Professor Zhuang’s family lived in an old neighborhood near Z University. Compared to the surrounding newly built upscale residential buildings, the neighborhood seemed a bit dated, but its advantage was its proximity to the school, just a fifteen-minute walk away.
When the door opened, it was Mrs. Zhuang who greeted them, immediately showing a delighted expression, "You’ve arrived! Your teacher was just talking about you, come on in."
"Hello, Mrs. Zhuang," said Sheng Ting and Mu Sui as they handed over the fruits they had bought at the neighborhood entrance.
"Inviting you for a meal, and you still bring things? Next time, don’t do this again," Mrs. Zhuang said politely as she took the fruits.
"Understood, Mrs. Zhuang!" Mu Sui responded loudly, while Sheng Ting simply nodded discreetly.
As for next time, they still had to bring something, as it wouldn’t be proper to show up empty-handed.
"And who is this?" Mrs. Zhuang’s gaze fell upon Shen Weiyi standing next to Sheng Ting. The girl looked unfamiliar; could she also be one of Old Zhuang’s students?
"Mrs. Zhuang, this is my girlfriend, Shen Weiyi," Sheng Ting introduced.
"Hello, Mrs. Zhuang," Shen Weiyi said obediently, standing next to Sheng Ting.
"So, you’re Xiao Sheng’s girlfriend. Please come in," Mrs. Zhuang said, taken aback for a moment, then smiled warmly as she invited them in.
Finally, she glanced towards her daughter’s direction.
That girl’s thoughts might be unclear to her father, but as a mother, she could discern a thing or two. She had often heard her husband praising his newly admitted student, saying he was good-looking, smart, and stable. She had met him a few times before and indeed found him a rare good young man. Although he was a year younger than Zhuang Huiyu, they were open-minded parents and didn’t see anything wrong with a younger man dating an older woman.
However, her daughter had suddenly applied for an exchange program abroad. She originally thought the kids were still young and could delay matters of the heart, but now that they were back in the country, it turned out that the boy already had a girlfriend. Maybe it was just not meant to be.
Mrs. Zhuang was a gentle person and didn’t dislike Shen Weiyi because of this. On the contrary, she was worried Shen Weiyi might feel uncomfortable and was very kindly attentive to her.
Sheng Ting glanced at Shen Weiyi, then took her hand as they entered the house, later releasing it discreetly inside.
Shen Weiyi couldn’t help but look up at the other party, who then pointed to the elderly man on the sofa and said, "This is my teacher, surnamed Zhuang."
Shen Weiyi hurriedly shifted her gaze and greeted the old man in the room, "Hello, Professor Zhuang."
Professor Zhuang was in his fifties, and Shen Weiyi wondered if it was a characteristic of researchers to appear rather austere. At her first glance at him, she felt as though she was facing the school’s headmaster from her childhood.
Old Zhuang snorted, "I clearly heard you call her ’Mrs. Zhuang,’ so why do you switch to ’professor’ with me?"
Shen Weiyi awkwardly corrected herself, "Hello, teacher!"
"Hmm!" Professor Zhuang finally nodded, somewhat satisfied.
"That’s enough, stop putting on such a stern face all the time, you might scare the kid," Mrs. Zhuang glared at him, then turned to Shen Weiyi, "Don’t mind him, the older people get, the more they nag. Dinner’s ready; let’s eat first!"
With that, she went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
"Mrs. Zhuang, let me help you," Shen Weiyi offered as she followed.
"No need, I can manage. You go and sit with Xiao Sheng and the others," Mrs. Zhuang said with a smile.
"Indeed, guests should not be working on their visit," Zhuang Huiyu added, entering the room unnoticed.