Xunyi boarded the flight to Shenzhen and wondered if she made the right choice. She opened up the envelope given by Deming before she left.
"Oxford University, accepting applications for international students who are interested in law."
What was he thinking about, she muttered to herself. After reading several pages of the introduction, a passenger started to talk to her.
"Hm, Oxford University is a great school. Are you planning to go there?" He asked and Xunyi looked at him in confusion, "Oh, uhm.. someone gave this to me. I don't know yet."
"It is a great school, my son goes there for law as well. He's almost graduating." The man said that proudly. Xunyi nodded, "That's amazing. I guess I'll have to decide after completing my GED."
"GED? Are you not in school?" He asked.
"I don't. Something happened so I'm not in school anymore." She replied then tucked the paper away. The man nodded and said, "I don't what happened but you should grab this opportunity. You won't regret it."
"I'll think about it. Thank you. What's your name?"
"Matt. My full name is Matthew. And you?"
"Ling Xunyi. I don't have an English name. Even though I'm planning to get one soon." Xunyi replied.
"Xunyi... what does your name mean, if you don't mind. I'm just curious." Matthew asked.
"It means swift and happy. My parents gave me this name before they passed." She replied.
"I'm sorry for your loss. But your name does sound very special. I wish you the best."
Xunyi nodded and sat back while the plane started to move.
_____
After several weeks, she completed her GED and thought about going to a nearby college instead because she was worried about the tuition if she actually traveled to study in England. But something was bothering her. She was conflicted because she wanted to get new experience overseas but she also wanted to stay nearby to take care of her grandparents.
As she walked into a cafe near a huge shopping mall, she ordered a small matcha latte. Xunyi found an empty seat and then scrolled down to find Deming's number. She's only going to ask for advice. That's all, nothing more, she told herself.
After the second right, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, this is Lawyer Jiang."
"This is Xunyi. I have some questions. Do you have time?" She asked him.
"I was waiting for your call. Of course, I have time. What do you need?"
"Well actually, I was wondering how much is the tuition. If it's too expensive, I might not be able to afford it. If I cannot afford it, do you have any other advice?" She explained to him but Deming replied quickly, "Xunyi, don't worry about the money. Just go and apply. Did you check your bank account? I already sent you the money that will last you until you graduate."
"Oh, I didn't yet. Did you send it just now?" She asked.
"I sent it this morning. I was going to send it earlier but I had a client meeting so I didn't get the chance."
"I cannot accept this. Please take it back. I cannot repay you. I'll think of some other ways."
"Xunyi, please accept it. I wanted to do something for you. Don't be mad at me. Xunyi, ever since we met at the bookstore on that day, I wanted to get to know you better. I know you have a great potential. The law school at Oxford University was the one I graduated from, I know quite a few professors who will be willing to help you if you go there. I can always change the school for you if you're not interested in studying law." He explained and it took Xunyi a while to digest all of the information.
"I... If I decided to go, how can I repay you? It's going to take a long time." She said.
"You don't need to. But there is one way you can repay me."
"What is it?
"Work for me. Apply to my company after you get your bachelor's and master's. It won't be easy but I will be waiting for you. If you need more money, let me know. It was my idea in the first place so I will be responsible for you until the end."
"Deming, I don't know how to thank you. But I'm also worried about my grandparents. They're also in poor health."
"Don't worry about them. I asked one of my assistants to visit them and he already found a doctor who can do home visits at any time. You don't have to worry about them." He replied, "I hope to hear from you soon. Okay?" Xunyi nodded, "Thank you, Deming. I will definitely not waste your hard-earned money."
_____
After passing her GED, Xunyi also finished applying to the Oxford University law program and she eventually got in. She went back to her grandparent's home after grocery shopping and she saw a man wearing a suit talking to her grandparents.
Her grandma held Xunyi's hand and introduced the man, "Xunyi. This is Lawyer Jiang's assistant. This is my granddaughter, Xunyi." Xunyi slightly bowed then asked her grandma, "Why did he come here?"
"Miss. Ling. Lawyer Jiang asked me to take care of your grandparents. Hopefully, he explained it to you. If he didn't, I can repeat what he said before I came here. Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Li Xun, his assistant."
Xunyi nodded, "He told me a few weeks ago. I just remembered. Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Just thank him, this is the first time he cared for someone. You're the one he wanted to protect the most. I hope you can accept his help. He's not a bad guy."
Xunyi replied, "Thanks once again, I won't let his money go to waste. I'll study hard for sure."
Li Xun nodded and smiled, "We will all be waiting for you."
Xunyi was glad Deming wasn't a bad guy or a suspicious guy who likes to pry into people's lives. She was given freedom without constant surveillance. Deming slowly became the center of Xunyi's life. But she also wanted to be a better version of herself and that will be her revenge on Bolin after he wreaked havoc on her life.
She cannot wait until that day when she will be able to work with Deming at one of the top law firms in Shanghai. Even though she will never be able to repay him fully, she will make sure not to waste his hard-earned money.
"Deming, please wait for me." She doesn't know how long she'll be at Oxford University but nevertheless, he's the one who inspired her to go into law.