Chapter 149 - 148: Overtaking on a Curve Just Like That, the Young Master’s Beauty
Chapter 149: Chapter 148: Overtaking on a Curve Just Like That, the Young Master’s Beauty
Gu Lingyuan froze. "Uncle Qingjin?"
Gu Qingjin suddenly turned back and stared at him. "Which characters make up her name?" His unblinking gaze resembled a wolf lurking in the dark, watching its prey.
Gu Lingyuan didn’t know why Gu Qingjin would suddenly ask this. His hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly before he replied, "Lu as in land, Qing as in cyan, and Yuan as in a soaring hawk?"
"Qingyuan? An actress?" A subtle light flickered in Gu Qingjin’s eyes, and his expression turned somewhat peculiar.
Seeing this expression made Gu Lingyuan’s scalp tingle. "Uncle Qingjin, you..."
But Gu Qingjin didn’t say anything else. His figure disappeared at the end of the staircase.
Returning to the study, he called his secretary. "There is an actress named Lu Qingyuan. Send me all the information on her background."
The secretary was a bit surprised by this sudden request, considering he never cared about the entertainment industry, but quickly agreed. "Understood, Mr. Lan."
Gu Qingjin gazed quietly out the window. The intricate shadows of the trees and the sunlight fell into his pitch-black eyes, reflecting like a galaxy. Perhaps, in this unfamiliar future, he wasn’t the only one who had come back. At this thought, Gu Qingjin’s long-dormant heart suddenly trembled slightly. Then was it possible... she was here too?
The Xuan Dynasty had seen two female emperors in its history, setting an unprecedented standard for the empire. When most people mentioned the title "Empress," they praised Empress Qingyun, Shi Qingyue. But in Gu Qingjin’s heart, his empress had always been, from beginning to end, solely Empress Taichu, Shi Yaoguang. During the short eight years of the Taichu era, he felt as though he had lived out his entire life.
Gu Qingjin let out a faint sigh and closed his eyes.
Down in the living room, the oppressive presence receded like ebbing water. Gu Lingyuan finally caught his breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking he had just dodged a bullet. After readjusting his clothes, he cautiously left the house.
Even when he met up with Bai Shuyi, Gu Lingyuan’s face remained somewhat pale.
"Ling Yuan, what’s wrong?" Bai Shuyi asked with concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Gu Lingyuan let out a breath. "My uncle suddenly came home today."
These words made Bai Shuyi’s heart skip a beat. Although she had known Gu Lingyuan for almost two years and had accompanied him to various high-end banquets, she hadn’t truly broken into Mingjing’s elite circle. Bai Shuyi had heard the name Gu Lan from different people on numerous occasions. They often spoke of how outstanding Old Sir Gu’s youngest son was. Unfortunately, she had never met him.
"Did your uncle scold you? Ling Yuan, he’s your elder, so you should be more accommodating," Bai Shuyi sighed softly.
Gu Lingyuan shot her an icy glare. "Do you also think I’m inferior to him and have to obey and cater to his every whim?"
Startled, Bai Shuyi lowered her voice. "Ling Yuan, that’s not what I meant. Of course I’m entirely on your side. I just can’t bear to see you upset."
Only then was Gu Lingyuan barely satisfied. He ordered his driver, "To the airport." He was going to show that stubborn Lu Qingyuan that defying him would lead to no good end.
At 4:30 PM, during a self-study period in Class 17 of the senior year at Jianghuai High School, Shi Changying finished a set of middle school chemistry test papers and began studying English. She was memorizing a new vocabulary word with a somewhat complex pronunciation, and she couldn’t quite nail the perfect sound right away.
Hearing her repeat it over and over, Lu Mi comforted her, "Yingying, we aren’t Southern Region People anyway. There’s no need to take their language so seriously. You’re super amazing. Probably not many of their natives can even pronounce it this accurately."
Shi Changying replied, "Since I’ve decided to do something, I must do it perfectly." She turned around and poked Shaoyuan, who was looking at the scenery outside.
Seeing her humbly seeking guidance, Shaoyuan’s brow twitched, but he patiently taught her. "Feel the vibration here in the throat."
Shi Changying nodded. Then, she reached out and placed her hand over his throat.
"..."
The entire class fell dead silent.
Lu Mi’s pupils quaked as she stammered, "Yingying, wh-what are you doing!" She screamed internally for Changying to quickly pull her hand back.
Shi Changying looked every bit the exceptionally earnest student. "Feeling the vibration at the throat to learn English pronunciation."
Lu Mi continued to stammer, "Th-that should be..." She meant that Changying was supposed to put her hand on her own throat, not someone else’s!
Shaoyuan’s gaze was profound, dark ink surging in his eyes like a slowly gathering storm. He calmly held her gaze for three seconds. Seeing that she was entirely sincere and meant nothing else by it, he suddenly chuckled.
Then, he pulled her hand over and placed it against his left chest, speaking at an unhurried pace. "Since you want to learn the perfect pronunciation, you should carefully feel it here, too."
He read the word again, his chest vibrating slightly with his breath.
Shi Changying quickly grasped the perfect and correct pronunciation. Highly satisfied, she said, "The saying ’true knowledge comes from practice’ really is correct. I guess my doting on you wasn’t in vain." She withdrew her hand, stuffed a bag of cookies into his hands, and went back to memorizing her vocabulary.
Shaoyuan also turned his head and went back to looking at the scenery, his expression nonchalant.
The two parties involved were so incredibly detached, acting as if they had merely exchanged a simple conversation. Yet, they left the entire classroom so quiet that even the sounds of breathing and heartbeats seemed to vanish. This bizarre atmosphere persisted until the end of class.
Shi Changying closed her English book and went out for a stroll. Her classmates dispersed, some heading to the restroom while others went to fetch water.
Once outside the classroom, Song Qingmu finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. "Senior... Senior Sister was actually just doing it to learn English?"
Lu Mi said blankly, "Yeah, just to learn English."
Song Qingmu muttered, "I really measured a gentleman’s heart with the yardstick of a scoundrel. I thought Senior Sister had taken a fancy to the Young Master’s good looks."
Lu Mi shouted, "Put away your dirty thoughts! Our Yingying is an exemplary student. She would absolutely never engage in puppy love!" There were fifty-six single dogs in Class 17, and no one was allowed to leave the pack alone!
"Actually, the Young Master and Senior Sister are the most likely ones to stop being single," Song Qingmu spread his hands. "But unfortunately, neither of them seems to have a single romantic bone in their bodies!"
Lu Mi said worriedly, "Yingying only cares about food and getting first place. If it isn’t about those two things, she and the Young Master sitting together are just like two statues."
In a certain sense, it was also a perfect match.
It had only been two months since Shi Changying entered Jianghuai High School, but she was already quite the celebrity. However, those who didn’t know her saw her cold and indifferent demeanor and assumed she was unapproachable. They could only sneak glances at her as they walked by.
Principal Ning had just stepped out of Senior Class 9. Upon seeing Shi Changying, he immediately walked over with a beaming smile. "Changying, you made great progress in this exam. Listen well to your father, study hard, and get into a good university."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and Meng Shuyan overheard him. He sneered and gave Shi Changying a once-over, feeling that Principal Ning was being far too biased. Shi Changying’s score from this mock exam had already spread all over the school forum. Her total score was less than three hundred points—not even as high as Meng Qi’an’s. She was simply trash! He wondered what there was to be encouraged about.
Shi Changying nodded.
"Good. If you have any difficulties, look for the Young Master. I need to go prepare for the lecture," Principal Ning said. Then, he muttered to himself, "Sigh, since I can’t invite Xie Lin, I’ll just have to settle for the next best thing."
Shi Changying accurately caught the name in his murmurs. Raising an eyebrow, she spoke up, "Principal Ning."
Principal Ning stopped in his tracks, his voice gentle. "Changying, is there anything else?"
Shi Changying waved her phone. "You want to invite Xie Lin, right? I’ll have him come over."