Chapter 64
"Okay, stop listening." Huang Qian took the phone and turned it off, while Huang Yanxiang pouted and remained silent.
"Xiao Yan—" Gong Meiping prepared a few words of comfort, but then felt it wasn't the time to lecture, so she sighed and said, "If you're upset, just cry it out."
Yan Qing wiped away her tears and forced a bitter smile: "I'm fine, I'm alright." But after saying just a few words, tears welled up in her eyes again.
Huang Yanxiang was filled with righteous indignation and gritted her teeth as she whispered a vow: "I will never play with Cheng Jiaming again."
“Huang Feihong,” Huang Qian frowned, her expression quite stern, “this is a matter between adults, and has nothing to do with children.”
"Things have come to this point, and as sad as they are, a decision must be made." Gong Meiping, adopting a parental demeanor, presided over the meeting. "You've all heard what happened on the phone; the Shen family's situation is far too complicated. Our Xiaoyan is simple-minded and kind-hearted; how could she possibly handle it? Therefore, I personally do not approve of them continuing their relationship." Gong Meiping glanced at the mother and daughter on the sofa. "What do you think?"
Huang Yanxiang actively supported her grandmother's stance: "I agree! The hatred of having one's husband stolen is irreconcilable. We must unite as one, tear apart the scumbag, and slap the green tea bitch in the face!"
Huang Qian frowned: "Where did you learn all this nonsense?"
Huang Yanxiang continued, "From now on, no one with the surname Chen can set foot in our house!" After thinking for a moment, she added, "And those with the surname Cheng! I'll make them pay a bloody price!"
"Huang Feihong!" Huang Qian shouted at her daughter, a rare occurrence for her. "Is this all you do online? You can forget about using your phone and computer from now on!"
Huang Yanxiang protested loudly: "Why? How can you be so biased towards outsiders? Your values are warped!"
Huang Qian's head was buzzing. She pinched her temples and said, "Forget it, forget it, I won't stoop to the level of a little brat who's not even ten years old." She then looked at Yan Qing beside her, "Little girl, you..."
Yan Qingmu didn't react much, her eyes staring blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
Gong Meiping turned her wheelchair and slowly moved to the center of the living room. The ceiling light shone down from directly above. She cleared her throat, as if she were under a spotlight on a podium: "My husband died when I was thirty-eight, and the label of 'widow' stuck with me for decades. Huang Qian, on the other hand, was even worse. Before she was thirty-five, her 'model' ex-husband made her leave with nothing. Outsiders look at our family with a bit of pity and a bit of curiosity. But what can they do? I became a senior engineer at forty-two, the only female associate senior engineer in the entire factory. Huang Qian wasn't bad either; she became a professor three years after her divorce."
Huang Qian interrupted, "Hey, hey, hey, you call this 'not bad'? It's clearly better than yours, okay?"
Gong Meiping glared at her displeasedly: "Don't interrupt me. My brain isn't working well right now; if you interrupt me, I'll forget what I was going to say." She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then opened them again, her gaze as sharp as a hawk's: "Everyone encounters setbacks in relationships, but that's just one aspect of your life. It's not insignificant, but it's certainly not the whole story. A complete person is composed of many elements. Besides relationships, there's health, career, ideals, special skills, hobbies, and so on. Even within relationships alone, there are subdivisions like family, friendship, romantic love, teacher-student relationships… So there's a popular saying, what's it called, 'a hexagonal warrior'? Hah." There aren't that many all-around perfect individuals. Imperfection is the norm. Even if you're missing one corner of love, there are still many things to pursue. Heaven won't let down those who work hard. From today onward, eat well, sleep well, and exercise regularly. Good health is more important than anything else. After graduation, find a good job and cultivate a long-term hobby. Don't you like music? How about studying vocal music? My mother-in-law has a friend who's a professor at a music academy and has taught several famous singers. In short, as long as you don't let your current predicament bind you, you'll find that you can still live a fulfilling life without love, and you can still achieve inner peace and freedom.
Huang Yanxiang interjected, "Grandma, isn't this what they call 'losing on one front but gaining on another'?"
Gong Meiping gave her granddaughter an approving look: "Your understanding is precise, better than your mother's."
Huang Qian muttered, "What's there to be so smug about? It's just something that third-grade students have to memorize."
Gong Meiping looked at Yan Qing: "Xiao Yan, do you understand what your mother-in-law is saying?"
Yan Qing understood, of course, that everyone was doing their best to comfort and encourage her. But she felt like a huge rock was pressing on her heart, and she just couldn't shake it off.
Huang Yanxiang was young and easily influenced by Gong Meiping's words. She jumped onto the sofa, her spirits rising considerably: "Wise Grandma! Great Grandma! Long live Grandma! To celebrate Sister Yanqing's rebirth, let's have a good meal tonight, okay, Da Huang?"
Huang Qian tapped her on the forehead: "You big Huang, how dare you call your mom that! But you know, we'll definitely eat good food. Not only will we eat good food, we'll also go out and play. I've thought about it, and during the Spring Festival, I plan to take you, Grandma, and Yan Qing to Altay for skiing!"
"Skiing?" Huang Yanxiang immediately perked up. "Great! I want to learn snowboarding!"
Gong Meiping asked sourly, "Are wheelchairs allowed in?"
Huang Qian said, "Mom, that place isn't just for skiing. You can also stay in cabins, ride sleds, drink hot milk tea, and enjoy the snow scenery. It's a fairytale world, I guarantee you'll love it!"
Gong Meiping's eyes lit up for once: "Sounds good! Xiao Yan, what do you think, is it settled?"
"Go, Qingqing! We can have hot pot, set off firecrackers, and watch the Spring Festival Gala together on New Year's Eve!"
As the group chatted amongst themselves, Yan Qing felt a lump in her throat, a mixture of gratitude and shame in her eyes: "Grandma, teacher, Xiangxiang, I'm so sorry to have made you worry about me..."
Gong Meiping said, "What are you saying? We're family!"
Huang Yanxiang rushed over and hugged her, wiping her wet face with her small hands: "Sister, don't cry, it breaks my heart to see you cry like this."
The little girl nestled against him, soft and fragrant. Yan Qing held her, her tears flowing even more freely.
As soon as the New Year's Day holiday ended, Huang Qian switched back to hard-working mode, sitting in the office all day, forgetting even to eat lunch. Only when the sun was setting did she feel a little thirsty, and when she picked up her cup, the tea was already cold. Just as she was about to refill it with hot water, Wang Yongxing knocked on the door.
As soon as Wang Yongxing came in, he eagerly took Huang Qian's teacup, saying, "Teacher, let me do it."
Huang Qian was used to Wang Yongxing's behavior, so she asked, "Little Wang, is something the matter?"
Wang Yongxing placed the tea on the desk, a wide grin spreading across his face: "Professor Huang, I've come to report to you that the paper you supervised last time has been accepted by JGO."
Huang Qian was delighted to hear this: "Great news! Congratulations!"
Wang Yongxing said, "Thanks to you, you stayed up several nights in a row to help me revise the paper. On several occasions, you even brought your child to show me the paper. I don't know what to say."
Huang Qian waved her hand: "Isn't this what teachers do?"
“Teacher Huang, I’m not just saying this to be polite, but I truly admire, respect, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Wang Yongxing used three extremely solemn words in a row, and his eyes even welled up with tears at that very moment, making Huang Qian feel a little uneasy: “Why are you suddenly getting sentimental?”
"I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. You don't know, I bombed my college entrance exam and ended up in a really shabby undergraduate program. I was in so much pain back then, every day at school was torture, and I really wanted to drop out and retake the exam. Later, I made up my mind that I had to go to L University for graduate school, it's my dream school. In the end, although my score was above the cutoff, during the interview, the professors all thought my undergraduate degree was too weak and didn't want to accept me. Only you didn't judge me with prejudice and opened the door to knowledge for me, I was so moved..."
Huang Qian got goosebumps from head to toe: "No, no, no, we don't need to do this between teachers and students."
"Teacher, please let me speak. Graduation is just around the corner, and the time I have with you is getting shorter and shorter. If I don't say these things now, I'll never have the chance again!"
"Of course there will be opportunities. Graduation doesn't mean we'll never see each other again."
"Yes, yes, you're right. But these past few days, every time I close my eyes, I think of your kindness. The closer I get to graduation, the stronger this feeling becomes! In academics, you are meticulous and treat all students equally. In life, you treat us like mother and children, humbly serving us like an ox..." Huang Qian's neck was already steaming, and Wang Yongxing's emotional speech was not yet over: "You are not only a rising star in the Department of Mathematics at L University, but also my guide, the red sun in my heart."
"Stop!" Huang Qian wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Xiao Wang, get to the point."
"I'm here to tell you what's on my mind."
"I appreciate your kindness. Go have dinner if you're free. The cafeteria will be out of food if it gets too late, and I need to go home to cook for my child." With that, he turned to see him off.
"But I really do have something to do!"
Huang Qian guessed it, and Youyou sat back down at her desk, gesturing for her to leave.
"Well, here's the thing." After rambling on for a while, Wang Yongxing finally got to the point: "Professor, I submitted a paper to JAMS before, and it was rejected. I put a lot of effort into that paper, and I'm not exaggerating when I say—" Wang Yongxing deliberately used an exaggerated tone to describe it, "I really worked day and night, and I even went bald from exhaustion."
Huang Qian glanced silently at his thick head. She naturally remembered the paper; overall it was acceptable, but it fell short of JAMS's inclusion criteria. She had advised Wang Yongxing to choose a Q2 journal with a lower impact factor, but Wang Yongxing was adamant. As expected, the rejection came decisively.
Wang Yongxing continued, "I heard that Professor Liao, the reviewer for JAMS, is your classmate..."
"Stop! Don't try anything with Professor Liao. She's known in academia for being objective, fair, and impartial. She would never give you special treatment just because you're my student."
Huang Qian's resolute words left Wang Yongxing speechless. His rehearsed flattery proved useless, and he said somewhat indignantly, "Yan Qing published a JAMS article in her second year of graduate school, and I also want to learn from her."
Huang Qian could easily understand his underlying meaning. She said, "Xiao Wang, you need to understand that to publish in high-level journals, the article itself must be excellent. There are no shortcuts. I think you should have read Yan Qing's article; its inclusion in JAMS is beyond doubt."
"You've misunderstood me. I didn't mean you were helping Yan Qing but not me..."
“Xiao Wang, you are still young. You can still correct a mistaken idea that you have temporarily formed, but this approach will not work. Don’t mention it again.”
Having been rebuffed, Wang Yongxing was very unwilling to give up. He left dejectedly, his lower lip almost bleeding from being bitten.
Huang Qian watched his retreating figure and shook her head helplessly.
Shen Hanyang knew that Yan Qing was avoiding him; she wouldn't answer his calls and would only occasionally reply with a word or two to his messages.
He waited at the gate of L University from morning till evening on Saturday, but still didn't see Yan Qing. He had no desire to go home, so he went to his office alone and aimlessly browsed his tablet.
She hasn't updated her social media accounts in a long time.
My WeChat Moments feed is completely clean, with even the background set to a default gray.
He casually clicked into L University's BBS, and a new post with an unusually high number of clicks caught his eye.
[List of Outstanding Graduates from L University This Year]
Each major had 1 to 4 outstanding graduates. Yan Qing from the Mathematics Department was listed first. The discussion below the post was lively.
"Wow, amazing! They are all outstanding individuals. We worship them!"
"Liu Shijia from the Fine Arts Department is super beautiful. I've seen her in person at her art exhibition."
"Yan Qing from the Mathematics Department is also exceptionally beautiful."
"Yan Qing? Never heard of her."
"They're pretty low-key, after all, the first impression of a math department is that they're a bunch of beasts."
"I heard that Senior Yan Qing is the graduate representative and will be giving a speech at the graduation ceremony!"
"Wow, can non-graduates attend the ceremony? I really want to see all the goddesses!"
During the discussion, one voice stood out as particularly out of place.
"These days, even those who take unorthodox paths can be elevated to godhood. Surely there's someone who doesn't know about Yan Qing's glorious deeds as a scholar of Daji?"
Anything involving women and the exchange of power for sex becomes a highly attention-grabbing topic. A crowd of people immediately started gossiping.
"What's going on?"
"Shocking! Such a thing happens at L University?"
"Isn't this normal? Aren't these kinds of things all the time these days?"
"It must be very beautiful, otherwise it would be an academic Li Kui."
There are also those who have doubts:
"Is this person Yan Qing's competitor? It's easy to spread rumors. People with ulterior motives can smear others without any evidence. Don't believe them easily."
The man then pulled out a photo. It was taken at night, from a distance, and was blurry. It showed a man and a woman standing face to face outside the east gate of L University, looking very intimate.
The onlookers erupted in excitement. Some said they couldn't see anything clearly, while others insisted that it was Yan Qing.
Amidst the chaotic uproar, a post stood out: "Wang Yongxing, if you have the guts, take off your disguise and speak!"
The person fell silent.
Pressing her advantage, she continued: "You truly live up to your name, always stirring up trouble. What does a blurry photo, even blurrier than yourself, prove? What benefit do you gain from fabricating rumors? What can you possibly achieve? Yan Qing will still graduate with honors and publish in top journals. And you, you can only hide in a corner and furiously pound your keyboard! Keep your impotent rage and dark crawling going! Hahaha!"
The ID that leaked the photos has completely stopped, but the photos they posted are still lying in the thread and haven't been deleted.
Shen Hanyang smiled, thought for a moment, and then made a phone call to Assistant Hao.
The graduation ceremony was scheduled close to the Spring Festival. Gu Feimeng also returned to school.
Upon seeing Yan Qing, she asked, "Where is Toad Wang Yongxing?"
Yan Qing asked in bewilderment, "Why would I look for him if I haven't seen him?"
"I'll ask him if he's convinced!" So he told Yan Qing about what happened on the BBS.
Yan Qing remained silent.
"Don't be upset, sis. I'll teach him a lesson for you. You and Shen Hanyang, just be nice to each other and ignore that stinking maggot. It's just causing trouble everywhere!"
Yan Qing remained silent.
The graduation ceremony began soon.
When Yan Qing graduated with her bachelor's degree, she gave a speech as a representative of the graduates and also experienced the awards ceremony for outstanding graduates. The process was similar for graduate school. During the speeches by school leaders, alumni, and even when she was on stage herself, she seemed to be completely out of it, half of her mind wandering elsewhere. It wasn't until the tassel-turning ceremony that the president, who was usually quite distant, said kindly, "Congratulations, Yan Qing. I wish you a bright future and a smooth life. Please come back to visit the school often when you have time."
For some reason, the principal's few simple words brought tears to her eyes.
At today's graduation ceremony, all the other students were surrounded by family and friends, enveloped in hugs, applause, flowers, and blessings. She, however, was all alone. Then, she saw the principal's warm smile before her, and knew that Huang Qian and Gu Feimeng's eyes were fixed on her. Suddenly, she felt a sense of relief. Her journey had been difficult; she had received much kindness and help, and had also endured the darkest, most arduous struggles of fighting alone. Having weathered all the storms, she held this weighty certificate in her hands—she had done her best.
The ceremony proceeded smoothly, and the auditorium became a space for free activities.
Gu Feimeng's parents were so excited that they shed tears, and pulled Yan Qing to help them take a family photo.
At that moment, a commotion arose from the direction of the entrance, and a group of people gathered around.
Gu Feimeng stood on tiptoe and peered out: "What's going on? Is that the principal?"
Yan Qing shook her head. There were too many people; she couldn't see anything clearly.
At that moment, the crowd parted. Gu Feimeng exclaimed in surprise.
Several school leaders and Shen Hanyang walked towards them.
As we approached, we heard the vice principal say, "Yan Qing is too modest. The two of you are a perfect match."
Shen Hanyang replied politely, "Thank you very much for your help, school leaders and teachers."
Several people huddled around Yan Qing, exchanging pleasantries and occasionally letting out a few words that made Gu Feimeng's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.
She nudged Yan Qing's lower back and asked blankly, "Did you hear that? How much did they say?"
Yan Qing did not answer. Gu Feimeng muttered to herself, "Did I hear that right?"
Mother Gu leaned close to her ear, her voice tense and solemn: "You heard me right, eight hundred million!"
Gu Feimeng counted on her fingers: "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions... hundreds of millions?!" She turned to look at Yan Qing: "Your boyfriend donated eight hundred million to the school in your name???"
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