As quiet as a gentle breeze.

"Uncle Chen, Auntie, thank you for taking the time to come. I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you yet—Fengyun got the top score in the province and was admitted to Imperial University."

Zhang Qingyan immediately came over, smiling as she greeted Chen Fengyun’s parents. When she looked at Chen Fengyun, her attitude was no longer as proud as before; instead, she called him "Brother Fengyun" just like when they were children.

"This is perfect, truly perfect. Both of you have been admitted to universities in the capital. From now on, whenever there are school breaks or holidays, you can travel together and look out for each other along the way. Besides, in a big city like the capital, where you hardly know anyone, and since Qingyan is a girl, if she needs any help, she should ask for her Brother Fengyun’s help. Don’t be shy with him," Zhou Chunfeng said, taking Qingyan’s hand with a smile, just as Mrs. Zhang smiled at Fengyun.

"That really puts my mind at ease. We were worried about Qingyan going so far from home for her studies. She’s never been away from us before; we feared she wouldn’t adjust. Now that Fengyun will be with her, we can relax," Mrs. Zhang chimed in, perfectly in sync.

Chen Fengyun felt his scalp tingle. He wondered if his mother had already discussed something privately with Mrs. Zhang—the look they exchanged was certainly filled with secrets. For some reason, Chen Fengyun also noticed something different about Zhang Qingyan. The way she looked at him was full of curiosity and something else, something he couldn’t quite name.

As for his father, Chen Zhian, he had already been pulled to another table by Uncle Zhang and was chatting energetically with several others, many of whom were asking how he had managed to raise a top student.

"Qingyan, why don’t you take your Brother Fengyun over there? You young people have your own topics to talk about. I’ll go find some old friends with Aunt Zhou." With that, Mrs. Zhang took Aunt Zhou away, leaving Fengyun with Qingyan.

"I heard you were accepted early. Congratulations," Fengyun said, somewhat embarrassed as he scratched his head, meeting Qingyan’s bright gaze.

"Poof..."

To his surprise, Qingyan suddenly burst out laughing, her radiant smile astonishing Fengyun. It reminded him of her as a child; she used to laugh like this all the time.

"Brother Fengyun, you may be the top student in the province, but you still act like you did when we were little—scratching your head when you’re nervous," she teased.

"Am I really that nervous?" Fengyun asked, a bit sheepish.

"Even though we haven’t kept in touch in recent years and things feel a little distant, seeing you just now made everything feel like it used to. This is the Brother Fengyun I remember. But now you’re the top scorer, admitted to Imperial University—my idol from now on," she said playfully.

"Let’s hope I don’t make you sick," Fengyun replied cautiously.

"Come, let’s sit over there. Some of my classmates came too; I’ll introduce you," Qingyan said, throwing him a coquettish glance with a hint of charm, then led him to a table in the corner.

Around the table sat six or seven young men and women—Qingyan’s classmates. There were three boys and four girls; three pairs seemed quite close, probably dating, while one short-haired girl sat quietly, absorbed in her phone.

"Everyone, let me introduce someone. This is Chen Fengyun, the provincial top scorer you’ve all been asking about. We grew up together, but after junior high my family moved and we lost touch a bit, though our families often got together."

"What? You’re the top student, Chen Fengyun? Hello, hello!" All three boys stood to shake his hand with respect, even though they themselves were students at prestigious schools; the difference was still huge.

The girls also nodded or smiled at him, their gazes lingering as they sized him up—he wore ordinary clothes and sneakers, his smile was sunny, but his looks were unremarkable.

Only the short-haired girl beside him stood up, offering her hand. "I’m An Jingru, Qingyan’s best friend. I’ll be at the same university as her."

Fengyun looked at the short-haired girl—her hair was cut neatly to her jaw, her face was delicate, her bright eyes full of curiosity, and her lips, pressed together in a gentle smile, gave her a sweet expression.

Fengyun shook her hand lightly, noticing it was a bit cold. He furrowed his brow, but quickly concealed it.

"Hello. So you were admitted to Capital Normal University as well?" Fengyun asked calmly, while his spiritual sense swept over An Jingru, discovering a faint aura of yin energy on her.

There are many kinds of yin energy: the lethal yin energy he’d found within the Xuan Yin Mirror, the sinister energy in the valley behind Jinshan Temple at West Lake in Hangzhou, and now, the faintly impure yin energy on An Jingru.

"Could it be that An Jingru has encountered something unclean?" Fengyun withdrew his spiritual sense, pondering secretly. Since the energy was faint and would dissipate soon, it wouldn’t affect her health.

"Yes, we’re all heading to the capital for our studies. Once we’re there, we’ll be fellow provincials," An Jingru replied with a smile.

As Fengyun sat down beside her and they spoke, An Jingru nodded, but she also felt a strange sensation—as if, when Fengyun looked her over, she was standing in front of him with nothing on. The odd feeling faded quickly, and the others soon drew Fengyun into their conversation. Being young, they found plenty to talk about.

After a while, there was a commotion at the door. Fengyun saw Qingyan’s parents call her over, then greeted two men who entered. One was middle-aged, the other in his early twenties—they looked like father and son. The young man’s gaze lingered on Qingyan the moment he saw her.

Soon after, Qingyan returned with the young man, though her expression was slightly unhappy, a detail only Fengyun noticed.

"This is Wang Junguang, the son of my father’s company manager. Wang, these are my classmates and friends. Please, have a seat here," Qingyan said, introducing him and directing him to the only vacant spot.

However, that seat was between two boys. Wang Junguang glanced around the table, then his gaze settled on An Jingru, darting back and forth between Qingyan and An Jingru.