Gu Mingyan’s offhand comment calling “six figures small money” sent the entire livestream chat into chaos.
【Redefining “small money.” 】
【Wow, over a hundred thousand as pocket money? Is Gu Mingyan tossing yuan like candy? 】
【Yun Qingqing is so lucky. Another day of envy for Yun Qingqing! 🙂 】
Meng Xian, stifled by Gu Mingyan’s comment about being stingy, felt her face turn red and pale in turns.
She had intended to hint that Yun Qingqing was a paid friend, but Gu Mingyan didn’t play by the usual rules. She made transferring over a hundred thousand to a friend seem as simple as breathing, making Meng Xian look petty in comparison.
Just as Meng Xian struggled to find an exit from the awkwardness, Yun Qingqing slowly put down her chopsticks:
“Teacher Meng, you have really sharp eyes. Sitting so far away, you can still see the numbers on my phone so clearly—even count the digits.”
Her tone was gentle, but for Meng Xian, who also fancied herself a subtle schemer, her heart sank—Yun Qingqing was indirectly calling her out for peeking.
Meng Xian quickly waved her hands. “I just glanced accidentally when I turned my head—spoke out of turn. I shouldn’t have worried about something that wasn’t my concern.”
The viewers weren’t buying it:
【“Accidentally saw it”? Sounds deliberate to me. 】
【If Yun Qingqing hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have noticed. That’s quite a distance to see a phone—vision must be 5.3 or better. 】
【Looking at someone else’s phone is a bit rude, honestly. 】
【Friends transferring money isn’t her business. Prying like this is overstepping boundaries. 】
Ding Manni quietly ate, sympathizing with Meng Xian, who was sweating at her temples.
Why did she have to provoke Yun Qingqing and her?
Of course she got roasted again.
Back at the dorm arranged by the production team, Yun Qingqing closed the door and looked at Gu Mingyan, who was taking off her jewelry in front of the mirror.
“Why didn’t you just tell Meng Xian I’m your hired companion?” Yun Qingqing asked.
Gu Mingyan paused, looking at her through the mirror. “Hmm?”
“She clearly wanted to make a fuss about the transfer today,” Yun Qingqing said calmly. “If she later finds out our friendship is based on an employment arrangement, she might use it against you, call you hypocritical, say we were faking for the cameras. Better to be upfront from the start and say I’m your assistant—it’s simpler.”
Gu Mingyan turned, eyebrows slightly furrowed, seemingly unable to understand Yun Qingqing’s reasoning.
In the warm yellow light, her beautiful eyes were full of surprise. “But you are my friend.”
Yun Qingqing paused.
“I don’t have as much money as you,” she explained.
“Doesn’t matter to me when making friends. Anyway, few people are richer than me,” Gu Mingyan said naturally.
By now, the “assistant” label had blurred in her mind.
She was used to Yun Qingqing being by her side, subtly protecting her, catching all her moods—whether stubborn or moody.
Seeing her get annoyed when Ji Sihan got close, wanting to share the joy of a ticket with her… wasn’t that exactly what friends did?
Seeing Yun Qingqing’s startled expression, Gu Mingyan suddenly felt uneasy. “So… you don’t want to be my friend?”
Yun Qingqing looked at the heiress in front of her—so caring yet pretending not to care—and smiled.
Then she reached out, took Gu Mingyan’s slightly curled hand, and said firmly:
“Yes, we’re already friends.”
The next morning, at dawn, production staff knocked on doors, waking the sleepy guests.
The first activity was a class in a lecture hall reserved at Yun City University: “Introduction to Radiation Physics.”
The professor was He Tinglan, a renowned treasure of the Physics Department, top-notch academically, with numerous national teaching awards.
The university partnered her with the Best Partners program partly because of her teaching quality and partly to provide positive publicity during the upcoming college entrance exam season.
Professor He, however, didn’t understand or like this arrangement.
“Nonsense! A complete waste of time!” On the way to the lecture hall, He Tinglan scowled, complaining to the accompanying department leaders. “A bunch of celebrities—they’ll understand what β decay or γ rays are? My research is already behind schedule, and now I have to waste time playing along with these show-offs!”
The leaders smiled apologetically. “Professor He, we understand. It’s for university promotion—just one class. You teach at your normal pace, they’ll absorb what they can.”
He Tinglan snorted, exuding the irritation of being forced into show-business.
At around sixty, her hair meticulously combed, wearing a simple blouse and pants, she radiated a strict, scholarly aura.
When she pushed open the back door of the lecture hall with her lesson plan in hand, her expression darkened further.
In the far back, a figure slouched in a chair, nodding off.
Seeing this, her temper flared.
She strode up to the podium, slammed her lesson plan down, and slapped the surface with a crack!
The sound echoed through the empty hall, startling everyone awake.
Ji Sihan, sleeping soundly, nearly jumped out of his chair, wide-eyed: “…E-earthquake?”
When he saw the iron-faced professor on the podium, he immediately snapped to attention, fumbling to sit upright.
【Hahaha, poor kid! Yun City University reporting, and Ji Sihan dares to sleep under Professor He’s eyes. She’s so strict about academics. 】
【His reaction is hilarious—it’s like being caught by a strict homeroom teacher. 】
He Tinglan ignored Ji Sihan after that and, flipping open her notes, dove straight into the lecture.
“Today, what we’re going to briefly learn about is radiation physics.”
Her speaking pace was steady, and her enunciation was clear. Although it was obvious she was dissatisfied with the school’s arrangement, the content of her lecture was delivered without the slightest ambiguity.
“This may be a field that sounds somewhat obscure in the public’s perception, but in reality, its applications are extremely widespread. From hospital X-ray machines and CT scanners, to security inspection equipment; from nuclear energy to agricultural breeding, food preservation, and even archaeological dating—radiation technology is everywhere.”
She turned and wrote several key terms and basic formulas on the blackboard, her strokes firm and powerful.
“First, we need to clarify a few basic concepts: What is radiation? What types of radiation are there? What are the fundamental differences between α, β, and γ rays? And what does half-life actually mean?”
Although He Tinglan held little expectation for the outcome of this class, out of professional responsibility, her explanation remained logically clear and well-organized.
She moved from atomic structure to radioactive decay, from ionizing radiation to radiation dose units, explaining everything with language that was as accessible as possible.
However, just as she had expected, to most of the guests, these concepts might as well have been a heavenly scripture.
Ji Sihan tried his best to widen his eyes and keep up with the professor’s explanation, but before long, his mouth hung open as his attention drifted away.
Nan Xu, Gu Mingyan, and Jiang Mingqian all sat upright with polite smiles, looking as though they were listening attentively. But if one looked closely, it was easy to notice that all their eyes were completely unfocused.
Yu Ran could barely follow some of the basic popular science explanations, but anything deeper than that was far beyond him.
【Help, my head is starting to hurt. This reminds me of the terror of being dominated by advanced calculus in college.】
【Honestly, the professor is explaining it really well—clear and easy to understand—but… radiation physics really is so dry! (clutches head)】
【Look at the guests’ expressions, I’m dying of laughter. Everyone’s wearing a pain mask.】
【Wait, look at Yun Qingqing and Meng Xian. They’re listening so seriously.】
Meng Xian sat perfectly upright, though the hands resting on her knees tightened slightly with anticipation and faint excitement.
Because Ye Jinyan was one of the investors of the program, he could get advance notice of the production team’s task arrangements. So after learning that the program had invited radiation physicist Professor He Tinglan to give a lecture, he specifically called Meng Xian to remind her.
Recently, Meng Xian had been constantly overshadowed by Gu Mingyan flaunting her wealth, so when she heard about the program’s arrangement, it felt like a pillow being delivered just when she was sleepy.
She immediately searched for materials, staying up late to memorize many basic concepts and common applications, and even committed the differences between α, β, and γ rays to memory.
She didn’t believe that in such a purely academic setting, Gu Mingyan and Yun Qingqing could still steal the spotlight.
He Tinglan had naturally noticed the especially upright postures of Meng Xian and Yun Qingqing, but she didn’t think these celebrities could truly understand radiation physics. She simply assumed they were putting on a show of attentiveness because the cameras were pointed at them.
Sighing inwardly, and hoping to create better classroom interaction, she wrote the most basic formula on the blackboard:
“…So radiation itself is not frightening—the key lies in understanding and application. Can any student tell me what the ‘λ’ in this formula represents physically?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the classroom fell silent.
Most of the guests hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended to flip through their textbooks, afraid of making eye contact with the professor on stage.
A faint look of just as expected flashed through He Tinglan’s eyes. She was about to reveal the answer herself and end this dull segment.
“Professor, λ represents the decay constant,” a gentle female voice came from the front row of the classroom.
He Tinglan raised her eyes in slight surprise and looked toward one of the girls who had been listening especially attentively.
“Correct.” Her expression softened a little, and for the first time she felt a trace of interest in testing further. “Then tell me—what is the relationship between the decay constant and half-life?”
Meng Xian felt reassured. This question was exactly within the scope of what she had memorized during her late-night study session.
Unhurried, she replied, “The relationship between the decay constant λ and the half-life T is T = ln2 / λ. It reflects the speed of radioactive decay. The larger the value of λ, the faster the decay, and the shorter the half-life.”
Her answer was fluent and accurate, and she even proactively added the physical significance.
A faint trace of surprise crossed He Tinglan’s usually stern face. She hadn’t expected that someone would actually be able to answer.
She couldn’t help but take another look at Meng Xian and gave a slight nod.
“Not bad.”
The livestream comment section instantly became lively:
【!!! Meng Xian is impressive! She could even answer that?】
【Meng Xian has always been a gentle, scholarly fairy. Love her so much.】
【I’m just a casual fan of Meng Xian, but she’s really great. She doesn’t get stage fright in academic settings, and the way she listens seriously is so likable.】
【LOL isn’t Gu Mingyan always copying her outfits and makeup? When it comes to something that requires real substance, she can’t copy that anymore, huh.】
He Tinglan had devoted her entire life to academia and admired people who loved learning the most.
Facing this perceptive student before her, she finally felt the desire to continue explaining.
“Very good. It seems there are still students who are thinking seriously.”
Taking the opportunity, she expanded on the topic, making the explanation slightly deeper as she began enthusiastically discussing the patterns of radioactive decay.
Halfway through, He Tinglan drew a diagram on the blackboard and interacted warmly with the audience below.
“This next part is a little more difficult. Did everyone understand it?”
Meng Xian looked at the writing on the board, but in truth she was already completely lost.
However, in order to maintain her top-student persona, she forced herself to nod.
He Tinglan’s expression immediately became even more kindly.
“This student has a very serious attitude. Then based on the concept we just discussed, let’s look at a slightly more in-depth question.”
“In the attenuation of γ rays passing through matter, if we consider the Compton scattering effect, what factors affect the attenuation of the ray intensity after it passes through the medium?”
He Tinglan looked at Meng Xian with a hint of expectation.
A student who could understand basic concepts and apply them to new problems was always something that made teachers both gratified and hopeful.
However, Meng Xian’s expression turned blank.
The third question was clearly much deeper than the previous two conceptual questions. It involved specific physical processes and could not be answered through rote memorization alone.
She opened her mouth, trying to rummage through fragments of memory, but her mind was blank and unable to organize a coherent answer.
“Sorry, Professor,” Meng Xian admitted frankly. “I may need some more time to digest this part.”
She didn’t think anyone present could answer this third question anyway, so even though she couldn’t continue, she didn’t feel embarrassed at all.
After all, she had already answered the first two questions beautifully—more than enough to establish her image as someone intelligent.
And sure enough, some comments in the livestream began defending her:
【To be fair, Meng Xian already did great answering the first two questions. You can’t expect a celebrity who just encountered this field to instantly grasp everything.】
【Exactly! Don’t be too harsh on a beauty! Radiation physics is already niche and difficult—if Meng Xian can understand even a little, I already think that’s amazing.】
He Tinglan felt a little disappointed, but still said understandingly, “For a first encounter, remembering some basic concepts is already quite good. This part is indeed somewhat of a leap for beginners.”
She was about to continue the lecture and end this interaction segment.
But another voice suddenly interjected.
“Teacher, this should involve considering the energy of the incident photons, the electron density of the medium, and the influence of the scattering angle distribution.”
Everyone turned toward the voice.
It was Yun Qingqing, who had been quietly listening to the lecture from a seat diagonally behind Meng Xian.
Her gaze remained calm as she looked at Professor He and continued,
“The diagram you drew, Professor, perfectly illustrates how scattered photons deviate from the original direction, which results in the detector receiving fewer photons traveling along the original path…”
The entire tiered classroom fell silent for a moment.
Meng Xian abruptly turned to look at Yun Qingqing, utterly unable to believe that she could answer the question.
He Tinglan looked at Yun Qingqing, and the calm expression on her face was replaced by genuine surprise.
She quickly followed up with another question.
“Oh? Then if I wanted to design a shielding body primarily to weaken γ rays of a specific energy, based on the Compton scattering effect, what property of the material should be most important when selecting the shielding material?”
“Atomic number.” Yun Qingqing answered almost without pause, her response flowing smoothly. “For medium-energy γ rays, the Compton scattering cross-section is proportional to the electron density of the material…”
Although by this point no one present could understand what they were talking about anymore, judging from Professor He’s expression, Yun Qingqing had not only answered correctly—she had answered very well.
He Tinglan was completely stunned.
She carefully examined Yun Qingqing, as if trying to confirm whether this young girl might actually be a student from the physics department who had somehow slipped in.
“…Have you studied this subject before?”
Gu Mingyan, who had been listening from the side in utter confusion, couldn’t help asking as well,
“You can actually understand that much?”
Yun Qingqing smiled faintly and replied, “Out of interest, I’ve read a few books.”
In her previous life, she had been a child who studied her way out of the mountains. At that time, the college entrance exam already used the “3+1+2” model, meaning she could theoretically choose either science and engineering majors or humanities majors.
Yun Qingqing had been fascinated by the wondrous transformations that occurred when rays interacted with matter. But when she wanted to apply for a major related to radiation physics, all the elders—including her parents—looked utterly confused.
“Radiation? That sounds scary. Isn’t it dangerous?”
“You’re a girl. Wouldn’t it be better to study a stable major? Chinese Language and Literature is great. Later you can pass the teacher’s exam, become a teacher—stable and respectable. It suits girls best.”
“Qingqing, it’s not easy for our family to support your education. That radiation physics thing doesn’t sound like it leads to good job prospects. What will you do after graduation?”
Amid the chorus of opinions and faced with practical realities, Yun Qingqing ultimately followed everyone’s expectations and applied for a major in Chinese Language and Literature.
For four years in college, she attended classes in literary theory and Classical Chinese properly and earned good grades.
But whenever she had free time, she would sneak over to the physics department to audit related courses.
She greedily absorbed that knowledge, as if trying to make up for another possible life.
At that moment, He Tinglan had already walked to Yun Qingqing’s desk.
“Just out of interest, and you managed to self-study to this level?”
She had been teaching for many years and had seen talented students before, but someone who, without a professional background, could demonstrate such understanding of the subject was truly rare.
Even rarer was the focus in the girl’s eyes when answering questions—the faint glimmer of excitement there was impossible to fake.
“Since you have both interest and this level of insight,” He Tinglan said, unable to suppress a teacher’s instinctive appreciation for a promising student, “why didn’t you choose a related major back then?”
Yun Qingqing replied briefly, “My family thought it was safer for girls to study humanities. They also didn’t know much about radiation-related majors and had some concerns.”
She said it lightly, but He Tinglan immediately heard the helplessness behind it.
She recalled how, when she had chosen this niche and often misunderstood research path years ago, she too had faced plenty of resistance. A sense of resonance rose in her heart.
Looking at the calm face of the girl before her, and the unconscious joy that surfaced whenever radiation physics was mentioned, something stirred in He Tinglan’s heart.
“Sometimes, outsiders’ worries come from a lack of understanding.” He Tinglan’s voice was unusually gentle. “The path of science requires passion—and perseverance. If in the future you want to continue exploring this field and pursue an academic path…”
She looked at Yun Qingqing and said seriously, “You could consider applying for my graduate program.”
Yun Qingqing froze slightly.
That’s right—she had money now. She could afford tuition, and she no longer needed to force herself to choose a major she didn’t like just because it promised stable employment.
Then did that mean she could walk the path she truly wanted… one more time?
“I…” Yun Qingqing parted her lips, her voice a little dry. “Am I allowed to?”
The stern lines of He Tinglan’s face softened a little as she nodded firmly.
“Of course. Interest and potential are the best knocking stones.”
She then asked, “What’s your name?”
Still immersed in overwhelming joy, Yun Qingqing felt momentarily dazed and forgot to answer.
“Qingqing!” Gu Mingyan, who had been watching anxiously from the side, quickly nudged her with her elbow. “The professor asked your name!”
Only then did Yun Qingqing snap back to her senses.
“Professor, my name is Yun Qingqing. Yun as in white clouds, and Qingqing as in light and gentle.”
“Yun Qingqing…” He Tinglan repeated the name, and the first truly warm smile of the day appeared on her face. “Alright, I’ll remember you.”
….
Author’s Note: I’m not from a professional background, so the parts involving radiation physics may inevitably contain inaccuracies or oversights. Please just take it as light reading.
Also, to avoid misunderstanding, I should clarify: Yun Qingqing’s personal experience and choice of major only serve the needs of the plot setting and are not meant as prejudice against the Chinese Language and Literature major. Whether natural sciences or the humanities, both are important dimensions for humanity to understand the world and build the future—there’s no real hierarchy between them.