Chapter 30: The Most Familiar Stranger
Before coming to Shenzhou, Wen Hupo’s least favorite season was winter. It was too cold, too aloof, too indifferent. The colorful flowers she planted never survived the harsh winters, and gradually, she lost interest in gardening. She started learning to paint, capturing the beauty of blooming flowers in summer, so she wouldn’t have to endure the sadness of their withering in winter.
The villa was too lonely. Wen Hupo didn’t like living alone in such a big house, so she arrived at school early and strolled along a long corridor, savoring the delicate snowfall of Shenzhou. If it was this kind of gentle and soft winter snow, it wasn’t so unbearable after all. Shenzhou was a good place. The people here were more reserved and introverted, more suitable for someone like her who lacked warmth. If possible, she hoped to spend the rest of her life in Shenzhou.
She unconsciously arrived at the activity classroom. The door was open. Was Chu Jingyi back? A flicker of joy crossed Wen Hupo’s heart. During her time at Chuanhai No. 1 High School, she only knew one and a half students. One was Chu Jingyi, and the half was An Baili. To Wen Hupo’s disappointment, there was only an unfamiliar boy cleaning the classroom. Chu Jingyi must have sent him, right? She heard that Chu Jingyi held a high status in this school, so it was normal for her to have someone running errands for her.
She didn’t pay attention to the boy and indifferently took out a copy of Lin Lanxiang from the bookshelf in the classroom, settling down in a corner at the back row to read. She loved the Chinese language, enjoyed deciphering the meaning between the square characters. She had to admit that Chinese characters carried thousands of years of this civilization’s history, encompassing both grand ambitions and delicate emotions.
Lu Li put down the broom and went to get the mop, glancing at Wen Hupo in the process. The blonde girl was neatly dressed, her expression focused. Her features were delicate and beautiful, only slightly less stunning than An Baili’s in terms of appearance. However, her temperament completely overshadowed the “little village girl.” If Chu Jingyi was an angel in spirit, then Wen Hupo was an angel in reality – ethereal and aloof, indifferent yet elegant. He always felt that Wen Hupo was too cold, too aloof, too indifferent. Just like now, he was cleaning the classroom alone, and Wen Hupo didn’t even bother to greet him.
Lu Li’s game development was entering its final stages – as a low-budget indie game, dragging out the development cycle wasn’t a good thing. He deliberately arrived at school early to rearrange and clean the activity classroom, preparing for the official formation of his game development team. He had a fantasy of seeing all the team members sitting at their desks after the game was released, and him handing out their salaries one by one. It was a beautiful thought that filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
“Excuse me, could you please move for a moment? I need to wipe the table.”
Lu Li walked up to Wen Hupo. The blonde girl finally looked up from her book and took her first good look at Lu Li. She didn’t say anything, just picked up her book and stood aside, waiting for Lu Li to finish cleaning. The next second, their gazes simultaneously landed on a line of black handwriting on the table: “Luo Zichen loves Lin Yuhan” – written with some kind of permanent marker. The ink was still shiny, indicating that it had been written recently. It was a love declaration, and high school was full of lovesick boys who left their marks everywhere like stray dogs, always trying to prove their deep love with absurd acts. Lu Li guessed that this was written by a young couple who had snuck in during a late-night date.
Seeing Lu Li staring at the writing, Wen Hupo thought he had misunderstood something. “I didn’t write that.” Being mistaken for that kind of childish and promiscuous high school student was one of the most unbearable things.
“I know.” Lu Li wiped the writing with a damp cloth, and it disappeared. At least this couple had some decency and used erasable ink. “This kind of declaration is just like those people writing each other’s names in the snow outside. It’s a waste of emotion and meaningless. You don’t seem like that kind of person, do you?”
Indeed, it was a waste of emotion and meaningless. Wen Hupo took another look at this boy. At least there was still one normal person in this school.
He looks clean-cut and gentle, like a scholar. Wen Hupo assessed him silently.
“But I still wish them well.” Lu Li added. He wiped the seat clean and carried the bucket to another table.
Wen Hupo looked at the wet seat, unable to sit down. She particularly liked the corner seat, so she simply stood there and continued reading. After standing for a while, her legs started to ache, as she wasn’t used to standing for long periods. Just then, Lu Li finally came back and wiped the seat with a dry cloth. Wen Hupo wasn’t annoyed at all. She just nodded slightly and said, “Thank you.”
“It was my oversight.” Lu Li was so busy that he forgot Wen Hupo also liked the corner seat, just like him. “You like reading Lin Lanxiang?” He would read all sorts of books for inspiration, and Lin Lanxiang was one of them. But he didn’t think Wen Hupo would like this kind of sentimental novel about a feudal family in ancient times. She should be reading The Count of Monte Cristo or Wuthering Heights.
“Not really.” Wen Hupo’s eyelashes were light in color, her eyes a clear blue. “The girls in the story are too pitiful.”
That was true. Geng Lang had six wives and concubines, and he was indecisive. It would be strange if there was a happy ending. Lu Li counted on his fingers. Six was too many, could he really handle them all?
Seemingly a bit interested, Wen Hupo looked at Lu Li curiously. “You’ve read this book too? I thought only girls would read it.”
“Creativity needs inspiration. When my thoughts are flowing, I can write effortlessly. But when I’m stuck, I have to read some less popular works. After reading enough, my mind naturally becomes more open.” Lu Li replied while wiping the table.
Wen Hupo nodded slightly. She often encountered problems when painting, not knowing how to depict certain things, resulting in many unfinished works. She always felt that a certain line wasn’t perfect enough, a certain color wasn’t vibrant enough. As a result, a painting would become a useless piece of scrap paper.
Seeing Wen Hupo’s thoughtful expression, Lu Li remembered what An Baili had said last night and felt a surge of suspicion. He asked tentatively, “Do you know who owns this activity classroom?”
“It’s mine.” Wen Hupo answered decisively, without any hesitation, as if it were a matter of course.
Lu Li’s suspicion grew. “But I heard that this classroom was applied for by Lu Li… Do you know Lu Li?”
Lu Li? A carefree image appeared in Wen Hupo’s mind. Was he the scumbag who played with Chu Jingyi and An Baili’s feelings?
“I don’t know him.” And she didn’t want to. She added silently in her heart.
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