"You’re really asking for trouble, aren’t you?" Zhang Chaoqian leaned against a lab bench, taking joy in Li Zhi’s misfortune, "Haven’t you learned a thing after following Master Cheng for all these years? And who gave you the right to call her ’little junior sister’?"
"Okay, okay, Master Cheng, aren’t you here to save the day?" Li Zhi looked like a man resigned to his fate, "All I wanted was to get a bit closer to junior sister, so she could say a few good words about me in front of Gu Shuangshuang. I had no other intentions."
"You’d better not have." Zhang Chaoqian fawned to Cheng Yue, "Right, Master Cheng!"
Cheng Yue had no interest in entertaining him, leaving Zhang Chaoqian to his own devices.
Li Zhi felt unsettled, slammed the table, and grabbed Zhang Chaoqian by the ear, "So you’ve grown bold, huh? Since when have you swapped ranks with me? Getting too big for your boots, are you? Don’t forget, I’m the second in command here, and you’re third!"
Zhang Chaoqian, grinning through the pain, retorted, "Yeah, yeah, you’re the second, happy now?"
"You’re the second! Who are you calling ’second’?!" It finally dawned on Li Zhi.
Normally, they referred to a man’s genitalia as ’the second’, no wonder he felt something was off just now.
"Take your quarrel elsewhere." Cheng Yue glared at them, "Can’t you see I’m about to brief junior sister here?"
The two huffed off to the side to bicker, clearing the air for Cheng Yue as his expression brightened to a smile, "Junior sister, did you have a good New Year? You might not know this, but I even called you during the holidays."
"Cut it out!" An Hao frowned, "Please get to the point quickly! And don’t forget the promise you made to my husband. If you waste one more word, I’m going straight to Teacher Yan."
"Well, okay then..." Cheng Yue said dejectedly.
Cheng Yue opened his notebook and began to simply explain to An Hao the research they had done, what they were about to do, and the knowledge they would likely need in the future.
He asked An Hao to learn the senior year curriculum as quickly as possible; currently, her task in the research group was to study. He hoped she could keep up with the pace and that she would learn a lot.
This was the first time An Hao’s impression of Cheng Yue had changed.
It turned out that this guy was indeed as Yan Ye had said: when it came to research and studying, he was very serious and focused.
After discussing these matters, it had gotten late, and there was the rumble of thunder outside.
The first spring rain after the beginning of spring.
An Hao looked up to see the darkening sky, realizing she hadn’t informed her family, worried that Qin Jian would be anxious.
"I need to go." She grabbed her backpack and rushed out the door.
"Hey! I’ll walk you home!" It was already late, and it was dark; a girl walking home alone could be dangerous.
Especially since the town was not peaceful lately, with hoodlums prowling the streets at night.
If An Hao were to go back by herself, what would she do if she encountered any danger?
He would rather risk another beating from Qin Jian than not escort An Hao safely home.
"Hey, Cheng Yue, are you addicted to getting beaten up? Do you want someone to beat you up again?" Cheng Yue called out.
"Come with me. Then you can help explain things. I don’t feel that way about An Hao anymore, I’m just worried about her," Cheng Yue called back without looking.
"He says he doesn’t feel that way? Who’s he trying to fool?" Li Zhi shook his head.
"Accepting reality and getting over a first love is not something you can do overnight, right? You’ve got to give her some time to adjust, right?"
....................................
Cheng Yue caught up to the gate and saw An Hao sprinting with her backpack on her back.
Just as he was about to follow, he noticed the man standing under the plane tree across the street.