·Innocent Monologue·
Written by Que Shi
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North City had been rainy lately.
The sky was always gray, and the air clung to a lingering dampness. The pattering sound of rain beat endlessly against the eaves and window lattices.
When the rain stopped, the whole city seemed washed clean. Hazy car lights and neon signs blurred on the wet streets, looking from afar like a layer of pale golden mist.
When Cheng Buxi received the text from her foster mother, she was in an elective class.
The lecture hall was packed full, mostly with people who had come to see the newly appointed professor.
This youngest master's supervisor in history had been specially recruited by the school from S University at great expense. S University was a prestigious 985 school, and their low-tier 211 had barely squeezed in for a chance to take classes from a 985 teacher.
Most importantly, the man in front had off-the-charts looks and physique. The camera flashes from the audience never stopped.
Cheng Buxi sat by the aisle. The text message was concise: there was a family dinner tonight, and she should come back early.
The sky was dim, so the lights in the lecture hall were turned on early. The bright white light spread overhead, making her skin look even more like white jade.
There were many beautiful girls in the Accounting School, but Cheng Buxi's clean and pure temperament was unique. In her freshman year, her roommate secretly submitted her bare-faced photo from her campus card for the school beauty contest, and she won first place. The title of "Finance and Accounting Beauty" just stuck.
Since her foster mother had ordered, Cheng Buxi naturally obeyed. She decisively replied "ok" and rushed home as soon as class ended.
Her roommate saw her hurried back and teased, "Oh, in such a hurry? Going to meet your boyfriend?"
Cheng Buxi turned her head and, as luck would have it, met the gaze of the popular young professor on stage. She paused slightly, then looked away and replied coolly, "Yeah, you introducing one to me?"
Hearing this, the dorm leader immediately got excited and rushed up to ask if she remembered Zhang Hangyu from the Engineering Management department, that guy who was super good at basketball.
Seeing this, the people around started laughing, arms crossed: "Sis, when she said introduce, you actually take it seriously? Can't you tell she's just brushing you off?"
"Exactly, Zhang Hangyu is your cousin, right? Our Big Beauty Cheng wouldn't be interested."
As expected, a quarrel was about to break out. Cheng Buxi seized the moment and slipped away.
-
On the rainy day, there was almost no one on the street. She was waiting for the bus at the intersection when suddenly a car horn sounded from behind. It seemed to be directed at her.
Cheng Buxi turned around. A black executive-level Land Rover slowly pulled over to the curb. Just as she was puzzled, the window rolled down halfway, revealing the handsome face that had been the center of attention in the lecture hall.
After seeing clearly, Cheng Buxi widened her eyes in surprise: "...Professor Shen?"
"Yeah, where are you heading?"
She said softly, "Home..."
"Come on up, I'll take you."
Cheng Buxi really didn't want to trouble him.
The person in the car was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "I've known Tingzhou for many years, and he specifically asked me to help out with small things like this."
Now that he had invoked that person, Cheng Buxi couldn't say much more.
It was raining, time was tight, so Cheng Buxi didn't refuse and got in the car.
-
They were both quite silent on the way. The Lu and Shen families had been on good terms for generations, and their elders were colleagues. When she was little, she was clingy to her older brother and often saw him too.
Through the rearview mirror, seeing Cheng Buxi sitting obediently, Shen Xiushi couldn't help but recall her childhood, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes deepened.
...
Their destination was Junyi Mansion, located on the Second North Ring Road, a place where land was precious and luxurious.
As the only hidden luxury residence in North City with a natural lake view, the properties here were neither listed on the market nor sold to the public. They were selected based on the client's assets, or directly auctioned. For families like the Lu family, who had both money and power, the developers had personally delivered the keys to their door back then.
I heard that a courtyard here was auctioned off for a staggering 370 million yuan a couple of years ago, truly a "royal city villa."
Luxury cars were everywhere along the way. Shen Xiushi's car was a black Land Rover, quite new, just bought not long ago.
Cheng Buxi had also ridden in his car when she was little, but back then there was a dedicated driver.
Because they both attended the affiliated school—she at the elementary school, he at the high school—there was a period when Lu Tingzhou often went out of province for competitions, and his trusted driver followed him. Left alone at home, Cheng Buxi had no one to take care of her, so he asked this close friend to give her a ride home, which lasted about a week or so.
That was many years ago. If today hadn't brought back the old memory, Cheng Buxi would have almost forgotten.
The car speed was steady and moderate, and it was clear the driver was very composed. Cheng Buxi liked the scent of the car's air freshener... it reminded her a bit of amber.
The mansion's landscaping was excellent. The flower racks on both sides of the road were covered with clusters of pink and white roses, known as Seven Sisters. Crystal raindrops hung on the tips of the petals, about to fall but not quite. From a distance, they looked like randomly scattered Australian white pearls on a dark green silk satin.
When they reached the side door, the rain had just stopped. As she got out of the car, Shen Xiushi handed her a small folding umbrella in dark green. Cheng Buxi was flattered and gratefully accepted it.
But for some reason, her sixth sense told her that his gaze held a hint of deeper meaning. Cheng Buxi thought for a moment and turned back to ask, "Professor Shen, is there something wrong with me today?"
The person in the car was silent for a moment. His handsome phoenix eyes reflected in the rearview mirror, narrow and deep, and he replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, it seems like he doesn't like you wearing so little."
Cheng Buxi: "..."
Before she could react, the person in the car gave her a gentle smile: "I'm off."
The Land Rover drove away steadily.