There were only two days left until the project presentation. Apart from having only afternoon classes today, the other day was packed with a full schedule!
The blush on her face instantly vanished at lightning speed, replaced by a deathly pallor.
Desperately needing someone to vent to, Tang Zhiwu grabbed Xu Ge and began pouring out her frustrations.
Tie Jun Sister: 【Wuwuwu, it gets even worse! My project assignment was ruined by that stupid alpaca at home!】
Tie Jun Sister: 【How infuriating! That was the result of me sitting in the library all day! Completely destroyed!!】
Tie Jun Sister: 【Wuwuwu, I’ve let my teacher down! I’ve let down the First Year of Jiayi! And I’ve let down Xu Ge!】
Three letters arrived one after another. Xu Ge smiled and opened them in order.
Many of the terms were unfamiliar, but he roughly understood Tang Zhiwu’s meaning.
Just from these three paragraphs, Xu Ge could already imagine the pitiful, tearful expression on the young girl’s face.
The corners of his lips lifted as he comforted her with a smile.
Jin Zhi: 【No need to apologize. Is this assignment related to the First Year of Jiayi?】
Within seconds, he received a reply.
Tie Jun Sister: 【Yes, it’s related to Xu Ge. I just organized the main events of his life yesterday… I’m sworn enemies with that alpaca!!】
Reading this line, Xu Ge was momentarily stunned, then let out an unexpectedly terrifying laugh.
His laughter was low, clear, and very soft.
Yet it broke away from his usual aloofness, carrying a touch of spring-like warmth and the refreshing quality a young man should have.
A phoenix tree leaf drifted in through the window, closely followed by brilliant, dazzling sunlight.
This light poured directly onto the desk, including Xu Ge’s handsome, flawless profile.
Seeing that it was getting late, Tang Zhiwu grabbed her phone and dashed upstairs to her bedroom in one breath. By the time she had freshened up and changed her clothes, fifteen minutes had passed.
When she opened her phone again, she saw Xu Ge’s simple yet savior-like three words.
Jin Zhi: 【I’ll help you.】
“Oh my god!!”
Tang Zhiwu exclaimed loudly, her hand trembling so much she nearly flung her phone away.
Steadying her emotions, she thought she must have misread it and brought the phone back before her eyes.
She scrutinized those three words carefully, over and over, a full ten times before truly confirming the message he had sent.
Swallowing nervously, Tang Zhiwu could barely contain the ecstasy that was about to burst through the top of her head. With lightning speed, she tentatively asked:
Tie Jun Sister: 【Really?】
Ten seconds later, the person with the black-and-white profile picture replied.
Jin Zhi: 【Really.】
Tang Zhiwu truly didn’t know what to say. She never imagined that such a stroke of luck—getting something for nothing—would one day happen to her.
Afraid this golden opportunity might slip away, she quickly replied.
Tie Jun Sister: 【Yay! Thank you!!! I’ll treat you to milk tea when it’s done!】
With a conscience that existed but wasn’t particularly strong, Miss Tang decided that after this project presentation, she would buy this never-met, incredibly kind person the most expensive milk tea within a ten-mile radius.
Tang Zhiwu never doubted Xu Ge’s capabilities. After these past couple of days of interaction, she had completely come to regard him as a seasoned historical researcher.
Her phone buzzed with a notification that the car was already waiting at the entrance.
Tang Zhiwu hastily stuffed the afternoon course materials into her commuter bag, hurriedly replied to Xu Ge with a message before abruptly ending the conversation, then rushed out of the villa.
Tie Jun Sister: [Bye, let’s chat tonight. I have classes this afternoon. o(╥﹏╥)o]
Jin Zhi: [Be careful on the way.]
Xu Ge knew this conversation had finally come to a proper end. He gathered all the letters from today, along with the jade pendant, and placed them into a small box.
“Sir, it’s time to head to the Horse Racing Field to watch the competition,” Ashu’s voice came from outside the door.
Xu Ge glanced toward the doorway, then lowered his gaze to the box in his hands. He replied softly, “We’ll depart in two quarters of an hour.”
Upon hearing this, Ashu instinctively felt a surge of urgency and was about to speak up to dissuade him, but he suddenly recalled the words Xu Ge had spoken to him earlier at the Yan residence.
His half-opened mouth froze abruptly, then slowly closed again.
Xu Ge set the box aside, took out a fresh sheet of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and after a moment of contemplation, began writing without hesitation.
The characters flowed across the paper like drifting clouds, without the slightest pause. Just as the two quarters of an hour passed, Xu Ge’s slender hand came to a stop.
He set down the brush, reviewed the densely filled contents on the three sheets of paper, nodded in satisfaction, folded them neatly, and placed them atop the jade pendant inside the box.
As the letters vanished, the weight in his heart lifted as well.
His gaze upon the jade pendant was tender as water.
I hope these things will be of use to you.
Nearly bursting through the door, Tang Zhiwu saw the instructor already standing on the podium with a microphone in place. Before she could even catch her breath, she flashed a bright smile.
“Good afternoon, teacher!”
“Tang Zhiwu, this time, did you help an elderly lady cross the street or take a stray animal to a rescue shelter?” The teacher adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and turned her head to tease Tang Zhiwu, who was standing at the entrance.
“Teacher Wang, it’s all your fault I’m late this time, hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮.” Tang Zhiwu was long immune to such teasing and spoke without a hint of embarrassment.
The person on the podium was a senior female professor in the history department of University A. Hearing this, she thought Tang Zhiwu was rebelling.
Her glasses nearly slipped off her nose. Raising an eyebrow and widening her eyes, her tone shifted from playful to stern. “Are you saying your tardiness is my fault?”
Danger!!
The students in the room held their breath, silently mourning for their department’s beauty queen in their hearts.
Tang Zhiwu, however, beamed brightly and shook her head. “I dreamed about you during my nap at noon and wanted to spend a little more time bonding with you, teacher. That’s why I was late.”
Teacher Wang, being older, couldn’t help but blush slightly at these words. She chuckled softly and scolded, “Shameless,” before shooing Tang Zhiwu inside.
“Wuwu, when it comes to smooth talk, you’re the best. Look how red Old Lady Wang’s face is now.”
Ke Jiuyyao retrieved the book from the desk beside her and secretly gave Tang Zhiwu a thumbs-up under the table.
But Tang Zhiwu had no mood for idle chatter. She quickly pulled her textbook from her commuter bag.
Turning to Ke Jiuyyao, she made a shushing gesture. “Shh, keep an eye on Old Lady Wang for me. I’m about to go god mode.”
With that, ignoring Ke Jiuyyao’s expression, she casually pulled out a notebook and began recalling the materials she had organized in her mind from the day before.
On her way to the classroom, she had already thought about what she would do if Jin Zhi didn’t help her.
After much consideration, she decided to leave herself the worst possible backup plan—to write down everything she could recall as thoroughly as possible.