15: The Beauty of Our First Meeting (7)

Below, Feng Jinyan had originally been watching her, but noticing many boys gazing at Ye Xiangwan with burning intensity, he felt an inexplicable irritation.

On the stage, Ye Xiangwan raised the microphone, calmly adjusted its height, and her voice came through with a pleasing clarity and spatial resonance.

“Respected teachers, dear classmates, hello. My name is Ye Xiangwan. I am deeply honored today to…”

Feng Jinyan kicked a stone at his feet and snorted lightly. “Quite the talker, huh…”

Suddenly, Ye Xiangwan’s voice faltered.

Feng Jinyan squinted and looked up. He was about ten meters away from her, and at that moment, their eyes met.

Feng Jinyan: “…”

Is her hearing really that sharp?

In truth, Ye Xiangwan had not heard what he said; she had simply paused mid-sentence.

She withdrew her gaze and continued her speech.

Ye Xiangwan spoke with little expression, unaffected and thus untroubled by nerves. Her eyes swept across the audience, but the bright light made it nearly impossible to see faces clearly, except for one.

Perhaps it was because of Feng Jinyan’s lighter hair color, the morning sunlight pierced through, turning it into a dazzling golden hue. Unlike others who slouched lazily, though he stood with casual ease, his back was straight.

At fifteen or sixteen, boys were just beginning to shoot up, somewhat slender, yet with the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted frame of a clothes hanger, standing there with his chin slightly raised.

Ye Xiangwan felt her gaze had met his, but his face was backlit and unreadable. She instinctively squinted, and suddenly, the crowd stirred.

At this age, girls generally have clear, melodious voices, but hers carried a cool undertone. Her exceptionally beautiful face paired with a somewhat indifferent gaze stunned all who hadn’t seen her before.

“Such a beautiful girl, and she’s just an attendant?”

“What exactly is her relationship with Feng Jinyan?”

Yet this brief disturbance did not unsettle Ye Xiangwan. She spoke with neither arrogance nor humility until the very end, then slightly bowed and strode off the stage.

The host approached to segue, but upon spotting the speech notes left behind on the podium, just as he lifted the microphone, he choked.

At such an important occasion, this girl… had prepared a blank sheet of paper?!

From then on, after the opening ceremony, the entire school knew that the young master Feng’s attendant was not only strikingly beautiful but also a top scholar with an admirable aura.

Moreover, she ranked first in the grade. Everyone’s gaze toward her transformed—boys turned pale, girls became serious.

Only one person was different: the young master Feng’s inner feelings were conflicted.

He didn’t want Ye Xiangwan to take first place, yet he didn’t dislike her.

This contradiction troubled him. Finally, on a dark, windy night, Feng Jinyan clenched a pen cap in his left hand, pondering deeply. Just as a chair leg nearly broke from his shaking, he finally revealed a bright, clear smile and leaned over the desk to write decisively.

Girls’ 1500-meter run: Ye Xiangwan.

Girls’ 3000-meter run: Ye Xiangwan.

The school assumed no wealthy or politically connected heir would be foolish enough to enter both long-distance events on the same day, so these two were naturally scheduled together.

But the unknowing Ye Xiangwan was unaware of this and was still up late studying.

The desk lamp’s cool white light sharpened her mind. Finished homework neatly placed in the upper left corner of her desk, she spent a few minutes reviewing the entire chapter’s exercises, marking several with different signs, then flipped back to start practicing problems.

Time passed; distant car noises faded until only the soft rustle of wind stirring the curtains and the scratch of pen on paper remained. Quiet, as usual, as if the whole world consisted of only herself.

Suddenly, her pen hovered midair. Ye Xiangwan scanned the problems twice more, slowly frowning.

She leaned back in her chair, absentmindedly twirling her pen. She had quickly solved all valuable exercises but was stuck on the last question of the final math problem.

Long ago, her parents had forced her to achieve good grades by harsh means, but now, having grown older, her self-learning ability surpassed that of her peers.

Because outside school, no one could ask her questions—no friends, no internet at home—and she certainly wouldn’t seek help from her eccentric parents who pinned their regrets on her.

Thus, her textbooks and exercise books, though neat, were worn soft from constant use and often displayed proudly by teachers.

After some thought and confirming no method she remembered could solve this problem, she opened her computer and searched online.

A moment later: “Please solve the following problem using calculus…” Ye Xiangwan threw down her pen.

She pressed her temples, glanced at the clock—it was almost one a.m.

After swiftly washing up, Ye Xiangwan, carrying a fresh scent about her, buried herself under the covers up to her chin. Squinting, she habitually picked up her phone.

Probably a bit sleepy, her finger accidentally slid open WeChat, and seeing a sudden chat window in an otherwise perpetually empty list, she didn’t immediately react.

Four large characters appeared at the top: “Long live the Emperor.”

Below was her last reply: a single “Hmm.”

She stared at the silhouetted profile picture for two seconds before realizing it was her desk mate behind her.

On a whim, Ye Xiangwan opened the chat, and to her surprise, saw: “Typing…”

She glanced up at the ceiling, blinked, then looked back at the screen—still “Typing…”

Curious, she wondered what Feng Jinyan could be wanting to say so late at night.

She raised her right wrist slightly, tilted the screen’s glare away, then turned her face half into the pillow and fell asleep.

She watched as the “typing…” message flickered on and off for over ten seconds, yet the chat box remained empty.

Ye Xiangwan frowned and turned over, then the “typing…” message vanished.

She waited two more minutes, realizing the young master truly wasn’t going to send anything.

Her lips pressed down slightly as she locked the screen and, for reasons unknown, tossed the phone beside her pillow in frustration. Darkness and silence returned.

The next morning, when she saw Feng Jinyan, he practically bounced over, his face emblazoned with the words: “I am very pleased.”

The Feng family wielded immense influence. It was said that when Feng Jinyan’s parents arranged a marriage alliance, the news had stirred the upper echelons of society for a time.