Chapter 427 - 440: The Business Between You and Him

Thanks to the news An Guoping had let slip, An Ning gained a reputation for being frail and sickly, complete with an inspirational story that earned her the pity and admiration of countless students.

No matter how An Ning tried to explain, everyone only wanted to believe the story they had constructed for themselves.

An Ning gave up.

She continued her daily runs, even outstripping the physical education majors.

But the result of this was a new conclusion: ’An Ning is working out so hard! It must be because she’s in such poor physical shape!’

"Utterly speechless" was the perfect phrase to describe An Ning’s feelings.

For three straight days, An Ning "enjoyed" the concern and care of others. This ranged from professors who cherished her talent, to the cafeteria ladies who stopped shaking their ladles when serving her food, all the way down to her classmates, who went out of their way to ensure she didn’t have to lift a finger.

After three days, she really couldn’t take it anymore.

An Ning fled.

She had no trouble getting permission from her professor to take a leave of absence. As a bonus, she gave him a notebook filled with notes she had compiled based on the textbook.

When the professor appeared in the classroom with photocopies of the notebook, her classmates were moved to tears.

’An Ning made notes for everyone, despite her poor health!’

An Ning, who had actually taken leave to conduct research, was now rumored to have collapsed from the exhaustion of writing notes and been forced to take a break.

At that moment, An Ning was still unaware of this development. She was happily ensconced in the laboratory, learning from and discussing matters with several senior researchers.

Three days of discussion flew by in a flash. When An Ning left the lab, she felt like it wasn’t nearly enough.

’Not only are the old masters incredibly knowledgeable, but their character is beyond reproach. They operate on a level I can only aspire to reach.’

After leaving the advanced laboratory, An Ning first returned to campus and gave Lin Cuihua a call.

During the call, she learned that they had installed a phone at home. Lin Cuihua first grumbled about An Ning wasting money, but her voice was filled with pride.

An Ning jotted down the new home number and said a few words to everyone before hanging up.

After finishing the call, An Ning prepared to head back to her dorm to pack a few changes of clothes, as she had to go on another trip.

But before she left, there were a few things she needed to take care of.

Lost in thought, An Ning walked quickly with her head down.

"An Ning."

An Ning stopped and looked up.

Tao Quan.

’He’s shown up again.’

’What on earth does he want?’

Tao Quan revealed his bewitchingly handsome face, which, paired with his clear, bright eyes, offered her a faint smile.

He was a living testament to the idea that beauty could be so striking it was almost audible.

His slight smile was like watching peach blossoms burst into bloom, their petals drifting down to form a sea of flowers around a handsome scholar under the branches.

"An Ning, I heard you were sick. Are you feeling alright?"

His words were full of concern, his eyes held a hint of worry—just enough to be convincing, but not so much as to be off-putting.

To An Ning, Tao Quan’s expression and words seemed meticulously crafted. He was trying to get close to her.

"We’re not in the same department, nor are we friends. You don’t need to concern yourself with me."

An Ning walked past him.

With his flower-like beauty, Tao Quan’s face took on a dejected expression, as if he had just watched the blossoms fall. It was a look that made passersby ache with sympathy.

"I just wanted to ask, that’s all. I won’t do it again."

His lonely silhouette, his dejected words, and his forced smile gave Tao Quan an aura of fragile brokenness.

He was tragically beautiful, making him all the more pitiful.

"An Ning, Tao Quan was just concerned about you! If you don’t want to accept it, fine, but why do you have to be so hurtful?"

Someone had finally come to his defense. Tao Quan, looking panicked, tried to stop them but was a step too late. He looked at An Ning with a hint of worry, his lips quivering as if trying to form words.

An Ning, who had her back to this scene, turned around with a smile and faced the girl who had spoken up for Tao Quan.

Her gaze was like daggers, causing the girl’s bravado to falter.

"Excuse me, but the corners of your eyes are red. It’s either a terminal illness or you’re desperately in love. You should really be careful."

"You—what kind of nonsense are you spouting!"

The girl who had come to his defense pointed at An Ning and yelled. An Ning just spread her hands innocently and said, "I was just showing some concern. Was it necessary to be so hurtful?"

Hearing her own words thrown back at her, the girl choked, speechless.

An Ning smiled in satisfaction and said, "Not bad. At least you’ve still got a brain."

Having dealt with the girl, An Ning took a few steps to stand in front of Tao Quan, her dark eyes fixed on him.

"You’re Tao Quan, right?"

Tao Quan nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but An Ning cut him off.

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about you and... *him*," she said. "You don’t need to get close to me. I can keep a secret."

An Ning then mimed zipping her lips with her thumb and forefinger, then nodded solemnly. "Relax! I won’t say a thing."

Having casually dropped this fresh piece of gossip, An Ning nodded to the crowd, put a finger to her lips in a "shushing" gesture, and silently mouthed, "It’s a secret!"

And just like that, what was supposedly a closely guarded secret was laid bare for everyone to speculate about.

The onlookers’ gazes slowly shifted, landing on Tao Quan.

’Who is this "he" she was talking about?’

’What exactly is the story?’

Tao Quan, now the center of attention, didn’t offer a rebuttal. He knew it would be pointless.

He watched An Ning’s retreating back with a composed expression, then turned to thank the girl who had defended him.

"Oh, it was nothing! I really didn’t say much."

Facing Tao Quan, the girl’s face flushed crimson, and the tips of her ears turned beet-red.

Tao Quan gave a slight nod, the very picture of a humble gentleman, and calmly turned to leave.

Meanwhile, An Ning went to see Yu the Elder, picked up her leave-of-absence form, and then headed for her dorm.

As An Ning approached her dorm, her eyes lit up. "Jiang Xia?" she called out, her voice bright with surprise.

Jiang Xia, standing under a large tree near the dormitory, smiled gently as An Ning ran toward him, holding up a food container.

The moment she saw the container, An Ning picked up her pace.

"What are you doing here?"

"Fulfilling my promise to bring you a meal."

Jiang Xia handed her the container, and they walked over to a stone bench in a less crowded spot to sit down.

"Is everything settled?"

An Ning opened the container to find a box of pastries inside. She took one out to try it.

"It’s not over yet, but I didn’t bring any shame to our Shili Gou," Jiang Xia replied.

An Ning laughed. "That’s true. You’re a rich Hong Kong businessman, after all."

"In name only. My official residency is still registered in our Shili Gou."

The two made small talk, avoiding any mention of the Xiao Family.

An Ning learned that Jiang Xia was preparing to return to his classes. He had established two companies in Beijing: a media firm and an investment firm.

These were his public-facing enterprises. As for what other cards he held, An Ning didn’t pry.

After finishing her pastry, An Ning took a few sheets of paper out of her backpack and pushed them toward Jiang Xia.

"Even if you hadn’t come today, I would have had to find you. I’m heading out of town for a few days, and I needed to give you this information before I leave."

Jiang Xia observed An Ning’s expression—it was the look of someone who had just gotten her hands on some juicy gossip.

"In that case, I’d better take a good look."

Jiang Xia unfolded the papers. His expression gradually grew solemn, then shifted from solemnity to a sneer, and finally from a sneer to outright laughter.

"Well?" An Ning asked.

"Excellent!"

That single word from Jiang Xia seemed to release all the frustration pent up in his heart.

"I thought so, too. It’s just a shame it’s only half the story. It would be even better if it were complete."

"Thank you, An Ning. This is already more than enough. Leave the other half to me."

"Don’t be a stranger! Just keep making me good food from now on."

Jiang Xia looked at An Ning and smiled earnestly. "I will."