Chapter 3

 

“…Who is it?”

The male voice was deep, yet quite youthful. It definitely wasn’t Professor Liang’s. Ming Xi didn’t hesitate and introduced herself first: “Ming Xi! Adult education English class… Professor Liang’s student!”

The door opened—

Inside was a very young man. Though it was midwinter, he was only wearing a gray cashmere pullover sweater. Ming Xi hadn’t even seen his face clearly before her forehead grew hot—the warmth of central heating rushed out to meet her.

“Hello, hello…” Ming Xi caught herself, flashing a bright, naïve smile, all the eagerness and guilelessness of someone who had just entered the society. No tricks, only sincerity.

The man: “…Hello.”

“I’m here to see Professor Liang,” she explained quickly, “I wanted to ask him… for some advice about employment.”

The young man’s eyes lingered on her face for a moment, and he said simply, “He’s not here. He went out.”

Of course Ming Xi would not leave easily. She raised her head slightly and met the polite yet indifferent face of the young man. Her face suddenly flushed and she asked timidly, “Then… when will the professor come back? I can wait for him here.”

His eyes swept over her, downward. Spotting the bag in her hand, he frowned.

“Please go back first. If you have any questions, you can discuss them with him during class.” He said politely.

He was really skilled at rejection, with a firm attitude and polite words.

Ming Xi remembered how Ming Decheng used to give gifts—no matter how cold or dismissive the recipient, he would bow and scrape, forcing the gift into their hands with a shameless smile: “Just a little token of appreciation!”

“…Brother, please don’t make this hard for me, okay!”

Ming Xi smiled like a mischievous imp, her manner humble yet coaxing as she met his cool gaze. Retreating in order to advance, she said, “Brother, I don’t know what your relationship with Professor Liang is. Since I’m here, let me wait for Professor Liang first.”

“…”

“Professor Liang must know me. My name is Ming Xi, ‘Ming’ as in bright, ‘Xi’ as in the tide. Oh, and I’m also the English class rep in our program…”

Ming Xi repeatedly made it clear that she was Professor Liang’s good student. At the same time, she kept putting two cartons of cigarettes into the man’s hands.

Young man: …

He wasn’t exactly unaccustomed to this, but he hadn’t expected a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl to have this kind of audacity.

Coming to ask a favor, thick-skinned as she was, her eyes betrayed her. The girl’s clear pupils were extremely bright, but a layer of mist gradually swirled inside.

…Maybe just condensation from the sudden change between the icy air outside and the warmth indoors.

“Come in and wait, it’s cold outside,” the young man said. His voice was a little cold, yet oddly pleasant.

“Oh—” Ming Xi quickly smiled gratefully and nodded, “Thank you, you’re so kind!”

He didn’t respond.

“Brother, what’s your relationship with the professor?” Ming Xi brought the cigarette into the room, took off her shoes at the entrance, and without changing into guest slippers, walked in directly wearing a pair of padded striped cotton socks.

“Wait.” The young man bent down and took out a pair of cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them in front of her heels.

“The floors aren’t that warm either.”

The small, unexpected gesture made Ming Xi felt self-conscious about her feet than her hands. Hands could be hidden in pockets—but feet?

Ming Xi quickly put on the big slippers and said a few words of thanks.

The man pointed to the sofa and asked her to sit down.

Ming Xi nodded.

Professor Liang’s home was not only clean and warm, but also spacious. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. In the middle of the living room, beside the coffee table, lay a heap of gifts!

There were really a lot of them!

Fine goods piled up in a corner, tossed carelessly as if they were nothing.

Ming Xi looked at each gift carefully, whether it was Cordyceps, bird’s nest, or Maotai… Each gift box looked expensive.

The two cartons of cigarettes in her arms…were wrapped in a black nylon bag.

Ming Xi thought about it, and slowly placed the cigarette in her hands into Professor Liang’s “gift area”, then looked into the young man’s eyes.

Cautious, yet bold.

Feeling awkward, she straightened in her seat and quickly asked, “Brother, what’s your relationship with Professor Liang? You two look alike… are you relatives? May I ask your name?”

The young man seemed oblivious to her little movements and simply answered her question, “My surname is Liang.” Nothing more.

“Oh!” Ming Xi smiled knowingly, dispelling the awkward expression on her face and revealing a look of surprise, “…You must be Professor Liang’s grandson, right?”

The man’s calm face showed surprise for a moment, and then a subtle smile appeared on his face.

No one dislikes being told they look young, and men were no exception.

“I’m his…son.” He explained, emphasizing the word “son”.

Having made such a blunder, Ming Xi only brushed her hair back, and like some natural flatterer she sat with her knees pressed together, leaning forward to bow politely: “My eyesight must be terrible—so it’s Young Master Liang.”

The man stood up, picked up the kettle on the tray, poured a glass of water, and placed it in front of her, not in a hurry to answer her.

“It’s all right. There is indeed a certain age difference between my father and I.” He added after a moment.

He tried to ease her embarrassment, and Ming Xi brightened instantly with a cooperative smile. As the saying goes, “You can’t hit someone who’s smiling.” As long as she kept her smile, a little slip of the tongue wouldn’t matter much when visiting as a guest.

Ming Xi was skilled at mental fortitude, possessing persistence and endurance. While the man stepped aside to take a phone call, he switched on the TV for her to watch. After some time he returned, and found her still sitting there as stiff as before, eyes fixed on a football game as players chased the ball back and forth.

“If you don’t want to watch the sports channel, you can watch something else.” He came back holding his cell phone, and seeing how reserved she looked, he handed her the remote control.

Ming Xi didn’t take it and said embarrassedly, “I can watch whatever… it’s fine.” After all, she hadn’t come here today to watch TV—nor did she want to get distracted by it.

The man said nothing more because his cell phone rang again.

Just as he hung up one call, another came in. He turned around holding the phone, and Ming Xi quickly said, “It’s all right, please, don’t mind me. I’ll just sit here.”

He gave a nod and, this time, didn’t head back into his room.

He couldn’t very well hide in there taking calls while ignoring a “guest” in the living room. So he stepped a little farther away, standing by the counter in the hall to answer. This one was business—he had to give a client the final price—so he spoke in English.

Ming Xi kept her eyes on the TV, but her ears perked up automatically, almost treating it like a listening exercise.

The man spoke excellent English, fluent and unhurried. She understood most of it, though the faster parts required her to keep up. He was clearly discussing an order, dealing in U.S. dollars, and when he gave the price, he deliberately lowered his tone. The voice was not loud, but the amount was substantial.

Finally, he hung up the phone—

Ming Xi kept her focus on watching TV, pretending not to eavesdrop…

But she couldn’t just sit there forever, either. He placed another call—this time in clear Mandarin: “There’s someone here. Please wrap up what you’re doing and come home first.”

Ming Xi couldn’t pretend not to understand this call. She immediately tilted her head and gave him a grateful smile: “Thank you, Young Master Liang.”

“My name is Liang Jiancheng.” He told her his full name.

Ming Xi didn’t dare to call the other person by his full name, so she changed her address to “Boss Liang…”

Liang Jiancheng’s expression stayed distant and polite, letting her call him whatever she liked.

…

Another half hour passed before Professor Liang finally returned. Liang Jiancheng went to open the door, and Ming Xi stood up from the sofa, clasping her hands in front of her. Professor Liang glanced at her as he came in, neither surprised nor saying a word, simply took off his coat and changed his shoes in the hallway.

Ming Xi held back for the moment. Her sudden visit must have irritated Professor Liang already. She couldn’t be too obvious or aggressive now.

Although… there was little point in hiding her intentions any further.

“You’re Ming Xi from the adult education English class, right? Sit down first.” Professor Liang pushed his glasses on his nose, looked at her, then lifted his hand to motion her back to her seat.

Ming Xi obeyed and sat down on the sofa again.

Professor Liang walked into the kitchen, took the kettle and poured hot water into his thermos. Then he came to an old chest of drawers, took out two bottles of medicine, and swallowed a few pills with the hot water.

Ming Xi watched Professor Liang take the medicine clearly. She wanted to express her concern, but she was afraid that she would be too hypocritical.

Professor Liang came to her and sat down on the single armchair.

Ming Xi sat even straighter, facing Professor Liang.

“You came to see me because you want something?” Professor Liang was very direct and almost got straight to the point.

That was Professor Liang’s way: no preliminaries, no circling around.

Ming Xi’s palms were damp and her mind was working rapidly. She gently opened her lips and boldly asked, “Professor, I was hoping you could recommend me for a good job. Ideally at a big company in a major city.”

Professor Liang’s expression suddenly changed. He was a stern and aloof person by nature, and most of the students he met were well-behaved and modest. Even if they had selfish motives, they would hide their intentions and speak in roundabout ways.

Never had one been this direct—this daring, this wildly unrealistic!

“Do you think I run a company?” Professor Liang’s face changed and he ridiculed her directly. His eyes briefly flicking toward his son, Liang Jiancheng.

“If that’s your goal, you shouldn’t come to me. You should be looking for the big bosses.” Professor Liang said coldly again.

Ming Xi’s face flushed slightly, but her words became clearer: “Professor, I know that my academic qualifications are not enough. If I apply directly to a large company, my resume will definitely not be accepted. That’s why I came to you—to see if you could think of a way. For a student like me, is there any chance at all to get into a major company…”

“Heh…” Professor Liang laughed coldly.

But the other Liang in the room chuckled too. His was different: light, not scornful, almost friendly. He leaned forward slightly and slid a box of malt candies closer to her on the coffee table.

Ming Xi didn’t notice the gesture. Being mocked made her want to cry, but she still forced herself to smile, shameless yet fearless, stretching her lips into a “sunny” grin.

She began, “Professor, I know this idea must sound ridiculous. But it isn’t some idle fantasy. You know my English is quite good, and you always praise me in class, saying I’m very expressive… Besides my major, I have other strengths too. I’m meticulous and I have good social skills… It’s just that I suffered for not being able to study properly when I was younger. Last week, you had us listen to an English movie tape in class. There was a line in it: ‘One doesn’t inquire about a hero’s origins.’ My understanding of it is that a hero’s worth isn’t judged by where they come from. Please tell—am I understanding it correctly?”

The girl spoke quite fast, but her words were crisp, well-ordered, and at the end she even used a little rhetorical flourish.

Sitting on the single armchair, Professor Liang was speechless. He frowned; he stretched his legs out with a sharp motion, radiating discomfort.

Liang Jiancheng simply stood up. He bent down and carefully opened the box of malt candies on the coffee table for Ming Xi. At the same time, he repeated the English sentence Ming Xi had said earlier and added: “Indeed, a hero’s worth is not in their origins, nor greatness in their age.”

He wasn’t saying this to the girl, he was saying this to his father.

Professor Liang snorted coldly. Don’t think he couldn’t hear that someone was trying to chime in.

Not wanting to add fuel, Liang Jiancheng decided to retreat back to his room. He liked people who were prepared, but based on his understanding of his father, he was certain the professor disapproved of students trying to take shortcuts.

Even if this student was a good student whom he liked and recognized before.

What people fear most was prejudice. Once it took roots, it offended the human heart.

Ming Xi, of course, knew that at this very moment Professor Liang would love nothing more than to throw her out. But she told herself what she’d told herself before: she was already here. She was graduating soon. After this, the professor would never have to see her again.

Better he at least remembered her request—if she said nothing, he might forget even her name.

She had no other connections, and Professor Liang was the most powerful and capable person she had any access to.

And besides…

“How did you know I can connect you to a big company?” Professor Liang suddenly asked her. There must be a reason for this.

Ming Xi was silent for a moment. She didn’t hide anything and told the truth: “Last month, when I handed in homework at your office, I saw the job recommendation forms.”

“That was my recommendation for the students of Yicheng Normal University… I only recommended five.” Professor Liang glanced at her and emphasized.

He actually didn’t need to explain, but he still pointed out the limited slots.

How could a TVU student in an adult education program be compared to an undergraduate student? Professor Liang’s words were very clear. Even if heroes needn’t be judged by origin, to be a hero in the first place, origin mattered.

It was meaningless for Ming Xi to stay any longer. Still, she held on a little longer, and decided to be frank and say, “Professor Liang, I’m graduating in two weeks. My father’s business failed, and now our family is in debt. My parents definitely plan to marry me off. I came here just to try my luck. If you can’t recommend me, then I’m still head to a big city to look for job…”

Professor Liang: What nonsense is this? Did she mean to corner him?

Ming Xi had no intention of forcing him. From beginning to end, her tone was sincere and her eyes were bright…

Clearly possessing a demeanor that was neither humble nor arrogant, yet earlier she pretended to bowing and bending the knee.

Professor Liang fell silent.

Ming Xi remained quiet, and continued to look at the professor with bright eyes.

“…Ming Xi, you’re smart and ambitious. You know that I like you the most in the entire adult education class, which is why you have the courage to come here.” Professor Liang slowly spoke from the heart, “Let me give you one piece of advice today. Whether you take it is up to you.”

Ming Xi obediently raised her head and asked, “Professor Liang, please say.”

“A girl who steps into society already looking for shortcuts—her path may narrow and narrow until there’s no turning back.”

The words were heavy, layered with meaning. Ming Xi understood them well. They cut into her like blades, yet she smiled even brighter. Looking him in the eye, she replied: “Professor Liang, I understand what you mean, and thank you for your advice. But for me… if I don’t regret my decisions, then I can naturally accept all the consequences of that decision. I won’t turn back. I believe a path is made by walking it.”

Ming Xi finished speaking, no longer reluctant to stand up from the sofa, and stood up straight. After all, she was still young, still a little hot-blooded.

Finally, while Professor Liang was thinking about what she said, Ming Xi curled her lips and softened her tone: “Professor, I know my request put you in a difficult spot. If you help me, it would be the greatest blessing of my life. If you can’t, that’s only natural. Just think of today as me simply coming to visit you…”

Ming Xi said all the polite words, bowed to Professor Liang, and prepared to leave.

“Wait.” Professor Liang had already noticed two cartons of cigarettes in a black nylon bag among the pile of gifts. He sternly stopped the person who was about to leave and said, “Take back what you brought!”

But she wouldn’t. Ming Xi stood by the door, holding the doorknob. “Professor, who’s ever take back a gift they’ve given? This cigarette has no other meaning. It’s just a thank you for your special care for me over the past two years… Anyway, thank you, Professor. Goodbye!”

It wasn’t a lie. If Professor Liang hadn’t taken special care of her, she wouldn’t even have seen the CET-4 exam papers…

Better to leave quickly.

Ming Xi quickly changed back into her own sneakers and then ran away like a thief.

Even so, after she came out, she turned back to help close the professor’s heavy security door. Like a small-time thief—rude yet oddly considerate.

After the security door was completely closed, Professor Liang, flushed with anger, could no longer hold it in. He shouted furiously towards the bedroom inside: “Liang Jiancheng! Get out here—see the guest off!”

Ming Xi: …

No, no, no, no need to see her off, she could go by herself.

She clattered down the stairs, rushed out the entryway, and shivered as the wind cut into her, blowing her clear-headed again.

So—should she keep running?

Or slow down… and wait?

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