Xia Xiaolan cared about this matter, not just because of Kang Wei’s girlfriend… oh no, ex-girlfriend now.

Not just because Kang Wei’s ex-girlfriend Shan Yujun went to teach in the Northwest; she didn’t want any female college student to get hurt.

Illegal activities couldn’t be completely prevented. Even if something happened that wasn’t related to her “Young Eagles Taking Flight” program, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t want it weighing on her conscience!

The Zhou family generally supported Zhou Cheng’s idea to transfer to a new unit. As they always said, young people shouldn’t fear hardship. Hardships endured in youth weren’t hardships – without the foundation built in youth, how could there be future rewards?

The next day, Zhou Cheng treated all his roommates from Room 307 to a meal. Su Jing was the most excited, saying she would make Zhou Cheng spend a fortune, but when ordering, she was very restrained.

It was Xia Xiaolan who took the menu and swiftly ordered several expensive dishes. Su Jing and Yang Yonghong tried to stop her, saying ordering too much was wasteful and squandering money.

Zhou Cheng liked Xia Xiaolan’s roommates; none were particularly difficult people, and everyone knew their boundaries.

After being roommates for so long, who didn’t know Xia Xiaolan was wealthy?

But Xia Xiaolan’s wealth didn’t mean they could take advantage without restraint… they had their pride, wouldn’t accept expensive gifts, and would try to reciprocate when Xia Xiaolan treated them. Their relationships were equal, which was how friendships could last.

After dinner, Su Jing and the others said they’d take the bus back to school, reminding Xia Xiaolan:

“After you drop off Instructor Zhou, remember to return to school early. There’ll be a roll call tonight. Oh right, we have a new class advisor!”

“Oh? It’s not Teacher Dai anymore?”

“Teacher Dai finally got his doctorate! If he hadn’t graduated soon, he would’ve gone bald.”

“Then we must congratulate Teacher Dai! I had no idea!”

Su Jing laughed heartily, “You’ll still have a chance to congratulate Teacher Dai in person. He’s officially staying at the university. In a couple of years, we might even have to call him Professor Dai.”

Teacher Dai was from Huaqing’s Physics Department and naturally would teach there after staying on.

With a doctoral degree, Teacher Dai’s future looked promising.

This was 1987, not 2017, after all. Someone with Teacher Dai’s credentials was already quite accomplished.

When Xia Xiaolan drove Zhou Cheng back to his unit, she felt reluctant to part. After Zhou Cheng returned this time, he would likely transfer next month.

“Can I still come to see you before your transfer?”

“Of course! Whenever you have time, you can come. Third Brother might come to Beijing in a few days too.”

Oh? Pan Third Brother was coming to Beijing?

Xia Xiaolan had thought Pan Third Brother would go directly to the new unit, which wasn’t even on the way – wait, at this time… she’d been so busy lately she’d forgotten!

“Oh, it’s because Jiang Yan is returning from abroad!”

Jiang Yan’s treatment was originally supposed to take a year, but the American doctor said she was recovering well and shortened the treatment time!

Logically, Jiang Yan should return to her original unit upon returning to China, but her original unit was in Jinling, where the Jiang family still had remaining influence…

“Is Jiang Yan also transferring to the new unit?”

Xia Xiaolan could only make this reasonable guess.

Zhou Cheng nodded, “That’s Third Brother’s intention. He wants to bring Jiang Yan along and doesn’t want her to stay in Jinling. But whether Jiang Yan will agree, we’ll only know after she returns and talks with Third Brother.”

Hmph, how could Jiang Yan not agree?

If not for Pan Third Brother’s sake, she’d be eager to transfer alongside Zhou Cheng.

Xia Xiaolan knew Zhou Cheng wouldn’t develop feelings for Jiang Yan, but still felt slightly annoyed:

“Third Brother is a man of his word, and it seems he’s prepared to take care of Jiang Yan for the rest of her life. But when I see Third Brother, I must tell him that while arranging Jiang Yan’s transfer is fine, he needs to keep her in check!”

Zhou Cheng sniffed, “I smell something sour as if someone spilled vinegar… Stop pinching! Even if Jiang Yan comes, with her not fully recovered body and her communications expertise, she won’t be assigned to work with me.”

She was more likely to work in logistics, though whether Jiang Yan herself would want that remained uncertain.

Zhou Cheng didn’t give himself too much credit; nothing could happen between him and Jiang Yan, and Jiang Yan knew this too.

Everything had been said clearly, and after experiencing so much, Jiang Yan had to consider her future rather than changing her career plans for him!

He could offer Jiang Yan friendship but never love.

Zhou Cheng felt no guilt about this. Feelings couldn’t be forced – if there was no attraction, there was no attraction. Without a man’s romantic feelings toward a woman, nothing could be forced!

Seeing the gate guards weren’t paying attention, Zhou Cheng quickly kissed Xia Xiaolan:

“What are you always thinking about? Put your mind at ease. If you have any free time outside of studies, think about how we’ll decorate our home in Pengcheng.”

Zhou Cheng was right; Xia Xiaolan didn’t have time for needless jealousy.

She’d been an exchange student in America for a year, and with the new semester starting, she needed to catch up with Huaqing’s professional courses.

Cornell and Huaqing used different textbooks and had different course progressions, and Cornell’s classroom atmosphere was more active.

These were all adjustable differences. At the department’s request, Xia Xiaolan even gave a small presentation.

The audience was mainly Architecture Department students. The department wasn’t asking her to promote America’s advantages but mainly to discuss the cutting-edge architectural developments she’d encountered there.

The department head was quite optimistic – if not for her two-month internship at GMP, how could an undergraduate student access such professional frontiers?

It was precisely because of her GMP internship experience that Xia Xiaolan could give this talk.

Besides the Broadway Theater renovation she’d completed, she’d also participated in the Wilson Hotel’s new project in Washington.

Xia Xiaolan’s practical experience far surpassed her fellow students.

No matter how accomplished these Huaqing architecture students might become in the future, at least for now, Xia Xiaolan was leagues ahead… Even Ning Xue, if she were still at Huaqing, couldn’t match her practical experience.

Ning Xue was clever too, going directly to study in America, stepping out of domestic circles to connect with the industry’s cutting edge. Ning Yanfan’s network didn’t extend to America – if Ning Xue could make a name for herself in American architectural circles, she would truly live up to the high expectations and “genius” title she’d carried since childhood!

Xia Xiaolan’s presentation was quite successful.

She was already famous in the Architecture Department, and now even more so. Students everywhere greeted her, and she always responded with warm smiles.

What did it matter if they were from different classes or years?

They were all fellow alumni!

Getting to know more alumni could never hurt. After all, Xia Xiaolan had wanted to attend university partly to expand her network.

By junior year, she was finally seeing some results.

The first week of school passed quickly.

Yuan Han’s two sisters and mother, three women from the Yuan family, arrived in Pengcheng looking travel-worn. They wanted to see what kind of merchant’s daughter would demand 150,000 Hong Kong dollars from Yuan Han right off the bat!