She laughed at the memory of him scaring the maids in old master Shin’s home and drew his curious look, He-Wen looked at her and began giggling just because she was. Xue Yawen shook her head and continued to dress him, when she was done she handed him his rattle and went to dress herself. She put on a pleated dress, layered tights, a white wool cloak, old English boots, and a hat to match.

Xue Yawen smiled and picked up He-Wen who was matching with her, the baby looked at his reflection and then at his mother before he broke into happy giggles. Xue Yawen shook her head and then went around the apartment to gather their bags. She checked the time and then left the apartment locking the door behind her, she smoothly jogged down the stairs to the lowest floor and went outside.

As soon as she walked outside she was greeted by Shin Han, he bowed to her and then opened the door, Xue Yawen nodded to him and easily got in the car. When she took her seat she looked across at old Master Shin, the older man smiled gently and set his cane aside before reaching out. She smiled gently and put He-Wen on the floor, the baby stood up on his own and walked over to his grandfather with a jolly smile on his face.

“Gan…gangan!” The old master laughed and pulled him into a hug.

“Well if it isn’t our family’s Wen’er, our lovely Wen’er looks so happy today, and oh look, you’re matching with mama again.” As the old man spoke he could help but laugh and bounce his grandchild.

Looking at him no one could tell how much pain he was in after finding out He-Wen had died in the second version, no one knew just how much loss he felt. But what they could tell, what Xue Yawen could tell was just how happy the old man was to hold his grandchild in his arms. She smiled and reached into the baby bag and pulled out a sippy cup and passed it to the old master.

He took it and helped He-Wen to drink, before he looked at her with a kind smile, the ride remained peaceful until it came to a stop at the entrance of the school. Xue Yawen and the old man sighed at the same time and glanced out the window, she was so accustomed to always being with He-Wen but going forward their time together would be less.

She steeled herself and layered kisses over his soft skin before telling the old Master goodbye and leaving the car. He-Wen paused and looked at his mother’s receding figure, he frowned slightly and almost burst into tears until he remembered her words. He sniffled and whimpered before hugging his grandfather, the old man patted his back and comforted him as much as he could.

Xue Yawen could clearly see her son’s reaction because of the mark she left on him, she smiled slightly and walked into the building. Today was admission and orientation day and even though she already knew the place like the back of her hand she quietly went along. She had followed Celesto’s advice and would sometimes sit in on a class.

Because of this her seniors and professors knew her and He-Wen who they all called ‘Little Fortino’ quite well. She blended in well as they went around and some of the seniors even came over to greet her.

A girl in a red wool cloak ran over and hugged her arm. “Venetia you’re here!” Xue Yawen laughed and patted the girl's arm.

“Of course I’m here Annette, today is orientation, if I don’t come I’ll leave a bad impression on the others.”

The petite girl who was said to be pretty like a rose shook her head, her short dark curls bounced along with her movement. “Anyone that knows you know the only reason you would miss an important is because of ‘little Fortino’. Speaking of which, where is the lovely child?”

Xue Yawen couldn’t hide her sigh as she spoke “he’s with his grandfather for the day, I couldn’t bring him with me.”

Annette sighed at her mood and then patted her arm. “It’s going to be okay, the orientation is only half a day so you can spend the rest with him.”

Xue Yawen shook her head “no, after the orientation we need to go handle the arrangements for the studio and that would take some time, I just hope I can handle it soon.”

Annette paused for a second and then nodded “it’s been a while since I was a freshman so I forgot, but cheer up Venetia, the longer you spend away from him is the more he will cherish you when you’re there.” Xue Yawen shook her head slightly but couldn’t hide her smile.

She followed along and continued with the orientation, when it was lunchtime, they were all taken to the cafeteria. Instead of its usual setup, it was in the design of an all-you-can-eat buffet, different kinds of foods, snacks, pastries, and cakes were laid out. In one corner a table was set up for just beverages, from cappuccinos to smoothies, Xue Yawen arched her brow but followed Annette and the others to eat.

Annette bit into a milk chocolate cookie and held her cheek letting out a dreamy sigh. “I tell you, this is the best part of orientation, this is why so many of your seniors always line up to greet you newcomers, besides from a few good ones the task wouldn’t be worth it otherwise.” The other seniors laughed and made shushing sounds as if to tell her not to spill the secret.

After everyone ate their fill they all dispersed and went about their own work, Annette was the only one that tagged along as Xue Yawen went to set up her studio. The person that met her looked like a classic Italian beauty the only odd thing was her height, she was rather tall and yet still wore heels.

She greeted Xue Yawen with a smile “You must be Venetia, princess of the Shin family.” Xue Yawen nodded and the woman smile. “Call me Lauran, your father had already made contact with me concerning the studio. Everything has already been handled, it’s only for you to take a look and decide on how you want it set up.”

Xue Yawen nodded and followed along a light flashed by her eyes, she knew it was a good thing to follow the wishes of the old master. Having him around had saved her a lot of trouble, the path is the same but with his help, it went from a muddy and untracked path to a smooth jade road.