It was May, and the summer heat blazed.
Su Yi had yet to officially start school, nor did he have a formal job.
After returning the night before, he had lain in the reclining chair in the courtyard, gazing at the parasol tree and the stars filling the sky.
The longer a person lived, the less they wanted to die.
In this wonderful human world, there were too many strange, unknown things waiting for him to observe and explore.
Su Yi had not yet reached the point of seeking death and being unable to find it. Although he still understood nothing about the present, he wanted to fit into this era as soon as possible and continue his leisurely life.
In the faint light of dawn, Su Yi closed his eyes for a nap and vaguely sensed someone blocking the light around him.
"You're Su Yi?"
At the voice, Su Yi slowly opened his eyes. A young woman stood before him.
She brimmed with youth, her straight, well-proportioned figure all the more distinct in the morning light, though there was a measure of scrutiny in the way she looked at him.
"And you are?" Su Yi slowly sat up. As an old monster who had lived for who knew how many years, he naturally would not feel his blood surge at the first sight of a young woman like her.
"Hello, my name is Yu Huiyin. My grandfather asked me to give you this." She took a yellow envelope from the shoulder bag she carried. Its flap was sealed with wax.
Su Yi took the envelope and nodded. "Yu Guoan's granddaughter?"
"Yes!" Hearing how Su Yi addressed her grandfather, Yu Huiyin raised her eyebrows slightly.
Su Yi did not look very old himself, yet he had called her grandfather by his full name. That was disrespectful to an elder.
But her good upbringing kept her from exploding on the spot.
After all, before she left, her grandfather had reminded her over and over not to anger this man named Su Yi. He had also told her to bring the items to Su Yi alone and unconditionally fulfill any request he made.
For someone of Yu Guoan's current standing to say such things to her...
The most important part was that last statement.
Whatever he requests, I have to fulfill it unconditionally?
It brought the most clichéd possibility to Yu Huiyin's mind.
A marriage arranged before birth?
"Please wait a moment." Su Yi opened the envelope in front of Yu Wei. Inside were an ID card, a black bank card, a letter, and an admission letter from Qingzhou University.
Su Yi had always been a quick learner, and simplified characters had evolved from traditional characters in the first place. He glanced at the ID card.
Then he read the letter Yu Guoan had written him. Apart from pledging his loyalty, Yu Guoan told him that the bank card held ten billion and gave him the PIN. He also said that if Su Yi needed anything, he could have Yu Huiyin do it for him, and could even have her live here with him.
"Yu Huiyin, correct? 'Great Si carried on the beautiful legacy, and thus had a hundred sons.' A very fine name." Mentioning Yu Huiyin's name brought a certain monarch of the Warring States period to Su Yi's mind. Her name came from "Si Qi" in the "Decade of King Wen," part of the "Major Court Hymns" section of the Book of Songs. Quite a few of those poems had been written by Su Yi.
"You know quite a lot!" The corners of Yu Huiyin's lips lifted slightly. Su Yi had actually identified the source of her name at once, but he had probably looked it up beforehand.
Were there still young people these days who read the Book of Songs?
Putting on an act!
"Just a little." Su Yi smiled and handed the bank card and ID card to Yu Huiyin. "Sorry for the trouble, but please return the bank card to your grandfather. Also, please make a photocopy of my ID. I don't have any money on me. I'll pay you back for the copy when I get my wages next month."
"..." Yu Huiyin took the bank card and ID card, her hands stiffening.
The bank card Su Yi had handed her was a black-and-gold card under her grandfather's name. She did not know how much money was in it, but she knew very well what it meant for her grandfather to give Su Yi this card.
Through gritted teeth, Yu Huiyin asked, "Do you know how much money is in this card?"
Su Yi smiled faintly. "That isn't important. Also, please tell your grandfather that I don't need financial assistance."
Yu Huiyin nearly laughed in exasperation. "Didn't you just say you didn't have any money?"
Su Yi raised an eyebrow. "Having no money doesn't mean I'm short of money. You can go make a copy of my ID now. I need it today. Sorry for the trouble."
Having no money doesn't mean you're short of money-what a line.
You don't even have enough to photocopy your ID!
Just how poor are you?
"Wait here!" The moment Yu Huiyin turned around, she could not help rolling her eyes dramatically. Just what kind of person had she run into?
If her grandfather really did tell her about some marriage arranged before birth, and the man was someone like this, she would truly want to run away from home.
Ten minutes later, Yu Huiyin returned to Su Yi with a stack of ID photocopies, impatience suppressed between her brows. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"If you have time, could you take me to school? I don't know the way, or how to enroll." Su Yi handed her the admission letter from Qingzhou University as well. He had spent the previous day wandering around the city and had learned quite a few things. At least he no longer spoke like someone from ancient times.
Yu Huiyin did not know how to describe how she felt. She stared at Su Yi for a long while. Had this man just come out of the mountains?
"I have time!" Yu Huiyin pressed her lips together and nodded firmly. Her chest rose and fell, nearly bursting the buttons underneath.
Her grandfather had told her to fulfill any request Su Yi made unconditionally.
None of Su Yi's requests so far had been unreasonable. Though he looked a little shabby, he was still far better than certain rich second-generation heirs at school.
Whenever those rich second-generation heirs looked at her, no matter how well they concealed it, she always felt a strong sense of aggression.
Hm?
Wasn't the way Su Yi looked at her a little too indifferent?
It was an indifference that seemed bred into his very bones.
Yu Huiyin could not help staring into Su Yi's eyes.
He clearly looked so young, and his ID said he was only twenty, so why did Yu Huiyin see something indescribable in his eyes?
Weathered yet tranquil, like a thousand-year-old well without a single ripple.
Noticing Yu Huiyin staring into his eyes, Su Yi followed her gaze and met it. He smiled. "What are you looking at?"
"N-nothing!" Yu Huiyin did not even know why, but in that instant, her heartbeat suddenly quickened, and Su Yi's gaze left her flustered.
Su Yi's eyes were simply too unusual, clear and fathomless. It was as though, in the instant their gazes met, everything hidden deep within her heart had been seen through.
Su Yi narrowed his eyes. "Then when are we going to school?"
"Now, I suppose. Grandfather has already completed all the paperwork for your enrollment." Yu Huiyin paused, then said, "Qingzhou University is still a little far from here. Will you stay in the dorm or live here?"
"Either is fine." Su Yi asked in return, "Would I be living alone in the dorm, or would there be other people?"
"How could you be alone? All the dorm rooms at Qingzhou University house four people. If you want to live in the dorm, I'll arrange it for you." Yu Huiyin drew a deep breath. This man might have come from another planet. How could anyone have a university dorm room all to himself?
Su Yi did not hesitate. "The dorm, then. I'll just come back here occasionally."
Since his purpose was to better integrate into this new society, Su Yi naturally wanted more contact with other people. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to attend school.