TSLSILMH Ch 1

Chapter 1

The arrival of early autumn saw the bustle and heat of summer gradually dissipate. In the campus walkways, the pine and cassia trees embraced above, with sweet-scented osmanthus blooming in great clusters, casting a golden wave beneath the sky and filling the air with freshness and beauty.

For many of the students, autumn also signified graduation season. The upcoming autumn recruitment fair was the focus of much attention.

Inside the grad student dorm hallway, seven or eight young men clustered together, all focused on a central figure—Wu Yunhai—bestowing him with praise and envy.

“Wu Yunhai, you really scored—this job looks promising, huh? Mind sharing your base salary with us?”

“Wu-ge, such a generous host, treating us to dinner at Qingyun Pavilion tonight!”

Hearing this, Wu Yunhai’s self-satisfied expression flickered with a hint of pain. If not for the fact that his new job truly had a bright future, he would not have spent so lavishly at such a nice restaurant.

Thinking about his future, Wu Yunhai’s mood quickly stabilized.

The others, impatient, pressed him to get going. But Wu Yunhai smiled, “Wait, I’ve also invited Xie Shu. He’s in the library but should be back soon.”

At these words, the group’s collective expression shifted; glances were exchanged, surprise written on every face.

Xie Shu? That Xie Shu? Wasn’t Wu Yunhai on bad terms with him? Why invite him now—

In truth, none were close to Xie Shu. He wasn’t in their major. Wu Yunhai and Xie Shu were roommates; all grad students here lived in two-person dorms. Wu Yunhai was the extra admit, while Xie Shu’s program had only taken one that year, so they ended up paired together.

Still, everyone knew of Xie Shu—not thanks to Wu Yunhai, but because Xie Shu was already famous on campus, frequently winning awards and recognition, and was strikingly handsome.

Back when they’d first started, people couldn’t help but probe Wu Yunhai about Xie Shu. But not long after, Wu Yunhai made a point of criticizing Xie Shu as aloof and hard to get along with, which colored everyone’s impression. They generally ignored Xie Shu, so his invitation tonight was unexpected.

Wu Yunhai didn’t offer further explanation. He was caught up in the moment; the invitation itself was an impulse, never expecting Xie Shu would actually accept.

He was surprised, in fact. Although their private interactions weren’t as hostile as he’d let on, their relationship was ice-cold—they’d only exchanged about a hundred words in over two years together. Wu Yunhai disliked Xie Shu’s attitude, and rarely made the effort to be friendly.

But on impulse, he invited Xie Shu, half-convinced he’d decline, half-driven by vanity—and was even more pleased when Xie Shu agreed. He speculated that it must be because of his new job offer.

Lately, Wu Yunhai had been running everywhere for a satisfactory job offer.

And as for Xie Shu? He was always languid in the library, unconcerned.

Then again—Wu Yunhai wondered—what job could someone with Xie Shu’s obscure major even get…

Now that Xie Shu was coming, the group relaxed, bantering easily about the upcoming autumn jobs fair.

Soon, a young man—just over twenty—came around the corner.

He was tall and thin—not fragile, but rather carrying a quiet, restrained sharpness. Like the others, he dressed simply, but his shirt and slacks seemed expertly tailored to his frame, highlighting his slim build.

He held several books with titles completely unintelligible to the seven or eight engineering students assembled.

As he approached, all eyes were drawn to him. His eyes were a little long and slightly turned downward at the outer corners—a classic “peach blossom eye,” but with a clear and cool expression, his brows distant and serene, lending him an unusual brightness.

He was the very image of elegant grace—like a pine, a cypress, the ideal of beauty embodied.

When he appeared, conversation stopped.

Xie Shu was surprised to see so many waiting for him. Wu Yunhai had only messaged to say he’d found a job and to ask if he had time for a meal.

Without much hesitation, Xie Shu had agreed; they were roommates, after all—hardly close, but they’d lived together for a while. He knew Wu Yunhai had been busy with job-hunting lately, and thought it was nice to celebrate good news.

He offered a smile and a brief apology, catching everyone off guard with his friendly demeanor, and instantly dispelling the group’s long-held negative assumptions.

Wu Yunhai snapped out of his daze and greeted Xie Shu. After he put away his books in the dorm, the group headed off to Qingyun Pavilion.

Their university was downtown, so the restaurant wasn’t far.

On the road, no one wanted to snub Xie Shu, and, with their impression changed by his attitude, several tried starting conversation. Contrary to expectations, Xie Shu—though he spoke little—answered politely, not at all like how Wu Yunhai had described him.

Once seated in the reserved private room, Wu Yunhai’s mood became complicated. He’d invited Xie Shu partly to show off, but found himself overshadowed instead.

He felt a surprising pang of regret, but upon sitting at the center of the table, he regained a bit of composure.

As the meal progressed, Wu Yunhai swiftly steered the conversation towards his new job, inflating the story with a few exaggerations—enjoying the envy on their faces.

But when he looked toward Xie Shu, the latter’s expression remained cool, collected—he barely seemed to be paying Wu Yunhai any mind. And yet Wu Yunhai felt as if Xie Shu could see right through him; in that instant, it was as if someone had pricked his pride like a balloon.

Flushed and abashed, Wu Yunhai found himself even more uneasy, his focus lingering on Xie Shu’s insouciant composure—resentment began to fester.

With a faux-casual smile, Wu Yunhai asked, “Xie Shu, you’re so outstanding—you must have some great job lined up, right?”

As soon as the question left his lips, all eyes turned to Xie Shu; everyone’s feelings toward Wu Yunhai grew slightly complicated. They knew him well—his pride, his duplicity.

Plus, autumn recruitment hadn’t begun, and most hadn’t found jobs yet. Xie Shu’s major, Classical Philology, was particularly niche—he was the only admit that year. Wu Yunhai’s directness in front of everyone was clearly deliberate…

Normally, no one would have thought much, but the contrast with Xie Shu now made them suspicious of Wu Yunhai’s motives.

Xie Shu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. He hadn’t spoken much—how had the conversation shifted back to him?

After a second, he gave a calm, brief smile and simply said, “I’ll be staying at the university to teach.”

Staying to teach!

At those words, Wu Yunhai looked crushed, while the others were astonished. They’d only been envious of Wu Yunhai’s offer before, but “staying to teach” was on a whole other level.

These days, landing a university faculty spot is increasingly difficult, with most hires being PhDs—yet Xie Shu, as a Master’s student, had been hired exceptionally. It was obvious how bright his future would be…

Over dinner, Xie Shu drank a bit—not at anyone’s urging, but because he felt like it for once, having found out he’d be staying on as faculty. For the first time, he felt a rare hint of confusion about his own future.

He wasn’t, as people thought, someone deeply obsessed with academics. He just happened to like ancient literature and stuck with it.

Through the vast sea of books, Xie Shu had caught glimpses of a boundless world, and sensed how much farther there was to go. To most, all this reading seemed pointless, but perhaps what didn’t fit in this era was himself.

Feeling tipsy, he cut himself off, but the white liquor hit hard—by the time he returned to the dorm, his head was swimming.

He staggered to his bed and collapsed straight into sleep.

Upon waking, his mouth was dry, his head dizzy, his throat seemed aflame—heat and cold alternated across his body, and he felt unspeakably unwell.

He thought it was the aftereffects of a hangover, but then a strong smell of traditional medicine filled his nose.

He’d rarely smelled decoctions—young people seldom drink them, and no one in the dorm, not even Wu Yunhai, ever took such medicine.

This thought triggered a growing sense of wrongness, but given his faintness, he couldn’t muster the effort to untangle his situation.

Amid his confusion, a voice filtered through the haze.

He heard a teenage boy, near tears and desperately anxious:

“Master Xie, please wake up! You’ve fainted again, help!”

His muddled mind was even more confused, especially by the “Master Xie” address—a formal, respectful title for men of certain status in ancient times.

Who would call him that?

He tried to speak, but only a weak cough emerged from his burning throat.

This immediately caught someone’s attention.

“Master Xie, you’re awake? I thought… you’re awake, thank goodness. Please hold on, the doctor will arrive shortly.”

Doctor?

Now he was certain these weren’t modern forms of address. On top of everything else, Xie Shu’s mind reeled, the onrush of thoughts almost overwhelming. In an era where everything seemed possible, nothing was surprising—yet finding it happening to himself was deeply shocking.

Too ill to dwell further, he tried to calm himself and make sense of his thoughts.

Soon, footsteps sounded from outside—the room went utterly silent.

Could it be the doctor?

Holding his breath, Xie Shu listened as the steps approached. A cool, melodious voice spoke with composure, “Ximo, what just happened?”

The boy replied, nervously,

“Master Xie had been unconscious for days and just woke up, but then fainted again. I checked his breath—I thought… but he’s come to just now.”

Finishing, Ximo went silent, too scared to speak further. He was the only one who knew the details of Master Xie’s illness; if Young Master Yu pressed, he dared not reveal anything.

When Ximo finished, the other person stopped beside the bed but did not come closer, and the room remained cold and still. Xie Shu struggled to identify the stranger.

At that moment, another flurry of footsteps approached. Further away, someone respectfully addressed, “Young Master Yu.”

That person replied, “Doctor Zhang, I’ll trouble you.”

Dr. Zhang immediately agreed, thinking, The rumors don’t match the reality—this new son-in-law seems to have a good relationship with Yu’s heir, Yu Chuxi.

But just as he thought this, Young Master Yu adjusted his sleeves as if preparing to leave.

And at that moment, Xie Shu slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry, but he could just make out the pale sleeve embroidered with floating clouds.

As the robe settled, it paused, as if sensing his stirring—but made no move to come closer.

He gradually lifted his gaze and met a pair of deep, inky phoenix eyes calmly scrutinizing him; their gazes met only a moment—just as the man turned, Xie Shu caught sight of a faint red mole at the corner of his eye, a flash of color vanishing as he turned away.

Author’s Note:

Good luck with the new story!

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