"Being surrounded by women, I’m probably the luckiest guy in this lecture hall!" Tan Heqian scanned the room, where most of the boys sat together, and girls sat together. He didn’t see any other guy sitting amidst a garden of ladies like him. Jiang Biyun was on his left, He Zhilan on his right, both of them pretty to look at.
"You must feel very accomplished, huh?" He Zhilan couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Tan Heqian chuckled before he could reply the bell rang. He found it quite impressive how precise He Zhilan and Jiang Biyun were with time!
Because He Zhilan often met the professor while working part-time at the library, she felt rather familiar with him. As the professor entered the room, he first glanced at He Zhilan, giving her a warm smile.
The Professor was truly kind to He Zhilan. Although they hadn’t had any interaction outside the library, the professor had been quite helpful during those times at the library. Many of the books He Zhilan currently held were recommended by him, some of them even borrowed from the professor himself. When her brother He Teng went to bed early to rest due to his sickness, she often stayed up until after midnight reading the books.
While He Zhilan was listening attentively, Tan Heqian tugged her sleeve and slid her a note. Upon reading it, He Zhilan found it hard not to giggle.
Observing He Zhilan take the note, Tan Heqian resumed his pose of listening attentively. When she returned the note, he saw her beautiful handwriting and gave a subtle smile, feeling relief in that smile.
The burning question which led Tan Heqian to pass the note was indeed about whether He Zhilan was pregnant. Upon receiving her response that she definitely was not, he then felt at ease.
Tan Heqian had intended to discuss the matter of searching for her parents with He Zhilan, but seeing her dedication in class, he held back and refocused on the lecture.
It was only after the classes ended at eleven-thirty that Tan Heqian finally had the chance to have a proper conversation with He Zhilan.
During lunchtime, nobody was around the university’s artificial lake. They found a big stone to sit on. Barely having settled down, Tan Heqian started speaking with relief, "You have no idea, when you mentioned at the hospital that you might be pregnant, I was scared to death! If my mom found out, she would probably cry buckets. She practically considers you as her own daughter."
"It was a false alarm, I got scared too." He Zhilan said, a little embarrassed, "Did you bring me here to chat about something else? Surely it’s not just to mention this?"
"Of course, there is something else I need to tell you, but unfortunately, it’s not good news." Tan Heqian’s expression turned serious. He sighed, then looked sympathetically at He Zhilan, "My brother specifically went back to where we used to live. Unfortunately, it’s been so long, our former residence has been demolished and replaced with a department store. My brother managed to find some useful information from his former teachers and classmates, but just don’t be too disappointed after hearing it."