Chapter 2

 

Most of the students in the English class at the TVU were girls, with varying qualities and ages.

Ming Xi was considered the youngest in this class.

During the lesson, her deskmate, Cai Ni, nudged her with an elbow and slipped a pack of Mimi shrimp chips under the desk, shaking it slightly to invite Ming Xi to have some too.

Ming Xi lowered her head while holding the pen, quickly picked up two fried shrimp sticks and pooped them into her mouth. Then she gave a mischievous wink and flashed Cai Ni a bright smile.

Unbelievable—how could she still be in such good spirits? Her family had already gone bankrupt, yet she could laugh like a carefree puppy!

Just sneaking a bite of snacks gave Ming Xi joy. She straightened her back, eyes fixed on the teacher, while her cheeks puffed slightly from the shrimp chips tucked in her mouth.

The adult education professor who was giving the lecture was surnamed Liang. An elderly man with graying hair who had come from another province, was known for being rather stern. His gaze swept over in Ming Xi’s direction.

Ming Xi lowered her head and continued taking notes.

Cai Ni next to her was like a greedy hamster. She buried her head and shoved all the shrimp strips into her mouth in one go.

Crunch, crunch…

How old are you! The girl in front turned around and covered her mouth as she stifled her laugh.

Professor Liang pretended not to notice and continued teaching.

“Ming Xi, read this passage.” Near the end of class, he called on her by name.

In this class, Professor Liang seemed to only remember Ming Xi’s name…

Ming Xi stood up slowly, and after she fluently read out a passage of English dialogue, Professor Liang nodded for her to sit down.

Cai Ni gave her a thumbs up from under the table.

Just now in class, Ming Xi was taking notes, but there was a novel written entirely in English buried under her notebook.

Strictly speaking, you can’t learn much from adult education program at TVU. Especially with language majors, effort outside of class was crucial. To really master English, sitting in lectures and taking notes was far less effective than reading several English novels.

During the ten-minute break, students walked around in the classroom and bursts of noise were heard from time to time.

Ming Xi and Cai Ni were still in their desks.

“Where do you live now?” Cai Ni asked her friend with concern.

Yicheng wasn’t big, and everyone in Yicheng who was even slightly gossipy knew about Boss Ming’s bankruptcy. Of course, Cai Ni knew that Ming Xi had moved.

“By Cai Primary School.” Ming Xi replied.

When Ming Xi said this, Cai Ni understood. Cai Primary School was a well-known shantytown in Yicheng. It was full of old brick and wood houses. With its overcrowded population and dirty, chaotic environment, it was the city’s worst place to live.

Ming Xi’s tone was normal, and Cai Ni didn’t know what to say to comfort her. She could only sigh and say, “Never thought your dad would fall to this state.”

But Ming Xi wasn’t surprised. She pulled her attention away from the English novel and analyzed the situation calmly. “Business is like that. One wrong move can ruin everything… He’s aggressive in business but unstable in his personal life. When he was at the top, he flaunted himself and didn’t build up a good network of connections. Now that he’s fallen, others are just laughing at him—hardly anyone sincerely wants to help. It’s no surprise that he’s ended up like this.”

Ming Xi’s words were like a trickle of clear water, and she used the simplest language to pinpoint the essence of business.

At the root of it, Ming Decheng had always had a weak foundation, and he loved to squander. People say even a dying camel is bigger than a horse—but Boss Ming was like a molting cicada, nothing left but a shell.

Cai Ni was dumbfounded when she heard this, then exaggeratedly pulled a “I’ve learned something” face, practically nodding in frantic agreement!

As Ming Xi’s best friend, Cai Ni thought she knew her very well, but Ming Xi still often surprised her.

On the surface, Ming Xi looked like a soft, gentle girl. Her clothes were the most ordinary styles sold on the market. Even though she had a pretty face, she would not stand out when walking on the street.

The current trend was for girls to be stylish and chic—fashion mattered more than looks.

Ming Xi wasn’t eye-catching, yet she carried a natural, steady aura that made those who knew her like and trust her. But Cai Ni’s favorite thing about Ming Xi was—

Although she looked gentle, she was actually very courageous.

And her skin… not thin at all.

Unlike most of the girls in their class, who couldn’t take a joke without tearing up or blushing.

Not long ago, a so-called “boss” from the mechanics class had stirred up a scene, leading a whole gang of underlings to pressure Ming Xi into accepting his “confession.” Even fiery Cai Ni had been powerless to pull her friend out of the circle they formed around her…

Did Ming Xi panic? Not in the slightest!

She stood straight as a pine tree, her face calm as she listened to the boy’s confession. Then she spoke politely, “Thank you for saying you like me—you’re handsome and have good taste. But I don’t think you really like me. If you really liked me, you wouldn’t embarrass me at all. Do you understand what I mean? With all these people crowding around, what’s the point? To make them laugh at me, or at you? …Because I don’t see what’s so funny about it.”

Her words left the so-called “boss” flushed red with shame. Fuming, he kicked his jeering followers aside.

Ming Xi walked out of the crowded corridor with ease. The boys behind her mocked and made noises but did not dare to do anything rash.

Several classes were discussing that matter that day, but Ming Xi was not disturbed at all. She appeared in the TVU cafeteria as usual and even ordered her favorite braised pork balls.

“It’s so delicious!” Ming Xi looked very satisfied.

“You…you don’t feel nervous at all?” Cai Ni asked in disbelief.

“He was confessing, not trying to kill me. Why should I be nervous?” Ming Xi asked back.

Cai Ni stared at her, half baffled and half enlightened. Then she shoved the two remaining pieces of meat from her own tray into Ming Xi’s bowl.

Always eating, eating, eating—yet it never showed where the meat grows!

Ming Xi was slim, not particularly tall, but her appetite was astonishing. Cai Ni even wonders if Ming Xi never had enough to eat when she was a child…

“Thanks.” Ming Xi smiled sweetly at her and then took away the uneaten carrot slices on Cai Ni’s plate.

Cai Ni: “…” Whatever.

…

After two English classes, school was over.

The compressed biscuits she had in the afternoon were not very filling, so around nine o’clock in the evening, Ming Xi and Cai Ni went to a late-night street stall behind the school and each had a bowl of rice noodles soup.

The cheapest option was just one yuan: noodles topped with crispy fried pork cracklings and shredded pumpkin—Yicheng’s local favorite. Ming Xi also ordered two tea eggs, and had wanted a plate of braised tofu skin, but the owner had run out.

They’d agreed that Ming Xi would treat this time, but halfway through, Cai Ni quickly wiped her mouth and slipped over to the stall owner to pay the bill. Ming Xi, eating slowly, saw her return and looked up with helpless eyes: “Why’d you do that? We agreed I’d pay.”

“Your family’s bankrupt! Stop trying to show off!” Cai Ni wished she were rich enough that she could support Ming Xi.

Cai Ni sat back down and wiped her hands, worried she’d sounded too harsh. Changing her tone, she tugged lightly at her friend’s sleeve, “We agreed to be best friends. Right now, I’ll look out for you, and in the future, you’ll look out for me.”

“Mm.” Ming Xi nodded seriously and agreed.

Cai Ni chuckled. Speaking of age, she and Ming Xi were the same age, though one was born at the beginning of the year and the other at the end. This meant Ming Xi was over ten months younger than her.

The two of them had been friends for almost four years, having known each other since Ming Xi came to Yicheng to study. On the surface, Cai Ni’s loud voice made it seem like she could boss Ming Xi around, but in reality, Ming Xi had her wrapped around her finger.

And Cai Ni was happy to believe it that way.

“Let’s go ice skating tomorrow. I’ve made an appointment with Dezi and the others. Let’s get together before graduation.” Cai Ni pulled out a small pack of fragrant tissues from her pocket and wiped her mouth with it.

Cai Ni also carried a small mirror with her so she could touch up her lipstick anytime and anywhere.

Ming Xi had finished too, and sitting on the bench, she let out a satisfied burp. After a moment’s thought, she said: “I’m going to go to Professor Liang’s place tomorrow.”

“…” Cai Ni raised her eyebrows.

Ming Xi then said, “I’ll come to see you tomorrow afternoon. You wait at home and bring my things down.”

Cai Ni already understood what Ming Xi was going to do…

During the last winter of the twentieth century, temperatures dropped below zero degrees Celsius at night, and a chilling cold swept across the entire south. The stalls were covered with transparent, yellowing plastic sheets to block the wind, but even that couldn’t stop the biting chill.

The street corner was filled with fog. Passersby, wrapped tightly from head to toe, hurried along.

…

The next day, Ming Xi rode her bike to Cai Ni’s house against the winter wind. Cai Ni came bouncing down the stairwell, carrying a black nylon bag.

“Scared me to death! Just now my mom asked me what was inside. If she’d seen it, she’d have thought I’d broken the law.” Cai Ni patted her chest and spoke in an exaggerated manner as usual.

Ming Xi couldn’t help but smile and asked, “So what did you tell her?”

“What could I say? I lied! I just told her… uh… it was something I was delivering to you.” Cai Ni said carelessly.

Ming Xi laughed out loud: “Do you think your mother believes it?”

Cai Ni: “Of course, my mother is very simple-minded.”

Ming Xi didn’t believe that. Cai Ni’s parents have a good attitude and choose simplicity.

Cai Ni was an only child, her parents both working at the Yicheng Cotton Mill. Pretty since childhood but never good at studying, she hadn’t made it into university, ending up in the adult education program with Ming Xi. Even so, her parents doted on her. Despite being spoiled, Cai Ni hadn’t turned sharp or ill-tempered—instead possessing a chivalrous spirit and a keen sense of purpose.

“Thanks…” Ming Xi raised the “thing” in her hand and thanked Cai Ni for keeping it for her for so long.

“No need to be polite between us!” Cai Ni stepped forward and raised her hand to straighten Ming Xi’s collar. “I can’t help you with this matter. I can only wish you success.”

Ming Xi looked completely at ease, and then nodded confidently.

“Bye-Bye!”

“Bye……”

Ming Xi got back on her bicycle. Wind roared in her ears as she rode to the upscale apartment block on Fuming Street.

After parking her bicycle, she straightened her hair that was messed up by the wind and smoothed her bangs a little; then, she took off the bag hanging on the bike’s handlebars and tilted her head slightly.

Above her, heavy gray clouds blotted out the sun. Before her, the white walls and red tiles of the building looked striking. On both sides of the street, trees had almost shed their leaves; the few that clung on were snatched away by the cold wind.

Her face was flushed red from the cold, her breath puffing out in visible clouds, teeth faintly chattering.

So cold!

And—just a little nervous…

Ming Xi stomped her feet twice on the spot, straightened her chest, picked up the “thing”, and walked towards the guard booth in front.

These days, few residential blocks in Yicheng had full-time security booths. To live in such a building meant the residents were people of great standing.

Of course Ming Xi couldn’t live in such a place… She came here to giving gifts.

Giving gifts to someone’s house was not a difficult thing; the difficult part was asking for something.

If the recipient was aloof and proud, then her request would be as hard as scaling heaven itself. Otherwise, Cai Ni wouldn’t have worried about her last night.

The guard booth at a high-end building wasn’t just for show; being stopped was inevitable. Ming Xi had a pack of cigarettes in her pocket. When she heard the guard’s scolding, she turned, flashing a bright smile as she handed the security guard the cigarette.

“Uncle, I’m Professor Liang’s student. Professor Liang is very kind to us students. We’ll be graduating soon, and the students in my class sent me as a representative to give Professor Liang a small token of appreciation.”

Ming Xi smiled brightly and spoke with full sincerity…

With one glance, one could see that she was an outstanding female college student from Yicheng Normal University! The security guard put the Hongtashana popular Chinese cigarette brand in his chest pocket and asked Ming Xi to sign the logbook.

Ming Xi quickly wrote down her name with a pen, and after some politeness, she went to Professor Liang’s building. This was the exclusive building for professors of Yicheng Normal University.

Professor Liang wasn’t from Yicheng, but rather from the prosperous city of Haigang. It was unclear why he had been transferred here. He was usually quite aloof, having taught their adult education class for almost two years and yet couldn’t even remember most of the students’ names. Ming Xi felt honored to be remembered, which was why she was often asked to answer questions in class.

Ming Xi had two cartons of cigarettes in the bag in her hand. She previously observed and found that this brand of cigarettes was the one that Professor Liang usually smoked.

The source of the cigarettes was the stock that she had quietly “taken” from Ming Decheng’s factory before it went bankrupt, and she had left it with Cai Ni before moving.

“No one dislikes receiving gifts; it just depends on the skill of giving them.”

This was something Ming Decheng had boasted about over the years. Ming Xi, who disliked asking for favors, agreed with this statement. In these plain yet fiercely straightforward times, gifting was indeed the fastest way to “get a seat at the table.”

Why did she want to give a gift to Professor Liang?

Professor Liang was not only her subject teacher, but also a career development advisor at Yicheng Normal University. He was only in the adult education department as a temporary position, serving as a signboard for recruiting students; his main job was a professor of business English at Yicheng Normal University.

He didn’t need to actually teach adult education. The two weekly sessions weren’t about the material—they were about his character.

But did truly noble men of character even exist in this world?

Ming Xi stood outside Professor Liang’s door, took a deep breath, smoothed away her youthful sharpness, and pressed the doorbell.

Ding Dong—

The doorbell rang.

Her heart jolted, blood rushing so fast it felt like her rhythm skipped a beat.

At the same time–

There were clear sounds of footsteps and a clear male voice coming from inside.

“Who is it?”

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