In the corridor, Lu Mingfei leaned against the wall, pressing his back to the cool tiles as he stared blankly at the sky.
The sound of leather shoes striking the floor came from afar, somewhat chaotic. Lu Mingfei did not turn his head, merely glancing from the corner of his eye—at the other end of the corridor, a group of people was walking this way.
Walking at the front was Shilan High School's Principal. The old gentleman, who usually kept a stern face before students and liked to begin his speeches with "our school," was now bent at the waist, turned slightly sideways, his face overflowing with smiles.
He spoke as he walked, constantly gesturing with one hand. The furrow between his brows, usually twisted into a deep crease, had stretched open into a somewhat fawning smile.
Several school administrators followed beside him, all of whom Lu Mingfei had seen during flag-raising ceremonies. The dean of students, the Vice Principal, the office director—every one of them wore the same smile and followed closely behind.
And at the center of the semicircle they had formed walked a woman.
The brim of her hat was so wide that it nearly covered half her face. It was a deep, deep burgundy, with a thin layer of black veil hanging from its edge like a translucent curtain, concealing her brows and eyes in shadow. The lips on the exposed half of her face were also burgundy, curved faintly upward.
The woman wore a fitted red dress, her figure graceful and alluring. There was an indescribable air about her, as if she were a queen holding absolute power in her hands. Lu Mingfei turned his head and could not help looking at her a few more times. She seemed somehow familiar.
The Principal spotted Lu