"President Xu, as per your request, the people have all been invited to the house." As the car sped along the road, Uncle Fang reported on the progress of the matter to Xu Lai.
"Good." Xu Lai nodded in acknowledgment. "By the way, Uncle Fang, is there still no news regarding the matter I asked you to look into earlier?"
Hearing Xu Lai's question, Uncle Fang shook his head helplessly. "No. Perhaps the only way is for you to ask Miss Lin..."
Knowing that this was most likely the outcome, Xu Lai gave it no more thought; he needed to focus on the arrangements he had prepared for right now.
The car drove into a villa district and finally pulled up in front of a Courtyard House numbered 01.
The exterior of the Courtyard House was done in a very quaint style. The car parked at the southwest corner of the courtyard, and after Xu Lai and Uncle Fang got out, they entered through the main gate in the southwest corner.
Upon entering, one found the southeast courtyard. Directly ahead stood a spirit wall, meticulously carved with patterns of bamboo and green pine. The bamboo shadows swayed as if dancing gracefully in the wind, the textures of the bamboo leaves clearly visible, almost as if one could smell their fresh fragrance. The green pines stood tall and straight, their trunks vigorous and sturdy, their needles fine and dense, displaying a resilient and unyielding character. The entire scene was lifelike, making one involuntarily marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans.
Following that, Xu Lai walked all the way from the front courtyard to the main courtyard, and headed straight for the side room on the west side of the main building.
Xu Lai walked with steady strides along the path in the front courtyard, passed through it, and entered the main courtyard.
Without the slightest pause, his steps fluid and confident, Xu Lai headed straight for the side room on the west side of the main building.
The door of the side room was ajar, and the sound of conversation drifted out from within. Xu Lai stepped forward and gently pushed the door open. Coming into view were two elderly women of about fifty or sixty, accompanied by a young woman who looked to be no more than twenty-five or six. The young woman was smiling warmly as she chatted and laughed with the two seniors.
Seeing Xu Lai walk in, the young woman stood up, offered a graceful smile, and was just about to speak when she was interrupted by Xu Lai, who was walking over.
"Elder Meng, Elder Zhang, my respects to you both. Thank you for troubling yourselves to make the trip all the way from Beijing." As he spoke, Xu Lai walked up close and bowed solemnly to the two of them.
"There's no need for that, little fellow. Little Liu has already told us all about it. You've really gone to a tremendous amount of trouble; nowadays, young people like you are hard to come by." The elderly woman Meng Ruhui took Xu Lai's hand with a warm, grandmotherly expression and said slowly.
"That's right, coming to Jiangcheng this time can just be considered a vacation, and Little Liu's arrangements have been extremely thoughtful." Zhang Fengying chimed in as well.
Xu Lai chatted with the two old ladies for over an hour, after which he arranged to bring them to the dining room for a late midday meal.
After the meal, Xu Lai bade farewell to the two seniors and subsequently went to the backyard of the Courtyard House, where his own rooms were located.
The interior furnishings bore absolutely no resemblance to a traditional courtyard house; instead, the space was entirely filled with modern renovations and decor. Xu Lai took off the custom Saint Laurent suit he had been wearing, changed into a plain outfit, and left the Courtyard House in an Alphard.
Although Li Lili and the others had seen him, even so, his identity would only circulate within a small circle in his class; he did not want everyone to know who he was. Therefore, he had the driver drop him off at the hotel where he was staying and quickly got out of the car.
Next, Xu Lai wheeled a bicycle out of the hotel and rode toward Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.
He did not go into the campus, because it was already time for school to let out. Although the senior students still had evening self-study, Lin Ruoruo would definitely go home to eat after class.
Afterwards, he motioned for the sturdy woman who followed Lin Ruoruo to and from school every day to leave, replacing her himself to wait for Lin Ruoruo at the school gate.
Before long, he saw Lin Ruoruo walking toward his direction with her head lowered.
"Ruoruo." As Lin Ruoruo drew near, Xu Lai called out softly.
Lin Ruoruo looked up and responded, seeing Xu Lai looking at her with a full smile, and then lowered her head again: "What is it, Xu... Classmate Xu?"
For some reason, every time Lin Ruoruo said Xu Lai's name, she would stutter slightly, as if she wasn't quite used to uttering it.
"Go back and tell your aunt that I'm taking you somewhere, okay?" Xu Lai asked gently.
Although Lin Ruoruo was already a senior in high school, she did not have a mobile phone. In fact, Liu Sufang still used a Nokia from ten years ago, appearing utterly out of place in the current era dominated by smartphones.
"W-Where are you taking me?" Lin Ruoruo asked in a soft, timid voice. At that moment, she was thoroughly conflicted, unsure whether she should agree or not.
As if sensing Lin Ruoruo's hesitation—
"You'll know when we get there. It's not far, right next to the school," Xu Lai said with a smile.
"R-Really?"
The two stood facing each other, barely twenty or thirty centimeters apart. Lin Ruoruo stood 168 cm tall, while Xu Lai was 182 cm, which meant she had to tilt her head up slightly to clearly see his facial expressions.
Her gaze slowly moved upward, trying to figure out if Xu Lai was teasing or tricking her. Xu Lai's face gradually came into sharp focus within her field of vision; she saw the bridge of his nose, his deep eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.
Lin Ruoruo's head tilted unconsciously, her gaze carrying a mixture of suspicion and seriousness, as if she were trying hard to decipher every subtle change in his eyes, attempting to catch the emotional fluctuations hidden in his heart.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept by, stirring the tips of their hair. Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the scene appeared so ethereal and breathtaking that time seemed frozen in that instant.
Xu Lai looked at Lin Ruoruo in a daze, everything around them seemingly blurring until only their presence remained, starkly clear and real.
The setting sun hung low like a whispered confession, and love overflowed like a gushing spring.
And it was not only Xu Lai who was lost in thought.