Chapter 9: “Nanzhi, We’re Not That Distant”

Evening. 

The last class of the day had just ended. 

Shen Nanzhi and Gu Qinghe walked along the tree-lined path toward the school gate. 

As they walked, Gu Qinghe scrolled through her phone and said to Shen Nanzhi, 

“A new restaurant just opened near our university. The menu and reviews look pretty good. We’re free tonight—want to go try it out?” 

Shen Nanzhi had no objections. “Sure.” 

After noting down the restaurant’s name, Gu Qinghe turned off her phone screen and looped her arm through Shen Nanzhi’s as they stepped out of the university gate. “It’s still early. Let’s stop by a café first and sit for a while…” 

To the south side of the school gate. 

A low-profile black Pullman was parked by the roadside.

Even with the car windows tightly rolled up, the sleek black Pullman still drew frequent glances from passersby. 

Zhou Lin sat in the driver’s seat, staring intently at the entrance of Huaihai University, afraid that even the slightest distraction might cause him to miss Miss Nanzhi. 

Finally, Gu Qinghe and Shen Nanzhi emerged from the campus. 

Zhou Lin’s eyes lit up. He immediately glanced at the rearview mirror and reported to the back seat, “President Jiang, Miss Shen has come out—” 

Before he could finish his sentence, he caught sight of a young man calling out to Shen Nanzhi. His words faltered as his gaze instinctively shifted in that direction. 

Jiang Jinnian lifted his eyes from his notebook, and the scene that met his gaze was precisely the one Zhou Lin had just noticed. 

Zhou Lin had a sinking feeling in his gut. 

He anxiously glanced at the rearview mirror, silently praying that this unknown young man would quickly leave and not linger around their future madam. 

But reality, as always, had other plans.

It was not yet 4:30 PM, and only a few people were leaving the campus. Hearing the voice, Gu Qinghe turned around and immediately spotted Chi Zheng jogging toward them. 

Glancing at her friend, Gu Qinghe took the lead in asking, “Senior, do you need something from us?” 

Chi Zheng looked at Shen Nanzhi, his smile warm and gentle. “I actually have something to discuss with Nanzhi.” 

As he spoke, he continued, “Professor Lin just assigned us a new research project and asked us to handle the preliminary data integration over the next couple of days. Nanzhi, did you see the group message?” 

“Sorry, my phone was on silent. I haven’t checked it yet.” 

While speaking, Shen Nanzhi opened the group chat and immediately saw that Professor Lin had sent a new project assignment half an hour ago. 

She quickly skimmed through the attached documents before typing a brief response: “Got it.” 

Then she asked Chi Zheng, “Are we starting the data integration today?” 

Chi Zheng nodded. “Professor Lin wants us to finish it by the night after tomorrow if possible. But the data is a bit scattered, and it might be hard to explain everything clearly over the phone. I was hoping to go over it with you in person. Do you have time later? If you’re free, we can meet in the lab—I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.” 

Shen Nanzhi didn’t respond immediately. 

Instead, she hesitated and looked toward Gu Qinghe.

Having known Shen Nanzhi for so many years, how could Gu Qinghe not understand her best friend’s personality? 

Professor Lin needed the data urgently. If Gu Qinghe insisted on having Shen Nanzhi accompany her to dinner first, she would agree. But knowing her, once she got back to the dorm tonight, she would definitely stay up all night working on the project. 

And there was no way Gu Qinghe would let her precious Zhizhi suffer like that. 

So, before Shen Nanzhi or Chi Zheng could say anything, Gu Qinghe took the initiative to step aside and considerately said, 

“You two go ahead and take care of your work first. As for dinner, Zhizhi, we’ll go tomorrow night instead.” 

With that, Gu Qinghe turned and walked off, while Shen Nanzhi and Chi Zheng headed back toward the university’s laboratory. 

The project Professor Lin assigned was entirely new. To familiarize herself with it as quickly as possible, Shen Nanzhi listened to Chi Zheng’s explanation while scrolling through the messages in the group chat. 

Her attention was almost entirely on the research materials, so much so that she didn’t notice a car suddenly speeding toward them from the side. 

It was only when Chi Zheng grabbed her wrist and pulled her back that she snapped out of it.

Inside the Pullman. 

Zhou Lin, whose prayers had gone unanswered, watched helplessly as their future madam and that young man walked farther and farther away. 

What made it worse was that the young man was clearly interested in her. Whether in the way he walked or spoke, his gaze barely left Shen Nanzhi for even a second. 

Zhou Lin tried to make his breathing as quiet as possible. 

Stiffly, he glanced at the rearview mirror. 

Then, cautiously, he asked, 

“…President Jiang, should we call out to Miss Shen?” 

Jiang Jinnian narrowed his eyes as he watched the two figures walking too closely together. His gaze was dark and unreadable. 

Especially when Chi Zheng grabbed Shen Nanzhi’s wrist and pulled her behind him—at that moment, Jiang Jinnian’s expression deepened even further. 

He didn’t respond to Zhou Lin’s question. 

Instead, he gave a simple, detached order: 

“Look into him.”

Zhou Lin was momentarily stunned. 

Then, quickly realizing what was being asked, he picked up his phone and made a call. 

… 

By the time they finished processing the data and left the lab, it was already past seven. 

Some floors of the laboratory building were still lit, while others had gone completely dark. 

Chi Zheng walked alongside Shen Nanzhi as they descended the stairs and exited the building. Just as they stepped outside, something came to his mind. He pulled out a USB drive and handed it to her. 

“This contains some materials I organized earlier. They should be useful for this project. I made a copy—see if it helps.” 

Shen Nanzhi glanced at it before taking it. 

“Thank you, Senior.” 

The dinner rush had already passed, and by now, the campus wasn’t too crowded. Most of the people still lingering were couples strolling under the soft night sky. 

With his backpack slung over one shoulder, Chi Zheng suddenly recalled the scene from Mid-Autumn Festival—when the head of the Jiang Group had personally driven to campus to pick up Shen Nanzhi. 

Choosing his words carefully, he tried to keep his tone casual as he asked, 

“Nanzhi, I haven’t had a chance to ask you—President Jiang from the Jiang Group… is he your brother?”

After staring at data for two straight hours, Shen Nanzhi’s eyes felt swollen and sore. 

When she suddenly heard Chi Zheng’s question, her brows twitched slightly. She paused for a brief moment before responding vaguely, 

“He’s not my biological brother, just someone I’ve known since childhood.” 

Chi Zheng suddenly recalled a rumor from two years ago—back then, the university forum had been abuzz with speculation about her close relationship with Jiang Tingxu. 

However, not long after, the rumors had mysteriously disappeared, as if someone had deliberately suppressed them. 

Moreover, Shen Nanzhi had always kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public with Jiang Tingxu. As time passed, people stopped talking about it. These days, the only discussions about her were from the countless admirers confessing their feelings—no one mentioned the past anymore. 

If Shen Nanzhi truly had a close relationship with the head of the Jiang Group, then the rumors from two years ago about her and Jiang Tingxu might not have been baseless after all. 

Coming from an ordinary background, Chi Zheng wasn’t familiar with the unspoken rules of high society. 

But piecing everything together now, he had a rough idea of who Shen Nanzhi might be. 

Still, Shen Nanzhi had no desire to share anything about her personal background. Before Chi Zheng could ask anything further, she smoothly changed the subject. 

Then, using the excuse of needing to go back and organize data, she quickly left the campus. 

By the time she arrived back at her apartment, the sky was completely dark.

As usual, Shen Nanzhi entered the elevator and rode up, absentmindedly watching the numbers change on the display. 

When the familiar *ding* sounded and the elevator doors slid open, she instinctively stepped forward— 

Only to freeze in place at the sight of an unexpected figure standing at her apartment door. 

“P-President Jiang?” 

At the sound of her address, Jiang Jinnian extinguished the cigarette between his fingers. He lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze settling on her. 

Shen Nanzhi was caught off guard—she hadn’t expected Jiang Jinnian to show up at her apartment. 

Just before the elevator doors could close again, she stepped out, tilting her head up to look at the man who was quietly watching her. 

“What brings you here, President Jiang?” 

His tone was as calm as ever, just like the first time he’d seen her a few days ago. 

“I was worried you wouldn’t take care of yourself, so I came to check on you.” 

After a brief pause, his voice shifted into something more casual, as if merely making small talk. 

“Do you always come back this late?”

Shen Nanzhi pressed her lips together lightly and explained, “I usually come back earlier. There was something at school today.” 

Jiang Jinnian didn’t ask what it was. 

He simply gestured toward the apartment door. “Open the door. Let’s talk inside.” 

Under his gaze, Shen Nanzhi unlocked the door with her fingerprint. 

She lived alone in this apartment. 

Even Jiang Tingxu rarely visited. 

After stepping inside, Jiang Jinnian casually closed the door behind him. 

As the space became enclosed, the already small apartment seemed even more constricting. Shen Nanzhi felt a growing sense of unease at his sudden appearance. 

“Would you like some water, President Jiang?” 

She placed her phone on the corner of the table and turned to ask him. 

Hearing her address him so formally yet again, Jiang Jinnian’s brows furrowed slightly. He reminded her in a steady voice— 

“Nanzhi, we’re not that distant.” 

“Call me something else.”

Here’s the translated text: 

—