Pinewave Garden was one of the larger dining halls on South Campus. It had five floors in total: the first three were public dining areas, while the fourth and fifth were generally open only to faculty.
Cao Jingjun led Chen Zhu and the others up to the fourth floor. Qi Zheng was sitting beside a large round table, and the food had already been ordered.
"Cao, let's skip the drinks at lunch today."
Qi Zheng smiled. "When we both have a free evening, we'll have a proper drinking session."
People generally didn't drink at work lunches, but the polite explanation was still necessary to avoid giving offense.
"No drinks, no drinks. I still have to take the students back afterward."
Cao Jingjun couldn't hold his liquor well, so he didn't want to drink anyway.
Throughout the meal, Qi Zheng and Cao Jingjun chatted, occasionally encouraging the students to eat. "Dig in, don't be shy. The food at Pinewave Garden is pretty good..."
The food really was good, with the light flavors common in Eastern Guangdong. But as they ate, Chen Zhu suddenly realized that Qi Zheng did seem to carry some weight at SYSU.
Many younger faculty members made a point of coming over when they saw Qi Zheng. "Section Chief Qi."
Even the professors and associate professors smiled and nodded to him.
He's got real clout.
That was what Chen Zhu thought.
Even Cao Jingjun couldn't help remarking, "Of the six of us who shared a dorm back then, you've done the best for yourself, Qi."
"Oh, hardly."
Qi Zheng said modestly, "If I could, I'd retire early. I'd much rather brew some tea at home and read a book. Cao, you know collecting books is my favorite hobby."
There was something distinctly phony about that modesty. Chen Zhu had often said things like that himself in the past.
"Of course I know."
Cao Jingjun nodded. "You were collecting books everywhere back in college. Have you got ten thousand at home now?"
"Over fifteen thousand!"
There was an unmistakable pride in Qi Zheng's voice.
"See? See..."
Cao Jingjun still had his high school teacher's habits. Whenever something came up, good or bad, he took the opportunity to educate his students. "You should all learn from Mr. Qi. Develop a love of reading and collecting books, and cultivate yourselves..."
Normally, this was where Chen Zhu and the others should have chimed in with something like, "A mind enriched by books lends grace to a person. No wonder your words and manner are so full of poetry. We've learned so much from you..."
The point was simply to make the meal as pleasant as possible.
There was no chance of relying on Deng Qian, Song Shiwei, or the others for that. Chen Zhu fiddled with his chopsticks and was about to shoulder the burden himself.
Just then, a young faculty member came over. He had probably heard Cao Jingjun's remarks, because he said with a cheerful smile:
"That goes without saying. As they say, a mind enriched by books lends grace to a person. Our Section Chief Qi is a true scholar. His words and manner are full of philosophy, and we learn something new every time we talk to him."
Damn!
There's competition even in this lane? Chen Zhu thought.
Not that I'm trying to compete. I really just want everyone to enjoy the meal.
But Qi Zheng had clearly heard far too much flattery of that sort. He wore a polite, social smile and barely responded.
Hmm...
Chen Zhu thought for a moment, then set down the chopsticks he had been fiddling with. He waited for the young faculty member to finish flattering Qi Zheng before saying, "With so many books, Mr. Qi, you must have a beautiful study at home."
Bingo!
Those words seemed to scratch exactly where Qi Zheng itched most.
He had long since grown tired of compliments about himself, and they no longer stirred him in the slightest. But Chen Zhu's remark instantly got him talking again.
"When I moved a few years ago, I actually made the bedrooms smaller during the renovation so I could set aside a whole sixty-square-meter room for my study."
"Cao, let me tell you, I even went to the manufacturer to have those bookshelves custom-made. Two hundred kilometers there and back!"
"Now, whenever I get home, I don't go anywhere else. I just love spending time in my study."
As Qi Zheng talked with relish, he couldn't help taking a few extra looks at Chen Zhu.
"He's one of the students in our advanced class. He's levelheaded in both his words and actions, and he has a shot at Tsinghua and Peking Universities this year..."
Cao Jingjun offered an introduction from the side. A student who knew how to talk only made his teacher look better.
Chen Zhu, for his part, was in no hurry to explain that he intended to apply to SYSU.
Some twists needed time to unfold.
Some goodwill also needed to be saved for the right moment.
After lunch, Cao Jingjun led the students away from SYSU. On the bus back, Chen Zhu asked curiously, "Mr. Qi seems to be very well respected at SYSU."
"Of course."
Cao Jingjun, who had been hoping for a midday nap, opened his eyes and smiled. "He's the head of the Budget Management Section. If you want to organize anything at SYSU, you simply can't get around him."
Chen Zhu immediately understood how much power that position carried.
Although the Budget Management Section wasn't directly involved in student affairs, whether it was the student union or the Youth League Committee, any funding request for an activity would ultimately land on Qi Zheng's desk.
"Oh, about that professor from the Marxism School..."
Cao Jingjun hadn't forgotten Principal He Yong's instructions. He told Chen Zhu, "I asked Qi Zheng today, too. The professor from the Marxism School was giving a lecture at the Party School today. We'll try again when there's another opportunity."
Enough, that's plenty.
If you introduce me to a professor from the Marxism School too, I'm afraid that after four years of building connections, I'll actually have to stay at SYSU as its president, Chen Zhu thought.
After they returned to school, they were free to do as they pleased, since Sunday afternoons were time off.
Deng Qian, Kang Liangsong, and Sun Xueyong were boarding students, so they went to the classroom to study.
Chen Zhu, Song Shiwei, and Cheng Mengyi all lived off campus. They chose to go home first, then return for evening self-study.
Evening self-study began at six thirty. Students who arrived early usually chatted, and Mou Jiawen was talking to the girls in the back row about the plot of Taiwan's wildly popular idol drama, The Prince Who Turns into a Frog.
When she saw Song Shiwei arrive, Mou Jiawen immediately abandoned the other girls and turned to her. "Shiwei, was today's event fun?"
Song Shiwei thought of SYSU's library. Its atmosphere had made her feel comfortable, so she nodded.
"What about Chen Zhu?"
This was what Mou Jiawen really wanted to know. "Did he confess to you or anything?"
"No."
Song Shiwei's reply was cool.
"Huh?"
Mou Jiawen was a little disappointed. It was already the Second Mock Exam, and if Chen Zhu still hadn't made a move, then perhaps she really had misjudged things.
"So you just attended the whole event normally?"
Having heard no gossip, Mou Jiawen clearly wasn't ready to give up.
Unexpectedly, at those words, Song Shiwei's pen paused just as she was about to begin her homework.
"Hm? Something happened?"
Mou Jiawen instantly became as excited as a puppy. "Shiwei, tell me! Tell me! Please..."
Song Shiwei apparently couldn't withstand her deskmate's pleading either. Her gaze wavered before she finally said, "Chen Zhu asked me for my QQ."
"He asked for your QQ?"
Mou Jiawen froze for a moment. "Did you give it to him?"
Song Shiwei nodded, then shook her head.
"What does that mean?"
Mou Jiawen didn't understand.
Song Shiwei sighed, put down her ballpoint pen, and briefly explained how Chen Zhu had asked for her QQ.
"Pfft."
After hearing the story, Mou Jiawen immediately scoffed. "Shiwei, let me tell you, that was just a guy's lousy excuse. Even if he didn't have a pen or paper, Chen Zhu is so good at math. How could he fail to remember a seven- or eight-digit QQ number?"
"His first reaction was to claim he couldn't remember it, but he was just playing helpless. He'd already made up his mind to get your contact information."
Mou Jiawen waggled her eyebrows gleefully. "See? I was right. Chen Zhu likes you. Sooner or later, he was bound to make a move."
For once, Song Shiwei didn't argue the way she had before.
Perhaps she, too, felt that Chen Zhu's behavior was simply too absurd. What other reason could there be, apart from wanting her contact information?
"Actually, I picked up on it the very first time Chen Zhu stood up for you. Everything afterward was just supporting evidence. If, when we submit our university choices, he also wants to..."
Mou Jiawen was still chattering away.
Just then, Chen Zhu arrived in the classroom. He still remembered the important matter at hand, so he came over to Song Shiwei's desk and bent down slightly. "Did that senior add you this morning?"
Song Shiwei took a sticky note from her pencil case. A string of numbers was written on it. "That senior's QQ."
Song Shiwei must have logged into QQ after going home that afternoon and written down the number while she was at it.
"Thanks."
Chen Zhu thanked her, picked up the sticky note, and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, Mou Jiawen teased him from the side. "Chen Zhu, that trick you used to ask for her QQ wasn't very clever."
"What?"
Chen Zhu looked utterly bewildered.
"Come on! Stop pretending. I don't believe you couldn't remember those few digits."
Wearing an expression that said, "Clever me saw through you ages ago," Mou Jiawen beckoned Chen Zhu over to her side.
Once Chen Zhu came over, Mou Jiawen stole a glance at Song Shiwei, then whispered, "Next time, just ask her outright. Why go through all that trouble? Guys need to be more confident. I know Shiwei, and she doesn't dislike you at all."
"What are you even talking about?"
Chen Zhu was completely lost. Just as he was about to ask more, the bell for evening self-study rang.
Chen Zhu had no choice but to return to his seat. Mou Jiawen even turned around and mouthed encouragement: "Be-more-confident."
I've never lacked confidence...
Chen Zhu turned Mou Jiawen's words over in his mind until he suddenly realized where the misunderstanding lay.
Can people really remember this?
Looking at the seven-digit QQ number on the sticky note, Chen Zhu suddenly nudged Huang Bohan. He waved the note briefly in front of him, then asked, "Can you remember those seven digits?"
"Of course."
Huang Bohan glanced at it and answered confidently.
"What if you ate a meal and chatted with people in between? Could you still remember it several hours later?"
Chen Zhu asked again.
Huang Bohan bit his fingernail and thought for a moment. "That probably wouldn't be much of a problem either."
"You're that good?"
Chen Zhu was puzzled. "Why was my first reaction that I wouldn't be able to remember it?"
"Why indeed?"
Huang Bohan didn't quite understand either. "Only middle-aged guys over thirty-five react like that, right? Their brains have gone rusty. But we're fine."
"So that's it..."
Chen Zhu seemed to realize something. After sitting quietly for a long moment, he suddenly smacked Huang Bohan. "Damn it, don't insult me!"
"When did I insult you?"
Huang Bohan held the back of his head, sounding aggrieved.
(Votes, please! Still calmly asking for monthly votes.)
(End of chapter)
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