Chapter 120: The Aftermath of the Marriage Tree Incident
TL: Etude
“Yanyan, I just met a really interesting senior in the restroom,” Tang Lin said as she returned to the office, immediately engaging in endless chatter with her best friend. In the General Affairs Office, where the work was incredibly dull, it seemed like any topic was worth discussing.
“Are you sure it was a senior, not a senior sister?” her friend teased.
Tang Lin paused, “I misspoke. I met him in the washroom, not inside the restroom.”
“I thought you encountered a pervert, you scared me there,” Yanyan, sitting at the window-side desk, joked, continuing to sort through the files in her hands.
She had been in the General Affairs Office for three days, mainly screening various entrepreneurship application forms and reviewing some business plans. The work was not strenuous, but it was tedious and could feel monotonous after a while.
However, having a lively and active new friend like Tang Lin made it less boring.
“Xiao Tang, could you bring me the newspaper from the coffee table?” Professor Yan’s voice came through the door.
“Right away, Professor!” Tang Lin put down the application form she was holding and went into the office with the newspaper.
The afternoon sunlight was bright and warm, but when it slanted through the window, it was blinding. As Yanyan moved to draw the curtains, she suddenly heard the door open.
“Senior Cao, stop being busy with your romance. Our Room 207’s window is still leaky. Please take care of it,” Jiang Qin called out as he stepped into the office, his gaze landing on the girl by the window. He looked surprised, then stepped out to check the sign on the door before re-entering.
Yanyan wasn’t too surprised, “Long time no see, Jiang Qin.”
“Long time no see. What are you doing here in the General Affairs Office?” Jiang Qin asked, puzzled.
“Our supervisor is a student of Professor Yan. They needed extra hands here, so our supervisor asked us to come and help organize the files,” she explained.
Jiang Qin lowered his voice, “Just don’t publicly claim you’re helping out. We still need to earn our credits.”
“I know, I definitely need to earn those credits. I can’t afford to lose out,” Yanyan smiled.
“Is Professor Yan inside?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I’ll talk to you later when I have time. I’m in a bit of a hurry,” he said, and as they were talking, Tang Lin came out of Professor Yan’s office. “Oh, Senior, you’re here?”
“Yes, keep up the good work and don’t slack off,” Jiang Qin instructed before entering the office.
Watching him go in, Tang Lin lowered her voice, “Yanyan, that’s the senior I bumped into in the restroom. Interesting, right?”
Yanyan looked surprised, “He told you he was a senior?”
“No, but anyone applying for a classroom for a project here can’t possibly be a freshman like us, right?”
“Lingling, you really have no eye for people. He’s a freshman just like us.”
Tang Lin blinked in surprise, “You know him?”
“Yes, I do,” Yanyan continued her work.
“He’s not one of your former suitors, is he? Oh my, I’ve already met several this week. It’s like a drought for some and a flood for others. Leave some for us, Yanyan!”
Yanyan’s fingers paused briefly, “Fine, they’re all yours. Choose whomever you like.”
Tang Lin huffed, “The guys who like you always have such high standards, they wouldn’t notice someone like me. But that senior just now was quite good-looking, and since he’s only a little handsome among all those chasing you, I’ll pick him. You keep the best ones for yourself.”
“Ahh, I’d advise you to give up on that idea,” Yanyan shook her head in resignation.
Tang Lin couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic, thinking about how her best friend, who couldn’t seem to capture the attention of men, had now set her sights on a male god. Her movements slowed as she got lost in her thoughts.
…
“I have a favor to ask, Professor Yan,” Jiang Qin said as he entered Professor Yan’s office, getting straight to the point without any beating around the bush.
“What is it?” Professor Yan, who was reading the newspaper with his reading glasses, set the paper aside upon seeing him enter.
“I need to promote a forum at the University of Science and Technology, and I need your help to write an introduction letter.”
“Sit down and help yourself to some tea,” the professor responded. He had always been very supportive of Jiang Qin’s entrepreneurial project, perhaps due to a soft spot for a former student. Upon hearing about Jiang Qin’s promotional visit to another university, he immediately wrote an introduction letter and even affixed his personal seal to it.
“Zhang Ming’an at the University of Science and Technology used to be my student. Go to him first, and through him, get in touch with the relevant authorities there,” Professor Yan advised.
“Okay,” Jiang Qin replied and then unfolded the letter to read it. “Professor, could you change a few words for me?”
“Is there a problem with the wording?” Professor Yan asked, puzzled.
“No, it’s just that I think one term doesn’t sound right. Actually, just one word.”
“Which word?”
“I don’t like the term ‘entrepreneurial promotion project.’ Can you change it to ‘work-study program’?”
Professor Yan wasn’t naive and immediately understood Jiang Qin’s ulterior motive. “You’re trying to take advantage on a nominal level, hoping for project support from the University of Science and Technology?”
Jiang Qin smacked his lips, “I was just suggesting. If you think it’s inappropriate, never mind.”
“…”
“I can rewrite it for you, but if you really want to do a work-study program, it can’t just be in name. You need to actually do something substantial.”
“I understand, I won’t just take advantage and not fulfill my obligations. I’ll recruit some financially struggling students into my team right away. Don’t worry, Professor,” Jiang Qin said, patting his chest confidently.
Professor Yan thought for a moment and finally decided to accommodate his request.
Jiang Qin respectfully handed the letter back, even picking up a pen for the professor.
Then, Professor Yan took out a new piece of draft paper and rewrote the letter.
Receiving the new introduction letter, Jiang Qin felt a greater sense of responsibility.
Of course, his smile also became more pronounced.
If he had just promoted the forum in the name of entrepreneurship, the University of Science and Technology might not oppose it out of respect for Professor Yan, but they wouldn’t offer much support either. After all, it wasn’t their own school’s project; allowing it to exist would be enough of a gesture. But promoting it under the guise of a work-study program was different.
The term ‘work-study’ might sound mundane, but at the school level, it carried significant weight.
Once the University of Science and Technology agreed, it would become a joint project of both schools. The director there could not only not oppose it, but would also have to facilitate it greatly.
“Thank you, Professor. I won’t let you down!”
“Don’t just make grand statements in front of me, remember to actually implement the work-study aspect.”
After speaking, Professor Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic, thinking that if his former student had half of Jiang Qin’s cunning and determination, his painstaking project wouldn’t have failed.
One must admit, there’s a world of difference between entrepreneurs.
Some people are born with a vision and perspective that can stir up the winds of change.
Holding the introduction letter, Jiang Qin left Professor Yan’s office in high spirits, exchanging a few more words with Yanyan on his way out.
Tang Lin watched the exchange between the two, feeling surprised. Her best friend had many admirers, especially in the International Trade department, but she rarely saw her speak so gently and smile so brightly.
Hmm, it seemed this admirer might actually have a chance, roughly around thirty-five percent.
…
After leaving the General Affairs Office, Jiang Qin headed to Room 208. Before he even entered, he heard a lively chatter inside.
Su Nai, Lu Xuemei, Shi Miaomiao, and several others were huddled around a table, engrossed in something, their voices filled with excitement, even louder than the sparrows outside the window.
“What are you all doing?” Jiang Qin asked as he walked in.
Su Nai turned around, “Boss, the photo book from our last team-building trip is here. Xuemei brought it back from Shengshi on her way.”
“Oh? Let me see,” Jiang Qin said, his curiosity piqued.
Team cohesion isn’t something that lasts forever after just one outing. It’s a consumable, especially amid the tediousness of daily work, where conflicts can easily dissolve it.
So Jiang Qin had Lu Xuemei bring a camera to the farmhouse and take many photos, which were then made into a book for each team member.
Occasionally looking through the book could also help strengthen the team’s cohesion.
Jiang Qin flipped through the pages and saw a photo of him and the little rich lady at the farmhouse entrance. Their poses were direct, one cold and distant, the other casual and laid-back.
However, Feng Nanshu’s gaze seemed to be drifting towards him, probably because the shutter was pressed late.
But…
It looked unexpectedly good.
He must really be explosively handsome if even someone like Feng Nanshu, with her top-tier looks, couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“Where’s the boss lady’s copy?” Jiang Qin asked, turning to Lu Xuemei.
Lu Xuemei gasped, her eyes freezing slightly, “I printed them according to the outing list, I think I forgot…”
“Really, Lu Xuemei? Your conscience is as small as a peanut. She bought you expensive fruits, and you forgot her? Tsk tsk, you won’t achieve much in society with that attitude!”
“I’m sorry, boss. I’ll go back to Shengshi now and get another one printed!” Lu Xuemei was clearly distressed.
“Forget it, give her my copy,” Jiang Qin said, handing over his photo album. He had been busy shuttling between Linchuan University and the University of Science and Technology lately and hadn’t had time to accompany Feng Nanshu. She would probably be delighted to see the album, but he didn’t have time to deliver it himself as he was eager to meet Director Liu at the University of Science and Technology with his new introduction letter.
After Jiang Qin left, Lu Xuemei suddenly remembered something and quickly flipped to the third-to-last page of the album, showing it to Su Nai, Shi Miaomiao, and the others.
The photo was dark, with poor lighting, but a large, lush tree was visible.
In the center of the image, a figure was climbing up, looking like a bear, holding a sign and struggling to hang it on a branch.
“Damn, the boss went to the marriage tree in the middle of the night?” Su Nai realized immediately, “How did you capture this?”
Lu Xuemei grinned triumphantly, “I was going to take pictures of the stars but saw the boss sneaking towards the marriage tree, so I followed him.”
Shi Miaomiao covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, “The boss is really weird. He seems so mature and stable, yet he believes in something like the marriage tree. He’s always talking about friends, but it’s all lies.”
“He’s very superstitious. When we had an event at the front square, he talked to me about feng shui, and I was completely baffled.”
“Really?”
Shi Miaomiao chimed in, “The boss is from Jizhou, right? My grandma is from there too. I heard people there tend to be quite superstitious.”
“Yeah, so he dares to deceive us and himself, but not the gods,” Lu Xuemei said confidently.
Hearing this, everyone involuntarily looked at the God of Wealth statue on the opposite table and the fortune tree beside it, nodding in agreement.
AN: Don’t raise books, you won’t find a girlfriend that way. Also, seeking monthly tickets, monthly tickets, monthly tickets!!!!!
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