Shen Mo was in class, lecturing to a packed, tiered classroom. Amid the sea of students, Jiang Xiaosi sat, looking especially small. The class rep was helping him by running the slideshow. Jiang Xiaosi alternated between glancing at Shen Mo, looking at the big screen, and quickly jotting down notes.
Shen Mo was well aware that the workload he had assigned her was beyond what an average person could handle. Yet, despite Jiang Xiaosi’s frustration, she hadn’t complained or argued with him about it. This surprised Shen Mo. That small body seemed to hold an astonishing amount of energy, as she always managed to complete the tasks he gave her on time—and excellently, at that.
Shen Mo also realized that the principal had a point. Such a young child, if properly nurtured, could achieve great things. It would be a shame to waste her talents on something as trivial as dealing in artifacts. He had many smart students, but Jiang Xiaosi was the most grounded and talented, especially in the areas of artifact identification and restoration.
Seeing her stifling yawns while still forcing herself to concentrate in class, Shen Mo knew she had probably stayed up late finishing her paper last night.
After class, Jiang Xiaosi followed her routine and reported to his office, handing in her paper. She expected more assignments, but Shen Mo simply waved her away, dismissing her. This made Jiang Xiaosi suspicious—was there an even more daunting task awaiting her tomorrow?
After her evening class, Jiang Xiaosi wearily left the classroom when her phone suddenly rang. It was Xiao Tang.
“Xiaosi, are you still at school?”
“Yeah, just finished class.”
“Could you help me find Professor Shen? I have something urgent to discuss about the recent case, but he’s not answering his phone.”
“Can’t he just install a landline at home?”
“He doesn’t like the sound of ringing phones. If he had a landline, the school would be calling him non-stop. Even the mobile phone he has now was something I forced on him. Only a few people know his number.”
Sighing, Jiang Xiaosi arrived at Shen Mo’s house. Even though the lights were on, she knocked for ages with no response.
Determined, Jiang Xiaosi kept knocking non-stop.
Finally, an angry Shen Mo flung open the door. Jiang Xiaosi saw that he was wearing an apron, his hands covered in clay.
“Professor, why aren’t you answering your phone? Xiao Tang needs to talk to you.”
Jiang Xiaosi waved a hand in front of her nose; every time she came here, that incense always made her uncomfortable.
“I didn’t hear it.” Shen Mo, still fuming, retreated into his studio.
Jiang Xiaosi dialed Shen Mo’s phone, tracking the sound until she found the mobile buried under some cabinets. It was full of missed calls.
An idea suddenly struck her. She rummaged through her backpack, pulling something out and sticking it onto the phone.
Entering the studio, she found Shen Mo busy working with clay. His technique with the pottery wheel was quite skillful. The wheel spun slowly, and in the soft light, Jiang Xiaosi found herself momentarily entranced by Shen Mo’s profile.
She dialed Xiao Tang’s number and handed the phone to Shen Mo. He shot her a glare, but seeing the clay on his hands, Jiang Xiaosi grinned and held the phone up to his ear.
Shen Mo barely said anything, just listened as Xiao Tang rambled on for quite a while. Jiang Xiaosi’s arm grew tired from holding the phone.
When the call ended, Jiang Xiaosi sat on a small stool, resting her chin in her hands, continuing to watch Shen Mo work. He really looked great when he was focused on his work. Other than her dad, he was the most handsome man she had seen in a thousand years. But why did he have to be a Daoist?
“Why are you still here?” Shen Mo disliked being disturbed, especially when someone stared at him like this.
“It’s late. Can I stay here tonight?”
“No.” Shen Mo rejected her outright.
“I’m afraid of the dark. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t stayed over before.”
“Call your dad to come pick you up.”
“Stingy!”
Jiang Xiaosi wrinkled her nose and stood up, holding out the phone to him. “Here, your phone.”
Shen Mo noticed a pink heart sticker on the keypad for the first time. “What’s this?”
“A soft sticker. Next time the phone rings, you won’t need to search for the right button—just feel for the raised spot and press it. Same goes for texts. Forget the other buttons; just remember this one.”
The sleek, black phone now had a cute little addition, which felt oddly out of place. Shen Mo couldn’t help but frown again.
“I know the ringtone makes you anxious and muddled, so I’ve set it to vibrate. Just keep the phone on you, and when it vibrates, press the heart. I don’t know what happened in the past that made you so averse to phones, but these things are just tools—they’re inanimate objects. If you stop resisting them, you’ll find they’re not so bad.”
Suddenly, Jiang Xiaosi moved closer to him from behind, her arms circling his waist, pressing her body against his. Shen Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tried to step forward, but Jiang Xiaosi had already slipped the phone into his pocket, then quickly backed away, bouncing towards the door.
“Alright, I’m heading home. Remember to answer your phone next time!”
Shen Mo was left speechless as she darted out the door, his frown deepening. A massive flood begins with a tiny breach. Some things just couldn’t be allowed to grow unchecked.
The next day, the sky was clear and bright. Jiang Xiaosi grabbed her lunch from the cafeteria and sat on the grass by the lake, eating alone.
“Xiaosi, you’re just now having lunch?” Hu Hui called out when she saw her.
“Yeah, I went to the library first. Have you eaten, Senior Sister?”
“I have.” Hu Hui’s short hair was tousled by the cold wind as she patted her head. “You’ve been working hard lately.”
“I have no choice. I’ve been forced to.” Jiang Xiaosi shoveled food into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out. Her appetite had really increased lately.
“Must be tough working as Professor Shen’s assistant with Senior Brother Chen. Most professors only have one assistant, but he needs two to handle all the tasks.”
“It’s not too bad. It’s a good way to build skills. You can learn a lot from Professor Shen. I applied to be his grad student because I admire him. By the way, Xiaosi, what are you drinking?”
Hu Hui curiously eyed the bottle in Jiang Xiaosi’s hand. The liquid inside was blood-red.
“To-to-tomato juice.” Jiang Xiaosi stammered. She had rushed out this morning and couldn’t find her usual water bottle, so she had grabbed an empty tomato juice bottle and filled it halfway with blood.
“The color seems off. Is it expired? Don’t make yourself sick.” Hu Hui squinted, leaning closer to check the expiration date on the bottle. Jiang Xiaosi quickly pointed into the distance.
“What’s that?”
Hu Hui turned to look, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Where’d that monk come from?”
“Monk?” Jiang Xiaosi looked more closely, and sure enough, it was a monk. He was wearing robes, a conical hat, and holding a staff. With each step, the rings on his staff clinked together.
Killing intent?
Even from far away, Jiang Xiaosi felt a chill. The monk’s presence was as imposing as Shen Mo’s. The students around him were all curiously staring while stepping aside to give him a wide berth.
“What’s a monk doing at our school?” Jiang Xiaosi lay flat on the grass, craning her neck to get a better look at the monk’s face. Was he as handsome as Shen Mo?
Suddenly, the monk stopped in his tracks, his gaze piercing through Jiang Xiaosi like a sharp arrow. A flash of doubt crossed his stern face, quickly replaced by even stronger killing intent. His lips moved slightly as he coldly spat out two words.
“Foul creature!”
Jiang Xiaosi was so startled she nearly rolled over on the grass, her back breaking out in a cold sweat. Grabbing her bag and tray, she quickly made a run for it.
“Senior Sister, I’ve got to go. See you in the office this afternoon!”
The monk didn’t chase after her, merely watching her retreating figure with a cold snort before heading straight for the mountain behind the school.
Later that afternoon, after class, Jiang Xiaosi was thrilled to find that Shen Mo wasn’t in his office—no homework for today! She headed over to the school’s culture square to join the rollerblading club.
She had tried skateboarding for a while before, so learning to rollerblade came easily to her. She quickly mastered skating backward. There weren’t many girls in the club, so the boys all liked her and took good care of her. There was a noticeable age gap, and Jiang Xiaosi found herself getting along better with older students. Since starting college, she had made a lot more friends. In the past, she had always been the one taking care of those around her, like Li Yueyi. But here, everyone treated her like a little sister and pampered her.
A row of colorful cones had been set up on the ground as obstacles, and Jiang Xiaosi carefully maneuvered around them, though she still bumped into a few. Some of the boys explained the techniques and demonstrated for her, and she happily practiced over and over again.
Since she didn’t have to wear a uniform in college, Jiang Xiaosi changed outfits every day, trying out different styles. There were many well-off senior brothers around her, but she found it odd that even though they treated her well, none of them asked her out. Could it be because she didn’t have much of a chest?
Looking at the occasional tall, beautiful college girls passing by, Jiang Xiaosi lowered her head, feeling a bit disheartened. Today, she was wearing sneakers, casual pants, a white T-shirt, and a small vest, along with a black hat, making her look like a little boy.
After skating for a while, she remembered that someone had made an appointment to pick up goods at the shop, so she needed to head back early. She said goodbye to everyone and skated towards the campus gates. After sliding down a set of steps and gliding along a slope, she suddenly heard the sound of rings clinking. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the monk from earlier. Startled, she lost her balance and crashed straight into someone who had just stepped out from around the corner.
The slope was steep, and the momentum was strong, so the person she collided with was knocked flat to the ground beneath her.
“Jiang Xiaosi! Do you not watch where you’re going?”
Hearing the angry shout, Jiang Xiaosi’s face scrunched up. How could she be so unlucky? Out of all people, she had to run into Shen Mo.
The position of her straddling him was highly inappropriate, and as she tried to clumsily get up, her rollerblades slipped, and she ended up pushing Shen Mo back down, her face falling onto his chest. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
With a cold expression, Shen Mo grabbed her and lifted her off him, sternly scolding, “You can’t just rush down slopes like that. What if a car had come out?”
All Jiang Xiaosi could do was blink pitifully, secretly reaching out to pluck the leaves and twigs from his clothes. Shen Mo, however, frowned and bent down, his large hand gripping her ankle.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
Was this payback? Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes welled up with tears. She had twisted her ankle, and here he was, showing no concern.
At that moment, someone stepped out from nearby, their staff striking the ground with a fierce clank. Both Jiang Xiaosi and Shen Mo looked up simultaneously.
“Shen Mo! Return my Zi Yin Insignia!”
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