2014.
S Academy dormitory, three standing fans whirred loudly, waves of heat rushed in, making even the cactus wilt.
“Tomorrow night some handsome guys from A University are treating us to dinner. I’ve already accepted for all of you, so nobody’s allowed to bail.”
“When did you start hooking up with those academic students from A University?” someone chimed in.
“Just by chance,” Xiao Zhu said with a smile. “Our S Academy might only be a third-tier college, but we’re all in the journalism department. We’ll still have opportunities to become colleagues with them in the future! Who knows, maybe when they’re out there reporting breaking news, we could be holding cameras or microphones for them. Besides, the A University academic stars are very friendly to underachievers like us!”
“You mean friendly to pretty girls—”
Before her roommate could finish, Ye Meng, who hadn’t said a word, randomly grabbed a few books and stuffed them into her backpack, not bothering to zip it closed. She took a swig of water and turned to hide in the bathroom. Xiao Zhu hurriedly followed, relentlessly banging on the door: “I did warn you, you know. The first monthly internship report is due next week. Have you found an internship yet?”
“Don’t feel like looking.”
“Why don’t you just not eat while you’re at it,” Xiao Zhu pouted.
That’s how it was at third-tier colleges. The counselor worried they wouldn’t find internships and affect the school’s employment rate this year, had approached Xiao Zhu about internships several months in advance. But Ye Meng’s family situation was special, and she didn’t take it seriously. Xiao Zhu could only mumble vaguely to the counselor: “Meng… Student Ye Meng might be returning to her hometown after graduation, so she’s not planning to find an internship in Beijing.”
Upon hearing this, the counselor immediately launched into a lecture, her words not particularly kind but sincere: “You girls from outside Beijing have no connections, no background, no influence. You’re already far behind everyone else, and you don’t even try to work hard during your four years of college. You just coast through for a diploma, then when you can’t find work, you go home to leech off your parents. Don’t you know your parents work hard to pay for your education for a reason?”
“Student Ye Meng said it’s to listen to your earnest teachings,” Xiao Zhu replied with a straight face and unwavering heart, perfectly mimicking Ye Meng’s impudent manner.
“Learning the bad habits instead of the good ones. You’re picking up Ye Meng’s shamelessness. Go on, get out.” Despite her words, she was still smiling.
VIP consultation room at a private hospital’s psychiatric department.
The psychologist hadn’t arrived yet. A handsome young man sat at the consultation desk. A steaming cup of freshly brewed Nescafé was placed in front of him. “Dr. Liang just finished a meeting in the inpatient ward and is coming up in the elevator now. Please wait a moment.”
“Alright, thank you.”
He didn’t look like someone suffering from depression who needed psychological counseling at all. When he smiled, he appeared harmless, handsome, and quite charming.
“I thought he looked like Gou Kai’s friend, and he is.”
Gou Kai was Dr. Liang’s ex-boyfriend. Although their breakup wasn’t pleasant, Gou Kai was a rich second-generation heir with friends who were either wealthy or noble and mostly handsome. The young nurse kept his WeChat contact just to occasionally admire the good-looking men, which was quite pleasing to the eye. That group of rich kids certainly had many activities. Though this young man who came today rarely appeared in photos, the sharp-eyed nurse recognized him at a glance.
“Impressive, impressive. You can recognize him even with all that pixelation. I’ll promote you to head nurse next year.”
“Don’t be too infatuated, I’m afraid you’ll get hurt by a playboy.”
“He’s different. He’s the naive one in the young tycoons’ circle. Gou Kai says he’s the type who not only counts the money when he’s being cheated but also helps manage the finances. Super innocent. He hasn’t even had a girlfriend yet.”
“That pure?”
“He’s a dying breed.”
With a ding, the elevator door opened, and like Thanos snapping his fingers, everyone instantly vanished. Liang Fei emerged from the elevator and asked the lone remaining staff member at the nurses’ station for a cup of coffee.
Liang Fei entered the room and saw a precious, beautiful back of a head. The coffee on the table had gone completely cold, the cup ring clean and delicate, with all the coffee foam stuck at its original height. She guessed this young man, whose entire outfit was undoubtedly branded, even down to his phone case that had to bear a logo, and who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, hadn’t reached for anything.
Liang Fei took off her white coat and said kindly: “Would you like me to ask them to bring you a glass of water instead?”
“No need, thank you,” he didn’t explain further, gave a faint smile, and his gaze fell on her belly. He paused, “Gou Kai didn’t tell me you were pregnant.”
“Don’t worry, the child isn’t his,” Liang Fei couldn’t help but find this statement a bit strange. With a self-deprecating smile, she went straight to the point, “Shall we get started?”
“Sure,” he replied obediently.
However, the process wasn’t as smooth as imagined.
“Your name.”
Seeing him startled, Liang Fei smiled, “This is just a routine inquiry. I know who you are, Gou Kai mentioned you to me. Don’t worry, since you’re here, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“All my previous psychologists said the same thing,” he smiled, revealing a row of white teeth that looked harmless and sunny, “But in the end, they all got my name wrong.”
“How many psychologists have you seen?” Liang Fei seized the opportunity to ask.
“Three.”
“All three couldn’t remember?”
“My last psychologist was very familiar with my name, but then he went and told my mother that I was just pretending to be depressed.”
“…You certainly don’t look like someone with depression,” Liang Fei subtly glanced at his delicate Adam’s apple, which had a faint mark that looked more like a scar than a kiss mark, “So do you think psychologists are just out to make money?”
He smiled gently: “Not necessarily.”
Liang Fei put down her pen: “What about your mother? What’s her attitude?”
“My mother believed him completely, so I gave him a sum of money,” he leaned back in his chair, having picked up a baseball from the desk at some point, tossing it casually, “to persuade him to change careers.”
Liang Fei said: “So, your mother didn’t defend your dignity as a patient.”
“That’s right.”
“Actually, before Gou Kai, my brother mentioned you. His name is Liang Mu, he’s also a student at A University, though in a different department from you.”
“Is that the ‘mu’ with three water radicals, and he has a birthmark on his left cheek?”
Liang Fei seemed surprised, “You remember?”
“Yes, we took an elective course together.”
“I heard from my brother that you’ve been specially admitted and awarded honors since you were young. Your home is plastered with certificates on all four walls, and you have an exceptional memory. He said you read books at lightning speed, remembering everything after just one look. He also saw a French professor who wrote you a recommendation letter, inviting you to give a French speech at their school. My brother said you’re one of the few rich kids he doesn’t dislike, always gentle in your dealings with people. So when Gou Kai approached me, I was quite surprised.”
“I’m surprised too. I’ve always been well-behaved since I was little, but everyone around me preferred my brother.”