This summer in City C seemed particularly scorching. The relentless drone of cicadas outside the window remained the enduring hallmark of the season. By early August, the temperature had reached a point that felt like an affront to gods and men alike. Inside the laboratory, the temperature was kept at a constant twenty-five degrees Celsius, so one hardly noticed the heat; however, the moment one stepped outside, the sensation was miserable—as if one might simply disintegrate into ash.
Xia Yinuo had lived in the C University faculty apartments since she was a child, growing up alongside Zhang Jikang and Mai Shining, who were also children of the faculty. When Xia Yinuo was seven, her father, Xia Yan, and her mother, Li Qinglan, divorced. The court awarded custody to Li Qinglan, and thereafter, the three generations—grandmother, mother, and daughter—continued to live there. A few years later, Li Qinglan remarried. For the sake of her career, she moved in with her new husband near the C University Affiliated Hospital where she worked. Xia Yan had also long since moved to a commercial-residential district in the city center. However, the young Xia Yinuo insisted on staying in the faculty housing with her grandmother. As it happened, the C University Affiliated Primary School she attended was nearby, making it convenient for her grandmother to walk her to and from school, so Li Qinglan let her have her way. The only condition was that she had to spend weekends at her parents' respective homes, an arrangement that lasted until she graduated from high school. During her undergraduate years, Xia Yinuo spent most of her time in the dormitories. As her grandmother grew older, she eventually moved in with Li Qinglan. Once Xia Yinuo began her graduate studies, she moved back into the twenty-year-old apartment, enjoying the peace and freedom of living alone.
At eight in the morning, it took only ten minutes to cycle from the faculty housing to the laboratory. She had just arrived when she received a call from Teacher Chen of the Medical School’s teaching office.
"Little Xia, we need to finalize the Teaching Assistant assignments for next semester. You’re the only one in your lab who hasn't taken a turn yet; even your juniors have done it. It wouldn't look right if you skipped it again. I heard from Professor Tang that you aren't too busy right now, so I’ve put your name down for this round."
The so-called "Teaching Assistant" role involved Master’s and PhD students assisting professors with their teaching duties, mostly for undergraduates or international students. The work generally consisted of grading assignments and exams, managing the course website, and answering student questions. If one were unlucky enough to be assigned to Human Anatomy or other lab-based courses, they would also be responsible for preparing equipment, consumables, and reagents. That was true suffering; those "bratty kids" could get excited over the most basic experiments for hours, enough to drive a TA to exhaustion. Thinking back, Xia Yinuo realized she had been the same way during her own undergraduate years—it was quite amusing. The college provided a monthly stipend for TAs, so many people applied for the positions. Xia Yinuo didn't care about the money; if her PhD stipend wasn't enough, she was perfectly content to be a "NEET" supported by her parents.
Under Teacher Chen’s relentless verbal bombardment, Xia Yinuo had no choice but to agree. Teacher Chen mentioned that the specific professor she would be assisting hadn't been decided yet, adding in a sly tone, "Just wait for the good news!"
"No lab courses!" Xia Yinuo managed to shout before Teacher Chen hung up.
As she put down the phone with a sigh, Ke Dinghao drifted past her and remarked, "If I could be a TA for Professor Liang Jueyun, I’d be willing to lead even an anatomy lab..."
Liang Jueyun. *Hmm, interesting.* Xia Yinuo had heard that she had taken a position at the Medical School after that academic presentation. With a background in biology, joining the School of Basic Medical Sciences was a perfect fit. Academician Cheng’s laboratory was a National Key Laboratory with excellent prospects. Unconsciously, the image of Liang Jueyun’s faint smile from that day flashed through her mind—confident yet humble, as refreshing as a spring breeze. She wondered what kind of personality such a person had in private.
The Medical School’s policies were impartial; they wouldn't give Liang Jueyun special treatment just because she had recently returned from abroad. She was expected to handle both research and teaching. The college, however, knew how to utilize resources efficiently. For her first semester, they assigned Liang Jueyun to teach "Introduction to Immunology" for the international class. Since the medium of instruction was English and the course was only two credit hours per week, it was considered a relatively light teaching load.
When handing over the syllabus, Teacher Chen said to Liang Jueyun, "Professor Liang, you’re in luck. The TA assigned to you is a 'Triple-A' student of the Medical School. She should be a great help to you."
"I thought 'Triple-A' students were only a thing in primary and secondary schools. Do graduate students have them too?" Liang Jueyun asked out of curiosity.
"That’s Xia Yinuo! She’s a direct-entry PhD student from our own undergraduate program. She has good research, good looks, and a good family background—isn't that a Triple-A student? Actually, Little Xia has a great personality and is very well-bred; she’s more like a Quadruple-A student." Teacher Chen had worked in administration at the Medical School for over twenty years and had watched Xia Yinuo grow up through her undergraduate and graduate years; she made no effort to hide her affection for the girl.
"I see." *A Triple-A student like that.*
A week before the official start of the semester, Liang Jueyun arrived at the lab at 8:30 AM as usual. As she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a girl standing by her office door. Upon seeing Liang Jueyun, the girl immediately stepped forward.
"You must be Professor Liang. My name is Chen Diandian, and I’ll be your Master’s student from now on. I hope our research life together will be happy and harmonious!"
Liang Jueyun was momentarily taken aback but reacted quickly. "Hello, I’m Liang Jueyun. Let’s go into the office and have a proper chat."
Chen Diandian said excitedly, "Professor Liang, you’re my idol! I didn't expect the college to assign me to you. I was an undergraduate here, originally in Clinical Medicine, but my current major is Immunology."
Liang Jueyun found the young girl quite interesting. In the US, she often encountered students who were this direct, and she liked that personality. "It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll take you on a tour of the lab later. I’ve only just arrived myself, so I’m still getting settled. Send me your course schedule later, and I’ll arrange our experimental plan accordingly."
"No problem at all! I’ve been at the Medical School for five years; I’m already familiar with the labs here. I heard you were abroad for over a decade, Professor—your Chinese is so good!"
"Uh... thank you." Liang Jueyun found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
***
When Xia Yinuo received the official TA notification email, she nearly choked on her water. Ke Dinghao had hit the nail on the head—she really was Liang Jueyun’s TA! The TA training was scheduled for that afternoon, and she found herself feeling an inexplicable sense of anticipation. The so-called "training" didn't require the presence of the professors; it was just a simple briefing by the administrative staff regarding various precautions. Xia Yinuo’s primary duties would be grading assignments and the final exam; the specifics of how to proceed required her to communicate with the instructor herself.
When Xia Yinuo received the slip of paper with Liang Jueyun’s email and phone number, she felt a bit conflicted.
*If I call, what’s the best time? Will I be disturbing her? Will it seem too abrupt? No, email is safer. So, should I write in English or Chinese? Chinese, probably.* She opened her inbox and began to type:
[Professor Liang:
Hello.
My name is Xia Yinuo, a fourth-year PhD student under Professor Tang Shuliang at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, majoring in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. In the new semester, I will be serving as your Teaching Assistant for "Introduction to Immunology." According to the teaching office, I need to verify the specific duties with you. My phone number is **** and my email is ****. Please let me know how you would like to assign the work.
Best regards,
Xia Yinuo]
After confirming there were no errors, she clicked send, wondering when Liang Jueyun would reply. Liang Jueyun, however, had maintained the habit of checking her emails constantly for years. Her inbox was linked to her phone, so she received it instantly. *So this student named Xia Yinuo is the "excellent graduate TA" Teacher Chen kept promising.* She certainly seemed responsible, reaching out so quickly. She replied:
[Student Xia:
I am very pleased to receive your email. Regarding the TA duties, I haven't made any specific arrangements yet. I will contact you when I need your assistance, alright?
Best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Leung]
The reply was completely devoid of pretension. Looking closely, one could see the sender’s habit of using English-style sentence structures, and that final "Yours sincerely, Leung" struck a chord of "moe" in Xia Yinuo. As Xia Yinuo smiled at her computer screen, Ke Dinghao drifted by again.
"Looking so flirtatious... is your 'Twenty-Four Filial Pieties' asking you out for dinner?"
"S-C-R-A-M. Scram."
At twenty-four, Xia Yinuo was indeed that kind of "Triple-A" student—loved by everyone who met her. Over the years, she had never lacked suitors, yet her romantic life remained a blank slate, leading her to wonder if she was "incapable of love." Mai Shining always said that if a person hadn't seriously liked anyone for over twenty years, there was something wrong with them either psychologically or physiologically. Whether that theory held water was another matter. Xia Yinuo had met many outstanding people: handsome and sunny, mature and wise, gentle and refined, elegant and virtuous, or dazzling and seductive. Men and women alike—none seemed able to truly capture her heart. To her, social gatherings were fine, but solitude was indispensable. Quiet time alone was a way to cultivate one's character. To endure loneliness and silence without complaining or lamenting was a way of living that she found deeply moving. Love, it seemed, was not a necessity of life. Furthermore, without great expectations, there would be no great disappointments. As for the fact that many people automatically assumed Zhang Jikang was her boyfriend, she didn't bother to explain much. Sometimes, an older single woman was viewed by society as a public nuisance.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 夏奕诺 | Xia Yinuo | Protagonist; PhD student. |
| 张季康 | Zhang Jikang | Childhood friend of Xia Yinuo. |
| 麦世宁 | Mai Shining | Childhood friend of Xia Yinuo. |
| 夏炎 | Xia Yan | Xia Yinuo's father. |
| 李青岚 | Li Qinglan | Xia Yinuo's mother. |
| 陈老师 | Teacher Chen | Administrative staff at the Medical School. |
| 硕博 | Master's and PhD | Refers to graduate students. |
| 助教 | Teaching Assistant (TA) | |
| 柯定豪 | Ke Dinghao | Xia Yinuo's lab mate. |
| 梁觉筠 | Liang Jueyun | New researcher/professor. |
| 基础医学院 | School of Basic Medical Sciences | |
| 免疫学概论 | Introduction to Immunology | |
| 三好学生 | Triple-A student | Literally "Three-Good Student" (Ethics, Study, Health). |
| 陈甸甸 | Chen Diandian | Liang Jueyun's Master's student. |
| 唐树良 | Tang Shuliang | Xia Yinuo's PhD supervisor. |
| 干细胞与再生生物学 | Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology | Xia Yinuo's major. |
| 二十四孝 | Twenty-Four Filial Pieties | Used here sarcastically to describe a devoted suitor (Zhang Jikang). |
| 爱无能 | Incapable of love | A term for someone who lacks the drive or ability to fall in love. |
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