Chapter Thirty-Three: Blame Me for Being Too Naive

  Yao Qiyun said he likes the look of Situ Xiu when she is asleep.

  After Situ Xuan went back, she locked herself in the small bathroom, facing the mirror and pretending to close her eyes. She wanted to know what kind of appearance Yao Qiyun liked about her. Unfortunately, all she saw was either a person with scrunched up eyes looking strange or just a blackness after closing her eyes. This made her feel somewhat disheartened, perhaps she would never be able to see the sleeping Situ Xuan with her own eyes, or maybe she would never be able to become the appearance he expected when she was awake.

  She actually understood what Yao Qiyun meant. Thinking back to Tan Shaicheng's tears that day, and the astonished gazes of their friends, Situ Xuan also felt that he was indeed so bad, with his sharp teeth and claws, and overbearing demeanor. He left, but later came back, probably out of helplessness, because he still liked her, yet couldn't leave, but after all, there were a few parts of disappointment.

  That day, on the way back, the two of them were silent all the way, neither of whom wanted to mention the chaotic scene that had just occurred. When they arrived home, Mr. and Mrs. Situ had already gone to bed, only Aunt Yao heard the sound of the door opening and got up to take a look, wearing her clothes. After washing up, Situ Yue turned off the lights and tossed about on the bed, like a fish in a frying pan. She would rather they were like before, slightly disagreeing and quarreling until their faces were red, or getting used to the cold words and awkwardness when they were at odds with each other. The only thing she couldn't bear was this silence that held hands, and even more unbearable was that this silence lasted until dawn.

  The desire to talk to him was so strong that it couldn't be suppressed. His room door was closed, as usual, and wouldn't be locked from the inside. It's strange sometimes, people who are heavily guarded in their hearts tend to do the opposite, as Yao Qiyun said, always locking the door tightly, as if there's something shameful inside. Sutu Xuan used to tease him as "this place has no silver", a truly innocent person wouldn't be afraid of others thinking that way, and in this house, only she would dare to enter without knocking, even his aunt wouldn't do so now.

  The room was pitch black, and he had already fallen asleep. He only woke up with a start when he felt someone approaching him. In a hoarse voice, he said: "Situ Xuan, have you taken the wrong medicine? What's going on? Why are your feet so cold?"

  He didn't even warm his hands before grasping her feet to try and drive the chill away, but at this moment, Situ Xuan discovered he had nothing to say. What words could be more sincere than skin tightly pressed together? She almost wanted to cut open her heart and let him touch it, look, it's boiling hot in here.

  "Shh! Don't make a sound, it's almost two o'clock, be careful they might hear us..." They rarely misbehaved when Mr. and Mrs. Sutu were home, it was too dangerous, especially on a midnight so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. But at this moment, Sutu Yue didn't care, and gradually, neither did Yao Qiyun continue with his unfinished concern. They devoured each other, their unspoken words turning into intense physical language, entwining, merging, as if by doing so they could grow together like conjoined twins, and separating would mean death.

  Xīu Yuè didn't know if any suspicious sounds would wake up the others in the house, but she had a crazy thought: what if her parents found out right now? Wouldn't that be a way to get everything over with at once? It would save them from going through all sorts of meaningful and meaningless procedures and worries. Of course, they would find it hard to accept, but eventually, they would have to accept it. Their daughter was having an affair with Yao Qiyun, and she would continue to have "many legs" - she had to be with him, that was the only fact. Waiting for an ideal future was too long and uncertain, and she couldn't wait any longer.

  For a moment, she thought that Yao Qiyun's mind was the same as hers, his excitement had a kind of desperate decisiveness. However, when they came back to their senses with a thin layer of sweat on their bodies, they felt that this night was still quiet like a black silk fabric without any wrinkles, this silk had an icy touch, covering their bodies, reminding those who fell from the clouds not to lose hope, what welcomed them was still a stable and orderly reality.

  "Ah Wei, wait for three more years, until we both graduate. Then I'll go tell Uncle Si Tu and Auntie Xue that I want to marry you. No matter what they think, I'll make them understand that I won't let you suffer even a bit."

  His handshake with her was firm and powerful, but when Situ Xuan lightly shook hands back, his heart was filled with melancholy.

  Three years. To her, it was a distant concept that seemed to stretch on forever, vague and hazy like the continuous mountain ranges in front of her eyes, shrouded in a vast expanse of white mist, making it impossible for her to imagine.

  After Wu Jiang's birthday, Situ Xuan's first close encounter with Tan Shaocheng was in the written test of the postgraduate entrance examination. Coincidentally, Tan Shaocheng's admission ticket number was just one place ahead of hers, so their seats were naturally adjacent. As long as Situ Xuan raised her head, she could see Tan Shaocheng's straight back, thin shoulders, and tightly tied ponytail, with a black woolen hair tie wrapped around it, revealing a flesh-colored rubber band inside. Situ Xuan didn't know why she was staring at her so carefully. For the past few days, Tan Shaocheng had been absent from class, reportedly due to illness. The news spread through the idle chatter of other classmates, with words full of sympathy for her misfortune. First, there was a sudden change in her family, and when she returned home, it coincided with her father's funeral. After finally returning to school, she fell ill again, losing weight and becoming unrecognizable. Although Tan Shaocheng wasn't particularly popular among the girls, people generally only harbored resentment towards those similar to themselves. Who would bother to hold grudges against someone as miserable as a character from "The Story of Qiu Ju"?

  The examiner handed out the test papers, and Tan Shaochen turned around to hand over the papers. In that instant, Situ Xuan somewhat awkwardly turned her head and shifted her gaze away. She was a straightforward person who rarely did anything underhanded, so this one time made her appear furtive and uncomfortable. Tan Shaochen, on the other hand, didn't seem to care, calmly putting down the test paper without giving her another glance.

  Situ Xin took a deep breath as the bell rang, trying to calm down and focus on the exam paper. She was a student who liked exams and never took them lightly, seeing each one as an opportunity to prove her abilities and efforts, which rarely disappointed. However, since the awkwardness with Yao Qiyun and the misunderstanding at Tan Shaocheng's place, she had been unable to calm down, her mind preoccupied with various things, and the graduate school entrance exam had been pushed to a corner. But she wasn't panicked, as her preparation was originally steady and stable, and her usual foundation wouldn't be lost.

  From one to seven, Situ Xuan started doing the questions. Tan Shaocheng in front of her suddenly covered her mouth and coughed lightly for a moment. Was she really sick? Situ Xuan was puzzled, did the saying "pent-up emotions leading to illness" really exist in reality? Why was it that even when she herself felt depressed to the point of madness, she would still be fine the next day? Never mind her! Situ Xuan looked at the exam questions again from the beginning, and for some reason, this time's questions were very tricky, always making people feel like they had seen them before, but the answers couldn't be determined. She needed to read each small question repeatedly to understand it, and the more she went on, the more difficult it became. She tried to treat the person in front of her as air, but there was always something in the "air" affecting her - the faint sound of a suppressed cough, the thin back that could almost see the spine, the rustling sound of the test paper... Her progress was twice as fast as hers? In her anxious state, even her trusty pen had problems, stopping and leaking a big drop of ink. Situ Xuan was so frustrated she wanted to throw it out the window. She changed to another one, but the tip was too thin, making it hard to write...

  As soon as she left the examination hall, Situ Xuan received a call from Yao Qiyun, asking her how the exam went. She was still fuming and said it was terrible. He thought she was just being a spoiled girl and didn't take it seriously, so he comforted her for a few sentences before asking if she wanted to go to San Pi's dinner invitation tonight.

  "No way!" Situ Xuan refused without hesitation. San Pi had also mentioned this to her through Wu Jiang yesterday, implying that the unpleasantness on Wu Jiang's birthday was caused by him, so he would treat everyone to a meal as an apology, and invite her and Tan Shaocheng along, so that everyone could save face and put the matter behind them.

  Situ Xuan confirmed with Yao Qiyun, telling Yao Qiyun that Situ Xuan had gone to Zou Jin's house was indeed San Pi. He only told Yao Qiyun to be careful and wouldn't say how he knew about it. Yao Qiyun, this stubborn guy, has his own principles. Whether or not he believes what others tell him is one thing, but he definitely won't immediately tell the person involved, even if that person is Situ Xuan. He knows Situ Xuan's temper and wouldn't make things difficult for San Pi. Who knew it would later become a mess that was hard to clean up?

  Although she had already made up with Yao Qiyun and didn't mention those things again, Situ Xuan couldn't help but keep an eye on San Pi. She usually treated him well, but he was emotionally disappointed and repeatedly complained to his friends around him, who were all annoyed by his nagging. However, every time she listened to him finish speaking, she would repeat her words of comfort to him. He smiled happily on the surface, but the kind of man's thoughts that made Yao Qiyun "pay attention" really made it difficult for her to digest. Moreover, how he knew about it was still an unsolved mystery, and Situ Xuan felt like there were a pair of eyes staring at her from behind, making her feel uneasy all over. As for her and Tan Shaocity, they weren't even friends in the first place, so it wasn't possible to talk about rekindling their relationship. One meal couldn't solve any problems, so it was pointless to put on some superficial show.

  "Three peels are also good intentions, this friend you just don't want anymore." Yao Qiyun sighed.

  Situ Xuan also gritted his teeth and couldn't say a word, hastily replying, "Just say I have a headache and am resting at home, you go if you want to." After finishing speaking, he quickly hung up the phone.

  Back home, her father was still busy with the 15th anniversary celebration of Jiu An Tang, so only her mother had time to have dinner with her. Seeing that she ate very little, and thinking about her exam today, she also asked how it went. Si Tu Yue shook her head.

  "Everything is prepared for, not prepared then abandoned. No matter how the exam goes, you must meet with your supervisor in advance, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Professor Gao is a very nice person, he also taught me back then, his graduate student quota is definitely in high demand. Since you have the intention of taking the exam there, we should show some respect." Xue Shaoping said as she handed her daughter a card and casually mentioned: "Find some time to visit Professor Gao, or would you like mom to go with you?"

  Situ Xuan wrinkled her nose and pushed the card back, "Professors don't do this sort of thing, it's like a clandestine transaction, I don't want it."

  Xue Shaoping said that she was still a child who didn't understand the ways of the world, but unfortunately, Situ Xin refused to listen to her. She couldn't persuade her proud and stubborn daughter, so she could only shake her head.

  In Sī Tù Jǐn's opinion, giving gifts to professors in exchange for a spot in the research program was no different from professors having unwritten rules for female students. She knew this wasn't anything unusual, and she didn't care what others did; everyone had their own way of living, and she just couldn't do it that way. However, as the results of the written exam were announced, more and more classmates in her circle who were applying to stay on campus for graduate school discussed this topic. The competition for staying on campus for graduate school at their university was always fierce, especially in their college. If Zhōu Jìn rarely took master's students, making it seem like an unattainable goal for most people, then the spots available with Professor Gāo Hè Nián were the type that made people feel hopeful if they jumped high enough, even though they had to jump a bit higher. Moreover, it was said that Professor Gāo was just as strict as Zhōu Jìn when selecting students; those whose comprehensive scores weren't in the top three basically didn't have any hope. Sī Tù Jǐn's moral education and academic performance were far ahead of others, without a doubt, but her poor performance on that written exam made her lose confidence. If she really did poorly on the exam and dragged down her previous scores, falling out of the top three would mean it was all over; moreover, there might be exceptionally excellent external competitors who would make Professor Gāo consider other options, and if she wasn't careful, the spots would be filled.

  When deciding to transfer to Professor Gao's department, Situ Xuan also sent an email to the professor, but never got a response. As she waited, she began to feel anxious. Zou Jin and Professor Gao were both top experts in their field, and if neither of them accepted her, it would be a disappointment, even if she successfully stayed on for further studies. Her mother had also said several times that she didn't understand human relationships and social norms, and that it was better to err on the side of caution and do what needed to be done. As time went on, Situ Xuan began to feel that relying solely on a single email to contact Professor Gao was too thin, and suspected that it wasn't polite enough. She didn't plan on sending gifts, but visiting Professor Gao in person to express her desire to become his graduate student seemed necessary. Anyway, she would do what she could and leave the rest up to fate; if in the end she still couldn't gain Professor Gao's approval, then so be it.

  She then gave Professor Gao a call, and after obtaining his consent, she knocked on the door of his office. Professor Gao was a well-known old professor in the institute, who had retired from a leadership position but was rehired to take up teaching duties again. He was an expert in both professional and teaching fields. He also taught Si Tu Yu, specifically pharmacognosy and biology during her junior year. Everyone knew that Professor Gao was highly respected for his moral integrity and vast knowledge, but unfortunately, his Mandarin Chinese was heavily accented with his hometown dialect, making it difficult to understand. By the end of the semester, Si Tu Yu and her classmates had hardly grasped anything he said. Fortunately, the exam content was mostly based on the textbook, and Professor Gao never made things difficult for students, so everyone managed to pass smoothly. It can be said that both Professor Gao and Zou Jin were pillars of their pharmaceutical college. Of course, Zou Jin was now at the height of his career, with unparalleled prestige, but Professor Gao's diligence and professionalism had also earned him great respect from teachers and students alike.

  The professor was as amiable as ever, inviting Si Tu Xuan to sit down and exchanging pleasantries in a casual manner, without any airs, just like an honest elder. After understanding Si Tu Xuan's intentions, he humbly expressed his gratitude for her application, then said: "I've reviewed your materials, you're excellent, a top-notch student like you... even applying to Vice President Zou's graduate program isn't impossible."

  Situ Xuan was taken aback for a moment, suppressing the unnatural expression on his face, and smiled: "Vice President Zou is very busy, I think there's more to learn from you."

  Professor Gao stroked his silver hair, smiling and saying: "I also have a heart that loves talent, but I'm old. Vice President Zou is in his prime, it's the time for him to make achievements. People tend to go to higher places, are you sure you want to follow this old man?"

  "Of course, as long as you don't mind." Situ Xin hastily nodded.

  "Of course, I welcome and believe in your achievements. You have great talent, coupled with hard work, your future is boundless! Our country's medical industry needs excellent young talents like you. The younger generation is indeed formidable, very good, yes, very good."

  Listening to Professor Gao's implication, it should mean that as long as her grades are above his standards, there won't be a problem. Sutu Jin bid farewell to Professor Gao, with her heart set on waiting for the results to be announced.

  When the written test results were out, Yao Qiyun couldn't help but laugh at Si Tu Jue's false alarm. Although she didn't get the top spot, she was still third place, and her overall score was still significantly ahead. She let out a sigh of relief and began to focus on preparing for the final interview. There were nearly fifty people from their college who had made it onto the list for graduate school qualifications, but only ten people would be granted an interview at their own school and in their own major, and Tan Shaocheng was among them. The interview would be conducted in a way that only six out of the ten people would be admitted, so its importance couldn't be underestimated.

  The night before the interview, Situ Ke borrowed an excuse to go back to school and take another look at her books. In reality, she had pulled Yao Qiyun to "The Back of Time" again. She didn't want to touch any more books now, only wanting to thoroughly relax herself. But Yao Qiyun was still making her repeat her English self-introduction in a serious tone, treating him as the examiner. As they spoke, they started laughing and fooling around together. Suddenly, her phone rang, and when she picked it up, it turned out to be Zou Jin. Situ Ke was startled, not knowing what he wanted from her. Since she had nothing to say to him, she hung up without hesitation.

  "Who is it?" asked Yao Qiyun while drinking something.

  Situ Xuan didn't delete the record, and instead let him take a look. At this time, the phone rang again, still him, he was somewhat self-aware, and quickly hung up on the second call.

  "What did he want from you? Didn't you answer?" Yao Qiyun asked in a light tone.

  "I'm not going to answer his call."

  "You really don't plan on taking his graduate exam anymore?"

  "Of course, what I said to Tan Shaochen that day wasn't just a joke?" Situ Jin made a strange expression. "However, even if she doesn't take the exam, or it's not her turn, when the time comes and she gets anxious and lost again, don't forget to comfort her."

  She finished speaking and found that Yao Qiyun's face had fallen, so she hurriedly smiled and said: "What are you doing? I was just joking."

  Yao Qiyun unexpectedly reached out and tickled her waist, causing her to shout "Wa wa" loudly.

  He smiled and said: "What a coincidence, I was just joking too. Look at you still talking nonsense, Situ Xuan."

  The interview the next day went unexpectedly smoothly, and the head of the evaluation committee was Zou Jin. Gao He Nian and six other teachers in this major were also present. The professional questions were mainly asked by Zou Jin to Sutu Xuan, who seemed very formal and businesslike. Sutu Xuan was also well-prepared and answered fluently.

  But the fact was once again beyond her expectation, she felt good, and the interview score that was supposed to be a sure win was only 13 points, while Tan Shaochen, who was excited and stuttered, actually scored 19.5 points in this item, just 0.5 points away from the full score of the interview. This made Situ Xuan shocked and uncomfortable under the strong contrast. She couldn't figure out where she went wrong, English speaking? Not likely. Professional knowledge? She reviewed her notes and didn't find any mistakes, so was it her demeanor? Was that possible? She had to associate this result with Zhou Jin's two phone calls the night before.

  She could only sulk in silence for a short while, but soon let it go. She had won many times before, but that didn't mean she had to win every time. What mattered most was the cumulative score from previous rounds. Although her interview hadn't been ideal, her overall ranking still remained unbeatable among the final ten candidates, with Tan Shaocheng coming in second. Si Tu Jue thought that with her score, it was highly likely that she and Tan would be accepted by Professor Gao together, which meant they would spend two to three years under the same boss. To be honest, this wasn't a particularly pleasant prospect. She started thinking that if Zou Jin took in Tan Shaocheng instead, that wouldn't be so bad either - at least she thought the pair was quite compatible.

  Situ Xun successfully obtained the qualification certificate with the highest score and was quite proud of herself at home for several days. Her mother's excitement goes without saying, and even Situ Jiu'an, who was busy to the point of being unable to take a break, no longer had any objections to her insisting on continuing her studies. In private, her mother quietly told Situ Xun that her father would boast about his daughter in front of clients, as if he wouldn't rest until others praised her. But at home, he would only tell her "don't be proud", saying that getting a direct PhD from the original school was nothing special, which made Situ Xun angrily say that he simply didn't understand things about school.

  It's not entirely accurate to say that Jiǔ ān didn't understand things about school. Although he hadn't been to the same school as Sī tù jué and the others, Jiǔ ān Hall was actually going to collaborate with their college on a research project, but this was something that Sī tù jué only found out after attending her father's company anniversary celebration.

  The 15th anniversary celebration of Ji'An Tang, for Situ Ji'An, was not only a memorable day but also an opportunity to reflect on the hardships of his entrepreneurial journey over the past fifteen years and reward himself for finally establishing a foothold. The banquet hall was filled with esteemed guests, including company executives, key clients, and officials from important departments, all of whom came to offer their congratulations, creating a lively atmosphere. Situ Ji'An beamed with joy, sipping cup after cup with his wife and two children surrounded by the crowd.

  Situ Xuan rarely saw Yao Qiyun dressed so formally, and it was both novel and interesting. Taking advantage of the opportunity when everyone was not paying attention, he leaned in close to his ear and whispered: "Yao Qiyun, you look great dressed like this, I really like it."

  Yao Qiyun's face turned red, looking at Sito Jie's V-neck little dress, and responded with a sentence: "Sito Jie, you're wearing this very revealing outfit, I'm not comfortable."

  Situ Jiu'an burst out laughing, attracting even more attention from the people around. Everyone praised Situ Jiu'an for his good fortune, saying that his wife was not only beautiful but also capable, and their son and daughter were both exceptional, with good looks and excellent academic performance at top schools. Under the influence of alcohol, Situ Jiu'an forgot to remind his daughter to be humble and patted Yao Qiyun's shoulder, saying, "My godson, this is going to be a great doctor!" Then he pointed at Situ Xue and said, "This is my little girl, spoiled by our family, but she's still doing well, just got accepted into graduate school with the top score!" The crowd praised Situ Jiu'an for his excellent parenting, saying that in a few years, their home would be flooded with visitors. Situ Jiu'an laughed loudly, "Oh no, oh no!" Xue Shaoping exchanged a helpless and amused glance with Situ Xue and Yao Qiyun behind his back.

  Accompanying her father, Sito Kei was surprised to find herself in front of a familiar face. The neatly combed silver hair and the gentle smile could only belong to Professor Gao. Sito Kei quickly joined her parents in greeting Professor Gao, and from their conversation, she learned that Jiu An Tang's new research and development project would be handed over to Professor Gao.

  Xue Shaoping smiled and said to Professor Gao, "Isn't this fate? Jiu'antang is cooperating with you, Professor Gao, and our family's Situ Xuan is also your disciple. It's really 'if not from the same family, then not entering the same door'."

  Professor Gao smiled all over his face, "Mrs. Situ is really good at talking, I hope our future cooperation goes smoothly, but why did Qianjin have to humble herself to my door, she has a higher position elsewhere."

  Xue Shaoping looked puzzled and turned to her daughter, who also had a stunned expression on her face.

  "Professor, what are you talking about? Are you referring to our family's Si Tu Xin..."

  "No, Mrs. Situ, rest assured, I'm just sharing some good news with you. Although I love talent, the instructor for the thousand-dollar students will be our college's Vice President Zou Jin. You must have heard of Vice President Zou's great name, he is a young elite pillar. His graduate students are not easy to get in, the last time he took master's students was four years ago. Situ Yue has ability and also good fortune!" Professor Gao said with a smile.

  "Deputy Director Zou?" The name seemed to be familiar to Xue Shaoping as well. She turned her head and looked at her daughter, Situ Yue, who also had a confused expression. She smiled and continued chatting with Professor Gao for a while before finding an excuse to lead Situ Yue to the side of the venue.

  Xīng looked at her mother, thinking that perhaps Zōu Jìnfēng's reputation had spread outside and even her mother knew about it. She was just about to explain that this wasn't what she wanted when she realized her mother had a puzzled expression on her face, but behind the puzzlement, there was no anger.

  "Daughter, didn't you say your mentor was Gao Heyan? How did it become Zou Jin?"

  "I..."

  "I really didn't expect it to be like this. My husband and I had heard of his reputation, saying that he was a talented person, and these days he's been quite popular. Actually, Gao Heyan wasn't our first choice for the project leader either. The first one we contacted was Zou Jin, but as it turns out, people with great talent are often very arrogant too. He's used to cooperating with big foreign companies and didn't take us seriously. Gao Heyan isn't as aloof as him, but after all, he's a bit older..."

  "Professor Gao just casually mentioned it, I don't know if it's true or not. Mom, I'm going to the restroom." Si Tu Jue thought that having diarrhea was a good enough excuse for her pale face.

  She rushed into the bathroom and dialed Zhou Jin's number as soon as she closed the door, and the other party answered quickly.

  Situ Xin lowered his voice and tried to suppress his anger. How could he be so shameless and ignore her rejection?

  "I told you I don't want to be your graduate student!"

  Zou Jin said at the other end: "I think I still have a say in the whole process of selecting and arranging postgraduate studies."

  "You're not going to get what you want from me, you've got the wrong person."

  She originally admired him so much, but he made all of this an illusion, to the point where she could no longer maintain even a shred of respect for him.

  Zou Jinchai hesitated for a moment, his voice also carrying a hint of anger, "Situ Xuan, you may not have understood me either. What do you think I want to get from you? Do I really want to follow that old guy Gao Heyan and muddle along?"

  "Professor Gao is much better than you in my eyes, at least he won't, won't...at least his character is better than yours." Si Tu Jue retorted.

  Zou Jin let out a cold laugh, "I might as well tell you, Gao Heyan's admission quota has already been decided, and even before me, there was no place for you. You're simply too naive, you don't know that any student who contacted me at the same time as choosing a mentor would absolutely not be wanted by him, whatever I agree with he will definitely oppose."

  Situ Xuan was shocked, "I don't care about your affairs, can't you two choose a mentor in the entire institute?"

  Zou Jin slightly prolonged his tone, "Situ Xuan, Situ Xuan, don't you understand why your interview score is so low?"

  "What does your struggle have to do with me? Why drag me into this?" Her blood rushed to her head.

  "Yes, it's my fault." Zou Jin said dejectedly, "I think I need to talk to you about something."

  "Sorry, I don't want to!" Situ Jin slammed the phone shut. When he brushed his hair away from his forehead, he suddenly realized that he was covered in cold sweat.

  She washed her face and walked out, with Yao Qiyun waiting for her outside.

  "What's going on here?"

  Situ Jiu'an was drinking with several colleagues in the industry, when Situ Xuan heard someone give a thumbs up and say: "I've heard that Zou Jin is a great talent. It's not easy for him to win the favor of Qianjin, and after studying abroad for a few years, he will return home. Isn't this like adding wings to a tiger?"

  Situ Jiu'an laughed loudly.

  Situ Xuan replied to Yao Qiyun: "I also want to know what's going on."

  Her gaze inadvertently met Professor Gao's, and Professor Gao nodded with a smile, still humble and kind.

  A chill ran down Situ Xing's back.