Imperial Treasure

Chapter 615 - 400: Qin, Character

Mo Ke seemed to have achieved a reputation much greater than Sui Yi’s—her mere presence caused quite a stir, as Sui Yi rarely appeared, whereas Mo Ke regularly attended classes. Although she was distant and bland, she was also mild-mannered towards others, so she was quite popular and unspokenly regarded as the belle of the archaeology department. Her clear, Buddha-like aura even surpassed the ancient charm of any Chinese Literature student.

Even the term "lady of excellence" failed to capture her elegance.

Then, she approached Sui Yi, speaking softly and looking down at the sheet of rice paper, her eyes pausing momentarily before she whispered, "Jiang’s distant mountains send forth clear words, a pool of spring water quiets autumn thoughts..."

Her gaze briefly passed over two familiar names in the school—Wang Jingqiu and Jiang Muxiu.

Typically, restrained and indifferent, her expression now slightly amused, as if she had seen something that delighted her soul.

Jiang Muxiu frowned slightly.

Sui Yi had just finished discussing a form and nodded to Mo Ke as she approached, handing the form to Jiang Muxiu.

As the two were about to leave, Wang Jingqiu said to Mo Ke, "Classmate Mo has a profound understanding of Chinese literature, yet only chose the Reading Club. There may be opportunities for the Ancient Style Society and the Reading Club to exchange ideas in the future."

The mention stirred some unrest among the crowd, as competition is the driving force for improvement. Their youthful energy meant that there would indeed be occasions when the Reading Club and the Ancient Style Society would be measured against each other...

Wang Jingqiu indeed had a competitive spirit; her earlier performance of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" was more aggressive than nuanced, lacking the inherent delicacy. Not everyone present was as knowledgeable as Sui Yi and Mo Ke in musical nuances; few could discern the shortcomings, though Wang Jingqiu’s zither skills must be acknowledged as skilled.

"Probably not," said Mo Ke softly, her finger lightly striking a guqin string beside her.

"Because I also plan to join the Ancient Style Society."

Her voice was gentle, while the zither tones lingered, deep and resonant.

The room fell silent again, Wang Jingqiu’s face paling in disbelief.

Jiang Muxiu turned towards Mo Ke, asking with due diligence, "Why join the Ancient Style Society?"

"For her,"

Her? Mo Ke’s fingers pointed towards Sui Yi.

Sui Yi remained silent, then commented, "To complement each other, perhaps?"

Mo Ke: "Exactly."

Everyone: "...."

Even a beauty and top scholar can be... unexpectedly down-to-earth.

Jiang Muxiu looked at Sui Yi’s radiant and composed appearance, his lips curving slightly as he passed over a form.

"Welcome, both of you."

After Mo Ke and the others had left, Jiang Muxiu rose, "I have other things this afternoon; I’ll be leaving first."

He then truly left.

He left as if carried by a light breeze...

"Weird, he said he came to preside over the interviews, but then he just sat all morning and left..."

"Indeed, he’s never bothered with these matters before, let alone joining the Ancient Style Society... "

"Hey, what about that paper?"

"Which one?"

"The one from Sui Yi..."

"Oh my, that guy couldn’t be..."

After their conversation, Teng Yan’s side fell into a brief silence, and Wang Jingqiu was soon surrounded by a few of her close friends.

Mo Ke wants to join the Society!

Wang Jingqiu’s expression grew serious.

Mo Ke... This name had been mentioned repeatedly by their professors, who claimed that the most literarily cultured individual at Beijing University had obscured her talents by joining the archaeology department...

Though these words suggested dissatisfaction with the archaeology department, they also put significant pressure on the Chinese Literature students.

"She wouldn’t be trying to deliberately contradict us in the Chinese Literature Department, would she? She joined the Reading Club, and the people there are already feeling the pressure. Now she’s coming to the Ancient Style Society, it’s like she’s setting the stage for a showdown!"

As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain; people in the Chinese Literature Department truly did not wish to be defeated by the same person on both stages.

Who knows how others might mock the Chinese Literature Department later, especially since those old fossils in the department had long been eager to criticize the archaeology department...

The result? "~"

"Senior Jiang is being too unreasonable. Others have to go through interviews and tests, but Mo Ke just plucks a zither string and she’s in?"

This person was clearly not a musician, and as soon as they spoke, Wang Jingqiu’s face fell: "Her zither skills are such that even my master might not compete... Don’t say such things in the future, or people will laugh..."

That impressive?

Wang Jingqiu’s master was a well-known zither master...

"Compared to Mo Ke’s zither, I feel her calligraphy is even more extraordinary,"

The speaker was a girl who had quietly followed them over to see the excitement—she was another gem of the Chinese Literature Department, and compared to the prominent Wang Jingqiu, she could lower herself to the dust.

Her talent and skill surpassed that of Wang Jingqiu, yet she was as dignified as a gentleman scooping up clear water...

This was widely recognized.

Even Wang Jingqiu had to respect her.

Moreover, she was a sophomore from the same era as Jiang Muxiu and certainly a senior worthy of respect.

"Zimu, her calligraphy... is it good?" Wang Jingqiu, adept at the guqin, may not have been steeped in calligraphy, but at the time, she only felt that the two lines of characters were extremely clear and compelling and did not look closely afterwards.

"Hard to say..." Su Zimu stood under a tree, leaning against it, the sunlight filtering through the green leaves dotting her raised eyelashes.

"I’ve just never seen better."

Su Zimu’s voice was soft and gentle, like her character, like a clear spring, softly whispering, as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Wang Jingqiu rolled her eyes, a rare occurrence, "The archaeology department must be possessed; no wonder those old fossils have been so cranky~"

Her words revealed her true nature.

Hmm, her ladylike demeanor couldn’t hold any longer, fortunately, no one was paying attention to them at the moment.

Zimu smiled without responding and glanced at his phone, saying, "I have a cousin who’s returned to Beijing, his school is also nearby, and we’re planning to dine together soon."

"Is he handsome?"

"Not really," Zimu thought for a moment and added, "but he’s quite good-looking."

It seems no one in the Su family is unattractive.

"Count me in."

"It seems he’s already taken."

"Then forget it, stealing someone away is a skill, and I’m not up for it~"

Meanwhile, Jiang Muxiu was walking on a tree-lined path, unfolding a piece of rice paper.

Remote mountains in the Jiang bring forth pure poetry, a pond of clear spring reflects tranquil autumn thoughts.

This handwriting was the best he had ever seen in his life.

But the meaning inside...

"Jiang" was his surname, and the phrase could imply ancestral halls in the mountains; entering deep mountains for ancestral halls indicates the meaning behind ’Muxiu’. The latter part was even easier to comprehend.

Jiang Muxiu gave a bitter smile. Two lines of text encapsulated the names of two people, accompanying each other with a bit of teasing and indifference.

It was just that Miss Wang couldn’t see it...

----------

Sui Yi had always known that while their dormitory’s vibe might be a bit too cold in terms of décor and atmosphere, often maintaining silence for an hour or two... as long as Xia Yan wasn’t there.

After all, this girl was akin to a warm meal, describable as a hot dog in terms of her energy and vitality—for instance, she circled around twenty-some groups and ended up in just one anime society, but she didn’t let it dampen her spirits.

In her words, it was, "So many clubs are recruiting, and I managed to get into one! How lucky is that!"

If you’re lucky, you celebrate, and celebration usually means a meal together.

So...

—Hotpot!!

Right at the entrance of Beijing University is a well-decorated, upscale hotpot restaurant, bustling with noise mostly from freshmen, both from Beijing University and other institutions who chose this place.

Hotpot could also be considered the quintessence of Chinese haute cuisine.

—Effortless, delicious, warmhearted!

Perfect for the younger generation to bond... (Ah, I miss those days, back when I started university, we used to gather in the dorm over hotpot too...)

So Sui Yi and his group ended up at a large table in the living room, just the four of them.

It seems their dorm was quite unique to begin with, housing only four people, while others typically had six...

Some tables accommodated over a dozen people, lively indeed~

And since the three of them were generally cool~~, they stood out a bit in this bustling hall...

And Xia Yan, being quite generous, ordered a lot of dishes in a flurry, Liang Bing couldn’t stop her in time...

She could only stand by, holding her forehead in despair~

She knew intuitively that the two beauties next to her wouldn’t eat much~

Though it wasn’t a buffet, not finishing the food was not just wasteful, but also environmentally unfriendly, considering all the brightly posted slogans...~~

Actually, Liang Bing was somewhat worried, fearing that this kind of meal might not be to Sui Yi and his companion’s liking... Like right now, as soon as the dishes arrived, a group walked in through the entrance.

Upon entering, one of the female students covered her nose, "Oh, the smell is so strong~ there are so many people, it’s so unhygienic~~ and it’s so cheap, you get what you pay for, it might even be expired~ Better to go eat at Xixiang County in the eastern corner~ if not, then the Western Restaurant Xinye~"

PS: Xixiang County is a high-end private restaurant, even a plate of cabbage tofu costs three digits, while a cup of water at Western Restaurant Xinye costs several tens...

As Liang Bing was about to put chicken wings into the hotpot with her chopsticks, she heard this and glanced nervously at the two across from her.

"Um...how about..."

The chopsticks slipped, and the chicken wing fell. Sui Yi effortlessly caught it with a pair of chopsticks, asking her, "Left or right?"

A split hotpot... red on the left, white on the right, spicy on the left, non-spicy on the right.

"The left," Liang Bing, somewhat flattered, responded.

Sui Yi placed the chicken wing on the left, and also picked up some cabbage for the non-spicy side.

Xia Yan exclaimed with joy, "Yeah, Ah Bing, I had no idea you looked so demure on the outside but were so fiery and unrestrained on the inside~"

Liang Bing, "Xia Yan, are you speaking human language?"

Hearing this, Mo Ke couldn’t help but smile, "It’s human language, I understood it."

Liang Bing, "Are you two teaming up? Sui Yi..."

Sui Yi, "Hmm? I didn’t expect that either."

What didn’t he expect? Refer to the previous line... fiery and unrestrained~~

Liang Bing, "..."

Xia Yan laughed heartily, while Mo Ke smiled and quietly picked up a piece of tofu skin with her chopsticks... for the non-spicy side.

The spicy side is a no-go...

It turned out that their hearts were gentle and lovely, not fiery at all.

Unlike Liang Bing, yes, just like that!

Xia Yan cracked jokes, her naive sweetness unbeatable; Liang Bing occasionally scolded her, only to be countered by Nanny Liang; Mo Ke sometimes teased Xia Yan, and sometimes helped Xia Yan tease Liang Bing, was it not delightful...

A small group, but also quite fun. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend votes, monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)