On the other end of the phone, Rong Shiyun paused, swallowing: "Qiusuo… how are the muscles on our baby? Are they nice?"
She had been a fan of Xie Xi for years, yet hadn't seen a single shirtless photo of him. His team never accepted any revealing endorsements for him, and concerts were out of the question. Xie Xi could conquer everyone with just his voice, without any flashy stage antics.
"You just said you disliked muscular men." Professor Ye pointed out her logical inconsistency.
"Ah, I meant those with overly bulging muscles, the ones who look like monsters. That doesn't include my baby," Rong Shiyun declared solemnly before pressing on, "You still haven't answered my question. When did you see them, where, and how many packs?"
"When I went to his place before. How many packs of what?"
Rong Shiyun said coyly, "You know, how many abs."
Ye Qiusuo frowned: "I don't know. I haven't seen them."
Rong Shiyun: "?"
"He was wearing a jacket. You could see muscles on his arms," Professor Ye added.
That day when she visited Xie Xi at home, he was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt. In the few seconds he raised his arms to put on his coat, Ye Qiusuo happened to see the thin fabric clinging to his arms, revealing their shape.
"Oh, arm muscles." Rong Shiyun felt a little disappointed; she had thought it was somewhere else. "Some fans analyzed our baby's figure before. It's definitely the lean type that looks slim in clothes but is toned and firm underneath."
Ye Qiusuo gave a noncommittal "Hmm," showing little interest in the topic.
"I've got to go," Rong Shiyun abruptly ended the conversation. "I'll talk to you again in a while."
After the call ended, Ye Qiusuo stared at the screen for a moment.
...
"Is everyone here?" Ye Qiusu stood at the head of the round table, with other professors seated on either side. "I believe you've all received the notice from the faculty."
The previous department head had been transferred, and Ye Qiusu was temporarily promoted. As the new department head, she was here to introduce herself.
"I don't have much to say. Please continue with your teaching and research as usual. Additionally, I travel frequently on business. I recently secured a project in cooperation with the local government, so I likely won't be on campus much lately. If you have any issues, you can contact me by phone," Ye Qiusu said with a friendly smile.
"In a little while, there's a skills and knowledge competition for the freshmen. According to past practice, their senior students guide them. However, this is Professor Ye's first year with students, so she doesn't have any seniors from the previous year. Should we assign some people to help guide her group?" Professor Li, who had been at the university for over twenty years, was well-versed in the various rules.
Ye Qiusu pondered for a moment before saying, "Professor Li, I've considered that as well. But I checked the students' teaching schedules this year. The senior students are already quite stretched guiding their own juniors; we can't afford to take up more of their time. Since these are Professor Ye's first students, why not let her guide them herself? It would be a good opportunity to bond with the students."
"Alternatively, we could assign Professor Ye's students to join other groups," Professor Li suggested. "Professor Ye has her own pile of projects. Moreover, this is a competition among students. Having a professor guide them directly might not be entirely fair."
"They are competitors themselves. Having Professor Ye's students join other groups obviously isn't ideal," Ye Qiusu said, looking at Ye Qiusuo. "Let's make an exception this time. Professor Ye can guide her own students."
"Alright," Ye Qiusuo agreed.
After the meeting, Professor Li called out to Ye Qiusuo.
"Professor Ye, with all the projects you're handling, no student assistants, and now having to guide freshmen, you should have declined just now," Professor Li advised earnestly. "It's just a skills competition; it's not worth it."
There are different types of mentors. Those who want to climb the ladder handle administrative duties, travel frequently, attend meetings everywhere, collaborate on projects with local governments or companies, constantly initiate projects, and convert project outcomes, but often achieve little in pure research—similar to Ye Qiusu. Then there are young mentors who work hands-on, guiding students meticulously. Some of these will develop into leading figures, achieving great things in their professional fields.
Someone like Ye Qiusuo is destined to become a leading figure, or rather, she has already achieved recognition in the academic field. She might not have as many projects as other mentors, but each one carries significant weight.
Having walked this path herself and now nearing retirement, Professor Li had become more easygoing, but she couldn't stand seeing such a young mentor waste her time.
"Professor Li, it's fine. I have a handle on it," Ye Qiusuo felt it was manageable, not a difficult task.
"Well, you judge for yourself. Teach the students, but don't neglect your own work either."
"I know."
Professor Li shook her head as she turned to leave. Professor Ye wasn't someone easy to deal with; she was highly competitive and adept at administrative matters. It was hard to say whether Professor Ye wouldn't receive 'special treatment.'
After returning, Ye Qiusuo adjusted her schedule, incorporating the student skills and knowledge competition, setting aside an extra afternoon each week to guide her students.
...
"A sweet burden," Sun Jiajia said, holding a soldering iron and wearing a mask as she crouched on the floor, welding equipment they would need later.
"What?" Ding Hong turned his head from the computer to ask.
Sun Jiajia finished welding the last piece with a 'zizz' sound before removing her mask: "I said our mentor guiding us lately is a sweet burden. Among all the graduate students in the department, we get the most guidance from our mentor. Some people don't see their mentor for ten days or half a month. I feel like we're taking up our mentor's time."
Ding Hong's fingers flew across the keyboard inputting data: "Hmm."
"Oh, I almost forgot you transferred from Professor Ye Qiusu's group. Her students rarely see her; they're mostly guided by senior students," Sun Jiajia mused, leaning on her mask. "We are the first generation, the founding disciples."
"Senior students don't teach everything completely," Ding Hong said, lowering his gaze. Everyone had to learn through trial and error. Expecting them to pass on all their skills—few did that. Most taught half and held back half. Not that one could blame them; everyone had come up that way.
As they were talking, Lin Lu knocked and came in, calling them to leave together: "The mentor asked us to wait for her in the classroom."
Today, Ye Qiusuo primarily lectured her five students on how to search and apply literature, as well as techniques for publishing papers in core journals.
The students listened attentively. Ding Hong kept his head down, taking notes rapidly.
After about two hours, Ye Qiusuo finished. She checked the time and looked up: "Lin Lu, did you drive to school today?"
"Professor, yes, I did," Lin Lu raised his hand.
Ye Qiusuo nodded: "I'm treating everyone to dinner."
"Wow!" Sun Jiajia cheered, even blowing a kiss towards Ye Qiusuo. "Professor, mwah!"
Professor Ye's expression remained unchanged, though inwardly she wondered what language 'mwah' was from.
The group went to a restaurant at the top floor of the city's tallest building for dinner.
Ding Hong couldn't help but look around. He had thought it would just be an ordinary restaurant for dinner, not such a fancy place.
Reservations were needed for private rooms at this restaurant; otherwise, you could only sit at tables outside the rooms. Fortunately, when they arrived, there was still a table available right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Professor, let's take a group photo," Sun Jiajia said, pulling out her phone.
"Just the two of you? I want in too," Lin Lu immediately took out his own phone.
Ye Qiusuo: "...Let's all take one together."
In the end, a passing waiter helped them take a group photo, with the neon lights outside as the backdrop and the entire city visible below.
"Professor Ye?"
Lu Minglang had just come out of a private room with a client and was heading downstairs when he unexpectedly spotted Ye Qiusuo.
"Mr. Lu." Ye Qiusuo stood up to greet him.
"These are..." Lu Minglang's gaze swept over the five people. Professor Ye didn't seem like the type to go out for fun with peers.
Ye Qiusuo: "My students."
Lu Minglang concealed his surprise and smiled lightly. "Professor Ye, do you have time to visit the company sometime? The lab technicians seem to have many questions they'd like to ask you."
Ye Qiusuo frowned. "I left my contact number. They can reach me directly if needed."
For the project she was collaborating on with Lu Minglang, the personnel and lab facilities were provided by the Lu Group. She only supplied the ideas, general plans, and oversaw later stages. There was no need for her to visit frequently, especially since it was still in the early experimental phase with a lot of repetitive, mechanical work. Her presence wouldn't be useful.
"Mr. Lu merely wishes to invite Professor Ye for a tour of the company, if you are willing." Dressed in a black suit under the dazzling lights, Lu Minglang stood with deep-set eyes and handsome features, speaking with a gentle, aristocratic courtesy reminiscent of an earl.
"Whew—" Sun Jiajia drew in a small, sharp breath, her eyes wide and unblinking, practically sparkling with hearts. She almost wanted to accept the invitation on her professor's behalf.
"I don't have time at the moment. I'll visit once the project progresses further," Professor Ye stated matter-of-factly.
"Very well." Lu Minglang showed no displeasure. He exchanged a few more words with Ye Qiusuo before leaving.
After he was gone, Sun Jiajia looked at Ye Qiusuo. "Professor, is he your project partner?"
"One of the investors," Ye Qiusuo nodded.
"He's so handsome..." Sun Jiajia recalled Lu Minglang's face and those long legs, feeling like she might start drooling.
Beside her, Lin Lu covered his eyes, unable to bear watching. Whenever Sun Jiajia saw a handsome guy, she lost all control, even daring to discuss an investor's looks right in front of their professor.
Ye Qiusuo felt puzzled by her student's behavior. She asked, "You said before that you liked Xie Xi." How could she immediately like someone else?
"Professor, girls like her are particularly fickle. They can like lots of people," Lin Lu eagerly explained Sun Jiajia's star-chasing mentality. "They switch favorites one after another."
Although Professor Ye was about the same age as these students, their social lives and communication weren't always smoothly aligned.
Like right now.
Ye Qiusuo couldn't quite understand what Lin Lu was saying. She looked at Sun Jiajia. "If you like someone, you should be serious about it."
"I am serious about liking Xi Xi! I might have a few other favorites, but Xi Xi will always be number one in my heart!" Sun Jiajia hurriedly clarified in a 'playgirl' style.
The other students were quietly snickering.
Ye Qiusuo didn't really understand the feelings of Sun Jiajia or Rong Shiyun. In her eyes, people were only distinguished by whether their facial features and limbs were intact or not. Things like appearance seemed vague and intangible to her.
"Professor, which company was that investor from? He looks very familiar," Lin Lu suddenly asked.
"The Lu Group."
"That Lu Group?!" Lin Lu was shocked. No wonder he looked familiar. He'd seen him from afar before, but Lin Lu's family background wasn't at a level to interact with Lu Minglang.
"Yes."
As the conversation flowed, the atmosphere became relaxed and harmonious, less formal.
Professor Ye listened quietly as her students enthusiastically shared amusing stories from campus life—experiences she herself had never had.
...
Before leaving, Ye Qiusuo went to pay the bill, only to be told it had already been settled.
"Was it Mr. Lu?" Ye Qiusuo asked the cashier for the name of the person who paid.
"Yes, it was."
