Chapter 240 Impersonation
Instead of going to the usual state-run restaurants, Gu Xiao drove with Nan Zhiyi and T Xiaoman to a newly opened old Beijing-style snack shop.
The shop is small, but it is clean and tidy, and the aroma of food wafts out.
Gu Xiao ordered tripe, fried liver, sesame paste sugar pancakes, and several side dishes, and also ordered a bowl of mushy noodles for Xiao Man.
Xiaoman was very interested in the noodles, which tasted completely different from those at home, and she ate them with great relish using a small fork.
Nan Zhiyi hadn't tasted such authentic Beijing snacks in a long time, and she enjoyed the meal immensely.
During the meal, she thought of Zhang Yueran and said to Gu Xiao, "Yueyue has only come back for two weekends since the start of the semester. She's thriving at university and has made a lot of friends. Last time she came back, she even said she wanted to start a 'Radio Enthusiasts Association' with her classmates. Seeing how happy she was, I don't want to keep asking her to come home. It would be great if we could pack some of the food here for her to try."
Gu Xiao picked up a piece of fried liver for her and said, "This snack is best eaten while it's hot. It won't taste as good if you take it home. There's a Daoxiangchun restaurant not far ahead. Why don't you buy some snacks? Tomorrow is Saturday. You have class in the morning. We can deliver it to her dorm at noon."
Nan Zhiyi thought it was a good idea and nodded in agreement.
After the family of three finished their meal, they went to a pastry shop and bought some of Zhang Yueran's favorite peach shortbread, jujube blossom shortbread, and ox tongue pastry.
The next day at noon, after finishing her class, Nan Zhiyi took some snacks to Zhang Yueran's dormitory.
When Zhang Yueran found her dorm room, she was about to go to the library with her roommates. She was pleasantly surprised to see her sister arrive.
Nan Zhiyi handed her the snacks and then looked at her bed and desk. Although there were many things, they were all arranged in an orderly manner. Seeing that her younger sister's face was rosy, she was obviously adapting well, and she felt at ease.
"Can you come home for dinner this weekend?"
Zhang Yueran immediately hugged Nan Zhiyi's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Good sister, this weekend is really not an option! We have midterms coming up, and look, all my roommates have gone to the library to save seats. I have to study hard too!"
Nan Zhiyi nodded understandingly: "Okay, studying is the most important thing, then you should focus on reviewing."
She added, "Fifth Brother also told you not to work too hard, to take care of your health, and to tell your family if you run out of money or food stamps."
Zhang Yueran nodded repeatedly, saying that she had enough money and tickets and couldn't possibly eat it all.
She leaned on Nan Zhiyi's shoulder and said, "It's just that our classrooms are always too far apart, so we can't eat in the same cafeteria. I miss you so much."
Nan Zhiyi said, "Just focus on your studies. After the exams, go home for a couple of days..."
Thinking about the exam, Zhang Yueran pouted and complained, "Sis, you have no idea, there's this guy in our study group who's driving me crazy! When we discuss circuit principles, he can't even figure out the most basic Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's laws. His math foundation is also weak; he understands complex number operations and calculus like it's gibberish. Every time we have a group discussion, we have to spend a lot of time explaining things to him from scratch, which seriously slows down our review progress!"
Nan Zhiyi frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Yueyue, if he doesn't even know these most basic math and physics concepts, how did he get into the Department of Radio Engineering at Peking University?"
The admission scores for this top-tier university are extremely high.
Zhang Yueran had only been complaining casually, but her sister's question caught her off guard. She blinked and muttered to herself, "Right...right! If he doesn't know any of that, how did he get in? And...it seems he's completely clueless about physics concepts too...no wonder he can't understand anything...but...this..."
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and a look of surprise and uncertainty appeared on her face.
Nan Zhiyi's expression also turned serious, and a guess simultaneously surfaced in the minds of the two sisters.
Zhang Yueran lowered her voice: "Sister...could it be that he...didn't get in on his own? Or...impersonated someone else?"
The two sisters looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
This speculation is too astonishing.
This also put an invisible pressure on both sisters.
First, they had no solid evidence and suspected the other person of impersonation simply because the other person was not keeping up with the studies, which was rather arbitrary.
Secondly, this matter is too far-reaching. If true, it will shake the entire school and even higher levels, and it is definitely not something that two students can easily get involved in.
If they rush to report it and make a mistake, they could not only ruin a classmate's reputation, but also get themselves into trouble.
Nan Zhiyi pondered for a moment: "Going directly to the counselor...wouldn't that alert him? Besides, if this is true, he probably has some connections in the local area to have managed to pull it off."
Having experienced family upheavals, she is more sensitive to certain potential risks.
Zhang Yueran could no longer contain herself and paced anxiously in her cramped dormitory room.
She has a strong sense of justice, and the thought that if her guess is true, the classmate whose life was switched might still be waiting in confusion or in despair somewhere makes her heart ache.
"This is unfair! It's so unfair!"
But another voice in my head was questioning: what if, what if that classmate was just less talented, or only managed to get in by chance because of nervousness or illness, and is now falling behind? Isn't it too much to make such malicious speculations?
These conflicting emotions made Zhang Yueran even more conflicted.
Nan Zhiyi sighed as she looked at her sister's anxious expression.
She knew Zhang Yueran's personality; she wouldn't feel at ease until she got to the bottom of things, but she couldn't act rashly either.
She pulled Zhang Yueran aside: "Yueyue, don't rush, and don't make a fuss. Here's what you do: find an opportunity to ask him a few math and physics problems that are difficult to get into the college entrance exam, and see how well he's grasped them. You can also ask him about his family during the conversation... but you have to be natural, and don't let him suspect anything."
Zhang Yueran took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and nodded: "Okay, sis, I'll listen to you. I'll try to find an opportunity to try during the study group's self-study session tonight."
"Be careful and watch your step," Nan Zhiyi reminded her again. "Even if it's just a misunderstanding, don't hurt our friendship."
"I know," Zhang Yueran solemnly agreed, then added, "Sister, I'll go home for dinner tomorrow."
Nan Zhiyi nodded: "Okay, I'll have Sister Zhang cook your favorite dishes."
The two sisters chatted for a few more minutes before Nan Zhiyi got up and left.
Zhang Yueran also picked up her backpack, "I'm going to the library."
The two said goodbye at the crossroads.
Nan Zhiyi boarded the bus home and stared blankly at the street scene slowly receding outside the window.
She hoped it was just a misunderstanding; otherwise, uncovering this would surely cause a huge uproar.
But soon, she shook her head and put the matter aside for the time being.
In any case, there's no point in thinking too much about it now. Let's wait until Yueran comes home tomorrow and see how things go.
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