Isabella Xiang, dressed in a light red nightgown, had let her hair down. Her cascading locks spread like a waterfall as she sat on the windowsill of her apartment's living room, gazing out at Xijing through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city's bright lights formed a canvas where night seemed as bright as day. Sipping a cup of steaming lavender tea, Isabella watched the wild cars speeding along the highway, her mind filled with a thrilling scene of speed.
Leon Chen, what kind of person is he?
There's a saying that if a man can spark a woman's curiosity and leave space for her to imagine, the affection she develops for him is spontaneous, not forced. She won't resist him. For someone like Isabella Xiang, a beautiful ice queen, finding someone who intrigued her was almost unimaginable.
"Red, what does the family think of Leon Chen?" Isabella suddenly asked. "Grandfather didn't actually intend to deal with him, right?"
A figure emerged from the shadows—it was True Red, appearing out of nowhere. "Yes, Miss. The Master has a high opinion of Leon Chen..." True Red smiled faintly.
"He has indeed exceeded expectations. In that situation, to force the Hummer to take a detour...should we say he's fearless or too bold? That's the question."
That confident gaze is not something someone obsessed with death would possess, Isabella thought.
"The Xiang clan is holding an elders' meeting to discuss Leon Chen's role as an agent. This matter is crucial; it concerns the lifeblood of the Xiang clan and even the fate of Red Nation..." True Red said solemnly.
Isabella nodded.
Knowing that Isabella rarely spoke her mind, True Red asked, "May I ask you a question, Miss?" Isabella's gaze indicated she could proceed.
"If Leon Chen really becomes the Xiang clan's agent, would you be willing, Miss?"
"I'm a bit curious about him," Isabella smiled faintly.
True Red was momentarily stunned, then fell silent.
…
Early the next morning.
"Hell!" Michael Fang's scream woke everyone up.
Several pillows flew across the room, hitting him squarely on the head.
"Damn it! Why are you guys throwing things at me?" Michael asked, aggrieved.
"Did you have a wet dream or something? We finally have a morning with no classes, and you woke us up," Daniel Zhang said tiredly.
"Didn't linear algebra tire you out yesterday, Michael?" the boss also sat up in bed, displeased.
"Look at Leon!" Michael urgently pointed at Leon.
Leon, woken by Michael's shouting, opened his sleepy eyes and said, "What's wrong with me? Everyone's up early today."
"What's wrong with him?" Daniel and the boss were still groggy, seeing that Leon was fine.
"Leon, why are you in bed?!" Michael asked in amazement.
Leon rolled his eyes, "If I'm not in bed, should I be under it?"
"Exactly," Daniel gave a thumbs-up.
"No, I mean you should be outside. Don't you remember? He didn't come back to the dorm last night." Michael's words made the boss and Daniel vaguely recall that Leon indeed hadn't returned the previous night.
Leon remembered too. He had come back late and, seeing them asleep, hadn't woken them, instead passing through the walls.
"Of course, I came back later," Leon said, raising his middle finger.
"Even if you came back later, and managed to wake up the gatekeeper to open the door for you, how did you get into the dorm?"
"Idiot, he used a key," Daniel couldn't stand his stupid questions anymore.
"But I saw him not return by 10 PM and locked the door from inside. Unless he broke in, he couldn't have gotten in." Now, the boss and Daniel were puzzled, all staring at Leon.
Michael, you idiot, Leon thought with disdain, but innocently asked, "You locked the door? No way, when I came in last night, the door was unlocked. I thought you guys left it open, so I locked it after coming in."
Michael jumped out of bed and ran to the door, dumbfounded: the door was indeed locked now. Scratching his head, he recalled that he had indeed locked the door. Looking at Leon, who shrugged as if to say "You're dreaming," Michael felt confused.
"Maybe you dreamed you locked the door, or you sleepwalked and unlocked it," Daniel yawned.
The door was definitely locked, Michael thought. Did I really sleepwalk and unlock it, or did I open it in a daze while going to the bathroom? Facing everyone's accusations, Michael didn't think further, quickly putting on a smile. "Sorry, my bad. I must have remembered wrong. Sorry for disturbing your sleep, please go back to sleep." He dove back under his blanket.
"Who can sleep now? You'd better treat us to lunch as an apology," Daniel cracked his knuckles.
"Don't waste time talking, let's beat him up and teach him a lesson. We can't let this go on," John Wu, usually stern, also cracked a smile.
Under their threats, Michael had to agree to treat them to lunch at the famous "Human Delicacies" in Cafeteria No. 7.
After all the commotion, Michael was too distracted to think about how Leon got in. He really believed he had misremembered.
During breakfast, the cafeteria was already crowded. After finding a seat, they asked Leon where he had been the previous day.
Leon had prepared an excuse, saying he had gone for an interview.
The boss and Daniel looked at Leon in surprise. "You're preparing for work experience so early?" It's not uncommon for university students to balance classes and internships, especially to gain an advantage for future job hunting.
"Big news!" Michael Fang came over with his tray, yelling again.
"Didn't you yell enough this morning?" John Wu glared at him.
"I just heard: Professor Tang is back and will give a lecture this afternoon in Hall No. 1," Michael said excitedly.
"Professor Tang?!" Daniel and John were wide-eyed. "Really?"
"Who's Professor Tang?" Leon couldn't help but ask.
The three looked at Leon like he was an alien.
"What did I say wrong?" Leon retorted.
"How can you not know Professor Tang? Don't tell anyone you're from H University," Michael lamented.
"That's Sienna Tang. The most beautiful female teacher at H University, bar none!" Daniel grinned.
Sienna Tang. The name rang a bell. Leon suddenly asked, "Is she a PhD?"
"Remember now? The youngest PhD advisor, though that's nothing compared to her other identity at H University."
"What identity?" Leon asked, puzzled.
"It's a miracle you managed to get a girlfriend," Michael lamented.
John Wu smiled and explained, "Sienna Tang is one of H University's 'Four Legendary Beauties,' known as the 'Seductive Beauty'..."
Leon was stunned. The doctor in the rigid archaeological outfit from last night was actually the legendary Seductive Beauty?