"How was it? Are you satisfied with the students interviewed this year?"
Shang Mingjie sat on the sofa, the tip of his foot slightly raised, looking to be in a good mood.
Qi Xizhi glanced over, understanding dawning in his eyes, and immediately spoke, "Just so-so, acceptable."
The plain tone made Shang Mingjie's heart flutter with excitement again.
He should win this time, right?
He subtly clenched his fists, reminding himself to stay clear-headed.
"Old Qi, listening to you, you mean this student is just acceptable?"
Qi Xizhi paused slightly, "...Barely. With effort, they could go further."
After speaking, he recalled his conversation with Qiu Xi a couple of days ago.
Qiu Xi was indeed an excellent student, but she still had room for improvement under him, so... he wasn't exactly spouting nonsense!
After hearing Qi Xizhi's words, Shang Mingjie shifted into a more comfortable position and took another sip of tea from the table.
"Old Qi, if you ask me, you shouldn't set your standards too high."
"Just like me, lower your expectations. Look at the second male student I found for an interview this time."
"Although his breadth of knowledge isn't that wide yet, his foundation is solid, which is enough."
Seeing Shang Mingjie acting like he had such low expectations, Qi Xizhi shook his head.
"What, aren't you worried about me poaching your good students' romantic partners this time?"
As he said this, he thought of that girl Mo Ya Ya, and the petty gossip this old fox in front of him had been complaining about. Qi Xizhi couldn't help but want to laugh.
After so many years, this old fox was still so restless...
"Hmph!"
"What am I afraid of!"
"It's only natural for young men and women to date. If your students are capable, then I have nothing to say."
"..." Qi Xizhi glanced at Shang Mingjie.
Stubborn!
If he were truly so magnanimous, he wouldn't be sitting here with him now.
Seeing Qi Xizhi's subtle eye-roll, Shang Mingjie immediately straightened his demeanor.
"Ahem!"
"Old Qi, just chat with me."
"Talking is fine, but you better brace yourself!"
It seemed this old fox wouldn't give up until he heard it.
He didn't know where this old man picked up his temper. He was so meticulous when it came to academics and extraordinarily demanding of his students... but only with him, regarding student recruitment, he acted like a mischievous old child.
"Go ahead, I won't laugh at you."
Qi Xizhi blinked, then nodded, "Alright..."
This was what he himself had asked him to say, not that he was forcing him to show off.
"Mm, it's a girl, named Qiu Xi."
"Her skill level, indeed, still needs..."
"Pfft~"
"Ahem..."
Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Shang Mingjie's old eyes widened, "Wait!"
"The child you mentioned is named what?"
"Is it Qiu Xi? You can't possibly have misremembered?"
The name he had been yearning for, how could it have come from his old rival's mouth?
He must have misheard himself.
"Yes, her name is Qiu Xi." Qi Xizhi looked at Shang Mingjie, his expression quite serious. "Although I am a year or two older than you, my memory hasn't deteriorated yet."
"Here, I just asked that girl Xiao Ya to organize the information. This is her resume, take a look."
By the time he heard the first sentence, Shang Mingjie already knew the answer.
The same name, it couldn't be such a coincidence... so this person was the one he was thinking of.
That top-ranked girl...
Even though he knew the answer, his hands involuntarily reached out to take the thin resume.
A name, a photo...
It was enough.
This was her!
That old fox Qi!
He had tricked him again!
After gulping down several mouthfuls of water, Shang Mingjie handed the papers back to him.
"Slap~"
The sound of paper slapping against the table, and it was exceptionally loud.
"Old Qi, you cunning old man..."
"Mingjie ah~"
"If you say that, I, your elder brother, will have to admonish you!"
"How am I cunning?"
"I think you just want to eat grapes~"
The half-smiling words made the agitated Shang Mingjie almost jump with anger.
He was mocking him!
Truly!
Yet, he had no words to refute him...
Why did he come here earlier?
If he had known, he wouldn't have come!
"Look at what you're saying, Old Qi. I just came to find out what's going on because I had nothing to do~"
"Brother, aren't you going to organize? Then you continue, I'm leaving."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little old man's figure had already darted out of the office.
Qi Xizhi watched from inside, a smile on his lips.
And he still wants to compete with me?
Impossible!!!
Little Jie Zi is getting more and more like an "old mischievous child" as he gets older. He's been seeking hardship for decades, yet he doesn't stop...
He's not tired...
Hmm!
A true survivor...
He truly admires this Mr. Qi!
...
"Ahhhhhh!"
"I'm so angry!"
Upon returning to his office, without even looking, he started stamping his feet with his eyes closed.
"This Old Qi, don't let me find out any of his little secrets, or I'll die laughing!"
"Truly..."
"It's making this old man so angry!"
"..."
From behind the desk, partially obscured by the computer, a hand reached out, holding a cup of water.
"Boss... How about you... drink some water first?"
"Gulp gulp~"
"Mm, not... wrong."
"Wrong!"
"Where did you pop out from, kid?"
He leaned forward, Shang Mingjie looking down at the student below.
Why hadn't he seen this person earlier?
"..." Fang Shumo rolled his eyes internally at his mentor.
He had been here the whole time!
He had even said hello when he went out earlier...
But the man had glanced at him happily, left a sentence "Keep up the good work," and then left with a smile.
Who would have thought he would return like this...
If he had known, he should have left earlier and come back tomorrow...
Seeing his furious expression, there was no need to ask or guess. Based on his experience over the past few months, he could tell at a glance that this must be from Teacher Qi's office!
Otherwise, he wouldn't be this angry...
The people in the offices on this floor, only Teacher Qi could achieve this.
So, he decided to remain silent...
The more he said, the more he'd be scolded!
"I'm asking you, why are you looking down?"
"I don't bite!"
At this moment, Shang Mingjie had calmed down after dealing with the student.
"Boss Shang, I've been right here!"
"I even greeted you when you went out!"
As soon as Fang Shumo finished speaking, he began to shuffle his head down.
He started to feel a bit uneasy in his heart, as he seemed to have discovered another little secret of his advisor...
His boss might not realize it himself, but he truly didn't bite people...
However, he could scold people!
And not just random scolding, but rather reasoned arguments from the moment he opened his mouth. Whether it was literature, papers, or manuscripts... he could always find a point to leverage.