"Sister Xu, it's so good to have you back..."
Noticing the unease in the other person's eyes, An Ning didn't say much and had no intention of prolonging the interaction. She merely nodded slightly in their direction:
"Madam Ji, regarding what you mentioned before, I've already entrusted the patent agency rights entirely to President Fu. Strictly business - as I said before, I won't play any tricks..."
Likewise, your Ji family won't receive any special treatment either.
After speaking, An Ning didn't bother observing their reactions. She simply picked up her bag and prepared to leave.
Just as she reached the door, a familiar voice suddenly called out:
"Um... Sister Xu, actually all these years, Brother A-Ze has never forgotten about you. And... up until now, whether it's me or Sister He, he's never accepted anyone..."
"In Brother A-Ze's heart, the only person he's been thinking about all these years is you, Sister Xu."
An Ning didn't pause her steps or even turn back, merely chuckling lightly:
"Is that so? Unfortunately, that has nothing to do with me anymore."
"And don't you call him Brother A-Ze?"
Just like always, from beginning till now.
Without another glance at Meng Tian's stunned expression or Madam Ji's increasingly unpleasant expression, An Ning strode away in her new high heels without looking back.
Truthfully, if not for the original host's lingering confusion and obsessions, An Ning wouldn't have wasted any time on either of them.
In her opinion, emotional entanglements were the most troublesome and meaningless things.
Whether it's real "sweetness" or fake, what does it have to do with her?
Though it's strange how someone could barge into this private room - could this place be her family's business?
Silently adding this establishment to her blacklist and doing some shopping at the mall, An Ning finally returned to her apartment with Han Miao and armfuls of shopping bags.
After this brief relaxation, An Ning's life quickly returned to its usual busy pace.
An Ning's advisor, Professor Decker, was an extremely tolerant elder. Although he regretted that his most promising student ultimately chose to leave, the aged professor understood her decision to return to China.
"The desire to contribute to one's homeland should never be questioned!"
Moreover, their academic exchanges continued uninterrupted.
Perhaps out of respect for the old professor, or maybe because An Ning's current achievements weren't worth targeting yet - regardless, no dangers appeared around her during this period.
This allowed An Ning to proceed with increasing ease.
In June, approaching graduation season, An Ning unexpectedly received an invitation from Jing University to give a public lecture.
Actually, she'd already received a faculty invitation from this university earlier, but after some consideration, she declined the permanent position, only agreeing to occasional visits.
Unlike her previous life, her time in this life was far too precious to spend elsewhere.
Looking down at the student wearing a gray-blue hoodie and casual pants with neat short hair - the very picture of an aloof university heartthrob except for the untamed arrogance in his eyes -
An Ning wordlessly accepted the water bottle from Han Miao while outright refusing the drink offered by the student.
And the drink was... milk?
"Sorry, but I generally don't accept drinks from strangers," An Ning said coolly, her distant demeanor successfully deterring other approaching students.
Completely unfazed by her coldness, the young man cheerfully pulled out throat lozenges from his pocket, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth when he smiled.
Admittedly, his smile was quite sunny.
But what did that have to do with her?
Ignoring his attentiveness, An Ning gathered her lecture notes and headed for the door, with the young man quickly following.
There was no denying his striking looks - phoenix eyes, high nose bridge, well-defined features. When not smiling, he looked like the archetypal aloof campus heartthrob, but when smiling...
Well, for some reason it reminded her of a husky.
An Ning shook her head to dismiss the strange thought.
At this thought, An Ning's movements paused slightly.
Seemingly sensing her thoughts, the young man casually pocketed the lozenges and caught up in long strides, explaining with a smile:
"Professor Xu, don't misunderstand. Let me introduce myself - I'm Ji Yang, 22, a finance major from last year's class." Worried this obvious academic might misunderstand, he added:
"Actually could've graduated last year. But my old man decided to stir up trouble right before graduation, so I had to lay low for half a year. Just came back to finish my degree!"
"Oh, and I was actually here to find a junior earlier."
For someone who seemed so carefree, he was surprisingly perceptive.
An Ning ignored him and continued walking.
Fortunately, despite his forwardness, Ji Yang knew his boundaries. When An Ning clearly refused his company, he immediately stopped following.
An Ning didn't look back.
This kind of approach was far too clichéd.
While the young man was attractive, he wasn't nearly tempting enough to sway her. Moreover, beneath his seemingly unrestrained demeanor, his every movement betrayed proper upbringing - even the limited edition watch on his wrist wasn't something money could easily buy.
This kind of background spelled nothing but trouble.