"Teacher Jiang Chuan, I've never studied abroad. I taught myself French before, enough to communicate at a basic level. I put that on my résumé when I applied, but I didn't expect to be called in for an assessment with you. Please forgive me if I've been presumptuous." The girl gave Jiang Hao a slight bow.
"That's fine. Let's speak in French. Since you taught yourself, where do you usually practice?" Jiang Hao asked in French.
"At the Asuka Language Institute. There's a group of people studying languages there, and we usually gather there to practice." Niigaki Yui spoke haltingly in French. She could form complete sentences, but her pronunciation was rather dreadful.
"So that's where you learned French?"
"Yes, I enrolled at the Asuka Language Institute."
"Why did you want to learn French?"
Niigaki Yui smiled. "I once wanted to travel abroad. My English was already good enough for conversation, so I chose French afterward."
"Where did you want to go?"
"Lots of places. The world is so big—I want to see it all." Niigaki Yui smiled, revealing a row of neat teeth. She was truly sweet.
"Teacher Jiang Chuan, do you really know eight languages? Why did you learn so many? Are you some kind of language fanatic?" Niigaki Yui looked at Jiang Hao with her large eyes blinking curiously.
Jiang Hao shook his head. "Actually, I'm like you. I learned languages because I enjoy traveling. Just as you said, the world is so big—I want to see it and not waste this one life."
At that, Jiang Hao gave Niigaki Yui a slight smile. "Let me tell you a little secret. I don't just know Chinese, English, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, German, French, and Thai. Those are the eight languages I can listen to, speak, read, and write