"Hello, may I ask if you are..."
Qiao Yun shifted her gaze from the book in her hands and lifted her eyelids, her dark eyes looking at the person greeting her.
The man stared at Qiao Yun's delicate face, his nervous tongue almost tying itself in knots, "Professor Qiao, I didn't expect it to be you, I am Yu Jin, from before..."
Qiao Yun raised an eyebrow, her voice indifferent, "I know, I taught you four years ago."
At her words, Yu Jin was overjoyed, "I didn't expect Professor Qiao to still remember me."
Qiao Yun: "Hmm."
After a pause, she added another sentence, "Because you were the dumbest student I ever taught."
Yu Jin: "..."
Yu Jin, who graduated from Shangjing University with excellent grades, gave an awkward yet polite smile, "Haha, is that so, hehe..."
Qiao Yun silently glanced at the book in her hand and, when she looked up at Yu Jin again, her gaze was like that of someone observing a test subject, and she initiated the conversation by asking, "Where are you going?"
Yu Jin: "..."
It was a very ordinary question, but why did he feel like he was being questioned by the head teacher with Professor Qiao's serious and earnest expression?
He tentatively and cautiously replied, "I'm returning to Shangjing?"
After finishing, he felt the question was a bit stupid, but since Professor Qiao asked it, there must be a profound reason behind it.
So he added, "I'm going home for my sister's wedding, my brother is starting school again, my family's business just signed a big contract, and I need to help out..."
Qiao Yun thought to herself that it wasn't that difficult to trick people or make friends, and without even eighteen questions, the test subject in front of her had already spilled all the details about his family's background.
What an enthusiastic young man.
"..."
Yu Jin, having spoken until he was dry-mouthed, was just short of reciting the ancestry of his eighteen generations without seeing Qiao Yun call a halt.
He swallowed, his throat feeling like it was smoking, and shifted the topic, "Is Professor Qiao going to Shangjing on a business trip?"
Qiao Yun closed her book, "Going back to see a few relatives."
Yu Jin was filled with question marks: ???
He remembered that Professor Qiao was an orphan, who had been adopted by Professor Qiao since she was young, and that Professor Qiao had died half a year ago. Where did Qiao Yun get these relatives from?
Did they pop out of a crack in a rock?
...
When the plane landed at the airport, it was already six in the evening in Shangjing City.
The end of summer darkened the sky later, and the skies were enveloped by broad swathes of glittering twilight.
Qiao Yun, pulling her luggage, walked out of the exit, scanning the area and locking her gaze on two people not far away.
A man and a woman.
The girl had her hair tied in twin ponytails, had a round dumpling face and big eyes, wearing a subtly beautiful dress, her round eyes looking around.
The man standing beside her was very tall, slender, with straight legs.
His high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, skin white like jade, bore captivating peach blossom eyes, though they carried a hint of aloof detachment.
Dressed in a white high-end shirt, the cuffs rolled up revealing smoothly muscled forearms, the top two buttons undone showing a hint of his exquisitely sexy collarbone.
Qiao Yun's gaze lingered on the man's face for a few seconds, then she continued dragging her suitcase toward the two people.
Li Hanzhou glanced indifferently as the girl standing on the side came into his line of sight.
The girl was... as beautiful as a doll in a display window.
She wore a white short-sleeved top, form-fitting denim jeans, exposing a section of her fair ankle, her fingers pulling the small suitcase were long and beautiful.
Her skin was as pale as porcelain, her features dark and defined, the corners of her eyes lifted slightly, her eyelashes seemed a bit listlessly drooping, conveying a touch of distant coldness.
Li Hanzhou raised an eyebrow, "Qiao Yun?"
"It's me."
Qiao Yun replied lazily.
Although her reply was simple, Li Hanzhou thought it was excessively soft and plaintive.
Li Miao stared at Qiao Yun for a while and exclaimed, "You're really beautiful."
Qiao Yun's clear-cut eyes watched her round face and, after searching her brain, said sincerely, "Thank you, you look very fortunate, you're sure to have a good life ahead."
She remembered that was how the aunts in the countryside complimented others.
"..."
Li Miao's mouth twitched. "Your way of complimenting is really unique."
Rumors had it that the Lu Family's daughter who was kidnapped in childhood grew up in the countryside, and she had thought Qiao Yun would carry a rustic air about her, appearing timid and frail in a big city for the first time.
Li Miao, who was slightly obsessive about cleanliness, had mentally prepared herself, even if Qiao Yun dirtied the car, she would tolerate it since her parents had repeatedly instructed her to be very respectful towards Qiao Yun.
Thinking this, Li Miao was confused—why be so respectful? It was probably just her parents messing up the words.
Li Miao asked tentatively, "Do you remember me? My mom mentioned that we used to play house together when we were kids."
To her surprise, Qiao Yun nodded: "I remember."
Li Miao thought Qiao Yun was just being polite—how could anyone remember things from when they were three years old.
Without a second thought, Qiao Yun continued, "We played together once, when we were three years old at kindergarten. You were walking in front and fell down. Crying, you told the teacher that I pushed you. Mrs. Lu didn't want to offend your family, so I was transferred to another kindergarten."
Li Miao: "..."
"Ha ha, I was young and didn't know any better back then, it certainly wasn't intentional."
She felt wronged, awkward, and wanted to crash into a wall.
Luckily, Qiao Yun was just stating the facts, understandingly saying, "I understand, you were embarrassed about falling and getting laughed at, so you subconsciously blamed me."
Li Miao laughed hollowly.
Qiao Yun pursed her lips. Isn't it said that friends should be honest with each other? Why does Li Miao seem unhappy after her honesty?
The old professor was right, making friends is indeed hard.
Realizing the mood, Li Miao wisely did not bring up childhood stories again, and turned to introduce the man behind her, "This is my brother, Li Hanzhou. I specifically brought him as a driver."
Li Hanzhou lowered his gaze to Qiao Yun, his peach blossom eyes carrying a hint of spring breeze as he smiled, "Hello, little friend."
Qiao Yun's ears twitched slightly as she looked up at Li Hanzhou and said with a glint in her eyes, "Hello, you are very handsome."
A baffled Li Miao insisted she was unimpressed.
Li Hanzhou's eyebrows slightly raised as his gaze fell on Qiao Yun's delicate face.
Although she was already eighteen, she looked just like a fifteen-year-old—a real little kid, with such innocent speech.
He had just thought this when he heard Qiao Yun say in that soft, compliant voice.
"I remember you. That year when you were nine, you came to pick up Li Miao from school, and I accidentally pulled down your trousers, saying you were 'unclean.'
"Threatening that I saw your butt, I would have to be responsible for you afterward."
Li Hanzhou: "...????"
Li Miao: Wow!?
——————
A simple and easy-to-understand light novel, pure love, slow-burn, not much drama but sweet, featuring a white lotus, some common face-smacking plots, and family pet routines, but not too many.
The female protagonist was previously a robot, a super brain, with all the data transferred from interstellar origins.
Because of this, she lacks excessive emotions and is learning to be human, a cute and clueless little robot.
The female lead is eighteen years old, and the male lead is twenty-four years old.