Chapter 9: The Youngest Professor in the Chinese Department

Wen Zhixian stared at the message from Song Kairui for a moment. How did Gu Yuchen know that she had dinner with someone else?

[How did he find out?] she asked.

Song Kairui replied, [Not sure, but when he asked me, it was around 7 PM. Maybe he saw you during dinner?]

7 PM? That was around the time she and Mr. Qi had left the restaurant. Maybe he had seen them.

If it weren’t for Gu Yuchen’s slightly proud nature, and the fact that they had just argued, waiting for her to apologize first, he might have rushed over to question her.

She sent a message back to Song Kairui: [Tell him to stop calling me.]

Song Kairui responded: [Got it.]

Exiting the chat, she was about to put her phone down and turn off the lights to sleep when she suddenly remembered something about Mr. Qi. She opened a search engine and typed in “Hua A University Qi.” As soon as she started typing Mr. Qi’s surname, a name popped up in the suggestions—Qi Yanjing.

She wasn’t sure if it was the right person, but she clicked on it anyway. Upon seeing a photo of the back and side profile, she was certain it was Mr. Qi.

The university’s special column had a feature on him, titled The Youngest Professor in the Chinese Department. According to the article, he should be 28 this year. However, she couldn’t find a single photo of his full face, only side or back views.

The article didn’t reveal much personal information, mostly focusing on his works, academic papers, and publications.

She softly murmured, “Qi Yanjing,” noting that, just like the name, he seemed to carry an air of depth and sophistication.

He was an exceptionally accomplished person.

Even though they had met several times, they hadn’t even exchanged names. He was just a fleeting acquaintance in her life.

After finishing reading about Mr. Qi, she turned off her phone, set it to silent mode to avoid any calls disturbing her, and finally went to sleep.

The next morning, the first thing she did upon waking up was touch her ear. The muffled sound she had been hearing seemed to have disappeared.

For the past few days, every morning she would wake up and check if her ear had fully healed.

She breathed a long sigh of relief, staring at the ceiling. It felt like everything was back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened. But she couldn’t forget the slap she had received. Every time she thought about it, her heart felt heavy.

She pinched her left cheek, stretched her muscles, and got out of bed.

After making herself a delicate breakfast and eating it, she headed to the café.

“Good morning, Zhaoli,” Wen Zhixian greeted when she arrived at the café and saw Qin Zhaoli there. She naturally sat down across from her.

Qin Zhaoli pushed a breakfast plate towards her. “I thought you’d be here early this morning.”

Although Wen Zhixian had already eaten breakfast, she still took a couple of bites of the breakfast Zhaoli had brought and shared her good news: “This morning, I found out my ear has healed, so I made myself a lavish breakfast at home. That’s why I’m late.”

“Really? It’s healed?” Qin Zhaoli reached out and pressed on her left ear.

She nodded. “No more strange noises. The sound is back to normal.”

Qin Zhaoli sighed, “Don’t let Gu Yuchen off the hook.”

“Alright, I know,” Wen Zhixian replied, setting down her chopsticks as she couldn’t eat anymore. She then asked, “Why are you here so early today?”

Qin Zhaoli straightened up, placing her hands on the table, and said, “Yesterday, my parents went out for dinner, and I heard that Uncle Gu brought up the topic of you and Gu Yuchen getting your marriage certificate.”

She knew this. Gu Yuchen’s parents were very fond of Zhixian, and her own parents were very fond of Gu Yuchen. But now, with everything that had happened, things had become quite awkward.

“That was Gu Yuchen’s fault. They wouldn’t blame me for it. We’ll deal with it when the time comes.”

Qin Zhaoli nodded slowly, then seemed to remember something and smiled. “When I got here at 8 AM, I was planning to sit at that table.”

She pointed to the table by the window in the corner, and Wen Zhixian followed her gaze. It was the spot she usually sat at.

“Guess what? There was a really handsome man sitting there with a cup of coffee. I’m not exaggerating—he was incredibly handsome, with a face that just screams high IQ. But he only sat there for five minutes, exactly five minutes, and then he left.”

The moment Wen Zhixian heard this description, she knew who it was. “Mr. Qi.”

“You know him?”

She nodded and then explained to Qin Zhaoli how they had met. “I was running away from Gu Yuchen’s place, and I tripped at the door. I lost my keys and lipstick. You have no idea how desperate I felt, searching for my keys at the door, and then he brought them to me.”

“Seems like he’s a nice guy.”

Wen Zhixian agreed. “I offered to pay for his gas, but he wouldn’t take it. Maybe he saw that I’d been hit and felt sorry for me.”

She paused for a moment. “What’s more embarrassing is that Gu Yuchen came to the café one evening afterward, and we got into an argument. I lost control, and he saw it happen.”

Qin Zhaoli laughed, and Wen Zhixian sighed, covering her face. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in all these years, and every time, someone was there to witness it. Just thinking about it makes me cringe.”

“But it’s just a passing acquaintance. Even if he saw, it’s not like he’ll go around telling people,” she said. Besides, she had already treated him to coffee and a meal, so he definitely wouldn’t spread it around.

After exchanging a few more lighthearted remarks, Qin Zhaoli said, “I’m off. Gotta head to work.”

“Take care on the road, bye~” Wen Zhixian got up to see Qin Zhaoli off to her car. She only returned to the café to continue working after watching the car drive away.

During lunch, her father called. She lazily picked up the phone and heard him say, “Hey, sweetheart, are you coming home for dinner tonight? I’m making sweet and sour ribs, and your mom’s making her famous guobaorou. Want some?”

Her first instinct was to say “Yes!” but then she remembered how her parents had casually brushed her off yesterday, saying they’d eat on her behalf. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. “Dad, I already ate last night. I’ll skip tonight. You and Mom can eat for me. I don’t really need it.”

Wen Xingzhi pulled the phone away and laughed quietly to his wife beside him. “Our daughter is just like you.”

Shen Ling rolled her eyes at him, but she also found their daughter’s reaction amusing, with a smile lingering on her lips.

“Are you sure you don’t want any? I just bought fresh ingredients this morning.”

“No, I’m full from yesterday.” She was being stubborn.

Wen Xingzhi sighed dramatically. “Alright, if you’re full, I guess we won’t be making these dishes again any time soon. No point in letting them go to waste.”

Wen Zhixian gritted her teeth, feeling a bit torn.

“Alright then, you take care, sweetheart. I’ll let you go.” Wen Xingzhi started to pull the phone away from his ear and said to his wife, “Let’s make some grilled steaks tonight. I’ll pick up a tomahawk steak after work.”

Suddenly, Wen Zhixian couldn’t hold back any longer and weakly said, “I’ll come.”

Wen Xingzhi pretended not to hear. “Huh? Was that you, sweetheart?”

“Grill the tomahawk steak just right,” she added, beginning to make requests.

On the other end, her parents were bursting with laughter. Wen Xingzhi responded, “Alright, we’ll make it for you tonight.”

Even as she chastised herself for giving in, the smile on her face betrayed how happy she really was.