321 A Meal, and Beijing University's Student Union

“Have you had lunch?” Seeing her walking over, Cheng Juan slightly lowered his phone and lowered his gaze. His voice was soft and gentle.

Lu Zhaoying, on the other end of the phone, got a shock.

Master Juan had always spoken to him with either an indifferent tone or a cold and emotionless one. Why was he suddenly speaking so gently and properly?

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“Erm… Master Juan…”

“Nope. I just came from the library.” Qin Ran was holding on to her black backpack, and her black laptop was stored inside her bag.

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There was a lot of research work involved in the Nuclear Engineering course outside of class hours, so Qin Ran would always go to the library with Pan Mingyue once class ended every day.

Lu Zhaoying almost blurted that he couldn’t get used to Master Juan suddenly changing his tone, but he immediately swallowed his words after he heard Qin Ran’s voice in the background.

“We’ll arrive soon. I’m hanging up first.” Cheng Juan raised his slightly lowered phone and quickly hung up after one sentence.

Walking seemed like a faster option than driving at this point, as the road to Beijing University was a lot more crowded and packed due to the upcoming holidays.

This was also the same road that led to a smaller pedestrian street filled with eateries, which was also packed with a large and chaotic crowd.

Cheng Juan stood out in the messy crowd due to his tall figure and his chic yet posh aura and stature, while Qin Ran followed quietly behind him.

Due to the large crowd, people would cut across in front of them almost every two steps they took, disrupting their line of vision.

The hollers of the shop owners, loud blasting music, and countless chatter around filled Qin Ran’s ears. Her eyebrows unconsciously knitted.

The bustle was coupled with the smell of body sweat and oil from the eateries around.

When yet another burly and stout looking man bumped into her, Cheng Juan stopped in his tracks a few steps ahead of her. He expressionlessly looked at the burly guy, then extended his hand towards Qin Ran. He held on to her hand and said with a neutral yet gentle voice, “Follow me closely.”

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Cheng Juan’s body temperature was always slightly on the colder side, and his hand holding her was no exception.

As Qin Ran followed him through the street of eateries, the crowd started to thin after a while.

“A few of my friends will be there together, and you happen to be on holiday too.” His footsteps slowed down, but his voice remained steady. “You may remember one of them. He’s called Zhang Xiangge.”

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Qin Ran nodded and went silent after simply saying, “Alright.”

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The venue was chosen by Lu Zhaoying and was situated at a hotel near Beijing University in order to accommodate her.

After exiting Beijing University and crossing the street of eateries, it was just a 5-minute straight walk from there onwards.

**

Zhang Xiangge and the others were all sitting inside the private suite.

Even if it was Ouyang Wei, Jiang Dongye would probably just be slightly more polite when speaking to her.

“Ms. Qin, are you settling down well enough in school? There’s an unspoken tradition in Beijing University where everyone has to live in the campus residences, but you can always find Master Juan to settle that part for you.” Zhang Xiangge was reminded that he was the one who hosted this gathering, and he immediately called the waiter over to order a glass of juice for her. “Oh, right. Have you joined the Student Union yet? Your school’s Outreach Department has approached me previously for sponsorship purposes. So, if you’re keen, you can always come to find me.”

Even though the Zhang Family wasn’t considered one of the most affluent families in Beijing, due to Zhang Xiangge’s highly sociable and likable personality, he possessed a considerable number of connections. On top of that, as he was also considered to be a part of the reputable social circle of the Cheng Family, his status and influence were a force to be reckoned with.

Qin Ran, who was finally seated and engaged with her phone, looked up when she heard his offer and rejected him politely. “No, thank you. It’s alright.”

As she frequented the school library so often for class, President Jiang had also sent her all the text and materials required for the second and third years of University.

Other than attending classes, she would be either having official consultation sessions with the lecturers of her Nuclear Engineering course or occasionally finding Song Luting for help.

The Student Union had also approached her repeatedly, with one of the seniors finding her at her lodging on two occasions and calling her on the phone multiple times.

Zhang Xiangge glanced at her and nodded, not probing on the matter any further.

“Master Juan, why is Ms. Qin still residing in school?” Lu Zhaoying tilted his head to look towards Cheng Juan as he asked, with chopsticks in hand and legs crossed. He recalled that Chang Juan had an apartment near the school when he was in University.

Cheng Juan was seated beside Lu Zhaoying with his hands resting on the table. He spoke without any visible change in his expression, “Just eat your food.”