Chapter 07: Lecture

The elevator slowed down, bringing a sense of weight increase. Ming Can’s gaze seemed to float upward with it, landing on Chi Yao’s face, devoid of any emotion.

Whether his brother was thirty or thirteen, whether he had kids running all over the place or was losing hair all over the floor, she had never cared. Naturally, she wouldn’t be provoked by him, nor would she fall into the trap of proving herself.

She just found it amusing.

With a soft ding, the elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened in response.

Ming Can withdrew her gaze, turned around, and strode out of the elevator. Her sleek, jet-black ponytail spun midair, as if every strand of hair was declaring: Stay away from me. I don’t care about anyone.

Chi Yao had only made a casual remark, but he had overreacted, making a fool of himself.

“Class rep, wait for me!”

Chi Yao hurriedly followed after her, but Ming Can acted as if she hadn’t heard him. With brisk, determined steps, she strode straight to the hotel’s main entrance—only to come to a sudden halt.

She almost forgot about the alpaca.

She doubled back to the front desk, and retrieved the one she had bought, while Chi Yao picked up his three and trotted after Ming Can as they walked out of the hotel doors.

…

The car started and headed toward the southern part of the city.

Ming Can sat in the back seat, looking at the four plush alpacas crammed beside her, feeling like her head had grown a size bigger.

Earlier, she hadn’t wanted to take the Chi family’s car home, so she told Chi Yao she would take a taxi instead.

Chi Yao insisted on giving her a ride, and neither of them would back down. So, he made her choose between him and the three alpacas to take her home. Without hesitation, Ming Can chose the three alpacas.

In truth, she could have just tossed them out the window the moment she got in the car.

In the end, she didn’t go through with it. Firstly, because Chi Yao had helped her with a few small things today, and it wouldn’t be right to embarrass him too much. Secondly, because Chi Yao claimed that these three alpacas were a gift for Ming Can’s younger brother, the one who supposedly liked alpacas.

Ming Can felt she had no reason to refuse the gift on Miaomiao’s behalf.

The four alpacas, while not too heavy, were simply too large, each standing about seventy to eighty centimeters tall. Ming Can struggled to carry them home and, with a huff, tossed them onto the sofa.

It was past ten at night, and the world was silent. Miaomiao was fast asleep in his room. Ming Can took a quick glance inside before stepping out, stretching her waist, and then carefully cleaned each alpaca plush with a mite remover.

After finishing that, she started preparing everything Miaomiao needed for school the next day: textbooks, stationery, art kit, lunch bag, nap bag, raincoat, and a fully charged smartwatch…Tomorrow was Monday, so the little one had to wear the formal uniform, and his backpack had to be switched to the one that matched its colors.

When Ming Can was a child, she had also attended a prestigious private school, where the curriculum was rich and activities were plentiful. Everything related to school was handled by more than one nanny, so she had never realized how much trouble it actually was.

Now, she was truly experiencing the hardships of the mundane world.

After finishing everything and washing up, it was nearly midnight. Ming Can set an alarm and collapsed onto the bed.

She didn’t have an early class tomorrow, but she still had to wake up early to take Miaomiao to school.

To be honest, she was a little exhausted.

Ever since she took in Miaomiao, she had much less time for herself.

As fatigue slowly crept over her, a face unconsciously surfaced in her mind.

But within moments, she immediately pushed those thoughts away.

What kind of person was he? Rely on him to share her burden?

No need at all!

—

A new week began, and the autumn chill grew stronger as the countdown to Beicheng’s heating season had begun.

On the third floor of the university’s student activity center, Ming Can sat in the student council office, studying on her own. The midday sun cast a soft glow through the window, its diffused light outlining her delicate features with a golden shimmer. Her pen glided across the draft paper, jotting down calculations, until someone suddenly stepped inside, breaking the tranquility.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you studying here,” Chen Yixiao said, counting on his fingers. “At least a month.”

The student council office was quiet and had no competition for seats. Ming Can used to come here to study at least two or three times a week.

“I’ve been preferring the library lately,” Ming Can replied casually.

Chen Yixiao nodded and placed a cup of hot coffee on Ming Can’s desk. “Latte, the flavor you usually drink.”

Ming Can looked up and noticed that he was still holding several other cups of coffee. Realizing that he hadn’t bought it just for her, she then accepted it and thanked him.

Chen Yixiao started talking to her about work. “I heard that A University has quite a few major academic events next week. Find some time in the next couple of days to organize the details and send them to the publicity department. They’ll add them as attachments in the official account’s promotional post.”

A University and B University were geographically adjacent and both top-tier institutions. High-level academic forums and lectures frequently took place on their campuses. As a result, the student councils of both schools maintained communication, occasionally gathering information on upcoming events at the neighboring university while organizing their own. These details were then posted on the official account, allowing interested students to stay informed and participate.

Ming Can replied, “Got it. I’ll go gather the information later.”

After finishing his instructions, Chen Yixiao strolled behind her, leaned over to glance at her draft paper, and asked what she was studying.

Ming Can replied, “Brownian motion and log-normal distribution…”

“Got it.” Just hearing that made Chen Yixiao’s ears hurt. “I’ll leave you to it, Your Majesty. Your humble subject takes his leave.”

Ming Can held back a laugh. “Take care, Mr. President.”

As she spoke, she glanced down at a new message popping up on her phone.

It was from Chi Yao. He said he was strolling around the mall and asked what kind of milk tea she wanted. He’d buy one and bring it to her classroom.

Ming Can replied with a 【No need】, then placed her phone face down and stopped looking at it.

On the other side, Chen Yixiao walked out of the office, carrying the remaining cups of coffee.

At the stairwell corner, he ran into a classmate he was casually acquainted with. With a smile, he handed over a cup, saying he had accidentally bought too many.

—

In the afternoon, during a break between classes, Ming Can contacted her high school best friend, Rui Yiqing, who was now a student council officer at A University. She asked Rui Yiqing to share details of their school’s important academic events scheduled for next week.

Rui Yiqing replied quickly: 【Your nose is really sharp. Our university has several impressive lectures next week. I’ll sort them out later and send them to you.】

Ming Can: 【Love you~】

Rui Yiqing sent an eye-roll emoji in response, complaining: 【You only remember me when you need something, huh? Where have you been for the past month? Do you still remember the oath we made on the day our college entrance exam results came out that we’d meet up every week after starting university?】

Ming Can: ……

She scrolled up through their chat history. Over the past month, Rui Yiqing had invited her to study or hang out almost every week, but each time, she had declined for various reasons.

Rui Yiqing: 【Sun, moon, volcano! Don’t tell me you got whisked away by some random guy?!】

There was no random guy, only a five-and-a-half-year-old little man.

Ming Can had no way to explain, so she could only surrender dramatically: 【My bad! Let’s definitely meet up next week!】

By the time school ended in the afternoon, Rui Yiqing had sent over the information Ming Can had asked for.

Xu Jiayun sat beside Ming Can, watching as she worked on the document.

While pointing at an academic lecture hosted by A University’s School of Information Technology and Science, she said, “This one looks impressive. I want to go!”

Ming Can paused, glanced at her sideways, and asked, “Are you going for the lecture or for the guys?”

Xu Jiayun had a long-time crush on a high school classmate named Cheng Xiuyuan, who was now studying in A University’s School of Information Technology, majoring in Computer Science. Because of this secret admiration, she frequently visited A University, often attending events hosted by the School of Information Technology.

Unfortunately, the person she liked was utterly oblivious when it came to emotions. Even now, he hadn’t noticed Xu Jiayun’s feelings for him.

Xu Jiayun gave an awkward laugh. “Of course, I’m going for… the lecture! The speaker is a Turing Award winner, discussing topics on the information revolution and digital finance. It’s closely related to our major, aren’t you interested?”

Ming Can was momentarily stumped by the question.

This lecture was indeed the most valuable among all the academic events. With just a quick glance, Ming Can could tell it was worth attending.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Jiayun pushed further. “You’re interested too, right? Then come with me!”

Ming Can recalled Rui Yiqing’s recent complaints about her neglecting their friendship. This was the perfect chance to visit A University and do some much-needed damage control for their on-the-verge-of-collapse sisterhood.

“Alright,” Ming Can agreed. “I’ll ask my friend at A University if she wants to join us.”

She sent a message to Rui Yiqing on WeChat and quickly received a reply: 【At least you have some conscience left. You still remember to meet me since you’re already heading this way.】

Ming Can: 【It’s not just on the way, I’m coming specifically to see you.】

Ming Can: 【This lecture looks really popular. Do we need to scramble for tickets?】

Rui Yiqing: 【Leave it to me!】

She didn’t mention whether tickets were needed or not, so Ming Can assumed she had a way to get them and didn’t dwell on it further.

Another week passed.

On Friday morning, at the dining table, Ming Can used the glistening cherry tomatoes on her plate to help Miaomiao practice simple addition and subtraction.

In front of Miaomiao was a white porcelain plate with nine cherry tomatoes. Ming Can took three and placed them on another plate, then asked him how many were left.

Miaomiao carefully counted and answered, “Nine.”

Ming Can was shocked. “Why?”

Miaomiao could practically hear her screaming inside: [My dear boy! Have you forgotten how to count again? Nooo!]

Looking pitiful, Miaomiao counted aloud, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… Isn’t it still nine?”

Hearing him count so smoothly, Ming Can felt slightly relieved. “If you subtract these three, that means you don’t count the ones on my plate—just the ones on your own plate.”

Miaomiao asked innocently, “Why don’t I count yours if they’ve been subtracted?”

“…” Ming Can patiently explained, “Because they no longer exist.”

Children without a strong natural grasp of math often struggle to fully understand and apply the concepts of addition and subtraction. After realizing this, Ming Can simply popped the three cherry tomatoes into her mouth. As her teeth pierced the skin, the sweet and tangy juice burst inside her mouth. While chewing, she spoke gently, “Now they’re gone, right? That’s what subtraction means. Miaomiao, try counting again.”

[It’s normal for little kids to struggle with math. As adults, we should remain calm and patient, neither arrogant nor irritable. Turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into nothing. Stay serene and detached. Amitabha. Lay down the butcher’s knife and achieve enlightenment…Damn it! I swear I want to kill that idiot Chi Yao! He’s corrupted my smart little boy into this—sob sob sob!]

Hearing his mom’s intense inner monologue echoing in the air, Ming Miao shrank his neck, utterly confused as to why she was suddenly cursing his uncle. But Uncle doesn’t seem like an idiot…? Though, to be fair, he wasn’t exactly that smart either.

“Six left,” Ming Miao finally gave the correct answer, his little hands nudging the tomatoes on his plate. “Can I eat them now?”

“Yes, go ahead and eat.”

The dining table fell silent for a moment before Ming Can remembered something and reminded him, “This afternoon, I’ll be attending a lecture. Aunt Zhang will pick you up from school and take you to Zhao Zihao’s house for his birthday. When you get there, remember to give me a call.”

“Got it!” Miaomiao replied, then asked, “What’s a lecture?”

Ming Can explained, “It’s like a class held in a really big classroom, where the teacher talks about things that aren’t in the textbooks.”

“How big is a really big classroom?” Miaomiao was curious. “Is it bigger than Zihao’s swimming pool?”

Ming Can narrowed her eyes slightly. “Does Zihao often brag about how big his swimming pool is?”

She had heard Miaomiao mention Zhao Zihao a few times before, and her impression of him remained the same—he was the little boss of the class, holding a high status. His family was clearly wealthy and influential, making him the kind of kid everyone wanted to play with, Miaomiao included.

“Everyone says so! Zihao’s swimming pool is super big, and his garden is super big too!” Miaomiao said excitedly before trailing off in another direction. “It’s been so long since I last went swimming. Before, Mom and Dad used to take me…”

“Wait a second.” Ming Can suddenly interrupted him. “Why Dad? Does he live with us?”

[No way!!!]

Hearing his mom’s frantic rejection in her thoughts, Miaomiao answered honestly, “He doesn’t live with us.”

Thank goodness.

Ming Can let out a sigh of relief. “Then why did he go swimming with us?”

Miaomiao: “Because Dad doesn’t have a swimming pool at home, so he had to come and use yours.”

“…?” Ming Can was baffled. “Why didn’t he just go to a public pool? Why mine?”

“Oh, right.” Miaomiao only just seemed to realize this. He thought for a moment, then quickly came to a conclusion. “I know! Dad must have been trying to save money!”