After class, Tang Qiu went to the staffroom for duty. To earn some money to cover her living expenses, she worked diligently as an assistant for Professor Sun.
Professor Sun was nearing eighty, and anyone else in his shoes would have wanted to retire and travel the world with his wife, but he wasn't willing to relinquish teaching just yet. He was a renowned lecturer on traditional medicine, and despite his age, he was still fit and healthy, alternating between his duties as a doctor and mentoring graduate students–and no small number of them either.
Tang Qiu had yet to graduate, but she had always been desperate to prove herself to Professor Sun, hoping that he would give her a chance.
"Can I help you, Professor?"
Professor Sun had his reading glasses on and was studying the contents of a book. He didn't raise his head. "Can't you see for yourself? Come in, girl, don't just stand there like a fool."
Tang Qiu had hoped to be able to learn from him today, but she didn't dare to voice it out. Instead, she scurried to clean up the office. Professor Sun was severe and harsh with his students; he didn't suffer fools, especially those who thought to waste his time. She had been his assistant for more than 6 months, and in that time, he had made one thing perfectly clear to her: Keep your mouth shut and make yourself useful.
"How is your English, girl?" Professor Sun asked suddenly, placing down his book.
Tang Qiu practically shot to her feet. "Passable."
Professor Sun wasn't a man to tolerate ambiguous replies like that, so he tossed two documents at her. "Are you up to it? If so, translate them for me within the next 2 weeks."
Tang Qiu scanned the documents. "Don't worry, Professor, I'll do my best to get it done!"
Professor Sun lowered his head to his work once more. "If you really can't make sense of it, go ask your seniors," he said, almost as an afterthought. "And if you still can't do it then, give the documents back to me as soon as possible so you don't waste my time." The seniors he was referring to were all his students.
"I understand. If I have any questions, I'll clarify them as best I can." This was her chance to prove herself to Professor Sun. She had to get this task done!
She took a seat and looked over the documents carefully, and her eyes started twitching uncontrollably.
Male unitary system… How to improve a man's sexual performance… The words were like a slap to her face. But then again, she thought silently, she was studying medicine; why would there be any distinction between male and female patients?
"Your senior Ning Mufan was capable of helping me translate documents when he was my assistant in his first year," Professor Sun said. Her slightly ill expression, as if she were regretting her choices, hadn't escaped his notice. "Your senior Qian Hongwei helped me out in the laboratory in his second year. And your senior Song Siyue is currently learning to write lab reports from me. You're a second year student now. Perhaps you'd like to back out?"
"Not at all," Tang Qiu gritted out, shaking her head.
Professor Sun snorted coldly. "If you can't do it, just tell me. If I gave this to Song Siyue, she would definitely take less than 2 weeks."
Despite his cutting words, Tang Qiu knew that Professor Sun meant well at heart. If he was willing to give her a chance at all, she had to cherish it.
After tidying up Professor Sun's office, she carried her bag to the library to study the materials there.
"Ouch!"
In Tang Qiu's haste, a woman had knocked into her. She retreated back two paces, only to hear a woman crying out in a familiar voice. Feng Yao.
"Are you blind, Tang Qiu? You knocked into her on purpose!" the woman beside Feng Yao shouted.
"She knocked into me first," Tang Qiu said, rubbing her shoulder. "If anyone is blind, it's her."
"How can you say that, Tang Qiu?" Feng Yao asked. "I didn't knock into you… it was you… you bumped into me first…"
The grieved expression on Feng Yao's face, coupled with her pitiful display, made Tang Qiu nauseous. She eyed both women with disdain and turned on her heel, not wanting to waste her time with them.
"How can you be so self-righteous when you knocked into her? It must be because you didn't have a mother to teach you any manners, you little wretch!"
Tang Qiu halted in her footsteps and leveled a cold glare at the woman who had spoken. "Oh, I'm a little wretch, am I? And what about you? Are you any better?"
"You bitch…" the woman seethed. "It was obviously your fault, but you're still so unreasonable. Are you looking for trouble?"
Feng Yao moved to restrain her furious friend. "Forget it, Yuqi. That's just the way she is, I've long grown used to it…"
"You're too softhearted, Feng Yao, tolerating her like this." Tan Yuqi was livid. "If she were one of my servants, I would have had her beaten long ago. She even dared to talk back, the worthless creature, as if she isn't dependent on your pity for a roof over her head. If she's going to leech off you like that, you need to take her in hand. You're my friend; I refuse to let this slide!"
Enraged, she looked at Tang Qiu and demanded, "Don't even think of leaving without an apology. Or you'll be sorry!"
Tang Qiu took in Feng Yao's performance with silent contempt. "I didn't knock into anyone. There's nothing to apologize for."
"How dare you defy me and bully my friend?" Tan Yuqi shouted, her words burning with venom. "You're going to regret it!"
"Who's going to regret what?"