0007 Jealousy (3)
Zhao Xiaojing graduated from the School of Management at the University of Finance and Economics and then came to teach at the Normal University.
An alumnus from the Economics Department is coming to National Taiwan Normal University to give a lecture today, which is indeed a great learning opportunity for students. However, calling the teachers over is purely to fill in the gaps. Therefore, all these miscellaneous tasks have fallen on the shoulders of the younger teachers.
There's no way around it; everyone goes through this.
But Zhao Xiaojing really can't go today. Her mother has introduced her to a blind date, a wealthy returnee from overseas.
Whether he's a returnee from overseas or a "sea turtle" (a term referring to someone who has studied abroad but returned to China) doesn't matter; Zhao Xiaojing's eyes lit up at the mention of "rich." She was determined to win him over. So, the two arranged to have lunch together, but she couldn't attend the presentation, so she had to ask her good colleague, our starving and unlucky little He Lingling, for help.
With the spirit of "better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage," Lingling listened to a long and tedious report.
The elderly man on the stage was already eighty years old. Calling him an alumnus of the Normal University wouldn't be accurate; he had only served as an honorary professor there for a period of time. His glasses had practically slipped off his nose and down to his chin. It was a waste of his talent and the students' time for him to come here with such a frail body to lecture these youngsters on practical matters.
He Lingling was dozing off in the audience when she made a phone call to Taipei City.
Zheng Long briefly reported He Lingling's morning itinerary to Wan Qifuze, the gist of which was that nothing unusual had happened. Wan Qifuze and his group were having lunch near the airport, and he was the only one who went out; the remaining dozens of people didn't dare to touch their chopsticks.
Fortunately, halfway through the call, he asked Zhiwen to tell everyone not to wait for him, and then walked a little further away so that everyone could feel at ease.
After the report was finished, there was a moment of silence on the other end. This was Zheng Long's first time directly communicating with Wan Qi. Zhi Wen had only told him that this man was easy to serve and wouldn't make things difficult for his servants. He had assumed that Wan Qi's quiet nature was just a habit. So he was about to hang up when someone suddenly spoke on the other end.
"Where's the food?"
This question completely baffled Zheng Long, a tall man standing at 1.8 meters. It took him a while to realize that the question was directed at the man who was dozing off in the lecture hall.
He had only mentioned the important points in his report, and he hadn't really paid attention to these details. It was only after Wan Qifuze asked that he realized he hadn't satisfied everyone. Next time, it wouldn't be about the itinerary; he would have to carefully record the exact time He Lingling went to the bathroom and how long she stayed there.
Fortunately, the man didn't say anything more, dismissing him with a simple "thank you for your hard work." Holding the exorbitant fee he'd been paid, he felt increasingly regretful. Zhiwen had clearly told him that this woman was the apple of the master's eye and that nothing could go wrong with her. He knew wealthy men often kept several women, so he had been somewhat discerning in his assessment of He Lingling.
However, taking money without doing any work, or doing work without doing it properly, is not Zheng Long's style.
Thinking this, he quickly raised his phone towards He Lingling, and a photo of Lingling dozing off was sent to Wan Qifuze's inbox.
The flight was at 14:45. At 14:40, everyone saw Wan Qifuze take out his phone and glance at it. Then they finally saw that the boss's dark expression, which had been gloomy all day, had eased a little.
Wanqi Fuze saw Lingling sleeping soundly with her mouth slightly open in the photo, and then he saw the little old man reading from the manuscript on the podium. He understood. A phone call was made, but he didn't know where it went.
All that was known was that He Lingling was sleeping soundly when someone tapped her on the head.
I opened my eyes and there stood the old gentleman who had just given his speech.
Looking around, He Lingling realized that most of the people had already left, and she understood how ridiculous she had made a fool of herself. Old Master Qi, however, didn't seem to mind at all, and simply smiled and told her to come and have dinner with him.
He Lingling had a very good relationship with her grandparents when she was young, so she had a good impression of elderly people and quickly became familiar with Old Qi.
Old Qi observed that this lively young girl spoke boldly yet with respect, and thought to himself that the young man from the Wanqi family did have some discernment.
The school leaders had arranged a dining area for Mr. Qi, and many people lined up hoping to meet him, but Mr. Qi's secretary turned them all away, claiming he was unwell and needed to go home to rest. In reality, the old man and the young man were enjoying their meal together!
Midway through the call, the secretary came in to deliver a phone call. It was Mr. Qi's granddaughter, an architecture student and a rising star in the field. She had just won the Pritzker Prize and was now in Florence, having opened her own studio and was doing very well. Mr. Qi disliked his granddaughter's arrogant and presumptuous manner and scolded her a few times on the phone. Then, something was said on the other end to cheer him up, and Mr. Qi's stern face softened.
It was a video call. Qi Lao waved his hand, and Qi Le saw He Lingling beside his grandfather. She looked somewhat familiar and was about to ask when his grandfather hung up the phone.
She laughed and cursed from a foreign land: "You bad old man!"
P.S.: There will be one more chapter, barring any unforeseen circumstances. New characters will appear in the next chapter, and the son and daughter will finally meet.
Oh right, I need to revise some minor details from the previous chapter. I was writing in a rush and made mistakes easily.
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