Lin Wenbin didn’t even think before giving Liangzi a light kick. "Too many questions! Get lost, go on, get out of here."

He shivered involuntarily—the weather was truly turning cold. Clutching the stack of lunchboxes, he hurried home.

…

When Zhou Xiaocheng heard that Zhang Wanqing wanted to study forensic medicine, he was slightly surprised but understood. "Because of your father?"

Wanqing hadn’t expected him to make the connection so directly. She’d told Lin Xiaoxiao it was because she didn’t like dealing with living people, and even clever Xiaoxiao hadn’t questioned it.

Since Xiaocheng had guessed correctly, she saw no point in hiding it. She nodded. "Yes. My father was just an ordinary doctor. Even if he suspected the cause of my mother’s death, he had no authority to examine the body. If he had been able to involve a forensic pathologist back then, maybe things would have turned out differently."

Then, abruptly, she laughed, a carefree sound. "So, I’m learning from my father’s experience. I’m going to be a law-abiding citizen."

Zhou Xiaocheng knew the first part was sincere; the second was pure nonsense. He smiled. "That’s good. Anything you’re passionate about that also contributes to society is a worthy path."

Wanqing blinked. That was it? She’d followed Xiaoxiao’s advice to "consult" him about changing her major, to hear his opinion.

And Zhou Xiaocheng’s entire response was, "That’s good"? That was the whole discussion?

Seeing her stunned expression, Xiaocheng chuckled. "Hurry up and eat. I’ll walk you back to your dorm after."

…

The next day, when Lin Xiaoxiao heard Zhang Wanqing’s account of the dinner, she was dumbfounded. "That’s all you talked about? Just those two things?"

Wanqing nodded. "Yep, that was basically it. Then we just ate. Zhou Xiaocheng seemed really hungry, and I didn’t want to bother him. Besides, the mutton hot pot at Donglaishun was so delicious! I got happy eating and forgot to talk. We finished six plates of meat."

Xiaoxiao facepalmed. This girl’s attention had been completely hijacked by the food.

Wanqing looked at her, confused. "What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?"

Xiaoxiao sighed. "No, nothing wrong. Just… next time, no matter how good the food is, try to remember that the food isn’t as important as Zhou Xiaocheng."

Wanqing laughed heartily. "Don’t worry, I can tell the difference!"

But Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly. This silly girl couldn’t tell the difference at all. Heaven had made her sharp in every other way, but when it came to matters of the heart, she was remarkably dense.

As the two girls were whispering with their heads close together, Meng Xiaona leaned over. "What are you two gossiping about so early in the morning?"

Zhang Wanqing shot her a look. "None of your business. Go back to your seat."

Meng Xiaona stayed put, leaning on their desk. "Fine, don’t tell me. But I’ll tell you a secret—well, it’s not really a secret. Remember that overseas Chinese couple I mentioned, the ones investing here? The wife was supposed to teach at our university but then didn’t come. Do you know why?"

Lin Xiaoxiao stayed silent. She didn’t understand why Meng Xiaona was so obsessed with this couple they’d never met.

Zhang Wanqing was more direct. "How would we know? What’s it to do with us? Are they your relatives or something? You talk about them constantly."

Meng Xiaona’s face flushed red. She wished they were relatives—it would make going abroad so much easier. She glared back defiantly. "I’m just telling you something you don’t know! Why are you being so sarcastic? Fine, I’ll just say it: Their child went missing. Right after they arrived in the country, they looked away for a second, and the child disappeared."

Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat. Since finding Duoduo, she had become acutely sensitive to stories about missing children. "How old was the child?"

Meng Xiaona wasn’t sure. She’d heard it from her father on a recent phone call but hadn’t asked for details—long-distance calls were expensive. Based on the couple’s age, she guessed, "Probably a teenager? Otherwise, how could they just ‘lose’ them like that?"

Xiaoxiao felt an inexplicable sense of relief. At least it wasn’t a toddler like Duoduo, or she might have started wondering if they were his birth parents.

Zhang Wanqing wasn’t interested. "Why are you telling us this? Are you planning to help them look?"

Meng Xiaona found Zhang Wanqing incredibly frustrating; she always missed the point. "Of course not! The point is, according to my dad, they’re still coming to Beijing. They couldn’t find the child in Shanghai, so they want to search here too."

Wanqing was puzzled. "Why come to Beijing? Do they have a lead here?"

"I don’t know!" Meng Xiaona felt talking to Zhang Wanqing was exhausting. "What I’m trying to say is, if they come to Beijing, they’ll probably still teach at our university. We could all go practice English with them!"

Lin Xiaoxiao felt Meng Xiaona’s sudden generosity definitely had an ulterior motive. "No thanks. Our English might be a bit weak, but it’s enough for what we need. We’re not planning to go abroad anyway."

Meng Xiaona looked at Xiaoxiao eagerly. "We could study English together, and then you could help tutor me in some specialized courses? I’m struggling with a few."

That was her real aim. Since Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't competing for overseas opportunities, Meng Xiaona saw a perfect chance to get free tutoring under the guise of language practice.

Zhang Wanqing couldn’t help muttering, "A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—you’re up to no good."

Meng Xiaona immediately took offense. "Who are you calling a chicken?! This is about classmates helping each other and making progress together, Zhang Wanqing. Your attitude is really poor."

Lin Xiaoxiao rubbed her temples. "Stop arguing. Go back to your seat; all this noise is giving me a headache."

Seeing that Xiaoxiao genuinely didn’t want to engage, Meng Xiaona shot one last glare at Zhang Wanqing and returned to her seat. She didn’t need anything from Zhang Wanqing, so she saw no reason to put up with her.

Zhang Wanqing, of course, glared right back and snorted. "Weirdo."

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly put Meng Xiaona’s chatter out of her mind. Before class started, she turned back to Wanqing with more advice: "You need to seize the moment with Zhou Xiaocheng!"

Zhang Wanqing just giggled. She had no idea how to "seize the moment." She couldn’t exactly follow the stories from those radio dramas—kidnap him and make him her "mountain stronghold husband." Besides, she didn’t even have a mountain.