"Nan Hua, I've already picked out someone for you." As the two emerged, Shen Yan saw the person waiting by the door.
Finishing her sentence, Shen Yan turned to Qiu Xi, "Xiao Xi, I'll be leaving then. See you in a couple of days."
"Alright." Seeing Ding Yi Bai on the other side, Qiu Xi also nodded with reassurance.
"Bye-bye~"
Once everyone had left, Qiu Xi turned towards Nan Hua.
"Didn't I say I could go back by myself?"
Earlier, when they were chatting, he had mentioned being assigned tasks by the teacher that evening.
Nan Hua shook his head and reached out to pull her closer, "It's fine. Those little things, I rushed a bit and finished them already."
"Okay~"
"Did you eat yet?"
"Mhm, I had a little with the teachers and everyone right after we came out."
"That's good then."
"Shall we walk around for a bit before heading back?"
"Okay."
With that, the two began walking outside, hand in hand.
......
On the other side, the two teachers were also walking together.
"How do you feel about the evening so far?" Shang Ming Jie at this moment was completely different from the person who had been so easy to talk to and engaging at the mixer.
"Mmm... Overall, it looks okay," Qi Xi Zhi pondered before nodding.
"It's just that this painting in my hand is truly tonight's surprise..." He smiled, looking at the calligraphy and ink painting still in his hand, and then lifted it to examine it.
"You know, this young lady's painting is quite commendable."
"..." Shang Ming Jie's expression was a bit gloomy.
"The painting is good, but this person is a bit too eager for quick success."
This kind of thing had never happened before. Even if it had, it was usually a few submitted together. This opportunistic approach was truly a first.
"It's fine, they're still young! And a young girl, a little bit of cunning, a little ambition, it's understandable."
"..."
"I liked that about them initially, I didn't expect it to turn out like this..."
It seemed they still needed to be taught properly.
Having such thoughts isn't scary; what's frightening is using them inappropriately.
"Mhm, the child is still young, a little more guidance will fix it."
Having reached this point, Shang Ming Jie didn't continue the topic.
"Old Qi, it's you I envy, these two you've taken on."
One is Qiu Xi, who has grades and talents. The other is Luo An, whose demeanor, speech, and even his mouth are exceptionally adept at social graces.
"Hahahahaha~"
"You shouldn't say that. Just tell me, which year haven't you envied me?"
The extremely arrogant and teasing voice made Shang Ming Jie roll his eyes.
Look at this boorish behavior...
Annoying!
"Alright, I'm here. I won't talk to you anymore."
As soon as he spoke, Shang Ming Jie drove off in his car.
Qi Xi Zhi, "..."
Boring!
"Hey!"
"That's not right!"
"There's still something left unfinished, isn't there?"
Qi Xi Zhi remembered what they had discussed earlier in the department about finding hosts.
They were supposed to discuss it directly tonight, but it got sidetracked, and before they could even start, the person left?
No matter how he called, the person on the other end was already gone.
"No more talking, we'll discuss it in the office tomorrow morning!"
Fine, a voice message ended the conversation for the night.
Discussing it tomorrow is fine; it doesn't matter if it's a little more or less time.
......
The next day-
The courses for first-year postgraduates were still quite numerous, and Qiu Xi had been quite busy in the first few days of the semester.
Today, she had no classes in the morning, so she planned to go to the library to find some inspiration.
Ever since Teacher Qi learned about her undergraduate thesis writing foundation and gathered more insider information about her from Teacher Ding, his approach towards her had become somewhat more hands-off.
His words were that he would give her enough freedom, and she could find him in his office if she had anything.
For this, Luo An was immensely envious.
He kept posting in the group chat, "When can I be like this, coming and going as I please..."
In fact, it wasn't just Luo An; even Wei Zi Qin and Mo Ya Ya secretly doubted their life.
They had been studying under Teacher Qi for quite some time, but this situation was truly unprecedented.
To put it bluntly, Teacher Qi originally recruited students because he wanted two little helpers to do the work.
They all went through it, but in the junior sister's cohort, there was such a reversal.
......
As expected, Qiu Xi had just arrived at the library and was about to put away her phone when she saw the group chat's "Xiao Xi."
It was all Luo An's "friendly greetings"...
"When can I also go to the library instead of this office..."
"Big shot Qiu, if I want to reach your level, is there a shortcut?"
"..."
"No!"
"Then if I start studying hard now, can I catch up?"
"Mhm, three to five years..."
"Then if I try even harder, sacrificing sleep and meals?"
"..."
"Then perhaps I'll never catch up in this lifetime."
"???"
"Why?" Luo An asked, puzzled.
"You tell me why!"
"We're from the same sect! If you act like this, aren't you trying to 'involution' me to death!!!"
"Then can I just stand still?"
The three, "..."
You really understand involution!