Zhao Qiang objected again, saying, "Mom, if they eat the yolks, who wants the egg whites? Aren't you just encouraging them to waste food?"
*Slap!* Zhao Weidong slapped Zhao Qiang on the back again. “You little brat, all you’ve learned in college is this etiquette? You’ve made your mother and me lose face.”
Zhao Qiang looked aggrieved: "Dad..." The two elders would definitely eat the remaining egg whites bit by bit. Just because of those two women who had nothing to do with him, his parents had to eat leftovers. Zhao Qiang felt terrible.
Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei acted as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring Zhao Qiang. It seemed that, prompted by the salted duck egg, they also started to try the other two dishes. Xu Xiaoya exaggeratedly smacked her lips and said, "Xiaowei, you should try this pickled vegetable shreds. It's very refreshing and tastes really good."
Luo Xiaowei also picked up a piece with her chopsticks: "Really? Let me try it... It's not bad, a hundred times better than the pickled vegetables at our school!"
The two girls were shouting and laughing, and the meal finally started to improve. Zhao Weidong and Liu Huilan smiled, as their greatest wish was to satisfy their guests who had come from afar.
The one who was most frustrated by the meal was Zhao Qiang. He had originally planned to eat four bowls of rice, but in the end he could only manage two. He slammed the bedroom door shut and ignored the two 'guests' outside. He was furious and was lucky if he didn't give those two girls a good scolding.
After finishing his meal, Zhao Weidong rushed off to work in Zaolin Town. He worked as a loader there, earning over a hundred yuan a day on good days. However, the excessive labor was taking a toll on his health, requiring him to rely on medication frequently, and sometimes his earnings weren't even enough to cover the cost of his medical care. Liu Huilan was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, while Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei sat in the living room discussing their next steps.
(Thank you to 'God's Father' for the donation; I am truly grateful for your support!)
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Volume 1 [028] Mission
Actually, before today, Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei had only met once, but they had no interaction and had never even spoken. Firstly, the two girls were not in the same department, so the probability of them meeting was very low. Secondly, Luo Xiaowei was a junior and Xu Xiaoya was a senior, so there was a slight generation gap. Thirdly, as two beauties of the same school beauty standard, it would be a lie to say that they weren't competitive with each other. However, today they came together because of the same person, and after talking, they found that they got along very well.
"Xiaowei, what should we do? Should we go back to Donghai this afternoon?"
After a moment's thought, Luo Xiaowei said, "Go back, don't cause any more trouble for Zhao Qiang's family."
Xu Xiaoya laughed and said, "My classmate is good in every way except that he's too stingy and petty. Is it because I doubted his grades that he's holding a grudge? I don't believe that he would be so stingy when ordinary classmates come to his house. This is purely revenge!"
Luo Xiaowei said, "No matter what, we disrupted his life. Since he doesn't want to see us, there's no need for him to stay. But I still need to call my cousin first to tell her about the situation, so she won't scold me for not helping."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Alright then, I'll call my uncle too, otherwise he'll be worried sick right now."
Xu Xiaoya went to the car by the door to make a call, while Luo Xiaowei stayed in the living room so the two wouldn't disturb each other. It's so convenient with communication these days; the call connected as soon as the phone rang. Luo Xiaowei said, "Cousin, things have progressed..."
Hu Qian asked impatiently, "Have you found it?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "Now I can confirm that the ID 'Dark Night Legend' is Zhao Qiang, but unfortunately, he doesn't accept your high-salary offer. I offered him 5,000 a month excluding the year-end bonus, but he still wouldn't agree."
Hu Qian said, "Then let's offer him 10,000 a month! Money is negotiable."
Luo Xiaowei said, "I think it's not because of the salary, but because he's very resistant to me and doesn't want to talk to me at all."
Hu Qian's voice was filled with astonishment: "No way, Xiao Wei, this is the first time I've heard that you have a man you can't handle."
Luo Xiaowei said coquettishly, "Cousin, what are you saying!"
Hu Qian chuckled and said, "Just kidding, just kidding. But to be able to resist the temptation of you and money, Zhao Qiang really has some self-control. By the way, how did you get him to admit it?"
Luo Xiaowei recounted Hu Xiaojiang's story, and Hu Qian said, "Xiaojiang is doing quite well now. But Xiaowei, after hearing what you said, it seems that Zhao Qiang's abilities extend beyond just security. I can't sleep soundly if I don't recruit such a talent under my command."
Luo Xiaowei glanced at the closed bedroom door and said, "I'm sorry, cousin, I've already chased him all the way to his hometown. This has made me lose face completely. I can't help you with anything now. You'd better handle it yourself."
Hu Qian said, "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I'm currently busy, so you'll have to keep an eye on Zhao Qiang's matter for me."
Luo Xiaowei smiled wryly: "There are plenty of people watching him now, so one more won't make a difference."
"So many people are watching him? What does that mean? Are other hacker sites and security websites also eyeing him? Xiaowei, you absolutely can't let him be poached by other websites!"
Luo Xiaowei said, "You're thinking the wrong thing. I don't know if anyone from other websites contacted him, but something interesting happened during this midterm exam..." Luo Xiaowei recounted how Zhao Qiang got perfect scores in every subject, how Xu Xiaoya was unconvinced and chased him to his hometown to force him to take the exam again, and how Professor Gu Yu wanted to take Zhao Qiang as a graduate student.
Hu Qian was quite surprised: "Ah, it seems I underestimated him. Xiao Wei, I'm not trying to criticize you, but a guy like this is one in a million, and you treat him like this."
Luo Xiaowei retorted defiantly, "Cousin, what was my attitude like?"
Hu Qian said, "Didn't you always say that there wasn't a single boy in your school you could stand? Now that a genius has appeared, you're ignoring him completely?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "How could I ignore it? Didn't I go to his house for you?"
Hu Qian said, "Is it enough to just chase him to his house? You have to be careful of his class monitor, Xu Xiaoya. She will be a formidable rival! Don't let her steal Zhao Qiang away and then you'll be crying."
Luo Xiaowei's expression changed: "Cousin, if you keep talking nonsense, I'm hanging up."
Hu Qian chuckled: "I was just kidding. Let me tell you, Xiao Wei, men are the best at lying to women. You don't actually believe him when he says he has some kind of behind-the-scenes team, do you?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "Why don't you believe me? Hu Xiaojiang said that no one can produce such good special effects animation in just one afternoon. If it weren't for a large behind-the-scenes team, this would be impossible."
Hu Qian said, "Yes, if everyone could create something like Zhao Qiang in such a short time, they wouldn't be considered talented. It's precisely because he did what others couldn't that I value him. As for the behind-the-scenes team? What evidence does he have to prove the existence of such a team!"
Luo Xiaowei thought for a moment and said, "He didn't say, and I don't know if there's any evidence."
Hu Qian said, "That's right. So, the task I'm giving you next is to keep an eye on him and make sure no other website or company poachs him. After it's done, I'll keep you as an assistant in my company."
Luo Xiaowei pouted: "I don't care."
Hu Qian said, "Then tell me what you like."
Luo Xiaowei thought for a moment and said, "You already owe me two favors. I really can't think of anything else you have that would make me do something for you again."
Hu Qian said in a low voice, "Then how about helping my sister one more time for the sake of family? We're family, how can we measure this with favors and gifts?"
Luo Xiaowei said helplessly, "Fine, fine, you've fooled me again. I'll try my best to keep an eye on Zhao Qiang, and I'll notify you immediately if anyone tries to poach him."
Hu Qian corrected, "It's not just about surveillance; you need to build a good relationship with him, and ideally, make him listen to you in everything."
Luo Xiaowei, holding her forehead, said, "My dear sister, I don't have that ability. Okay, I'm hanging up now. It's not convenient to talk here."
Xu Xiaoya, standing outside, was furious. "Uncle, I'm not lying to you. Zhao Qiang himself said he wouldn't become Professor Gu's graduate student, and the reason for that is definitely not because of me!"
Xu Changjiang said on the phone, "Xiaoya, Professor Gu is right here with me. Why don't you talk to him?"
Xu Xiaoya paused for two seconds: "Okay, I know you must have all misunderstood me. This time, I can't clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River."
"This is Gu Yu. You must be Xu Xiaoya. You little brat, you're really serious about this. You actually went to Zhao Qiang's hometown to make up his exam? What was the result?" Professor Gu's voice came through the receiver.
Xu Xiaoya said dejectedly, "Still a perfect score in every subject."
Gu Yu laughed heartily: "If he cheated, do you think we teachers who have been around all our lives wouldn't have noticed? This young man has been hiding his abilities for three years, only giving us a surprise right before graduation. But the timing is just right..."
Xu Xiaoya asked cautiously, "Professor Gu, are you really planning to take him on as a graduate student?"
Gu Yu said, "Yes, it would be a real shame not to nurture such a promising talent. His mind is perfectly suited for physics research. I'm sure China's greatest scientist of the future is about to be born!"
Xu Xiaoya was sweating profusely. China's greatest scientist of the future? That Zhao Qiang who skipped classes every day to work part-time? He was just being stingy by not letting himself eat duck egg yolks. How could someone like that be a scientist?
“Professor Gu, there’s something you might not know. Zhao Qiang just told me that he won’t continue his studies and will instead start his own business to make money. I think you’ve all misunderstood and think I made him make this decision, but he really said it himself. If you don’t believe me, I can call him over so he can talk to you himself.”
Professor Gu was taken aback for a moment: "Oh, he still doesn't want to be my student?... That's right, that's in line with the personality of a talented student. If he were to cry and beg to become my graduate student, I might not have agreed."
Xu Xiaoya's face was covered in even more sweat. She said, "Professor Gu, there are some things I can't say in the middle. I'd rather he come and talk to you himself. Right now, I feel like I'm the villain, forcing him to give me your student spot."
Professor Gu chuckled and said, "If Zhao Qiang cheated on this exam, given your personality, you definitely would have done it."
Xu Xiaoya blushed: "Now I know that he won this opportunity with his own abilities, so I am willing to give it up."
Professor Gu said with a sly smile, "Don't be discouraged, Xiaoya. Actually, I've seen your file. Your grades have been outstanding and extremely stable for the past three years of university. To be honest, I really like you as a student."
Xu Xiaoya's heart pounded: "Professor Gu, what do you mean?"
"Hehe, didn't that kid refuse to be my student? I'm giving you a task: persuade him! Not only must you make him my graduate student, but you must also continue your doctoral studies with me. If you complete the task, then congratulations, Xiaoya, you and Zhao Qiang can be classmates again for the next few years!"
Volume 1 [029] Luo Xiaowei's formidable rival
"Oh dear, Aunt Huilan, have all the guests finished eating?" Er Kui's wife and a group of women entered Zhao Qiang's house.
Liu Huilan hurriedly came out of the kitchen to greet everyone, "Everyone's here, quickly find a place to sit down."
A woman in a floral polyester shirt said, "Huilan, your Zhao Qiang is really something. He studied at university for three years and brought home two wives. He's the first in our village to do that."
Liu Huilan's face flushed red. What daughter-in-law? There were two of them! Her son hadn't mentioned them to her at all. How could these people say such things in front of the two girls in the main room? Wouldn't that make her lose face?
A woman wearing a Kono DVD T-shirt said, "Da Gen's wife, what are you saying? What year is this? How can you marry two wives? If the government finds out, they'll arrest you and make you eat cornbread."
The woman in the floral polyester shirt said, "Could the other one be a mistress? I've heard that this is popular in big cities now."
Liu Huilan couldn't let these women continue talking, otherwise they would offend all of her son's classmates. Liu Huilan said loudly, "Stop guessing. Those two are Zhao Qiang's classmates. They came to see Zhao Qiang because of something urgent at school."
"Oh," everyone suddenly realized, and the woman in the floral polyester shirt said, "I knew it, your family's circumstances wouldn't allow you to marry two wives."
The woman from the Kono DVD said, "Da Gen's wife, what are you saying? Wei Dong doesn't earn much money and still has to buy medicine for himself, but Zhao Qiang is promising. He's a college student now, someone who has seen the world, and he can earn money to support himself. Can your child do that?"
Er Kui's wife said, "Everyone, stop arguing and go inside to see the girls from the big city. You won't know how beautiful they are until you see them with your own eyes. If Zhao Qiang were to marry one of them, that guy would be so lucky!"
Xu Xiaoya put down her phone and went into the living room with a strange expression. Luo Xiaowei asked her, "Are we leaving now?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Wait a minute, let me say a few more words to Zhao Qiang."
Luo Xiaowei chuckled and said, "Do you need me to leave?"
Xu Xiaoya waved her hand generously: "No need. He and I are just ordinary classmates. If you want to go any deeper, he would be under my leadership in the class."
Luo Xiaowei seemed to be defending herself: "Me too, we're just ordinary classmates."
Knock, knock, knock. Xu Xiaoya knocked on Zhao Qiang's bedroom door. "Zhao Qiang, come out for a moment. I have something to tell you."
Zhao Qiang opened the door and said, "Gentlemen, please spare me. I haven't been home for more than half a year. Can't you let me have a couple of days of peace and quiet with my parents?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Zhao Qiang, as long as you promise me one thing, we promise to leave your house immediately."
Zhao Qiang said, "What is it? I need to hear it first."
Xu Xiaoya said, "I agree to be Professor Gu's graduate student."
Zhao Qiang stared wide-eyed for a long time before finally saying, "Class monitor, are you out of your mind? I have no desire to be Professor Gu's graduate student. Are you really planning to pull a 'Kong Rong sharing pears' act? I don't appreciate your offer at all."
Zhao Qiang genuinely didn't want to pursue a master's degree. Xu Xiaoya hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhao Qiang, things have changed a bit. Professor Gu previously only said he would recruit one graduate student from Donghai University, but now he's changed his mind and wants to recruit two."
Zhao Qiang said happily, "That's great! You're guaranteed to be shortlisted, so there's no chance for me."
Seeing Zhao Qiang about to close the door, Xu Xiaoya hurriedly grabbed his arm and said, "No, don't rush. I haven't finished yet. Professor Gu said that these two spots are for you and me."
Zhao Qiang was taken aback: "What do you mean, 'you' and 'me'? It's just you. You can give the other spot to whoever you want. I'm not going."
Xu Xiaoya said pitifully, "But Zhao Qiang, you don't know, Professor Gu said that if I can't persuade you to become his graduate student, then I won't get a spot either."
As an observer, Luo Xiaowei was speechless with surprise. What was Professor Gu Yu up to? Wasn't he forcing Xu Xiaoya to pressure Zhao Qiang into becoming his student? He was saving himself the trouble.
Zhao Qiang said, "This is ridiculous, class monitor. We've known each other for years, and you know my temper. I definitely won't agree to this. So you should go back to school right away. Professor Gu must be joking with you. What can he do to me if I refuse to go?"
After saying that, Zhao Qiang went back to his room. Now he realized what it meant to be a nail that sticks out and get hammered down. Trouble was brewing. There was nothing inherently wrong with being a nail that sticks out, but the key issue was that Zhao Qiang didn't have wings to fly. If he really became Professor Gu's graduate student, who knew what kind of trouble he would cause.