Chapter Text
Chapter One - A Detour in the Great Plan
~~~~~~~~ At a research lab in the engineering department ~~~~~~~~
"Zhang Linghe!" a frustrated, masculine voice shouts from behind a 190cm tall male student in a grey checkered shirt.
The male student turns around with a blank stare at his mentor. He has handsome features, with a tall nose, chiseled face shape and long almond eyes. If it isn't for the fact that he is in the engineering department, ladies would have been drooling and raving over his looks all day...not that he would have understood what is going on anyways. In any case, he is indeed in the engineering department and in one class where there is zero number of female student in the room.
His mentor pulls him aside and scolds in a low voice, "why did you make Zhou Xing cry?!"
Zhang Linghe wants to roll his eyes, but chooses to maintain patience with his mentor, "he's an idiot." He does not feel like explaining just what idiotic actions that fool has taken this morning to almost completely ruin the team's special research project. If Zhou Xing had succeed, then the whole project that team had spent the past year working tirelessly on would be set on fire.
"Well, you could have just tell him gently the correct approach to things," upon hearing how Zhang Linghe describes Zhou Xing, the mentor guilty softens his words. He has a feeling that Zhou Xing probably has done something completely unacceptable. However, he still tries to smooth things over since unfortunately, Zhou Xing's uncle is one of the big backers of their project. He sighs and wearily reminds his mentee, "you know who his uncle is, don't you?"
Zhang Linghe tightens his lips and clenches his jaw. "What do you want me to do about it?" he asks in an even tone.
The mentor smiles mysteriously and suddenly the taller man doesn't have a good feeling. The older and shorter man clasps his hands together and rubs them together, a subconscious habit that he usually does when he tries to hide his nervousness. "You know there's more to life than school and work, right? So, I've been thinking--"
"No," the taller man instinctively rejects and about to turn around to return to the work at hand when his mentor pulls his arm.
"You don't even know what I'm going to say!" the mentor protests.
"It's probably nothing productive," Zhang Linghe responds.
"No, it's definitely productive," the mentor counters. "I have been thinking for awhile now, in order to maintain a harmonious working atmosphere here, you really need to learn to soften your approach and I have just the perfect task for you to complete and learn."
The taller man raises an eyebrow, leans on the edge of the table and crosses his arms. Despite that he doesn't really want to indulge in this conversation, he knows that his mentor would not leave him be. Though, he is already thinking up excuses to reject whatever the shorter man is about to propose.
"I have asked Professor Li of the drama department to slot you in one of her classes next semester." Then he adds, "it would be good for you to learn more about the human emotions."
"This is ridiculous," he states. "I'm not doing that." He is so shock at the idea that he just outright rejects it instead of at least giving a pretense of trying to give an excuse to get out.
"Well, you don't actually have a choice in that," the mentor rubs his nose, suddenly a bit scared to look at the mentee that he's the most proud of. "Unless you want to get pulled out of the project. This is the condition of Zhou Xing's uncle...he wants see an improvement in your 'behaviour' by the end of the next semester or else he would rather cease his involvement with the project. This is for your own good too..."
The taller man's fingers are now digging at the edge of the table. Annoyed, but he knows there is not much he can do at this point especially when the project is so close to completion. If he knows early on that he would have to go through this anyways, then he would have done more than simply scolding at Zhou Xing.
~~~~~~~~ On the other side of the school ~~~~~~~~
"Tian Xiwei!" Wang Anyu runs up to his best friend and hands her a cup of coffee.
"Yay!" Tian Xiwei takes the coffee from him excitedly and says her thanks.
"Okay, this is the last one and that should settle the bet," he reminds her.
She sticks out her tongue and responds sarcastically, "Geez, aren't you being a bit petty now, Wang Anyu?" Then she smiles mischievously and elbows him, "Anyways, wanna start another bet?"
He looks elsewhere and pretends, "oh, suddenly I have lost my hearing." Then he walks quickly ahead.
"Oh my goodness!" she is about to chase after him, but is stopped by another student.
"Xiao Tian," a female student in a high ponytail calls out to her, "Professor Li wants to see you."
"Oh okay, thanks!" Then she points at her best friend who has just turned around, "I will deal with you later."
He taunts her a wink and smiles, giving an air of 'as if'.
~~~~~~~~ Inside Professor's Li's Office ~~~~~~~~
"Hi Professor Li, I heard that you were looking for me?" Tian Xiwei knocks on the door.
"Ah yes," Professor Li smiles. She is a woman in her mid-thirties and dresses more fashionable and sophisticated than other professors on campus. In fact, many students on the campus gives her the unofficial title of 'Fashion Diva'. She quickly cuts to the chase, "I am giving you a special assignment for the next semester."
The younger woman's ears perk up in interest.
"I have a colleague who wants to fit one of his students into my class, but I would rather not since that would slow down everyone else's progress." Then, she grabs a clear plastic folder with a few sheets of paper. "Maybe see it as a part-time job or an extracurricular activity. The objectives of the assignment and the related compensation are in here."
Tian Xiwei takes the folder and starts flipping through the pages. 'Number one - help the target become more empathetic. Number Two - teach the target how to communicate with others in a friendly way. Number Three...'
"I'm asking you do to this because you're one of my most talented students here, so hopefully it won't be too much work," Professor Li explains apologetically.
The younger woman shakes her head, "No, it's an honour that I can help." Then she reckons in her mind, 'It's an odd assignment, but I guess it pays!'
The older woman sighs in relief, "thank you -- now, I don't owe that colleague any more favours." She smiles faintly, "Just drop by my office when the semester starts and I will introduce you two."
After Tian Xiwei leaves Professor's Li's office, she pulls out her phone and sends a text to Wang Anyu: Bro, let's go for hot pot tonight!
A reply almost immediately shows up on her screen: ?? Did you strike gold?
She texts back: hehe...you can say that. ^__~