The teaching building, a fusion of red brick and cream-colored stone, stood firm and imposing.
Looking at it from a distance in the modern and international hub of Donghai, it looked like an ancient castle plucked from the Middle Ages, gleaming with a cold and restrained luster under the morning light.
Within its elegance lay a threshold and an air of extravagance that ordinary people could hardly cross.
The lawn was manicured with meticulous care, the greenery spreading out like a professional golf course.
A fountain stood in the courtyard, its water weaving into fine arcs in the air, while cross emblems and griffin reliefs were quietly embedded upon it.
….
This was the symbol of the heritage passed down through generations at this elite private school.
It represented glory and tradition.
It also represented an innate sense of class and order.
Gao Hongyi wore a navy-blue blazer.
The sharp tailoring traced the perfect lines of her shoulders and waist.
Her dark cherry-red hair flowed with a soft yet dazzling luster in the sunlight, making her the most eye-catching sight on campus.
Some people were born with the aura of a protagonist, and Gao Hongyi was exactly that.
Her Oxford shoes clicked against the stone path with a crisp, rhythmic sound.
Her pace was composed, and her expression was calm.
It was as if the entire tree-lined boulevard was making way for her.
Behind her, there were always people maintaining a subtle distance, neither too close nor too far.
They didn’t dare to approach her rashly, yet they were loath to leave.
Her followers were like planets orbiting a star.
For instance, there was the blond, mixed-race fencing captain.
His father was stationed overseas in a high-ranking diplomatic position, and his mother was active in the world of haute couture as a top designer for Chanel.
He possessed a sculpted profile and an innate, elegant demeanor.
Roses.
Champagne.
Concert invitations.
Meticulously planned “chance” encounters.
He had expressed his admiration for Gao Hongyi more than once on campus.
But every time, her response was clear and polite.
“I’m sorry, but I already have someone I like.”
The fencing captain was not her only suitor.
A descendant of the Tsukisetsu family—one of the largest conglomerates in Sakura Country—and the grandson of one of its current leaders, Tsukisetsu Uji, had also pursued Gao Hongyi with near-obsessive persistence.
….
He was the Kendo Club President.
His personality was cold and sharp.
One stern look from his sword-like brows was enough to make most girls’ hearts skip a beat.
He was as proud as a winter plum, yet he had once dropped to one knee for her.
The Kendo Club President and the fencing captain were rivals.
To force the other to back down, they had once held a duel in the training hall that symbolized a man’s dignity.
Western fencing versus Eastern kendo.
A slender foil clashing against a steady bamboo sword under the bright lights.
For the glory of their families, for personal honor, and for Gao Hongyi’s heart, they chose to fight.
The training hall was boisterous.
Students held their breath, making the very air feel thin.
However, the female lead, Gao Hongyi, was sitting alone at a piano in the art gallery while they fought.
Her fingertips fell upon the black and white keys.
La Campanella.
Liszt’s composition leaped lightly through the air.
This piece was translated into Chinese as “Dream of Love,” but unfortunately, this dream of love was not for the two men in the training hall.
She felt no ripple of emotion for the most popular boys in school.
She was simply immersed in her own melody.
She didn’t stop for anyone.
Only occasionally would she pick up her phone, an almost imperceptible softness appearing at the corners of her lips as she whispered.
‘Uncle Bai…’
No one knew who Uncle Bai was.
When the holidays ended and Gao Hongyi returned to school, the entire grade was stirred by her presence once again.
The boys weren’t pests; they simply worked harder to showcase their excellence.
Competition results, speech contests, art exhibitions, and sports honors—however, no matter how much they preened like peacocks, Gao Hongyi’s gaze never lingered on anyone for even a moment.
In Advanced French class, sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She rested her cheek on one hand, her willow-like brows furrowed slightly.
Her gaze was fixed on her phone screen.
‘What are you doing, Uncle Bai?’
‘The speed at which you replied just now was slower than usual.’
An inexplicable sense of unease rose in her heart.
She couldn’t help but think of that international student from Seoul.
If that girl knocked on the door while she wasn’t home, and if Uncle Bai actually opened it, what would happen?
Uncle Bai wouldn’t do anything to betray her.
He definitely wouldn’t.
But the more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.
On the podium, the foreign teacher was using French to explain Camus and Baudelaire.
The contrast between the poetics of symbolism and the philosophy of the absurd was being explained eloquently, but Gao Hongyi’s thoughts were far from the classroom.
She quietly took out her phone.
She was already fluent in French anyway, so it didn’t matter if she listened or not.
What mattered was—she wanted to know what Uncle Bai was doing right at this moment.
[Vi]: Uncle Bai, have you had lunch yet?
[Vi]: What did you have for lunch? Can you take a photo and send it to me?
She hesitated for a moment, feeling her tone was a bit too urgent.
So, she picked out a very cute emoji.
[Vi]: Uncle Bai still hasn’t replied. Could he be playing games?
[Vi]: Did he go to the bathroom? Why hasn’t he replied for so long?
One minute had already passed.
Her fingertips unconsciously tapped the desk.
Anxiety tightened around her like a fine spiderweb.
Finally, the phone vibrated.
Baiye Duxing: I was writing a novel just now.
Her breathing relaxed slightly.
[Vi]: You have to eat on time.
[Vi]: By the way, a lot of boys confessed to me at school again today. They’re honestly like flies.
[Vi]: Is Uncle Bai jealous?
[Vi]: But don’t worry, I rejected them all.
[Vi]: Just how much longer until school is over?
[Vi]: I really want to see you right now.
Baiye Duxing: Me too, Hongyi…
[Vi]: Have you been a good boy at home? You’re not looking at pictures of beautiful women or movies from Sakura Country, are you?
[Vi]: If you do, I won’t forgive you.
Baiye Duxing: Don’t worry.
A sumptuous lunch was laid out on the dining table.
Black truffle pasta was the main course, along with Japanese teriyaki chicken legs with seasonal vegetables, and slow-roasted eel.
At least Uncle Bai was eating well.
[Vi]: Has Uncle Bai been chatting with any other girls?
Baiye Duxing: I did receive a call from Linchuan County just now.
Baiye Duxing: It was Ai Lian. Nothing happened, though. She just asked a few math questions.
Baiye Duxing: Anyway, aren’t you in class right now?
Baiye Duxing: Study hard. Stop talking to me…
[Vi]: I know.
[Vi]: But if I send a message, Uncle Bai must reply to me immediately.
[Vi]: Otherwise, I’ll start overthinking things.
She really didn’t want to be away from Uncle Bai for even fifteen minutes.
End class.
Let school be over.
Hurry up, let the bell ring sooner…
The next class was her piano major course.
Ah, what a hassle.
“Miss Gao, how was your holiday?”
“The next class is piano. I’m skipping my own class. Might I have the honor of sitting in the first row to hear you play?”
The speaker was the fencing captain, Alexander de Adrian.
“Miss Gao…”
“A member of our main family married a man named Gao into the clan.”
Tsukisetsu Soma stood before Gao Hongyi like a stalk of green bamboo, his expression calm.
“From that day on, the karma of the Tsukisetsu and the Gao families has been quietly tied to the same bloodline.”
He paused, his voice low but carrying a certainty that was almost impossible to defy.
“Perhaps we Tsukisetsus are destined to be entangled with the Gaos after all.”
“It is not a coincidence.”
“It is fate.”
“Miss Gao, during the one week you were away from school, my sword became dull.”
“For the first time, I felt hesitation when I swung.”
“When the bamboo sword falls, it lacks the decisiveness I once had.”
He lowered his eyes slightly, his fingertips tightening silently.
“I spent a long time thinking about the reason.”
“I later realized that if a sword has nothing to protect, it is merely an object.”
“The reason I stand in the kendo hall and continue to sharpen my edge isn’t for victory or defeat.”
He looked up, his gaze straight and clear.
“It’s to protect. Could you become the reason I wield my sword?”
They were the most popular boys in the entire school.
They came from prominent families, had excellent grades, and possessed impeccable grace.
In this elite school, they were the acknowledged heartthrobs, the center of countless gazes.
The girls nearby already had stars in their eyes.
But Gao Hongyi didn’t pause for even a second.
Her gaze was cold, and her tone was steady to the point of being indifferent.
“Don’t block the way.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make them back off.
“I have someone I like.”
She didn’t explain, and she didn’t hesitate.
“And that person isn’t you.”
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