Lan Die smiled sweetly. “Hello, Uncle Yi!”
“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride!” Yi An parked the car and stepped out.
“No need, I’m heading back to the dorm tonight!” Lan Die pointed toward the dormitory building straight ahead.
Suddenly, the rear car door opened, and a man with a commanding presence stepped out.
Lan Die caught a whiff of that unique Pine Scent.
She looked up in shock!
This was the first time she had seen He Canglan so clearly, face-to-face.
It was a face impossible to forget once seen!
Describing He Canglan’s features as sharp and sculpted would be more than fitting.
Despite his exquisitely handsome appearance, his extreme severity when silent, combined with his innate confidence and aura—mixed with the refinement and distance cultivated from his upbringing, along with a sense of superiority and aloofness—made him seem incredibly difficult to approach.
Add to that the fact that he must have been the “other people’s child” praised by elders since childhood, accustomed to accolades, and later flourishing in both academics and career, constantly receiving respect and flattery from others. Such a person carried an unconscious air of superiority, with every gesture exuding arrogance and nobility.
“Lan Die!”
He stood at a distance neither too close nor too far, calling her name.
Lan Die instinctively wanted to flee, but her body wouldn’t obey, as if she had been put under a spell, unable to move an inch.
She, too, had her own dignity and upbringing.
“Hello, what should I call you?” Her soft, gentle voice, like a delicate Wu dialect, left her utterly powerless before him.
He Canglan didn’t speak. Instead, he took a light sniff of the elegant and pleasant orchid fragrance on her, and his alcohol-clouded mind felt a refreshing clarity.
“Whatever!” The two words slowly escaped his lips.
Lan Die secretly pursed her lips. Too lazy to even tell her his name? What did he take her for? So arrogant!
She walked right past him, addressing Yi An by the car. “Uncle Yi, it’s getting late. I need to head back to the dorm. Goodbye!”
Yi An smiled without responding. The girl was too naive!
Sure enough, as Lan Die turned to leave, she heard the cello-like voice behind her. “Show me around.”
Elegant and ladylike, Lan Die was always soft-spoken, gentle, and sweet in front of anyone.
Yet, every time she encountered this man, she felt a surge of pent-up frustration.
Deliberately defying him, talking back to him, willfully ignoring him…
Her best friend Cong Yue told her this was called “acting up” or, more politely, “acting spoiled.” She found it hard to believe!
Just like now, she responded coldly, “Sorry, I have no obligation to!”
The man seemed to let out a faint scoff, his slightly narrow phoenix eyes glancing at her. “You have no say in the matter!”
Lan Die felt something brush past her back, the breeze it stirred making her shiver slightly.
By the time she regained her senses, the professional course books she had been holding in her arms had been snatched away by a pair of elegant, large hands and were now cradled in his embrace.
“Give those back to me!”
Lan Die wanted to snatch them back but was afraid he might do something even more outrageous. She didn’t dare approach him, standing frozen in place, relying only on her expression and tone to convey her anger.
He Canglan curled the corner of his lips, completely ignoring her words. Instead, he casually walked forward, holding the books.
“Do you even have any sense of reason?” Lan Die stamped her foot in frustration, casting a pleading glance toward Yi An.
But what could Yi An do? He could only smile helplessly and shake his head at Lan Die, unable to offer any assistance.
Watching the man gradually walk away, his tall figure cast a long shadow under the moonlight, enveloping Lan Die within it.
Her delicate brows furrowed, and she finally took a step forward, heading toward that upright figure.
It was the time when students were returning to their dormitories one after another.
A man with a dazzling appearance like the clear moon and gentle breeze, carrying the steadiness of a mature man and the noble restraint of a high-born son, attracted countless gazes as he walked along the university campus path.
He disliked blatant ostentation and excessive attention the most, so he chose to take a detour, heading wherever was secluded and less crowded.
Lan Die watched the gradually thinning crowd, her worry growing heavier. She tightly gripped her phone, checking the emergency call page as she went.
“Please don’t go any further. Let me lead the way, okay?”
He Canglan heard the soft, trembling voice behind him, clearly tinged with fear.
The corner of his lips curved slightly as he turned around. “If you don’t listen, you’ll only bring trouble upon yourself!”
“You’re so annoying!” Lan Die muttered quietly.
“What did you say?” He Canglan walked closer and closer.
Lan Die looked up, her clear, peach-blossom eyes brimming with a smile. “I said, hello, sir. Please follow me!”
Her smile carried a purity as clear as water, along with an unconscious, captivating charm that made He Canglan pause for a moment.
His aloofness was innate, but his voice softened slightly as he responded faintly, “Alright.”
Under the hazy moonlight, in the quiet campus, the tall man stood beside the slender, elegant girl.
They walked in silence, so quiet that the faint rustling of their footsteps on the ground could be heard.
He Canglan breathed in the elegant fragrance of orchids, feeling an indescribable sensation in his heart.
He was not unfamiliar with the campus of Jing University. His mother, Cui Mujin, was a professor here.
He had gone to M Country since elementary school and only returned during holidays.
Back then, his mother, Cui Mujin, would bring him to stroll around the Jing University campus, chatting with the professors here. She made use of his holiday time to teach him about domestic culture and etiquette.
Now, walking through the campus again on familiar paths, he had Lan Die by his side.
She was so pure, and in his heart, he felt a sense of detachment from the worldly hustle.
“We can’t walk for too long. The dormitory building will close soon,” Lan Die broke the silence. Her voice was as beautiful as the sound of a zither, pleasant to the ear.
He Canglan seemed not to hear her words, continuing to walk forward on his own.
Lan Die grew a bit anxious, quickening her pace to catch up. She gently tugged at the corner of his shirt. “Sir, please return the book to me. It’s my textbook for my major, and I need it to write my paper.”
He Canglan stopped in his tracks, looking at the hand holding onto his shirt. It was slender, fair, and soft, with long, delicate fingers and clean, beautiful nails tinged with a faint pink.
It was a hand perfect for playing the piano!
“Do you play the piano?”
“Yes!” Lan Die nodded, silently questioning his train of thought.
“Play for me another day,” He Canglan said, his phoenix eyes glancing at her faintly.
“I’m not a performer!” Lan Die avoided his dangerous gaze, her full lips pouting slightly.
He Canglan’s Adam’s apple visibly bobbed.
He knew how sweet and soft those lips tasted.
“Let’s go back,” he said, heading straight toward her dormitory.
Lan Die released his shirt, her mood immediately lifting, her steps becoming light and cheerful.
“Are you that happy to go back?”
Of course, no need to dial 110, haha!
But what Lan Die said instead was: “It’s getting late, I’m tired, and you should go back and rest too!”
“Quite the manager, aren’t you?” the man said casually.
Near the dormitory building, Lan Die stopped He Canglan in time: “That’s enough, any further and you’ll cross the line!”
Cross the line? He Canglan let out a soft snort through his nose.
He lowered his gaze to the beauty before him and raised the book in his hand: “Come get it!”
As soon as Lan Die walked over, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and immediately lips carrying the scent of fresh grass and faint wine enveloped hers, savoring slowly…