Since it’s impossible to avoid Fang Siyu this semester and they’d have to meet eventually for marriage in the future, Fang Jingcheng figured it would be better to get Xia Fu’s thoughts on the matter now, preparing her in advance.

After thinking for a while, Fang Jingcheng pressed a button and invited his girlfriend to meet him at the small garden in Yingcai Courtyard to discuss course selection.

“I’ve spoken to Teacher Zhou,” he said. “I plan to follow our group’s research focus for the core subjects, and I’ve already got enough credits for those. As for the other courses, they all seem pretty similar.”

There weren’t many students in the Yingcai class, so everyone was cautious when choosing new courses. After Xia Fu took a tour around the teaching building, there were still plenty of seats available in the system.

Maybe it was because his roommates had gone out for a meal without him, or perhaps because Xiaowei had turned him down for shopping, but Fang Jingcheng had seemed unusually tense over the past few days. When Xia Fu entered the study room, she found him frowning, slumped over the desk, looking bothered by someone’s lack of response.

Might as well cheer him up.

Xia Fu, who was initially sitting upright, subtly leaned closer. She affectionately rested her head on Fang Jingcheng’s shoulder, pretending to examine his course list out of curiosity, and said softly, “Any recommendations? We could take a class together.”

Fang Jingcheng glanced at her, his expression softening instantly, though he playfully drew out his words, asking, “You want to take a class with me?”

“Yes.” She lifted her arm, which was pressed against him, reaching around his back and gently counting his vertebrae. In her mind, she imagined a fluffy tail swaying happily at the base of his spine.

“I’ve been a bit busy lately,” she murmured. “I kind of miss you.”

Unable to wrap her arm around his waist fully, Xia Fu pressed her hand onto his back as if to affirm her feelings. Leaning against his arm, she listened as his low voice resonated from his chest, like a gentle hum, “I do have some recommendations, but it depends on what you’re interested in. What do you plan to do in the future? Do you want to continue with research under Teacher Zhou, or jump straight into work?”

“I want to try finding an internship first.”

Right now, the money she had was either Fang Jingcheng’s allowance or her parents’ inheritance—neither of which felt reliable. Watching the balance in her account made her feel uneasy and uncertain about the future.

Maybe it was because she’d been poor and struggled for so long; she yearned to graduate quickly and prove her worth.

The current wave of financial technology aligned perfectly with internet development; with her top-tier school and good grades, some internship experience, and competition awards, she might have a chance at a stable career after graduation. If she kept studying, sure, a degree could open certain doors, but without steady income and with new policies emerging every day, she might even need referrals from more experienced classmates just to get a job.

While this line of thinking felt practical to her, it might come across as short-sighted to someone like her professor or to wealthy second-gens like Fang Jingcheng. Especially Zhou Hongxia—Xia Fu felt she was just starting in the field, barely touching the surface. By the time she reached her doctorate, she might actually contribute something meaningful to Zhou Hongxia’s group, yet here she was, planning her exit.

Feeling guilty about letting her mentor down, Xia Fu had shared her future worries when discussing course selection with Zhou Hongxia. Unexpectedly, her mentor had laughed, leaning back in her leather chair, clearly amused.

“What are you even thinking? You’re far from helping me,” she chuckled. “If anyone would feel disappointed, it’d probably be your senior brother Sun. He’s always telling me how efficient you are with data handling in the lab, insisting your name should be on any co-authored papers.”

“Sorry, I guess I was overthinking it.”

Seeing Xia Fu’s face redden, and knowing how straightforward and soft-hearted her student was, Zhou Hongxia gave her a few reassuring words after teasing her. “I’m your professor, but I’m also your teacher. Teaching you is my job; there’s no debt to repay here.”

“As for whether you should continue studying or go into the workforce, life’s not so black and white. It’s okay if you want to explore a bit. Our group will always welcome you back if you ever decide to pursue an on-the-job postgraduate degree. And if you succeed out there, you could even bring some corporate projects back with you.”

With her fingers interlaced, Zhou Hongxia’s warm gaze gradually eased the knot in Xia Fu’s heart.

The desire to repay others wasn’t silly.

Xia Fu traced her fingers along her boyfriend’s neck, her hand gliding over his smooth skin, and murmured, “I’ve seen that internships in quant positions can pay a few hundred a day. After saving for a month, I could probably afford a new tie for you. I still remember how handsome you looked that day you wore a suit, standing under the lights.”

Around the school, there were several formalwear shops. With graduation season approaching, the streets would be filled with eager “insurance agents” in smart attire. But Fang Jingcheng was genuinely dashing, standing tall and proud, like a leading man from an old Hong Kong movie. Every time he leaned down to speak to her in that deep voice, she wanted to cup his smiling face and study him up close.

Being unique was a rare and desirable trait, and Xia Fu was quite willing to spend money on a nice “bow” for him.

Fang Jingcheng loved this.

He held her hand in his palm, rubbing it back and forth, pretending to be generous as he said, “Oh come on, I’m your boyfriend. You don’t need to save up to buy me gifts.”

Seeing that his mood was back to normal, Xia Fu didn’t continue to humor him. She mimicked his earlier tone perfectly, dragging out her words to ask, “Oh? So, do you want a gift?”

He seemed to get a bit shy, like she’d hit a soft spot. Blushing, he murmured softly, almost like a reserved girl, “Yeah, I do.”

In fact, he wanted her to graduate and marry him, return with him to manage Blue Star Group, rather than continue with her studies.

Quantitative finance was a good field, defining a company’s future direction and often the core department in securities firms, with generous benefits. The position required a high academic threshold and was only open to top-ranking students with competition experience from elite schools, plus there were hidden expectations for a good image and communication skills.

Yet, behind the glamorous facade lay high-intensity metrics pressure and some industry-recognized unspoken rules.

In his circles, there were plenty of wild kids who loved to brag at parties about how they’d managed to woo beauties within their departments with their extensive resources.

Compared to them, even his least-favorite Fang Siyu seemed like a “decent guy.”

Rather than pulling strings to introduce her to a top-tier internship in the business world, it felt safer to place her directly into Blue Star Group, where he could keep an eye on her.

“If you’re keen on an early internship, I do have an elective recommendation. Here, look at this…”

He gazed at her tenderly, lifting her wrist to unlock the screen with her finger.