area51novel 076 Prelude
076 Prelude
"I can't wait!" Selma shouted as she pushed Professor Mance's wheelchair at full speed along the path. The wheels clattered and bounced between the cracks in the stone slabs.
"Ouch, slow down! I'm injured!" Mance's teeth chattered from the jolting. "I gave you a perfect score on your internship, and you're still plotting to murder your advisor?"
Selma reluctantly slowed down, gripping the wheelchair armrests tightly with both hands, and slowly pushed forward. The wheels slammed heavily into the cracks in the cobblestones, clanging—clanging—
"Professor Mans," Selma whispered, her eyes blazing, "the doctor clearly told you not to eat spicy food, not to drink alcohol, and not to stay up late. If you had listened even a little bit, you wouldn't be in a wheelchair now!"
Bang!Bang!Bang!
While glaring at the back of Mans's head, she pushed the wheelchair forcefully onto the bumpy rocks, secretly praying that she could just shake the troublesome old man until he passed out.
Professor Mans fell silent, lost in regret. Selma, Nono—one mountain is always higher than the next. How come all his students are so unreliable?
He couldn't help but feel envious of Guderian. The former genius Fingel, the current genius Lu Mingfei, he had taken all the good students.
With things as they were, Mans decided to endure another year until Selma graduated. Afterward, he would find a promising young talent to be his last apprentice, but first, he would test their character; those who weren't composed would be rejected!
The Amber Hall was right in front of them. Selma pushed the wheelchair slowly into the hall along the accessible path, and the surrounding students greeted Professor Mans one after another.
Mans responded to each one.
Professor Schneider walked over from another direction, carrying a portable ventilator with the tubes wrapped around his arm.
"Congratulations, Mans." Schneider's voice came through the mask, hoarse and deep.
"Thank you." Mans slightly raised his chin.
"You did a better job than me," Schneider said. "Bringing everyone back is the greatest achievement."
"Thank you," Mans said again. "I thought you wouldn't come."
"So many years have passed, I've come to terms with it." Schneider's gaze passed over Mans and looked towards the brightly lit banquet hall deep inside the hall. "But Fingel hasn't."
He reached out, patted Mance on the shoulder, and then turned and walked away.
Mans watched Schneider's retreating figure and smiled with relief. Schneider was right; being alive is more important than anything else.
"Professor, you seem to be in a good mood tonight," Selma said from behind.
"Of course I'm happy," Mans straightened his collar. "My student is getting engaged, of course I'm happy."
"Hurry up and keep up."
Selma pushed the wheelchair and followed.
"Professor," she asked in a low voice, "I just heard Professor Schneider say that Fingel he..."
"We'll talk about that later," Mans interrupted her. "Don't bring up those things tonight. Hurry up, I can smell the barbecue."
"Oh, now you want me to push you faster?" Selma complained under her breath. "I can't drink anymore."
Mans took a deep breath and pretended not to hear anything.
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Chu Zihang stood in the shadows of the side entrance of the Amber Pavilion, handing over the reins to a member of the Lionheart Society's second group.
Susie waited until they finished the handover before stepping forward.
"There's been a change." She handed a notebook to Chu Zihang and said, "Aki's sister brought a group of people over. Their leader contacted me and said they could take over the perimeter security for the ten or so minutes of the engagement ceremony so we could all witness Aki's engagement."
"This is what the Shude family wanted, saying that our presence was important to Aki," Susie added.
Chu Zihang took the notebook and scanned it. "Shu Deya's sister? This person isn't on the list. Has her identity been confirmed?"
"It's confirmed. Mai Shude, Aki didn't invite her. She came on her own initiative," Susie recalled. "She has a strong presence. She doesn't seem like a sister to Aki at all. She even hugged Lu Mingfei in public, which made Zero so angry that he pulled her away."
Chu Zihang frowned slightly. "What's the background of that group of people?"
"He is a retainer of the Jiude family."
Chu Zihang silently checked the number of people and the deployment plan. There were no logical loopholes. The Jiude family members replaced the outer patrols, the Lionheart Society members entered to watch the ceremony, and the original formation was restored after the ceremony.
"How competent are those people? Are they reliable?"
"They seem quite reliable, with obvious military skills, but they lack a sense of discipline. They all gather together noisily, very much like Japanese retainers," Susie said.
"What's all the commotion about? What are they doing?" Chu Zihang asked.
"They seem very loyal to the Jiude family. They're currently explaining the family rules to Ye Sheng in the back," Susie said, suppressing a laugh. "It's said that one of the retainers who watched Aki grow up burst into tears on the spot, wishing he could kill Ye Sheng."
"Ye Sheng is under a lot of pressure," Susie sighed. "Who would have thought he would marry a rich heiress?"
"Aki is indeed very low-key." Chu Zihang was also quite surprised, as he hadn't noticed Aki's hidden identity at all.
He was about to nod when his gaze lingered on the deployment table for a moment.
The number of people, the coordination, and the time for restoring the original staffing were all perfectly connected, with no flaws whatsoever.
"Let's proceed with this plan." Chu Zihang handed the notebook back to Susie. "We'll enter to observe the ceremony, but we'll continue patrolling as usual during the social dance."
"Okay." Susie put away her notebook, then hesitated for a moment.
"Chu Zihang".
"Um?"
"Shutoku Aki has retainers," she said. "She usually looks so ordinary; you'd never guess she's a young lady."
"This is quite common. Children from aristocratic families often grow up with feelings of inferiority because they live in the shadow of an overly outstanding heir," Chu Zihang analyzed. "Judging from the case of Aki Shuto, Mai Shuto is the eldest daughter of the Shuto family, and Aki is the second daughter. She has lived under the pressure of her older sister since childhood."
Susie looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"When the eldest daughter is strong, the younger daughter will grow in the opposite direction." Chu Zihang continued his psychological analysis. "Aki's gentleness, sensitivity, and her habitual giving and yielding in interpersonal relationships are all related to this family structure. Her role on the Moniach also confirms this—filling the void, taking care of Ye Sheng, and ensuring that every step goes smoothly. A child who is required not to cause trouble from a young age will grow up to be like this."
He paused for a moment.
"However, this personality also has its advantages. The reason why her relationship with Ye Sheng is stable is precisely because Ye Sheng himself is also a very perceptive person who can understand Aki's subtlety. When these two are together, they don't need much..."
"Chu Zihang," Susie interrupted his long-winded analysis.
"Um?"
From the depths of the Amber Pavilion's main hall came the clear and melodious sound of a bronze bell.
"Stop thinking about all that," she said. "The ceremony is about to begin, let's go see!"
Susie reached out and grabbed Chu Zihang's wrist, and the two ran side by side toward the side door of the Amber Pavilion.
Her black ponytail danced in the night breeze, carrying with it her joyful mood.