Just as Mu Wanqing opened the door of the Bugatti, a voice called out from behind her, “Miss Mu.”
A faint trace of irritation flashed through her eyes.
Still, remembering that the person who had called her had attempted to help her earlier, she patiently turned around.
Zhang Jianjun stood several steps away, a polite smile resting on his handsome face.
Mu Wanqing looked at him calmly, “Yes?”
Zhang Jianjun hesitated for a brief moment before asking, “Are you heading toward the Bund?”
Mu Wanqing nodded, “I am.”
The young man’s eyes brightened almost immediately, “That is perfect.
I was wondering whether you could give me a ride.
I need to go there as well.”
Mu Wanqing considered his request for a moment.
Then she simply nodded, “Get in.”
Zhang Jianjun did not need to be told twice.
Before anyone around them could properly react, he walked around the Bugatti and opened the passenger-side door before settling comfortably inside.
The moment he entered the car, however, even he could not hide his surprise.
The interior was far more luxurious and comfortable than he had expected.
Most high-performance sports cars sacrificed comfort for speed, with stiff seats and interiors designed purely for performance.
Outside the car, the entire group stood frozen.
For several seconds, no one said anything.
Then Gu Chengze slowly turned toward Chen Gang, “Chen Gang, did Brother Zhang just abandon you?”
Xu Jiahao immediately joined in, “It certainly looks that way.”
Chen Gang glared at the two of them, “Stop talking nonsense.
Brother Zhang is merely trying to make an acquaintance with Miss Mu.
Wouldn’t it be better to establish a connection with someone from such a family?” He lifted his chin with complete seriousness, “This is called networking.”
Gu Chengze raised an eyebrow mischievously, “I didn’t know networking involved asking a beautiful girl for a ride.”
For a brief moment, everyone was silent.
Then laughter erupted throughout the group.
Even Xu Jiahao nearly doubled over from laughing, “Brother Chengze, your explanation is truly enlightening!”
Chen Gang’s face darkened, “You people really have nothing better to do.”
The laughter continued.
However, not everyone found the situation amusing.
Song Anqi stood quietly at the edge of the group, staring at the Bugatti Centodieci as it slowly pulled away.
Her face was pale and fingers were clenched tightly at her sides.
She still could not understand it.
Zhang Jianjun had approached Mu Wanqing himself.
He had asked for a ride.
That alone was already unbelievable.
Everyone who had grown up with Zhang Jianjun knew how indifferent he usually was toward women.
Song Anqi had spent years beside him, carefully maintaining their relationship and allowing everyone around them to believe that the marriage agreement between their families would eventually become reality.
Yet Zhang Jianjun had never once taken the initiative to approach her in such a manner.
But today, he had done so for someone else.
Song Anqi’s heart felt as though someone had tightened an invisible hand around it.
The pain was almost suffocating.
She quickly wiped away the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes and turned toward her own car, then, without looking back, she hurried away.
Inside the Bugatti, the atmosphere was considerably more relaxed.
Zhang Jianjun suddenly chuckled.
Mu Wanqing glanced at him, “Young Master Zhang, are you all right?
Did you suddenly remember something amusing?
Care to share it?”
Zhang Jianjun looked at her and smiled, “I was just thinking about something.
In a single day, you managed to find yourself involved in two completely exhausting situations.”
Mu Wanqing sighed deeply, “Things haven’t been going very well for me recently.
Perhaps I should start checking my almanac every morning before leaving hotel room.
At least then I might know whether today is suitable for going outside.”
Zhang Jianjun laughed softly, “But you handled both situations rather well.”
Mu Wanqing gave a faint smile, “I am learning.” Then she added thoughtfully, “Besides, I don’t think my troubles have ended yet.”
Zhang Jianjun’s expression became slightly more serious, “The Han family is not known for being particularly forgiving.
If you want,” Zhang Jianjun continued, “I can ask my father to speak with them.”
Mu Wanqing immediately shook her head, “No need.” Her answer was calm, “My father will handle it.” Then, inside her mind, she silently added, “Right?”
System 888 immediately responded.
[Don’t worry, Child.
Your father is here.]
Zhang Jianjun didn’t insist, instead, after a moment of silence, he asked, “You are a final-year high school student?”
Mu Wanqing nodded, “Yes.”
“You look rather young.”
“I skipped a grade during middle school.” She smiled, “So I will be taking the college entrance examination next week.”
Then he asked, “Which university are you planning to apply to?”
Mu Wanqing answered without hesitation, “Peking University and I’m applying for medicine.”
His eyes flickered slightly, “Why Beijing?
Shanghai also has excellent medical universities.”
Mu Wanqing’s lips curved upward, “I know.
But I want the best.”
Of course, there was another reason.
The better the university, the greater the grand reward.
Zhang Jianjun nodded slowly, then he fell silent.
After a while, Mu Wanqing glanced toward him, “You should also be taking the college entrance examination this year, shouldn’t you?”
Zhang Jianjun nodded, “Yes.”
“And where are you applying?”
For some reason, he hesitated.
Then he finally answered, “Peking University.
For finance and management.”
The moment the words left his mouth, even Zhang Jianjun himself became stunned.
Why had he said that?
Earlier that afternoon, he had argued with his mother about his future.
Yet now, without thinking, he had told Mu Wanqing that Peking University was his first choice.
His gaze unconsciously shifted toward her.
Mu Wanqing’s delicate side profile was illuminated by the lights passing through the windshield.
Her long hair moved slightly with the airflow inside the car.
For some reason, Zhang Jianjun’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
He immediately turned his eyes away.
Then quietly swallowed.
Mu Wanqing, completely unaware of his inner turmoil, smiled, “That is an excellent choice.
Afterall many successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in our country graduated from Peking University.
There, you will not only receive an excellent education and learn from outstanding professors, but you will also meet people from many different backgrounds.
The network you build during university can become just as valuable as the knowledge you gain in the classroom.”
Zhang Jianjun’s expression stiffened slightly, “That is also one of the reasons I chose it.”
Mu Wanqing smiled brightly, “Then perhaps we will meet again once we are both settled at the university.”
Zhang Jianjun suddenly turned toward her, “You seem very confident that I will get into Peking University.”
Mu Wanqing chuckled, “Don’t misunderstand me, but you have a scholarly aura.
I simply feel that you are the type of person who would definitely get into a university like Peking University.”
For a moment, Zhang Jianjun said nothing.
Something seemed to strike directly against his heart.
His heartbeat became so loud that he could almost hear it.
Zhang Jianjun remained silent for several seconds.
Then he finally said quietly, “I’ll try my best.” After saying that, he immediately turned toward the window.
Fortunately, the awkward silence did not last for long.
The bright lights of the Bund gradually appeared ahead.
Soon, the Bugatti slowed down.
Mu Wanqing drove toward the entrance of the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai and finally brought the car to a smooth stop.
Zhang Jianjun unfastened his seat belt and stepped out.
Mu Wanqing lowered the window and smiled at him, “All the best.” Her smile was warm and sincere.
For a moment, Zhang Jianjun simply stared at her.
Then he smiled, “Same to you.”
He hesitated for several seconds, he appeared to be struggling with something.
Finally, he took out his phone and opened his WeChat QR code, “Miss Mu.
Can we add each other on WeChat?”
Mu Wanqing looked at the QR code on his screen, thought about it briefly then nodded, “Sure.” She took out her phone.
The moment Zhang Jianjun saw it, however, his expression froze.
It was an old, broken phone.
Zhang Jianjun slowly looked at the phone.
Then he looked at the Bugatti.
Finally, he shook his head.
Are wealthy people these days really so eccentric?
The familiar sound of WeChat confirming a new contact interrupted his thoughts.
Mu Wanqing put her phone away, “Done.” She smiled at him, “Bye.” Before Zhang Jianjun could say anything else, she raised the window and drove toward the hotel entrance.
Zhang Jianjun remained standing there for a long time.
In his hand was his phone.
On the screen was a newly added contact, Mu Wanqing, so that’s her name, he thought.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
After a while, he finally put his phone away and stopped a passing taxi.
The driver lowered the window, “Where to, young man?”
Zhang Jianjun opened the rear door and got inside, “The airport.”
After finishing a light dinner, Mu Wanqing returned to her room and lay comfortably on the soft bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a moment before speaking, “Dad, send me to the Virtual Learning Room.
It would be such a waste to simply sleep when I can use that time to complete my mission.”
System 888 immediately chuckled.
[Child, I truly like this enthusiasm of yours.
Keep it up.]
I have only nine days left before the college entrance examination.
At this point, every moment counts.”
[Very well.
Preparing to enter the Virtual Learning Room.]
The familiar mechanical voice faded.
A moment later, Mu Wanqing felt her consciousness being gently pulled away.
She once again was in the white expanse and this time without thinking much she choose Chinese.
A brilliant white radiance enveloped her entire vision.
When Mu Wanqing opened her eyes again, she immediately realized that she was no longer standing inside the era style classroom she had visited previously.
Instead, she stood before an ancient Chinese courtyard residence.
For a moment, she simply stared.
The entire place seemed to have been transported directly from another era.
It was a traditional siheyuan-style courtyard, quiet and elegant, built around a single enclosed compound.
The grey brick walls carried the marks of time, while dark wooden pillars supported gently curved eaves.
The roof tiles were arranged neatly beneath the pale sky, their edges rising gracefully like the wings of a bird preparing to take flight.
There was no sound of modern life.
A silence so profound that Mu Wanqing instinctively lowered her voice, “This place is beautiful…”
She slowly walked forward.
The wooden floorboards beneath her feet creaked softly with every step.
One room led to another.
Mu Wanqing glanced through the open doors as she passed.
Everything inside belonged to another age.
There were rosewood tables polished smooth by years of use, antique bookshelves filled with thread-bound volumes, porcelain brush holders resting beside inkstones, and delicate calligraphy brushes arranged carefully on wooden stands.
The faint fragrance of old books, sandalwood, and ink lingered in the air.
It felt as though time itself had slowed down within this place.
Mu Wanqing continued walking deeper into the residence.
Soon, she reached the inner courtyard and her footsteps stopped.
A small garden spread before her.
Bamboo swayed gently beside carefully arranged rocks, while flowering plants grew quietly beneath the shade of ancient trees.
At the center of the courtyard was a narrow stream of clear water flowing between smooth stones.
The gentle sound of running water echoed throughout the courtyard.
It was peaceful, elegant and almost intoxicating.
Mu Wanqing stood quietly for several seconds, allowing herself to absorb the atmosphere.
Then she noticed someone.
Beneath the shade of an old tree, beside the flowing stream, sat an elderly man.
He wore a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit.
His hair was completely white, and his beard was long and well-kept.
Yet despite his age, his back remained perfectly straight.
He sat cross-legged with remarkable composure, holding a thread-bound classical Chinese book in his hands.
There was something about him.
Simply sitting there was enough to give him an indescribable sense of dignity.
He possessed the bearing of a true scholar.
Mu Wanqing had met many people in both of her lives, but she had never encountered anyone who made her instinctively feel that she should lower her head out of respect.
Before she could say anything, the old man spoke.
He did not even look up from his book, “So, you are finally here.”
Mu Wanqing froze for a moment.
His voice was unexpectedly pleasant.
It was calm and deep, carrying neither arrogance nor unnecessary authority.
Yet somehow, it made people want to listen.
She immediately composed herself, “Master, I am here to learn from you.”
As she spoke, Mu Wanqing respectfully lowered her head.
The old man finally looked up.
His eyes were sharp.
For several seconds, he silently examined her.
Then, a faint approving smile appeared on his face, “Hmm, You may sit.”
Mu Wanqing immediately walked forward and sat opposite him.
Her back was perfectly straight and hands rested neatly on her knees.
She waited.
One minute passed, five, then ten.
The old man did not speak.
He simply continued reading.
Mu Wanqing blinked.
Was this supposed to be the lesson?
She quietly pressed her lips together.
However, she did not move.
Instead, a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.
In her previous life, she had watched countless historical dramas.
In those dramas, ancient masters were always eccentric people.
They rarely accepted disciples easily and often tested their students before teaching them anything.
Perhaps this was also a test.
Mu Wanqing silently convinced herself.
If the master wanted to test her patience, then she would be patient.
So she remained seated.
Finally after nearly twenty minutes, the old man slowly lowered his book.
He looked at her, “So,” he said calmly, “you are here to learn?”
The corner of Mu Wanqing’s mouth twitched, “Yes, Master.”
The old man nodded slowly.
Then his expression became serious, “I will not teach you anything until you first understand what I am about to say.”
Mu Wanqing immediately straightened her posture even further.
The old man placed the book gently on the table beside him.
“Reading is not decoration, girl.
It is not something you do so that you may appear intelligent in front of others.
It is not something you display while drinking tea you do not even understand how to appreciate.”
Mu Wanqing listened attentively.
The old man tapped the book resting beside him, “Reading is the marrow within the bone.
Remove the marrow, and the body may still stand for a time.
But the moment true weight is placed upon it, it will collapse.”
He pushed a set of books towards Mu Wanqing and continued, “Words are not merely symbols placed upon paper.
A language carries the thoughts of generations.
Every sentence contains a rhythm.
Every phrase has a purpose.
You will read until the words no longer lie flat upon the page like dead things.”
His fingers moved across the ancient characters, “You will read until they rise, until they breathe.
Until you understand where a sentence should slow down, where it should turn, where it should strike like a blade, and where it should flow gently like a river.”
Mu Wanqing stared silently at him.
“Structure,” the old man said, “is not merely a rule that you memorize.
It is rhythm.
It is something you must learn to hear.
Before you can truly write a language, you must first learn how to listen to it.”
His hand moved toward another book.
This one was thinner, “Phrases are not ornaments either.
They are not trinkets for you to collect and scatter across a page simply because you wish to impress others.
They are inheritance.
They have survived because countless generations of people found meaning within them.
They were carried through dynasties, wars, prosperity, and decline.
You will learn not merely what a phrase means.
You will learn why it survived.”
His voice became deeper, “A phrase used without understanding is nothing more than a costume.
But a phrase used with true understanding, can become a weapon.”
The old man slowly leaned back, “You will also learn to listen to what is not written.
The Chinese language is vast because it does not always need to say everything aloud.”
Sometimes, silence contains more meaning than a hundred sentences.
Sometimes, a single character is enough.”
He looked directly into her eyes, “You will learn allusion.
So that when you write, those who understand will understand without explanation.
And those who do not understand, will simply know that they have missed something.”
Mu Wanqing stared at him silently.
Her gaze dropped to the stack of books, some bound in cloth-covered spines yellowed with age, others crisp and modern, their covers still faintly glossy.
“You want me to read…
all of this?” she asked slowly, unable to keep the disbelief from creeping into her voice.
The old man said nothing.
His eyes simply held hers, no anger, no impatience, nothing she could push against.
It was worse than if he’d shouted.
Under that silence, she felt the full weight of expectation settle onto her shoulders like a physical thing, and before she could think better of it, her hand had already reached for the first book.
The moment she opened it, the world tilted.
The characters gradually began to bleed into one another.
Dense and archaic lines filled page after page, entire worlds of meaning compressed into a handful of characters.
The ancient sentences seemed to fold into themselves like distant mountains disappearing into morning fog, visible before her eyes, yet impossible to grasp.
Mu Wanqing’s mind reeled.
Still, she remembered the old master’s words.
She attempted to listen for the rhythm beneath the sentences, searching for the invisible current that supposedly flowed beneath every carefully constructed clause.
She tried to feel where a sentence should bend and where it should suddenly stop, sharp and decisive like the edge of a blade.
But no rhythm came.
She turned another page.
Then another.
She tried to understand the silence between the characters, the meaning hidden in what had not been written. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
But there was only one problem.
There were simply too many words.
Mu Wanqing stared at the page in front of her.
What silence?
She could barely understand what had already been written.
How was she supposed to understand the things that had deliberately been left unsaid?
So, in the end, she stopped trying to understand.
She simply read.
One book after another.
She read methodically, slowly at first.
Then faster.
The words gradually stopped blurring because of confusion and began blurring simply because there were too many of them.
Mu Wanqing no longer knew how much time had passed.
Time inside the Virtual Mastery Room had always been strange.
Once she stopped paying attention to it, the concept itself seemed to dissolve.
Mu Wanqing continued reading.
And eventually, she finished.
With the last remaining strength in her mind, she placed the final thread-bound volume onto the wooden table.
She slowly raised her head and looked toward the old man.
At some point, he had abandoned his earlier reading.
A sheet of rice paper rested before him, covered with elegant calligraphy, while his brush lay quietly beside the inkstone.
He appeared to have been watching the ink dry.
Mu Wanqing stared at him.
The old man spoke without looking up, “You are finished?”
Her throat felt dry, “Yes, Master.” Her voice came out considerably hoarser than she had expected.
The old man nodded once, “You may leave.”
Mu Wanqing blinked.
For several seconds, she simply sat there.
Leave?
That was it?
No test of whether she had actually understood a single thing she had read?
She had just spent an unknown amount of time buried in those ancient literature, struggling through archaic language until her consciousness felt as though it had been squeezed dry.
And now, “You may leave”?
A flicker of irritation rose inside her chest.
Mu Wanqing opened her mouth.
But before she could speak, the entire courtyard dissolved.
And when Mu Wanqing opened her eyes, she was back into the familiar presidential suite.
Mu Wanqing sat upright so quickly that the blanket slid down and fell from the bed.
She stared at the empty room in disbelief.
Then she threw the blanket aside with considerably more force than necessary, “What was that?” Her voice echoed through the luxurious bedroom, “Shouldn’t he at least ask me some questions?
Test me on something?
He made me read an entire mountain of ridiculous books, and then what?
Finished.
Leave.”
System 888 answered calmly.
[That old master is simply too eccentric.
Honestly, Child, I am already surprised that he explained so much to you.
From what I know, he usually throws a pile of books at his students and walks away.
No instructions.
No explanations.
No guidance.
You received the polite version.]
Mu Wanqing pressed a hand against her forehead, “Dad, isn’t that ridiculous?
I only entered the Virtual Mastery Room to improve my Chinese for the college entrance examination.
Shouldn’t he simply teach me the required classical texts?
The poems in the syllabus?
Reading comprehension?
Essay structure?
Those are the things that will actually appear in the examination.
I can handle the rest myself.
I am not trying to become some great scholar or pursue a doctorate in classical literature.
Why is he making things so complicated?”
System 888 did not answer immediately.
Of course, he understood.
He had listened to every word the old master had said the previous night.
And unlike Mu Wanqing, System 888 understood the meaning behind those words almost immediately.
Reading was never simply about recognizing characters.
Language was not something that could be mastered by memorizing formulas alone.
A person could learn grammar, memorize phrases and recite essays.
But without understanding the feeling beneath the words, everything would eventually become hollow.
The old master’s lesson had never truly been about Chinese.
It had been about understanding.
Understanding why words existed.
Why certain phrases survived.
Why people wrote things they did not say directly.
Why a single sentence could carry the weight of an entire era.
System 888 understood all of that.
But he also understood his daughter.
Right now, Mu Wanqing was not searching for the meaning behind the lesson.
She was searching for the shortest possible path toward completing her mission.
Therefore, System 888 wisely remained silent.
And, exactly as he expected…
Mu Wanqing suddenly turned toward him, “System Dad, What is my progress score now?”
System 888 fell silent and after a long pause he answered.
[12.73%.]
Mu Wanqing froze.
The room became completely silent, “Only 12.73%?
After I completed my mathematics preparation, I was already at 11.73%.
Are you telling me that after reading all of those books, after spending who knows how long inside that place, I only gained one percent?”
System 888 spoke carefully.
[That percentage also came from the first mission you completed earlier.]
Mu Wanqing’s expression slowly changed.
The first mission.
The one where she had memorized the required classical poems from her syllabus.
Meaning, after the entire night of struggle, she didn’t get a single raise in progress?
Something hot suddenly rose within her chest.
Mu Wanqing felt her breathing become heavier.
The edges of her vision almost seemed to turn red.
She shook her head firmly, “No.
This cannot continue.” Her voice became increasingly desperate, “I cannot keep doing this, Dad!
Can we change masters?”
[No.]
Mu Wanqing blinked.
She remained silent for a moment.
Then her eyes moved thoughtfully, “All right.
Then what if we temporarily skip Chinese?”
[No.]
Her expression stiffened, “We can move on to another subject.
I will return to Chinese later.”
[You cannot advance to another subject until you complete the learning assignment currently assigned to you.]
Mu Wanqing slowly collapsed backward onto the bed.
Her entire body sank into the soft mattress.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
For several moments, she did not speak.
Her mind desperately searched for an escape.
There had to be one.
A spark appeared in her eyes.
What if I enter the Virtual Mastery Room and simply avoid that old man?
She could study by herself.
Complete the required coursework.
Read the necessary material.
As long as she did not have to deal with that eccentric master…
[Don’t even think about it.
The master assigned to the learning space is the one responsible for evaluating your progress.
If he is not satisfied with your understanding, your learning mission will not be considered complete.]
Mu Wanqing stared into space.
System 888 delivered the final blow.
[In other words, Child, you can remain inside that room indefinitely if the master believes you have not learned enough.]
Silence fell and for a moment, she genuinely felt as though she might cry.
Mu Wanqing suddenly pulled the blanket over her face, “Dad…”
[Yes?]
“Why does my life suddenly feel so miserable?”
System 888 remained silent.
Mu Wanqing lay there for several moments before a completely unexpected thought entered her mind.
She missed Teacher Xu.
Teacher Xu had always been sharp-tongued, Impatient and strict.
At least she was straightforward.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts on how to come out of the situation, her phone suddenly rang.