When the holiday ended, Jiang Wanqing returned to school. Before she returned, the rumors about her had already been dispelled by Yue Shuzhen and Shen Huan through word of mouth.
During this period, Huanren also played a significant role. He had already expressed his gratitude to Jiang Wanqing, his roommate, and given her a gift. As for him, he could only meet her in class and thank her in person.
As usual, Huanren saw her after entering the classroom and immediately went to sit down in the empty seat next to her.
"You're finally back to classes. Have you taken care of everything?"
"It's almost all sorted out. I heard from Shen Huan that you've been helping me clarify things and dispel rumors these past few days. Thank you so much." As she spoke, she took a small box out of her bag and handed it to him: "Here, have a little gift for you."
"Wow, you're so thoughtful, Wanqing."
Huanren exclaimed in surprise, but did not open the box in front of her. Regardless of what was inside, it was a token of her affection, and he would accept it.
However, just as he was about to casually put the box into his bag, she pointed at it and said, "Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"
"Ah... I'll open it and take a look right away."
Fearing she might think he wasn't satisfied with the gift, Zheng Yuan quickly opened it, expecting it to contain some small item, but instead it turned out to be a folded piece of paper.
A hint of doubt crossed his face, but he opened it out of curiosity. After reading the contents, his expression gradually relaxed, and he became much more cheerful.
"Oh my god! Wanqing, how did you know that what's troubling me the most right now is..."
She made a shushing gesture and teased, "Keep your voice down, or people will say I'm helping you cheat."
"No, you're giving me pointers! Everyone else has brilliant strategies, but you're offering a hidden gem!"
Jiang Wanqing waved her hand: "It's not that amazing, at most it's just a clever plan with a wooden box."
"Hahaha……"
A few minutes before class, the two were joking around. When the bell rang, Chen Zhong walked in from outside, looking smug and high-spirited. He glanced at their seats.
Huan Ren tilted his head slightly and whispered to Jiang Wanqing, "He recently joined Professor Huang's research group next door, and he's a bit... well, you know, he's really going head-to-head with Professor Xue right now, just waiting for Professor Xue to retire so he can fill in."
"Tch, they dare to hire someone like Chen Zhong? He's probably not a respectable person."
Jiang Wanqing always believed that people of similar tastes should group together, so she immediately scoffed disdainfully.
"Ahem..." Huan Ren coughed awkwardly twice: "Professor Huang's research group was recruiting people a while ago, and I also signed up. The problem you solved for me was originally my pledge to join them, but now it seems that Chen Zhong beat me to it. It's not all bad, huh?"
Her lips twitched, and she frowned as she looked at Huanren. It seemed that a lot had happened during her vacation.
Professor Xue has probably faced some criticism because of her, yet he still unconditionally defends her. It seems she should do something for the old professor. I wonder if he's interested in some cutting-edge research topics...
"Why did you decide to go see Professor Huang?"
Huanren scratched his head: "I'm not as good as you, so I don't dare to dream of becoming a student of a big shot like Professor Xue. I was thinking of trying to get into other teachers, but it seems that other teachers don't think much of someone as dull and mediocre as me."
He sounded somewhat dejected when he said this. After all, he had been the pride of the surrounding area when he was admitted to the Beijing area from his village. Now, after studying for more than half a year, he was increasingly aware of the gap between himself and others, and it was impossible for him not to feel disappointed.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqing blinked, pondered for a moment, and said to him, "The best teacher is the one who suits you. You don't need to be disappointed that you didn't become Professor Xue's student. He's about to retire and his energy is limited. He certainly doesn't want to start from scratch and mentor a student. I think you can try learning from younger teachers. If you don't mind, I can give you some directions. See which one interests you and then find a teacher in that field."
These words instantly ignited Huanren's hope. His eyes lit up as he looked at Jiang Wanqing, filled with admiration and gratitude.
"Thank you so much! I never thought of that before... It makes sense that Professor Xue trusts you completely. Luckily, I've always believed in you too, hehe."
His face flushed slightly, and he scratched his head shyly. A hint of other emotions flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed them with reason...
Jiang Wanqing saw through it but didn't say anything. She knew that Huanren was a gentleman, and a gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions.
"Okay, I'll send it to you once I've sorted it out."
"Send it to me?"
"Oh, I meant I'll give it to you after I've organized my notes." She almost forgot that the internet wasn't used yet, so using that word was inappropriate.
"Oh, I see. No rush. Just focus on your own things." He waved his hand sheepishly.
The teacher entered the classroom after the bell rang, and almost simultaneously, Chen Zhong sat down in the empty seat behind and to the side of Jiang Wanqing...
"Heh, you're hooking up with an idiot to do things for you, Jiang Wanqing, you're becoming less and less picky." He leaned forward, glanced at Huanren, and then spoke with a sarcastic remark.
She ignored him, pretending not to hear, and asked Huanren, "Who let the dog in? Did you hear it barking?"
"puff……"
"You..." Chen Zhong's eyelids twitched with anger, and he gritted his teeth, "You jinx! No one who gets close to you ends up well! Luckily, I used to..."
He realized halfway through his sentence that he had almost let something slip, but Jiang Wanqing seized on his weakness and questioned him back.
"What about before? Did you know me before? Or were you not called Chen Zhong before? Or do you need me to help you recall your many misdeeds from the past?"
"Wanqing, what do you mean by 'before'? You two..."
Huan Ren pointed to the people behind him, his eyes filled with doubt. Jiang Wanqing snorted and remained silent.
The teacher on stage began lecturing, and a certain troublemaker was quiet for a while, but soon started acting up again.
"Because of you, Old Xue has lost a major research project and may ruin his reputation in his later years. If I were you, I would voluntarily drop out of school to avoid causing trouble for others. Otherwise, once this project is successfully completed by Professor Huang and me, you might be furious!"
"Don't bring out that pile of academic crap you're embarrassing yourself. If I were you, I wouldn't even have the face to say it. After all, in this field, being bad is the original sin. But you... you're just too wet to be bothered by it anymore, I know that."
Jiang Wanqing gave a disdainful sneer, while Huan Ren covered his mouth and chuckled. If he weren't so tongue-tied, he would have chimed in with a few words.
He was panting heavily with anger, and Chen Zhong clenched his fists tightly.
"You don't know anything! If I succeed, I'll get a government-funded trip abroad, and you'll just be green with envy!"
"Tsk, everyone else is talented and goes abroad, but you, a mere consumable, can go abroad too? That's impressive. You must have a thick skin to say something like that."
The student in the next seat overheard this and burst out laughing during class.
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