Working steadily on a proposal was clearly not the same as working steadily on academic research.
There were countless office workers willing to knuckle down and write proposals, but very few people could truly devote themselves to scholarship, especially in a modern society overflowing with material desires. The latter was genuinely rare.
Jiang Wei came from a privileged family. With that safety net, he had far more choices. He could have been high-profile like his younger brother Jiang Zhe. Of course, Jiang Wei’s choice to focus quietly on scholarship might stem precisely from that family support. He did not need to worry about future livelihood, so he could remain so composed.
Whatever the reason for Jiang Wei’s approach, Wen Ying genuinely admired people like him.
In any case, Wen Ying herself had not reached that level. She was no longer short of money now… well, no longer short of small money. She was still very short of big money.
If anyone tried to persuade Wen Ying not to consider the economic benefits of her writing for the sake of artistic purity, she would tell them to get lost as far as possible.
Wen Ying firmly believed her creations had economic value.
Anyone who tried to deny that would be classed by Wen Ying as a freeloader.
Since Wen Ying could not reach that realm herself, she naturally admired those who could. Still, considering Jiang Zhe was known as “Fudan’s richest student”, the Jiang family must be far wealthier than Wen Ying’s. It was quite normal for Jiang Wei not to care as much about financial returns.
For the sake of friendship, Wen Ying could give Peng Guoqing plenty of extra points.
But even after adding those friendship points and comparing Peng Guoqing to Jiang Wei, it still seemed he had little chance of winning.
Professor Shen did not know whether Jiang Wei and Xie Tang were dating, but he had never heard of Jiang Wei being close to any girl before.
Sending a girl back to her dormitory was behaviour Professor Shen would not have believed of Jiang Wei if Peng Guoqing had not seen it himself.
“Has the lad finally come to his senses? We were worried he would bury himself in scholarship and miss his chance at marriage.”
When even Professor Shen said that, it was over.
Peng Guoqing’s expression grew more dejected.
Leaving Professor Shen’s home, Wen Ying asked Peng Guoqing, “Now you know about Senior Brother Jiang. What do you plan to do? I mean, if Sister Tang really is dating him, would you try to sabotage it?”
Peng Guoqing’s heart, already broken into eight pieces, splintered into sixteen. The thought of Xie Tang having a new boyfriend made it ache sharply. “I want to sabotage it… but I am afraid Sister Tang would hate me for it.”
Last time he had only narrowly escaped by betraying Tai Wu and the others, turning state’s evidence. Xie Tang’s stance had been very clear. How could Peng Guoqing dare try again?
Moreover, Jiang Wei was not Yan Yuchuan. The same tricks would not work.
Wen Ying breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew I had not misjudged you. You are a person with principles.”
Peng Guoqing did not want to be a person with principles at all. He was forced into it.
First, this Jiang fellow already had plenty of principles. He seemed upright and open. Peng Guoqing could not lose to him there.
Second, if he tried anything lacking in principles, friends like Xie Qian and Wen Ying probably would no longer accept him.
Peng Guoqing struggled to glue his sixteen-piece heart back together. It hurt so much that he squatted downstairs from Professor Shen’s building, unable to move.
“I really do like Sister Tang a lot.”
He had never liked anyone else besides her.
Yet why could Sister Tang see Yan Yuchuan, see Jiang Wei, but never see him?
Wen Ying did not know how to comfort Peng Guoqing.
Romance was the most unreasonable thing. It paid no heed to who came first. Sometimes liking someone was just a feeling, a spark that ignited in an instant.
Peng Guoqing was usually so lively. Wen Ying was used to him trading cheap barbs with Wang Shuang. She was unaccustomed to seeing him on the verge of tears and worried the blow might make him give up entirely. So she checked with him.
“You wrote nine versions to get the proposal approved. Xie Qian said you would lead the filming project. Are you still going to do it?”
Wen Ying knew perfectly well why Peng Guoqing had chosen a sibling-romance theme.
The story was one he was filming for Xie Tang to see. If Xie Tang had a new boyfriend, would that not pour cold water over Peng Guoqing’s efforts?
Peng Guoqing clutched his head, face twisted in pain, eyes moist. Yet he refused to admit defeat. He leapt up from the ground.
“Of course I am going to do it. I cannot let nine versions of a proposal go to waste.”
He had poured so much effort into it. Even now, Peng Guoqing could not bear to abandon it.
To quit proper work just because of a setback would be childish. Sister Tang would never like someone so immature. His friends would look down on him. Xie God would kill him.
Wen Ying’s worry turned to genuine joy. She clapped Peng Guoqing on the shoulder. “Whether Sister Tang will ever like you, I do not know. But you will be liked by plenty of girls. Peng Guoqing, you have really changed a lot.”
Peng Guoqing’s changes went beyond getting into a 211 university or patiently writing nine proposal versions. In the process, he had undergone far more important growth.
President Peng and Mrs Peng would certainly be delighted.
As a friend, Wen Ying was delighted too.
Peng Guoqing waved goodbye to Wen Ying. “Enough said. I am heading back to work right now. Not only am I filming this drama, I am going to make it good. I cannot let Jiaxin lose money.”
Wen Ying pressed her lips together firmly.
Actually, if it lost money, it would not be Jiaxin’s money that was lost, but Peng Guoqing’s own family funds.
Xie Qian had not mentioned it. Wen Ying had no intention of mentioning it either. Peng Guoqing needed pressure to stay motivated.
…
Students on winter break gradually returned to campus. Wen Ying’s three dorm mates came back too. The university grew lively again.
Sun Mingfei declared her support the moment she saw Wen Ying. “I saw the news about your signing event. What was wrong with those reporters? They barely mentioned your new book and kept talking about the quote for your film script. Whether your script is worth five million is not for them to decide. Film companies are not fools.”
Wen Ying thanked Sun Mingfei for speaking up for her and asked with a smile, “You know about the signing news. Have you read my new book?”
Sun Mingfei pulled a copy of “Exploring Jing” from her suitcase.
“As it happens, I bought one just before boarding the train. I finished it on the journey. Sign it for me.”
Wen Ying took the book and signed it with a flourish.
“Was it good? I want the truth.”
Sun Mingfei nodded. “It was good. I had not read your previous one, “Seeking Yong”. I hear it is in the same series. Now I want to read “Seeking Yong” too.”
That was high praise indeed.
Wen Ying immediately offered to treat the whole dorm to dinner that evening at the barbecue place outside the campus gate.
The other two room mates returned carrying thermos flasks.
“Have you seen the campus forum?”
Wen Ying shook her head. “Why would I look at the forum?”
“There is a post. Have you heard of Senior Brother Jiang Wei? Everyone says he sealed his heart for scholarship and stayed away from girls. Such an iron tree has finally bloomed. The forum is full of wailing.”
Wen Ying’s attention was not fully on campus matters. She knew little about many things, including Jiang Wei’s popularity at school.
Jiang Wei had done his undergraduate degree at Fudan too, securing direct admission to the graduate programme there before finishing his bachelor’s.
Campus heart-throb was never a title belonging to one person alone. Each generation brought new talent. Heart-throbs bloomed in abundance. Jiang Wei was clearly one of them.
During his undergraduate years, many girls had pursued him. Jiang Wei remained aloof and oblivious to romance. Pursuers gradually gave up. His heart-throb status faded. Wen Ying had not heard his name before.
Even a broken ship has three pounds of iron. Jiang Wei usually kept a low profile. The moment he became slightly more visible, he shot back into the campus gossip spotlight.
There was a hot thread discussing Jiang Wei’s “iron tree blooming”. Wen Ying took one look and instantly wanted to light a candle for Peng Guoqing. The thread had dug up the identity of Jiang Wei’s girlfriend. It was Xie Tang, from the same research group.
