Chapter 75 - 56: Qu Chengfeng
July 13th, Sunday, 9:30 AM.
Chen Lin slept until he woke up naturally, feeling completely refreshed.
He pulled open the curtains, rubbed his eyes, and groggily walked out of the bedroom.
The living room was empty, and the usual breakfast wasn’t waiting on the dining table under its dust cover.
He pulled out his phone and, sure enough, his mom, Lin Xiaoqi, had sent him a WeChat message.
Mom: [Your dad and I left early this morning. We won’t be back in time to make lunch, so you’re on your own, son.]
The message was sent at 7:03 AM.
Chen Lin looked at the message, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
His mind immediately conjured a popular online meme—the "Three Stages of a College Student’s Status at Home During Summer Vacation."
Week One: National Treasure status. Your parents call you "sweetheart" and "darling," fussing over your well-being. They serve you gourmet meals, you don’t have to do a thing, and they’re terrified you might have suffered at school.
Week Two: A noticeable decline in status. You get nagged for sleeping in, lectured for being on your phone, and occasionally ordered to do some chores. The terms of endearment are downgraded to just your name.
Week Three and beyond: Lower than dirt. No matter what you do, they’ll find fault in it. Even breathing is wrong. The look in your parents’ eyes screams, "When does school start again?"
Chen Lin had experienced this entire process last summer.
He’d thought that after getting a high GPA and earning his own money this year, his status at home might improve. But it seemed he couldn’t escape this fateful cycle.
’But thankfully,’ he thought with some relief, ’this year I won’t have to wait until I’m utterly despised before slinking back to school.’
A couple of days ago, Sun Yu had sent him a message saying he’d found a good apartment complex near Yannan University. The environment was nice, the rent was reasonable, and they were just waiting for Chen Lin to go confirm it before paying the deposit.
Sun Yu even said he had a cleaning lady lined up. As soon as the apartment was confirmed, he’d have it cleaned. Basically, Chen Lin could pay the rent in the morning and move in with just his bags that afternoon.
Chen Lin had it all planned out. As soon as his business in the Imperial Capital was finished, he would head straight to Jinmen to enjoy the rest of his summer vacation in blissful solitude.
’He figured, knowing his mom’s personality, that after he’d been gone for a month or so, she’d start nagging him on WeChat: "Are you coming home for National Day?" "New Year’s is a short break, are you still coming back?" "When should you buy your ticket for winter break? Mom will make you your favorite food!"’
Chen Lin couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.
As for having no breakfast at the moment, he wasn’t too bothered. At school, his breakfast habits were casual anyway; if he woke up late, he’d just combine breakfast and lunch into one meal.
He went back to his room and started leisurely packing. A 24-inch suitcase, a few changes of summer clothes, his laptop, a charger... and then he carefully tucked the gold bar into a hidden compartment of his backpack.
As he was packing, his phone screen lit up again.
It was a WeChat message from Shen Yan.
Shen Yan: [Chen Lin, about what time will you get to the hotel today?]
Chen Lin glanced at his ticket information and replied.
Chen Lin: [My train arrives in the Imperial Capital at 6:35 PM. I estimate I won’t get to the hotel until after 7:30.]
Shen Yan: [Okay.] [Hanhan and a few of the other girls and I are arriving around two or three this afternoon. We plan to walk around the Huaqing University area. Should we wait for you for dinner?]
Chen Lin thought for a moment and decided not to make them wait.
Chen Lin: [No, it’s fine. You guys go ahead and eat. I have to get settled in when I arrive, so I’m not sure what time I’ll be done.]
A moment after he sent the message, Shen Yan shared a location with him.
Shen Yan: [[Location: Wudaokou International Food Court]]
Shen Yan: [Hanhan did some research ahead of time. It’s not far from our hotel or Huaqing University. A lot of Huaqing students eat here, and there are plenty of options. If you’re looking for a place to eat later, you can check it out.]
A warm feeling spread through Chen Lin’s chest as he read the message.
Chen Lin: [[OK]]
He stuffed his phone back in his pocket, zipped up his suitcase, gave his room one last look, and then walked out the door without hesitation.
...
「7:30 PM, Imperial Capital.」
Carrying a backpack and pulling a suitcase, Chen Lin walked into the hotel arranged by the university.
The lobby was brightly lit, and the air conditioning was blasting. He checked in smoothly and took the keycard to his single room with a large bed.
The room wasn’t large, but it was clean and tidy. He quickly unpacked his things, sent a message to the WeChat group saying "I’m here," and went out again.
Following the location Shen Yan had sent, he walked for about ten minutes and found the Wudaokou International Food Court.
It was less a single restaurant and more of a large food court, bustling with people and lively energy. Chen Lin wandered around for a bit before settling on a decent-looking self-serve hot pot place.
By the time he was full and had strolled back to the hotel, it was already 9:30 PM. He was genuinely tired after a long day of travel, so he set his alarm for 6:15 AM the next morning and went to bed early.
...
Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
Chen Lin was woken up promptly by his alarm. After washing up, he went downstairs to the hotel’s buffet restaurant and ate a leisurely breakfast.
By the time he wandered into the hotel lobby with a cup of coffee, Shen Yan, Li Zihan, and two other girls were already gathered together, excitedly chatting with a male teacher who looked to be in his early forties.
Chen Lin glanced at his phone. 6:53 AM.
’Good, I’m not late.’
Just as he approached, Shen Yan, who had been keeping an eye on the entrance, spotted him. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately waved him over.
Following her gesture, the gazes of the others all turned toward him in unison.
Chen Lin walked up and politely greeted the teacher first. "Hello, sir."
The teacher seemed very easygoing. He smiled, nodded, and extended his hand. "Hello. I’m the supervising instructor for this trip, Qu Chengfeng."
Chen Lin also extended his hand and shook it.
Then, he nodded to Shen Yan and the other three girls, acknowledging them as well.
With all six of them present, the group set off on time.
The venue at Huaqing University wasn’t far from the hotel, about a twenty-minute walk. In the early morning air of the Imperial Capital, the heat of the day had not yet set in. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the roadside trees, casting dappled shadows on the sidewalk.
The four girls walked ahead, while Qu Chengfeng, holding a sports water bottle, and Chen Lin followed at a leisurely pace a short distance behind.
"Chen Lin," Qu Chengfeng suddenly said with a smile, his voice tinged with curiosity. "You know, back in May, I got quite a shock when Shen Yan showed me the paper they’d written."
He turned his head to look at Chen Lin, a reminiscent look in his eyes. "When I saw that model optimization algorithm, I thought she must have secretly gotten help from one of our department’s professors. I even specifically reminded her that she had to credit them in the paper, or it would be a violation."
Hearing this, Chen Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qu Chengfeng continued, "But Shen Yan insisted she had consulted a fellow student. Considering her usual focus and dedication to mathematics, I chose to believe her in the end."
At this point, Qu Chengfeng’s tone filled with a mix of emotion and disbelief. "It wasn’t until last week, when she submitted your name to me as the person who helped her optimize the core algorithm... I made some inquiries afterward and was stunned to find out you’re actually in the Chinese Language and Literature department."
He stopped walking, looked at Chen Lin, and asked, "I just can’t wrap my head around it. With your talent for math, why didn’t you just major in it from the start?"
"I was a liberal arts student for the college entrance exams, so I couldn’t apply for it," Chen Lin explained succinctly. "But I’m already planning to apply for a transfer this summer."