Tonight's banquet guests primarily consisted of students, teachers, and company employees.
Most employees worked in finance, management, consulting, auditing, and similar fields. The students present could mingle with them, ask questions, and gain valuable information.
For Sun Dawei, this kind of banquet was just an ordinary wdinner (networking dinner). If he wanted to find a job at a major company, he would actively participate in such events. But he didn't need a job. After graduating with his bachelor's degree, he would return to his home country to inherit the family business and shoulder the burden his father carried.
However, Jiang Yubai was one of the behind-the-scenes organizers of the dinner. Out of respect for Jiang Yubai, Sun Dawei dressed up carefully.
Sun Dawei stuffed three layers of height-increasing insoles into his shoes, as if wearing high heels. He stood up from his seat, firmly holding onto the edge of the table, and looked up at Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai approached gradually. He wore a sharp suit, carried himself with exceptional poise, and stood out noticeably.
Sun Dawei struck up a conversation: "Jiang Yubai, let me introduce you—this girl is my girlfriend, Miao Danyi. Her mom is Burmese, her dad is Malaysian, she's mixed-race, and her Chinese is really good. You can chat with her in Chinese, smooth as can be."
Tonight, Miao Danyi wore a flowing black dress, a laurel leaf made of pearls in her hair, and a diamond bracelet around her wrist. When silent, she exuded an air of wealthy tranquility. Having grown up in Southeast Asia, she studied Chinese from a young age. Later, she met Sun Dawei, lived with him off-campus, and he became her Chinese tutor.
Miao Danyi smiled charmingly and said, "David told me about you. He said you're amazing, smart and capable..." She paused, then asked, "May I get to know your girlfriend?"
The candlelight on the table glittered brightly. Miao Danyi nudged her plate, leaned close to Sun Dawei's ear, and whispered, "Is his girlfriend Lin Zhixia? Why isn't he reacting?"
Sun Dawei quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Lin Zhixia is too busy—she's a PhD student in a big research group."
Jiang Yubai explained, "Lin Zhixia has indeed been quite busy lately." Seeming loyal, he then revealed, "Which research group's PhD students are you looking for? The volunteers just told me that PhD students from several departments have arrived."
Sun Dawei moved to the other side of the long table.
Standing beside Jiang Yubai, he remarked with feeling, "So many PhDs... it's like a teaching assistant party..." He focused his gaze and pointed out, "Look at that table—your girlfriend's colleagues are here."
The "your girlfriend's colleagues" Sun Dawei referred to were Wen Qi and Yin Xiu'en.
Jiang Yubai asked quietly, "You know them?"
Sun Dawei nodded slightly, "I looked up all the PhD students in that department on the computer."
Jiang Yubai deliberately misunderstood: "You want to pursue a PhD?"
Sun Dawei hurriedly denied it: "No, it's all for my girlfriend. Last semester, her average was fifty, she hasn't even grasped part I courses, and now she has to take part II. Seniors said 'Quantum Computing' gives high grades, so she plans to take 'Quantum Computing' next semester. I noticed this year's 'Quantum Computing' only has five teaching assistants total, not many students are enrolled—small class teachers love to give tricky, unusual problems..."
Jiang Yubai caught the implied meaning in Sun Dawei's words.No matter how they skirted around the topic, they always circled back to Lin Zhixia.
Both Jiang Yubai and Sun Dawei were certain that Lin Zhixia would become the teaching assistant for "Quantum Computing" next semester—it was practically a done deal.
Lin Zhixia's research focus was related to Quantum Computing, and the quality and citation count of her published papers were quite impressive, just meeting the criteria for the teaching assistant position. Additionally, she was fluent in multiple languages and treated students with both gentleness and patience, perfectly aligning with the role's requirements.
Even though Lin Zhixia was still young, she already had considerable qualifications.
Jiang Yubai fell silent for a moment before advising, "If you want to improve your girlfriend's grades, you shouldn’t approach a teaching assistant. The university has its regulations. If Miao Danyi gets too close to the teaching assistant, others might perceive it as 'academic misconduct,' and both their academic careers could be affected. Is that what you want to see?"
Sun Dawei furrowed his brows.
Noticing his expression, Jiang Yubai lowered his voice further: "You could hire a tutor for your girlfriend and arrange one-on-one lessons at your home."
Sun Dawei weighed Jiang Yubai’s words and countered, "A tutor from outside the university?"
Jiang Yubai smiled and said, "Hire a tutor, sign a contract, and have the lessons at home…"
Sun Dawei patted Jiang Yubai on the back. He had intended to pat his shoulder, but Jiang Yubai’s shoulders were a bit too high, so his back was more accessible. Nodding in acknowledgment, he said, "I’ve been taking extra lessons since I was a kid—I completely forgot about that option. Thanks, I’ll post a job listing later."
Jiang Yubai clinked glasses with him.
Afterward, Jiang Yubai walked to the center of the hall.
Several classmates were discussing workplace issues with employees from a financial company, and Jiang Yubai joined them. He acted like a fresh-faced youth, unfamiliar with societal norms, unaware of investment trends, with most of his knowledge coming from theory.
Observing Jiang Yubai’s words and actions from the sidelines, Sun Dawei muttered in confusion, "Hiss…"
Miao Danyi gripped her fork: "Huh?"
"Jiang Yubai," Sun Dawei pointed beside them, "his father and my dad are business partners. His father has invested in European shipyards, energy, and power plants, holds controlling stakes in several companies, and enjoys stable annual returns. His grandfather made his first fortune in the electrical appliance and shipbuilding industries…"
At this point, Sun Dawei suddenly stopped. He muttered to himself, "Investing is riskier than gambling. If I misjudge an investment direction, it’s worse than getting hooked on gambling in Las Vegas. If you get addicted to gambling, at worst you lose some pocket money. But if an investment goes wrong, you could lose everything in an instant."
Miao Danyi had never studied any economic theories.
Distractedly, she silently lowered her head and continued eating.
Sun Dawei added, "Rich second-generation heirs are the easiest targets for investment scams. Professional teams come up with all sorts of schemes to squeeze cash flow out of you. It’s really tough to do business these days. My grandma said she’s seen small companies get their loans recalled by banks…"
Miao Danyi tilted her head back and downed a drink, her cheeks puffing out on both sides.
Sun Dawei noticed her impatience.He quickly shut his mouth and added, "Hey, Miaomiao, just choose whatever courses you want next semester. We don't need to cozy up to teaching assistants. What if the old folks on the college committee see you getting too close to a TA and accuse you of 'academic misconduct'? Right? Starting this semester, we'll find you a tutor for each subject. They'll live with us, meals and accommodation included, and slowly help improve your grades."
Upon hearing his words, Miao Danyi felt as if struck by lightning.
Tonight, Jiang Yubai intended to sample a glass of red wine.
He had come of age and figured he should be allowed to drink.
With this mindset, Jiang Yubai picked up a wine glass. He tilted it slightly, carefully observing the texture of the red wine under the light.
His two friends stood before him. They were chatting in low voices, occasionally laughing. They asked Jiang Yubai, "We're planning to spend New Year's in London and Paris this year. Are you coming?"
Just then, a young man happened to pass by Jiang Yubai. Breathing heavily and walking rapidly, he bumped hard into Jiang Yubai's shoulder. The chilled wine splashed out, staining the back of Jiang Yubai's hand.
Jiang Yubai called out, "Classmate?"
The young man turned around abruptly, locking eyes with Jiang Yubai for a moment.
Jiang Yubai uttered his name: "Wen Qi."
Jiang Yubai had spent a couple of days in Lin Zhixia's office. When Wen Qi came to discuss group projects with Lin Zhixia, Lin Zhixia had introduced Wen Qi to Jiang Yubai. Hence, Jiang Yubai remembered Wen Qi quite well.
Wen Qi, of course, remembered him too.
Students from different colleges moved around them, familiar faces everywhere.
The banquet was lively, though the lighting was somewhat dim. Wen Qi wore an expensive, well-tailored suit made from high-quality fabric, but he was frowning, his expression grim, and he forced out the words: "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Jiang Yubai pulled out a napkin, wiped the stain from his hand, and asked him, "Where are you headed?"
Wen Qi was blunt: "The restroom."
Jiang Yubai happened to be heading to the restroom to wash his hands.
Although he didn't want to walk with Wen Qi, they ended up going in the same direction.
Along the way, Jiang Yubai remained silent, and Wen Qi didn't speak either. They maintained an awkward yet mutually understood situation, commonly known as "you ignore me, I ignore you."
The only common topic they could find was Lin Zhixia.
Yet, the unspoken silence remained unbroken by either.
Jiang Yubai stood before the sink. He turned on the faucet and focused on washing his hands. Since childhood, he had a slight obsession with cleanliness; if his hands got dirty, he needed to wash them at least twice to feel clean.
Water poured down from the faucet as Wen Qi stood to Jiang Yubai's right.
Wen Qi cupped his hands, scooped up some cold water, and abruptly splashed it over his hair. Droplets slid down his strands, clinging to his forehead. He took a deep breath and asked Jiang Yubai, "Do you smoke? Got a light?"
Forget smoking.
Jiang Yubai had never even touched a cigarette pack.
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