Cheng Che was already used to this kind of schedule.
Signing contracts, interviews, Paris —no matter how tight the schedule was, as long as it didn't interfere with the match, he had no complaints.
"Okay." He took the folder and flipped through it; the contract terms were the same as what they had discussed. "Sign it tomorrow. How long will the interview take?"
"Half an hour," Qin Lie explained. "They're a reputable media outlet; all their questions have been reviewed and approved, so there won't be any problems."
Cheng Che nodded and closed the folder.
In the afternoon, he went back to Peking University.
Although he can now take extended leave, he still needs to inform the school.
When the academic affairs teacher from the School of Mathematics saw him, his expression was complicated.
Last year, this student was still attending classes in the classroom; now, he has won two Grand Slams and has been appointed as a specially appointed associate professor by the School of Mathematical Sciences.
He felt like he had wasted half his life.
" Cheng Che, your classes this semester... just come back for the final exams as usual." The academic affairs teacher flipped through his file, a hint of mixed emotions in his voice. " Professor Liu said your situation is special, so we don't need to follow the usual procedures."
Cheng Che nodded, said thank you, teacher, finished the formalities, and left the teaching building, heading towards his dormitory.
When he pushed open the door, his three adopted sons were playing video games.
Wang Zheng was wearing headphones, Zhou Hao was lying on the bed, Li Yuan was sitting in a chair staring at the screen.
Hearing the door open, all three turned around at the same time.
"Ta-da! I'm back!"
"Godfather!" Wang Zheng ripped off his headphones, sprang up from his chair, braced himself on the edge of the table, and stared wide-eyed. "You're back? The French Open Champion's back in the dorm?"
Cheng Che smiled and placed the bag he was carrying on the table. He then took out three small boxes and handed one to each person.
"Here, these are souvenirs I brought for you!"
Wang Zheng took the box, examined it twice, then held it up to his eyes, squinting at the engraving on the pen cap, his mouth stretching to his ears:
"That must have cost a lot of money."
"A souvenir, not expensive."
Zhou Hao opened his box, took the mechanical watch out of it, and held it up to the window to see how the light shone through the dial.
He stared for a while, then turned his head, his mouth slightly open:
"Godfather, did you also take all the souvenir shops in France with you on this trip?"
Li Yuan was the slowest to unpack it. He carefully lifted the wine bottle from the box, bringing his eyes very close to the label. After reading the year, he looked up and adjusted his glasses.
"This year's... it must be expensive, right?"
"Just drink it," Cheng Che said nonchalantly.
The three of them exchanged a glance.
Wang Zheng put the pen on the table and patted his chest:
"Godfather, we're treating you to dinner tonight. It'll be the Sichuan restaurant near the school gate. It'll be the three of us treating you. Don't think it's too modest."
Cheng Che thought for a moment and remembered that he had promised Su Miaoyin that he would cook for her.
Before going to South Korea, she specifically mentioned, "You owe me a meal."
"Can I bring one person with me?" he asked.
Wang Zheng tilted his head, raised his eyebrows, and exchanged a glance with Zhou Hao.
Li Yuan pushed up his glasses, tucked his chin in slightly, and asked cautiously, "Who are you bringing?"
" Su Miaoyin."
In the evening, at the Sichuan restaurant near the school gate.
Inside the private room, Su Miaoyin sat next to Cheng Che.
She held the menu in her hand, flipped through it, then turned to look at him, her eyes bright. "This, boiled fish, do you like it spicy?"
"Anything is fine."
"Then I'll order." She turned to the waiter and named a few dishes, paused halfway through, tapped the menu with her finger, and added, "Also, sweet and sour pork ribs, not spicy."
After the waiter left, Su Miaoyin closed the menu and put it aside, then picked up the teapot and poured Cheng Che a cup of tea.
After pouring the tea, she put down the teapot, reached out and straightened the bowl and chopsticks in front of Cheng Che, placing the chopsticks on the chopstick rest and the bowl in the center. Then she reached out and pulled the chair a little closer to him.
"Did you go back to school to complete the formalities today?" She turned her head, her hand still resting on the back of the chair.
"Hmm." Cheng Che picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"All done?" Su Miaoyin looked at him, waiting for his answer.
"It's done."
"So you'll be in the Capital City for the next few days?" Her tone rose slightly, as if she were expecting something.
" Paris tomorrow afternoon." Cheng Che put down his teacup, somewhat embarrassed.
Su Miaoyin stopped fiddling with the chopsticks.
She looked up, her mouth slightly open, and then muttered unhappily.
"Flying again? You just got back, and you're not a pilot."
Her voice lowered, and she clearly sounded somewhat unhappy.
"There's an event at LV that I have to go to," Cheng Che said, turning his head to look at her. "It's the only one before Wimbledon."
Su Miaoyin nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
After all, she was just being a little temperamental to make Cheng Che pay more attention to her.
The three adopted sons sitting opposite him looked rather strange.
Wang Zheng stared at Su Miaoyin's actions of putting food on Cheng Che. His chopsticks hovered in mid-air, and he held onto a piece of twice-cooked pork for a long time without putting it in his mouth.
Zhou Hao sat next to him, poked at a piece of ginger in his bowl with his chopsticks, swallowed it without chewing, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Li Yuan was the quietest, but he didn't say much throughout the entire process. Only when Su Miaoyin put food on Cheng Che's plate again did he push up his glasses, causing the lenses to reflect light.
The three of them never expected to be forced to witness such a romantic scene!
Su Miaoyin picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs with Cheng Che chopsticks and put it in Cheng Che's bowl.
Then she picked up a piece, chewed it a couple of times, turned to look at him, and said gently, "Try this, it's better than the one near our school."
Cheng Che nodded, and just as he put the rib in his mouth, he felt three pairs of eyes shooting towards him at the same time.
Cheng Che gave a wry smile.
Wang Zheng and Zhou Hao ate their meal very heartily, but what they ate most heartily was their gaze.
Whatever dishes Su Miaoyin puts on Cheng Che's plate, they grab those dishes and put them into their own bowls.
Zhou Hao placed the last plate of sweet and sour pork ribs in front of him, protecting the plate with one hand, and said, "I've been lacking sugar lately."
Cheng Che looked at them and, for the sake of dormitory harmony, said something after finishing his meal:
I'm going back to my dorm to sleep tonight.
Wang Zheng paused for a moment, then slowly put his chopsticks down, his expression softening slightly.
Zhou Hao nodded and pushed the plate he was protecting back.
Li Yuan pushed up his glasses and said, "That's alright."
Su Miaoyin overheard this, pouted slightly, her lips turning outwards, but she didn't say anything.
Although she couldn't coax Cheng Che to her house, it would be great if they could have a meal together.
The next morning, at Porsche Greater China headquarters.
Cheng Che signed the contract, the other party's representative shook his hand with a sincere expression.
"Mr. Cheng, at Porsche, we've always had a philosophy of 'precision.' Your precision on the field and our precision in car manufacturing are aligned. We are honored to work with you."
Then comes the Apple.
The signing took place in Apple's office building. After Cheng Che signed the contract, the other party handed him a brand-new iPhone engraved with his name and the date of his French Open victory.
In the afternoon, he participated in a brief interview, where he was asked a few questions about the French Open and Wimbledon, and then the interview ended.
That evening, he and his team flew to Paris.
Meanwhile, online, the pre-show hype for LV's Fall/Winter Haute Couture show has quietly climbed to the top of trending topics.
The reason wasn't because of Cheng Che, but because fashion events of this caliber are always a battleground where fans from all sides compete to show off their best.
Who sits in the front row, what they wear, who's in the same frame with whom—everything can be discussed for ages.
Cheng Che's absence from the show's lineup actually attracted attention.