The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"Teacher Fuping?"

Wen Yao and Zhao Lin's attention was immediately drawn to it.

Today, Zhou Xiaoman wore her signature deep purple dress, light makeup, and her slightly curled black and purple hair flowed down slowly, with an elegant and composed smile on her face.

With her hands clasped in front of her, she bowed slightly to the students as President Chu introduced her.

Zhao Lin stared in astonishment, her mouth agape.

This was far from the teacher Fu Ping she had imagined.

On stage, Zhou Xiaoman, with her elegant demeanor, resembled a well-bred young lady from a wealthy family during the Republic of China era.

Every frown and smile is captivating.

Every move she makes exudes elegance.

However, the students in the audience clearly did not recognize Zhou Xiaoman.

Compared to the enthusiasm and cheers when the first few authors were introduced, only a few students applauded out of politeness.

The applause was sparse and lasted only a short while before falling silent.

Instead of being embarrassed or annoyed, Zhou Xiaoman smiled at the classmates who applauded her and then slowly sat back down on the bench.

After the introductions, it was time for each author to give their speech.

Qi Yu took out his notebook and listened attentively, intending to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to learn some writing skills.

However, most of the writers would give their thoughts, occasionally answer a few questions from the students, and then promote their new books that were being serialized or were about to be released.

It's like a large-scale fan meeting, where idols interact with their supporters offline.

After the speeches ended, Qi Yu was completely baffled as to not have taken any useful notes.

When it was Zhou Xiaoman's turn to speak, she smiled, and her magnetic voice, as she parted her lips slightly, filled the entire academic hall.

She had no words of gratitude or endless pleasantries, only the insights she had gained from years of writing.

From recording events to personifying objects to depicting people, each step reveals unique insights.

Wen Yao and the other two listened very attentively, while Qi Yu's notebook was already filled with dense writing.

There will always be scenes we can't see through, and things we want to remember.

"Good children, writing is an elegant art."

"Artists travel far and wide, observing the everyday life of people, in order to create the best paintings."

"The same applies to writing."

"Around us, there are all sorts of people and scenes."

"They may be noble or base, ordinary or dignified."

Try to observe every ordinary person around you; perhaps they all have their own legendary story in their hearts.

"Only by reading countless people can one write like a god."

......

After the meeting, the writers left one by one.

The students swarmed around their favorite authors, chattering excitedly about things left unsaid at the meet-and-greet.

The male writer, who used the pen name Changfeng, ran away as fast as he could after leaving the academic hall, followed by a large group of fanatical fans who wanted to kill him.

"Halt! You old scoundrel Changfeng! Give me back Xue Rou!"

"This strike is for Su Xuerou, who died by your blade!"

...

Zhou Xiaoman walked alone towards the school gate, all by herself.

She still wore a calm smile on her face, and gracefully raised her hand to tuck her long hair, which had been blown by the cold wind, behind her ear.

Comedians always manage to keep a smile even when there's no audience; it's a basic quality of an actor.

The sound of two people's footsteps came from behind.

"Teacher Fuping, please wait a moment!"

Wen Yao and Zhao Lin ran breathlessly to Zhou Xiaoman.

"Ms. Fu Ping, I'm a fan of yours. I especially love your work 'Butterfly'. Could you please sign it for me?"

Zhao Lin took out Qi Yu's notebook, turned to a blank page, and sincerely handed it to Zhou Xiaoman.

Zhou Xiaoman raised an eyebrow in surprise, then seemed to recall something and smiled gently.

"Sure."

She raised her slender hand and elegantly signed her pen name in the notebook.

"Thank you, Teacher Fuping. I've always wanted to meet you. The real you is so different from what I imagined."

Zhao Lin took the notebook back and looked at the elegant words "Floating Duckweed" on it, her face showing delight.

"Zhao Lin, do you think I'm a very aloof and unapproachable person?"

Zhou Xiaoman smiled slightly.

"Yes."

Zhao Lin nodded, then her eyes widened and stared intently.

"Teacher Fuping, how did you know about me...?"

Zhou Xiaoman pointed to a faint mark on the notebook.

That was the mark Qi Yu left on the blank page after writing Zhao Lin's name in his notebook when he was bored in class.

After the name, there is a faint heart pattern.

"Your boyfriend loves you very much."

Zhao Lin's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Teacher Fuping has such keen observation skills."

Wen Yao exclaimed in surprise.

Zhou Xiaoman smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

"Teacher Fuping, the writing techniques you taught are exquisite. My boyfriend has benefited greatly from them, but he had to leave early due to work. He specifically asked me to come and thank you."

"Just call me Xiaoman. I am not worthy of your teacher's knowledge."

Zhou Xiaoman's gaze fell on the densely filled notes, and she smiled knowingly.

"Speaking of which, I should thank your boyfriend. He made my trip to Yunnan University worthwhile."

"Fu... Sister Xiaoman, you're too modest..."

After exchanging names, Zhou Xiaoman's relationship with Zhao Lin and Wen Yao naturally became closer.

They were surprised to find that the author who wrote the story that brought them to tears was so approachable.

Throughout the conversation, Zhou Xiaoman never let the conversation go cold, and she had extremely high emotional intelligence, always saying things that made both of them feel comfortable.

As they approached the school gate, just before parting ways, Wen Yao spoke up.

"Xiaoman, we've learned a lot from chatting with you. Could we give you a chance to treat us to a delicious meal nearby?"

Zhou Xiaoman didn't want the two girls, who were younger than her, to spend money, so she lied and politely declined with a smile.

"Wen Yao, thank you for your kindness, but Xiaoman has been staying near the school these past two days and has already tried all the local delicacies. If there is a chance another day, Xiaoman will invite you two to meet up somewhere else."

"Sister Xiaoman, I guarantee you've never tried the restaurant I took you to today."

Wen Yao patted her chest and said.

"This is a delicacy that only we can enjoy. Other students in the school can no longer get to eat it."

Zhou Xiaoman blinked, as if refusing again would be impolite.

She smiled gently.

"Then Xiaoman will respectfully comply."

As they walked towards the snack street, Zhao Lin leaned down and whispered a question in Wen Yao's ear.

"Is it really appropriate for us to bring Xiaoman along like this?"

"Don't worry, I already spoke with Brother Xu Nian before inviting him."

Wen Yao shook her phone screen, which displayed her chat with Xu Nian.

Wen Yao: Brother Xu Nian, Linlin and I have made a new friend, and we'd like to invite her to your shop for dumplings, is that alright?

Xu Nian: Sure, I just happened to have some dough left over from making dumplings for Xiaoxi at noon. You guys come over, I'll go back to the shop to prepare the meal.