"Didn't you get Old Liu's notice?" King Bo asked in some surprise.
Shen Bing paused. Come to think of it, Old Liu hadn't called him.
Just as he was thinking that, Doudou, his phone's intelligent assistant, spoke up. "Boss, speak of the devil. Your class adviser is calling. Shall I switch you over?"
Surprised, Shen Bing immediately said, "Old Wang, hang on a moment. Old Liu's calling me right now. I'll take his call and get back to you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Doudou switched the call over.
"Sir."
"Shen Bing, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Teacher Liu sounded rather apprehensive.
It wasn't really his fault. Any ordinary teacher would have felt pressure dealing with someone like Shen Bing, even if he had once been Shen Bing's teacher.
Shen Bing felt something strange stir inside him, a mixture of bitterness and bewilderment. After a long pause, he said, "Old Liu, that tone isn't like you! I remember you telling us in our first year not to treat you as a teacher, that we were buddies outside class. Are you making me throw those words back at you now?"
There was silence on the other end for several seconds. Shen Bing had said something similar the last time he called, but knowing something was one thing; putting it into practice was another.
"Shen Bing, I'm calling today because the Graduation Defense is coming up, and I wanted to ask whether you'll be attending. Personally, I don't think that piece of paper matters anymore, given what you've achieved. But it was the goal you worked toward for over a decade, so I thought I should let you know. The decision is yours."
Teacher Liu meant every word, but he left one thing unsaid: the university president had specifically