Math professor returns to routine

"Alright, comrades, stop what you're doing for a moment and look at me!"

Qi Xu clapped his hands loudly, the noise causing everyone present to stop what they were doing and turn their attention to the student council president.

"The setup of the event venue went very smoothly, thank you all for your hard work!" Qi Xu bowed in all directions.

Tang Wan stood not far from Qi Xu with a walkie-talkie in hand. She first looked up at the sky, then looked down at her bracelet, and roughly guessed what Qi Xu was going to say next.

"However, no matter how busy you are with work, you can't forget to eat. From the moment I finish saying this, everyone has one hour for lunch. Now, dismissed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the density of the surrounding crowd immediately decreased, and the air became much fresher.

Tang Wan sighed wearily, her tense nerves relaxing as a result.

Even though I didn't do any physical labor, I felt more tired than if I had.

"Tang Wan".

Upon hearing her name, Tang Wan turned around and saw Park Soo-young, dressed smartly, striding towards her, her light golden hair bouncing with each step.

"Shall we have dinner together?"

Tang Wan readily agreed and asked, "The cafeteria or off-campus?"

"Eat in the canteen early and come back to work early."

"Okay, it's up to you."

The two briefly handed over their work to the remaining student council members and then walked hand in hand to the cafeteria.

They hadn't walked more than two steps when a boy with a shoulder bag blocked their way.

The boy wasn't very tall, only a little taller than Tang Wan, less than 1.75 meters. He had a Korean-style perm, a small face, delicate and well-proportioned features, thin lips, and a friendly, ingratiating smile on his face.

Huh? Where did this little puppy come from?

Tang Wan cast an inquiring glance at Park Soo-young.

Looking for you?
Park Soo-young waved her hand, indicating that she did not know him.

"Sisters, are you volunteers?"

"Sister? You're a high school student?" Park Soo-young looked at the boy's permed hair and trendy Korean-style clothes, but it didn't seem like it.

"Yes!" the boy said with a bright smile. "I'm a senior in high school this year, and I've been recommended for postgraduate studies by the school. In September, I'll be your junior. Please take good care of me!"

After saying that, the boy bowed deeply to Tang Wan and Park Soo-young.

"No wonder, so she's from a foreign language school." Park Soo-young didn't show it on her face, but she already looked down on her a bit.

In terms of actual ability, students recommended for admission without examination are definitely not as good as those admitted through competitions or those who scored high on the college entrance examination without taking the exam.

But they are not without strength. After all, who dares to say that background is not part of strength?

Furthermore, to secure a spot for postgraduate admission without examination, one's family must be among the top tier in the education system, and they can't be too far behind.

"Junior, how can I help you?" Tang Wan asked politely, adopting her student council identity.

The boy's smile widened. "It's like this, it's my first time at Capital University, and I can't find the canteen. If you two ladies have time, could you help me show me the way?"

"Please!" The boy clasped his hands together, tilted his head, blinked, and pleaded with the two of them.

Tang Wan didn't find it cute at all; instead, she felt a chill run down her spine, and her radar for detecting whether a man had ulterior motives went off at a frantic pace.

Park Soo-young frowned slightly, also noticing the boy's ulterior motives and even anticipating his next move.

First, go to the canteen, and under the pretext of repaying a debt, treat them to a meal. During the meal, chat with them to get closer and build a relationship. After the meal, ask for their contact information again. The father-in-law is very polite.

Just as Park Soo-young was thinking of a reason to get rid of the boy, she saw Tang Wan looking behind the boy, her joy evident.

Following Tang Wan's gaze, Park Soo-young immediately understood.

"These two ladies are busy with student council work and don't have time to show you the way."

The boy's gaze turned cold, his smile faded, though he was still smiling, the smile was no longer genuine. "Hey, didn't your Chinese teacher teach you about first come, first served?"

"First come, first served?"

Lu You walked up to Tang Wan, carrying a thermos in her hand. Hearing the boy's hostile words, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you know him before?" Lu You asked the two women.

Tang Wan shook her head decisively, "I don't know her."

Park Soo-young crossed her arms, showing no respect whatsoever, saying, "He's overly familiar with us; it's none of our business."

"So, who came first and who came later?" Lu You glanced at the boy, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

"So what if you came first?" The boy's smile vanished completely, his expression almost blank. "Relationships between people aren't about who comes first, but about whether they're compatible."

"Well, you're right."

Lu You was too lazy to waste her breath arguing with an extremely self-centered idiot who wouldn't listen to reason. It was like trying to persuade a fanatical fan to unfollow—it was pointless.

Lu You took Tang Wan's hand and looked at Park Soo-young beside her.

"I'm taking him with me, you don't mind, do you?"

"Does it matter if I mind?" Park Soo-young rolled her eyes speechlessly.

"I should at least ask politely." Lu You gently stroked Tang Wan's hand with his thumb. It had been almost 24 hours since they last met, and he really missed her.

"Get out of my way and stop getting in my way!" Park Soo-young said irritably.

"Bye-bye, dorm leader, see you later!" Tang Wan linked arms with Lu You and left happily.

The boy, who had been ignored the whole time, now had a frighteningly ugly expression. He stared coldly at Park Soo-young and demanded, "What's their relationship?"

"none of your business?"

Park Soo-young tossed her hair and walked past the boy.

She has no interest in talking to people who don't understand themselves.
-
On the school road.

Lu You and Tang Wan walked side by side.

"Honey, how did you know I was here?" Tang Wan clearly remembered that she had not made plans to have dinner with Lu You that evening.

"My guess."

In fact, Lu You located Tang Wan by spotting a fluttering national flag in the background of a work selfie she sent him during their WeChat chat that afternoon.

"You guessed incredibly accurately! The time and place matched perfectly!"

"That's what you call fate."

"But what if you guess wrong and can't find me?"

"Make a phone call, what else can we do?"

In today's world of highly developed information technology, finding someone is just a matter of making a phone call.

If you can't find one, try contacting several others, taking a roundabout approach and starting with social relationships.

Tang Wan isn't some immortal living in the deep mountains, isolated from the world. If you're willing to look, you can always find her.

Arrive at the canteen.

The two each ordered one meat dish and one vegetable dish, then found seats and sat down.

Lu You placed the thermos on the table and said, "This is the soup I had for lunch. My aunt specifically asked the chef to make an extra pot so I could bring it to you."

Tang Wan's eyes lit up when she heard there was food.

"What kind of soup is it? Is it good?"

"Open it and see for yourself." Lu You didn't elaborate further; firsthand experience was far more powerful than words.

"Oh, you bad boy, you're keeping me in suspense!"

Tang Wan gave Lu You a flirtatious wink, poked his forehead with her index finger, and then started fiddling with the thermos.

After a few steps, the lid was opened, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

"smell good!"

Tang Wan inhaled the aroma with ecstasy, feeling her stomach rumble like a cicada in heat during the height of summer.

Looking closely into the bucket, one could see that the soup was a cloudy orange-yellow color, with a layer of fine oil floating on the surface, as well as medicinal herbs such as red dates and goji berries.

The pigeon meat and some unidentified solid sediment were submerged in the soup, with only their general outlines visible.

Tang Wan set out the stainless steel bowl she got from the cafeteria lady, filled it to the brim, and scooped out two pieces of pigeon meat.

The meat in the upper village is plentiful, so it's given to Lu You; the meat in the lower village is less, so they eat it themselves.

After distributing the food, Tang Wan tucked the hair from her temples behind her ears, picked up the bowl with both hands, and brought her lips to the rim of the bowl.

Then, Lu You heard a slurping sound.

"what about the taste?"

Tang Wan's cheeks gradually puffed up, then quickly deflated again. "It's very delicious, just a bit too salty."

"If it's salty, eat it with rice to balance it out."

Tang Wan nodded, put down her bowl, picked up her chopsticks, and ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice. "By the way, is this big meal just for you and your uncle's family?"

Lu You paused slightly with her right hand holding the food in her chopsticks before continuing to put the food in her mouth. "No, there's another person. He's also the main reason why my uncle invited me to dinner."

Tang Wan quickly realized what was going on, "Your uncle is helping you build connections?"

"Ah."

"Is he powerful or not?"

Lu You's gaze swept over Tang Wan's chest almost imperceptibly. "Not as big as yours."

"Not as big as me? I'm just an ordinary commoner, how could I be..." Tang Wan's words stopped abruptly, and she slapped Lu You on the back with her backhand, "Get down! Can't we have a proper conversation? Do we have to veer onto the highway? Are you feeling stressed? If so, go run a couple of laps on the track!"

"Why do I need to run?" Lu You whispered close to Tang Wan's ear, "Shouldn't it be your girlfriend who helps me solve this personally?"

"Help you? How can I help?"

Tang Wan pushed Lu You away, her face calm and composed, showing no sign of shame or anger. Having already tasted the sweetness of meat, she was no longer moved by something as trivial as a pig running.

"There are dozens, even hundreds, of eyes watching us, and there are surveillance cameras in the corner. I might have the thought, but I don't have the courage!"

"How about we go home after dinner?"

Tang Wan was vaguely tempted, Lu You suppressed her feelings, and she too was suppressing her feelings, but when she thought about the student council work, she could only refuse.

"Never mind, I have a lot of things to do at the student council, I can't get away."

Lu You was slightly disappointed, but she could understand.

The two have their own career plans, and their schedules cannot perfectly align. There will always be times when one is free and the other is busy.

Tang Wan noticed a slight change in Lu You's emotions, took his hand, placed it on her thigh, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

"Don't be sad. I'll make it up to you when the holidays come. I'll do whatever you want, whatever pose you want, okay?"

"You said it yourself! I didn't force you!" As she spoke, Lu You grabbed Tang Wan's thighs twice, and even through the layer of clothing, her amazing softness could not be concealed.

Tang Wan didn't mind Lu You's groping hands. On the contrary, it would be a big problem if Lu You lost interest in her and was unwilling to make a move.

After satisfying his urge to play with his hands, Lu You steered the conversation back on track.

"The person my uncle introduced was his old classmate, and his identity is indeed quite extraordinary."

"How is it unusual?" Tang Wan asked curiously after taking a bite of her food.

"The face of the Chinese Academy of Mathematical Sciences, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and one of the top talents in the domestic mathematics community."

Tang Wan froze, chopsticks in her mouth, as if she had been put on pause.

"Wow, that's quite an achievement!" Tang Wan exclaimed sincerely, then turned to Lu You, "Honey, did you achieve this in your past life?"

"Do you think I'm a god? I didn't even live to be thirty in my previous life, how could I possibly become an academician?"

Even now, with a second chance at life and access to technology, Lu You doesn't think he can become an academician before the age of thirty, though he might try before forty.

Being an academician is a recognition of an individual's achievements, status, and position by the state. It is hard to be convinced if one's head is not shiny, temples are not gray, and face is not wrinkled.

"What's the academician's name? Are his achievements impressive?"

"Wang Zhili, you can find his personal information by searching on Baidu."

Tang Wan took out her phone and searched on the spot.

A few minutes later, Tang Wan put down her phone, her heart filled with admiration for Wang Zhili.

"As expected of an academician, what a dazzling achievement!"

He rose to fame at a young age, went abroad for further studies, and upon returning, he won almost every domestic award and numerous international awards, along with various titles.

The list alone is several hundred words long.

"Honey, do you think you can reach the same level as Academician Wang in the future?"

Lu You swallowed the food in her mouth, smiled confidently, and said, "Be bold, I'll surpass Academician Wang."

Lu You believed that her talent was no less than Wang Zhili's, and she had the Lu family as her background, lived in a prosperous era of the country, and had the accumulation of experience from her previous life.

If even these conditions don't surpass Wang Zhili's, Lu You might as well dig a hole and bury himself.

"You have ambition, I believe in you!" Tang Wan had complete trust in Lu You. (End of Chapter)