(32)
In the new semester, Li Zi finally received an email she had been waiting for a long time.
[Dear Li Zi,
Hello!
I have read your letter. My apologies for the delayed response due to a busy schedule. The ideas and plans you submitted regarding criminal psychology are quite excellent.
I hope you can step up your pace. Pay close attention to your grades, accumulate credits, and aim for early graduation. If you do, I can take you on as a graduate student within these next two years.
My team is also in need of young blood. Please keep up the hard work.
—Xun Xin]
After nervously reading Dean Xun Xin’s reply, the weight in Li Zi’s heart only partially lifted.
She had spent several months organizing her materials, attaching a thesis and a letter of recommendation. Originally, she had planned to wait for her final exam results and attach her transcript before trying to send it, but she hadn't been able to help herself.
At the time, she thought she might be ignored, knowing the move was somewhat aggressive. She hadn't expected Dean Xun Xin to truly be as the rumors said—someone who valued practical ability and attitude over seniority.
"In that case, I’ll have to rearrange my university plans."
Li Zi moved her mouse, thinking to herself that she likely wouldn't have much free time left.
Fortunately, Li Zhenting would be spending most of this semester guarding the shop on Xi’an Street and wouldn't have much time to visit. Otherwise, she feared she wouldn't be able to spare enough time to accompany him.
The fact that Li Zi had suddenly become busy was felt by everyone around her.
She submitted an application to the university. Although it was rare for a student to apply to take advanced credits starting from their freshman year, Li Zi was insistent. Backed by a nearly perfect GPA, she successfully convinced the department head.
Her freshman workload was already heavy. Now, to make time for upper-level courses, her weekends were almost entirely booked.
"Li Zizi, have you gone mad?!"
Yu Tianwu looked at the terrifying course schedule and shook her head in disbelief. "Do you think you’re made of steel? Even an Alpha’s body can’t be pushed like this."
Xie Bing also spoke up in disapproval. "Though I don't know why you're in such a hurry to graduate, your health is the most important thing."
Li Zi smiled as she took back her newly drafted course plan. "It’s fine," she replied softly. "I know what I’m doing."
Seeing that Yu Tianwu wanted to grab Li Zi’s shoulders and shake some sense into her—to tell her to enjoy the beautiful, free life of university—Hua Yi stepped in to stop her, speaking up for Li Zi.
"Li Zi has her own ideas. Don't worry yourself over it."
Hua Yi and Xie Bing were actually the most accepting of this. After all, the medical and law departments were notoriously "baldness-inducing" majors. Every year, students would collapse during finals week, and ambulances were a common sight outside the exam halls.
"Just remember to rest," Hua Yi said, patting Li Zi’s shoulder in encouragement.
"I will. Thank you." Li Zi nodded gratefully.
Only Yu Tianwu was still wailing, complaining that she would have to face an empty dorm room again, looking very much like a lonely little widow.
Her words turned out to be prophetic.
However, the person left guarding the dorm wasn't her, but Hua Yi.
Li Zi left early and returned late; Xie Bing treated the library as her home as usual; and Yu Tianwu—she went to see her new boyfriend every other day.
"Brother Yan~ do you know? Li Zi has been busy to the point of madness this semester. I haven't seen a glimpse of her except when she’s sleeping. It’s terrifying."
Sitting on a bench in the small park outside the hospital, Yu Tianwu clutched the hot coffee Liu Yan had just bought her and vented.
Liu Yan sat quietly beside her, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek.
"Sister Li Zi has always had a clear plan for her life. She must have a goal in mind," he said, recalling his past interactions with her.
"Speaking of which, you’re clearly three or four years older than Li Zi. Why do you call her 'Sister'?" Yu Tianwu asked, voicing a long-standing confusion. "I thought it was weird back when we had hot pot. I figured you just had a 'mature' look."
Liu Yan rolled his eyes at her playfully. "What do you mean 'mature' look? Are you trying to say I look old?"
Yu Tianwu giggled and leaned into him, cloyingly insisting that she didn't mean that at all and that she loved his looks the most.
Liu Yan wasn't truly angry. He reached out to steady the coffee that had nearly spilled and didn't push her away.
Organizing his thoughts, he explained, "In the beginning, we didn't actually call her 'Sister Li Zi.' We didn't even have much contact with her. Her family background was very prestigious; there was no way she would mix with people like us. Only Brother Li would pick her up and drop her off at school every day. Sometimes when we happened to be looking for Brother Li, Sister Li Zi would greet us."
Yu Tianwu nodded with great interest, urging him on. "And then? And then?"
"Watch your coffee, don't burn yourself," Liu Yan reminded her helplessly before continuing.
"At the time, I thought it was unexpected that such a seemingly unapproachable little girl was actually very polite. I had a good impression of her. Back then, Brother Li and the rest of us weren't working for ourselves yet. We had a boss..."
At this point, he stole a glance at Yu Tianwu’s expression to see if she minded his past. To his surprise, Yu Tianwu grew even more excited, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow! Like the triads? That sounds so cool!"
He breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. "It wasn't like in the movies. We were just ordinary street thugs. I was too young and rebellious back then; I thought they were cool, so I followed them as a lackey. Later, it was hard to get out.
"That boss was a ruthless man. He had no sense of honor and charged extremely high protection fees. He even wanted to get involved in the abduction and trafficking trade. Fortunately, Brother Li stopped him. At the time, Brother Li was his most capable man and a great fighter, so the boss reluctantly dropped the idea.
"But from then on, the boss held a grudge against Brother Li, feeling that he had been humiliated in public. Moreover, Brother Li had been secretly helping the shopkeepers on the street without taking much money, and the boss found out about that too. He wanted to find a way to suppress Brother Li’s influence."
Listening to this story, which was worlds apart from her own past of social gatherings and luxury, Yu Tianwu held her coffee and almost forgot to drink.
"He originally wanted to target Brother Li’s grandmother, but the old lady happened to have gone to a nursing home. So, he set his sights on the school Brother Li went to every day and discovered Sister Li Zi."
"Damn! Targeting the elderly and children? He’s scum!" Yu Tianwu was furious. She slapped the bench beside her and said indignantly, "He should have been reported to the police and sent to prison to learn how to be a decent human being! Did anything happen to Li Zi?" she asked tensely.
Liu Yan didn't want her to stay angry over the past, so he quickly denied it. "No, no.
"When the boss kidnapped Sister Li Zi, we quickly got word to Brother Li. As soon as Brother Li arrived, he turned on them and started a fight. It was a chaotic scene, but the boss couldn't beat him. So, he ambushed Brother Li and hit him in the head with a rock. Sister Li Zi was frantic. Even though she was still small, she rushed forward to try and stop the boss. But the power gap was too great; there was nothing she could do, so she just shielded Brother Li with her body. We all started fighting then. Luckily, Brother Li had called the police before arriving and notified Sister Li Zi’s parents. They arrived in time and saved us.
"Sister Li Zi’s mother was furious. She sued the boss for everything he was worth, digging up all his old crimes. He was sentenced to many years. Brother Li naturally became our leader after that. Later, when he told us to call her 'Sister Li Zi,' none of us objected.
"Besides, Sister Li Zi actually became our sister-in-law. Would we dare call her 'little sister' then?"
Liu Yan finished the story as briefly as possible, clearing up Yu Tianwu’s confusion.
Yu Tianwu, who had been wearing a satisfied expression of "vengeance served," suddenly seemed to think of something. She set her coffee aside and started trying to pull at Liu Yan’s clothes.
The park was crowded, so Liu Yan quickly stopped her. "What are you doing taking off my clothes? People are watching!"
Yu Tianwu asked urgently, "You weren't hurt, were you? Oh, I can't quite remember if you have any scars on your body."
Occasionally, people walking their elderly relatives through the park would pass a corner and see a man holding a girl in his arms on a bench. The girl was still saying:
"Why are you holding me! Answer my question first!"
Ah, to be young.
**************
Few people knew that Xie Bing had recently been worried about her living expenses.
Although her student loans covered her tuition, she still had to earn money for her daily expenses through part-time work.
She used to work as a tutor, but preparing for lessons took up too much time and the child lived far away, so she was thinking of changing jobs.
While she was fretting, she happened to pass by "Hao Chi" on her way back to campus after a tutoring session and noticed the owner posting a recruitment notice.
"Hiring part-time. Minimum 5 hours a day. Weekends 10 AM to 8 PM. Gender: Beta. Hourly wage: XX."
Looking at the conditions, she felt she was a good fit. Li Qingliu’s offered wage wasn't low either; the only requirement was that the secondary gender be Beta.
Xie Bing was a bit hesitant, but thinking of the terrible commute for her tutoring job, she tentatively greeted Li Qingliu.
"Hello, Boss."
Li Qingliu was wiping a table. Hearing her voice, he turned around and looked surprised. "It’s you?"
"I haven't had a chance to properly thank you for what happened last time," he said.
Xie Bing replied, "It was nothing. You already thanked us then."
"Is there something I can help you with? Or are you here to eat?" Although it was already past his closing time, Li Qingliu acted as if he didn't know and rolled up his sleeves, ready to head to the kitchen.
Xie Bing quickly stopped him. "No, I’ve already had dinner."
Li Qingliu looked puzzled. "Then—?"
"I saw the recruitment notice you just posted. I wanted to ask... would I be suitable?" the girl asked hesitantly, feeling a bit embarrassed. "If it’s inconvenient, that’s fine. I know a Beta is more suitable for your shop’s situation."
Li Qingliu looked at her in surprise, not expecting that she wanted to work there.
He replied immediately, "Of course you are! You couldn't be more suitable. You’re a good person. Next time that person comes back to harass me, you can even scare her off!" He threw a couple of playful punches in the air.
He even made a little joke.
Hearing this, Xie Bing finally broke into a smile. Usually stern and unsmiling, her smile was particularly striking, making Li Qingliu’s ears turn slightly warm.
"Then, should I come to work tomorrow, Boss?" Xie Bing felt much more relaxed at the thought of finding a job so close by.
"Yes, that’s fine. You can just come to help during the meal rushes."
Under Xie Bing’s surprised gaze, Li Qingliu added an explanation: "Your studies are quite busy. Outside of meal times, I can manage perfectly well on my own. It would be a waste of your time to be here then."
Xie Bing knew he was being kind. Deeply grateful, she gave him a slight bow and thanked him. "Thank you so much, Boss!"
Li Qingliu quickly dodged the gesture and waved his hand.
"It’s nothing, really. Oh, by the way, you can just call me Brother Qing from now on. Calling me 'Boss' makes it sound like I’m actually rich or something."
"Alright, Brother Qing."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 荀忻 | Xun Xin | The Dean/Professor interested in criminal psychology. |
| 犯罪心理学 | Criminal Psychology | Li Zi's field of interest. |
| 好吃 | Hao Chi | Literally "Delicious"; the name of Li Qingliu's restaurant. |
| 清哥 | Brother Qing | Informal address for Li Qingliu. |
| 希安街 | Xi'an Street | The street where Li Zhenting's shop is located. |
