In a certain moment, the scene from six years ago seemed to reset before my eyes.
The same mechanical table, the same bustling scene.
The images pushed forward one by one.
On a winter day six years ago, eighteen-year-old Nora Scott, dressed in a thin sweatshirt, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses on, the mask’s strings hanging on one ear, her long hair cascading down her back.
Graceful and poised, with an eye-catching aura.
Even though the sunglasses covered most of her face, just the delicate nose, thin lips, fair skin, and the beautifully contoured profile could tell you she was stunning.
Such a beauty, yet she leaned against the exhibition stand eating an ice-lolly.
The people who occasionally stopped in front of the stand were all drawn to her. Some were teasing, some flirting, which made her extremely impatient, every movement filled with a fiery temper, and with just a few words, she drove the visitors away from the stand, leaving no one daring to stay.
Among so many tourists, Pedro Langley was the only one drawn by her unique wooden exhibition stand.
"Hey, want to see something novel?"
With a light tap on the table surface, the beauty, with an ice-lolly stick in her mouth, pressed the center of her sunglasses down with a bent finger as she asked.
Under the sunglasses, her long and beautiful eyes sparkled with a smile, shallow yet bright, like hiding stars, dazzling and striking.
Just one glance, captivating and soul-stealing.
At the first encounter, it seemed so ordinary, yet upon careful recollection, every second was thrilling, enticing one step forward, and only upon a sudden realization did they know there was no turning back.
"Senior, this was restored according to the blueprints you left back then. Of course, our hands-on skills aren’t as strong as yours, so we made some modifications."
Montague enthusiastically invited Nora Scott for a tour.
A few bewildered juniors were squeezed to the side, staring at Nora Scott in a daze.
Beautiful, so beautiful...
The "school belle" that senior mentioned was indeed deserving, without a bit of exaggeration.
Pedro Langley’s gaze lingered on Nora Scott.
She leaned casually to the side, lowering her eyes to examine the construction of the mechanical table. When listening to Montague’s explanation, she seemed absent-minded, not sure how much she heard, yet the corners of her lips curled into a subtle arc.
Her fingers lightly hooked around the frame of her glasses, and as her fingertips tapped gently, the sunglasses swayed with her movements.
Her presence, at any moment, moving or still, was always pleasing to the eye.
"Didn’t you try to persuade her at the time? Just took a leave from school, processed the leave procedures faster than the admission ones."
Professor Duncan, who had arrived unnoticed, drew a bit of Pedro Langley’s attention away.
The tone was both complaining and regretful.
He didn’t know about it at all back then.
But when he was about to speak, it was—
"You know her temperament."
"She was not yet nineteen at the time, just a few months into adulthood?! Think about it, just a child, how can one have so many ideas?"
Professor Duncan was a bit agitated, blowing his beard and glaring, and only calmed down after a moment, asking, "Do you know why she took a leave from school?"
Squinting his eyes, Pedro Langley asked without a flicker of emotion, "She didn’t tell you?"
"I looked for her, she said it was meaningless, just wasting time here. Too bold, just left as she pleased."
When mentioning this, Professor Duncan got angry, yet couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity.
"This child is such a pity. Fast learner, strong in hands-on skills, full of ideas, nearly perfect scores across all subjects, draws better than professional teachers, painting skills comparable to those art students. I was even boasting to others back then, this lass is absolutely a genius..."
With a shift in the conversation, Professor Duncan clapped his hands with a sigh and said, "Such a pity, she’s quite the ’old relic,’ only loves researching those ancient mechanical techniques. Tell me, how can modern machinery even compare to those outdated mechanisms?"
Modern mechanical engineering can be considered derived from ancient mechanisms, but with modern technology, they have wider applications and greater convenience.
Such as industrial robots, microelectromechanical systems, and intelligent device research, these advanced technological products.
But Nora Scott was not interested in any of this.
Six years ago, she showcased a mechanical table filled with hidden mysteries at an exhibition of many modern advanced technological products. Ordinary in appearance, yet inside it cleverly hid numerous secret compartments and various unexpected operations; with just a clever mechanism design, it could open up a new world, refreshing to the eyes.
Modern technology certainly can achieve that.
But her design was more exquisite, requiring no reliance on what she deemed unreliable electricity and equipment.
Faced with the indignant Professor Duncan, Pedro Langley did not argue with him, simply said, "To each their own."
"Her aspirations are too old-fashioned! Delving into this stuff, what’s her plan, to become a tomb raider?!"
"She could also design magic props."
Professor Duncan was at a loss for words.
After half a beat, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you two are like-minded, I can’t win against you."
Pedro Langley curled his lips into a smile.
In the past, he might have spoken about Nora Scott...
But now, all he could do was let her be.
Anger is anger, complaints are complaints.
Seeing Nora Scott again, Professor Duncan was still happy. Clearly busy to no end, yet still took time to tour with Nora Scott and Pedro Langley, introducing them to the new generation of machines.
Nora Scott wasn’t interested, but Pedro Langley found it quite engaging.
Occasionally, when she found it tedious, Nora Scott would glance at Pedro Langley a few times.
The doubt in her heart grew—
Pedro Langley was clearly interested in technology, so why dive into the entertainment industry?
That’s not right either, with his commercial ability, he could thrive in any industry.
"What are you spacing out for?"
A sudden voice near her ear made Nora Scott’s eyelids twitch.
She turned her head to see Pedro Langley standing beside her, slightly inclined. Her gaze slid past his eyebrows and eyes, his eye sockets somewhat deep, nose bridge high and straight, thin lips lightly pressed, and his features familiar yet somewhat blurry.
Finally, her gaze settled on his left brow bone, at first glance it wasn’t obvious, but with a closer look, there was a shallow scar at the edge of the brow, an almost invisible break...
Her thoughts wavered, and Nora Scott stopped certain memories from surging up, bringing her mind back.
Professor Duncan, having met an acquaintance, was chatting. Her gaze swept around, flickering far and near, a little unfocused.
"I heard you’re now the boss of Fernwood Entertainment?" Nora Scott spoke calmly, throwing out the topic, shifting the focus.
Pedro Langley seemed a bit puzzled, standing upright.
Yet his gaze still lingered on her.
"Don’t you like high technology?" Nora Scott asked, meeting his gaze.
"No conflict," Pedro Langley lowered his voice and said faintly, "I have connections with both."
Nora Scott didn’t know what to say.
His reason... sounded somewhat perfunctory.
Without seeing any change in her emotions, Pedro Langley cast his gaze into the distance, one hand in his pocket, seeming to ask casually, "Professor Duncan just asked me, why did you take a leave from school?"