The pastries were exquisite in variety and appearance, winning half the battle with their presentation.
Beside them was refreshing hot tea to cleanse the palate.
The tea fragrance wafted gently, carrying a fresh scent that was hard to identify!
Ye Zhi noticed the Little Traitor standing nearby, not taking the jade token, and sampling only a little pastry; indeed, he felt reserved.
She took two steps forward, her bright eyes like grapes gazing at him, and softly asked, "What’s wrong? Being the State Preceptor’s own is fine, or is it because he’s your teacher that you’re holding back in front of him?"
"No, nothing." The Little Traitor dismissed her with four short words~
The girl in the pink dress grabbed his hand, opening it, and placed a warm soft jade in it: "Here, this is your jade token. I have the green one, that’s enough for me. You take this dark blue one, it looks better."
He hadn’t taken the Preceptor’s token, likely feeling constrained, so in this way, it was like she was giving it to him herself.
The Little Traitor refused to accept hers, hurriedly pushing it back to her.
"In the future, if I come here, I’ll bring you along, and then you’ll carry the token." After a few rounds of back-and-forth, he finally accepted it, indicating that it was Ah Zhi’s gift to him, and moreover, that she would bring him along.
As he said this, he treasured it dearly, placing it in his embrace.
The children roamed around upstairs, touching this and looking at that, until it was almost time to leave, and then bid farewell to return to the Imperial College.
Fearing for the safety of the young ones on their way back, the State Preceptor, who planned to spend the night at Shuyu Pavilion, decided to return to Qingqiu Courtyard instead, escorting them along the way.
Upon leaving Shuyu Pavilion, the streets were still bustling with groups of people strolling about.
Along the way, the little girls chatted animatedly, with the Little Traitor and Changzhou occasionally chiming in, while the State Preceptor followed behind.
His gaze lingered more on the Little Princess, a fact he himself did not notice.
Once they safely returned to the Imperial College, everyone went back to their respective quarters.
Ye Zhi was called out by the Little Traitor, seemingly having something to discuss, so Ye Zhi asked the Little Fairy and Huanhuan to return to their quarters first.
With the male and female dormitories close by, the two did not wander far and stopped at a pavilion not far from the quarters.
This scene seemed so familiar?
The last time the Little Traitor was asked to sign a promise letter, it was also at night, under a pavilion.
The difference was, last time it was in a pavilion at Ye Mansion~
Now it was nine at night, a time when students rarely ventured out, so they were not disturbed and remained close to the quarters, achieving dual benefits.
Ye Zhi grinned and asked, "Xiao Chen, why did you call me out?"
The Little Traitor, a bit embarrassed, glanced around without meeting her gaze: "Today is your birthday, and I want to give you a present. Take it back with you and keep it to yourself, don’t let anyone else see it."
He took out several letters from his pocket, extending them to the girl.
"Last time, you asked me to sign a promise letter, which made me very happy. These letters are my writings, signed and sealed by me, so take them back and read them, and remember, don’t show them to anyone else. You keep them safe yourself."
The Little Traitor carefully reminded her again, fearing she might forget.
Acting all mysteriously.
With a serious expression, he repeated it twice, and Ye Zhi nodded earnestly: "Alright, thank you for the gift. I’ll sneak a look when I get back, and not let Qinglian or Huanhuan see a bit of it. I have a small box that can be locked, the lock is made by the Gongsun Family, it’s very secure."
The Little Traitor responded softly, "En."
Ye Zhi carefully tucked the envelopes into her embrace as the night was still young, sitting on a cool stone bench, chatting with him: "Xiao Chen, tell me, Ji San’s qinggong is so good, disappearing all of a sudden. If you study with the State Preceptor, do you think you can learn it? Here at the college, Mr. Qian Wei doesn’t teach qinggong."