Chapter 21: Ring of the God

Regarding Pello’s rejection, Su Ziceng was not surprised; after all, Pello was neither kin nor kith to her, and it was reasonable for him to refuse her. Su Ziceng did not give up immediately; instead, she took off a men’s ring from her necklace. She placed it in Pello’s hand along with the woman’s diamond ring that was on her finger. The pair of rings had an exceptionally poignant name, called Alnis and Venus (1) Lover’s Rings, and was also the only valuable thing she had besides the "Red Love." When Su Ziceng turned eighteen, before she got the "Red Love," the women’s ring was always on her hand, and the men’s ring corresponding to it hung from her neck. The men’s ring was originally intended for Hang Yishao, but he had always refused to accept it; hence, Su Ziceng helplessly wore only the women’s ring and put the men’s ring on a chain around her neck. Before getting the "Red Love," Su Ziceng always kept these two rings with her, the men’s ring broad and the women’s ring fine. Both rings were made with a platinum exterior, the women’s ring was inlaid with a circle of small diamonds, and the inner ring was rose gold in color. In contrast, the men’s platinum ring, different from the women’s with its inlaid heart-shaped diamond, underscored the subtlety of men’s jewelry; aside from the lettered LOGO, there was only a simple filigree. The ring itself was grand and reserved, quite incongruous with Su Ziceng’s bold action at the moment. Forcefully giving a ring to a man, Su Ziceng felt her behavior was too abrupt, while Pello was also stunned. He wanted to say, "Every teacher at Kelly Women’s College has only one recommendation spot each year," but he had already given it to Yan Wuxu, so he could only refuse. Almost subconsciously, he picked up the ring, wanting to return it to Su Ziceng. As their fingertips touched, both withdrew their hands at the same time. The rings slipped between their contentious fingers, the women’s ring to the right and the men’s ring to the left, sliding onto each other’s fingers, as though in the chaos of a wedding ceremony, the bashful newlyweds had fumbled and ended up exchanging vows of love. The ring now carried Pello’s warmth, and when it settled at the base of Su Ziceng’s finger, her heart involuntarily skipped a beat. Then, that beat returned with a force hundreds of times stronger, engulfing her sober consciousness in a whirlwind. She panickily pulled off the woman’s ring from her finger and stuffed it back into his hand. The little heart-shaped diamond flickered mysteriously. Pello, looking at the ring in his hand, closed his fingers and then glanced at Su Ziceng beside him, "I cannot help you directly, but... maybe if you wait a few more days, there could be a chance." His glasses took on a roseate sheen; he had accepted the pair of rings. A gift once given cannot be taken back; Su Ziceng glanced sheepishly at the ring now on Pello’s index finger, still not fully understanding his intentions. Unfortunately, he had already seated himself next to Sister Mu, engrossed in conversation; she couldn’t interrupt them, so she could only linger nearby, hoping for a chance to ask again. But neither Pello nor Sister Mu brought up the matter of Kelly Women’s College’s recommendation again, as though what happened earlier was an unexpected drunken mishap, and only Su Ziceng was still lost in her inebriation. Su Ziceng tried several times to join the conversation but was unable to find an opening. Soon, new customers arrived in the shop, and she had to awkwardly go greet them. Meanwhile, Sister Mu watched Su Ziceng quickly return to her usual state, discerning customers’ thoughts and recommending clothing, yet her expression darkened a bit. She quietly asked, "When Yan Wuxu asked you for a favor last time, you agreed immediately. Why are you now setting up a suspicious array after accepting someone’s gift?" After her question, Pello didn’t answer straight away, his fingers still weighing the ring he held. The ring seemed tailor-made for him; his fingers were longer than average, and it seemed the original owner of the ring also had long hands. Su Ziceng, who gave away the ring, had chosen the wrong pair of rings. Alnis and Venus had no perfect ending after all. Seeing that he was reluctant to speak up, Sister Mu tapped her cold glass against his throat. With just a slight pressure on the glass stem in her hand, she could threaten Pello’s throat. Pello did not flinch; instead, he twisted his neck a little and leaned towards the glass, gulping down half the drink. Seeing his somewhat rascal behavior, Sister Mu spat, "Still showing off in front of me? Back in my glory days, you hadn’t even grown a full beard," she grumbled, though her tone carried no real reproach. "You know I’ve been incredibly busy lately," Pello began to state the real purpose of his visit today. It is still the summer vacation at Kelly Women’s College, which should be a leisure time for the school’s teachers, but this year, he indeed had been quite busy. "Is it merely because the Wen family’s eldest daughter is enrolling? Hasn’t Kelly Women’s College already been accustomed to pampered young ladies?" Sister Mu rolled her eyes; noticing that Su Ziceng had successfully sold a piece of expensive jewelry, she nodded involuntarily. "It’s also Wen Maixue’s eighteenth birthday—a coming-of-age celebration. You seem to have forgotten," Pello said solemnly, but his expression was quite the opposite, as he observed Su Ziceng sending off a customer and then sneaking into a corner, removing the "Red Love" from her hand and hanging it around her neck. "Oh, could it be that the Wen family intends to use Wen Maixue’s coming-of-age birthday party to promote Kelly Women’s College properly?" Sister Mu was somewhat aware of the family intrigues within Mo City. As for Miss Wen of the Wen family, she was long famous in the city for her poised and elegant demeanor, possessing the demeanor of a lady from a young age. "The Wen family is not like the other newly rich households in the city; they have always preferred to keep a low profile," Pello was simply stating the facts. The Wen family’s current affairs are managed by the old patriarch, who does not involve himself in politics or business; his ventures mostly include semi-charitable establishments like Kelly Women’s College. When it comes to publicity, ten Wen families combined could not compare to a single Su family backing Quan University. Therefore, Kelly Women’s College had gradually declined after Quan University came to prominence. "A barking dog doesn’t bite." Sister Mu obviously did not take much interest in Pello’s words, and it was clear she didn’t have much affection for the Wen family. "All this is irrelevant to you and me. I am merely the proprietor of a small store, and you are just a floristry teacher at Kelly Women’s College." Pello was indeed a teacher; his job was to take good care of those pots of rare plants in the greenhouse of Kelly Women’s College. "Your words hurt more than the thorns of the flowers I prune every day," Pello retorted mildly. "However, you are really slandering the Wen family this time. Sometimes, fame is something you don’t need to seek; it comes knocking of its own accord, especially when you have an outstanding beauty like Wen Maixue in the family." "Oh," Sister Mu had just propped up her hand when she saw Su Ziceng following her gaze and taking down a bottle of wine—good, this girl was getting better at reading the room. Sister Mu took the opportunity to ask, "Ziceng, do you know Wen Maixue?" Pello knew Wen Maixue, and Sister Mu knew her too. Su Ziceng fell silent for a moment, pondering whether to answer yes or no. Wen Maixue, such a figure, seems like someone everyone in Mo City ought to know, yet on the other hand, seems like someone that everyone in Mo City only just knows of.