Zhou Wang not only saw "Caiyun University," he also noticed the words "Professional Degree Graduate Thesis" written prominently.
The aloof beautiful sister turned out to be a graduate student?
But that made sense, Jiang Mo was obviously several years older than him, so if she were still a student, she could only be a graduate student.
"Um... are you one too?"
Jiang Mo shifted the book in her hand to cover the thesis and asked, looking down.
"Yeah, but I've already graduated. My advisor did encourage me to pursue grad school, but unfortunately..."
"Unfortunately what?"
Jiang Mo was not usually a curious person, but she still couldn't help but ask.
"Well, I knew I didn't have the skill to get in, so of course I wouldn't waste my effort."
Zhou Wang shrugged and sat down.
Huh?
Jiang Mo was confused because, looking at the way Zhou Wang read, he didn't seem like a poor student at all!
"So, you're at the library for..."
Zhou Wang thought their chat was over, but after a little while, Jiang Mo spoke up again.
"For a house."
"Ah?"
Jiang Mo was momentarily stunned and looked somewhat cute, which made Zhou Wang feel the urge to pinch her cheek.
"There are houses of gold in books," Zhou Wang said honestly, quoting the system's interpretation.
"Oh."
Jiang Mo did not speak further, but Zhou Wang caught a fleeting, shallow smile at the corner of her mouth—an inexplicably stunning one.
Was this what they call the beauty of contrast?
After placing his coffee down, Zhou Wang returned to the book borrowing area and picked up Yu Hua's "To Live" to read.
A brief rest during mealtime only slightly refreshed his spirits; he wasn't up for challenging reads, so a realistic novel like this was just right.
Moreover, this book was not low in points, a full 60 points, higher than academic works like "Wealth of Nations." Zhou Wang guessed that, perhaps, it offered a different, harder-to-understand type of knowledge.
After that short exchange, Zhou Wang had thought he and Jiang Mo had gotten a bit closer, but once he sat down again, he realized he had overestimated.
Jiang Mo didn't say another word or even glance at him. Furthermore, the cup of coffee that Zhou Wang had brought as a thank-you for her saving his seat had been gently pushed back at some point, clearly indicating refusal.
Zhou Wang didn't mind; he wasn't the type to impose himself when someone clearly wanted to keep their distance.
Having such a beautiful woman sit across from him was pleasant enough during his occasional breaks.
Time passed from afternoon until it was completely dark outside. When Zhou Wang heard the closing announcement and emerged from the bindings of the Chongzhen edition of "Jin Ping Mei," he realized the clock pointed to half-past eight.
He hadn't managed to finish "Jin Ping Mei," only getting about a third of the way through.
His focus deteriorated the further he read; after finishing "To Live," Zhou Wang found it increasingly difficult to maintain that concentrated state.
Continuing with "Jin Ping Mei" was a test of his limits, and it seemed now that it was just a futile effort.
Although he hadn't managed to finish four books as planned, today's gains were already enough.
The three books contributed a total of 130 points to Zhou Wang, which equated to a three-bedroom apartment already in hand.
"After this, I can free up the evenings; there's really no need to sit here for a full 12 hours..."
With new plans in mind, Zhou Wang stood up, only to find that the seat opposite him was already empty.
Jiang Mo had left about half an hour before, but judging from the time spent, she was quite diligent. In this day and age, it wasn't common to see a girl with such good looks working so hard.
Following the crowd out of the library, Zhou Wang noticed that there was still a brightly lit area on the first floor.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the "Fragrance of Books Station" of the library, which, according to the sign, was open 24 hours. Inside, there were indeed quite a few figures reading by lamplight.
Zhou Wang was momentarily stunned because he saw Jiang Mo. Although she was sitting by a corner window, her appearance was too conspicuous not to notice without even trying.
Jiang Mo was staring blankly out of the window, nibbling on a piece of bread and with a bottle of Evian mineral water on the table.
It then occurred to him that Jiang Mo had been sitting in the library all day without him seeing her eat anything.
Was this her dinner?
But to eat so little in a day was surely too extreme.
Probably to lose weight...
Zhou Wang could only guess as much. Although he thought Jiang Mo's figure was just right, girls always have their own standards when it comes to weight, which are usually incomprehensible to guys.
Zhou Wang didn't continue to watch. He hurried out of the library. Five minutes earlier, he had received a message that the driver was waiting for him at the entrance.
...
The next morning, Zhou Wang arrived at the Provincial Library just in time.
He hadn't done anything the previous night, not even entertaining the suggestive invitation from Manager Mao to "hang out" with his "sisters." After eating something back at the hotel, he practically collapsed into bed and slept.
That must have been the most satisfying sleep for Zhou Wang; waking up, he felt instantly rejuvenated.
Mainly because his bank account had ballooned to a balance of nearly 1.8 million yuan, it was hard not to feel refreshed.
He arrived a bit earlier than yesterday and, after queuing up to get into the library, went back to his usual spot.
A moment later, Zhou Wang saw Jiang Mo enter. Today Jiang Mo seemed to be dressed more formally; she was wearing a long black wool coat that showed a thin stretch of black stocking on her calves and black low-heeled Dr. Martens boots, both beautiful and cool, attracting quite a few gazes as soon as she entered the reading room.
Ah, sister, kill me!
Jiang Mo apparently saw Zhou Wang too, but didn't come over to say hello. Instead, she chose to sit down at another corner desk.
Alright then, back to being complete strangers.
Indeed, girls who are beautiful to a certain extent tend to have major issues. Zhou Wang thought they at least knew each other.
But Zhou Wang didn't care. He went to the reading room to get "Jin Ping Mei," borrowed three books from the list, and then immersed himself in a day of intensive study.
When the evening twilight spilled in and he no longer felt in good spirits, Zhou Wang didn't continue, satisfied with the "270 points" currently displayed on the system interface, he closed the "Psychology and Life" he held in his hands.
After texting the driver, Zhou Wang waited a while before he stood up and walked out.
Jiang Mo had already left at some point, and Zhou Wang, engrossed in his reading, didn't notice until he walked out of the library and saw her again on the roadside.
Jiang Mo was holding her phone, standing curbside looking around, her face slightly anxious.
In front of her was a silver BMW 5 series, and a man in his 30s with a somewhat unattractive face was trailing her, incessantly saying something, while Jiang Mo bit her lip, her face showing clear disgust and, even more so, helplessness.
Zhou Wang was somewhat surprised.
"Harassment?"