Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Qin Shu looked at the two men, her thoughts churning with the words on the parchment. “Did Master say anything else? An address?”


  The men shook their heads. “No.”


  Peering over their shoulder, Qin Shu tried to glean some hint of her Master’s whereabouts. She failed. The only detail that caught her eye was the two doors leading into the courtyard: they were ajar.

  Had Master spirited away with her mother?

  Why did not he leave an address?

  Qin Shu was in an awful mood as she returned to the foot of Mount Qi. No news of her mother reached her ears after Master left.

  It was as if they vanished into thin air.

  Qin Shu vowed she would not give up searching for her mother.

  “I will find my mother.”


  “Hmm. If you want to find your mother, you’ll first have to learn where Master has gone. Once you recover the entirety of your memories, you’ll know Master’s appearance has changed. Likely, he does not have a simple identity.” Fu Tingyu said as he held onto her.

  “Master probably disguised himself. I believe his current appearance should be his actual one.” Master had spent time with her mother on Mount Qi, the two of them leading solitary lives outside of society. There was no reason for him to conceal his appearance when it was just them.

  Was Master in love with her mother?

  The difference between her Master and Qin Hai was as vast as that of heaven and earth. In no way could Qin Hai hope to compare with her Master.

  However, there were many things she did not know about her Master.

  Could he have also been the cause of her mother’s amnesia?

  It was not impossible for someone of her Master’s level of skill. It would have been easy for him to erase a person’s memory without causing them any lasting harm. Otherwise, he would not have been able to restore part of her memory with such ease.

  “If we want to find your mother, we’ll have to uncover Master’s true identity.” Fu Tingyu said.

  “We don’t know Master at all. We don’t even know Master’s name. It’ll be next to impossible to find out who he is.”


  It was then that Qin Shu recalled something of great import. “Master’s name is Ziqing.”


  As soon as they returned to Fengyue Inn, Qin Shu opened her laptop and typed her Master’s name into the search bar.

  Normally, only family members and close friends would call someone by name. Outsiders would not address someone they did not know so freely.

  Qin Shu spent an inordinate amount of time scouring the internet, but she failed to find anything that would point her in the right direction. Her search hit a brick wall.

  Fu Tingyu brought her a cup of tea, placing it on the coffee table. “How is it?”


  Qin Shu stared at her computer’s blank screen, frustrated and discouraged. “I couldn’t find anything.”


  Fu Tingyu placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Master has many secrets. It’s perfectly normal for you not to have found anything on him. Don’t worry. We still have time.”


  Although Fu Tingyu’s words made sense, they were no less difficult for her to swallow. It took her a while, but she agreed in the end: more haste, less speed. She would find her Master, eventually. There was no need for her to rush and jump to conclusions.

  “I want to go to Qi Hua,” Qin Shu said.

  Fu Tingyu recalled the words she had said to him before. She said she would look for Han Xiao once she regained her memories.

  She had said those words to him before Xiao Jiu was born. Xiao Jiu was now three years old, and several years had passed since she made that vow. The day could not have come sooner.

  “You wish to look for Han Xiao.”


  Qin Shu nodded. “Yes, I have something I’d like to say to him.”


  Fu Tingyu stared at Qin Shu for a while. He was curious to know what she wanted to say to Han Xiao. “I’ll go with you.”


  “Okay.” Qin Shu nodded.

  With their Master and Ling’er’s departure, there was no need for them to remain in the vicinity of Mount Qi any longer. The next morning, they returned to Jiangcheng.

  –


  Imperial City……

  Jiang Yu did not leave Imperial City after his return. Instead, he reported to the university the next day, resuming classes.

  He stayed in the same apartment as before. Ye Xue and Zhou Yizuo were his flatmates. The three of them were the sole occupants of the apartment.

  It was the first step to get close to her.

  Ye Xue felt embarrassed.

  Zhou Yizuo was unhappy. Who would want their love rival to parade himself in front of their girlfriend every day?

  Ye Xue and Zhou Yizuo had different majors, and they did not share all of the same classes.

  On the other hand, Jiang Yu and Ye Xue had the same majors, so they spent most of their time together. Wherever Ye Xue sat, he would sit next to her.

  –


  In the classroom……

  Jiang Yu glanced at Ye Xue beside him. She listened to the lecture seriously, her attention as sharp as a razor’s edge. It was so different from how she used to be.

  After being together for a month and making no progress, he realized that Ye Xue had changed a lot.

  Jiang Yu spent most of the lecture ogling Ye Xue.

  At the end of the day’s lecture, Ye Xue packed up her books and left.

  Jiang Yu stuffed his books in his bag and immediately chased her. “Little Xue.”


  Ye Xue stopped, turning to Jiang Yu. She did not know what he wanted from her. “What’s the matter?”


  Jiang Yu fished out one of his textbooks and stood by Ye Xue’s side. He showed her the page the lecturer had been going through with them. “I don’t understand this portion that our lecturer discussed. Do you think you could explain it to me?”


  Ye Xue remembered Jiang Yu to be an excellent student. He always had top grades in their first year. It was ironic. She had been the one who came to him for help when she could not understand something.

  Which part of the lecture did he not understand?

  Ye Xue felt the urge to roll her eyes. “Your grades are much better than mine. What do you mean? How could you not have understood what the lecturer was discussing?”


  Ye Xue’s voice was pleasant to the ear. It sounded soft and sweet, much like cotton candy.

  Coupled with her skin as pale and as smooth as jade, a short oval face, big eyes, and her naturally blonde hair cut short, and Ye Xue looked like a doll.

  “I was studying martial arts on the mountain, so I didn’t get a chance to study our course material. I’m not a god. I’m not omniscient.” Jiang Yu lowered his head in embarrassment. Little Seven had said that playing dumb would help him win Ye Xue’s affection. Would it work?

  Ye Xue agreed after a moment’s thought. Jiang Yu did not think she would see through his ruse regardless of how intelligent she might be. “Then why did you skip grades? Wouldn’t it be better if you continued as a freshman?”


  Jiang Yu’s retort was instantaneous. “I’m already 20 years old. Why do I still want to be a freshman?”


  “.……”


  Ye Xue: “I’ve changed my mind. You should ask the lecturer.”


  Jiang Yu towered over Ye Xue, having spent three years learning martial art on the mountain. Today, he stood at an even 1.85 metres tall – a whole 25 centimetres taller than Ye Xue.

  He needed to look down to meet her eyes. “I’m embarrassed to ask our lecturer. You’re the only one I know in our class; there’s no one else I can ask for help.

  Jiang Yu’s words struck a chord in her. Since he returned, Jiang Yu had been alone every day for the past month. He even ate by himself.

  In the past, Jiang Yu had Fu Tingyan by his side. The two of them were inseparable, and they shared a close relationship.

  Jiang Yu was a charismatic individual, so Ye Xue found it strange that no one flocked to his side the moment he came back.

  The only logical conclusion was that Jiang Yu deliberately kept his distance from everyone else.

  Schools are the bedrock of gossip, and lately, a new rumour or two had sprouted regarding the three of them.

  Some said she was dating Zhou Yizuo, while Jiang Yu was the stubborn hanger-on.

  Some said she was two-timing.

  Some said that Jiang Yu was a jerk who toyed with her feelings, discarding her when he grew bored of her.

  In any case, they were mere words of keyboard warriors with fanciful imaginations.

  They did not know the history of their relationship. When they began dating, Jiang Yu had made it clear that he knew nothing of what it means to be in a relationship. He did not hate her; he simply did not know how to express his affections for her. Jiang Yu had said she could distance herself at any point when she felt uncomfortable with his courting her.

  She was the one who agreed.

  As a result of their strange relationship, Jiang Yu’s classmates ostracised him.

  Ye Xue took the opportunity to give Jiang Yu a once over. It was her first time getting a good look at him since he returned, and she eagerly traced the contours of his face, noting the changes he had undergone in the three years they had spent apart.

  He looked more mature. He was handsome, and he carried himself with an air of stoic calm. He was very different from the childish, hot-blooded young man he had been when they first met.

  “Try hiring a personal tutor…… It’s much better than school lessons.”