Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Miao Yunxiao snickered before looking at their class rep, Yan Kehua, “Kehua, see that? The student specially recruited by Professor He is in a class of her own, she doesn’t care about people like us!”
Yan Kehua glanced at Gu Nianzhi, then Miao Yunxiao. Although she didn’t agree, she still smiled. “Classmate Gu is just joking with you. Yunxiao is a such a friendly person, you shouldn’t take your little classmates too seriously.” She winked at Gu Nianzhi knowingly.
“What do you by little classmates?” Miao Yunxiao mimicked Gu Nianzhi’s tone and blinked.
Yan Kehua pat her shoulder. “Don’t you know? Gu Nianzhi is only 18! But, she’s already a masters student! Everyone in the faculty already saw her information earlier!”
Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly. She didn’t understand how her personal information could’ve been released to “everyone.” It was supposed to be private; only the instructors managing student files should have access to it. Gu Nianzhi draped an arm on the sofa’s armrest and asked with interest, “Oh? You saw my information at the faculty room? Who else saw it?”
“We had a student meeting at the small faculty conference room today. Our class tutor, Gui Suyao, saw your file when she was checking personal information in the archives room. She wouldn’t stop gushing about you.” Yan Kehua clapped her hands with a smile and said enviously, “Brother Huang was also there today and said he knew you from before. You went to intern at the US Congress with him for six months last year, right?”
Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, so it was the tutor who saw it.” This then was fine because class tutors should be able to check the student files.
“Yeah, Miss Gui saw it and was so shocked. We didn’t believe her when she tried to tell us, so she took out your file for everyone to see.” Yan Kehua giggled and made an “OK” gesture. “Alright, I’ve delivered the message. Yunxiao, our class meeting is going to be in Room 324 in Building 4. Nianzhi, you have to go the meeting at Professor He’s office— all his doctoral students will be there.”
“Where is Professor He’s office?” Gu Nianzhi asked carefully. She knew where He Zhichu’s professor’s building was on campus, but had no idea where his office was. Yan Kehua gave an address and Gu Nianzhi raised her brow. It was the address of He Zhichu’s residence.
“Professor He doesn’t have an official office?” Gu Nianzhi was doubtful. “He doesn’t teach in the faculty building?”
“He’s a professor and also a lawyer with tenure at a top ranking foreign school. How can he teach with all the other normal professors?” Miao Yunxiao said, irritated. “Did you forget who he is?”
“Yes, yes. Our Yunxiao knows everything! You’re the smartest.” Yan Kehua draped her arm over Miao Yunxia’s shoulder and kept flattering her. Gu Nianzhi watched them quietly.
Miao Yunxiao accepted her compliments without hesitation; she didn’t seem uncomfortable. She said to Yan Kehua, “Professor He teaches at his residence?”
“Yeah, I heard Brother Huang say so. She said Professor He’s suite is massive; it’s just the four students anyway, so it’s more than enough space to teach in.” Yan Kehua nodded with a smile and said to gu Nianzhi, “You’re lucky, Nianzhi. The rest of us aren’t.”
Miao Yunxiao glanced at Gu Nianzhi and then dragged Yan Kehua towards her room. “We can talk in here. Classmate Gu isn’t in our class anyway; she probably doesn’t want to listen about things that don’t concern her. Isn’t that right, Classmate Gu?”
Gu Nianzhi gave her a serious look, her eyes dark. She seemed to be assessing her.
Miao Yunxiao had always been good at reading people and knew what to do in order to rile up people’s different emotions. But with Gu Nianzhi, she wasn’t sure at all. To Miao Yunxiao, Gu Nianzhi seemed very angry but somehow didn’t react as strongly as she’d expected. Miao Yunxiao had already labelled Gu Nianzhi as a cunning, supercilious person. Now that she knew Gu Nianzhi was only 18 but somehow had such a resilient attitude, she must be more cunning than average. Miao Yunxiao didn’t like girls who were so young but already knew how to conceal their emotions. Her character was questionable and had a bad attitude. Miao Yunxiao pouted as she pulled Yan Kehua into her room. As soon as the door closed, Yan Kehua huddled to Miao Yunxiao’s ear and whispered excitedly, “Also, I saw from Gu Nianzhi’s file that both her parents are dead. She’s an orphan!”
Miao Yunxioa’s heart dropped and she couldn’t help clapping her hands together. “That sounds right, I was just thinking why she made me feel so weird and how she kept arguing with me. I kept giving in but it looks like I knew too much.” She gestured a cutting motion over her own neck.
“What do you mean you know too much?” Yan Kehua was shocked. “What do you know?”
“She’s not that simple,” Miao Yunxiao whispered, “You said both her parents are dead and she’s an orphan, but she somehow ended up becoming a grad student! She’s also vain and cares about how she dresses. I went into her room earlier and saw that all her skin care and makeup products are high end brands! Even my cousin can’t afford some of those! How can an orphan girl like her afford these things?”
“Oh?!” Yan Kehua exhaled sharply. “Your cousin, whose father is the deputy chief of staff of the military? But she’s the daughter of a high-ranking military official!”
“Yes,” Miao Yunxiao affirmed, “But my cousin is a great person. She’s not snotty like the other children of high-ranking officials. She loves being around common people like us. She didn’t even use my uncle’s connections after she graduated to find a better job, but is a entry-level police officer.”
“Your uncle’s family sounds impressive!” Yan Kehua sighed in admiration. “Especially your cousinz You should invite her over when she’s not busy!”
“My cousin came over to B University once and I spent half the day walking around with her. She invited me home for dinner after and you wouldn’t believe how heavily guarded the place was.” Miao Yunxiao began describing the time she went to her uncle’s home for dinner.
Although she had told the story many times already and Yan Kehua also knew it very well, the two girls didn’t tire of it. There was always new information everytime she told the story.
…
Meanwhile, Gu Nianzhi shook her head wordlessly when the two girls shut the door in her face. She returned to her room and was cleaning up in the bathroom when she saw that several bottles of skin care had been moved. Due to Huo Shaoheng’s influence, she always placed her things in a certain order and remembered exactly where things were. Several things on the sink had been taken out of order. Gu Nianzhi had been in a hurry when she’d came in earlier to take off her mask and wash her face, so she hadn’t notice these changes. Now that she was putting things away, she noticed something was different. She stared at the counter with a stony face, then finally went to knock on Miao Yunxiao’s door. “Classmate Miao, are you in there?”
Miao Yunxiaoa and Yan Kehua were sharing their opinions on Gu Nianzhi; they ouldn’t act like they weren’t inside when she knocked. They had no choice but to open the door. Miao Yunxiao looked at Gu Nianzhi sternly. “Classmate Gu, what do you want? Don’t you know that it’s very rude to knock like this? We were talking in my room and you scared us by knocking out of nowhere.”
“If knocking on a door is rude, then is going to my bathroom and touching my things considered polite?” Gu Nianzhi had carried with her all the skincare and makeup from her bathroom. “You touched all these things, so I won’t use them again.” She opened her arms and all the bottles and containers fell into the trash can by Miao Yunxiao’s room.
Yan Kehua looked at the items and gasped. “La Mer? You’re just going to throw that away?!” Yan Kehua knelt at the trash can and read all the high-end brand names on the labels.
Miao Yunxiao flushed but managed to sneer, “What do you mean? I just took a look, what the h*ll are you acting out for?”
“Who knows if you only looked at them, or added things in my makeup and skincare?” Gu Nianzhi didn’t hesitate to say. ” You’ve been quite nasty to me since I’ve arrived here, and I don’t think your intentions were the best when you snuck into my bathroom. I can’t trust you, and so I don’t want to risk disfigurement.”
“No way!” Miao Yunxiao was so angry, that she actually turned pale. “Why would I add anything to your stuff? What kind of person do you take me for?!”
“Who knows what kind of person you are? It’s not like you’ve given me even the smallest comfort to find out, and now I don’t care at all. I don’t want to find out, ” Gu Nianzhi replied coldly, “However, you snuck into my room and moved my stuff around, so you’re a thief. Strictly speaking, I can even call the police.”
“Nonsense!” I didn’t steal your things; you can’t accuse me like this!” Miao Yunxiao was a little scared—she had gone to take a look and picked up the bottles when she saw the brands that her cousin used. She had thought that they were fake but they were all real.
“I do want to know something, though. I remember locking my room before I left, so how did you get in?” Gu Nianzhi crossed her arms; she had no intention of letting Miao Yunxiao off. This girl was full of evil tricks and Gu Nianzhi didn’t feel a need to let her off easy.
Huo Shaoheng had taught her that when she faced difficult people, she had to either bear it or get out. Miao Yunxiao was already acting like this on her first day of school and Gu Nianzhi didn’t want to spend the next two and a half years in hell.
Yan Kehua was also shocked. “You locked the door? That can’t be! How could Yunxiao have gotten in if you’d locked it? Yunxiao has a wealthy family, why would she do that? But you on the other hand…” Yan Kehua defended Miao Yunxiao and looked at Gu Nianzhi up and down, “You have a simple background and both your parents are dead; everyone knows this. How do you have money to buy these world famous high-end brands?”
