“Uncle Bai, even though I really don’t want to leave you, there’s no choice.”
“My break is over. I have to go to school today.”
The morning light streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The red-haired girl standing before Gu Yebai wore a navy-blue school blazer.
It was sharply cut and form-fitting, with clean shoulder lines and a perfectly cinched waist.
A solid gold school badge was pinned to her chest.
The cross emblem and griffin totem gleamed faintly in the metallic luster.
Her shirt and tie were equally meticulous.
The crisp, pure white stand-collar shirt was neat and fresh, with a standard Windsor knot tied at the collar—the knot so precise it was almost strict.
The deep blue tie with subtle crimson stripes hung down, visually echoing her red hair.
That bright hue cascaded down past her shoulders.
Her skirt was a blue-gray plaid pleated skirt, its length exact.
So proper that not a single violation of the dress code could be found.
Below that were black knee-high socks and low-heeled Oxford shoes, the leather so clean it reflected the light.
Standing there, she looked like a heroine who had stepped right out of a British aristocratic anime.
She exuded elegance mixed with a languid air, but because of her captivatingly wild red hair, there was also a hint of restless, untamed sharpness hidden within.
Gu Yebai found himself staring, a little lost in thought.
He even felt that this attire didn’t belong at St. George’s International School at all.
She seemed more suited to walk the hallways of Hogwarts, or a place like Cassell College, where secrets and lineages were hidden.
As if, in the next second, an owl might land on the windowsill, or an ancient bell might toll.
“Uncle Bai?”
Gao Hongyi’s fair, slender little hand waved in front of his eyes.
Her fingers were long and elegant, carrying a faint, subtle fragrance.
“Your eyes are open, but are you not awake?”
“You look really beautiful in your school uniform.”
Gu Yebai snapped back to the moment.
“Hee hee, thanks for the compliment.”
Gao Hongyi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
The smile was innocent and sweet.
Suddenly, she reached out with both hands and cupped Gu Yebai’s face.
Her palms were warm.
The gesture carried an intimacy that brooked no refusal.
“Give me a kiss.”
Her tone was soft.
It sounded like she was being playful, yet also like she was giving an order.
Before Gu Yebai could react, she leaned in.
Her lips were soft, carrying the fresh scent of morning mint.
The kiss was brief yet landed squarely on his lips.
“For breakfast, someone will bring it to you later, okay?”
“Since Uncle Bai doesn’t have to go to school yet, and it seems like you still need to handle your school registration and household registration issues, just stay home and write your novel with a clear conscience, or play some computer games if you want.”
“Anyway, the most important thing is to make sure you’re happy.”
Her tone was gentle, like she was giving instructions, yet also like she was weaving a web of control around Gu Yebai.
“Oh, and you’re not allowed to look at pictures of pretty girls online, and definitely no watching movies from Sakura Country, understood?”
“Understood, don’t worry.”
“And also, you’re not allowed to just start talking to girls online.”
“Yes, I know, don’t worry.”
Gao Hongyi’s foot had already stepped out the door, but she suddenly stopped and pulled it back.
“Ah, I’m so worried!”
She frowned.
That exquisite face, like a work of art, now showed undisguised anxiety.
“Just thinking about Uncle Bai staying home alone makes me so anxious I could die. What if some stray cat sets her sights on you?”
“When I’m not home, will Uncle Bai die from loneliness?”
“I’m not a hamster!”
Gu Yebai couldn’t help but retort.
He was really a bit speechless.
Sometimes, Gao Hongyi was overly clingy—so much so that it almost took his breath away.
“Hongyi, hurry up and go, or you really will be late.”
“I’ll be just fine at home alone.”
“I feel like calling the teacher to ask for leave…” she murmured.
The way she looked didn’t resemble a top student at an international school.
It was more like a kitten forced to leave its owner.
“If only I could shrink Uncle Bai down and put you in my pocket, geez.”
She stomped her foot, then looked back at him with a mixture of reluctance, possessiveness, and affection all tangled together.
“Wait for me to come home.”
“Let’s be happy today, too.”
Finally, her low-heeled Oxfords stepped into the elevator.
Her waist-length red hair swayed gently.
It was so beautiful.
No matter how many times he saw it, he never grew tired of it.
“See you later. Write your novel well, and when I get home, I’ll play the piano for Uncle Bai.”
The door slowly closed.
She had gone to school.
After the elevator descended, Gu Yebai still went to the balcony.
Sure enough, even after going downstairs, Gao Hongyi couldn’t help but look back toward the balcony.
Their eyes met.
She immediately waved excitedly, smiling like a little child getting a response.
It was really very cute.
Although her jealousy was a bit excessive, it was just a small flaw amidst so much perfection.
Besides, wasn’t her jealousy proof of how deeply she loved?
So—it was only natural to accept these feelings.
Even if it felt a little suffocating at times.
About five minutes later, her figure completely disappeared from sight.
From the balcony at Tomson Riviera, you could see St. George’s International School in the distance.
It was a typical European-style red brick building, with a solemn main building, wide lawns, and separate equestrian grounds, an arts center, and an orchestral hall.
Gao Hongyi had once mentioned she often played the piano in the orchestral hall.
“Going to school… that’s nice.”
If he hadn’t been brought to Donghai, he would probably be in school right now too.
At Linchuan Fifth High School, in that gray, cold, worn-out world, living a life with no end in sight, in that place that operated like a machine repeating the same motions, cramming lines of text from textbooks into his head.
“I’ll go write the novel instead.”
After experiencing such a huge turning point in life, inspiration was sprouting like bamboo after a spring rain.
Especially regarding romance.
In the past, he almost never wrote female characters.
Because he had no experience with them.
Writing them felt like trying to build a car with the doors closed—pointless.
Many readers joked that he was a naive virgin.
Hey, they weren’t wrong.
But now it was different.
He had started to understand some of a girl’s small gestures—that hesitation, that tough exterior hiding a soft heart.
The blonde, puppy-like character in his story, who secretly liked the male lead, was gradually developing a feminine charm.
Because whenever he wrote female characters, the image that appeared in his mind when he closed his eyes was almost always Gao Hongyi.
Writing was painful, but also blissful.
At least for now, Gu Yebai rushed toward the study with immense enthusiasm and turned on the computer… Huh?
What’s wrong with the mouse?
The mouse was acting up.
Instead of opening “Writer’s Assistant,” the double-clicked file opened the “WeGame Game Platform.”
Oh my god, mouse, what are you doing?
Why aren’t you acting right?
Why did you open League of Legends?
Why are you still making a mistake and opening a Hextech ARAM match?
Gu Yebai really wanted to write his novel.
That passion had never wavered one bit.
The computer must have been infected with a virus that automatically opened games on startup.
But Gu Yebai was a responsible person.
If he just went ahead and wrote his novel now, four innocent people would have to bear the inevitable failure.
That was something Gu Yebai could not tolerate…
Especially since one of them was a friend who also wrote novels on the same website.
Ai: Hey, I got Malphite in the random. Can we swap?
Baiye Duxing: I don’t want to play Yuumi.
Ai: Swap with me.
If you get Death Loop, it’ll be a pure easy win for you.
Ai: I’ll go AP Malphite, guaranteed to carry hard.