Chapter 99: Senior Fellow (Part 2)

  After the welcome party, Luo Yichen called on everyone to go to the botanical garden for a picnic.

  Gu Huanli sat alone under the tree, keeping a distance from everyone. Although there was a smile on her face, her eyes were filled with hesitation and vigilance. It was either because of Luo Yichen's presence or the atmosphere that easily divided people into small groups, making her feel like she didn't belong, so she had to keep herself at a safe distance.

  It's just that Ruo Yi Chen seems to have forgotten who she is, and they haven't caught up or reminisced about old times. It's as if the person in their memories was just an illusion. Anyway, it's only been a year, and if you count the internship, it's only been a semester at most. Besides, even if he were to pursue further studies, he wouldn't stay in the country to continue his education.

  So they just need to ignore each other.

  After entering university, Youyou floated between school and home, Gu Huanli enjoyed a rare period of quiet time. In the morning, after having breakfast with her brother, if she had classes, she would go to class; if it was an empty lecture hall, she would go to the library alone to read books.

  She didn't have any especially close classmates, nor did she participate in any clubs. The only one who would nod and smile at her, the only one willing to continue being friends with her, was Sang Luo Yun. She was straightforward and optimistic, a gentle and lovely good girl. In fact, Gu Huan Lian wasn't intentionally keeping her distance from her classmates, but neither did anyone take the initiative to get close to her. It seemed that in other people's eyes, she was just an arrogant top student, a genius who had skipped grades continuously after returning from abroad, a madman who had to come in first on every exam, a fifteen-year-old underage girl.

  These judgments, these labels, this self-righteousness, are all laughable. But Gu Huanli never defends herself, she's already gotten used to being ostracized and ignored. The people around her have always been on parallel lines with her, and for their entire lives, there was no possibility of intersecting. Since that's the case, why must she let others' opinions make her worry and fret every day?

  A bag of chocolate cookies was placed in front of Gu Huan Lian, she looked somewhat surprised and turned her head to look at Sang Luo Yun who had somehow produced this large package.

  "Want some?" San Luo Yun said with a smile, "This is the most famous cookie from that Western-style bakery where I work. It's really delicious!"

  Gu Huanli lightly pushed away her hand and said, "Thank you. I don't want to eat."

  "It's this late, aren't you hungry?" San Luo Yun looked at her curiously. "I'm starving to death, thinking about tomorrow's pop quiz, oh man, I have to eat three or four more pieces."

  Gu Huanli turned her head to look at her, with a hint of understanding in her eyes. She handed over her notes and smiled lightly, "The key points are all there."

  "Wow, Huan Lian, you're really my lifesaver!" For San Luo Yun, taking notes on Huan Lian's work was more reliable, thorough and easier to understand than listening to the professor's lectures. It was her exclusive secret to acing exams.

  Gu Huanli couldn't help but burst out laughing and teased, "If you sleep a little less in class, you'll remember everything."

  "No choice, I have to work," San Luo Yun said with a blush on her face, "Lately you leave as soon as class is over, are you busy working too?"

  "Working?"

  "Yeah, busy with work, can't communicate emotions with classmates much, it's my biggest regret."

  "Hmm, I think it's a pity too..." Gu Huanli chose to gloss over it.

  "Recently at noon, I helped sell bento at the bento shop in front of school. The time is short, the salary is high, and most importantly, there's free bento to eat. Do you want to come and do it too?"

  "Huh? I..." Gu Huanli smiled awkwardly, not wanting to explain her family background, and even more so, didn't dare tell her that Gu Tianxi hated wasting his life on part-time jobs. She had once tried bringing it up before, but was immediately shut down by him with a stern tone, after which Gu Huanli never dared to mention the topic again.

  "But, what's really frustrating is those endless training sessions." San Luo Yun lay on the table, complaining weakly, "Gu Huan Li, you know, my brother recently said I should go to a mental hospital for a check-up."

  "Uh... why?"

  "For some time now, I've been practicing different facial expressions in front of the mirror every day. Now, I'm doing it with my family... I reckon by next month, I'll be able to go out on the streets with a radiant smile..."

  "Can I say I don't know you?"

  "Wooo... are you also going to abandon me? My only close friend" San Luo Yun pouted, shrugged her shoulders, and was on the verge of tears.

  She stared at her, couldn't help but laugh out loud, the sound of her laughter was as clear and crisp as a silver bell. For some reason, she suddenly thought of that young man named An Ruo Dong, if he were to enter the entertainment industry, he would definitely be an idol with acting skills.

  San Luo Yun looked at her with a wronged expression, his face full of hurt, "My heart is shattered."

  "Spare me... spare me!" Gu Huanli hastily raised her hands in surrender, or else her jaw would have been dislocated from laughing too hard.

  "What's so funny that made my junior sister laugh like this, can you share it with me?" Luo Yichen sat down in front of the two girls, his deep eyes seemed to have a faint glow, just like the twinkling stars.

  Gu Huanli's smile on her face immediately retracted, she politely lowered her eyes and said softly, "Hello, senior."

  Luo Yi Chen nodded at Sang Luo Yun, then gazed seriously at Gu Huan Li for a moment. "Pei Gen once said that if you share happiness with a friend, you'll get two happy memories; and if you pour out your worries to a friend, they will be halved..."

  "Thank you for your advice, senior. I'll remember it." Gu Huanli smiled lightly, but her gentle and polite words made people feel infinitely distant.

  "Who says I'm teaching you, silly little sister?" Ruo Yi Chen gently tapped her forehead with his hand, "I still have to rush for the notice, see you next time."

  With a gloomy expression, Gu Huanli rubbed her forehead and glared at his back with a resentful gaze. This person's temperament had become increasingly eccentric, perhaps, since that day, including herself, many people's lives had undergone tremendous changes.

  The companions from just now were still waiting for Luo Yi Chen at the original location, a group of people looked at Gu Huan Lian with curious eyes.

  "Sorry, I've kept you waiting." Luo Yichen apologized with a smile to his companions, his voice carrying through the empty corridor. Gu Huanlin couldn't block her ears and could only listen in on their conversation by tilting her head.

  "Got a new goal?"

  "No, it's my junior."

  "I've never seen him before, he looks quite young."

  "She's only fifteen years old and still a minor, don't get any weird ideas," Ruo Yi Chen said with a half-joking tone, "not even going out to watch a movie is allowed."

  "It's obvious that the one who wants to ask her out is you yourself"

  "Haha..."

  Luo Yi's bright and cheerful laughter echoed from afar.

  The laughter was so familiar, yet so strange, and it made Gu Huanli feel a sharp pain in her heart. It was like the wind chime that had followed her to the ends of the earth, its sound still crisp, but to her ears, it sounded like a mournful cry.

  Luo Yichen is not only the president of the department's association, but also a charismatic figure in the department. Whether it's members of the association or freshmen, whether from the same department or other faculties, everyone likes to chat with him for a few words.

  Gu Huanlin, who was not good at socializing, could only stand quietly ten meters away, watching as Luo Yichen smiled warmly and kindly at everyone.

  That day in the drizzle, Ruo Yu Chen also treated her with such a warm attitude. It turned out that this was his usual attitude. It wasn't that one's nature couldn't be changed, but rather that it was hard to change.

  Perhaps he is just nostalgic in this way.

  At this thought, Gu Huanli was like being drenched with a large basin of cold water, silently retreating backwards, hiding herself behind the crowd, hiding in the corner, hoping to completely disappear from his sight.

  After that, even if she didn't want to listen, the good comments about Luo Yichen still reached her ears one after another. No matter what activities he organized, they were always overcrowded. Even the department head praised him, saying that the success of the department's association was all thanks to Luo Yichen's efforts.

  Luo Yi Chen was more high-profile, Gu Huan Li thought of another person even more, and his mood became increasingly melancholic.

  She often saw Luo Yi Chen chatting with his classmates or juniors on the greenery outside the academy, and every time this happened, Gu Huan Li would walk by with her head down, carrying thick original books and materials.

  "Wait."

  Although she clearly heard the call from behind her, Gu Huan Lian continued to move forward steadily.

  In the midst of a bitterly cold winter, Gu Huanli wore an all-white long-sleeved woolen dress with lace ruffles at the hem, paired with knee-high goat skin boots, elegant to the point of breathtaking.

  "Little sister, didn't you hear me calling you?"

  Luo Yi Chen managed to catch up from behind and blocked Gu Huan Lian just as she was about to enter the library.

  "Do you still remember me?"

  "I understand. Goodbye, senior." Gu Huanli revealed a distant and detached smile.

  "It's not like that. I'm saying, half a year ago you went to Peking University for a visit, we met then, do you still remember?" Luo Yichen laughed brightly, even the overcast sky seemed to brighten up a bit.

  She certainly remembered... but for some reason, Gu Huanli just didn't want to admit it.

  "I forgot..."

  "That day it was raining, you were getting rained on in front of that road, I pulled you to the Literature Department to take shelter from the rain... really don't remember?" Luo Yichen tried hard to recall Gu Huanli's memory.

  "I'm sorry..."

  "Really can't remember?" Ruo Qichen's face showed a hint of regret, but immediately, he smiled warmly again, "On the day of the welcoming ceremony, you and Luo Yun came to report together, I've been wanting to talk to you, but didn't have the time."

  Gu Huanli looked at him, neither nodding nor shaking her head. They had known each other since they were young, but he insisted on pretending that they had only just met. Was it that he didn't want to mention old friends or was it that he didn't want to recall past events?

  No matter how gentle the appearance, the essence of Ruo Yue Chen is still as cold as ice. Gu Huan Li knew that Ruo Yue Chen was very popular. Although she herself had been at the top since childhood and had fought in major and minor competitions, her competitive heart was unexpectedly small. Moreover, she had no intention of competing with others, especially those girls who were infatuated with Ruo Yue Chen for his attention.

  "Is there anything wrong with your studies?" Kuai Yichen asked with concern.

  "No." Gu Huanli shook her head, this was the primary condition that her brother allowed her to stay in the country, how could there be a problem?

  "By the way, I heard you're only fifteen years old... skipped grades abroad, so you're younger than your classmates."

  Gu Huanli's expression was somewhat suspicious, but she still nodded slightly.

  "Many boys are worried, they can't invite you to go clubbing and drinking. You're still far from being an adult... How terrible, if I want to ask you out to play, wouldn't it become luring a minor?"

  No one would bother her, she hated such Ruo Yue Chen, hated the ones who spoke sweet words but actually mocked her for being uncharming behind her back. She hated those who knew everything but pretended to be ignorant. Although she was unhappy in her heart, Gu Huan Li still smiled lightly and gazed at Ruo Yue Chen silently. In fact, before school started, her brother had already held a grand coming-of-age ceremony for her, only that these things, she didn't want to mention or say out loud.

  "It's always me who is talking, I'm really sorry..."

  "It doesn't matter, senior please continue." Gu Huanli's voice was very quiet, quietly rejecting people from a thousand miles away, quietly making people retreat without a fight.

  "No, let's leave it for next time." Ruo Yu Chen looked down at her with a hint of smile in his eyes, "From now on, don't say you can't remember me again, that would make me very sad."

  The smile on Gu Huanli's face gradually solidified, she stared blankly at Luo Yichen turning to leave, her heart filled with confusion.