"Alas..."
"..."
"Teacher Qi, what are you sighing about?"
Qiu Xi, needing to report on the progress of her thesis to her advisor, came to the office at an opportune moment.
As soon as she entered and approached the desk, she heard intermittent sighs.
"Qiu Xi, since you're here, why don't you go take a look?" Luo An, sitting nearby, gently nudged Qiu Xi's shoulder.
"Teacher Qi has been like this for the past two days. After finishing his work in the office, he doesn't go out to see anyone and just sits there sighing."
"It's been two days, aren't you curious?" Qiu Xi sat down and leaned closer to the person beside her.
"Curious!" Luo An nodded vigorously.
"If you're curious, why don't you go ask him?"
"...We don't dare."
"..."
"Don't look at us like that!" Luo An rolled her eyes.
"Look at the three of us!"
"Senior Brother is busy with his graduation thesis, and as soon as he goes up, he gets scolded. Senior Sister is the same. Not only is she swamped with work lately, but her paper that's supposed to be published is still making no progress. She's about to go abroad soon, and now she's even more afraid to approach him."
"If those two senior brothers and sisters don't dare to go, do you think I would dare?"
Luo An had self-awareness in this regard.
Qiu Xi stared at Luo An for a few moments, then slowly shook her head.
"You guys... are indeed not up to it."
"..."
"You are! Go quickly!"
Mo Ya Ya, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly turned her head, widened her eyes, and softly called out to Qiu Xi.
"Senior Sister, I think I really can," Qiu Xi patted the folder in her hand.
"..."
You can!
I concede!
It's too difficult, this life!
When can she graduate!
"Junior Sister, go quietly investigate and tell us what's going on when you get back." Wei Ziqin, who was quietly working on his thesis in the corner, couldn't hold back either.
The atmosphere in the office had been too heavy lately.
He didn't even want to bring his laptop here, but his advisor would urge him as soon as he didn't see him. He was now afraid of every phone call!
Yet, when he came here, the teacher's face was always stern, and he kept sighing. It put a lot of pressure on him...
Mo Ya Ya clasped her hands together and pleaded softly, "That's right, Junior Sister, just go. If you can ask, ask. If not, then forget it."
"..." Qiu Xi was also at a loss now.
Encountering such a thing as soon as she arrived, her luck was indeed... good.
Qiu Xi slowly shook her head, "Alright, alright, look at your pathetic faces. I'll go."
"But I can't guarantee anything!"
"If the teacher ends up chasing me out too, I won't be able to do anything."
"Deal!"
"If you can't do anything, then we can't either!"
"..."
"Then I'll go take a look first."
"Okay!"
"Good luck!"
Qiu Xi said, walking over with the folder in her hand.
"Teacher Qi."
Looking at her advisor, Qiu Xi finally understood what the other three had meant.
Even though she was standing right in front of him, Teacher Qi showed no reaction, still absorbed in his own sighing.
"Teacher Qi!"
There was no other way, so Qiu Xi had to raise her voice a little.
"Ah... Ah!"
"It's Xiao Xi!"
"Didn't you go to help the teacher?" Qi Xizhi looked up in surprise.
"..." Qiu Xi sighed.
That was days ago.
"Teacher Qi, I've finished those tasks. I'm here today to update you on the follow-up of my thesis," Qiu Xi said, pointing to the folder she had placed on the desk.
"Oh... I see." Qi Xizhi lowered his gaze to the blue folder on the desk.
"Then put it here for now. I'll look at it later."
"..."
She believed that folder would likely gather dust in the next two days.
"Teacher Qi, I've been hearing you sighing. What's bothering you?" Qiu Xi simply pulled up a chair and sat down.
"This..."
"Forget it, it's no use telling you. It's better not to say anything."
"It's fine, just go back quickly. I'll think about it myself."
"..." Qiu Xi glanced back slightly.
The other three were looking over with eager yet slightly anxious faces.
If the teacher kept thinking like this, no one would be able to stay in the office.
"Teacher, you're underestimating me. How do you know I won't have any ideas if you don't tell me?"
Since the teacher wasn't angry yet, she could try to probe further.
"..."
Qi Xizhi looked at the student opposite him.
He recalled the student's experiences over the years and thought that perhaps she might have some ideas.
Thinking this way, Qi Xizhi felt there was some logic to it...
"Alright, it's not a secret that can't be told. Then I'll tell you."
Talking about it might relieve some psychological pressure, so it was acceptable.
Qiu Xi smiled in satisfaction and nodded, "Okay, Teacher Qi, please tell me. I'm listening."
"Actually, it's not my business, it's your Teacher's Wife's."
Qiu Xi's eyes widened slightly. Teacher's Wife?
This was the first time she had heard about her advisor's wife.
To be honest, her first year of graduate studies was almost over, and she hadn't visited Teacher Qi's home yet, nor did she know what Teacher's Wife, whom her seniors often mentioned as having a great temperament, looked like.
"It's about your Teacher's Wife's company. A deal they had finalized before, but now the other party is willing to pay the breach of contract fee rather than deliver the goods. They're in a desperate situation, and I've been... cough, I haven't been able to sleep at all lately."
At his age, it was a bit embarrassing to talk about such things.
"I've been thinking for two days and don't know how to solve it, so I've been distracted."
"Teacher, isn't this very simple? Since they are willing to pay the breach of contract fee, can't you just exchange money for a batch of goods?" Qiu Xi didn't fully understand the situation, but based on this description, this method was indeed feasible.
"What you said is a method, but due to the deadline, there isn't enough time, and they are unwilling to accept it, so another path is blocked."
"..."
This way, it was indeed a bit troublesome.
"Teacher Qi, didn't Teacher's Wife retreat to the background?" Qiu Xi asked. "Why is she involved again?"
Qiu Xi didn't know what Teacher's Wife did, but her seniors had told her that Teacher's Wife used to teach as well. Later, due to some reasons, she stopped and went into business. Several years ago, because of her age, she didn't want to be in the office every day, so she retreated to the background.
"Yes." Qi Xizhi nodded. "But when things come up, sometimes you still have to deal with them."
This batch of goods was what they had ordered. With the deadline approaching, if they couldn't deliver, the losses could be significant.
"..."
For a moment, Qiu Xi was also at a loss.
She understood the situation, but regarding the supply of goods, she couldn't conjure a warehouse full of them out of thin air, could she?
Therefore... she was powerless.
"Alright, we've talked about everything. I'll leave this folder here for now, and I'll look at it later."
"You should go back now."
"...Okay, I'll trouble you, Teacher."
After speaking, Qiu Xi quietly stepped back a few paces.
...