Taoist priest goes to America

A blonde woman leaned in halfway, holding a square gift box tied with a dark green ribbon in her other hand. Smiling, she called out, "Fine! Happy Birthday—"

The rest of her sentence got stuck in her throat.

Because she saw the scene in the room: her best friend Fineria was practically pressed against a strange Asian man, with only an arm's length between them, and sunlight streaming in from the window, enveloping them in the same ray of light.

The Asian man tilted his head, still wearing the smile he had when he spoke to Fineria. Even with the beauty right in front of him, his expression remained calm, as if he were standing in his own living room.

Whose cabbage is this, coming to my door to rob my pig? Damn it! She's not even in a relationship yet!!

Behind the blonde woman was another person whose expression was even more unpleasant.

The man was wearing a well-tailored light red suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he was holding a beautifully wrapped bouquet of white roses. He looked every bit the wealthy young master. However, at this moment, his handsome face was visibly flushed red, and anger was burning from his ears all the way to the top of his head, with veins even popping out on his forehead.

His name is Harrington, the notorious playboy in aristocratic circles, the one who was ruthlessly rejected by Fineria at the apartment door yesterday.

"You...you two..." The blonde woman looked at the two of them, her voice trembling slightly, "Fine, who is he? What...what's your relationship?"

Fineria pouted. "He's my tenant..."

"I am Professor Fineria's student," Li An's voice rang out at the same time, just enough to drown out Fineria's words. He turned to the side, nodded to the two people at the door, and spoke with just the right amount of politeness.

"I came here to learn violin from Ms. Fineria. I just had my first lesson today."

The blonde woman frowned, tossed the gift box onto the cabinet by the door, put her hands on her hips, and looked Li An up and down with undisguised suspicion in her eyes:

"Phinelia, when did you start taking on male students?"

"Aren't you misogynistic? You put on a cold, aloof face whenever you see a man, and you're telling me you only accept female students when you start your courses?"

"What about your theory that you'll have an allergic reaction if you're with a man for less than half an hour?"

The blonde woman tilted her head. "So, just because a black-haired Asian male student suddenly appeared out of nowhere, your theory doesn't apply anymore?"

Ang Lee's lips curled into a forced smile, his eyes subtly shifting to Fineria.

Upon hearing her best friend's question, Fineria paused for a moment, then skipped forward and naturally wrapped her arms around Li Andang's left arm, her soft breasts pressing against his arm through the thin fabric.

She tilted her head, raised her chin, and looked directly at her best friend with her bright blue eyes, saying in a light and frank tone, "It's normal, he's just my student."

"Besides—if I don't even have a man by my side, then please get rid of my brothers as soon as possible. They're closer to me than my students."

"Besides, my advisor is also a man, so I need to get rid of that nagging old man as well."

"My father is a man too, so why can't I have a dad? What a joke!"

She spoke with righteous indignation, as if stating a self-evident truth: "It's just a male student who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, why are you all so overreacting?"

The words had barely left his mouth when a sound like teeth grinding came from the doorway. Harrington's handsome face turned purple, his once-handsome features contorted in pain, and the white rose in his hand was squeezed so tightly that the petals fell to the clean floor.

His gaze passed over Fineria and fixed directly on Ang Lee's face, a look that was a mixture of humiliation, anger, and disbelief.

However, he did not lash out; he dared not lash out in front of Fineria.

This youngest daughter of the Lofe Brown family has always been unyielding, and she dares to make anyone who gives her the cold shoulder completely lose their place in the entire social circle.

Harrington gritted his teeth, gave Ang Lee a vicious glare, then turned abruptly, his leather shoes clicking on the floor with discontent and anger, before disappearing into the direction of the stairwell.

The blonde woman glanced in the direction Harrington had gone, pursed her lips, and didn't chase after him.

Li Andang subtly withdrew his arm from Fineria's embrace, took a half step back, looked at her face, and said in surprise, "So today is your birthday?"

Fineria blinked, the blush on her face not yet completely gone: "Ah... yes, yes, today is my birthday."

"But I don't plan on having a big party, just inviting a few friends over for a get-together tonight..."

"That won't do." Li An smiled gently. "Since it's your birthday, teacher, I, as your student, must prepare a gift."

He had barely finished speaking when he keenly sensed a gaze that seemed to want to tear a piece of his flesh out. The blonde woman was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her gray-green eyes fixed on him like a hawk's, her face showing displeasure and a strong sense of scrutiny.

Li An decisively took a step back, bowed his head apologetically to Fineria, and said in a tone full of apology, "Teacher, I'll go back and prepare first, and come back tonight."

"Hey—wait a minute..." Fineria subconsciously reached out to grab his arm, her fingers just touching Li An's suit when she met her best friend's warning look.

She stopped moving, her hand hesitating in mid-air before reluctantly withdrawing it. She then changed her mind and said, "Then... just come down at seven o'clock tonight. I'll have the chef prepare an extra portion."

"I will definitely be there." Li An replied respectfully, nodded politely, and walked past the blonde woman. As he passed by, he could even smell the strong scent of rose perfume on her.

The room fell silent. The blonde woman waited until Ang Lee's footsteps were completely out of earshot before slamming the door shut and turning to face Fineria, who was sprawled on the sofa.

"Are you crazy?" She walked over and plopped down next to Fineria, leaving a large dent in the sofa. "So many rich young men are lining up to pursue you, especially that Harrington. He's so generous I feel sorry for him. All those diamond rings, sports cars, private yacht parties—aren't they all for you?"

"Look at you! You always have a cold face to everyone, and what's the result? Then some Asian student suddenly appears out of nowhere, and you practically want to cling to his arm!"

Fineria on the bed didn't speak. She lay sprawled on the beige sofa, her face buried deep in a cushion, with only a small section of her bright red ear showing.

Her feet dangled off the edge of the bed, wearing a pair of fluffy slippers, and she kicked her feet shyly and coquettishly.

"You don't understand..." Fineria's voice was muffled and fervent beneath the pillow, "He's different! He's different from other Asians... no, he's different from all other men."

"I don't know why, it's just like..." She finally raised her face a little, her azure eyes shining with an almost obsessive light, "It's like we have a soul contract. From the first moment I saw him, I felt that there was something... something special between us."

The blonde woman fell silent, then rolled her eyes dramatically, leaned back on the sofa, stared at the ceiling, and asked in a completely flat tone, "So, how long have you two known each other?"

"Uh..." Fineria buried her face back into the pillow, her voice barely audible, "less than a day."

"..." The blonde woman closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then said in a tone of disappointment, "Finnie, you've just been sexually repressed for too long."

"Your dad is so strict with you, your brothers keep a close eye on you, and you yourself said you're misogynistic, haven't you touched a man in over half a year?"

"You think you've found true love just because some random good-looking Asian guy comes along?"

Fineria jerked her head up from the pillow, her face flushed red: "I'm not!"

"You are it."

"I'm not!"

"So it is you." The blonde woman sat up in bed, patted her skirt, and looked down at her best friend.

"At seven o'clock tonight, I want to see what kind of gift that 'suddenly appeared male student' can come up with. If he can't produce anything decent, I'd better kick him out as soon as possible!"