Ling Yue’s room was arranged in a secondary bedroom on the second floor of the Silent Language Building.
Moving her belongings took a long time, and it wasn’t until dark that everything was finally settled.
The room had clearly been prepared in a hurry; it had been sitting empty before, and now it was crammed full of all sorts of instruments. The black piano that was brought in last took up nearly half the room all by itself.
Fortunately, there wasn’t much furniture in the room, just a single bed and an old book desk, which barely managed to free up a little space for these behemoths. Otherwise, finding even a place to stand would have been difficult.
Ling Yue herself didn’t seem particularly picky about the environment. She only gave it a brief glance before turning her gaze toward the window, her expression calm, as if she had simply checked into the most ordinary of guest rooms.
But Mu Xi noticed that Ling Yue’s brow had furrowed almost imperceptibly for a moment before smoothing out again.
The layout and decorative style of this room truly clashed with Ling Yue’s cool, refined, and elegant temperament.
The Silent Language Building as a whole had a hard metallic aesthetic, clean and practical, yet lacking in warmth and delicacy, not to mention any artistic atmosphere.
And Ling Yue, no matter how you looked at her, seemed like a figure who had stepped out of a classical oil painting. She ought to have been staying in a room filled with artistic ambiance.
Mu Xi casually wandered around the room, her gaze landing on those familiar instruments, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
These instruments, she had once touched and learned under Ling Yue’s guidance, at least to some extent.
But too many things had happened since then, and those refined hobbies had been sealed away along with everything else.
There was a brief silence in the room.
“Teacher, do you like it here?” Mu Xi asked softly, breaking the brief silence that hung in the room.
Ling Yue turned around with a faint smile. That smile was like ice melting, instantly dispelling the coldness around her and revealing a hint of gentleness: “It’s fine. Just a temporary place to rest. No need to be too particular.”
“As long as Teacher likes it.” Mu Xi nodded, then couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Teacher, you and Ye Lan… how did you two meet?”
This question had been circling in her mind for a long time. From the moment Ling Yue had appeared, she had been wondering.
How could someone as domineering and overbearing as Ye Lan allow Ling Yue to stay in the Silent Language Building? And claiming it was to “take care” of her? That was far too out of character for Ye Lan’s usual way of doing things.
Hearing this, Ling Yue’s eyes flickered faintly, as if she were reminiscing, or perhaps weighing her words.
After a moment, she finally spoke slowly, her tone so calm that no emotion could be detected: “Ye Lan and I knew each other in the past.”
“Knew each other in the past?” Mu Xi keenly caught the subtle nuance in Ling Yue’s words and pressed further, “Just knew each other? Was it the kind of knowing where you were very close?”
Ling Yue gazed at Mu Xi, her eyes deep and profound, as if trying to see through to her very heart.
After a long moment, the corner of her mouth suddenly curved into a meaningful arc, and she said lightly, “Mm, the kind of close… close enough that we used to be girlfriends.”
“Girlfriends?!”
Mu Xi froze on the spot, as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky, her mind going completely blank.
She stared with wide eyes, looking at Ling Yue in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.
Girlfriends?
Ye Lan and Ling Yue?
These two names could not be connected no matter how she tried.
Ye Lan was so strong and domineering, like an emperor of the darkness; while Ling Yue was cool and noble, like the bright moonlight.
They used to be lovers?
This was even more shocking than Ye Lan allowing Ling Yue to stay in the Silent Language Building.
Seeing Mu Xi’s stunned expression, a barely noticeable glint of amusement flickered in Ling Yue’s eyes, and she slowly added, “Just kidding.”
It took several seconds for Mu Xi to barely find her voice again.
“Just… just kidding?” Mu Xi’s mind was in complete chaos, and it took several seconds for her to barely recover her voice.
She blinked, trying to discern the truth from Ling Yue’s words, only to find that Ling Yue’s expression remained calm, as if what she had just said really was just a joke.
But was it really just a joke?
Mu Xi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
The feeling Ling Yue gave her wasn’t like someone who would casually crack jokes.
Every word and action of hers carried a sense of distance and restraint, as if she were always maintaining a boundary between herself and others.
“Teacher…” Mu Xi wanted to press further but didn’t know where to begin. But if it wasn’t a joke, then Ye Lan and Ling Yue…
Ling Yue seemed to see right through her thoughts. She smiled softly and changed the subject:
“Alright, enough of this. It’s getting late. Let’s go have dinner.”
Mu Xi froze for a moment and instinctively glanced out the window, only then realizing that the sky had already darkened.
She nodded, pushing down the flood of questions for now, and followed Ling Yue out of the room.
In the dining hall on the first floor of the Silent Language Building, the lights were bright, yet they couldn’t dispel the faint chill lingering in the air.
The long metal dining table was covered with a plain tablecloth, laden with exquisite dishes. Fragrant aromas curled upward, and they were all Mu Xi’s favorite flavors.
Clearly, Ye Lan had given specific orders.
Two servants in gray uniforms stood quietly at attention nearby, their movements deft, yet their eyes occasionally drifted toward the two women at the table, carrying poorly concealed admiration and a trace of subtle curiosity.
Mu Xi sat across from Ling Yue, holding a cold metal fork in her hand, but her mind was elsewhere.
She stole glances at Ling Yue.
This former teacher of hers carried an indescribable aura no matter when or where.
On that cool, stunningly beautiful face, her expression was detached, as if she had little interest in the feast before her, merely tasting it out of politeness.
Her dining posture was as elegant as a textbook. Every subtle movement was perfectly measured—cutting food, lifting a glass, gently dabbing the corner of her mouth—all carrying a rhythmic grace that was a pleasure to behold.
Then she looked at herself… Mu Xi instinctively lowered her head, glanced at her own hand holding the fork, and felt the stiffness of her own posture.
There was simply no comparison.
She knew she wasn’t bad-looking; she could even be called refined and pretty. But in front of Ling Yue’s kind of natural, seemingly refined-through-years-of-polish noble aura, she felt like a little girl who hadn’t grown up yet—clumsy and rough.
The way she ate wasn’t unsightly, but it certainly wasn’t elegant either. It was just the most ordinary way possible.
Compared to Ling Yue, it was like comparing mud to clouds.
A subtle sense of inferiority crept into her heart, fine and dense, making her uncomfortable.
Why was this happening? Why was she comparing herself to Teacher Ling Yue?
Was it because of… Ye Lan?
That “ex-girlfriend” joke was like a tiny thorn lodged in Mu Xi’s heart—not painful, but impossible to ignore.
Teacher Ling Yue was so outstanding, so perfect… Had Ye Lan really been with her before too…
No!
Mu Xi shook her head violently, dispelling that absurd thought.
Ye Lan liked her now! It was her, Mu Xi!
For her sake, Ye Lan had even been willing to lower herself to pursue her. That was something she had personally agreed to.
Even if Ling Yue really was Ye Lan’s ex-girlfriend, so what? That was in the past! Right now, Ye Lan’s eyes and heart held only her, Mu Xi. That was enough.
Yes, that was it.
Mu Xi mentally pumped herself up and straightened her back just a little.
Why was she sitting here feeling sorry for herself, as if she were competing with Teacher Ling Yue over a man? How ridiculous.
What kind of person was Ye Lan? Domineering, overbearing, with a control freak streak a mile wide.
Even if she had a hundred times the nerve, would she dare to start a harem?
A faint, barely perceptible trace of self-derision curved at the corner of Mu Xi’s lips.
If Ye Lan really dared to pursue her while keeping things murky with Ling Yue, and even had other women fluttering around… then Mu Xi wasn’t someone to be trifled with either.
She would immediately, right away, without a moment’s hesitation, pack up her pitifully few belongings, leave this cold Silent Language Building, leave Stone City, and get as far away from Ye Lan as possible.
She, Mu Xi, might have fallen on hard times, but she didn’t need to cling to Ye Lan to survive.
Her dignity was something she still wanted.
Even if it was Ye Lan. There was absolutely no way she would share a partner with another woman, not even if that…