On the way back, Shen Weiyi looked at Sheng Ting and said, "Thank you, I’m very happy." Without him, her mood wouldn’t have brightened up so quickly.
Sheng Ting smiled and said, "If you like it here, you can come by more often when you’re free." It’s not too far from City C, just over two hours’ drive.
"Sure!" Shen Weiyi replied with a nod, but she didn’t know anyone in the town besides him, so she doubted she would have the chance to come back unless it was with him.
The next morning, the two drove back to City C.
They parked the car in front of the Shen Family Mansion, and Sheng Ting helped Shen Weiyi take her suitcase out, saying, "Go ahead and get inside."
Shen Weiyi had walked a few steps when she suddenly turned back and said, "I’ve applied to Z University, but I don’t know if I’ll be admitted."
Sheng Ting curved his lips and looked at her warmly, "You’ll definitely be admitted."
"Right!" Shen Weiyi couldn’t help but smile.
Upon returning home, she was met with Shen Juanzhi’s stern face: "You finally deign to come back?" His tone was full of resentment, like that of an "abandoned" empty nester father.
Shen Weiyi was both amused and exasperated; she had only been out for three days.
Anyone else might have thought she’d been gone for three months.
"I brought back some local specialties for you." Shen Weiyi said with a smile, advancing forward and taking out a bunch of things from her backpack to show she hadn’t forgotten him.
Shen Juanzhi kept a straight face as he looked at the things on the table, as if to say a bit of dried fish and shrimp wouldn’t be enough to win him over.
As a father, he nursed a grudge about his precious daughter going off on a trip with her classmates and leaving him behind.
There was a sense of loss, feeling that his daughter had grown up and no longer needed him.
"How about I cook for you tonight? I specifically learned how they’re made, just so I could come back and cook them for you." Shen Weiyi pleaded. What could she do with the dad she’d chosen? She had to cajole him!
"Fine then!" The old father finally relented and softened his expression somewhat.
At least this girl had some conscience and hadn’t completely forgotten him.
In the middle of July, Shen Weiyi received her admission letter from Z University.
After calling Shen Tan and Qin Zhen, she specially took a picture of the admission letter and sent it to Sheng Ting.
Sheng Ting must have been busy or something, as it took him a while to reply with a single word: "Congratulations!"
Ever since she had returned from the town, Sheng Ting had sent her many books, all foundation courses for the first year, useful no matter what major she pursued.
Occasionally, when she came across something she didn’t understand, she would ask Sheng Ting on WeChat. They kept in touch, but in the last half a month, he had clearly become busy.
A few days ago, Shen Jingqi mentioned that he seemed to have returned to Z University early. Apparently, there was a project his mentor needed help with.
From what Shen Weiyi understood, usually graduate students had mentors. It was surprising that a student who was about to become a sophomore was already working on a project with a mentor.
But thinking about his status as the top scorer in the national college entrance exam, as well as the paper he had been writing, these things that would seem strange if they happened to anyone else somehow seemed normal for him.
After all, it was because he was so impressive!
Meanwhile, in the lab, Sheng Ting was typing a message on his phone when he heard a fellow lab senior urging, "Sheng, come over and help me check this data; there seems to be a problem."
"Coming!" Sheng Ting had to put down his half-typed message.