The sound of rain poured outside a large car garage.
A curtain of misty rain covered the road, and in the garage yard, several cars were neatly parked, waiting for repairs.
The mechanics were bustling about, repairing and inspecting; some were removing wheels, others were lying under cars to fix them, and still others were stripping old paint to apply new colors.
Kha Nguyue Lam, holding an umbrella, quickly ran inside and called out:
"Aida, it's raining so hard!"
"Good thing I brought an umbrella, or I'd have been drenched halfway here."
A blond young man, covered in oil and grease, crawled out from under a black Mercedes, grinning to show his snaggletooth:
"Nguyue Lam, you won't die from a little rain."
"A little bit now and then is no big deal."
Kha Nguyue Lam shook her umbrella, then hung it on a pole next to the sliding door. She walked to her locker and put on her protective gear:
"You can get wet if you want."
"I won't."
A chubby guy with curly hair, who was fixing another car nearby, immediately kicked the blond guy:
"If you tease Nguyue Lam again, I'll throw you out."
After equipping herself with a mask and safety goggles,
Kha Nguyue Lam went to look at a few cars that needed repairs, then asked:
"Brother Xu Sheng, which one should I work on?"
Xu Sheng, who was re-upholstering the interior of a Toyota, said loudly:
"The BMW over there needs a new paint color. I've already spoken to the owner and made a note."
Nguyue Lam nodded and walked over to the ivory-white BMW, picked up the note and the circled color chart, then went to the storage room to get gray paint.
She handled the car by herself: stripping the color, sanding, polishing, and so on.
She was an independent person; though only an intern, her work was exceptionally productive and fast.
While her physical strength wasn't on par with the boys, she left other girls far behind.
What was unique was that in the Automotive Technology department in general, and in her year specifically, she was the only girl.
And having gotten into Class 1, the other three classes and other years could only swallow their bitter disappointment.
So she had a bit of a reputation at school, known as "the Daisy of the Automotive Department" or "the Fierce Woman No One Dared to Court."
Kha Nguyue Lam was highly regarded by the boys in her department. She was sociable and approachable, giving off a strong vibe of being... a sworn brother.
Whenever someone from another department came to strike up a conversation with her, the more than three hundred "male brutes" would bristle, bare their fangs, and brandish their claws.
"Don't touch our sibling!"
"You don't stand a chance!"
"Get out before I kick you out of school!"
"I'll smash your head with a wrench!"
"Big Sister Lam isn't short on guys!"
Furthermore, female students from other departments also greatly admired and praised her.
She earned the charming nickname "Handsome Sister Lam." So many girls were willing to "be bent" for her.
Nguyue Lam, however, was quite distressed by all this.
Somehow, in her bewildered state, she hadn't had a single romance in over twenty-two years.
Spending all day with boys and cars like this, who could possibly stand it?
It was almost eight in the evening when everyone finished work.
The good thing about this garage was that you could rest whenever you were tired, so the staff were very relaxed.
Most of the male staff stayed at the garage, as dormitories were provided there.
As for Kha Nguyue Lam, she lived elsewhere, partly because she was female and only an intern.
Ting Zhi, the blond young man with the snaggletooth, had returned to the dormitory, showered, and came out clean and neat:
"Let's go eat."
"It's almost eight."
Today was the weekend, so they invited each other out to eat, as Mondays usually didn't have many customers.
Kha Nguyue Lam took off her protective gear, put it into a black bag, and said:
"You guys go ahead. Tomorrow I still have a report on the powertrain system. I'll head home first."
Xu Sheng, the garage manager, drove his car over and said:
"I'll give you a ride home since I'm going that way."
Kha Nguyue Lam nodded and climbed into the back seat, followed by Ting Zhi and A Wu.
Nan Jun sat in the front passenger seat and said:
– Nguyệt Lam, are you graduating soon?
She replied:
– Next year.
I’m only in my third year, I still have fourth year to go.
The room she rented wasn’t too far from the garage, only about a twenty-minute drive. Normally, she’d take the bus to school or work.
Grabbing her bag, she got out of the car and waved:
– You guys head off, don’t drink too much.
Then she returned to the rented apartment building.
Her rented apartment was quite small, located on the second floor, with a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a balcony for drying clothes.
After showering and eating, she sprawled on her bed to work on her report.
She turned off the lights and went to bed after eleven.
Lately, she was a little afraid to go to sleep, because for some reason, she always had a very strange feeling.
Every time she woke up, she felt scared, trying to recall her dream but unable to.
———
Drip…!drip…!drip
Raindrops from the bamboo leaves fell onto a white umbrella.
The man reached out his hand to catch a clear raindrop; it trickled down his finger and fell to the ground.
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố’s eyes were cold, his face devoid of expression as he gazed at the vast bamboo forest.
His features were sharp: phoenix eyes, sword-like brows, a high nose, and thin lips.
His long hair was adorned with a jade hairpin.
He wore a finely embroidered dark red ancient robe, with a thick sheepskin cloak draped over it.
He looked no different from a dashing, worldly young master.
Compared to his outwardly dashing appearance, he was a Prince of despicable means.
He flicked his sleeve and strode back to the path where a horse-drawn palanquin awaited.
A man, appearing to be just over twenty, pulled back the palanquin’s curtain for him. He folded his umbrella, stepped inside, and the horse carriage quickly set off.
He asked:
– Your Highness, where should we go?
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố propped his umbrella against the side of the carriage and replied:
– Return to Sơn Trúc Courtyard.
The driver hesitated slightly:
– But if Your Highness doesn’t return to the manor, the Grand Consort will grow suspicious.
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố pulled back the window curtain and looked outside:
– Spread a rumor that I’m gravely ill and recuperating from my injuries, so I won’t be returning.
The driver nodded and asked no further questions.
The horse carriage quickly left the gloomy bamboo forest. By the time they reached the wooden house, the rain had stopped.
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố got out of the carriage and walked to open the gate. The old gate creaked, but he paid it no mind.
He turned back and said:
– Tình Quân, go back and tell Cửu Vươngye that I will return after a month of recuperation.
Tình Quân nodded and drove the horse carriage away.
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố walked across the gravel courtyard to enter Sơn Trúc Courtyard.
The house wasn’t too large, yet it was airy and cool.
To the front were a living room and a study.
Following a covered corridor slightly to the right was the bedroom.
A hundred more steps past the bedroom, towards the back, were the kitchen and storeroom.
The backyard was empty, save for a black horse kept in a stable.
The front yard only had a few scattered flower bushes and a porch roof for sitting and enjoying the cool air.
The courtyard was protected by sturdy walls.
He entered the study, took off his cloak, placed it on a chair, and sat down at the reading table.
Last month, he had traveled to Thành Châu and was ambushed.
Given his skill, these assassins were nothing more than mere flies.
But Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố wanted to seize this opportunity to take a break and rest for a while, so he pretended to have been severely poisoned.
The Emperor, suspecting nothing, granted him half a year to recuperate, allowing him to use this chance to return to the bamboo forest and attend to matters of the *jianghu*.
Sơn Trúc Courtyard appeared tranquil and peaceful at first glance.
But in reality, it was a dead forest, with endless bamboo groves; once lost within, one would never find their way out.
Moreover, within it, cold-blooded animals lurk, waiting to pounce on bodies. When someone enters, the corpse is gone, but the soul lingers aimlessly.
Cung Dịch Nguyên Cố returned here, making it easier for him to raise an army and hold the realm in the palm of his hand.
With the aim of one day overthrowing the reigning emperor...