"Young Master, Her Ladyship requests your presence in the tea parlor," Butler Sibai knocked on the door and entered to convey the message.
"Understood. You are dismissed,"
"Yes, Young Master." After a brief exchange, the room returned to silence.
Inside this luxurious bedroom stacked with all kinds of rare treasures, a young boy dressed in noble attire lay half-exhausted in his chair. "Sigh, Mom must be setting me up on another matchmaking session," the young lord, who had just turned fifteen, stood up with a look of utter disgust, scratching his messy golden curls as he walked toward the door.
"Young Master Shenglun, you're going to meet the guests looking so sloppy again!" As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he ran headfirst into Luoying, the maid who attended to his daily life.
"Cut me some slack, will you? I'll be quick. I still have to go back and study my theories afterward," Shenglun explained. This noble boy was the son of the Prime Minister of the Divine Xi Empire—a powerful nation on the continent. He was also a reincarnator from Earth, bearing the heavy burden of changing the fate of Planet Enfu.
"Greetings, Mother," after Luoying meticulously groomed him, Shenglun finally arrived at the tea parlor.
"Your young master is indeed quite dashing and elegant—a true standout among men!" Lady Hanbadun complemented, fluttering her fan.
"Greetings, Lady Hanbadun. And this young lady's name would be...?" Shenglun shifted his gaze to the sweet, shy girl beside her, who had her head lowered.
"Yi... Yifulian Hanbadun," the girl looked up briefly before ducking her head back down.
"Well, you two can chat. I'll take her around for a tour," Shenglun said boldly, grabbing Yifulian's hand and preparing to leave.
"Uh... th-this," blushing beet red, she looked as if it were her first time having a boy hold her hand.
"Let's go, don't disturb the elders," Yifulian was dragged out by Shenglun, leaving behind a group of thoroughly bewildered adults.
"Um... where are you taking me...?" Yifulian was forced to follow along as she was pulled.
"My study," Shenglun replied with a smile as he walked.
The two walked back to his original bedroom. Pushing the door open, although decorated as luxuriously as any noble's room, it was stacked high with all kinds of books and experimental vessels, resembling a cluttered warehouse. "This place is...?" Yifulian looked around after entering the room.
"Just find any chair to sit in. I need to continue my research now, so don't disturb me," Shenglun left Yifulian to the side after bringing her into the room and immediately buried himself back into his unfinished magic research.
"Uh..." A little disappointed, Yifulian could only tour this peculiar bedroom by herself. The room was almost entirely filled with ancient books on magic and alchemy, some even written in ancient languages that were difficult to decipher.
"I see! Adding this element causes such an incredible reaction!" Shenglun was mesmerized by the experimental flask in front of him as he dripped liquid inside.
Hearing his words, Yifulian stepped closer to observe as well. However, at that exact moment, the elements inside the flask grew increasingly unstable, emitting a large cloud of purple smoke. "Crap! Get out of the way!" Just as Shenglun instinctively pushed Yifulian aside, the flask couldn't withstand the pressure and exploded.
The massive shockwave from the explosion flipped the entire desk over. Fortunately, the dose was small, so it didn't destroy the whole bedroom, but the surrounding area was left utterly scorched and ruined.
"Hahaha! Just a single drop has this much power?! Looks like I'm researching in the right direction!" Shenglun, covered in tattered clothes, laughed aloud despite his own burns.
"Ow... it hurts..." Hearing a soft groan, he finally remembered there was another person in the room—Yifulian, who had been dragged into his mess.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Shenglun hurriedly pulled up the dust-covered Yifulian. Fortunately, aside from slightly damaged clothing, she was unharmed.
"What happened?!" Luoying and the other servants came rushing in. "Young Master Shenglun?! Didn't you go to the tea parlor—why are you back again? Was that explosion your doing too?!" Looking at the complete ruin before her, Luoying began to fume with anger.
"Sorry, sorry, I played around a bit too much! This is Lady Yifulian—hurry and take her to get treated, and help her clean off the dust on her body," Shenglun guiltily soothed Yifulian beside him.
"Uh, I'm fine. You don't need to be so nervous. Honestly, what an interesting boy," Yifulian said, tidying up her disheveled hair.
"My apologies for giving you a fright, Lady Yifulian. I'll walk you back," Shenglun led the way helplessly. Mother is definitely going to chew me out later, he muttered under his breath as he walked.
Upon returning to the tea parlor, their disheveled state naturally triggered questioning from their elders. "An accident happened just now, and Young Master Shenglun protected me," Yifulian glossed over the incident gently, without exposing the truth. Thanks to her, Shenglun narrowly escaped his mother's scolding.
Much later, the Hanbadun family finally prepared to head back. "I got to witness some very interesting things today. Next time... may I come over to play again?" Yifulian asked shyly, looking at Shenglun.
"I apologize for scaring you today. When we meet next time, I will offer a proper apology," Shenglun bowed in response.
"Mhm, until then!" The line of carriages belonging to the family slowly drove into the distance. A fateful encounter had perhaps begun at this very moment.