Jiang Xiaosi followed Shen Mo inside and headed straight for the workshop.
“Professor, can I help you?”
Seeing her eager and ready-to-go attitude, Shen Mo, surprisingly, didn’t refuse. The stones Jiang Xiaosi brought were unpolished, and Shen Mo stood with his arms crossed, watching her work.
Unlike during class, where his attention was divided, here, his eyes were focused solely on her, making Jiang Xiaosi a bit nervous. Still, her skills didn’t falter, and she couldn’t help feeling a little proud.
Before they knew it, night had fallen. Shen Mo remained by her side, occasionally offering guidance. When it came time for the engraving, however, he took over the task himself, and Jiang Xiaosi assisted him.
A man absorbed in his work is always captivating—Shen Mo even more so. Jiang Xiaosi found herself watching his hands with fascination. They seemed perfect, like they were crafted from a mold. His fingers were long and strong, with sharp lines and neatly shaped nails.
At that moment, he was serene, his expression focused, as if his eyes held an endless night capable of lulling someone into eternal sleep. It was a stark contrast to the coldness and contempt he often showed, or the angry outbursts and sharp-tongued remarks. He was just calmly working, like a still pond reflecting the clouds in the sky.
Jiang Xiaosi’s heart started to race erratically.
Her gaze slowly trailed upward, from his buttons to his slightly pressed lips, which curved in a way that made her mind wander. The RH fragrance emanating from him was intoxicating.
“Jiang Xiaosi!” Shen Mo suddenly spoke, startling her.
“Someone’s knocking on the door. Go check it out.”
Jiang Xiaosi quickly ran downstairs, wondering why her face was so hot.
Watching her retreating figure, Shen Mo threw down his pen in frustration. It had only been one evening!
The person at the door was Chen Anyuan, delivering letters and printed emails for Shen Mo.
“Xiaosi? Still here this late? Is Professor Shen in?”
“He is.”
“Then pass this on to him. Oh, by the way, I had a fight with your Senior Sister Hu Hui. She hasn’t talked to me for three days. If you see her, could you say something nice for me?”
Jiang Xiaosi chuckled. “Christmas is coming. Don’t forget to buy her a gift. Girls are easy to please.”
Chen Anyuan nodded repeatedly and left.
Thinking Shen Mo might be hungry after working all evening, Jiang Xiaosi cooked some noodles in the kitchen and brought them upstairs, only to find that Shen Mo had already finished the engraving.
Jiang Xiaosi held the engraved piece, admiring it from every angle, constantly praising it.
Shen Mo shook his head. Although it looked good, it still wasn’t convincing enough to pass as the real thing. The aging and authenticity were secondary issues; the main problem was that the seal lacked the spiritual aura and sense of sacredness and intimidation that only a genuine artifact could possess. He needed another day to refine it.
“Professor, you must be hungry. I made some noodles.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Wasting food is shameful.”
“Eat it yourself.”
“But I’m trying to lose weight…”
Shen Mo sighed, already used to her persistence. Without arguing further, he took the bowl and ate the noodles, finding that the taste had surprisingly improved since the last time.
“How is it? Pretty good, right?”
Jiang Xiaosi watched intently as Shen Mo finished the last noodle, then shamelessly tugged on his sleeve. “Professor, there are still a lot of leftover materials. You’re so skilled—could you make a small seal for me too?”
Shen Mo’s mouth twitched. Now he understood the saying, “You can’t be critical of someone who feeds you.” With a few quick strokes, he crafted a small, delicate seal. Jiang Xiaosi excitedly dipped it in ink and stamped it on paper. The characters “Jiang Xiaosi’s Seal” appeared clear and beautiful.
“Thank you, Professor!”
Jiang Xiaosi happily went home, rummaging through her treasure storage to find a kind of ink that would never fade. She stamped the seal on all her books, then on the inside of all her clothes, marking her ownership. The next day, when she visited Li Yueyi’s house to check on the dog and grab a meal, she even stamped Little Pudding’s butt.
“Yueyi, has Shaobing been treating you well lately?”
“He’s always been good to me, but after that punch from your professor, it took him days to recover from the swelling!”
“That was a misunderstanding, and he got hurt because of it. Apologize for me, and next time I’ll treat you both to McDonald’s.”
“You’ve been so busy lately. You only visit me and Little Pudding once a week. We don’t even run into each other at school anymore. I miss you so much!”
“But we talk on the phone every day! I’ve been telling you everything that happens at university—it’s so much more fun than high school. So you need to study hard and get into a good school too.”
“I don’t have any specific goals. After Shaobing takes his college entrance exams next year, I’ll go to whichever school he gets into.”
“What if he doesn’t pass?”
“He will! He knows how I feel, so he’s carrying the weight of both our futures. He’ll work hard!”
“Well, what if he goes off to college and doesn’t want you anymore? There are so many pretty girls at university.”
“I worry about that too, but he told me to trust him. He says he loves my simplicity, and as long as I don’t change, neither will he.”
Jiang Xiaosi shook her head. Being around Li Yueyi was so easy and straightforward, though sometimes she was a bit too naive and timid. Perhaps that’s exactly what triggered Shaobing’s protective instincts.
“Xiaosi, have you noticed that in some ways, your Professor Shen is a bit like your dad? They say daughters tend to choose boyfriends who resemble their fathers. Do you think you might like him?”
Jiang Xiaosi froze, startled by the thought.
“What? I like my professor? My dad and he are nothing alike!”
Li Yueyi bit into a bear-shaped cookie, snapping off its head. “I think they’re pretty similar.”
“They’re completely different types! The only similarity is that they’re both older.”
“You talk to me on the phone every day, and nine out of ten sentences are about your professor. Are you saying you don’t like him?”
“I respect him. I don’t have any inappropriate thoughts. Besides, I’ve already set my sights on someone else. I’m planning to confess in a few days! I want to experience the joy of studying together, eating together, and spending time with someone every day!”
“No way! So soon? Why haven’t you mentioned this before? Who is it?”
“I call him the ‘Library Handsome Guy.’ He’s always studying by the window in the library, reading books on astrophysics, polymer chemistry, genetic engineering, and cellular biology—all subjects I can’t even begin to understand! His RH fragrance fills the entire library…”
“What’s RH? So that’s why you’re always texting me from the library! I thought you’d suddenly become studious, but you’ve been checking out a handsome guy this whole time!”
“I even sprint to the basketball court after school to snag the best spot to watch him play. I cheer for him too!”
“Does he know who you are? He doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”
“He doesn’t know me yet, but he’s definitely noticed me. After all, I’m kind of famous at our school, haha. He smiled at me the other day! Don’t worry, I’ve done my research, asked around, and followed him—he definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend!”
Jiang Xiaosi’s face was full of sweetness, while Li Yueyi pretended to gag.
“I can’t believe you’ve held back this long without confessing.”
“I’ve lived for so long and never once confessed to anyone! Even though this is a new era, we’ve only known each other for two months. To avoid him seeing me as a kid or thinking I’m just infatuated or joking around, I’m building up a diligent and studious image before gradually making my move. He already has a good impression of me, so I’ve decided to confess on Christmas!”
Since Shen Mo was busy with work and Jiang Xiaosi had a packed schedule, Miao Yan hired two people to help run the shop. By midnight, Jiang Xiaosi climbed into bed, but she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning. Even though she was planning how to confess to the handsome guy in the library, her mind kept wandering back to Shen Mo’s face.
She knew he wouldn’t reply, but she couldn’t help picking up her phone and sending him a message.
—Professor, are you asleep?
After a minute of no response, she sent another one.
—I had tomatoes with sugar and minced eggplant for dinner.
Another half minute passed with no reply.
—Has Master Yixiu left? Did you give him the Zi Yin Insignia? Any leads on the real one? I’ve asked Miao Yan to keep an eye out too.
Still no response.
—I really like the seal you made. Thank you. I even stamped it on the back of my phone. I’ll show you tomorrow!
Another message.
—I took a sneaky little cutting from the clary sage in your yard while you weren’t looking and planted it in a pot on my desk. It’s already sprouting! If I write on the leaves over and over, the seeds will grow with the words imprinted on them. Guess what I’ve been writing?
No way he could resist now.
—Today, Professor Mi asked us to write a paper on Huangchang Ticou. I’ve been thinking for a while and can’t come up with anything. What should I write about?
Five, four, three, two, one!
Sure enough, her phone rang. Jiang Xiaosi rolled around on her bed in delight. She knew it! Even though Shen Mo wasn’t one for texting, he wouldn’t be able to resist a call. She was determined to cure his technophobia.
Shen Mo picked up the phone and immediately started yelling at her. He didn’t believe for a second that she didn’t know how to write about Huangchang Ticou. Yet, after ranting, he still took the time to explain it to her. Jiang Xiaosi continued asking him questions, and before he realized it, the conversation had stretched on for half an hour—a new personal record!
Looking at the phone in his hand, Shen Mo realized his resistance wasn’t as strong as it used to be. How long had it been since holding a phone had made his hands tremble?
He sighed, turned off the light, and lay down. Just as he did, another text message arrived. He opened it to see:
—Professor, what did you have for dinner?
Shen Mo tossed the phone to the foot of the bed.
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