City A.
The weather, heavy snow.
A certain noble university.
At ten in the morning, the door to the office was pushed open, and a young woman wearing a light green uniform walked in. She looked to be in her twenties, her complexion clear and porcelain-like, comparable to the lead actress in a skincare advertisement. She had impeccable, radiant skin.
Her oval face had a pair of serene eyes, a high nose bridge with a slightly uplifted tip. Her soft pink lips curved slightly upwards, like a blooming rose. It was hard to imagine that on the same face, one could capture the playfulness of a young girl and the quiet maturity of a woman simultaneously.
Su Yun shook off the snow from her body and walked in, shivering. Having just arrived at her cubicle, she found a large bunch of pure white lilies lying on the office desk, their fragrance gently wafting in the air.
The flower sender did not leave a name, but she was not too surprised. Simply calm, she found a vase and arranged the lilies properly.
"Which admirer sent these this time?" a voice spoke beside her. The speaker, her good friend and colleague, Zhang Lan, nonchalantly draped an arm over her shoulder. Zhang Lan, known for her carefree nature, was often playfully referred to as a 'tomboy'.
"I don't know." Su Yun's smile was consistently faint yet pure, and yet it never revealed much.
"Let me guess ... Prince Wang Qian or Zhang Zhen? Both are smitten with you!" Zhang Lan’s eyes darted around, her face gleaming with anticipation, her mind buzzing with gossip.
"Don't talk nonsense, we are simply teacher-students."
"What kind of teacher-student relationship involves flowers as tokens of love?" Zhang Lan grinned, leaning against the desk and sipping her coffee. "Seriously, what's your secret? How did you bewitch those kids?"
"You must know that the students at this prestigious university are all snobbish and aloof, attending classes out of respect. But your ancient literature class? It’s always fully booked, appealing to both boys and girls!"
"My secret is... to teach with heart!" Su Yun replied, giving a twitch of her eye.
"Psh! As if it's that simple. I put in my heart and soul, and hardly anyone attends my class." Zhang Lan rolled her eyes at her, lamenting, "Sigh, life is truly unfair, I work myself to the bone for nothing."
"And what about you? Being voted the most popular teacher year after year, possessing both beauty and knowledge, even the son of the school director is smitten with you. Tell me, what other woman in this world could be happier than you?"
Happy? Su Yunxin's hand froze on the lily, her eyes gazing at the flower in a slight daze. If she hadn't met him, she would indeed be very happy. Unfortunately...
"What are you daydreaming about?" Zhang Lan waved her hand in front of Su's face, then leaned in curiously, whispering in a teasing tone, "Christmas is in five days. What are you and Chi Shao planning to do? Come on, give this lonely soul something to fantasize about!"
"I don't know yet, we'll see when the time comes," Su Yunxin replied. Even though her mood was down just a moment ago, the mention of her boyfriend, Chi Yanxi, still brought an involuntary sweet smile to her lips.
"Fine, keep it a secret! Alas, poor me. Just going to be alone again..." Zhang Lan patted her shoulder and walked away in resignation. Life is indeed unfair, but there wasn't much one could do in an era that values appearance. Plus, she really liked her good friend.
Su Yunxin moved the lily to the windowsill and started preparing for the next class. Unaware of the malicious gaze that emerged from the opposite cubicle, intensely staring at her.