Chapter 171

When two smiling foxes sat together, it was really hard to tell who was the winner at the beginning.

But as time went on, the gap between them became apparent.

In terms of personality, they are equally good, both are equally selfish and have no bottom line, but in terms of character, Ding Boyun is still a step behind Zhang Nan.

From the moment he showed up and came to find Zhang Nan, he had already lost his initiative. Zhang Nan saw that he cared about Chu Yue and this matter, so he naturally would not let him go easily.

However, Zhang Nan had no intention of actually provoking him. After all, Ding Boyun was a legitimate government official, and Zhang Nan was a foreigner, with a sensitive and shady background. She knew exactly when to be high-profile and when to be low-profile.

Sitting face to face, Zhang Nan asked Ding Boyun, "Is Chu Yue okay now?"

Ding Boyun's smile was flawless, but there was a hint of hostility in his eyes. "She's at home, of course it's fine. Why, Second Aunt, do you think Chu Yue will be dangerous if she's with me?"

Ding Boyun is not in a good state now and he is angry.

He had known for a long time that Chu Yue had changed her mind. To be honest, Ding Boyun didn't care at all whether she wanted to get married or not. The only thing he cared about was whether Chu Yue would still provide him with the "prophecy" as she had done before.

It is obvious that Chu Yue not only doesn't want to get married now, but also doesn't want to do this thing anymore.

Moreover, this woman was very patient. She had not shown any signs of wanting to escape before, but now she suddenly wanted to run away abroad. Even if she went to some desolate countryside, Ding Boyun was sure to catch her back. But if she ran away abroad, he really couldn't do anything to her.

Ding Boyun was angry with Chu Yue, and part of his anger was also transferred to Zhang Nan. If Zhang Nan hadn't appeared, Chu Yue wouldn't have the courage or the ability to go abroad. Perhaps it was Zhang Nan who said something to Chu Yue that made her have such thoughts.

He wanted to know whether Zhang Nan was involved in this, so that he could decide how to deal with Chu Yue after he returned.

Unfortunately, Ding Boyun's plan was doomed to fail.

He is just a villain who has been up and down in the officialdom for a few years. His current achievements are not the result of his own hard work, but the result of Chu Yue's rebirth. If he is still the unscrupulous and beastly Ding Boyun in Chu Yue's impression, it would be easy to deal with. With all the things he has experienced, it is not impossible for him to deal with Zhang Nan.

As for him now, despite his lack of talent and experience, he would have been better off even a few years ago. Back then, he still knew how to take steady steps and wasn't impatient. Ever since Chu Yue appeared, he'd tasted the sweetness of foreseeing the future and had always sought to obtain predictions from her, then act accordingly. If Chu Yue's predictions were accurate, he'd be elated; if they weren't, he'd become anxious.

Do you really think that pie in the sky is so easy to catch? This is the result of being unworthy of one's position.

Ding Boyun himself didn't realize that his mentality had changed so much. His eyes were still fixed on Zhang Nan. He was observing Zhang Nan, and Zhang Nan was also observing him.

She sneered in her heart.

A self-righteous man.

Chu Yue at least had a ring on her hand, which could arouse Zhang Nan's interest, but Ding Boyun really had nothing. After she said a few words, she felt bored. She wanted to leave, but Ding Boyun wouldn't let her and insisted on keeping her. She just sat there patiently, which really made Zhang Nan find something strange.

She originally thought that Ding Boyun cared so much about Chu Yue because he was a male chauvinist. Even if he had no feelings for Chu Yue, Chu Yue had to stay with him. But as she spoke, she suddenly realized that Ding Boyun was not a male chauvinist. He did not look down on women, he looked down on everyone.

Male chauvinists treat women as their trophies and possessions, but in Ding Boyun's eyes, Chu Yue does not have this function. If I have to describe her, Chu Yue... is more like Ding Boyun's tool, or subordinate.

He is also a particularly useful subordinate.

Don’t ask how Zhang Nan figured it out. Clues are hard to explain, and she also has an inexplicable intuition.

After flirting with Ding Boyun for a long time, Zhang Nan returned to the hotel and saw Chu Lijun sleeping soundly on the bed. She didn't even look at him. She threw away the bag in her hand and sat in the small living room thinking about Ding Boyun's behavior just now.

Zhang Nan didn't think he was smart, but he didn't think he was stupid either, because although he showed many flaws, he kept the truly fatal things secret.

Why would Ding Boyun, a man who doesn't care about women, care so much about Chu Yue's whereabouts?

Why is it that Ding Boyun doesn't dislike Chu Yue at all even though she is useless, and insists on keeping her by his side?

If it is a little difficult to understand Ding Boyun, then it is too easy to understand Chu Yue. She is really stupid, so stupid that Zhang Nan doesn't even want to develop her into his peripheral employee. For such a person, if it has nothing to do with feelings, what on earth is there in her that is worthy of Ding Boyun's constant concern?

Zhang Nan has always believed that everything has its own reason. If she can't figure it out, it means that she hasn't seen it clearly yet.

——

Ding Boyun was thinking about Chu Yue, Zhang Nan was thinking about Chu Yue, and even Chu Jiujiu was thinking about Chu Yue.

…

There was no way. Chu Yue was the only person she knew who was the same as herself. Of course, she still didn't understand it clearly. She had preconceived ideas. Chu Yue didn't travel through time, but was reborn.

Regardless of whether she was reborn or traveled through time, the ring was on her, and the piece of wood that fell from the gap was also on her. Chu Jiujiu highly suspected that the thief this time was sent by Chu Yue, or she was disguised. She wanted to steal the necklace back and put it together to make a complete pendant.

Sitting at home, Chu Jiujiu began to daydream again. Her mind instantly traveled to several decades later. She thought about how after the puzzle was completed, a door to another world would appear, how after the puzzle was completed, she would be able to summon the ancient demon god, how after the puzzle was completed, she would be able to gain extremely powerful superpowers, and even Pandora's box that would open the end of the world.

But after thinking about it, Chu Yue shouldn't be so perverted or boring, so she discarded the most brutal speculation.

When the theft first happened, Chu Jiujiu thought about it all day long. Three days later, she thought less about it. Seven days later, she finally found out that there were three adult men who broke into their house. One of them was even named, but he had already run away.

People are like this. They will be suspicious at first and even have trouble sleeping. But as long as the environment becomes comfortable again, they will forget about the potential danger in a few days. Even Chu Jiujiu is not immune to this.

The thief never appeared again, and none of Chu Yue and Mrs. Gao's people ran under their noses again. According to Chu Liqiang, Chu Yue and her family are very well-behaved now. Chu Yue is also getting married, and she only goes to these two places every day and never goes anywhere else.

It didn't look like someone was trying to steal her necklace. Gradually, Chu Jiujiu felt that she might have been overthinking it.

When school starts, she will have even less time to think about anything else.

After only one year of college, Chu Jiujiu became a graduate student. There was not even a graduation ceremony, and she was not given a degree certificate. It was said that it would be given to her when she graduated from graduate school.

When she just returned to school, Chu Jiujiu didn’t realize that she had changed grades until she had a meal with Song Xiaoying and Shen Dongkui.

I don’t know what went wrong, but Song Xiaoying didn’t pass the exam. She planned to try again next year. The three of them sat together. It was only two months since they last saw each other, but Chu Jiujiu had already become a first-year graduate student, while they were still sophomores.

Song Xiaoying sighed, "I really envy you. You are in our history department, it's a gift from heaven. We can't catch up even if we drive eight horses."

Chu Jiujiu picked up her glass of soda and clinked it with Song Xiaoying's. She said with a smile, "Don't say that. Look, my eldest brother got into our school, and he's here to accompany you. If you're going to be envious, I should be the one envying you."

Hearing this, Song Xiaoying glanced at the people around her. Her husband was sitting next to her. He was about thirty years old and looked honest and upright, just the type that people like most nowadays.

Knowing that Chu Jiujiu was talking about him, Song Xiaoying's husband grinned. His smile was a little silly, but also very real.

No matter how good-looking a face is, you'll get tired of it after ten years. Song Xiaoying rolled her eyes at him, then looked back at Chu Jiujiu, and pursed her lips at the people around her, "Come on, don't, you're just hurting me by saying that. My husband can't compare to Comrade Xiao Han. Look at how handsome Comrade Xiao Han is."

Han Shengyi was eating quietly. When Song Xiaoying mentioned him, he put down his chopsticks, raised his head and smiled at her friendly.

They are not surprised by praise or criticism, and they don't care about being compared. They don't care what women say, and every word goes in one ear and out the other. Their hearts are like a mirror. What they say outside is all for show. Only what they say in private when they get home is the real truth.

Song Xiaoying and Chu Jiujiu kept going back and forth for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, Shen Dongkui couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Stop it, both of you. I'm still here."

After looking at each other, Song Xiaoying and Chu Jiujiu laughed at the same time.

Shen Dongkui went to the countryside right after graduating from high school and has never had a boyfriend. Under normal circumstances, the two of them would never talk about this topic in front of Shen Dongkui. The reason they were so careless today was because Shen Dongkui had already started a blind date, and according to Song Xiaoying's information, the man she was dating had even been to her home.

It was Shen Dongkui who tacitly agreed.

In the blink of an eye, they turned their firepower on Shen Dongkui again. The topics at the dinner table were like the weather outside, always changing suddenly. Everyone cherished this meal because it was both a reunion dinner and a farewell dinner.

Chu Jiujiu is moving to the graduate dormitory. It's a double room in another dormitory building. Even though they are both in the school, the probability of seeing each other is actually very low.

After having enough food and drink, everyone said goodbye to each other. Chu Jiujiu was the last one to leave. Standing at the door of the cafeteria, she looked at their backs as they left and sighed.

Han Shengyi asked her, "Can't bear to let go?"

Chu Jiujiu shook her head. "That's not the case. I just think it's a bit of a pity."

Han Shengyi didn't understand, "What's a pity?"

Chu Jiujiu sighed again, "I worked so hard before, but I never became the class monitor during my undergraduate studies. If I had known that the teacher had no intention of replacing the class leaders that year, I wouldn't have worked so hard."

After hearing her explanation, Han Shengyi chuckled, "It's okay. The classes have been re-divided. I guess we'll be electing class committee members again in the next two days. You can definitely get one by asking the teacher for it."

Chu Jiujiu hummed, raising her head proudly. "Of course! Even if the teacher doesn't let me be class monitor, I definitely won't be deputy. Party branch secretary is better than deputy class monitor!"

"If you want to be the secretary, you need to be a party member first, right?"

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

She lowered her proud head halfway, and her voice was not as loud as before, "I will definitely be able to become one this semester."

Previously, she was rejected by the school party committee because of her age. This year she is already 18 years old, and the school party committee no longer has any reason to reject her.

It was almost time. The teacher who had brought her here had asked her to meet him in his office at 1 p.m. Chu Jiujiu planned to go there right away. Han Shengyi glanced at his watch and nodded to her, "I should go pick someone up, too."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiujiu showed a rather disgusted expression.

It’s not surprising for her reaction, because the person Han Shengyi was going to pick up was Guan Yuelong.

…

Chu Jiujiu usually saw Guan Jinqiao more often. Over time, she almost forgot that Guan Yuelong even existed in the world. She didn't know when Han Shengyi contacted him, but they had a good relationship. Guan Yuelong failed the exam last year, but this year he worked hard and finally passed.

In order to take the exam, he even quit his job. In that era, quitting one's job could be considered a fight against all odds. Fortunately, his sister was very capable and the salary she brought home was enough to support the family, so he could be free of worries.

Speaking of Guan Jinqiao, she went out of town again. Wen Xiuwei was newly married and was with Chu Shao every day. She didn't want to go out of town, so she gave an opportunity to Guan Jinqiao. Guan Jinqiao was also a girl who knew how to repay kindness. She agreed that when there was a good opportunity next time, she would give it to Wen Xiuwei.

There are many actors who have close relationships, but they are the only ones as close as these two. They always think about each other. When Wen Xiuwei was getting married, she had to go to some appointments, so Guan Jinqiao went in her place, but the money was still given to Wen Xiuwei.

Wen Xiuwei was not idle when she was at home. She asked Chu Shao to find a partner for Guan Jinqiao in the military academy. She had no other requirements, just two points: he must be ambitious and a pretty boy.

…

Being ambitious is Wen Xiuwei's own selfish desire, and she also took Guan Yuelong's ideas into consideration. As for the latter, it is entirely Guan Jinqiao's own aesthetic.

Chu Shao silently took on this difficult task. As for when he would be able to complete it, that was hard to say.

Wen Xiuwei and Guan Jinqiao have such a good relationship that even if Chu Jiujiu hates Guan Yuelong, she would not feel comfortable being rude to him.

After being awkward for a while, Chu Jiujiu told Han Shengyi to go back quickly after answering the call and not to wander around outside. Seeing Han Shengyi smiling and agreeing, she turned around and walked towards the main building of the School of Humanities.

Chu Jiujiu often came to this building before, and now she was even more familiar with the place. She knocked on the door of the Ancient History Research Room, and only opened the door when she heard someone inside say come in.

There were two teachers inside, one was lying down taking a nap, and the other was the tutor assigned to Chu Jiujiu.

She smiled sweetly, "Hello, Teacher Huang."

Teacher Huang adjusted his glasses and took a closer look at Chu Jiujiu's appearance. Finally, he saw who she was. Teacher Huang also smiled, "Come on, Xiao Chu, when did you arrive at school? Is your life convenient after school starts?"

Chu Jiujiu was a little flattered. She had known Teacher Huang before, but they didn't have much communication. She had just taken his class, and in class, Teacher Huang was always serious. Now seeing him smiling like this, Chu Jiujiu felt creepy.

After hesitating for a second, Chu Jiujiu still stood where she was. "It's quite convenient. I've already moved into my new dorm, and I live alone. I don't have any new roommates."

Teacher Huang said with understanding, "There are still not many students now, and even fewer students in the ancient history department. That's why you're the only one left."

Teacher Huang still didn't know the inside story. In fact, it was Director Ma who contacted the school and asked them to take care of Chu Jiujiu and arrange a single room for her so that she would live more comfortably.

Both biological father and stepfather are fathers, but no matter what, the biological father is more attentive.

Looking at her stepfather over there, he called her before school started and told her that her paper had been published in a foreign journal. Director Liu was in high spirits the whole time. After hanging up the phone, he went to talk to someone else about this matter and didn't even think about asking her about the start of school.

Teacher Huang treated Chu Jiujiu preferentially. It had nothing to do with her family background or excellent grades. He simply admired Chu Jiujiu's talent and knew that she was a good seedling. Before she even took graduate classes, she had already sent her thesis abroad. This was better than some lecturers in the history department. He would not get any credit from this thesis, as the name of the instructor was already written as Director Liu, but he could look forward to the future.

As long as Chu Jiujiu is always around, he will be able to get some benefits sooner or later.

Some people may think that Teacher Huang is not following the right path. In fact, it is not that serious. He is Chu Jiujiu's mentor. Everything Chu Jiujiu writes should be reviewed by him in the future. Even if he is not there, someone else will have his name on Chu Jiujiu's paper. As long as he does his job and helps Chu Jiujiu correct her mistakes and give her some ideas, there is nothing wrong with putting his name on it.

It's much better than those supervisors who simply steal the papers and claim they wrote them themselves.

Teacher Huang asked about Chu Jiujiu's life, and then turned the topic to the paper she had written before. Chu Jiujiu already knew that the paper had been published in a foreign journal, but she was not too excited. At least, she didn't see that she was as happy as Director Liu and Director Ma.

On the one hand, it was because she didn't quite understand how important this matter was and how rare this honor was. On the other hand, her life hadn't changed much. The papers she wrote before sometimes won awards, but this time, apart from being published, there wasn't even a splash.

Chu Jiujiu’s criterion for judging whether what she wrote was recognized by the public and the academic community was whether anyone awarded her awards and honors.

…

Chu Jiujiu looked at Teacher Huang innocently, and Teacher Huang felt a little suffocated by her gaze.

If Teacher Huang knew what she was thinking, he would definitely feel even more suffocated.

Even if the overall environment has improved, the world still discriminates against Chinese people and is still against Chinese people. Chu Jiujiu is a newcomer and has no fame at all. It is lucky that they can get her paper published. If she wants to win an award, she must change her major and try science. If she really does some earth-shaking research, she will definitely win the award.

This is the bad thing about liberal arts: there are too many possibilities for behind-the-scenes manipulation. It is said that there is no first in liberal arts and no second in martial arts. There are a lot of people who write well and do research seriously. Who wins awards and who becomes famous depends 60% on talent and 40% on luck.

Not seeing Chu Jiujiu's expected reaction, Teacher Huang silently changed the subject. He mentioned a delegation coming to the school in mid-September. This group was primarily American, though there were also members from other countries, though they were smaller. They were coming to see the Terracotta Warriors and get some information. Their first stop would be the capital, where they would negotiate terms. Once they reached an agreement, they would proceed to Shaanxi.

The reason I told Chu Jiujiu about this was because the teachers decided to let Chu Jiujiu receive them.

Chu Jiujiu finally reacted. She didn't agree, nor did she disagree. She just asked Teacher Huang, "I only know English, French, and some Spanish. Is that okay?"

Teacher Huang: “…”

He asked with difficulty, "Isn't it enough if I know so much?"

Chu Jiujiu seemed to realize that what she said was a bit inappropriate. She smiled sheepishly and asked, "Then, Mr. Huang, do you think this exchange group can really go to Shaanxi?"

Teacher Huang hesitated for a second and said, "Nine out of ten."

Chu Jiujiu also thought so. They came here under the banner of an exchange group, and considering the issue of face, the country must also let them go.

She pursed her lips and said, "If we let them see the Terracotta Warriors, then shouldn't they let us see something too?"

Teacher Huang finally understood what she was concerned about. He laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry about that. Our comrades aren't just sitting around doing nothing. When it comes to face, Western countries care more about it than we do. After the negotiation is completed, there will definitely be a reciprocal courtesy. Take this opportunity to build good relations with them. When they return the favor, you'll definitely be included!"

"Really?" Chu Jiujiu was finally happy.

She snapped to attention and saluted Teacher Huang. "Teacher, don't worry. I promise to complete the task!"

After saying that, she smiled brightly at Teacher Huang, and then left happily. Teacher Huang looked at her leaving figure and shook his head with amusement.

As expected of a descendant of a military family, even if she has never been a soldier, even if she gave up military service to pursue literature, she would still show some of the image of Mulan from time to time.