The younger disciple looked so well-behaved, one wondered if she could withstand her boss’s venomous tongue…
Li Si was still somewhat shaken from being berated earlier, to the point of wanting to bury himself in the ground.
He had initially thought he would be subjected to a new round of “loving education,” but unexpectedly, his advisor had brought in a “punching bag.”
In that moment, he felt both relieved and worried.
What a shame… her taste seemed a bit off…
Li Si, still worrying for others, would soon be so disheartened that he could barely lift his head!
Here’s how it happened…
After Qiu Xi followed Ding Yujing inside, she looked at her senior classmate beside her with a sigh.
Then, sitting down, she began to chat with Teacher Ding.
“Teacher Ding, yesterday you said you had something to tell me, what was it?”
This was a message Teacher had sent Qiu Xi before she had even returned to school yesterday.
“There are two things I wanted to talk to you about.”
“First, the Century Cup has concluded, and you lived up to expectations. If you have time these past couple of days, please inform the training teachers to express your gratitude.”
Before Ding Yujing could finish, Qiu Xi was already nodding.
This was indeed something she needed to be thankful for, and even if Teacher Ding hadn’t mentioned it, she would have done it.
So, Qiu Xi didn’t say much, simply nodding to indicate she would go.
“Yes, and there’s another matter. I was originally going to wait until your master arrived to tell you…” Ding Yujing gritted his teeth, “but your master is so lazy!”
“So, he told me to tell you in advance.”
Before Qiu Xi could respond, he continued, “This matter is a bit complex, so I’ll make a long story short. You jot down the important parts, and if you have any questions later, you can ask us.”
Ding Yujing seemed to be in storytelling mode.
“…Simply put, in our line of work, there’s actually an internal exchange meeting, and there are also international ones. Ours is held annually, and the international one is every four years. When it’s the international year, the domestic one skips a turn.”
“And next year happens to be the quadrennial international exchange meeting, so everyone is preparing for it during this time!”
“Even the changes to this Century Cup of yours were, to some extent, influenced by this reason…”
After listening to Teacher Ding’s lengthy explanation, Qiu Xi was lost in thought for a long time.
Exchange meetings were held for exchange and learning, once a year, mainly to allow everyone to discuss their research findings from the past year and share anything good or worth learning from…
Although breakthroughs in humanities and linguistics were a bit difficult, perseverance would eventually lead to discoveries…
Therefore, in summary, the purpose of this exchange meeting was definitely good from the start.
However, over time, it had become somewhat distorted. What was once a harmonious exchange meeting gradually acquired a sense of decay, incorporating competition and a need to be number one, making it sound more like a “beauty contest.”
At this point, not having witnessed such events and relying solely on her own understanding and imagination, Qiu Xi still couldn't quite grasp it, so she remained silent for a long time.
Ding Yujing didn’t say much, preparing to say something to ease the child's anxiety, “Alright, I’ve just given you a general overview. The specifics will have to be discussed with Old Du when he arrives. I’m telling you now to give you some mental preparation.”
It was that Old Du who, fearing he wouldn’t have enough time to mention it when he arrived, asked him to reveal some of it in advance so his young disciple could adapt.
As for the rest, he felt it would be just right to explain it in detail when he arrived…
Well… his plan was certainly good, but it meant suffering for this old man…
Of course…
At this moment, Li Si, who was beside them, was also utterly lost, speechless, and greatly shocked…
He couldn’t understand!
In all his life, and even now, following his advisor, his status was actually lower than this younger disciple?
For a moment, he became extremely interested in the master mentioned by his teacher…
However, he was also a little timid and didn’t dare to ask…
His curiosity gnawed at him, and he started spacing out…
Until he saw the younger disciple leaving, and suddenly a face loomed large before him!
His soul instantly returned to his body.
“Advisor…”
“I asked you to look at your thesis, what are you thinking about?” His tone couldn’t have been worse; it was truly exceptionally bad!
“Advisor… who is that younger disciple? How could you be so partial?”
That’s right!
Li Si felt that his boss showed exceptional care for the younger disciple just now!
His tone was completely different from how he spoke to them. Saying it kindly, he was like a disappointed parent, but when looking at the younger disciple, even the worst words held a tender gaze of concern…
As a human being, how could there be such a huge difference between people?
Li Si didn’t understand…
However, this thought only occupied his mind for a second. The next moment, he was so disheartened that he directly accepted that he might not be “human”…
Perhaps when his ancestors were evolving, they forgot to bring him along while he was still sleeping in…
Because his advisor was smiling exceptionally happily and even boasted in front of him about the younger disciple, whom he thought was “helpless”…
It turned out that although she looked small, she already had a “great reputation”…
Setting aside other things, this published paper… he couldn’t compare…
“Alright!”
“Still got the leisure to listen to gossip!”
“Think about when you’re going to send me your thesis!”
One sentence completely defeated him…
The dejected youth, dragging his exhausted body that had been thoroughly beaten down, returned to the dormitory…
Behind him, the teacher’s lips curved into a smile, looking particularly pleased with himself~
This move was indeed good~
They’re all grown up, you can’t hold back when it’s time to strike them~
Then, with his hands behind his back, he went to find his old partner.
“Old woman, where is Xiao Xi?”
Not seeing anyone upon entering, Ding Yujing inquired.
Ge Jiaojie shot him a rolling of her eyes, “Don’t you know what you did yourself, and you’re asking me?”
Rubbing his nose, Ding Yujing felt he was at a disadvantage…
He then tried to explain, “This isn’t my fault. Old Du said it, and I just… relayed it.”
Ge Jiaojie, “……”
“Never mind, you two go ahead and fuss. I’m not dealing with this.”
“Xiao Xi has gone back for something, it’s perfectly normal, you don’t need to worry about her.”
“Heh heh~”
“That’s good~”
He figured it wouldn’t be the case. He’d known this girl long enough to know she was quite determined!
“Alright!”
“Come and help me pick vegetables.”
“Okay~”
While peace reigned here, Qiu Xi had already returned to her dormitory.