Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-41

Someone remembered that among the Six Ivies, there was one named the Tradition Academy. It seemed like it was not too far away, like it was used to be very famous, like there wasn’t any news about this school for so long, like there weren’t even seats reserved for this school in the Ivy Festival for the past few years, like it had never existed.

A school that had been abandoned for many years, that was almost forgotten by the world. But surprisingly, it still had the right to be considered one of the Six Ivies and earned a spot in the Ivy Festival this year. Why? Maybe because of the rumor that this year, the Tradition Academy finally got a new student?

Yes, the reason was this simple. This year, the Tradition Academy had students and therefore it had the right to participate in the Ivy Festival. The Zhou Dynasty had always respected tradition, and the Ivy Festival was a tradition. Even though the teacher from the Heavenly Academy, who was responsible for holding the Ivy Festival, wanted to eliminate the entire Tradition Academy and burn it into ashes so that he could remove it from this point in history, he still didn’t have the right to reject the Tradition Academy from participating in the Ivy Festival — even if there were only two students in the Tradition Academy.

Fabric was flying in air as the wind blew. Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo walked into the building. They followed the Heavenly Academy students’ direction and walked towards the furthest front area.

Inside the building, people were making comments. Several hundred of young students who were disbursed among the seats did not know them and the people in the regions that were separated by wooden fence also didn’t know them. Looking at the direction they were walking, people guessed that this couple were students from the Tradition Academy.

Everyone’s eyes fell on them. The people were somewhat surprised but more so, they were curious.

Based on the rumor, the freshman in the Tradition academy was a young man, so most people were looking at Chen Chang Sheng. But other people took notice of Luo Luo who was following Chen Chang Sheng. They noticed that this little girl was extremely beautiful, like a colored glaze. Suddenly, their eyes all lit up.

On the seat for the Heavenly Academy, there was a young man. He looked handsome and cold. Although he was sitting in the Ivy Festival, his attention was not on it as if he did not care about the upcoming competition. He did not intentionally reveal his arrogance, he was just naturally arrogant.

Around a dozen of excellent Heavenly Academy students who were ready to participate in the Great Trial next year sat casually around this young man but it was obvious that they viewed him as the centerpiece, like an image of a thousand stars surrounding the sun. The fact that these supposedly self-confident Heavenly Academy students showed such an attitude towards this young man further emphasized his prominence.

The young man was thinking about the thing the Principal told him yesterday, if the Sect of Longevity actually sent people here, how should he, the representative of the Heavenly Academy, respond? This year, the Ivy Festival was held by the Heavenly Academy. He could not allow the people from the South to rob Zhou’s glory.

Suddenly, he saw Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo.

His eyes slightly lit up, and his feeling changed slightly.

The students who were sitting around him remained silent, but they were actually paying attention to him the whole time. They saw his feeling change slightly and they found themselves, helplessly surprised – although many students in the building were attracted to Luo Luo upon seeing her, the Heavenly Academy students could not accept that such thing would happen to their senior.

Yes, this young student from the Heavenly Academy, was Zhuang Huan Yu, ranked tenth in the Honor Roll of Green Cloud.

How could such a person be influenced emotionally by a little girl’s beauty?

Who was this girl? People from the Heavenly Academy looked towards Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo and suddenly remembered something. They whispered to each other, “Isn’t she the junior apprentice? Why is she here?”

………………………….

The Heavenly Academy had a really long history. In the school, there were countless ancient legends, there were many excellent youngsters living and learning together and therefore, there were also countless romantic stories inside the school. Among the schools, there was one that just started two years ago.

In the story, in the forest of the Heavenly Academy’s backyard, there was an extremely beautiful spirit who would occasionally appear in front of people. The spirit looked like a little cute girl but only the most honest person could see her.

The story was obviously not true but it was based on reality. The pretty little spirit was Luo Luo who would occasionally follow her clansman to study in the Heavenly Academy.

Zhuang Huan Yu had a special status in the Heavenly Academy so he obviously didn’t believe in this story until one day when professor was teaching him and his several juniors privately. He saw a little girl sitting by the window. The sun shined on her face and she was as pretty as a colored glaze.

He was very devoted to xiu xing and had never care about any romantic things between boys and girls. He was always on the top in the school and the lovely looks of the female students’ didn’t distract him in the slightest. But in that moment, he could not glance away.

Later on, he met her several times during the professor’s lectures.

His professor was the Principal of the Heavenly Academy. Zhuang Huan Yu heard the little girl discuss her problems regarding xiu xing with the professor. He was amazed to learn that the girl could follow the professor’s thinking. Later on, he found out that this little girl’s guardians were all elites which indicated that she had an uncommon identity.

He felt tempted. He thought this girl was worth for him to like.

However, after that day, he never saw her again.

She never appeared again.

He never told this to anyone, but because of her sudden disappearance, he remained silent for a long time. He was thinking, was it true that something that he could never get was the best? Or, does missing something give people such a deep memory? Otherwise, why would he remember her so often?

He hoped she would appear in front of him again.

For that, he would even discard his own arrogance. He would speak the first word.

At this moment, he thought heaven actually heard the voice in his mind.

In the Ivy Festival, she actually appeared!

Moreover, in front of so many people, she was walking towards him!

………………………………

Zhuang Huan Yu tidied up his clothes, stood up, and looked quietly at Luo Luo who was getting closer and closer to him.

The Heavenly Academy students who sat around him, did not understand why their senior would stand up. Besides the people who saw Luo Luo before and knew what was happening, the others all thought he was representing the Heavenly Academy to welcome this couple. They were surprised, thinking to themselves, since when senior cared about such secular thing?

Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo walked to the front of the seats for the Heavenly Academy. They were ready to follow the previous Heavenly Academy students’ direction to the region in the corner, but unexpectedly, among the seats for the Heavenly Academy, approximately a dozen of people suddenly stood up. This made Chen Chang Sheng not know what to do so he instinctively paused his steps.

Zhuang Huan Yu’s lip slowly raised up. He was about to smile and say something.

He was going to say long time no see to Luo Luo.

A moment later, his smile disappeared before it even came up. His look became cold as it used to be or even colder.

Because Luo Luo did not see him.

Luo Luo was looking at Chen Chang Sheng.

Since the night she entered the Tradition Academy through the wall, as long as there was Chen Chang Sheng, her eyes were either on the books, or on Chen Chang Sheng’s body, every moment and this moment was no exception.

She looked at Chen Chang Sheng with eyes full of admiration.

Admiration and liking were very similar; people could easily perceive them wrongly.

Zhuang Huan Yu was not sure if he perceived it right, but he felt much worse.

I only saw you, yet you only see someone else. This was the thing that could cause the most anger in the world.

After he saw that Luo Luo’s hand was actually holding onto Chen Chang Sheng’s sleeves, his anger reached the max.

Zhuang Huan Yu did not do anything.

He was the genius who ranked tenth in the Honor Roll of Green Cloud, the senior of the Heavenly Academy. He represented a lot and had to be responsible for a lot.

Therefore he could not be angered easily; he could not lose his temper for such a thing.

He looked at Chen Chang Sheng and saluted calmly.

The height his arm was raised to, the distance between his wrist and sleeve, were both so perfect.

Yet his look was too calm, too cold.

Chen Chang Sheng was a little surprised. He calmly returned a salute.

The height his arm raised to, the distance between his wrist and sleeve, were both so perfect.

His look appeared to be somewhat confused, somewhat puzzled.

The surrounding became very quiet.

Zhuang Huan Yu loosened his hands.

Chen Chang Sheng walked forward.

From somewhere, a sound came up. It sounded like someone was holding a breathe for a long time and eventually had to release it.

Both performed the most formal courtesy, but in people’s eyes, Zhuang Huan Yu was perfect, and Chen Chang Sheng was dull. The difference was seen immediately.

Actually, that’s only because he was Zhuang Huan Yu and Chen Chang Sheng was someone unknown.

Zhuang Huan Yu looked towards Luo Luo and said, “Junior, long time no see.”

He said it very casually, but he was actually very serious, even more serious than he was in the first time he saw his biological father.

Luo Luo opened up her eyes wide, looked at him for a while, suddenly recalled something, laughed and said, “Ah, it’s you, long time no see.”

Little girl’s laugh was very cute.

But Zhuang Huan Yu sensed hate in the speech.

He rather she didn’t remember who he was. Unlike now, when she needed to think for a while to remember who he was.

Who I am? I am Zhuang Huan Yu.

Anyone who had seen me cannot forget who I am.

How could you forget me?

Why did you have to pretend like you have forgotten about me?

Were you joking, or fooling with me?

Inside Zhuang Huan Yu’s heart, there was huge waves of emotions, but he looked extremely calm.

When he was about to say something, such as if it’s not because of something, he almost couldn’t remember the junior’s appearance…., Luo Luo dragged Chen Chang Sheng’s sleeve, left the area reserved for the Heavenly Academy and walked towards the corner. On the way, she was happily discussing something with Chen Chang Sheng.

She only left a view of her back to Zhuang Huan Yu.

Zhuang Huan Yu looked at Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo’s backs and remained silent.

He did not notice the previous discussion in the field. He couldn’t understand why the junior would leave the Heavenly Academy.

When he looked towards the empty region where Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo were walking to, he realized surprisingly that they were representing the Tradition Academy.

He asked, “Is that young man Chen Chang Sheng?”

The Heavenly Academy student who was responsible for leading them replied yes.

“Sure enough he is interesting.”

Zhuang Huan Yu stopped saying a word and returned to his seat.

He still looked indifferent, but his true feeling was not so.