The Art of Making Money

"Burp..."

Chen Shu let out a shameless burp, pulled a cup of hot milk tea from inside his coat, and handed it to Ning Qing as she approached. "What took you so long? I thought you'd finish and hand in your paper in half an hour at most. Guess I overestimated you..."

"The last question took some time." Ning Qing accepted the milk tea. It was still warm, Chen Shu's usual order. She inserted the straw. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not long." Chen Shu paused. "What kind of question was so hard it stumped even you?"

"It wasn't hard. Just time-consuming." Ning Qing calmly sipped her milk tea.

"What was today's exam again?"

"Cosmic Radiation and Spiritual Power."

"Sounds impressive... Tell me about it sometime so I can show off and pick up girls."

"?"

"Haha..." Chen Shu laughed awkwardly. "What's tomorrow's exam?"

"Theoretical Astrophysics."

"Tsk, tsk..."

Chen Shu drained his milk tea in one gulp and tossed the cup into a nearby trash can. He patted his stomach with both hands, making the liquid inside slosh audibly. Looking up at Ning Qing, who was sneaking glances at him, he grinned foolishly. "Nothing but water in there..."

Ning Qing kept the straw between her lips and said nothing.

The milk tea had milk curd and diced strawberries in it. The milk curd was soft, tender, and richly creamy; the strawberry pieces were sweet and tart. Together, they made a wonderful combination.

"Chen Shu."

Ning Qing called to him softly.

"Mm?"

Chen Shu turned to look at her. "What is it, Auntie Ning?"

"..."

Ning Qing pursed her lips. She no longer wanted to say it.

But Chen Shu was curious, and she couldn't simply ignore him the way she ignored a certain roommate. He would keep pestering her, even