“So, what you’re saying is, Mr.
Tao, you’re willing to give up part of your salary as long as I let your sister attend the freshman ball?”
Si Hansu glossed over the unimportant details in the other man’s story, like how he had ‘raised her through thick and thin,’ or about his ‘gambling dad and alcoholic mom.’
He simply repeated a concise summary of what he had just heard.
Bai Tao nodded.
“I was asking for 30,000 a week, oh no, 20,000 is fine.”
Si Hansu tapped the frame of his glasses with his index finger.
“If I may ask, why does this sister of yours, whom you’ve depended on each other to survive, want to attend Heslington’s freshman ball?”
“This ball is merely a networking platform for the various prominent families, after all.”
He didn’t spell it out completely.
But Bai Tao could read between the lines:
‘Marrying up is out of the question.’
“She just wants to experience the event.
She has no other intentions.”
“My sister… I watched her grow up.” Bai Tao pinched her own thigh hard, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
“As her brother, I just want her to see the world as much as possible.”
“So, even if it’s just for the experience, that would be enough.” As Bai Tao spoke, her voice filled with emotion and tears streamed down her face.
“If… if you, Young Master Si, are willing to grant my wish, I’ll take just 10,000 for my salary…”
“It’s rare to find a gentleman so compatible with me in judo.”
“And I, Si Hansu, dislike beating around the bush and haggling.”
Bai Tao was taken aback.
‘Does that mean…’
“It’s just a freshman ball.
If Mr.
Tao’s sister wants to go, I’ll simply have another invitation made.”
“There’s no need to compromise on your salary.”
“However, as for attending the freshman ball, how do you plan to handle the matter of an evening gown, Mr.
Tao?”
Bai Tao froze.
She had already gotten more than enough out of this.
If she were to ask for anything else, it would be utterly shameless.
Just as she was about to say something, Si Hansu stood up.
“I’m only joking, Mr.
Tao.”
“As for the gown, I will have someone arrange it.
Consider it a token of our new friendship.”
The more he said such seemingly kind words, the more of an ominous chill Bai Tao felt creeping down her spine.
After all, no matter how pleasant his words were, his tone and expression remained completely unchanged.
It was as if the moment he put on those gold-rimmed glasses, what little emotion he had was completely imprisoned behind them.
“Mr.
Tao, please make yourself at home.
If you need anything, you can tell Wang Chang directly.”
“He will give you a Heslington access pass shortly and will be responsible for driving you.”
“Work begins next week.” He fastened the last button on his suit jacket.
Tao.”
“Now then, I have other matters to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me.”
Bai Tao only had Wang Chang drop her off outside the school gates.
Once the car was out of sight, she changed back into her own clothes and climbed over the wall to get back in.
She had barely caught her breath when an official text message arrived on her phone.
[Orientation Notice: All students are to pick up their textbooks from Building J, Room J101 before 6:00 PM today.]
Immediately after, a flood of errand requests appeared in the work-study forum.
The wealthy young masters and ladies here certainly wouldn’t bother running to get their own textbooks.
Acting on the principle of never passing up a chance to earn money, Bai Tao replied to every single errand post she saw.
In the end—
she stood at the entrance of J101, holding two towering stacks of books almost taller than her, lost in thought.
Bai Tao hadn’t done much proper schooling, so she genuinely had no idea that a single class could require so many books!
Even with her superhuman strength, her arms would definitely give out if she had to carry all these books back to the dorms and then distribute them.
But she didn’t want to make two trips either.
“Excuse me, you’re here to run errands for others, right?” The teacher distributing the textbooks poked his head out to look at her.
“They’re replacing the old instruments in the music building next door.”
“You could try your luck and see if there’s a moving dolly on the first floor.”
Bai Tao’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you, sir.”
Clutching the books, she quickly disappeared from the teacher’s sight.
The music building was made almost entirely of glass.
It was bright and filled with the scent of the sun.
Since Heslington hadn’t officially started the school year yet, there wasn’t a single soul in sight.
The only sounds were the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind, and the melodious sound of a piano.
‘Huh?’
‘Piano music?’
Bai Tao held her breath.
The piano music grew clearer, its tones deep but not muddled.
She couldn’t help but walk toward the sound, finding a practice room at the very end of the hall.
She kept her distance, not too close and not too far, just enough to get a clear view of the man sitting inside behind the white-framed glass window.
He wore a pristine white French-style shirt with floral sleeves and a deep V-neck.
It was hard to tell if the fabric was just that thin or if Qi Heting himself was simply that translucent, but his skin seemed to flow within his sleeves.
Below, a pair of slightly tight-fitting white suit trousers accentuated the length of his legs as he methodically worked the pedals of the grand piano. This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.
His long fingers danced across the keys, effortlessly spanning more than an octave to produce notes of varying tempos and dynamics.
His platinum-blonde hair was smooth and had a golden sheen.
A silver ribbon was woven into it, tied into a side braid that fell just below his shoulder.
His gilded eyes were hidden beneath long lashes.
The profile of his face looked as if it had been exquisitely carved from jade.
‘So… beautiful.’
Bai Tao was completely entranced.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, and while she was dazed, the books at the very top of the stack shifted their center of gravity.
Not wanting to disturb the person in the practice room, she tried to stabilize the two stacks in her arms, attempting to regain her balance.
But her muscles were still aching from her earlier bout with Si Hansu.
CRASH!
Not only did all the books go clattering to the ground, but she also fell and landed right on the floor with them.
The piano music came to an abrupt halt.
Just as a few books were about to hit her, sprouts shot out from the lawn at her feet and knocked them away.
But they retracted just as quickly, as if nothing had happened.
Qi Heting’s ten fingers hovered over the keys as he glanced sideways, staring at the uninvited guest who had disturbed him.
She was sitting on the lawn, rubbing her sore bottom in pain.
The once-neat towers of books now lay scattered all around her.
Without the framed glasses and heavy bangs, her delicately furrowed brows were clearly visible, sitting just above her bright, almond-shaped eyes.
Her legs were straight and fair, her skin so tender that a small patch on her calf had already turned red just from brushing against the grass.
And the way her knees were slightly bent was not very ladylike.
Qi Heting averted his gaze, pulled back the sheer curtain, and pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window.
A perfect, flawless smile quickly formed on his lips.
“Bai, we meet again.”
“It seems that every time we meet, you’re… taking a tumble.”
“Need a hand?”