Lianne Lianne set the bottle of water on the table and spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "Sorry, I'm not a cop. I can't confirm that."
Her playful response was so unexpected that it made everyone present laugh.
They had all heard of Lianne Lianne in one way or another—the class representative's speech, the gold medal in the math competition... They'd assumed she was some kind of ice queen, but it turned out she was surprisingly easygoing.
Ten minutes before their volunteer shift ended, Sophie Sheridan returned, fully recharged, and rushed in to give Lianne Lianne a huge hug.
"Lia, I owe you big time for this! If it weren't for you, you'd have to call me Sophie the Sorrowful from now on!"
Lianne Lianne's lips curled into a smile as she teased, "So I'm off the hook for the debrief and cleanup later, right?"
Sophie Sheridan couldn't hold back a laugh. "Of course, of course! Just tell me when you're free. A hotpot feast is waiting for you, my treat."
The sky was a dreary, iron gray. A ceaseless drizzle drifted down, weaving a fine, impenetrable net that shrouded the campus in gloom.
After saying goodbye to Sophie Sheridan, Lianne Lianne walked to the covered walkway in front of the main auditorium. Her phone vibrated with a new message, and she tapped the screen to read it.
It was from the School of Mathematical Sciences group chat. The academic advisor had posted two announcements.
A sudden, piercing gust of wind drove the rain sideways, instantly dampening the hem of her clothes. She took a step back.
And in doing so, she bumped right into the person behind her.
The heel of her shoe knocked against the tip of the other person's, but they didn't so much as flinch, remaining perfectly still.
The momentum sent her stumbling backward, right into a warm, solid chest.
A fine spray of rain drifted up, cooling her face.
The wind lifted the wisps of hair at her forehead before letting them fall. Lianne Lianne lowered her gaze, and her eyes fell upon long, elegant hands with lean, prominent wrist bones.
A lazy voice drifted down from above her. "Trying to stage an accident in broad daylight?"
He was very tall. As he spoke, his warm breath mingled with the cold, damp air, washing over her.
Lianne Lianne looked up and back, her gaze meeting Seth Sinclair's ink-black eyes.
In the distance, the autumn rain fell with a lingering melancholy; up close, the man exuded a lazy indifference.
Perhaps it was the shock of the sudden, unexpected eye contact, far closer than any normal social distance, but Lianne Lianne's heart gave a jolt, as if struck by a defibrillator.
Seth Sinclair stood with his hands in his pockets, his dark, feathery eyelashes drooping slightly. The subtle upward tilt at the corners of his eyes gave him a devil-may-care air, a look both lazy and detached.
Lianne Lianne pulled away. Before she could say anything, he spoke first. "Don't you apologize when you bump into someone?"
Lianne Lianne apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry."
"You don't look very sorry."
Seth Sinclair shot her a look that was half-smirk, half-scowl, his tone unhurried. "Always bumping into people like that. It's kind of scary."
Lianne Lianne: "..."
'He's the one who appeared silently behind me like a ghost. Who should be scared of whom?'
At the auditorium entrance, a group of people who had been waiting filed out and headed toward them. They were all tall, imposing men in dark gray suits. Lianne Lianne recognized the man in the lead—it was the young man who had been driving the other night.
"Mr. Sinclair," Liam Shaw said respectfully.
Someone at Seth Sinclair's side opened an umbrella for him. Lianne Lianne watched as they walked into the curtain of rain and, to the sound of the pattering drops, strode on long legs into the car.
"Miss Lane." Liam Shaw looked at Lianne Lianne, a nod to indicate they were leaving first.
Lianne Lianne gave a polite nod. "Goodbye."
Raindrops drifted down in shimmering strings, forming a thin, watery curtain in the air.
Lianne Lianne watched the jet-black Hongqi L9 drive away, followed by another car, and then another...
Liam Shaw sat in the front passenger seat, his gaze drifting to the rearview mirror. He saw his boss leaning back against the leather seat, loosening his tie.
His eyes shifted to the side window. It was beaded with raindrops, blurring the gloomy gray sky outside.
Across the vast campus, the only thing in sharp focus was the silhouette of Lianne Lianne holding her umbrella. Her posture was perfect, her shoulders and neck straight and graceful. She looked like a figure from an exquisite classical painting.
Liam Shaw felt a little dazed.
'If I saw that correctly,' he thought, 'did the boss just let her bump into him on purpose?'
The rain grew heavy, plastering reddish-brown leaves to the ground. In the distance, The Argent Tower and Lake Seraph complemented each other, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of the misty rains of the South.
Raindrops drummed against her umbrella. PITTER-PATTER. Lianne Lianne gave the handle in her hand a half-turn and started walking toward the dorms.
As a fourth-year, she had no more classes. She had also stepped down from the orchestra and her various other positions, leaving her with a relatively free schedule.
Her slender, pale fingers slid across her phone screen. She scrolled through the department, class, and dorm group chats, but there was nothing important.
The Sinclair Family was a top-tier financial dynasty with immense influence. Their eldest son was a model of self-discipline and propriety, so impeccably behaved that the media could never dig up any dirt on him. Consequently, they focused all their attention on the second son.
Lianne Lianne's father had once been a driver for the Sinclair Family. When he was alive, she often heard him talk about the second son—a cynical playboy who was always, always getting into trouble and angering the old Mr. Sinclair.
Once, he'd gotten into a fight with the Shepherd Family's only grandson and nearly killed the guy... He was incredibly arrogant.
The list of his misdeeds was too long to count.
'Not someone easy to deal with.'
The white ash is the first tree to turn yellow in the autumn at Imperia North University. As Lianne Lianne walked toward the island in the middle of Lake Seraph and its northern shore, she glanced over and noticed the ash trees opposite the "Red Building" had already turned a brilliant, glittering gold.
She changed direction, turning to walk toward the east gate. Instead of heading back to her dorm, she decided to go to the Silverport Orchestra.
After many years out of the spotlight, the Sinclair Family's second son had reappeared, drawing widespread media attention.
Even the younger members of the orchestra were gossiping about him as they packed up after practice.
"These reporters are so useless! They can't even get one clear, front-facing photo! It's infuriating!"
"What's there to be angry about? Even though the photos are blurry because they were taken at night, you can still tell the second son has a perfect physique and incredible bone structure."
"Doesn't Nina know the second son? Do you have any pictures?"
Nina, the one they were talking about, glanced at Lianne Lianne before replying with a gentle smile, "No, the second son doesn't like having his picture taken."
"Are you in such a rush to get home today because you're going to a party?"
"Mhm," Nina said. "There's a welcome party for the second son tonight, so I have to go home and get ready."
Nina's tone was tinged with shyness, implying that she was very close with Seth Sinclair and that their relationship was somewhat ambiguous.
"Whoa! Look at Nina! Not only does she live next door to the Sinclairs, but she and the second son are practically childhood sweethearts. It's enough to make anyone jealous. Your fate really is sealed in the womb... unlike some people..."
Nina's eyes flicked toward the "some people" in question.
Lianne Lianne didn't even look up, her focus entirely on plucking her cello strings as if she were in a world of her own.
'Last time, Nina hadn't invited her to the birthday party, and she had acted just as indifferent.'
After a moment's thought, Nina asked Lianne, "Lianne, will you and Mr. Alden be going too?"
The moment the question was asked, someone let out a sneer.
They all knew that Lianne Lianne's supposed benefactor was Zachary Alden of the Alden Family—a notorious playboy who spent his days and nights in debauchery and frequented all manner of sordid establishments.
Lianne Lianne ignored Nina's question. She glanced at the clock on the wall and said with a slight smile, "The Sinclair Family has lived in the military compound for decades; they've never moved. It's quite a long way from here. I'd suggest you get going now."
Her tone was perfectly amicable, but the implication...
Nina's heart gave a sudden lurch, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.
"Hah, listen to you, talking like you're so familiar with the Sinclairs," someone scoffed.
It was true that the Alden and Sinclair families had ties going back generations, but the gap between them was immense.
Still, no one dared to speak ill of the Aldens. Even if they couldn't match the deep-rooted power of the Sinclairs, the Alden Family was still a premier powerhouse in its own right.
Founding the Silverport Orchestra on short notice and hiring master-level performers to teach was not something any ordinary millionaire could pull off.
Nina quickly composed herself and said warmly to Lianne Lianne, "If you want to go, I can take you with me."
"Thank you, but no," Lianne Lianne said. "I have to go walk my cat."
As they watched Lianne Lianne's unruffled departure, everyone was left completely baffled.
"Walk her cat? Since when does she have a cat?"
"Yeah, isn't she allergic to cats?"