Chapter 71: Postgraduate Study Ruined (4)
4
The next day, Xia Shu got up early.
He didn't have an early class today, and the cafe wasn't open so early.
But he still has the habit of getting up early and going to the library to write his papers.
He hadn't finished polishing the paper he wrote last night when he came up with a new idea and planned to write a new one.
The sun hasn't come out yet, the air is fresh, and there are not many people on the road.
Xia Shu was carrying a bag and walking briskly on the red brick sidewalk.
In front, two sanitation workers in orange uniforms were sweeping the floor and emptying the trash cans.
Suddenly, Xia Shu heard them talking.
"Lao Zhang, do you think no one has eaten this package?"
"Let me see. Oh, it's true. There are fruits and snacks, and they are just thrown away? People nowadays are really stupid."
"I saw it first. I'll take it back for my grandson to eat."
"Don't do that. You're just throwing away good food. Maybe someone deliberately poisoned it. Haven't you watched "Today's Statement"? There was a person who did the same thing. He saw good food thrown away next to a trash can. He felt sorry for it, so he took it home to eat, but he ended up eating it all."
"Really? Then it's still lost."
The more Xia Shu listened, the more he felt something was wrong, so he quickly stepped forward.
Just at this moment, the sanitation worker threw the big bag of things into the garbage truck.
Xia Shu stepped forward quickly and saw clearly the moment the object was thrown into the air.
That was the gift he gave to Zhou Ziqian last night. He even changed the packaging and put it in a paper bag from the coffee shop.
How did it end up in the trash can?
Xia Shu subconsciously ran forward, wanting to see it more clearly, but by then, the sanitation worker had already driven the garbage truck to the next trash can.
He took out his cell phone and wanted to send a message to Zhou Ziqian, but he didn't know how to ask.
Should he ask Zhou Ziqian if he had thrown away his snacks?
Xia Shu couldn't ask, but he couldn't figure it out either.
They are obviously good snacks and fruits. Even if some of them are spoiled or leaking, they should not all be thrown away.
Zhou Ziqian had told him before that his family background was very ordinary and they tried to save on many things.
How could a person from an average family throw away all the good things?
He suspected that he had seen it wrong, maybe that was not the fruit he sent?
Did he wrongly accuse Zhou Ziqian?
Xia Shu walked all the way to the library, found a secluded spot to sit down, and took out his laptop.
Before he started writing his paper, he hesitated and sent a message to Zhou Ziqian: [Where are you? Are you free to have dinner today?]
As she thought Zhou Ziqian wouldn't reply so quickly, Xia Shu simply turned her phone to silent mode and nervously immersed herself in her paper.
In fact, he could feel that there were some problems between him and Zhou Ziqian recently, and he wanted to talk to Zhou Ziqian.
*
Zhu Qingchen had no classes today, so he stayed in bed until nine o'clock.
I opened the refrigerator, carefully selected a piece of small cake that I packed yesterday for breakfast, and made myself a cup of black tea.
Zhu Qingchen sat in front of the coffee table, watching cartoons and enjoying his breakfast seriously.
Zhu Qingchen nibbled on a small cake and sighed, "It's great to go to college. I only have to attend a few classes a week."
The system said: "The Chinese Department of Jinghua University implements a tutor system, and you still have five students to supervise."
Zhu Qingchen:?
"At the beginning of the semester, each teacher has to submit a project for the semester. If you cannot publish a paper at the end of the semester, you will be eliminated."
Zhu Qingchen:? ?
"Since you just came here during the midterm exam, I randomly created a topic for you - the relationship between The Book of Songs and Happy Superman."
Zhu Qingchen: ???
"What? Tell me again."
The system flew far away: "You really like watching cartoons, so I..."
Zhu Qingchen picked up the pillow and threw it at it: "I'll beat you to death!"
The system dodged the attack and said, "Is this topic bad?"
Zhu Qingchen asked it back: "Is this topic good?"
Last time in the cultivation world, he was given a fool, and now he is given a "Happy Superman", it's really...
Zhu Qingchen patted the coffee table and said seriously, "Is this a serious Chinese department? How can such a subject be passed?"
The system quietly flew back to him: "I opened the permissions and let your project pass directly."
"This is your subject, not mine."
"It's yours too. I heard that many fields have been studied so far, and fields that have not been studied are the most popular. I've checked for you, and the number of publications in this field is zero..."
"Have you ever wondered why the number of publications in this field is zero?"
“Because it’s very innovative, I can even be competent in the academic system…”
Zhu Qingchen pressed the small ball of light to the ground and rubbed it hard.
He was really mad!
Ten minutes later, the little ball of light was wearing a rag, walking on the ground and wiping the floor carefully.
Zhu Qingchen sat next to them with a cat toy in his hand. Whenever the system stopped, he would hit it.
"Don't stop! Mop the floor carefully!"
The system said aggrievedly: "If you keep hitting me, I won't help you generate papers."
"No need." Zhu Qingchen looked at it seriously, "I'll try my best."
The system asked doubtfully: "Can you write it yourself?"
"No." Zhu Qingchen said confidently, "But I can try my best to complete the task before the end of the semester, and then leave this world immediately."
This way there is no need to teach a final paper.
“…”
Damn, he found a bug.
The system was mopping the floor seriously. Zhu Qingchen took out his cell phone and flipped through it casually.
Sure enough, he had a small group of five students, and these must be the students he was teaching.
The Chinese Department implements a tutor system, where each tutor takes several students and cares not only about their academic performance but also their lives.
Zhu Qingchen casually flipped through the group members.
Xia Shu was inside, and he basically got to know the other students during class yesterday.
Just at this moment, Huo Jun, who had just added his contact information yesterday, sent him a text message.
[Teacher Zhu, Zhou Ziqian has been eating at Zhongming Restaurant quite a lot recently. You can take your students there so you can see him. Don't go to a place like last night alone. It's too dangerous.]
Zhu Qingchen replied: [OK, thank you Mr. Huo]
Then open your phone and search for Zhong Ming Restaurant.
After Zhu Qingchen saw the average price clearly, he opened his mobile phone and took a look at his savings.
It’s okay, not too expensive, and affordable. It’s no problem to treat students to it occasionally.
Zhu Qingchen sent a message to a group of five students.
[I haven't talked to you for a while. Are you free this weekend? The teacher will treat you to a meal.]
Several students responded quickly.
[Great! I hope I am always available, teacher! ]
[Yeah yeah yeah! Thank you, teacher! ]
Xia Shu doesn't check her phone often, so she hasn't replied yet.
Zhu Qingchen: [Wait for Xia Shu to reply when she is free, I will let you know when the time is set] [Received! ]
【111111】
【Piggy eating madlyjpg.】
The system came over to take a look and said, "Hey, they know you are a piggy?"
Zhu Qingchen turned to look at it: "Have you finished mopping the floor?"
The system flew away silently and lifted the rag again.
Much better than a sweeping robot.
*
In the library.
When Xia Shu gets busy, he forgets everything. There are reference books piled up like a mountain around him. He buries himself in the reference books and types on the keyboard.
It was not until after eleven o'clock, when he felt a little hungry, that he vaguely looked up from the computer.
Xia Shu took off his glasses, stretched, picked up his phone and took a look.
Zhou Ziqian hasn't replied to him yet.
Instead, there was a message in the small group that Teacher Zhu said he would treat them to a meal and asked him when he would be free over the weekend.
Xia Shu replied: [Thank you, teacher. I am also available anytime.]
He put away his cell phone, stood up, returned the reference book, and prepared to leave the library with his backpack.
Go have lunch first and go to the cafe in the afternoon.
He walked out of the library and suddenly stopped, remembering something.
He remembered that the large classroom of the Finance Department was on the other side of the library.
Zhou Ziqian should have class today.
Xia Shu hesitated for a moment, sent a message to Zhou Ziqian saying "I'll wait for you after class", then turned around and walked towards the Finance Department's classroom.
He and Zhou Ziqian have been dating for almost a year, and their relationship is just like that of an ordinary couple, with nothing wrong.
They worked part-time together in a coffee shop, and ate pancakes and chicken fillets on the roadside after get off work.
Zhou Ziqian would also accompany him to class and send him back to the dormitory.
But at the beginning of this semester, Zhou Ziqian quit his job at the cafe and went to work part-time elsewhere, so they spent much less time together.
Xia Shu also asked him where he was working part-time and whether he needed her to pick him up after get off work so that they could walk home together.
But Zhou Ziqian rejected him every time, saying that his part-time job was not fixed and was some high-end place, so Xia Shu couldn't get in and it was inconvenient for him to wait outside.
Just like that, Xia Shu didn't ask any more questions.
Until now, they only meet a few times a week, and Zhou Ziqian is lazy in replying to messages, often not replying at all all day.
And the snacks and fruits he saw in the trash can this morning.
Since there is a problem, we must find a way to solve it.
Xia Shu pursed her lips and made up her mind.
Since Zhou Ziqian is very busy recently, then he should go find Zhou Ziqian.
The Department of Finance is a large department, and the classrooms alone occupy three entire floors.
At this time, they had just finished class. Xia Shu was standing in the corridor with her bag on her back, standing on tiptoe and looking inside.
He never saw Zhou Ziqian.
Xia Shu stopped a student and said, "Hello, is the last class a junior course in the Department of Finance?"
"yes."
"Then may I ask Senior Zhou Ziqian..."
The student glanced at him and said in a strange tone, "Zhou Ziqian didn't come to class today."
"Ah?" Xia Shu was puzzled. "Is he in the dormitory?"
"How could he live in the dormitory? Junior, did you just meet him?"
He was busy eating and left in a hurry with his friend without saying anything clearly.
How could Xia Shu have just met him? Xia Shu and he had been dating for a year.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to know nothing about Zhou Ziqian.
He had clearly known Zhou Ziqian for almost a year, but it seemed as if he didn't know him at all.
He didn't know which dormitory Zhou Ziqian lived in, nor did he know whether Zhou Ziqian came to class. Even his classmates knew Zhou Ziqian better and looked at him with puzzled expressions.
He stood there, stunned, as if he was shrouded in a huge fog.
What's going on?
Could it be that he went to the wrong place?
Is it possible that there are two Zhou Ziqian in the Finance Department?
Xia Shu never had a wide social circle in college. He did not participate in club activities and did not have many friends. He went to classes and worked every day and went home to see his family on weekends.
He trusted Zhou Ziqian and never asked him about random things, let alone looked through his phone.
This time I came here with the intention of strengthening our relationship.
But now...
Xia Shu took out her phone, her fingertips trembling, and sent a message to Zhou Ziqian: [Are you sick? Why didn't you come to class? ]
[I was waiting for you at the classroom door, but your classmates said you didn’t come today]
[Have you eaten the fruits and snacks given to you? Eat the bananas quickly or they will go bad.]
He waited there for ten minutes, but still received no reply.
Finally, Xia Shu made up her mind and called Zhou Ziqian.
The call was quickly connected, and Zhou Ziqian lazily responded, "Hello?"
"It's me." Xia Shu paused, "Why didn't you go to class today?"
Zhou Ziqian said casually: "I work part-time outside."
"That can't delay the class."
Zhou Ziqian didn't answer him, but just asked: "What do you want from me?"
Xia Shu paused and said, "I suddenly remembered that the fruit I gave you last night included bananas. They are already ripe. You should eat them quickly, otherwise they will go bad."
"I see." Zhou Ziqian responded impatiently, "Is it just because of this?"
"Well..." Xia Shu slowly tightened her hand holding the phone, "Just for this matter."
Zhou Ziqian seemed very busy and asked again: "Do you have anything else to do?"
Xia Shu paused and said, "It seems like we haven't had a good talk for a long time."
Zhou Ziqian said nonchalantly: "We've been talking for a year, and we've said everything we need to say. Do you have anything new to say?"
“Have you been busy lately?”
"Busy, very busy."
With his attitude, Xia Shu couldn't continue the conversation: "Then let's wait until you're done, and then we can talk."
"Okay." Zhou Ziqian on the other end of the phone seemed to have noticed something was wrong. He glanced at his friends and asked, "Do you want me to pack some food to take back?"
"No, keep it for yourself."
Xia Shu rejected him and hung up the phone quickly.
Reason told him that even if he was a death row prisoner, he should be given a chance to defend himself, and he could not directly sentence Zhou Ziqian to death just because of these things.
When Zhou Ziqian is free, they can talk face to face.
He had to hurry, go to the cafeteria to eat, go back to the dormitory to take a nap, and then rush to the cafeteria.
Zhou Ziqian is busy, he is also very busy.
On the other side, Zhou Ziqian glanced at his phone and found that it was Xia Shu who hung up on him, and he couldn't help but frowned.
The friends started to make fun of him again: "Hey, Mr. Zhou, you said 'OK, I don't mind' yesterday, but you said 'No need' today. You are a boyfriend with a bad temper."
"It's far worse than Xiao Xu."
"He doesn't know something, does he?"
"How is that possible? I've seen Zhou Shao's boyfriend. He's so stupid. He spends all day studying and working. He doesn't even have many friends. Who can tell him?"
"Besides, can ordinary people know the identity of Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Ziqian suddenly felt his eyebrows twitching. Xia Shu seemed different from before. Could he really know something?
He put down his phone and rubbed his brows: "Forget about it after this game, I'll go back and take a look."
Everyone started to cheer: "Oh, Mr. Zhou is still a good boyfriend."
Xu Xi hugged his arm: "Mr. Zhou, are you leaving so soon? Didn't we agree to go out for dinner tonight?"
Zhou Ziqian glanced at him and said casually, "I won't eat tonight. Just pick a gift for yourself and send me the bill."
Xu Xi showed his signature smile: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhou."
All the friends gave him a thumbs up and said, "Mr. Zhou, you are awesome. There is one person in school and one person here, and they are all under your control."
Zhou Ziqian was very satisfied with such flattery. He leaned back on the sofa and curled the corners of his lips.
*
In the afternoon, Xia Shu was walking between the tables and chairs as usual, holding a cup of coffee.
Zhu Qingchen sat down in his old seat, took out his laptop, and typed his paper using two fingers.
Xia Shu put the coffee that Teacher Zhu ordered on the table and accidentally glanced at Teacher Zhu's computer screen.
On the relationship between "The Book of Songs" and "Happy Superman".
???
What is this?
Zhu Qingchen turned around and found that he was standing still, so he quickly covered his computer screen.
Go away, go away.
Xia Shu came to his senses and suspected that he had seen it wrong. He smiled at Zhu Qingchen embarrassedly and left.
The system stopped on the table: "Host, come on!"
Zhu Qingchen pushed it open, quickly opened the document, and began to write the "Subject Change Application".
He couldn't finish this task for even a second!
Zhu Qingchen was typing carefully on the keyboard, typing one word every five minutes. Suddenly, the door of the cafe was pushed open and a bell rang.
Zhou Ziqian walked in quickly from outside. Xia Shu thought it was a guest and raised her head quickly: "Welcome."
Seeing that he was fine and no different from before, Zhou Ziqian frowned and found a seat to sit down.
Xia Shu quickly came forward with the menu: "Ziqian, why are you here?"
Zhou Ziqian chose a seat next to Zhu Qingchen. Zhu Qingchen and the system hid behind the computer, pretending to type a paper, but actually quietly pricked up their ears.
Zhou Ziqian said: "You called me at noon and looked like you were about to cry, so I had to come over to see you, right?"
Xia Shu smiled and said, "I'm fine. I just went to the classroom to look for you, but they said you didn't come to class, so I called to ask about you."
"They?" Zhou Ziqian raised his eyes slightly, and his tone became heavier, "You went to the classroom to find me?"
"Yeah." Xia Shu didn't know what was wrong with this.
He didn't see Zhou Ziqian, so he asked other people. Isn't that normal?
Zhou Ziqian also realized that he had lost his composure and changed his words: "There are so many people in our department, how is it possible that they all know me?"
"That's right." Xia Shu nodded and asked, "Are you still living in the dormitory now? They said you don't live in the dormitory."
Zhou Ziqian's emotions, which he had managed to disguise, showed up again: "Are you still asking them about me?"
"Ah?" Xia Shu was puzzled. "I still don't know which dormitory you live in. I'm just asking."
"Did you ask it?"
"No. Have you moved out? Renting a house outside?"
"I've been living at my part-time job these days. If you ask around with my name, people who don't know me might think something has happened to me. Don't ask me again in the future."
"Yeah." Xia Shu didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Ziqian, I suddenly realized that I know nothing about you. I don't even know which dormitory you live in, and I don't know where you work part-time recently."
Zhou Ziqian suddenly said in a serious tone: "Do you really not trust me?"
Xia Shu was puzzled: "I don't have it."
"Xia Shu, you never asked these messy questions before, why are you so suspicious now?"
Sitting next to him, Zhu Qingchen frowned with a complicated expression.
The system introduced: "This is a skill commonly used by the protagonist - to blame others for the attack."
Zhu Qingchen nodded: "I see."
The system continued: "It is obvious that I have done something wrong, but whenever the other party asks me about it, I say that the other party does not trust me, and that the other party does not give me any freedom and insists on sticking together."
Zhu Qingchen was a little worried: "Will my students really be deceived by him?"
The next second, Zhou Ziqian finished his words: "You weren't so clingy before, and you even called to check on me!"
Xia Shu frowned: "Is this also called 'checking in'?"
Zhou Ziqian paused: "Isn't this enough?"
"I just wanted to know which dorm you live in. I feel like we've been a little distant lately, and I just wanted to..."
"I thought you had something to do, so I left my part-time job and came all the way back to see you, but you came to me for such a trivial matter."
"I'm sorry." Xia Shu lowered her head, and suddenly remembered something, "I didn't ask you to come back. Didn't you come back on your own? I just said that we can chat when you are not busy. I didn't ask you to come back right away."
"You..." Zhou Ziqian paused, "Since you said so, how can I not come back? You still have the nerve to turn the tables?"
Zhu Qingchen:?
Who is he talking about?
Zhou Ziqian stood up suddenly: "You are simply being unreasonable."
Xia Shu was puzzled: "I don't have one."
When Zhou Ziqian stood up, the chair under him moved with it, making quite a noise, and all the guests in the cafe looked at him.
Zhou Ziqian stopped talking and turned to leave.
Xia Shu hurriedly chased after him: "Zhou Ziqian."
Zhu Qingchen and the system opened their eyes wide instantly, moved to the floor-to-ceiling window, and eavesdropped by sticking to the glass.
Zhou Ziqian turned around: "What happened again?"
Xia Shu looked at him seriously: "Did you eat the fruit I gave you yesterday? You should eat bananas early..."
Zhou Ziqian said impatiently: "I know, it's just two bananas. After talking for so long, they've already been eaten."
Xia Shu suddenly fell silent and whispered, "Because there are no bananas at all."
"What?" Zhou Ziqian raised his head. "What did you say?"
"Because there are no bananas at all." Xia Shu looked at him seriously, "You didn't even open the bag, right? You threw the stuff directly into the trash can, right?"
Xia Shu gave him three chances.
For the first time on the phone, he sent a message.
The second time on the phone, he specifically asked Zhou Ziqian, and Zhou Ziqian agreed readily.
The third time was now. He asked Zhou Ziqian in person, and Zhou Ziqian actually said that he had eaten it.
But his parents didn't buy him any bananas at all. If Zhou Ziqian had opened the bag to take a look, or gone back to check, he would not have missed all three chances.
Zhou Ziqian recalled the scene of last night.
It was his group of friends who took one look at it and threw it out of the car window, but he didn't care.
Zhou Ziqian immediately flew into a rage: "How dare you plot against me?" "I saw it in the trash can." Xia Shu looked at him, "Why? Is it broken? Or do you not like it? You could have just told me directly instead of lying to me all the time."
Zhou Ziqian said sternly: "You must have seen it wrong. I think we all need to calm down. Xia Shu, you are actually starting to plot against me now. You just don't trust me."
Xia Shu tried to defend herself: "I don't distrust you, I just want to know why you..."
"Because it's broken." Zhou Ziqian looked at him steadily, without a trace of falsehood in his eyes, "Do you understand? The thing was broken, and it covered the whole bag. I had no choice but to throw it away. I didn't want to make you sad, so I didn't tell you that it was rotten. Are you satisfied now?"
Xia Shu was stunned for a moment. This shouldn't be the case. The fruits his mother bought for him should all be fresh. He had checked them specially before giving them to Zhou Ziqian.
However, there was a red-fleshed dragon fruit inside, which might have been crushed.
Seeing Xia Shu remain silent, Zhou Ziqian thought he was guilty, and pressed the issue: "You only saw it in the trash can, but you didn't open it to see what was inside, right?"
This is true. Before Xia Shu had time to look at it, the garbage was thrown away: "Yes..."
Zhou Ziqian continued, "I was working outside, and you had to send me messages and call me to check on me. I also had to take care of your emotions. My supervisor told me that several times."
"Xia Shu, I'm really tired of you doing this. You've been pestering me for such a small matter. I even took a special leave to come to you, just in case you misunderstood. Can't you just do something of your own? Stop staring at me all the time."
Xia Shu paused and asked in a low voice: "Really? Then I misunderstood you this time, but..."
Zhou Ziqian remained calm: "It's good that you know you're wrong. Let's just calm down."
Xia Shu pursed her lips and said, "Let's all calm down. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."
Zhou Ziqian snorted coldly and turned away.
Zhou Ziqian regretted coming to find Xia Shu. He originally felt that something was wrong with Xia Shu and wanted to come over to comfort her.
After all, he didn't want to break up with Xia Shu. Although Xia Shu was not good-looking and had a bad temper, she was considerate and knew her limits. She would come to accompany him when she should, and would not even call him when she shouldn't. He was used to it.
But Xia Shu was so aggressive now, luckily he was smart and managed to get around it.
Zhou Ziqian took out his cell phone and called Xu Xi, saying unhappily, "Hey, didn't we say we'd have dinner tonight? Let's go." Xu Xi smiled happily, "Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhou, I'll be right out."
Zhou Ziqian's expression eased a little. Xu Xi was still easier to coax than Xia Shu.
Xia Shu looked at Zhou Ziqian's leaving back, feeling helpless.
If he had only suspected it before, he was now certain of it.
Zhou Ziqian must be hiding something from him, and it must be something serious, otherwise he wouldn't be so angry.
But he couldn't guess what it was.
At this moment, the owner of the coffee shop called him from inside: "Xia Shu, come back quickly, or I will deduct your salary."
"Okay." Xia Shu responded, walked back to the cafe and returned to the counter.
Zhou Ziqian was obviously not like this before.
He used to be humble and polite, would help him out and teach him how to make coffee.
I don’t know what happened to make Zhou Ziqian become like this.
Xia Shu hung his head. Even though Zhou Ziqian was so confident, he couldn't help but doubt himself.
Everything was fine before, was he really overthinking it? Was he really wrong?
Zhu Qingchen looked at his dejected appearance, his expression gradually became dull, and the hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly.
Could it be that this kid really believed the nonsense Zhou Ziqian said?
Zhu Qingchen held down his shaking hands: "System, is there this paragraph in the original book?"
"Yes." The system checked for him. "This plot also appears in the original book. Later, Zhou Ziqian moved back to the dormitory overnight. Xia Shu thought he was just being suspicious, so the matter was forgotten."
“Why did the original book have to arrange it this way?”
"First, let Xia Shu feel even more regretful when his brother died. He once suspected Zhou Ziqian, but he missed the truth, which made him feel even more regretful."
Zhu Qingchen:?
"Secondly, it shows that Zhou Ziqian is in love without knowing it. He has unknowingly fallen in love with Xia Shu, so he is afraid of being exposed by Xia Shu and is desperate to maintain the lie."
Zhu Qingchen:? ?
Zhu Qingchen asked: "Is Mr. Huo's information accurate? Does Zhou Ziqian often eat at Zhongming Restaurant?"
The system said: "Yes, this place name often appears in the original book."
"good."
Zhu Qingchen picked up his phone and sent a message to the student group: [Saturday evening at 5 o'clock, Zhongming Restaurant, the teacher invites you to dinner, and by the way, let's talk about your recent study life]
Tomorrow is Saturday. Doesn’t Zhou Ziqian want to move to the dormitory overnight to fool Xia Shu?
He took Xia Shu and went straight over to catch him off guard. !
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