I can’t figure it out.
My brain hurts.
Let alone He Xin, even Mu Fan and Shui Mingyue now look at Wen Ying with pure awe: “Little Fish, you’re bloody brilliant!”
Warm currents surge through Wen Ying’s heart.
With Old Fu presiding, Sun Zanguo behaved himself and finished the rest of the lesson.
The moment the bell rang, Sun Zanguo gave a loud snort, turned on his heel, and left. He didn’t want to stay a second longer!
He Xin started to follow a couple of steps, then stopped, mindful of Old Fu’s presence.
He Xin hesitated. She wanted to approach Old Fu but felt uneasy. Old Fu clearly disliked Old Sun yet was very fond of Wen Ying.
Wen Ying couldn’t care less what He Xin thought. She had endured half the class and immediately turned to Old Fu. “How come you’re here?”
Not only had he come to the literature college, but the timing was impeccable.
Old Fu smiled. “An old friend at the college heard I was in Beijing on business and invited me to attend this cohort’s graduation ceremony. Since I’d already agreed, I thought I might as well come early and have a wander round the college.”
This literature college was founded in 1950. Back then, Old Fu was just a young man passionate about literature.
From 1950 to 2007, fifty-seven years had passed. The passionate young man had become “Old Fu”. His body was no longer strong, his mind no longer as lively and creative as in his youth, his face no longer smooth. So many things had changed, yet his heart that loved literature remained unchanged.
Thanks to the accumulation of years, Old Fu’s love for literature had grown broader and deeper.
No matter how technology advanced or tastes shifted, literature would always have its audience.
Old Fu hadn’t come specifically to slap Sun Zanguo in the face. The old man knew this training cohort included many bestselling authors and simply wanted to chat with everyone.
In Old Fu’s eyes, commercial writing and traditional literature were equally important.
So Old Fu neglected no one. That midday, the college canteen was unusually lively. All the trainees, Wen Ying included, gathered round Old Fu and talked.
Everyone could see Old Fu liked Wen Ying very much, but he was patient with every single trainee. The old gentleman treated them all the same!
Old Fu’s personal charisma was overwhelming. The two clearly divided factions in the training class gradually set aside their mutual prejudices.
He Xin had been afraid to get too close to Old Fu at first, yet before she knew it she was sitting right beside him.
The afternoon graduation ceremony went smoothly. After the group photos, Wen Ying returned to the dormitory to pack.
On her way downstairs, she ran into He Xin.
He Xin stopped her. “There’s one thing I want to explain. That night, I wasn’t the only one who saw you leave the hotel with a man… I never spread rumours around the college.”
He Xin still possessed basic professional ethics.
Clearly, He Xin had not only witnessed Wen Ying and Zhong Yong leaving the hotel, she had also seen another “eyewitness”.
However, He Xin had no intention of telling Wen Ying who the rumour-monger was.
He Xin thought Wen Ying would press her, but Wen Ying walked straight past, suitcase in hand.
“Teacher He, I actually don’t want to bother with this sort of boring nonsense. There are far too many unknown territories waiting for me to explore. I hope Teacher He feels the same.”
Wen Ying passed He Xin, turned back, and smiled. “In this world there are two kinds of literary critics, one like Old Sun, the other like Old Fu. Which kind does Teacher He want to be?”
He Xin was completely stunned.
This time, Wen Ying walked away with her suitcase without looking back.
At the college gate, Mu Fan and Shui Mingyue were already waiting.
The month of closed training had forged a deep friendship between Wen Ying, Mu Fan, and Shui Mingyue. None of the three planned to leave Beijing immediately. They intended to spend a couple more days sightseeing together.
Xie Qian had already gone ahead to Shanghai.
Peng Guoqing hadn’t gone.
Peng Guoqing came to act as tour guide for the three of them. He was hopeless at most things, but when it came to eating, drinking, and having fun he was a professional. With him making the arrangements, Wen Ying didn’t have to worry about a thing and enjoyed a relaxed tour of Beijing.
On the day they parted, Mu Fan casually asked, “That good friend of yours only visited the college once. Is he very busy?”
Wen Ying nodded honestly. “Yes, he really is busy.”
In truth, Xie Qian wasn’t that busy.
Wen Ying knew Xie Qian deliberately avoided appearing at the college too often because he didn’t want to cause her trouble.
Anyway, the two of them were on the phone and texting every day. Whether they met in person or not didn’t matter much~
Peng Guoqing pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.
Good heavens, is this Mu guy trying to poach Xie Qian’s girl?
Peng Guoqing cleared his throat. “What does it matter if you see each other a lot or a little now? Once term starts, you’ll see each other every day whether you like it or not!”
Mu Fan only smiled.
University is a new stage of life. Seeing someone every day is meaningless. Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes.
Mu Fan did have an ulterior motive, but he had no wish to play the villain in someone else’s love story.
He absolutely respected Wen Ying’s choice… but until Wen Ying and that “good friend” made their relationship official, Mu Fan felt he still had the right to express interest.
It broke no laws and violated no morals.
Shanghai, eh?
Mu Fan remembered he also owned a flat in Shanghai. A professional writer can work anywhere. Spending some time in Shanghai would be perfectly normal.
However, Mu Fan didn’t tell Wen Ying his plans. Once Wen Ying started university in Shanghai, they would naturally run into each other.
Four days after the literature college training ended, Wen Ying finally returned to Rongcheng.
When she got home, she spotted an unopened postal parcel on her bedside table.
“This is…”
Chen Ru stood in the doorway, barely hiding her smile. “Your university admission letter. It arrived yesterday.”
Wen Dongrong had been very disappointed that Wen Ying hadn’t applied to Tsinghua or Peking University, but the moment Aurora University’s letter arrived, he wanted to rush out and show it off.
He didn’t get the chance. Chen Ru stopped the eager fool of a man and insisted on leaving it for Wen Ying to open herself.
“Mum, you’re really big on ceremony nowadays!”
Wen Ying grumbled, reached out to open it, then held back.
“Dad will be off work soon. Shall we wait a bit and open it together?”
Life needs a sense of ceremony. They had already waited this long, so Wen Ying didn’t mind waiting another couple of hours.
Chen Ru shrugged. “Up to you. It’s your letter, you decide.”
When Wen Dongrong got home, though, he was preoccupied. Even after Wen Ying opened the letter, he only glanced at it listlessly and seemed distracted.
Chen Ru told Little Wen to ask Old Wen what was wrong. Wen Ying plonked herself down beside her dad. Before she could speak, Old Wen confessed on his own.
“I pulled strings to get your Uncle Li transferred to Rongcheng. The paperwork is being processed. He’ll officially start work here next month.”
Wen Ying was astonished. “You actually managed to get Uncle Li transferred?”
That was no easy feat. Her dad had really managed it. It looked like Old Wen had finally secured a firm foothold in his Rongcheng unit.
But if everything had worked out, why was her dad still so gloomy?
Wen Dongrong sighed. “Old Li is coming to Rongcheng, but I might have to leave. The leader spoke to me today and asked if I’d be willing to follow him to another province.”
