Su Qian and Xiao Yue stared dumbfounded as their boss and his young girlfriend disappeared from view.
They turned to each other, seeing mutual shock reflected in their eyes.
"She's really young..."
"Definitely a student..."
They were almost certain the boss's girlfriend was still in school!
Meanwhile, private chat groups were buzzing with excitement, eagerly awaiting firsthand updates from the two of them.
"Xiao Yue? Qianqian? Did the boss's girlfriend arrive? Or is it a relative's kid visiting?"
"The boss doesn't have many relatives left..."
"Maybe distant relatives?"
"Right, surely not all his relatives have been dealt with by the boss!"
"Must be a young girl!"
...
Seeing no one else was coming, Su Qian took out her phone to share some insider information.
"It's indeed the boss's young girlfriend, probably a student. They've gone upstairs—looks like they'll be in the boss's office all day."
Replies flooded in instantly—
"Holy shit! I knew it!"
"Old Wang, aren't you supposed to report work later? Perfect chance to sneak a peek at the boss's girlfriend."
"The boss actually went for a student... Which school?"
"Hard to tell from here."
"This is shocking. I want to see the boss's girlfriend..."
"Su Qian, Xiao Yue, any other details?"
"Yeah yeah, spill all the insider info!"
...
Xiao Yue suddenly nudged Su Qian, as if remembering something. "Do you recall the boss's girlfriend's name? Let's Baidu it!"
The last time the girlfriend visited, she had introduced herself, but Xiao Yue hadn't paid much attention and couldn't remember.
Su Qian seemed to have forgotten too. She scratched her head, thinking hard before suddenly exclaiming, "Got it! Gu Xue Jiao!!"
"The boss's girlfriend is named Gu Xue Jiao?"
"Yep." Su Qian nodded firmly. "When Secretary Chen picked her up that day, I made sure to remember. Just not sure which 'Jiao' character it was."
"Let me Baidu it!" Xiao Yue quickly pulled out her phone and opened the browser.
Su Qian leaned closer. "She's just a student—probably won't show up on Baidu. And we don't even know the exact characters for her name."
"Worth a try, it's not like it's hard."As she spoke, Xiao Yue typed 'Gu Xue' into the search bar, and 'Gu Xue Jiao' instantly popped up in the suggestions along with a Baidu Encyclopedia entry."
Though she was searching, she shared Su Qian's skepticism that anything would come up.
But reality quickly proved her wrong.
The Baidu Baike entry for "Gu Xue Jiao" included a photo—the same one Tsinghua University had posted on their official website.
"Holy—" Su Qian prided herself on being a professional receptionist, capable of keeping her composure in any situation. Even when facing Lin Zhihua, she could force a polite smile.
But now, her professionalism failed her. Her jaw dropped in shock.
"Gu Xue Jiao is a sophomore at Tsinghua!"
"No way!! She scored 731 on the gaokao—a record-breaking score!!!"
"And more! Winner of the 16th Chern Prize in Mathematics!"
They exchanged glances and said in unison—
"No wonder she's the boss's girlfriend!!"
The boss's girlfriend is a boss herself!
Who says students can't be legends? Here's living proof!After a moment, Xiao Yue sighed, "I really wouldn't have guessed..."
Su Qian nodded in agreement. Indeed, that delicate-looking girl who seemed like she'd be frightened by a few words—how could she be so impressive?
——
Xue Jiao was led by Lin Zhihua towards his office. He appeared very happy, the corners of his mouth lifted as he held her hand tightly.
As they passed by a small office, Xue Jiao felt like someone was watching her.
But when she looked up, everyone in the office had their heads down, diligently attending to their tasks, appearing very focused.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Zhihua asked softly.
Xue Jiao shook her head. "Nothing much."
After a pause, she added, "Am I disturbing your work today?"
"How could you?" Lin Zhihua seemed surprised. "I'm overjoyed. With you by my side, my efficiency improves significantly."
Xue Jiao looked up and saw he was serious, so she flashed him a bright smile, like a sudden burst of spring warmth in the cold winter.
Lin Zhihua was momentarily stunned, then smiled in return. He lifted her hand and gently kissed it.
Xue Jiao's face flushed red.
Soon, the two entered Lin Zhihua's office.
Xue Jiao had been here before and was familiar with the layout of his office.
So she immediately noticed the desk that stood out starkly against the office's overall style.
The spacious office was decorated in cool shades of gray and white, making the sudden appearance of a pink desk all the more jarring.
It was... odd, and a bit awkward.
"What's this...?" Xue Jiao tentatively asked.
Lin Zhihua nodded, grinning. "I had Chen Yan buy it. Do you like it? It'll stay here from now on. You can use it whenever you come to study."
Xue Jiao: "..."
Lin Zhihua usually had good taste, but for some reason, this time his aesthetic was shockingly terrible—a suffocating example of straight male taste.
"Do you think... a pink desk fits well in this office?"
"Is there a problem?" Lin Zhihua seemed puzzled.
Xue Jiao held up two fingers. "First, it doesn't match. Second, anyone who comes into your office will guess this desk belongs to a girl..."
Lin Zhihua glanced back at the desk. The mere thought that Xue Jiao would be using it made him feel it matched perfectly—even giving off a "couple's desk" vibe next to his own large work desk.
As for the second point... he would be thrilled if the whole world knew Xue Jiao was his girlfriend.
At that moment, Xue Jiao added, "But since you went through the trouble of preparing it, here's a reward."
Before Lin Zhihua could react, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Lin Zhihua snapped out of his daze and instinctively tried to pull her closer to deepen the kiss.
Xue Jiao pressed a finger to his lips and chuckled. "No. Today isn't a date—it's for work. You should get back to your tasks, and I should start studying."
Lin Zhihua: "..."
Lin Zhihua returned to his large desk and began working, while Xue Jiao sat at the pink desk, opening her textbooks and notebook.
He watched her focused expression, shook his head with a smile, and continued his work.
That day was the happiest Lin Zhihua had ever been at work. His efficiency was high, and every now and then, he'd glance over at the girl, his mood lifting each time.
For the employees of Lin Corporation, it was also their most relaxed day in recent memory.
The boss was in such a good mood that reports and proposals were approved with unusual ease.Of course, there were times when Lin Zhihua's temper flared, but as soon as he glanced at the girl sitting not far away, his tone would soften considerably. He would point out the issues and let them go back to make the necessary changes.
"The boss is being unusually lenient today!!"
"I was fully prepared to get scolded, but the boss went easy on us..."
"It feels like the boss becomes a different person when the little missus is around."
"Is the little missus really that pretty? Our department manager is on a business trip, so I can't go up to report."
"She's gorgeous! A literal fairy, my god, even prettier than the spokesperson for our latest project!"
"Prettier than A-list celebrities? You're exaggerating."
"No exaggeration, it's the truth. I went up there with the manager once."
"Wow, Secretary Wu chimed in! Then it must be true!"
"So if she's that pretty, is she from Central Academy of Drama or Beijing Film Academy? I heard she's still a student."
"Being pretty doesn't necessarily mean she'll be a star. The boss's girlfriend doesn't have to be a celebrity."
"I suspect she's a top student..."
Watching the lively discussion in the group chat, Xiao Yue and Su Qian exchanged a knowing glance, silently agreeing not to spill the beans.
They knew the specifics about the boss's girlfriend but understood that some things were better left unsaid.
If the boss ever got married and the missus's name was made public, everyone would naturally realize just how remarkable this young woman was.
－
Being remarkable wasn't something one was born with. While she did have a bit more talent in mathematics than others, she also worked harder than most.
Even during her relationship, she restrained herself from forgetting her studies and her efforts.
The racing car project had reached its most challenging phase. One after another, their plans failed, leaving them all waiting for Senior Zhang Han's final proposal.
But within a few days, with just two words from Senior Zhang Han in the group chat—"Failed"—all their hopes were temporarily extinguished.
They had exhausted every possible plan, yet the result was the same: failure.
This likely meant their direction was wrong, or there were problems they hadn't anticipated or couldn't solve.
It also meant that the past year of their efforts might have been in vain.
"What do we do now?" Xue Jiao murmured, sitting on a stool, momentarily lost.
Chu Sheng was the most affected. He buried his face in his arms, lost in thought.
Zheng Jiakun reached out and patted Chu Sheng's shoulder. "Let's take it one step at a time. If nothing else, we can compile what we've done into a paper. At least that would justify the past year."
Xue Jiao took a deep breath and turned to look at the various models and materials scattered nearby.
Indeed, the world of research wasn't one where success came just because you wanted it.
Alongside the possibility of success and accolades, there was also the risk of failure and wasted effort.
Xue Jiao closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them and replied—
"Okay."
It wasn't a complete failure yet. They just couldn't see the way forward at the moment, but perhaps one day, inspiration would strike, and they'd find hope again.
A temporary setback didn't mean despair.
Just then, the door suddenly swung open.
At the entrance stood Zhang Han and Yang Zhan. Despite the cold weather, beads of sweat dotted their foreheads, evidence of their hurried arrival.
"What's wrong?"Zhang Han pursed his lips and said seriously, "All the previous approaches have failed, but while working on the last one, I noticed something! I'm certain that if we push forward from here, our project will finally see the light of success!"
The three of them sprang to their feet, looking at Zhang Han with disbelief and excitement.
"We can't afford to waste any more time. I have a few days off recently and have cleared my schedule for the next seven days. Yang Zhan has also taken seven days off. Can you all manage to get leave?" Zhang Han continued.
The others were momentarily stunned. "Leave?"
Zhang Han looked at them with determination in his eyes. "Yes, leave. We're going into seclusion."
"No problem for me!" Chu Sheng said eagerly. "Our final exams don't start until eight days from now."
Zheng Jiakun nodded as well. "I only have one exam on the seventh day."
Then they all turned to Xue Jiao, probably the only one among them who attended every class religiously and followed all the rules.
Xue Jiao thought for a moment. Like Chu Sheng, her final exams would start in seven days, though she still had classes this week...
"No problem, I'll take leave."
"Little junior sister, aren't you worried about failing without reviewing?" Yang Zhan raised an eyebrow, teasing her with a playful expression.
Xue Jiao smiled lightly. "If I had to worry about failing just from missing review sessions, I wouldn't dare say this."
They all laughed together.
They were all bold enough—most teachers took attendance in the last week of classes. Skipping now would mean losing participation grades, leaving only the final exam scores to determine their results.
Having made their decision, they made the necessary calls to arrange their leave.
Xue Jiao informed Teacher Tan, then sent messages to her family and Lin Zhihua.
Chu Sheng borrowed the large lab next door from Teacher Jin, where they could rest at night.
When everything was settled, the lab door closed behind them.
Their seclusion officially began.
By the end... they would either succeed or fail completely. There would be no middle ground.
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