The campus of Nanbei University was extremely run-down.

Old buildings from the nineties, devoid of architectural beauty, with mottled walls covered in moss.

Yet the atmosphere of youth still surged. Girls laughed and played in groups of three or five. Boys shuffled in slippers, sleepy-eyed as they returned to dorms from internet cafes. Occasionally brushing past a couple, bringing a whiff of gardenia fragrance.

They were so fortunate. Or rather, how fortunate they were to spend their youth at university.

My biggest regret in life was never attending university.

Yu Shixuan rolled her eyes: “That’s easy to fix. Just take Professor Cheng’s graduate entrance exam now—wouldn’t you be at university then?”

“Shut up. I haven’t settled accounts with you yet. How did you get mixed up with him?”

“What do you mean me with him? He’s the one who initiated contact with me.”

Very good. I said through gritted teeth: “So? Starting an EPC company was also his idea? Yesterday afternoon at Vegetable Market Street…”

Halfway through my sentence, Cheng Xia came over with a tray, asking: “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing much.”

He sat across from me. In that instant, it felt like going back many years—when he was still studying at that city by the sea, when I’d traveled across half the city to find him, also sitting across from me like this, also with spicy hot pot.

But everything had changed. I was no longer that girl crazed by love, nor did I have the good appetite from back then.

And the spicy hot pot now cost a full fifty yuan per serving.

“What made you think of becoming a university teacher?” I asked Cheng Xia.

“The industry’s not doing well. My dad’s getting old too. Nanbei University happened to be hiring, so I gave it a try.”

He’d ultimately chosen the most stable path after all.

I sighed, joking: “Not becoming Le Corbusier anymore?”

Cheng Xia froze for a moment, then we both smiled—that smile unique to childhood friends.

In high school, he’d clenched his fists, eyes shining as he mentioned that name.

He then said: “Who knows, maybe I can cultivate a few Le Corbusiers?”

Yu Shixuan coldly interjected: “Who doesn’t want to be Le Corbusier? Professor Cheng, you’re the one who sought me out, and you’re the one blocking me. What exactly do you want?”

Cheng Xia sighed: “If I didn’t say it, President Wu would, and the results would be even harder to salvage.”

That was true. Words from the big boss would directly influence everyone’s judgment.

“Your design is actually distinctive enough, but first, you need to understand the client’s needs. Second, your library could be placed on any campus, but you still haven’t solved the problem of how to embody Nanbei University’s unique character.”

Yu Shixuan didn’t speak, sulkily poking at her rice with chopsticks.

I said: “She’s a southerner who came here and suddenly had to present—how could she think of everything so comprehensively?”

Cheng Xia sighed, still looking at Yu Shixuan: “When she was Party B, this situation absolutely wouldn’t occur, because she knew she had nothing backing her up.”

My heart skipped a beat. He was talking about me.

Yu Shixuan looked back and forth between us, saying sarcastically: “Of course Dongxue is perfect in every way, that’s why she became your ex-girlfriend!”

After saying this, she stopped eating, got up and left.

I hurried after her. She ignored me completely, walking straight outside the school and hailing a cab.

“He just said it casually, are you really taking it to heart?”

“Didn’t we agree that as Party B you can’t have a princess temper…” My nagging came to an abrupt halt.

Because I realized she was crying.

Not sobbing dramatically—just some tears shining in her eyes, but not much. Afraid I’d notice, she kept her head turned toward the window.

I stopped talking, maintaining this silence as only the scenery outside flew past rapidly.

After getting home, she immediately went back to the bedroom and locked the door.

Grandma was startled, gesturing at me with her lips, whispering: “What’s wrong with this young lady again?”

I said: “Nothing much! Ate too much, upset stomach.”

“Oh, then I’ll make her some porridge tonight.”

“Okay.”

Her natural advantages of intelligence, wealth, and beauty had made her the darling of exam-oriented education since childhood. As icing on the cake, she possessed talent. She’d been hurt before, but had never lost.

And now, the real world was welcoming the arrival of a princess.

I tidied up, quickly washed up, then went to work.

As soon as I reached the office, I heard my assistant crying and making a scene: “How is this related to me? It was all Ren Dongxue’s doing. I’m exhausted every day and still have to take the heat.”

When I entered, Mr. Wang’s face was livid. A group of people filled the room, and my assistant was crying like a rain-drenched pear blossom.

“Ren Dongxue! Are you blind! Such a huge data discrepancy and you can’t see it!”

A stack of papers was thrown at me. I bent down to pick them up, discovering it was water accumulation in a foundation pit caused by measurement error.

There was no way I could have made this mistake.

My assistant glanced at me guiltily—she hadn’t expected me to arrive so coincidentally.

Mr. Wang looked at me with lingering anger, but if you looked carefully, you’d notice he was giving me meaningful looks—everyone was watching.

I gathered up the scattered documents, finally saying: “I’m sorry, I’ll strictly review everything in the future.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Wang cursed at me a few more times before leading people out.

My assistant walked to my desk, stammering: “Sister Dongxue…”

“Stop. Get to work.”

After just one morning away, documents had piled up like a mountain on my desk. I worked until the sun set before barely catching my breath.

Mr. Wang came to my office, grinning as he poked his head in: “Busy?”

“Yeah.”

“Hard work!” He waved: “Let’s go.”

The assistant walked out, coyly clinging to Mr. Wang’s arm, not forgetting to greet me: “Sister Dongxue, joining us for dinner?”

“Dongxue’s busy!”

I rubbed my throbbing temples, saying to Mr. Wang who was immersed in flirtation: “Mr. Wang, forging signatures is taboo. In serious cases, you can go to jail.”

I hadn’t signed off on that data at all, because the site had uneven terrain that needed verification.

She’d still forged my signature and sent it down directly, probably just to get off work early?

I knew this, she knew this, and Mr. Wang obviously knew this too.

He waved his hand dismissively: “That matter’s over! No need for more words.”

Then he left with his arm around the assistant. She looked at me provocatively and slammed the door hard.

She’d never had much respect for me to begin with.

It would definitely be harder going forward.

I leaned back in my chair, suddenly spacing out, thinking that I’d wanted to bring Mr. Wang’s company to be a subcontractor for the Nanbei University project.

But it felt like such a construction team would be a real disservice to those energetic university students.

I worked overtime until nine, finally finishing what I’d owed from the morning.

Head heavy and feet light, I took the bus home, wondering whether Yu Shixuan had eaten.

When I opened the door, I found the living room brightly lit.

It was Zhou Ting. He sat on the sofa, holding an apple, chatting with Grandma.

Seeing me, he scrambled to his feet in a panic.

This…

“Why are you only just getting back! Little Zhou has been waiting for you half the day!” Grandma kept reproaching me.

“No, no…” he said. “Just got here a while ago. I, I’m about to leave!”

I was truly shocked. I’d thought that after that epic awkward encounter with Cheng Xia, he wouldn’t come looking for me again…

After all, anyone with eyes could see the mess between Cheng Xia and me.

“Um, yesterday when we met your friend, he mentioned you’d been to Inner Mongolia and stayed there quite a while.” Zhou Ting hesitantly began.

“Ah… yes.”

That had witnessed the best moment between Cheng Xia and me.

“I thought, you must really love Inner Mongolian lamb. The back kitchen just got some in, so I brought you a leg of lamb.” His face reddened slightly as he smiled: “Do you know how to cook it? I can come make it in a couple days!”

I was stunned.

My grandma beside me was so moved she almost cried, saying repeatedly: “How can you say such things, Little Zhou is such a good boy! So wonderful! Dongxue, with you here, my heart can finally…”

I quickly interrupted her nonsense, pulling Zhou Ting away: “Um, um, you were about to leave, right? I’ll see you out!”

Long after Zhou Ting left, Grandma was still muttering, hitting me while she did: “Don’t be ungrateful! This boy is so good!”

I talked back while taking off my clothes: “You thought Cheng Xia was good at first too.”

“I never thought so,” she said. “That boy was fine as a child, but grown up he’s like hiding knives in smiles. You never know what he’s thinking. Besides…”

She straightened my clothes: “My granddaughter is such an excellent girl—she should also be properly cherished by someone. What’s the point of always chasing after others?”