To many people, Zheng Qing's current status was very unusual.
Call him a student, yet he had formally signed an employment contract with First University, his name was listed on the Teaching Assistant Group roster, and he served as an official teaching assistant at Edge Academy.
Call him a teacher, yet his main daily task was studying. Six days out of every seven, he had classes, and out of every thirty-three hours in a day, he spent fifteen sprawled over his desk.
So, the ways people addressed Zheng Qing were particularly divided.
Those more distant from him—ordinary classmates, Edge Academy students, professors from various subjects, and elders—called him "Student Zheng Qing," "Zheng Qing," or "Teacher Zheng Qing." Those close to him—friends, teammates, and so on—called him "Brother Qing," "Brother Scum," "Zheng the Scum," and so on.
People like Linda Barnes, whose relationship with him was neither close nor distant, found things slightly awkward. So she chose "Master Zheng," the abbreviated form of "Teacher Zheng Qing." It was both friendly and reserved, while carrying an extra touch of the formality and respect one showed a "client." That alone immediately set her apart from the other interviewers.
Though Zheng Qing did not read so many twists and turns into that simple form of address, he still sensed her goodwill, and much of his guardedness immediately faded.
But her next sentence made Zheng Qing feel that he had relaxed too soon.
"Before we discuss business, I want to confirm something first." Linda Barnes raised the Post in her hand, her face full of gossip. "...Is this true?"
Zheng Qing glanced at the fat wizard.
The fat wizard very cautiously shook his head, indicating that he had no idea what the witch meant.
So Zheng Qing very carefully played dumb.
"...What matter?" Zheng Qing