“Are you really not mad?” Mei Xiawen looked into her eyes, trying to determine the truth.
Gu Nianzhi’s gaze was clear, and she laughed again, smoothing her hair. “Yep, I’m not going to get mad over someone who doesn’t concern me. It’s late, go home first Class Rep.”
Mei Xiawen looked at his watch, “Then I’ll go now. I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow.”
Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, “It’s ok, I have to work on my thesis tomorrow”
“Ok, you go up first. I’ll leave after I see you get back to the dorm.” Mei Xiawen lit another cigarette and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. She seemed like an easy going person, but it would actually be difficult to win her affections.
Gu Nianzhi saw that she couldn’t convince him otherwise and said no more before turning back to the dorm. She went upstairs and took out the coffees and muffins her roommates had ordered from the large Starbucks box and set them on their respective desks. She then went to the veranda to look downstairs.
Mei Xiawen raised his head and squinted as he waved goodbye, then got back in his car and drove off. The roommates saw that Gu Nianzhi appeared relaxed and cheerful, so they knew that the pair must have worked it out. They didn’t point it out openly, but purposely said, “What a tiring day, we should sleep soon.”
Gu Nianzhi came out after showering and saw that her roommates were all asleep. She checked her phone and saw that Huo Shao still hadn’t called back. She took her laptop to bed with her and began to write her thesis, not stopping until the clock struck two in the morning. By that time, her eyes couldn’t stay open, so she finally closed the laptop and fell asleep. She kept the phone beside her and didn’t set it to vibrate, in case Huo Shaoheng did call.
She woke in the morning when the sun was already bright. Little Temptress was doing yoga on the balcony and when she heard Gu Nianzhi speak to Green Tea Fang, she said, “Lil Sis, Class Rep brought breakfast over for you. I think it’s a breakfast combo from Fortune Terrace.”
Gu Nianzhi checked her phone and saw that there were no calls or texts.
Looks like Huo Shao was very busy, or maybe he doesn’t care about something as trivial as my acceptance? The thought saddened Gu Nianzhi. Although she called him Uncle Huo, they were not related at all. He was an esteemed Major General, and she was an orphan. Gu Nianzhi shook her head and hurriedly dressed and washed up. She then took her laptop bag and went downstairs.
Mei Xiawen walked over. “Did you eat yet?”
“Class Rep, you knew I hadn’t eaten yet and brought this over?” Gu Nianzhi looked at the Fortune Terrace container Mei Xiawen was holding with interest.
I really am hungry.
She barely ate last night due to her excitement. When she woke up in the morning, she finally realized she was truly starving. Mei Xiawen took her to the stone table and bench by the campus lake to have breakfast. Early March in C City was a little chilly in the mornings, but Fortune Terrace’s steaming birds nest orzo congee, freshly steamed soup dumplings, and authentic stewed beef were so deliciously warm that she hardly noticed the nippy air.. Before they knew it, she had devoured the entire breakfast combo.
Mei Xiawen only dipped from a box of milk. He laughed. “Looks like you really didn’t eat yesterday. You didn’t like the Italian food from the Red Manor Restaurant?”
Gu Nianzhi smiled, “It’s not that I don’t like Italian food.!I just don’t like onions.”
Mei Xiawen thought about it and realized that there were quite a few dishes with onions last night. He nodded. “I’ll know for next times I won’t order anything with onions for you.”
They talked for a bit more, then tidied up and went their separate ways. Gu Nianzhi sat in the library all morning and revised the abstract statement for her thesis. Her neck was sore from sitting in front of the computer for so long. She rubbed the back of it and suddenly noticed that someone had sat down in front her her. Gu Nianzhi raised her head and saw it was Professor He Zhichu.
“Professor He?!” Gu Nianzhi was shocked and delighted. “You came to read at our library?”
He Zhichu nodded his head. He was in a navy blue casual suit jacket made of wool, paired with matching trousers. He sat across from Gu Nianzhi, a whole head taller than her even while seated. It was only then that Gu Nianzhi really took note of just how tall and handsome he was. Although he was not as muscular as Huo Shao, he had a similar athleticism about him. With the combination of his piercing eyes and mature demeanor, he radiated an enigmatic presence.
As Gu Nianzhi observed him, he did the same to her. She was taller than most girls her age and was already nearly 5’7 before even turning 18. Her skin was so fair it appeared translucent—from a distance it looked like it was as smooth as marble, and up it was even more flawless. Her wide eyes were especially captivating. As for her figure, although she was wearing a loose fitting, lavender cashmere sweater, he could see that her curves were more pronounced than the average woman’s. He lowered his eyes and casually closed the book before him. “What are you writing?”
“My graduate thesis.” Gu Nianzhi thought about He Zhichu becoming her instructor next spring and instantly became excited about discussing the abstract for her thesis. He Zhichu was indeed able to quickly point out defects in her abstract. He also helped her formulate several excellent breakthroughs.
Gu Nianzhi revised her abstract again and sighed in appreciation. “Applying the words and corrections of a wise man is truly superior to ten years of studying.”
He Zhichu stood up. He took out a slim card holder from his pocket and pulled out a business card. He set it on the table. “Work hard on your thesis. You can send it to me after you’re done and I’ll help you revise it further.”
“Ok!” Gu Nianzhi was overjoyed. She took He Zhichu’s business card with both hands and saw that it had his email, phone number, and his office’s address. It also had the address of a law office.
Gu Nianzhi looked at it carefully. “Professor He, are you working part-time at the Sovereign Law Firm?”
He Zhichu’s softened slightly as though in amusement, but it was so faint that it dissipated immediately. “No, not part-time. This is my law office.”
“Oh? You truly are the role model for us law students!” Gu Ninazhi marveled, genuinely impressed. When would she ever be able to be a partner, or run her own law office?
He Zhichu seemed to read her mind and said dryly, “Becoming a partner is not a difficult thing to do, as long as you can prove your abilities.”
“I humbly accept your blessings, then.” Gu Nianzhi was thrilled to be receiving such advice and praise from He Zhichu. This was to be her instructor and boss for the next three years, and things would be a lot smoother if she was right by his side! As she watched him leave, her phone rang plaintively.
She extended her finger to swipe it open. “Class Rep, what’s the matter?”
“It’s noon; I’ll pick you up for lunch.” He then said, “It’s raining too. I brought you an umbrella. Stay inside and wait for me at the door.”
Gu Nianzhi looked outside and saw it had indeed started raining without her realizing it. She was a little touched. She tidied up to go downstairs and ended up seeing Wen Shouyi attentively hold an umbrella for He Zhichu, bending over to open the car’s rear door for him to get in. Gu Nianzhi clicked her tongue to herself and thought that Wen Shouyi wasn’t a teaching assistant, but rather more like a housekeeper.
He Zhichu’s black Mercedes splashed through the puddles as it drove off in the rain. Several people standing in front of the library quickly moved out of the way to avoid it. One of them was Mei Xiawen, who was holding a grey umbrella.