She lowered her head, staring at the ground, as various greetings echoed around her. The children of aristocratic families, though proud and aloof, were surprisingly friendly toward others in the same social class.
"Wei Ran!" A clear voice, carrying a scholarly tone, came from behind her.
Wei Ran turned around, squinting her eyes against the dazzling sunlight, before her gaze met the person jogging toward her.
The face that had flashed through her mind last night reappeared, and in person, he looked even more refined than in her memory.
Wei Ran smiled at him, momentarily forgetting the troubles from last night and this morning.
Qi Chengji, unlike his older brother, wasn't as mature. In fact, she was somewhat afraid of his brother.
Qi Chengji's face still carried the youthful innocence that matched his age, though his eyebrows already bore a striking resemblance to his older brother.
He was dressed in a Zhongshan suit-style uniform, his lips curling into a warm smile that contrasted sharply with Wei Ziqi's cold demeanor.
He jogged up alongside her, and as though it were a habit, he reached out to ruffle her hair.
She was only at his shoulder height, so his actions came effortlessly.
"Why are you walking by yourself, looking so down?" Qi Chengji asked with a smile.
Wei Ran smiled in response. "I didn't sleep well last night."
Unavoidably, she noticed the curious glances and whispers from those around her.
Qi Chengji seemed completely oblivious to it, and before parting ways, he said to her, "I'll meet you behind the classroom at noon. I have something to tell you."
Without waiting for her reply, he waved his hand and ran off, entering his classroom.
Qi Chengji was two years older than her, and his classroom was on the floor above hers.
"Did you come to school with Qi Chengji this morning?" Lu Nanxi asked as she sat down in front of her and turned around to inquire.
"We just happened to meet at the school gate," Wei Ran shook her head slightly, "News really travels fast."
"Who says the children of aristocratic families don't gossip?" Lu Nanxi waved her hand in a boyish manner. "And Qi Chengji, with his status, every word and action is watched by everyone, like they're paparazzi."
Wei Ran gave a wry smile and shook her head. "I don't know why they care so much. Even casual conversations between classmates get spread around like this."
"Come on! Don't be fooled by Qi Chengji's refined and scholarly look. He's not exactly friendly toward girls. He always keeps a certain distance, even from Song—" Lu Nanxi suddenly stopped herself, carefully glancing around before continuing in a lowered voice. "Anyway, he's always treated you differently, which is why it attracts so much attention."
Wei Ran knew what she was about to say, but she just smiled and shook her head without replying.
Lu Nanxi, unable to hide her curious nature, leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Did Qi Chengji say anything to you? I've always been curious when he's going to confess to you. I didn't expect him to be so gentle and slow about it, even though he looks so elegant. He's nothing like our principal."
Lu Nanxi, unable to hide her curious and gossip-loving nature, leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Did Qi Chengji say anything to you? I've always been curious about when he's going to confess to you. I didn't expect him to be so gentle and slow, even though he looks so refined. He's nothing like our principal."
Wei Ran cautiously glanced around, seemingly ensuring no one was paying attention to them. Then she whispered, "What confession? Don't get me into trouble!"
Lu Nanxi wasn't ready to give up and wanted to ask more, but fortunately, the bell for class interrupted them, and Wei Ran escaped this time.
During the break, Lu Nanxi kept trying to bring it up again, but Wei Ran kept her lips tightly sealed, unwilling to say anything.
Finally, when lunch break arrived, Wei Ran quickly left before Lu Nanxi could say anything.
As she walked toward the back of the teaching building, she couldn't help but sigh. Qi Chengji had caused her quite a bit of trouble.
Though she was living at the Wei family's house, and those people dared not do anything to her, she knew that the aristocratic families still looked down on her.
Her closeness to Qi Chengji would undoubtedly cause some dissatisfaction.
Behind the teaching building was a garden, with pavilions, towers, and winding paths, resembling the delicate designs of a Suzhou garden.
It wasn't uncommon for couples to meet there for dates.
As for early relationships, the school didn't interfere, since all students were in similar positions, and no one knew if their relationships involved any other interests, so it was left unmonitored.
"Wei Ran!" Hearing her name, Wei Ran realized that Qi Chengji was sitting on a rock in the artificial mountain.
The artificial mountain was designed with many winding, concealed paths, making it a perfect place to hide.
Qi Chengji stood up and walked toward her, his warm smile and eyes firmly fixed on her.
"Come!" He didn't stop in front of her but naturally took her hand and led her behind the rock.
"You wanted to see me..." Wei Ran spoke up, his actions so natural that she didn't feel like she could fault him for taking her hand.
Qi Chengji gave a gentle smile and pressed a piece of paper into Wei Ran's palm.
"Take a look." He smiled, waiting for her to open it.
Wei Ran, puzzled, unfolded the piece of paper, only to find two elegant characters written on it: Jiang Yue.
"This—" Wei Ran looked at him in surprise, her body slightly swaying.
Qi Chengji tightened his sweaty palm, taking a shallow breath, his voice a bit nervous. "Since you're with the Wei family, you should know something about the Eight Great Families."
He paused slightly, took a deep breath, and continued, "There's something outside that's been circulating correctly. Each of our Eight Great Families has a national surname, but the true surname is hidden in the characters. The males in the family only share their character with the one they want to be with."
"My ancestors' surname was Jiang, and Jiang Yue is my character." Qi Chengji spoke slowly.