Chen Yiwen sat there, occasionally glancing at the two women.
Actually, from the moment Qiao Ze saw Hanna, he knew that this Austrian woman was most likely not a spy, at least not for the papers on lithography machines.
Even his proactive question was meant to quell Chen Yiwen's messy thoughts.
It was mainly based on a deduction of the time difference.
From Li Jian Gao's introduction, Qiao Ze knew that the woman had just come to report as an exchange student. According to the school's application and approval rules for international exchange students, her application for an exchange had to have been made at least twenty days ago, in order for her to have recently received a notice to apply for a visa.
Calculating the time, twenty days ago was just when his research group had published two papers.
At that time, he didn't even know he would write and publish the two papers in "Science".
Not to mention, those two papers became well-known more because they sparked a debate between a Turing Award and a Gauss Award winner online.
The papers were also more theoretical in nature, and the papers that truly demonstrated the powerful potential of the model through various classification modules, Li Jian Gao was still holding back from publishing.
If everyone's ability to predict and efficiency could truly reach such a level, the world's current situation would not be the same.
Well, to be honest, none of these actually mattered. Even if Hanna really was a spy, Qiao Ze didn't care too much.
After all, this was a job that required a high degree of professional knowledge, without the right level, the information passed on would only lead to further confusion.
So he just stood at the door and simply said, "It's time to go back."
"Oh! Chen Yiwen, we're going back. Tan bro, Liu bro, take your time. Hanna, It's time to go home, together?"
"Of course!" Hanna said in not-so-standard but understandable Chinese.
"Then let's go." As she spoke, Su Mucheng had already come up beside Qiao Ze, naturally linking her arm with his.
Hanna glanced at Su Mucheng's movements, a curious look passing across her face, then onto Qiao Ze's impassive face, before she walked behind them. Chen Yiwen silently moved to Hanna's side.
The young kid hadn't recovered from the shock just then.
Such a beautiful woman, it's a shame not to be a spy.
After leaving the research group, the path widened, and Hanna took the initiative to walk to Qiao Ze's other side, then directly asked in Chinese, "Qiao Ze, how did you come up with the idea of adding a watermark to the paper?"
This question was asked in Chinese, and it sounded quite standard, obviously more practiced than some of the everyday language she'd used.
However, Qiao Ze acted as if he hadn't heard and just silently walked forward.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Hanna, not getting a response, incredulously turned her head to look at Qiao Ze...
Really, since she'd come to Huaxia, everyone she'd met had been quite friendly.
Even with the language barrier, they had all been enthusiastic, trying their best to communicate.
Qiao Ze was the first Huaxia person she had encountered with such an indifferent attitude.
Chen Yiwen glanced at the two people beside him, then deliberately slowed down.
This foreign woman's mind was a bit off, not too familiar yet, daring to ask Qiao directly and bluntly, really asking for an embarrassment.
Luckily, Su Mucheng was there.
"Qiao Ze, actually Hanna is quite a nice person, she even gave me a little gift just now. Isn't this little bell adorable?"
"Hmm." Qiao Ze glanced at the small bell Mucheng took out and then nodded.
In fact, it wasn't a bell, but a bell-shaped crystal ornament, one could tell it was quite delicately made.
"Then you should talk to Hanna, she told me just now that her professor in Austria had asked her to look for the watermarks in your paper, and she had spent a whole night but couldn't find them all."
At Su Mucheng's request, Qiao Ze casually said, "Irrational numbers."
"Hmm?" Hanna, still not quite accustomed to Qiao Ze's way of speaking, looked puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Qiao Ze glanced coldly at Hanna without replying.
The sensitive woman caught Qiao Ze's look and was a bit stunned...
The delineation of the interval of the equation's solutions and the projections of the coordinate points, what necessary connection did they have with irrational numbers?
And that look, why did it feel like there was a hint of contempt?
"Ha, Qiao Ze, were you talking a lot with Li in the room just now?" Su Mucheng suddenly asked.
"Hmm." Qiao Ze responded.
"No wonder. Hanna, Qiao Ze doesn't like to talk much, and he just talked too much with Professor Li, so he doesn't want to talk now. Actually, Qiao is a very nice person, very patient too, willing to help me analyze even simple questions. He just doesn't talk much every day, if you get more chances to interact with him in the future, you'll know."
Hanna was stunned by Su Mucheng's explanation or, rather, comfort.
It was understandable for a person to be introverted and quiet.
But she couldn't understand at all why just because someone had talked too much with others, now they didn't want to talk anymore. What kind of reasoning was that?
Was there actually a disease in this world that required people to limit their daily speech?
Would it kill them to speak a few more words?
"Ahem, haha, Hanna, right? Actually, our Qiao isn't very fond of daily communication in English. If you want to interact with our Qiao, first you need to improve your Chinese. How about we help each other out? I teach you Chinese, and you teach me English?" Chen Yiwen suddenly said.
Although it was highly unlikely that this European woman was a spy, Chen Yiwen felt he should still put in some effort.
Back in the day, his grand aspiration was to get accepted as a doctoral student at Yanbei Mathematics Institute and to date a doctoral student from the same institute.
Now, he felt that a Yanbei doctoral student was probably out of reach, but he could just about accept a female doctoral student from an international prestigious school.
"Is your language ability very good?"
"It's not bad, I guess? At least I understand most English, it's just that I'm not very good at speaking it."
"But Su is the same, so why should I learn from you instead of her?" Hanna glanced at Chen Yiwen and asked.
That look made Chen Yiwen a bit angry, as if to say, don't think I don't know what you're up to.
So annoying that it even brought his mood down.
Were all these women just plain sick in the head?
Qiao Ze obviously couldn't be bothered with you, yet you keep badgering him.
Here was a guy like him who understood communication, knew warmth and cold, and could speak sweet nothings. Not only was he young and wealthy, but his appearance wasn't bad either, yet they ignored him.
What kind of world was this!
As Chen Yiwen began to feel indignant inside, the small group of four quieted down.
At this moment, probably only Su Mucheng had peace in her heart; with a sweet smile, she walked quietly beside Qiao Ze, not minding at all to let the others feel her good mood at the time.
"Where are you staying tonight?" Qiao Ze suddenly asked.
"Originally my dad wanted me to stay at a hotel, but after I refused, Xu helped arrange a dormitory room for me in the doctoral building where I'll stay during the vacation."
"Then let's go to the doctoral building first."
"Okay. Oh, by the way, Hanna, where are you staying?"
"The hostel on campus? Isn't that by the west gate? Qiao Ze, why don't we drop Hanna off first?"
"I'm not a child, I don't need to be walked back!"
"Oh, goodbye." Qiao Ze nodded, then turned with Su Mucheng onto the left fork in the road.
Chen Yiwen stood stunned for a moment but quickly said, "Just follow the main road straight ahead to the next intersection, then turn right. About three hundred meters later, there's a T-junction. Turn left there, and after another 200 meters or so, you'll reach the hostel, 88 haha."
After saying this, not caring whether Hanna had understood, he hastened to catch up with Qiao Ze and Su Mucheng who had already left.
Then he faintly heard the conversation between the two ahead of him.
"Qiao Ze, do you dislike Hanna very much?"
"Then why are you so rude to her?"
"I get it; it's the attitude you have towards strangers you don't know, right? But that's not right, after all, she was brought by Li. You should at least treat her like a classmate."
"She used uptalk when asking questions."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"She's very arrogant, just hiding it in front of you."
"What does she have to be arrogant about?"
Chen Yiwen shuddered at the final retort.
And started to introspect.
When he spoke to Qiao Ze, there wasn't an issue with the tone of his voice, was there?