At an upscale, elegant restaurant outside Oil University—one so expensive that few students ever came—Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin sat facing each other across an exquisite little table.
When Liu Shang had paid for meals before, Jiang Ruolin had even suggested going to the cheapest, most practical, and noisiest little hot pot place.
But today, with Jiang Ruolin treating him, she brought Liu Shang here without the slightest hesitation.
Through their usual conversations and her observations, the incredibly perceptive Jiang Ruolin had discovered something about Liu Shang that she found both interesting and contradictory.
Despite his ordinary family circumstances, and despite being at the age when young men normally craved meat the most, Liu Shang actually preferred healthier, lighter food deep down.
And just as when he had treated her at Annie's Western restaurant before, Liu Shang always seemed to possess a temperament perfectly suited to such refined surroundings and occasions.
That was absolutely not something one could fake. It radiated from the bones.
How could she have known that, in another world, Liu Shang had served as the assistant to one of the world's foremost petrochemical experts and had attended far too many world-class banquets and exclusive venues?
He had also seen countless international celebrities and socialites, so such high-end settings did not seem like much to him.
While Jiang Ruolin pondered how utterly different Liu Shang was, Liu Shang quietly watched her from across the table.
She wore a sky-blue turtleneck sweater with a light fleece lining, accentuating her beautiful neck like that of a white swan.
She wore fitted trousers with pleats below, along with a pair of fashionable little leather shoes.
A slim, stylish watch rested on her left wrist, its glow blending with Jiang Ruolin's fair skin under the lights and giving off an alluring sheen.
She wore only light makeup, with a faint layer of lip gloss on her lips. Her naturally long eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes were serene and bright.
Unable to help himself, Liu Shang reached out and clasped Jiang Ruolin's fair hand, which rested by the edge of the table, in his own.
Then, looking into Jiang Ruolin's eyes, he said softly yet with utter sincerity, "Any place where you are feels like a beautiful painting."
"And I am deeply immersed in those beautiful paintings, unable to pull myself free."
"Ruolin, you are so beautiful."
Faced with such direct, unabashed praise from her boyfriend, Jiang Ruolin could not help blushing. Delighted at heart, she still gave him a tender, reproachful look.
"No matter how beautiful I am, aren't I still caught in your hand right now?"
"If you like, you can keep looking at me like this for a very long time."
Liu Shang smiled. He did not make any grand declarations about eternity, but he was still reluctant to let go of Jiang Ruolin's hand.
Seeing the atmosphere between them, even the waiter who had been about to serve their dishes stopped some distance away, as if unwilling to disturb this sickeningly sweet young couple.
Perhaps neither Liu Shang nor Jiang Ruolin noticed that, at the quieter and less conspicuous end of the restaurant, another table of diners was watching them.
It was Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and three or four others.
The moment Jiang Ruolin and Liu Shang walked into the restaurant side by side and chose a window seat, they had already caught their attention.
Later, when Liu Shang gently took Jiang Ruolin's hand and the two whispered sweetly to each other, the faces of everyone at that table turned ugly to the extreme.
Tan Feng in particular had such a gloomy expression that water practically seemed ready to drip from his face.
Although he already knew Jiang Ruolin had found a boyfriend, seeing it with his own eyes nearly drove him wild with fury and an indescribable emotion.
"I suddenly don't feel like eating. You guys eat. I'm leaving!"
After tossing out those words in a hurry, Tan Feng rose directly and left through a side door at the other end of the restaurant.
Seeing him like this, Zhou Liang and the others shook their heads as well and followed him out, leaving one peripheral figure behind to pay the bill.
The commotion on their side drew an instinctive glance from Jiang Ruolin, whose sixth sense was especially sharp, but she was a beat too late and did not see anyone familiar.
The brief yet happy weekend passed, bringing another miserable Monday morning.
Amid Zheng Shiwei, Fu Liang, and Cheng Meng's sighs in the dormitory, Liu Shang had already packed up energetically and was ready to head out.
"Liu Shang, leaving so early? Going to have breakfast with your girlfriend?"
Liu Shang shook his head. "I have something to take care of today, so I won't be having breakfast with you guys or going to class."
"If attendance is taken, help cover for me."
"Huh? Second Brother! You're skipping class again?!!"
"You were called out and criticized in two classes last week. If you keep skipping, you're really going to fail!"
Failing a course was an incredibly heavy subject for any college student.
It would cause endless trouble. Not only would one have to deal with make-up exams, but it would also make the transcript from senior year look terrible and directly affect whether one could find a job smoothly.
But for Liu Shang now, failing courses, grades, and even graduating in his senior year had all become far less important.
Now, following the plans in his heart, he was taking firm, steady steps toward a magnificent and wonderful life.
"Then I'll fail. Besides, it's not certain I'll really fail."
With that, Liu Shang walked out of the dormitory without hesitation, leaving the other three staring after him in astonishment.
Liu Shang had left a little late today. Under normal circumstances, he had expected to reach the company by nine o'clock.
But he missed a bus on the way, causing him to arrive an hour later than expected.
At the same time Liu Shang was on his way to the company, an air of irritation hung over Manager Zhong's office.
According to the original plan, Manager Zhong's technical team was supposed to finalize the ground-level separate-injection process and its related tools that Monday.
Thus, as usual, seven or eight people gathered there, discussing nonstop and offering their thoughts and opinions.
But to Manager Zhong, who sat in a massive office chair the entire time, compared with Liu Shang, everything these people were saying was simply a waste of his time.
They were not even on the same level.
So, after forcing himself to endure for nearly an hour, Manager Zhong finally could not take it anymore. He slammed his hand on the desk. "Ah, well... you can all go for now. We'll discuss this again tomorrow or the day after!"
Seeing that Manager Zhong appeared to be in a bad mood, everyone wisely dispersed.
Afterward, Manager Zhong, already in a foul mood, had no desire to do any other work, so he came over to Xu Tiande's place for a smoke.
"Old Zhong, your mood doesn't seem right today!"
"Your technology is practically taking shape. You should be happy!"
Manager Zhong waved a hand. "Don't mention it. It's precisely because the technology is close to taking shape that I'm even more anxious."
"Compared with Liu Shang, these people are nothing but deadweight! The ideas and suggestions they put forward are all so crude and immature."
"After talking things over with Liu Shang these past two days, I feel this technology could even skip the experimental stage entirely and be completed in one go."
"But today is damn Monday. That kid Liu Shang still has to attend class!"
"To be honest, Old Xu, I want nothing more than to rush to Oil University and drag that kid out myself."
Before Manager Zhong had even finished speaking, Liu Shang suddenly appeared in the office doorway.
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