Together Forever - Chapter 13

Volume 1, Chapter 13: The Real You and Me (1)

A week after the gala, midterm exams arrived.

It was late autumn, and the classrooms were freezing. Naturally, the library, with its constant air conditioning, became a highly sought-after haven.

Tong Yan slumped over her desk, studying jurisprudence, her head spinning from the Latin. The professor insisted that studying law required learning Latin, providing a self-made booklet filled with English-Latin comparisons, and declaring that 50% of the final exam would be in Latin…

So, Tong Yan could only pore over the booklet, almost to the point of insanity.

"Philosophy, philosophia, I can't tell the difference," Tong Yan sighed. "Why do I have to memorize Latin while being tortured by the CET-6?"

Shen Yao, lying on the desk, worked on calculus problems. "I think we're in the most unfortunate law department in the country. Have you ever seen law students having to retake calculus repeatedly?"

Wen Jing Jing looked up from her International Commercial Arbitration textbook. "And to add to that, why is our law school the only one in the country that switches to all-English instruction from junior year onwards? I haven't even passed CET-4 yet!"

She wiped away a tear of frustration.

Seeing Wen Jing Jing's textbook, Tong Yan suddenly thought of Gu Pingsheng.

He had said he had something to attend to last week and hadn't tutored her in physics…

Shen Yao, holding a sheet of paper filled with mathematical formulas, pondered which one to apply. "I think I'm doomed this semester again. Aren't you retaking physics too? Let's go choose our classes together this afternoon."

"I already chose mine online. Which ones are you taking?"

Tong Yan, still half-lost in thought, unknowingly touched a nerve with Shen Yao.

"Mao Zedong Thought Outline, Fundamentals of Marxism, C++," Shen Yao enunciated each word with venom. "Didn't I fail all of them? I'm retaking them all. And if I fail calculus again this semester, it'll be my third time."

…

Tong Yan wisely shut her mouth.

The multilingual, star pianist of the school orchestra had failed open-book exams in Mao Zedong Thought, Marxist Philosophy, and C++… This was already the biggest news of the year in their class.

Compared to that, not failing calculus would be defying the laws of nature.

Of course, she didn't dare say that out loud.

Tong Yan glanced at Wen Jing Jing's textbook again, suddenly wanting to text Gu Pingsheng and ask if he would be tutoring her this week… But looking at her phone, she hesitated.

He was probably very busy.

Their seats were separated from the staircase by a wooden railing. Suddenly, a group of people came downstairs, catching their attention. They seemed to be teachers, chatting as they walked.

"Hey, isn't that Tong Yan's nightmare goddess? Does she know Teacher Gu?" Shen Yao, sharp-eyed as ever, quickly spotted a potential connection.

Tong Yan looked over and saw Gu Pingsheng and her nightmare, Zhao Yin, walking down the stairs side by side. Someone in the crowd called out, "Professor Zhao," and Zhao Yin patted Gu Pingsheng's hand, indicating that someone was looking for her.

As Gu Pingsheng looked at Professor Zhao, he also saw them.

He simply glanced at them. That was all.

After the staircase was clear again, Shen Yao packed up her calculus notes. "I have calculus class at 3:00 PM. I'm leaving." Wen Jing Jing also looked at her watch and gasped. "Oh no, it's 1:00 PM! I'm late for my proctoring duty!"

Shen Yao gritted her teeth. "I hate you guys who can earn extra money by proctoring."

Wen Jing Jing grinned. "Who told you to fail Marxist Philosophy?"

These general university courses were usually open-book or allowed students to memorize the exam beforehand. So, proctoring wasn't that crucial. To save on faculty resources, the university assigned the "fair and impartial" third-year law students to proctor exams. And they received 80 yuan per exam…

So, in addition to Gu Pingsheng, there was another reason for the Law School to be resented.

They could proctor exams for their own classmates and earn extra money. They were the public enemy of the entire university.

Tong Yan's proctoring duty was at 3:00 PM, so she wasn't in a hurry.

But now that the other two were gone, she didn't feel like staying either. Just as she was considering heading back to the dorm, someone placed a paper cup beside her.

A cup of pure water, still steaming slightly.

She turned and saw Gu Pingsheng, who should have already left.

It seemed that no matter the time or place, he always liked to offer her water. A very healthy habit.

"Memorizing Latin?" he glanced at the booklet in front of her.

She nodded. "There will definitely be Latin on the Jurisprudence exam. I have to memorize it."

He sat down next to her. "I just talked to Zhao Yin about your progress. She agreed to continue tutoring you for me. Do you have her contact information? Email or phone number?"

Tong Yan paused, then quickly said, "Yes, I have her email address."

Gu Pingsheng smiled. "In terms of professional expertise, she's the real physics teacher. And every teacher has their own methods. You've been attending her classes for so long. With her individual tutoring, you should be able to pass easily next semester."

To speak to her, he turned slightly, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, softening the sharp angles of his face.

She nodded. "Thank you, Teacher Gu."

Then, neither of them spoke.

She quickly packed up her books and stood up. "I have class this afternoon. If there's nothing else, Teacher Gu, I'll be going."

Gu Pingsheng nodded, then suddenly smiled. "Remember to study hard, not just for my class."

He said it with unusual seriousness.

That afternoon, she arrived early for her proctoring duty.

Normally, there should be a teacher and a law student, but the teacher had called her earlier, saying she had an urgent matter and entrusting the entire task to Tong Yan.

Holding the unopened exam papers, she walked into the classroom with a serious expression, and a buzz of murmurs immediately arose.

Many of the students had been in her PE or computer classes and smiled when they saw her. Those who didn't know her recognized her as the gala host, and their gossip senses tingled.

The biggest headache was that Amy was also in this class.

"What luck!" Amy looked towards the door. "Tong Yan, you're the only one?"

Tong Yan cleared her throat and said formally, "I'm the proctor for this exam. Today's Fundamentals of Marxism exam is closed-book. Talking is prohibited, and all cell phones must be turned off. You all know the school rules. Failing a course can be remedied by retaking it, but cheating is not tolerated and will result in expulsion."

After the first half of her speech, everyone fell silent.

She looked at the many familiar faces, paused for three seconds, and finally added, "Since I'm getting paid for this, please behave yourselves. I'm the only proctor here today, but there will be teachers patrolling outside. Remember that, everyone."

After the second half of her speech, the forty or so students burst into laughter.

Thus, everyone was happy, and the exam ended smoothly.

Amy sauntered over casually. "I haven't seen you for two weeks, celebrity. What have you been up to?"

"Studying, studying hard."

"I admire you," Amy sighed. "That gala felt like a scene from a teen drama… Now that we're back to the mundane reality of classes and exams, isn't it a bit of an adjustment?"

She smiled. "I'm used to it. It wasn't my first time hosting."

"It's different this time. Different from all the other times." Amy studied her expression. "Tell me secretly, do you and your Teacher Gu have amazing chemistry?"

Tong Yan placed the exam papers in a manila envelope and sealed it. "We were co-hosting, of course we needed chemistry."

Seeing her lack of conviction, Amy looked at her carefully and suddenly became serious. "Tong Yan, jokes aside, don't scare me. A teacher-student relationship would have been taboo five or six years ago. Things are more open now, but it's still best avoided. Didn't you see what happened to that couple from the new department? They only revealed their relationship after graduation. Even then, the school wasn't happy and wanted to terminate the teacher's contract."

Tong Yan's heart skipped a beat. She nudged Amy with her foot. "Don't talk nonsense. I still want to graduate."

Eleven weeks, seventy-seven days, left.

Half the semester was already over.

On Saturday, the department organized a symposium on international environmental law.

They had invited internationally renowned law professors and representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The guest list alone had the class fighting over the opportunity to assist the guests.

Shen Yao, with her language skills, naturally secured the job of accompanying a special guest.

For two days straight, she had been focused on the UNEP representative, determined to secure a letter of recommendation from him.

"Give me two bottles of water," Shen Yao suddenly appeared, looking harried. "Quick, quick, my UN recommendation letter is thirsty." Tong Yan, amused and exasperated, took two bottles of water from the cardboard box at her feet and handed them to her. "Perform well. If you succeed, it's Yale. If you fail, it's some no-name university."

Shen Yao scoffed. "The recommendation letter is practically in my hands. I'm already looking beyond Wharton. Law, only law, is my true calling!"

She hurried back to the white-bearded foreign gentleman, continuing to sing the praises of their law school, almost proclaiming it the best in China.

Tong Yan, amused, saw Gu Pingsheng, in a simple casual suit, walking towards the main hall, chatting and laughing with a group of people. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but judging by his expression, they were close friends.

It seemed he only smiled so brightly when he was with people he knew well.

At lunchtime, Shen Yao loyally came out to eat boxed lunches with Tong Yan at the reception desk.

Actually, her job was the most thankless. The four students fluent in two foreign languages were assigned to accompany the guests, getting close-up interaction, while the others had found excuses to avoid the less glamorous tasks.

And she had been sweet-talked into being a receptionist by the class monitor.

The monitor's reasoning was: the conference center is located in the gardens, so the reception desk is situated amidst a bamboo grove. Very romantic.

A rainy November day in a bamboo grove. Romantically freezing.

"Let me tell you, if there's nothing to do at the reception desk this afternoon, hurry back to school and take a hot shower. This bamboo grove is giving me the chills. And you're wearing a skirt! The monitor isn't worried you'll freeze to death?" Shen Yao shivered, unceremoniously snatching a large piece of braised pork rib from Tong Yan's lunchbox. "Let me tell you some gossip. Two of the guests inside know Gu Pingsheng. They said they're old friends. I overheard them talking about the tattoo on his arm. He did it himself, with his left hand. And, without any anesthetic."

Tong Yan ate the half a marinated egg in her lunchbox. The yolk was a bit dry. She took a sip of water, the momentary warmth chased away by the cold liquid.

Just as Shen Yao was biting into the pork rib, gossiping excitedly, Gu Pingsheng walked out, seemingly looking for someone.

He saw the two of them at the reception desk and paused. "Why are you eating here? There's a buffet in the banquet hall."

"I'm keeping Tong Yan company," Shen Yao quickly said, taking a sip of water. "She's stuck here during lunch. Poor thing, right? Teacher Gu, considering we performed a song together, you should put in a good word for us with the department, maybe get us some extra credit…"

He looked at the rustling bamboo grove in the wind, then at Tong Yan. Before he could speak, she quickly said, "It's okay, there's not much to do this afternoon. I'll be heading back to school."

As she spoke, a gust of cold wind blew through the grove, and her exposed legs turned slightly blue.

He glanced at his watch. "You don't need to stay here anymore. I'll take you to get something warm to eat."

Hearing this, Shen Yao immediately put down her half-eaten lunchbox.

Gu Pingsheng walked back inside, presumably to arrange for a taxi. Tong Yan tugged on Shen Yao's arm. "If you're hungry, go inside and eat at the buffet. Why do we have to go out to eat?"

"You're freezing! The buffet food won't warm you up. We need some hot soup and a proper Chinese meal." Shen Yao snatched Tong Yan's lunchbox and threw it into a paper bag. "Whoever marries Teacher Gu will be incredibly lucky. He's so thoughtful."

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