, so Xu Qi knew what Aponia was dressing up for at 8 o'clock in the morning.

"Yes, yes! Good morning, Brother Xu Qi!"

Little Griseo popped her head out from behind, nodding with a smile.

Thinking back to when she first arrived, Little Griseo would hide behind others, looking shy whenever she saw Xu Qi, but now she could greet him like this.

Xu Qi couldn't help but sigh, time is such a... wonderful thing.

"Good morning, Griseo. The comic book you wanted should be delivered this afternoon, remember to pick it up at the delivery station when you get back~~"

"Ooh!" Griseo's eyes twinkled like stars, "Really?"

"Probably, if the timing isn't right, I'll go pick it up for you."

Beside Griseo, Aponia clearly had a wry smile on her face, "Xu Qi, don't spoil her too much."

The woman's voice was very slow, with a sacred sense of love, and just hearing her voice gave one a feeling of being healed.

"Haha, don't worry."

That's what he said, but Xu Qi secretly winked at Little Griseo before she left.

The latter also nodded cutely, understanding perfectly.

That's why... kids are just the best.

Taking the breakfast that Kalpas handed over, I had just sat down when I heard the sound of the door opening again at the entrance.

"Did you forget something?"

"It's us, Brother Qi."

Turning his head, it was Fu Hua, whose sportswear was already soaked with sweat, and Kosma, who was following behind, already out of breath.

"Morning exercise... Kosma, are you okay? Look at Fu Hua, she's not even out of breath."

Xu Qi casually grabbed a towel from the sofa in the living room and threw it to Fu Hua, teasing her without any politeness.

"Thank you."

Her waist-length hair was tied behind her in a high ponytail, which was Xu Qi's favorite hairstyle. Fu Hua took off her jacket and threw it to Xu Qi, wearing a black sports bra underneath.

The girl's healthy abs and delicate abdomen were completely visible to Xu Qi.

Nice... the only pity is... it's too flat...

"I'm going to take a shower, Brother Qi, can you throw my clothes in the washing machine?"

"Of course."

Kosma, who was about to collapse into a puddle of mud, lay on the sofa, staring at Xu Qi, seemingly finally organizing his words, panting.

"Why... don't you... try it?"

"Ha."

Xu Qi stepped forward and handed him a towel as well, saying, "Kid, why do you think Fu Hua calls me Brother Qi?"

"!?!"

Looking at Kosma's expression, he seemed to have fallen into some kind of strange delusion again, probably thinking of me as some kind of great demon king.

That's the imagination of young people...

"Where are Kevin and the others?"

"At work..."

Kosma put on an expression that said he didn't want to communicate with me too much.

What a terrible life—having to work even during the rare three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday? Yae and Su seem to be the same, plus Eden, who hardly spends any time in the Golden Courtyard throughout the year...

Everyone's lives are really full of partings...

"Buzz buzz!"

Opening his phone, Xu Qi's expression changed drastically!

Mobius: You awake? Come here and test some drugs for me.

He quickly shoveled his breakfast into his mouth, tossed Fu Hua's clothes into the washing machine, and practically fled towards the door. Before leaving, Xu Qi didn't forget to say hello to Kalpas.

"If the professor comes looking for me later, tell her I went to work!"

Kosma blinked, looked at Kalpas, and pointed at the door.

"Don't ask me, fhew..." Leaning against the stove, blowing a smoke ring, Kalpas said with the air of someone who's been there, "Maybe that's just young people."

Just then, they saw Alysia walk out of Xu Qi's room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Her languid posture easily made one wonder if she had engaged in some strenuous activity last night.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning? Kalpas, and Kosma... Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything?"

The scene before them was so bizarre that it was beyond words...

"Where's Xu Qi?"

That, at least, could be answered.

"The professor wanted him to test drugs, so he ran away."

Concise and to the point, as was Kosma's style.

"What!"

The beautiful Alysia pouted – making her even more attractive.

"I didn't even finish the game last night! I was thinking of beating it right away this morning, but he left first? Leaving a girl hanging like that isn't a good habit..."

So it was just playing games! Kosma and Kalpas felt their brains tremble!

At that moment, a disheveled, full-figured woman in a white coat walked down from upstairs, her figure... not even Aponia could compare.

"Hmm? Hi, Mobius."

"Where's Xu Qi?"

"At work." It seemed Kalpas still cared about Xu Qi.

"Huh?" The professor frowned visibly, annoyed. "Can you at least try to make your lies believable?"

"Ah?!" Kalpas raised his voice. "What's it to you?!"

"Never mind..." Mobius stared darkly at the door, then suddenly smiled. "Anyway, I can probably guess where he went."

Chapter 3: Mei is About to Declare Sovereignty!

Within the Huazheng campus, a winding stream flowed gently, the willows along the bank swaying slightly in the breeze, as if beckoning the young couples along the street to come and enjoy each other's company.

"Mei, are you coming to lunch? The Kendo Club is having a get-together, and the president will be there too."

"No, thank you, senior."

Politely declining the enthusiastic invitation, the girl named Mei continued to walk forward on her own.

Willow branches swayed, brushing past Mei, like the ponytail that occasionally swung behind her, radiating youthful energy.

The girl was beautiful, quietly strolling along the riverbank with a book in her hands, her light blue, cool summer dress echoing the surrounding greenery, like a painting.

To see such a beautiful woman during one's student days was both lucky and unlucky.

The senior who had been rejected gritted his teeth and jogged to catch up, saying, "Mei, are you really not coming? After all, the president will be there, and if you don't go, it'll seem a bit out of place."

Mei stopped walking, and the senior thought his words had worked, a hint of smugness appearing on his face.

Just as he was about to say something more, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Why would it be out of place? Is your president's name 'Out of Place'? Why are you learning to talk and act like someone in the officialdom at such a young age? Got nothing better to do?"

The senior frowned, turned his head, and saw a man who was almost excessively tall standing behind him. Although young, it was clear at a glance that he was definitely not a student.

The naivety and immaturity had faded from him at his age, replaced by a sense of stability and the competence of someone who had been through the wringer of society.

This made the second-year senior's tone weaken involuntarily as he said, "Who... who are you?"

"Asking that kind of question right off the bat? You really are just a kid... I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll give you one minute to leave as fast as you can."

"What did you say!? Are you insulting me? Insulting the main force of the Huazheng Kendo Club!?"

"Forty-eight seconds."

"You!..."

"Senior, I advise you not to be impulsive."

The senior, who was about to make a move, was visibly stunned by such gentle advice.

He looked at Mei, seemingly not understanding why she would say that – compared to me, you're actually the ace of the Kendo Club! You're so strong, aren't you going to help me!?

"Thirty seconds."

The senior glared hatefully at the man from society, then looked at Mei with a hint of contempt and pity, as if he mistakenly thought he understood something.

In any case, he chose to retreat.

"If I encountered this kind of thing at this age, I would punch whoever it was, no matter who they were."

"That's way too violent!"

Xu Qi chuckled softly. Mei, standing before him, did the same, but when their eyes met, she couldn't help but blush and look away.

"Missed me?"

"Not really. I know you're busy with work and don't have time."

"It's a holiday today. I had to squeeze out some time no matter what. Let's go for a walk, yeah?"

"Okay!"

Mei nodded emphatically and stepped forward to take Xu Qi's arm.

A sophomore in college and a working professional who's been out of school for over a year... Even in this day and age with relatively open social norms, they still drew some strange looks from others on campus.

But Mei didn't care.

All she knew was that during her most desperate time in high school, he was like a ray of sunshine, adding a touch of color to her bleak world.

"I'm just saying... people are going to get the wrong idea."

The girl's body was soft and lovely, and Xu Qi was definitely enjoying it... but he also had to consider Mei's situation at school.

"Get the wrong idea about what?"

"That we're dating."

Mei paused for a moment, then countered, "Aren't we?"

"I'm warning you, don't tease me. I won't be able to hold back."

"Pfft!" Mei covered her mouth with one hand and burst out laughing. She bumped Xu Qi's shoulder and rolled her eyes, saying, "I kind of wish you weren't so restrained."

"Can't help it. I have to be responsible for you. You're still young and haven't seen much of the world. It's not worth it to hang yourself on a tree that's not even that great, like me, so early in life."