Chapter 2
Yan Qing ran wildly into the laboratory building. There were already many people gathered in the corridor. When they saw Yan Qing, they automatically made way for her.
At the door of a laboratory at the far end, Gu Feimeng was anxiously looking out.
Upon seeing Yan Qing, she rushed forward and whispered in Yan Qing's ear, "The couple here have ill intentions. You must be careful!"
In the lab, between two rows of desks, three chairs were pushed together. Meng Xianglan lay on one of them with her eyes closed, her neckline exposed. She was humming softly, one hand against her forehead. Feng Xin sat on another chair, fanning her with a paper of unknown author's.
The mentor, Huang Qian, looked at the two of them coldly and said, "Call 120."
Feng Xin said, "No need, no need. Hospitals in big cities are too expensive, we can't afford them! We'll just wait for my niece here!"
A junior sister in the corner was the first to see Yan Qing and exclaimed, "Senior sister is back!"
Meng Xianglan's half-closed eyes snapped open, and even her whimpers stopped. She glanced at Yan Qing, then immediately closed them again, clutching her chest and wailing even louder, "Old Feng, I feel chest tightness..."
Gu Feimeng whispered, "Play dead."
Feng Xin, no longer bothering to fan Meng Xianglan, exclaimed loudly, "Niece, you're finally back! Your aunt had a heart attack because she couldn't get in touch with you!"
Yan Qing said coldly, "Come out with me and we'll talk."
Feng Xin said, "We can't go out and talk about it. We need to report our situation to Teacher Huang."
Huang Qian gave Yan Qing a look, her eyes full of relief. Then she turned to Feng Xin: "You just said you had something to report to me, but after asking you for so long, you haven't said anything. What exactly do you mean?"
Feng Xin chuckled, "Isn't this all to wait for my niece to come back? The situation is like this, my family is in dire straits. We have two children, and my wife and I have no income. We're really struggling to make ends meet..."
Gu Feimeng deliberately spoke to Yan Qing in a voice that everyone could hear: "Adults have hands and feet, and they still have the nerve to complain about not having an income?"
Feng Xin paused, coughed, and continued, "Although conditions were difficult, we still gritted our teeth and raised Yan Qing to be a college student. Thanks to the country's policies, my niece applied for student loans over the years, which eased some of the burden on the family. But this year, for some reason, she said she didn't apply for any financial aid. When I heard that, it was like a bolt from the blue!"
Gu Feimeng silently added, "Why didn't I kill you, you old dog?"
Ignoring Gu Feimeng's interruption, Feng Xin continued, "Student loans are extremely important to us. We're a rural family, and Qingqing has a younger brother still in school. Losing this money would be a double blow to a family like ours! So I wanted to ask if it's possible to make up for this shortfall?"
Before Huang Qian and Yan Qing could even speak, Gu Feimeng couldn't hold back any longer: "How dare you say that! As an elder, can't you at least pay off Yan Qing's student loan first?"
Feng Xin glared at Gu Feimeng, and unable to argue back, turned to Huang Qian and continued to play the victim: "Teacher Huang, Yan Qing's younger brother got into a junior college this year, and the tuition is a considerable expense. Please consider our family's special circumstances and give us some financial assistance..."
"Enough, Feng Xin!" Yan Qing stopped him. "Let's settle our personal matters privately. Don't harass my teacher."
Feng Xin's expression changed drastically: "Is that how you address your uncle? Have you no manners? Did you waste your education? Fine, I won't argue with you about that. We're here today to finalize the student loan issue, and we won't leave until we get an explanation!"
Yan Qing said, "Are you really that desperate for my student loan money?"
Feng Xin raised her voice: "You have no conscience! We raised you with so much care, it's only right that you repay us! But you don't answer the phone or reply to messages, making us come all the way here in this sweltering heat. Poor us two old folks, we were completely disoriented in the city. If it weren't for your classmate, we wouldn't even know which way the university gates are. Look at you, even your aunt has had a relapse!"
As soon as Feng Xin finished speaking, Meng Xianglan hummed a few times in agreement.
Gu Feimeng said, "Old woman, hang in there! Don't die here!"
Meng Xianglan sat up abruptly: "Who are you cursing!"
Gu Feimeng and the students all laughed. Gu Feimeng said, "Isn't that right? What's a Lu Zhishen doing pretending to be Lin Daiyu!"
Feng Xin glared at Gu Feimeng angrily: "It's none of your business what happens in our family!"
Gu Feimeng was about to retort when Huang Qian spoke up: "If you keep making a scene like this, we'll call the police."
Feng Xin glanced at Huang Qian sideways and sneered, "Go ahead and report it. I go to the police station all the time. Trying to scare me?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Yan Qing walked up to Meng Xianglan and nudged her shoulder: "Get up."
Meng Xianglan didn't react. Gu Feimeng stepped forward and abruptly pulled out a chair. Meng Xianglan lost her balance and her plump body crashed heavily to the ground, screaming in pain, "I'm broken! I'm broken!"
"Stop yelling!"
Yan Qing's rebuke silenced Meng Xianglan.
Yan Qing stared intently at Feng Xin and said, "Feng Xin, I've found a summer job with a decent pay. I can use some of it to help pay for your son's tuition. But please leave now, immediately. Otherwise, you won't see a single penny."
Feng Xin was skeptical: "That sounds nice, but how do I know if you're lying to me?"
Yan Qing said expressionlessly, "If I'm really determined to disappear, you won't be able to find me. You can decide for yourself what to do."
Seeing this, Meng Xianglan got up from the ground, exchanged a glance with Feng Xin, and said in a pretentious manner, "I told you my niece isn't an ungrateful person. Alright, Lao Feng, now that we see our niece is alright, this trip wasn't in vain."
Feng Xin sneered: "Be careful not to feed your good intentions to a dog; who knows if you've raised an ungrateful wretch!"
Meng Xianglan dusted herself off and took Feng Xin's arm. "Alright, alright, we've made our demands clear to Teacher Huang today. I'm sure he won't stand idly by. Let's discuss the rest amongst ourselves. Let's go!"
Feng Xin was unwilling to leave, but Meng Xianglan forcibly dragged him out, kicking the chair leg hard before leaving.
Yan Qing silently put the chairs, which the two had messed up, back in their places, and then said apologetically to Huang Qian, "Teacher, I'm sorry..."
Huang Qian waved her hand: "What have you done to apologize for? It wasn't your fault. Alright, alright, everyone disperse, it was just a little incident. Go about your business, don't stand here staring at each other." She raised her wrist to check her watch and realized with a start that it was already twelve o'clock. She hurriedly packed her things, muttering, "I'm late, I'm late. Huang Feihong doesn't have class this afternoon, I have to go pick up the child."
Yan Qing and Gu Feimeng walked out of the experimental building, and the campus was as peaceful as ever.
Gu Feimeng said, "You left so early today, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Shall I go to the cafeteria with you?"
Yan Qing shook her head: "Mengmeng, I don't have much of an appetite. You go and eat, don't worry about me."
Gu Feimeng said, "If you're not going to eat, I'm not going to eat either. I'm not hungry. I still have some red wine and snacks in my dorm. Let's go back and have a couple of drinks, let the wine wash away our sorrows, and drink until we're completely drunk!"
As they were talking, a person walked towards them. He was fair-skinned and chubby, with short, naturally curly black hair that was shiny and stuck to his scalp, like a steamed bun wearing a wig.
Gu Feimeng's expression instantly turned sour, her eyes practically rolling to the sky. She grabbed Yan Qing and prepared to take a detour.
But Wang Yongxing deliberately stopped in front of them.
Wang Yongxing crossed his arms, his weight concentrated on one leg, the other lightly touching the ground, his posture rather alluring. His beady green eyes sized Yan Qing up and down.
Gu Feimeng grew impatient: "Just say what you have to say."
Wang Yongxing's lips curled into a smile. He let out his signature, distinctly effeminate laugh: "I heard your relatives are here?"
Yan Qing didn't want to talk to him and was about to leave, but Gu Feimeng held her back tightly.
Gu Feimeng gave a half-smile: "What, you can smell it?"
Wang Yongxing wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed even harder: "Don't take it out on your classmates if you've been wronged by your relatives! Where are your aunt and uncle? Have they left? I was thinking of going to say hello!"
Gu Feimeng chuckled: "Hindsight is 20/20. If only you had shown up sooner, those two villains could only be dealt with by your masculine energy!"
Wang Yongxing glared coldly at Gu Feimeng: "Gu Feimeng, what do you mean by talking like that?"
Gu Feimeng laughed and said, "What do you mean? It means that your skills have improved so much that you even dare to covet swans!"
Feeling annoyed, Yan Qing tugged at Gu Feimeng's sleeve and said, "Let's go, Mengmeng, let's go back."
Even after they'd walked quite a distance, Gu Feimeng was still seething with anger: "If you hadn't stopped me, I really would have taught him a lesson about how to be a decent human being. How could Teacher Huang have let someone like this in? What a piece of trash! Just seeing that gloating face of his makes me furious!"
Yan Qing sighed, "Never mind, we're all in the same research group."
Gu Feimeng said indignantly, "That sissy, does he even consider you a fellow student? Everyone knows what he's thinking! He's just jealous that you're better than him in everything, like your papers and scholarships! You shouldn't have spoiled him!"
"Forget it, I've caused Mr. Huang enough trouble already, and I don't want to cause any more trouble. Besides, I don't have the energy to argue with him right now."
They arrived at the dormitory as soon as they started talking. Gu Feimeng immediately turned on the air conditioner and then took out the red wine and a corkscrew.
Yan Qing stopped her: "Really? In broad daylight?"
Gu Feimeng said, "Yeah, I'll drink it during the day. To be honest, I'm feeling down and can't wait until tonight. You don't have anything to do today, right? Keep me company!"
Yan Qing was not unaware that Gu Feimeng had been in a bad mood these past few days, but given Gu Feimeng's personality, since she hadn't brought it up herself, Yan Qing didn't press her for details.
Gu Feimeng took out shrimp chips, potato chips, and cheese, set them up, and then filled two disposable paper cups with wine. She handed one to Yan Qing and said, "Cheers!" She then tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Yan Qing took a small sip, glanced at Gu Feimeng's expression, and asked, guessing, "Did you have a fight with Chen Jing?"
Gu Feimeng slammed the paper cup on the table with a loud bang: "This bastard is playing the silent treatment on me!" She poured herself another cup, gulped it down in a few big mouthfuls, wiped her mouth, and said to Yan Qing: "Baby, remember this, a man who loves you will never use the silent treatment on you. Even if there are problems or conflicts between you, he won't resort to the silent treatment. You must not be as blind as I was when choosing a man in the future!"
Yan Qing patted her back to help her catch her breath and said with a smile, "Before, I saw that Chen Jing was very caring towards you, sending you breakfast in winter, cold drinks in summer, and gifts and flowers for all kinds of holidays. I thought he was quite reliable."
"Pah!" Gu Feimeng spat. "These are all cheap gestures, anyone can do that! You only see if someone is a good person or a bad one when it really matters! You don't know, his parents came a few days ago, and I kindly suggested they visit his aunt and uncle. Who knew that on our first meeting, those two old men would try to establish their authority! They tried to find out how many properties my family owns in S City, and they tried to find out my parents' salaries. When they heard my dad works at the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, they asked if I could arrange a job for their son?!"
Yan Qing said, "I'm getting a little impatient."
Gu Feimeng said, "This wasn't even the climax yet! After dinner, his mother was getting ready to clean up when his father said, 'Old woman, you've finally come all this way to see your son, so just relax. Leave these things to your daughter-in-law!' I was helping out when I heard that, and I immediately lost my temper! In front of the two old folks, I asked Chen Jing, 'Didn't you explain to your family that half of the rent for this house belongs to me? It's my money that's supporting you to eat and live well outside, and you can't even tell the difference between the two of you?' Chen Jing felt that I had embarrassed him and disrespected his parents, so we had a huge fight, and we haven't been able to get back in touch since."
Yan Qing shook her head: "This Chen Jing."
Gu Feimeng took another swig of her drink: "Let's not talk about him anymore, it's affecting my mood! How are you? Did your interview go well today?"
Yan Qing said, "There were quite a few applicants, all of whom were more outstanding than me, so I probably have no chance. Speaking of which, I also met a senior from L University who also went to Shenjia for an interview."
"Oh? What's your name?"
"The name is quite unique, Zhuge Xiaoxiang."
Gu Feimeng exclaimed in surprise: "Master Zhuge?!"
"He's a master?" Yan Qing asked in confusion. "How come I don't know anyone like that?"
"Our Qingqing has always been oblivious to everything else, focusing solely on his studies." Gu Feimeng stuffed two shrimp crackers into her mouth, giving him a knowing look: "Back in the day, he was a big shot at L University, ranked first in his department, head of the student union's external relations department, a three-time recipient of the national scholarship, and a key member of the mountaineering club. You know how prestigious our school's mountaineering club is, right?"
Yan Qing had heard about the mountaineering club before. L University has many thriving clubs, but the mountaineering club is the most understated yet luxurious. It's said that the entry requirements are very high, requiring certification to join, meaning no mountaineering novices are accepted; you must have impressive outdoor experience to be eligible. There's an interesting saying at L University: if you want a high-quality boyfriend, go to the mountaineering club. Not only do you need expensive gear to join, but you also travel the world every year to challenge different peaks. Ten years ago, a member successfully climbed Mount Everest, and Northern Europe and South America are just appetizers for them. This at least shows that the members of the mountaineering club all come from well-off families. Furthermore, due to years of outdoor training, the members of the mountaineering club are all muscular and have dazzling physiques—walking testosterone.
Gu Feimeng asked, "Isn't Zhuge Liang super handsome too?"
Yan Qing recalled the boy she had met that morning. He was dressed in a well-pressed suit, had neat short hair, and a pair of half-rimmed glasses that made his face look even more gentle and refined. It wasn't until he stood up that Yan Qing realized he was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, the type of a refined and muscular man.
Gu Feimeng pressed, "How is he? Is he handsome?"
Yan Qing said, "It seems alright."
Gu Feimeng laughed: "If Qingqing says he's alright, he's 99% a handsome guy! Speaking of which, if it weren't for that girlfriend thing, such an outstanding Zhuge Liang would probably be at the pinnacle of life by now, right?"
Yan Qing asked, puzzled, "What happened to his girlfriend?"
Gu Feimeng sighed and said regretfully, "I heard that his girlfriend was from Southern Normal University. They were very close, but she later developed depression and jumped off a building! Zhuge was greatly affected and never recovered. He had already received an offer for a PhD from an Ivy League school, but he gave it up. After graduating with his bachelor's degree, he hurriedly left campus and disappeared from everyone's sight. I never expected him to be so destitute that he had to work as a tutor. It's so sad and pitiful!"
Yan Qing seemed lost in thought. She recalled how Zhuge had chatted and laughed so warmly with her, so naturally when talking about his experiences at school, showing no sign of the deep trauma he had endured. Yan Qing thought, perhaps those who have been hurt are better at hiding their wounds. Or perhaps, time flows like water, and even the most intense and painful memories can be diluted.
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