Zhou Hong was stunned.
Actually, after Xue Xi’s thesis was published, he had paid attention to her online. However, there was a huge difference between the photo and the person herself. Moreover, her red hair did not match her image at all. No one would have expected that she was Xue Xi.
It was just like how many internet celebrities could not be recognized in real life. Some celebrities might even go ignored when they walked on the streets.
When he returned to his senses, Zhou Hong finally reacted and hurriedly shook the junior’s hand. “Sister Xi, so it’s you. Why didn’t you go look for the professor?”
Xue Xi looked at the calculations on the table. “I’m a little busy.”
Zhou Hong instantly understood.
He turned to look at the senior and did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Isn’t it too much of a waste for Sister Xi to calculate these things here?!”
Until he said this, the senior still had not reacted.
Xie Yingying, Zhang Hao, and the rest were even more stunned.
They knew Zhou Hong, but from his attitude toward Xue Xi…
Xie Yingying looked at Xue Xi and then at Zhou Hong. She could not help but say, “Sister Xi, y-you really know each other?”
Xue Xi did not reply.
However, Zhou Hong said, “We didn’t know each other in real life.”
Her words made the senior heave a sigh of relief.
However, Zhou Hong continued, “But we’ve been acquainted for a long time. After all, Xue Xi’s name is well-known. Sister Xi, let me tell you, all the professor’s students have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Everyone wants to see what a junior who can solve a world-class problem looks like!”
Senior: “!!!”
She was stunned and looked at Xue Xi with a complicated expression.
Of course, she knew Xue Xi’s resume. After all, it was too easy for a teacher to investigate a student. However, she did not expect that Xue Xi would actually catch the eye of Director Feng!
She thought back to what she had just said about how doubtful it was for Xue Xi to know Director Feng. It was simply a slap in the face.
She instantly smiled and took a step forward. “Junior, look, this is really a misunderstanding! I didn’t expect you to actually know Director Feng…”
Xue Xi raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know him, then it’s fine for me to be oppressed?”
The senior choked.
Zhou Hong also looked at her and frowned. “No, Sister Xi, why did you come to this project to help? If you wanted to do a project, you could totally join ours! I have a project on hand and the teacher has given me full authority. I’m out of ideas. Can you help me?”
Xue Xi did not even have the time to write a thesis back then. It was Professor Feng who’d asked him to help her write it. However, Mr. Guo actually dared to ask her to do basic mathematics?!
This was too wasteful!
The senior immediately understood. “Then Xue Xi, go help Senior Zhou.”
Xue Xi stared at the calculations on the table. “These things…”
The senior immediately said, “Damn, I really made a mistake in my consideration. You didn’t sleep yesterday, right? Then let’s have a break today. Rest well today and come again when you’re free tomorrow.”
Xie Yingying, Zhang Hao, and the other two boys were stunned.
However, Xie Yingying was sharp-tongued. “Senior, how can we take a break? Isn’t this urgently needed by tomorrow morning at 10 AM?”
Xue Xi: “…”
…
…
Xue Xi did not go to Zhou Hong’s laboratory because she felt bored and uninterested after listening to Zhou Hong’s experimental project.
Hence, after saying goodbye to Zhou Hong, she returned to the dormitory with Xie Yingying.
Li Zixia was lying there lazily and playing with her TikTok. When the two of them entered, she, who had no idea what had happened, sat up. “Ah ah ah, I’m dying of boredom! You guys are finally back! I’m so bored that I’m looking for bugs here!”
Xie Yingying: “What bug?”
Li Zixia passed the phone to her and said, “Look at this TikTok. Their post-production was really too good. One moment they were shown wearing clothes, then this person suddenly disappeared and their clothes fell to the ground. There was also a slow replay. I don’t know what special effects they used, but the clothes were all propped up then slowly fell down. It was more realistic than the posts by other streamers!”
She opened the other party’s homepage. “I was so bored that I watched this person’s video more than once. Sigh, I really want to film a short video too. I want to be a popular internet celebrity.”
Xie Yingying pouted. “Sister, we’re from Huaxia University. Let’s focus on scientific research and not do these useless things!”
After saying that, she turned to look at Xue Xi. “Sister Xi, since you know Professor Feng, why don’t you go look for him? The two of us can withdraw from that project. If Zhang Hao and the rest want to stay in the project, let them do so.”
Xue Xi nodded. “I’ve already told Senior Zhou Hong.”
Moreover, she’d even mentioned that Mr. Guo might be exploiting the students. Senior Zhou Hong also said that he would tell Feng Xingshen and investigate the matter.
Li Zixia pressed, “What Professor Feng?”
After Xie Yingying recounted the entire incident, Li Zixia exclaimed, “Oh my God, Sister Xi, what other secrets do you have that I don’t know about?!”
Xue Xi: “…”
Actually, she really did not know that her knowing Feng Xingshen was a secret.
After reading for a while in the dormitory, she went to the canteen for dinner with the two of them.
There were sweet and sour pork ribs tonight. As Xue Xi watched, she suddenly took out her phone, opened WeChat, and sent a photo to the “gigolo.”
She liked sweet and sour pork ribs. For some unknown reason, when she saw the dish, she wanted to share it with Xiang Huai.
After sending the photo, she realized that this action was very strange. She had never done it before.
However, Gigolo quickly replied: “Looks good.”
Xue Xi: “Do you want to eat it?”
Gigolo: “I want to eat a little kid.”
Seeing this message, Xue Xi replied in all seriousness: “When you were in school, you must not have learned your language well.”
Gigolo: “?”
Xue Xi: “You don’t even know how to use punctuation marks. Moreover, your words are inverted. This sentence should be: Little kid, I want to eat it.”
Gigolo: “…”
Xue Xi: “When you come another day, I’ll treat you.”
Gigolo: “Okay.”
…
The night passed in silence.
When she woke up the next day, she received Zhou Hong’s WeChat message: “The matter concerning you and Xie Yingying has been settled. You guys can stop going to the laboratory and go to class to earn your marks. As for the matter of Mr. Guo exploiting the students, it’s still under investigation. This kind of thing is too obscure. One can’t see anything on the surface.”
Xue Xi replied: “I understand.”
There were no classes in the morning, and the second period was at 10 AM.
Xue Xi and her dormitory mate had just arrived at the classroom when they saw Zhang Hao and two other boys staring at her maliciously.
Zhang Hao clenched his jaw and did not say anything.
However, the other boy clenched his fists and walked up to her. “Xue Xi, you’re too much! Mr. Guo gave us this chance out of good intentions. It’s fine if you’re not grateful, but how can you repay kindness with enmity?!”