The next morning, the sky was slightly overcast. Apparently, the outer cloud bands of a typhoon had affected Binhe City, bringing a spell of cooler weather over the past few days.
A light drizzle had fallen shortly after dawn. Tall white magnolias lined both sides of the road, like burly warriors holding up the sky with their hands. Shining droplets hung beneath their broad, oval leaves, and the air was exceptionally fresh, with a faint chill.
The Jiangnan Teahouse stood in a two-story building on the pedestrian street at the southeastern corner of Higher Education Park. Its covered walkways wound around the building, and its eaves swept upward. With its antique architectural style, it stood out from the rest of the street.
The people who came for tea all seemed to have plenty of leisure. Even those who knew nothing about tea pretended to be refined and successful.
After taking the escalator up to the second floor, visitors were greeted by the graceful strains of the guzheng, elegant and melodious. Now and then, a flute lamented like Green Pearl, or a xiao played along with Nongyu. The cultivated atmosphere they had created was enough to make anyone applaud in admiration.
At that moment, Ling Chendong and another young man were sipping tea and playing chess. "Zhifeng, your teahouse is looking more and more like the real thing."
Bai Zhifeng shook his head. "It's nothing like your coffee shop, with its awkward blend of Chinese and Western decor meant to make it look cultured. Imported luxury—aside from the dim lighting and a few piano pieces meant to seem refined, it's just an empty shell."
Ling Chendong coughed lightly, disagreeing. "You can't put it that harshly. Modern city dwellers live at a fast pace and face plenty of pressure at work. Coffee shops are the perfect places to ease their frustration and cultivate their spirits."
Bai Zhifeng shook his head and retorted, "That place you decorated to look like a vampire count's ancient castle—is that supposed to cultivate people's spirits? I'm afraid anyone who goes there will have nightmares and need to consult a psychologist. Oh, right, your coffee shop already offers psychological counseling. Chendong, you really have thought of everything."
"And those baskets of forget-me-nots hanging from the ceiling—such pretty little purple flowers! You've made them look like severed heads hanging all around that horrifying place. It's downright sinister!"
Ling Chendong took a sip of tea and said wistfully, "I prefer to call them Star Flowers..."
"Call them whatever you like. They're still terrifying. Nothing like my cozy, welcoming Jiangnan Teahouse, with its antique charm. If we're talking about cultivating people's spirits, my teahouse is the obvious choice! It's bright and imposing, the very embodiment of Chinese culture. You fake foreigner still can't compete with me, even though I came along later."
"All right, I won't argue with you."
"Why did you ask me out today?"
Ling Chendong nodded with a smile and took a photograph from his breast pocket. If Su Yuan had been there, she would have jumped up in shock, because the person in the photo was her! She looked fresh and casual, without the slightest hint of retouching.
Bai Zhifeng took the photo, puzzled. "Is the person in this picture a man or a woman?"
"A man."
Bai Zhifeng gave him a lecherous smile. "Chendong, we haven't seen each other in more than half a year. Don't tell me you've changed your tastes." He looked at the photo again. "Though, of course, a cute guy like this is pretty likable."
"Get out of here! Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Ling Chendong slammed his purple clay teacup onto the table. The chess pieces jumped in response.
"Then why did you bring out his photo?" Bai Zhifeng rubbed his nose.
"He shares a dorm with Ji Yehao, Gao Jun, and Yang Xiaowei!"
Bai Zhifeng let out an "Ah," then furrowed his brow and muttered, "How did he end up with those three?"
"Yeah, I'm puzzled too. I only met this Su Yuan a few days ago. I thought he was pretty interesting, then I asked around and found out he lived with those three."
"What about his background?"
"Very ordinary. As ordinary as it gets. He comes from a single-parent family and only has a mother. His father died in a car accident when he was very young. Apparently, he has a twin sister who went missing when they were little."
"I heard his family used to run a stationery factory, but a local company bought it a few years ago. That's all I know for now."
"Very ordinary. That's strange."
Su Yuan had no idea that people were discussing her behind her back. She was on her way back to the dorm. To get from the External Relations Department office to the dormitory area, she had to cross a river. Willow catkins had begun to sprout along the banks, and the long branches hung low, swaying in unison whenever the wind blew.
A crowd had gathered up ahead. On closer inspection, a young man was confessing his feelings to a girl, holding a bouquet of flowers. The surrounding students were egging them on.
The girl was a well-known figure at school, so the onlookers kept their excitement fairly restrained.
Xiao Yiyan's brows were slightly furrowed. She had been trying to find a chance to slip away. The young man had pursued her for a long time, and she had always found it bothersome. His public confession had left her in an awkward position.
Don't assume that a public confession is romantic. It only works when the two people already share some feelings. As things stood, Xiao Yiyan was deeply uncomfortable. She found it unacceptable when someone used the pressure of a crowd to force another person to accept their advances.
Curious, Su Yuan walked over. She still hadn't shaken her habit of wanting to see what was going on. But when she saw Xiao Yiyan's bright, expressive eyes, she instinctively turned around. Her gut told her she shouldn't linger.
But she was too late.
"Su Yuan, wait!"
A woman's voice called from behind. Su Yuan stopped, realizing she couldn't escape this mess, and stiffly turned to watch Xiao Yiyan hurry toward her.
To everyone's astonishment, Xiao Yiyan took her arm and leaned against her affectionately.
A wave of gasps swept through the crowd, and Su Yuan felt the heat of countless stares fixed on her. Xiao Yiyan's gesture was usually something only a couple would do. People who were merely friends couldn't act so naturally together. Anyone who didn't know better would think Su Yuan and Xiao Yiyan had rehearsed it countless times beforehand.
"Am I seeing things? The great goddess Xiao is being so affectionate with a guy. Is he her boyfriend?"
"No way. Xiao Yiyan has a boyfriend? That's huge news!"
The great goddess Xiao was famous for her high standards. She was beautiful, and people said her family was well-off too. Plenty of powerful, wealthy men had pursued her, but she'd turned them all down, saying she wanted to focus on her studies and wasn't interested in dating. Over time, everyone had grown used to her frosty personality. People still lined up to confess their feelings, but they were all on equal footing, which kept things fair.
Now, a guy had suddenly appeared who had "won the goddess's heart," shattering that balance. The enormous difference left everyone curious about what kind of guy could win her favor.
One look at Su Yuan was enough to disappoint them. She was barely over five feet tall, with no burly, muscular frame or indomitable will. From her evasive, bewildered expression, they could only conclude that "this guy wasn't much to rely on."
It was hard to understand why the goddess had chosen her!
"Lin Jun, I already have someone I like. Please stop bothering me from now on," Xiao Yiyan declared without leaving him any room to argue.
Her distant voice still echoed in everyone's ears. They all froze for a moment, apparently stunned by the news, then turned to watch the young man who had confessed to Xiao Yiyan—Lin Jun.
The greatest hatred between people was said to be the murder of one's father or the theft of one's wife. Being rejected in public was bad enough, but the woman he liked had apparently chosen such a "girly" pretty boy. That feeling of failure and humiliation immediately grew a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
"Yiyan, you're joking, right..." Lin Jun's eyes reddened, and he shot Su Yuan a furious look.
As the saying went, clothes made the man, but most people saw only appearances, not what lay beneath. All right, even if a fine horse deserved a good saddle, was this pretty boy really a good saddle?
"No, I'm not joking."
"Xiao Yiyan!" Su Yuan couldn't help calling out.
"Wait a moment."
With everyone watching, Xiao Yiyan turned Su Yuan around, held her face in her hands, and kissed her.
Their lips met, and Su Yuan's mind went blank. Staring in shock at Xiao Yiyan's face so close to hers, she realized that Xiao Yiyan had boldly stolen her first kiss.
But her skin was so lovely, and her eyelashes were so long. And... her lips were soft. Maybe beautiful women just had fresh, soft lips.
No, this isn't the time to think about that!
Su Yuan suddenly came to her senses, realizing that a scandal like this would bring her a world of trouble! She instinctively tried to pull away from Xiao Yiyan, but Xiao Yiyan seemed to anticipate her escape. She yanked Su Yuan closer and held her tighter.
A cry went up—or perhaps it was a cheer—and the scene threatened to erupt into chaos.
The goddess forcibly kissing her mysterious boyfriend—now that was explosive news.
Before you continue