Chapter 39#
Classroom#
The door was closed gently. After Xue Feng finished the honey water, he fell back asleep.
Upon leaving the community, Mo Xuzhi found that it was already 3:30 AM. The traffic on the road had visibly decreased compared to when he arrived.
After waiting for nearly twenty minutes using a ride-hailing app, he finally secured a taxi.
At such a late hour, even the most talkative drivers had lost their interest in conversation. Mo Xuzhi wasn’t very fond of talking either; after stating the location of the inn, he sat in the back seat and closed his eyes.
The driver was skilled, and the journey was steady.
Upon reaching the destination, the taxi’s meter let out a beeping sound. Mo Xuzhi opened his eyes, paid the fare, and got out to return to the inn.
Most of the lights in the inn were extinguished, with only the lobby and public corridors still lit. In the lobby, only a night-shift receptionist was dozing off. Mo Xuzhi bypassed her and went up the stairs.
Returning to his room to freshen up for a few minutes, by the time he actually lay down, it was already 4:05 AM.
He would probably wake up at 6:30 tomorrow; rounding it off, he could sleep for another two and a half hours.
Mo Xuzhi placed his phone aside and sank into the quilt.
The next day, before dawn, the program crew knocked on the door.
Mo Xuzhi struggled to get out of bed, casually threw on a shirt, and opened the door.
A dark camera was pointed directly at his face.
The lens caught him off guard. Mo Xuzhi was startled for a moment, and his eyes, which were initially a bit dazed, instantly became clear.
The director and other staff standing at the door were also slightly surprised by him.
This was the first time they had seen Mo Xuzhi like this.
Previously, no matter when they started filming, when they saw Mo Xuzhi, he was always already up and dressed neatly, perhaps having already taken a stroll around the field ridges, looking more energetic than they were.
Peeking at the few strands of hair sticking up on Mo Xuzhi’s head, the cameraman tried to hold it in but eventually couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Several others also laughed, their laughter very restrained but deep enough to be memorable.
Mo Xuzhi found their laughter inexplicable. He smoothed his hair a few times, felt it was about right and let go, gave a yawn, and asked:
“Is something the matter?”
“Nothing, just calling you up for breakfast,” the director said with an honest smile. “And a surprise inspection of the rooms by the way.”
That “by the way” was quite convenient.
Mo Xuzhi was now fully awake. He turned his head and roughly scanned the room. Finding nothing prominent or strange, he stepped aside to make a path.
“Come in.”
Having only stayed for one day, there was actually nothing much to raid in the room. Most of the things belonged to the inn, and no faults could be found.
The director walked around, then said with a smile for Mo Xuzhi to pack up as soon as possible, gather downstairs for breakfast after packing, and then start today’s task.
Variety shows were probably the most time-wasting and meaningless activities Mo Xuzhi had ever participated in.
Every day from the morning until 8:00 PM, he would go here to play and there to shop with several other guests, then record some personal impressions. It was only when he returned to the laboratory at night that he did something practical and truly felt the value of time.
A few days passed in an instant.
The program crew’s original plan was to continue finding places to play, but since the first episode of the show aired, let alone playing, the participating guests couldn’t even leave the hotel.
The show’s ratings were unexpectedly good, even reaching an explosive level, to the point where you could hear people discussing the show just by standing in a crowd.
Ratings meant traffic, and traffic meant money. The program crew was no longer stingy about finding cheap or free places; they booked an amusement park. Before the amusement park could be set up for the crew’s desired effect, they were allowed two days off.
Others packed their luggage to return, except for Mo Xuzhi. Although he was usually at the forefront of packing, he was uncharacteristically staying in his room playing games this time.
The cameraman asked him why he wasn’t being proactive this time. Mo Xuzhi switched the computer interface back to the main menu, pointed casually, and said: “Excavator University is right next door, very close.”
The cameraman was choked up and said nothing more.
When the others had mostly left, Mo Xuzhi looked at a message on his phone, put his computer into a tote bag, and easily left the inn.
Only the mask and hat were covering him too tightly, making it a bit difficult to breathe.
He hadn’t watched the show after it aired, nor had he logged into Weibo. All software push notifications were disabled. He didn’t know what the online evaluation of him was like now, but he could generally see some things from daily life.
The most direct observation was that he could no longer travel normally.
After the variety show started, there were always many people waiting outside the inn. Some wanted to catch him and scold him, and others wanted to ask for his autograph. A crowd of people blocked the way, making it difficult to break through.
He ignored the insults and didn’t give autographs. After finding a pattern, he became used to going out at midnight—that was when there were the fewest people. He only needed to hide well and pick up his pace to easily return to Jingda.
There were also people who might be fans but, failing to get an autograph, turned to verbal abuse. Word spread, and presumably many people knew he didn’t give autographs. Recently, those waiting for him only took photos or scolded him; he could completely ignore them, and his workload had decreased considerably.
Some mocked him for acting like a big shot, but he didn’t take these words to heart, letting them pass after hearing them.
He couldn’t just sign his name anywhere.
A signature is a person’s exclusive symbol. If someone were to copy or imitate his signature later, the resulting trouble would be more than just being said to be acting like a big shot.
Crossing the ancient town, the gate of Jingda could be seen.
The number of off-campus personnel entering Jingda had significantly increased these past few days, with alumni and other members of the public frequently entering and exiting.
Mo Xuzhi remembered to bring his entry pass this time, and after swiping his card, he easily entered Jingda.
After entering Jingda, he took off his hat, leaving only the mask on his face. He felt much better.
On one side of the school gate, ancient trees towered into the sky. Next to the trees were stone steps leading all the way to the gate of the Physics Department.
Mo Xuzhi glanced at the time.
There were still over twenty minutes before Wang Zhifeng finished his class.
He and Wang Zhifeng had agreed to go to the main hall together for a report meeting; it seemed he still had to wait for a while.
With nothing to do, Mo Xuzhi bought two cups of coffee at the school gate and carried them into the Physics Building.
The environment of the Physics Building was very good, with well-placed greenery. Although it was a science department, the overall style followed traditional Chinese architecture—elegant, grand, and looking very comfortable.
When he was still a student, he liked to run here to slack off.
Mo Xuzhi walked familiarly all the way to Teaching Building A, where Wang Zhifeng was, and found the lecture hall.
Neither the front nor back doors of the lecture hall were closed.
Standing at the door, Wang Zhifeng could be clearly seen standing on the podium.
He wasn’t wearing a white coat; he dressed quite casually in a white shirt and suit pants. The glasses he never took off were on his nose, and he held a blue folder in his hand. His posture was as rigorous as being in the laboratory, and his clear voice was loud and forceful.
He seemed to take everything seriously, whether it was an experiment or teaching students.
Looking through the front door was a bit conspicuous. Mo Xuzhi left the front door while Wang Zhifeng was looking for a PPT and walked to the back door. He then saw many students peering in at the back door and, taking advantage of the speaker on the podium not paying attention, quietly slipped inside.
Wang Zhifeng was quite popular with students. Although he was often scolded for his devilishly difficult exam questions, students were quick to choose his courses during enrollment. The lecture hall was large, yet it was still packed.
Precisely because of the number of people, students who hadn’t managed to enroll in Wang Zhifeng’s class could take the opportunity to slip in and audit.
One more person among them was not too many. As long as not too many people entered, they wouldn’t be discovered.
Just like now.
Mo Xuzhi entered the classroom mixed with the crowd of students.
He wasn’t very old anyway. Aside from his striking looks and empty hands, he looked no different from an ordinary student.
—Well, not exactly empty-handed; he at least had two cups of coffee in his hands.
After finding a corner seat and sitting down, two students who had also smuggled themselves in sat next to him.
Due to the superiority of the geographical environment, the students in the back rows were much more reckless than those in the front, quietly whispering while Wang Zhifeng was writing on the blackboard.
The two girls sitting next to Mo Xuzhi were also talking.
On their desks were books from other majors; clearly, they weren’t students of this major, but had just quietly slipped in to audit.
They huddled their heads together and spoke softly.
“Look, does Old Wang have a rubber band on his hand? I’m not wearing my glasses, so I can’t see clearly.”
“How is that possible? Old Wang is a lifelong bachelor… Oh my god! He really does!”
Mo Xuzhi was trying to put the coffee into the desk drawer. Hearing this, he looked up as well.
He was a bit nearsighted and couldn’t see clearly, but he could vaguely see a black band-like object on Wang Zhifeng’s hand.
“No way, no way! The lifelong bachelor is no longer single? My maidenly heart has ended before it even bloomed?”
“It’s pretty much certain. Oh, I really want to know what Old Wang’s girlfriend looks like!”
the girl next to her whispered, “Taking down Old Wang is probably not simple.”
Their topic successfully attracted the attention of those around them. People in the vicinity leaned in with faces full of curiosity, wanting to join the conversation. But as soon as Wang Zhifeng, who was writing on the blackboard, turned around, they immediately sat up straight, picked up their pens and books, and buried their heads in the sea of books, looking even more diligent and serious than the students of this major.
Mo Xuzhi, who was still trying to stuff the coffee into the desk drawer, suddenly became conspicuous.
Not only was there nothing on his desk, but he was also making small movements underneath, which could be considered extremely arrogant.
“Classmate, you must have just come to listen to Professor Wang’s class, right?” the girl leaned over, her eyes still fixed on her book, looking extremely serious on the surface as she whispered,
“You should at least take out a book to pretend. Old Wang has a rule: he likes to call on people to answer questions, regardless of whether they are students of this class or not. As long as they are distracted, he will definitely call on them. If they can’t answer, they have to do a summary after class.”
Mo Xuzhi’s hand stuffing the coffee paused, and his brow rose slightly: “He has this hobby?”
The two girls were in agony: “He’s a devil!”
Mo Xuzhi nodded: “Yes, exactly.”
He would use this to mock Wang Zhifeng later.
As soon as he spoke, the two girls next to him stiffened. Finally, they were willing to take the great risk of turning their heads to look at the person beside them.
The person’s hair was a bit messy, with bangs falling down and covering his bright eyes.
He also looked up, with an indescribable interest in his eyes, as if he were plotting something. His eyes were so bright they were a bit burning.
“It’s like this,” the girl next to him squeezed the other girl’s hand and said calmly, “My ancestors were fortune-tellers; we’re quite fated. Which department are you from? Can I add your WeChat?”
“That classmate over there, stand up and solve this problem.”
Just as the girl finished speaking, Wang Zhifeng’s voice rang out, clearly heard by everyone in the classroom.
The girl turned her head stiffly and saw everyone in the classroom looking toward their corner.
—But they weren’t looking at her; they were looking at the person beside her.
Mo Xuzhi turned his head and met Wang Zhifeng’s gaze.
“Yes, classmate, it’s you. Stand up and solve this problem.”