Conan and Paul A. Cohen

Liu Yuewang used her second personality to explain her casualness, rebelliousness, eccentricity, liveliness, and imitation of An Nuan's petty temper, speech, and coquettish behavior during this period. It was a bit shameless, but in the end, it felt very normal. The mature Professor Liu liked to use the tone of "I am the parent" to suppress others, while a few days ago she liked to act coquettishly or act petty to resist Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an felt that Professor Liu, back to normal, gave people a better impression. It was rare in human history that his girlfriend's mother looked exactly like her.

An Nuan went to the bedroom to get the camera and returned it to Liu Chang'an.

"Thank you so much for your help these past few days." Liu Yuewang smiled gently, with a hint of apology.

Her typical elder demeanor, coupled with Professor Ling's tone, would likely make it even more difficult for them to bring up the past.

Indeed, Liu Chang'an didn't mince words; it was quite troublesome indeed.

"Please sit down." Liu Yuewang led Liu Chang'an to the sofa and fetched a bottle of orange juice. "I remember you like orange juice."

Was this solicitous attitude meant to shut him up and prevent him from bringing up the past again? Liu Chang'an wondered as he drank.

An Nuan came out with the camera and handed it to Liu Chang'an, saying, "I felt your original memory card was a bit small and slow, so I bought you a high-speed card to replace it."

"Thank you." Liu Chang'an casually took it, opened it, and glanced at it; there wasn't a single photo inside.

As expected of An Nuan.

An Nuan also leaned over to glance at the camera screen. She had been watching Liu Chang'an's eyes and expression, trying to see if he showed any expectation or disappointment.

Thankfully not. Typical Liu Chang'an.

"I've been delayed a lot these past few days. An academic society invited me to talk about some of the views of Western historians on Chinese historical research, especially Professor Paul A. Cohen's China perspective... Actually, I'm not a history professor, so I don't know why they approached me," Liu Yuewang said with some worry.

"Because the main speaker is a history professor, and you're just a decorative figurehead to attract more attendees..." An Nuan and Han Zhizhi had accompanied Liu Yuewang and Professor Ling to many conferences and events, partly to broaden their horizons, and partly because they could get free meals and drinks without having to worry about the children eating alone at home.

Especially for events held in other cities on weekends, it's even more necessary for Liu Yuewang to bring An Nuan along, so she can easily decline many invitations. This is a trouble that Tai Meili has to bear.

As a result, An Nuan often saw Professor Liu participate in activities outside her major, where she was merely allowed to speak and interject.

"I'll slap you in the face later!" Liu Yuewang sometimes joked like this at home, but this girl didn't treat Liu Chang'an as an outsider at all. Liu Yuewang didn't want Liu Chang'an to treat her like a vase; her image was that of an elegant and academically sophisticated female professor.

Liu Chang'an smiled and drank his orange juice as if it were none of his business.

Liu Yuewang coughed lightly. She was well aware of her reputation and charm among middle-aged and older men in academia, especially since the speaker at this forum was actually one of her Liu Yuewang classmates, and the organizer was a former suitor who had given up his original major to work in media. This program was a collaboration between one of his companies and a television station.

Liu Yuewang couldn't possibly stop participating just because of this. She's so beautiful, and so many people like her; there's nothing she can do about it. If people like her, does she think she'll stop earning money? How would she support herself and her daughter who's siding with outsiders?

To be honest, rejecting Gao Yening's endorsement contract was necessary, but it was also very painful.

The difference between Gao Yening and these middle-aged and elderly men is that Gao Yening is unmarried and single. If Liu Yuewang knew that he was pursuing her but did not refuse, Gao Yening's enthusiasm would probably intensify. On the other hand, these middle-aged and elderly men are basically married and have families. They just want to flirt. As long as they are not misunderstood, they will maintain a gentlemanly attitude of being able to admire from afar but not to be provocative. They will not abandon their face, family and social status to do anything that would embarrass them.

Liu Yuewang used to like having An Nuan with him, but he refused to be alone with them or meet them alone. Many cultured people consider themselves elegant and refined at heart, but in reality, they like to be handsy and indecent.

"I'm trying to cram at the last minute, Chang'an, what do you think about this topic...? It's about Mr. Paul A. Cohen's China view." Liu Yuewang had been building up for quite a while, and asked the question quite naturally.

"I don't know, I don't understand, I'm not very knowledgeable." Liu Chang'an looked apologetic and a little nervous, after all, it was a test from his girlfriend's professor mother.

Liu Yuewang glared at him. Why was he pretending to be a good child who respected his girlfriend's mother at a time like this? Although it was Liu Yuewang Liu Chang'an, the shame brought to her by those memories was not limited to either the first or second personality.

"How could that be? How could there be something you know a little about that Liu Chang'an doesn't understand?" An Nuan was extremely confident in her boyfriend. "Is there something wrong with your description? For example, is this person not called Paul A. Cohen, but Conan or something?"

"Do you believe I'll send Liu Chang'an those ugly photos of you going to bed without even washing your face or showering after training?" Liu Yuewang raised her hand and made a feint, but the real threat was much more powerful than a slap to An Nuan.

"No, I'm the best girl." An Nuan immediately sat down next to Liu Yuewang, obediently leaning against her mother, and then secretly reached for her phone, wanting to delete her unflattering photos.

Liu Yuewang, wary, held her phone in her hand. "If I can't deal with Liu Chang'an, I can at least deal with you!"

"I really don't know." Liu Chang'an looked at An Nuan and smiled. "I can talk about Conan, though. He's called the 'Death God Elementary School Student,' and coincidentally, I also have a nickname, 'Death God,' so we do have some things in common."

"What nonsense! I'm talking about Paul A. Cohen. Back in the 1980s, he proposed China perspective on the study of China history, which was completely different from the distorted, ethnocentric arguments prevalent in the study of China history at that time. Rereading his views now can bring more inspiration and validation in the new era." Liu Yuewang had done her homework.

"Okay, then you can tell us about it. Firstly, it will broaden our horizons, and secondly, it can serve as a rehearsal for your own speech," Liu Chang'an said eagerly to learn.

Liu Yuewang's eyes darted around twice before settling on Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an remained attentive, waiting for her to begin her lecture, humbly meeting her gaze.

That old fox! Liu Yuewang avoided his gaze.

She had previously chatted with that uncle about various anecdotes from the 1980s and South China Sea, and he had mentioned Paul A. Cohen's views. Later, when she received an invitation to a program on the same topic, Liu Yuewang accepted with great interest.

It seems he's become wary now, sensing her suspicion... Liu Yuewang remembers that An Nuan, this boyfriend-posting fanatic, loved finding the perfect angle to take pictures of Liu Chang'an. One day, in a photo An Nuan posted, Liu Chang'an was holding Paul A. Cohen's book, <Discovering History in China>!

"Mom, stop staring at him." Because Liu Yuewang's face was always turned towards Liu Chang'an, An Nuan didn't notice that her mother had looked away; she just felt that the two of them had been staring at each other for a while.

"You brat!" Liu Yuewang slapped An Nuan several times, then stood up and said to Liu Chang'an, "When An Nuan was little, she loved taking pictures of pandas at the zoo. Pandas are her favorite animals, and she probably thinks you're even rarer than pandas."

"Her intuition was correct." Liu Chang'an smiled.

"My panda!" An Nuan rushed over and hugged Liu Chang'an.

Liu Yuewang was displeased with this sickening scene. She had sensed something was wrong before, but decided not to investigate. However, she couldn't resist probing now... So be it. He was just an online friend, and there was nothing more to pursue.

"Old Ling went back today and won't be back until this afternoon. I'm going out for a walk now." Liu Yuewang was too lazy to change her clothes, so she put on a coat and went out.

Liu Yuewang's stroll led her to the hotel's breakfast restaurant, where breakfast was served until 10 a. m. A waiter led her to her seat, but Liu Yuewang sat down in her usual spot.

"Hello, this is a reserved seat. Would you like to have this window seat? The view is better from here," the waitress said quickly. They remember the preferred seats of some regular customers.

"No need, I usually sit here." Liu Yuewang was in a bad mood and waved her hand.

The waiter was slightly embarrassed. "You usually sit here?" "You usually sit here... Hmm, this lady looks a lot like the girl who usually sits here, only she looks a bit more mature."

"I look older today," Liu Yuewang said irritably. "A cup of black tea, please. And could you also get me a bowl of clear soup noodles?"

The waitress paused for a moment. "You mean the beautiful girl who sat here yesterday was you? You look older... well, not really older, but the difference in your demeanor is just too great."

Breakfast is a buffet, featuring Spanish ham... Actually, many hotels also have similar products to Jinhua ham, but they label them as imported, Spanish, or Iberian, and it's normal for them to cost two or three thousand yuan per kilogram.

Of course, there are also cheaper options, with prices similar to those in Jinhua and Xuanwei.

Liu Yuewang was drinking tea when she saw Gao Yening and two young girls walk in. Upon seeing Liu Yuewang in the breakfast room, Gao Yening was initially delighted, then immediately came over and quickly explained, "These two are models hired by our company and they live here. I just rushed over to invite them to breakfast and finalize the contract."

Being seen with a girl in the hotel's breakfast restaurant during breakfast time is bound to cause misunderstandings.

Liu Yuewang had no interest in knowing or caring. She nodded politely, feeling somewhat embarrassed. After all, she was Liu Yuewang now, a woman who had rejected him. It was enough for everyone to exchange greetings.

"This is Professor Liu." Gao Yening didn't really continue to bother her. She toned down her enthusiasm, only mentioned it to Chen Yannan and Song Lianlian beside her, and then sat down next to them.