Oh God, he really does know Japanese! Leng Mei watched Lin Feng with boundless frustration, master of 6 languages! How old is he anyway? How many people in the whole country can do that?
It was just too crushing, stomping on Leng Mei's pride in her language talents, making it all seem worthless. Didn't he know to give a girl a break, or did he have to be so crushing!
But there was one last question, something she had suddenly thought of, that she had to ask or else she felt she might suffocate from the frustration.
"Could you tell me how many languages you know in total?" Leng Mei's voice remained icy as she spoke her mind, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened with the premonition that this young man definitely knew more than just a few languages.
Lin Feng thought it over seriously, "I'm proficient in about a dozen, can speak more than thirty, and have a basic understanding of about fifty or so for reading, not counting the dialects."
Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, just as Leng Mei had guessed, he wasn't limited to the few languages she knew of. She felt as if her heart had been struck by thunder. Who on earth was this man, and how could he be such a freak of nature? She had never heard of such a divine being in the school!!! Not just in the school, but she couldn't find anyone like that in the whole country, the whole world!!!
The key issue was his youth. Was he even human?
If she had heard such a claim at the outset, Leng Mei certainly would have questioned its veracity, but the subsequent conversation and his command of languages had left her speechless, convincing her he wasn't lying.
Never having experienced such defeat made Leng Mei's heart immensely complex. Despite already being so exceptional and hailed as a language genius, she was nothing compared to this young man...
Even more infuriating was that he was younger than her by 4 or 5 years. There was no need to be this crushing, right? This young man was way too much of a freak.
She had never imagined that one day, someone could so thoroughly defeat her in the field of language. There was simply no comparison.
"Which department are you a student of?" After a long silence, Leng Mei asked, looking at Lin Feng's young age.
"Haven't been a student for many years, Lin Feng, from the school's logistics office, Comprehensive Section." After responding, Lin Feng had just finished his meal and without any hesitation due to the beautiful woman in front of him, stood up and walked out.
Many people around who had finished their dinner had not left yet, just to see what would happen in the end, but as Leng Mei was still speaking, Lin Feng left.
He left... he actually left!
It was so infuriating, such a great opportunity, and that kid actually walked away.
Even more unbelievable and shocking to them was seeing Leng Mei stand up involuntarily, her hand raised. Oh God, she was actually trying to call after Lin Feng...
Many were looking forward to this scene.
But ultimately, Leng Mei lowered her hand and just stood there, watching Lin Feng's departing figure. Even so, to the onlookers, it still seemed incredibly unbelievable and miraculous.
As soon as Leng Mei left the dining hall, chatter and speculation erupted, questioning who that mysterious man was? What was his relationship with Iceberg Leng? Had Iceberg Leng confessed and been rejected?...
And Leng Mei, dragging her listless body, finally managed to return to her dorm, with nothing but one name left in her head, Lin Feng!
......
The next day, Leng Mei returned to her office, her mind still completely occupied by that pesky Lin Feng from the day before, unable to shake off the scene of her pride being utterly shattered. Inside, she felt extremely frustrated and conflicted; frustrated because Lin Feng was so young, how could he learn foreign languages to such a monstrous level, making her own considerable skills seem like nothing, it was too much of a blow. She was conflicted over how such an exceptional person could possibly end up doing odd jobs in the logistics office. Leng Mei simply couldn't accept it; if only Lin Feng were one of her capable subordinates, how great that would be!
After returning to China, Leng Mei hadn't come across someone like that in the field of language.
It wouldn't do, she absolutely had to find a way to bring him over to her side. To let such a freak of nature slip by would be unforgivable.
Suddenly, the ringing of the internal line telephone on the writing desk interrupted Leng Mei's thoughts, pulling her back to reality. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone to see what was the matter.
Leng Mei answered the phone in a not-so-good mood, "Hello, who is this?"
"It's Rafael. I have some personal matters to attend to today, and I'm afraid I won't be able to teach, Dean," Rafael spoke politely to Leng Mei on the phone.
Rafael was the only French foreign teacher in the Language Institute, usually quite dedicated and responsible in his work, and he had a very good relationship with all the other teachers, being kind and modest. He had almost never asked for leave before.
It can be said that Rafael is very, very popular here. Of course, Rafael is also among the legion of Leng Mei's suitors, but what makes him different is that Rafael is a genuine Frenchman, and only Leng Mei knows that Rafael came to China initially for her sake.
Although Leng Mei was consistently cold to Rafael, she couldn't help but acknowledge his courteous and aristocratic demeanor. He had tirelessly pursued her to this place and even became a teacher just to be near her.
"Oh, understood, no problem. You and I are the only ones here who speak French, I'll go and cover a class," Leng Mei replied dispassionately, as she didn't want the students to miss out on a class. As an excellent teacher, she still had that sense of responsibility.
"Thank you, Dean, to express my gratitude, I'll take you out to dinner tonight," Rafael said cheerily over the phone.
"There's no need, just continue teaching tomorrow," Leng Mei's tone remained icy, knowing full well Rafael's intentions and not wanting to give anyone the slightest illusion.
After hanging up, Leng Mei glanced at the time. There was still plenty of it, but she decided to check out the teaching materials ahead of time. However, just as she had sat down and picked up a French textbook, a silhouette flashed through her mind, along with his impeccable French. She remembered the man she had encountered in the restaurant the day before, that Lin Feng.
It occurred to Leng Mei that Lin Feng's French was too perfect, even more so than Rafael who was native to France and had regional accents in his speech, while Lin Feng's was absolutely the standard French promoted by France.
If she could get Lin Feng to cover a class, even if it was just chatting with the students in French, it would almost be comparable to experiencing the language environment in France. If all else failed, he could simply read from the textbook.
Once the idea took root, it rapidly grew in her mind, the more she thought about it, the better it seemed. Not many language learners had the chance to be exposed to such a pure linguistic environment. It was a rare opportunity indeed...
Determined, Leng Mei headed straight for the logistics department to find that Lin Feng, who had previously put her in a tight spot.
Logistics Department, Comprehensive Section.
"Knock, knock." Leng Mei tapped on the door.
"Come in," Zhao Jian answered without much thought. But as he raised his head intending to ask what was needed, he saw Leng Mei's face…
Huh? Iceberg Leng, damn, why would Dean Leng come to my place? Zhao Jian was fully aware of Leng Mei's family background, her relationship with the principal, and her status in the entire school. He knew that his own status as section chief meant nothing in her eyes; although he could flaunt his brother's position to others, attempting to impress this woman would be akin to suicide.
As Zhao Jian remembered his brother once warning him that Leng Mei was among the untouchables in the institute, he decided it was best to clarify the matter promptly. Rising quickly, he plastered a smile on his face and hurriedly approached with caution.
"Dean Leng, hello! What brings you to this modest place of mine?" Zhao Jian asked, treading lightly and flashing a nervous smile, fearing any displeasure from Leng Mei could bring trouble upon him…
"Lin Feng works here, right? I need to borrow him for the day, that's not a problem, is it?" Leng Mei's manner was as straightforward as always, stating her intent without any beating around the bush.
What?
Borrow Lin Feng? Could it be for some laborious task? But such a task wouldn't require a beautiful female dean to personally intervene, especially not the Iceberg Beauty Dean. She could easily have taken care of it with a simple phone call.
Was it really necessary to come in person?
"Oh, no problem at all, you can use him as you like," Zhao Jian replied, bemused yet quickly assenting with a smile. He was at the same time relieved it wasn't trouble he was in; that was good, that was good.
As for what happened to Lin Feng, that was none of his current concern; Lin Feng's fate was not his business.
Suddenly, Zhao Jian felt something was amiss as he noticed a flash of murderous intent in Leng Mei's eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and he realized his mistake. He had misspoken.
"Ahem… Dean Leng, don't misunderstand, what I meant was, you can borrow Lin Feng whenever you wish. But really, why trouble yourself with a personal visit? A simple call to anyone below and it would be arranged. Everyone in the Comprehensive Section is at your service any time you call. Dirty work, hard work, tiring work - none of that is an issue…" Zhao Jian nervously backtracked, breaking a cold sweat as he thought to himself how terrifying it was to be around this Iceberg Beauty. Whoever married her would be truly miserable.
But with her demeanor, even if she met a volcano, it would be extinguished; she probably would never get married in this lifetime.
Upon hearing his words, the frown on Leng Mei's face relaxed slightly. However, she was not accustomed to Zhao Jian's blatant flattery, and now that her objective was achieved, that was enough for her.
"Where is Lin Feng?" The Comprehensive Section wasn't large, and Leng Mei did not see Lin Feng at first glance.
"He's out handling some business, should be back soon. He's like that, I always tell him to be diligent and fast, but he's always dragging his feet. I'll contact him right away. Would you like to wait?" Zhao Jian answered cautiously, fearful of infuriating Leng Mei.
Of course, it was just a cursory question. Leng Mei's status was leagues above Lin Feng's. That she came looking for Lin Feng was already surprising enough, probably she just passed by and needed someone for a task.