Chapter 1855 - 1364: I Have a Few Girlfriends

Kingdom of Stars, Jiale City, outside the main gate of Sword Flower University, in the milk tea shop.

The store clerk, Miss Sethlin, smoothed out her uniform, which she’d ironed several times the day before, as she kept an eye on the outside commotion. She glanced down at the two letters hidden under the table: one was the acceptance letter from Sword Flower University, gold-edged with a red background, with a velvety texture and a school emblem of overlapping swords and flowers in the center; the other was simply a letter wrapped in a pink envelope with delicate, lovely patterns.

Yes, on the day eighteen-year-old Miss Sethlin received her university acceptance letter, she decided to confess her feelings to her beloved!

Although confessing love with a letter seems outdated in this era, teenage feelings are always poetic. Sethlin, a hopeless romantic novel enthusiast, had no resistance to the charm of "one letter, two hearts, a lifetime." Furthermore, she stammers when she’s nervous, which would make an in-person confession mortifying, so a love letter was her most serious and solemn choice.

More importantly, taking the initiative was the furthest she could go in expressing her love.

As for why she brought the acceptance letter, it was because her crush was the reason she got admitted to Sword Flower University.

This milk tea shop wasn’t a popular franchise but her mom’s personal store. Although it didn’t have a price advantage over the "Gospel" franchise stores, it won with its unique taste suited for Jiale City, and having the property deed meant no rent, so it had been open for over twenty years.

At fifteen, she started hating school, preferring to drop out to help her mom manage the shop over continuing her studies. Her mother didn’t object, seeing nothing wrong with her daughter taking over her business.

That summer, she met him at the shop.

Even three years later, Sethlin could still recall the day they met: he had bright, lively eyes, with pupils as exquisite as gemstones; softness flowed in his brows, his face seeming always filled with a smile, with a scent of fresh grass from him, triggering a desire to roll in the meadows.

But Sethlin didn’t like him at first because he was surprised at how young she looked being at the shop. Sethlin loudly defended herself, saying she was already fifteen, not a child. He then asked if she wasn’t attending school, leading Sethlin to ignore him and take his order robotically.

The number of milk teas he bought varied, from a minimum of one to as many as a dozen, claiming to be a servant to noblewomen and running errands for them to buy milk tea. Each visit, he shared university stories, depicting the free and dreamy college life, with many couples meeting there.

The latter struck a perfect chord with Sethlin, but returning to school wasn’t easy. However, with online self-study being so mature, Sethlin chose self-studying.

One day, he saw Sethlin doing exercises in the shop, and the next day he brought a set of exam papers for her. Sethlin, thinking ’might as well,’ finished it overnight. He collected it, graded it, and gave her another set, advising her to take her time, using resources while working on it.

The papers he provided were different from online courses, fittingly allowing Sethlin to feel capable yet needing research and thought. He only appeared in Jiale City during summers, and each year he gave Sethlin over ten sets of papers. Each completed set thoroughly cleared her understanding of key concepts, catapulting her ranking in online classes.

Sethlin did ask him questions about the topics, only to hear he knew nothing and just wanted to ruin Sethlin’s summer, which Sethlin figured was him fooling a naive girl.

Yet, this summer-only tutor, this seasonal visitor became her company through the dullest study years, as she eagerly awaited each summer’s arrival, combining the scent of test ink and fresh grass into her fond summer memories.

Even Sword Flower University was his recommendation to Sethlin. Now Sword Flower University was no longer a noble-exclusive institution as it was ten years ago, reducing the noble ratio to admit more outstanding commoners, distributing scholarships generously, now alongside Truth University among the "Star Double Pillars" prestigious universities, ranking in the top five of the six-nation university rankings. Along with the acceptance letter was Sethlin’s first-year scholarship, more than her shop work earnings in years.

If Sethlin could stay at the top, more resources could tilt to her favor, but getting into Sword Flower University already left Sethlin content, ensuring limitless career prospects upon graduation.

Sethlin didn’t even tell her mother, intending to let him know first.

Because, her heart’s desire was just him.

Despite her nerves, Sethlin felt confident because she understood him to be merely a servant to nobles, no mage nor possessing talents, lazily passing days like a Lala Fat. Now, with a beautiful Sword Flower University attendee confessing to him, surely he’d be surprised and moved, confessing his secret three-year crush on Sethlin as they embark on their mutual, sweet world together...

With the ringing of bells, Sethlin returned to her senses, seeing the person she missed day and night before her, instinctively exclaiming:

"Mr. Ash!?"

"Why do you look so startled?" Ash glanced at himself: "Like I just fled a jailbreak, without changing my prison jumpsuit."

"Why so detailed, actually broke out?"

"Oops, you found out. It was five springs ago..."

"Enough, quit bragging," Sethlin, initially jittery and anxious, unconsciously relaxed upon seeing him. A sweet joy, akin to having ice cream, radiated from within. She pulled out her velvet, red acceptance letter. "Ash, I’ve been accepted into Sword Flower University!"

Ash leaned against the bar, elbow on the counter, face in hand, slightly taken aback, then squinted, smiled: bathing in the sunlight filtering in through the window, he seemed cloaked in a golden glow, warm and radiant.

"Congrats," he laughed, "It’s all thanks to my company!"

Thud.

Sethlin’s heart raced; she felt she would die... She thought she’d remember this smile for life, needing this memory to peacefully enter the grave... So that’s what a heartbeat feels like... She was hopelessly in love with this man.

"Wh-what’s it got to do with you!" Sethlin stammered. "This clearly is my hard-work result! You at most gave me some papers!"

"That’s my brilliance!" Ash said earnestly. "Just by giving you papers, I aimed to stimulate your subjective initiative and study habits! Even without studying later, these habits help you master other skills!"

"Shameless." Sethlin gripped the pink envelope tightly; her hands slightly trembled, but her words changed to, "What would you like?"

"Three cups of pudding milk tea, two cups of taro ball..."

"Nine cups of milk tea? Throwing a party at your place today?"

"Yes, suddenly everyone decided to come back today... Also, one milk tea special, your favorite, no need for a thermal bag."

"For yourself?" Sethlin was surprised; though Ash often bought milk tea, he didn’t seem fond of sweets.

"No, it’s for you." Ash smiled, "As celebration for your acceptance to Sword Flower."

Sethlin felt delighted but couldn’t help retorting: "One cup as celebration? You’re stingy!"

"But I only know you like this milk tea, nothing else. Or should I gift you a few more sets of papers?" Ash pondered: "Alright, I’ll give you something you need the most, and you’ll know it’s from me. The next best thing you encounter is my gift."

"What the... might as well not give!" Sethlin chuckled, feeling her mood lighten.

She was about to hand over the love letter, but noticed her sweaty palms soaking the envelope, hurriedly left to wash her hands, casually asked, "Have you been busy lately?"

"Not as busy as before, the major framework’s done, still many trivial tasks remain, here needs trimming, there needs adjustment..."

A gardener’s job?

Sethlin took a deep breath, dried her hands, nonchalantly asked, "By the way, with your busy work, do you have a girlfriend?"

If Ash answered no, she’d immediately turn and hand over the letter, then—

"Some, why?"

Ten minutes later, Ash bid farewell, carrying two thermal bags, leaving the milk tea shop.

Twelve minutes later, the milk tea shop manager drove back with materials, hearing the smoke alarm’s incessant beeping on exit, activating the sprinkler system, drenching every part of the shop.

"What happened!?"

The manager opened the door, looking at Sethlin behind the counter, clutching a lighter, ashes of a burnt pink envelope on the counter.

"What’s going on?"

"Mom..."

With her hair wet, Sethlin looked up, tears streaming, "My youth is in crisis!"

"My shop is in crisis! I’m paying karma for you, should have birthed a Lala Fat over you..."