Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Simultaneously Calling ’Female Master’ in Her Ear

This area was in a corner, poorly lit and dim.

The space between the bookshelves was narrow, and warm breath ghosted across the back of Jiang Qingli’s neck.

She touched the back of her neck. Only then, a beat too late, did she realize someone was standing just behind and to her side, their shadow falling over her, enveloping her completely.

She looked up and met the young man’s beautiful green eyes.

Yuan Shiyao was looking at her too, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he greeted her. "Good afternoon."

Perhaps not wanting to make noise in the library, he spoke in a breathy whisper. His voice was soft, his back slightly bent, and his breath fell near the side of her face.

This was much closer than a normal social distance.

Jiang Qingli took a small step back. "Are you also looking for books for the midterms?"

Taking in her movement, a flicker of dimness passed through Yuan Shiyao’s eyes. His voice grew even softer. "I was also looking for you."

"What is it? Is it about the student council?" Jiang Qingli whispered back, glancing around to make sure they weren’t disturbing anyone.

The way she looked from side to side was like a little kitten. Yuan Shiyao’s eyes curved into a smile.

"It’s about the festival performance," Yuan Shiyao said, looking into her eyes. "We need to go to the rehearsal tomorrow. Our president just added it, so a notice hasn’t been sent out yet. I was going to email you, but I didn’t expect to run into you here first."

As if by accident, his fingers still rested on the book’s spine, his hand loosely cupping the girl’s.

"I understand."

Jiang Qingli replied, her gaze still fixed on the book.

She looked from the book to Yuan Shiyao, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

Yuan Shiyao waited patiently for her to speak.

After a moment of internal debate, Jiang Qingli said, "We’re friends, right?"

"Mhm, we are."

Jiang Qingli looked a little embarrassed. "But I think I touched the book first, so I can’t let you have it... How about I help you find the e-book version?"

"It’s fine, I have the e-book," Yuan Shiyao said with a straight face. "I just wanted to see the layout of the physical copy."

Jiang Qingli’s eyes lit up. "Then I’ll give it to you when I’m done!"

Yuan Shiyao smiled too. "Great. I’ll thank you in advance then, sister-in-law."

After taking the book from the shelf, Jiang Qingli was about to look for a few others when she suddenly heard someone speak.

"Female master?"

The young man’s low, tentative voice came from the other side of the bookshelf.

Jiang Qingli whipped her head around and saw Yuan Shiyao’s lips pressed into a thin line, a faint hint of displeasure in his eyes.

After a second’s pause, Jiang Qingli realized what was happening.

That wasn’t Yuan Shiyao who had just spoken. It was Yuan Shimo, who must have arrived at some point.

Footsteps sounded, and through the gaps between several shelves, Jiang Qingli could faintly make out a figure approaching.

The tips of his pale golden hair rested on his shoulders, swaying with his movements like a cat’s tail.

"My brother’s here."

Behind her, Yuan Shiyao also lowered his voice, whispering into Jiang Qingli’s ear.

The warm puff of air against the shell of her ear sent a faint shiver through her.

Startled, Jiang Qingli’s long, dark lashes fluttered rapidly.

Although the two brothers’ voices were normally very similar, their pitch and tone were distinct, so most people could easily tell them apart.

But in that moment, when Yuan Shiyao deliberately imitated his twin, she realized their voices were nearly identical.

Trapped between the shelves, the girl subconsciously turned to look at the younger twin.

The young man was half-hidden in the shadows, his long eyelashes lowered. His dark hair was a blur in the light, and his profile—identical to his brother’s—made him difficult to identify.

The footsteps drew closer.

From the other side, Yuan Shimo seemed to sense something and called out.

At the same time, Yuan Shiyao leaned down again, close to her ear—

"Female master."

The two indistinguishable voices spoke at almost the exact same time.

The girl’s fingers, resting on the bookshelf, tightened unconsciously.

The warm breath tickling her ear sent a tingling numbness through her. The young man’s tall figure loomed over her, their auras tangling into a strange, thick ambiguity.

Jiang Qingli met those green eyes, and her heart began to beat faster without her realizing.

Yuan Shiyao met her gaze and smiled innocently. "My brother and I... we’re a lot alike, aren’t we?"

After speaking, he straightened up and took a few steps back to create some distance.

As if he’d timed it perfectly, the very next second, Yuan Shimo walked out from behind the bookshelf.

Seeing his twin brother standing with Jiang Qingli, Yuan Shimo walked over, his brow furrowed. In a low, blunt voice, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a book for my history seminar," Yuan Shiyao said. "And I was just telling sister-in-law about the schedule change for tomorrow."

Now, his voice had returned to its usual pitch, the tone completely different from his twin’s.

It was as if that "female master," uttered at the same time as his brother’s, had been nothing more than a spur-of-the-moment joke.

Across from him, Yuan Shimo’s lips curled into a cold smile.

In front of the girl, he mercilessly exposed his brother’s lie. "Don’t you always say you hate physical books, calling them a waste of resources that should be eliminated to make way for progress?"

Faced with his brother’s aggressive questioning, Yuan Shiyao just said slowly, "People change."

After saying that, he made no move to stay. "I’ll be going now."

Before he left, Yuan Shiyao casually pulled a book from a nearby shelf.

He stroked the spine with the pad of his finger, as if savoring the lingering warmth of her touch.

Before leaving, Yuan Shiyao glanced back toward the bookshelves.

From several aisles away, he could clearly see his twin brother pick up a few books and say something softly to the girl.

’He must be helping her choose the books she needs.’

Yuan Shiyao rarely saw such gentle patience on his brother’s face.

’That’s why he’d said it: people change.’

’Yuan Shimo would change, and so would he.’

...

As he saw his younger brother leave out of the corner of his eye, the furrow in Yuan Shimo’s brow finally eased a little.

He handed a book to the girl and said in a low voice, "You only need to read the first three Chapters of this one."

"I hope so..." Jiang Qingli sighed. "I usually fall asleep after three pages. That book Ai Li gave me last time? I still haven’t gotten past page five. I fall asleep every time I try to read it."

Yuan Shimo remembered those books. They had been on her bedside table for a long time.

He’d thought she liked them and had even found and studied the e-book version himself.

’He never imagined it was for such an adorable reason.’

Yuan Shimo’s eyes curved into a smile. "You won’t, not with me here."

"Really? And how are you going to guarantee that?" Jiang Qingli tilted her head, teasing him deliberately. "I’m not exactly a good student, Cat Teacher."

Being called "Teacher" by her in a place like this made the tips of Yuan Shimo’s ears grow warm.

The long, eloquent speeches he usually gave to research scholars vanished. His mind went blank. After thinking for a moment, he answered honestly, "I could... read it to you."

He paused, then asked softly, "Would that be okay, female master?"

The moment he said the title, Jiang Qingli’s mind flashed back to Yuan Shiyao’s voice whispering in her ear, and she froze.

Just then, her terminal vibrated.

Jiang Qingli quickly used the message as an excuse to look away and opened her terminal.

Only then did she notice several unread messages.

They were all from Gu Nian.

[Thanks for helping me pick out the books, Qingli. Where are you? [bunny spinning]]

[I’ve had lunch, Qingli. We have a class together this afternoon. Can I come find you?]

But when Jiang Qingli checked, she saw that those two messages had been sent half an hour ago. She had been too busy looking at materials for the Melt Star Association to notice.

And the most recent unread message was—

[I’m on the top floor now. I’m here, Qingli! ^^]

The instant the message was marked as "read," Jiang Qingli heard footsteps close by.

A pure and handsome boy, hugging a stack of books, looked from side to side before his gaze landed on Jiang Qingli. He waved and started walking toward her.

Jiang Qingli smiled, about to wave back.

But the young man beside her suddenly leaned down, his green eyes drawing slowly closer—