Chapter 10

"Excuse me, I'm looking for books on Taoist magic and arts. Do you know where I might find them?" I asked, feigning nonchalance as I walked up to the beautiful woman.

She seemed surprised to encounter someone there. She looked up at me, her long, slender neck arching gracefully. Her face, framed by black-rimmed glasses, was enchantingly beautiful, yet her expression was cold.

"Sorry, I don't know," she said coldly, her voice rich and magnetic, before lowering her head to flip through the book in her hands.

I'd been rebuffed. Her icy demeanor only piqued my interest further. "Oh, I thought anyone here reading classical texts would know about this sort of thing."

The beauty ignored me. I started browsing other books nearby, not daring to strike up another conversation. After a while, she closed her book, returned it to the shelf, and happened to see me holding a book titled "A Study of Chinese Taoist Culture and Folklore." She paused for a moment, then asked me, "What department are you in? What's your name? What are you looking for these books for?"

Seeing her initiate conversation, I quickly closed my book and said with a smile, "Hi, I'm actually not a student at Jinghai University. I'm still in high school, just very interested in this stuff. I saw this quaint library and decided to take a look while I was passing by."

"My name is Zhou Bin, I'm a student at City No. 6 High School."

"Zhou Bin...?" The beauty looked surprised when she heard my name. Her eyes scanned me up and down, as if inspecting a novel piece of merchandise.

"Yes, why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, nothing," she said, her expression returning to its cold elegance. "A high school student should focus on their studies. You can read these trivial books after you get into college.
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