Chapter Five: Even Professors Gossip

"Why don't we cancel it?" Lin Chengzhang was in high spirits.

"Dad, what happened with Professor Hu Deming coming to tutor me and Zhuang Sijing for the physics competition?"

"Isn't it already settled? Fine, I'll go confirm it with Grandpa again!"

So his son wanted to excel?

Lin Cheng excitedly pulled out his phone and made calls to his father and Professor Hu respectively. The final arrangement was set: Professor Hu would arrive at the house for tutoring at 9:00 AM on Sunday.

...

On Sunday, Lin Cheng and Zhuang Sijing were waiting at the entrance by 8:40 AM to greet Professor Hu. After waiting for a while, they saw He Yueyue and Uncle He walking out from inside the house.

He Yueyue wore a white dress, looking fresh and lovely. The warm summer breeze gently fluttered the hem of her skirt, inadvertently brushing against her smooth, shapely calves—fair and tender, a dazzling sight.

In the past, Lin Cheng would have rushed over to "pay his respects" long ago. But now, he looked at Uncle He and said calmly, "Uncle He, you're here. I was planning to talk to you about..."

"Yueyue knows she was wrong," Uncle He interrupted with a smile. "Girls have their little tempers, but she's fine again this morning!"

He Yueyue lowered her head slightly. Yesterday, she had taken Chen Zishi to class, only to find that even Lin Cheng wasn't there! She had asked the housekeeper, Cao Yunping, and only then learned that Professor Hu hadn't even shown up!

Today, Zhuang Sijing and Lin Cheng were standing there so primly... who were they waiting for? It must be some trick Lin Cheng was playing! She suddenly felt that this spat was different from the previous ones. She decided to keep Lin Cheng steady for now and see how things developed.

In reality, Lin Cheng was wrongly accused; he had simply been following Professor Hu's schedule. The reason he had asked his father to confirm whether the professor was coming was precisely for that reason.

The group harbored their own hidden agendas. Uncle He was truly afraid of losing his job.

Lin Cheng frowned and said, "Uncle He... Uncle Ping has already prepared the termination agreement. Please go over and sign it."

"What?" Uncle He couldn't believe his ears.

He Yueyue also snapped her head up, staring at Lin Cheng in disbelief. It felt as if a hidden mountain treasure that had belonged to her had been snatched away by someone else's shovel.

"Alright, I... I'll go ask the Chairman..." Uncle He sighed and turned to leave.

He Yueyue followed him obediently, though she couldn't resist glancing back at Lin Cheng one last time. Lin Cheng waved at her, feeling a knot in his stomach. After all, he had once liked her, and doing this felt somewhat intentional... but whenever he recalled how she had taken whatever she wanted from him later on, or imagined her nestled in Chen Zishi's arms, whispering sweet nothings, his teeth would ache with irritation.

Doing this today wasn't so much about helping her and Chen Zishi as it was about letting go of his own past. Should he punish the young He Yueyue for the evil deeds the adult Lin Yueyue would eventually commit?

"Damn it... I'm a reincarnated person, I didn't come here just for her!"

...

It was like a toad crawling on your foot—it doesn't bite, but you can't just stomp it to death! It was like someone who hadn't committed rape yet; you couldn't arrest him just because you knew he would definitely assault someone in the future!

...

When Uncle He walked into the living room, he saw Cao Yunping nodding at him, clearly waiting. Cao Yunping led the father and daughter out of the house, circled to the middle courtyard, and opened his office door. He walked straight to the desk and pointed to the contract, signaling for Uncle He to sign.

He Yueyue hated Lin Cheng to the core. *So what if I got closer to Chen Zishi? Was it worth making my father lose his job?*

She was filled with hate, yet she had to face reality. She would have her revenge! She would make Lin Cheng realize that he wasn't the only rich person in the world! There were plenty of boys who were both rich and talented, hmph!

Just then, Lin Chengzhang walked into the middle courtyard wearing a white casual outfit, looking as if he were about to practice Tai Chi.

"Chairman!" Uncle He rushed over.

"He Benfu..." The housekeeper Cao Yunping was startled, grabbing Uncle He.

"Chairman, for the sake of the many years I've spent driving for you, could you let me say a few words?"

Lin Chengzhang waved his hand at Cao Yunping. Uncle He was agitated; he took a deep breath before saying, "Chairman, it's been so many years. I've served you faithfully without a single complaint. My daughter was indeed ignorant..."

"Forget it!" Lin Chengzhang interrupted the sob story. "Benfu, if my son isn't happy, and Yueyue is uncomfortable, what's the point of this?"

"Uncle Lin, I..." He Yueyue realized there was no hope left, but she couldn't leave without some clarity!

Lin Chengzhang glanced at He Yueyue and said gently, "Don't be in a rush! Let me finish with your father." He then turned to He Benfu: "I don't get involved in the children's affairs, but people from different worlds shouldn't try to live under the same roof. To avoid awkwardness, you should leave here. If you still want to stay with the Lin family, how about the wire-drawing factory? Go back and think about it."

"I... thank you, Chairman. I will, I'll go!"

*People from different worlds shouldn't live under the same roof?* The first thing that came to He Yueyue's mind was that she probably wouldn't be living in the villa district anymore! How humiliating! How would she explain this to her classmates later? Although, in truth, no one really needed her explanation, the difference between the two places was like heaven and earth!

"Chairman, I..."

Seeing that He Yueyue had stopped calling him "Uncle Lin" and switched to "Chairman," Lin Chengzhang quickly waved his hand. "Oh, just study hard and make your father proud. Whatever the outcome of your affairs, I accept it. Good luck!"

...

Housekeeper Cao Yunping watched the lonely figures of He Benfu and his daughter leave, feeling completely bewildered. "Chairman, you're playing the peacemaker here, won't the young master be angry?"

"Angry? If he has that little backbone, then let him die of anger!" Lin Chengzhang raised an eyebrow. "He Benfu has driven for me for so many years and knows quite a bit. You want to let him leave with a grudge?"

"That's right!" Cao Yunping echoed.

"Right, my foot! Even when confidential military personnel are discharged, they are transferred to idle positions for three years to let their intelligence go stale. How could you be so impulsive with Lin Cheng! Your pay is docked!"

"Yes, yes, yes! It should be docked!" Cao Yunping said with a nervous laugh.

Lin Chengzhang didn't smile; instead, he said, "You are the steward of the Lin family! You are not my brat's sidekick! You need to know your place!"

"..." Cao Yunping didn't dare to speak.

It really wasn't just anyone who could be a Chairman! This lighthearted approach wasn't just playing the peacemaker—it was management science! Complex concepts from books were smoothed out in his casual conversation, resolving issues without leaving a trace.

...

Professor Hu Sichen, who was tutoring Lin Cheng in physics, was an interesting little man in his fifties. Old Man Hu was currently using gravitational acceleration to calculate the ratio of the time it took for two objects of the same mass to fall from the Earth and the Moon...

For Lin Cheng, this was quite brain-taxing!

In truth, Professor Hu was a talented young man who had long suffered from a lack of opportunity to shine. It wasn't until several papers added weight to his resume that he was quickly promoted to associate professor, then professor, and given his own research group... Lin Cheng's grandfather had put in some effort to help with that.

Therefore, Professor Hu’s willingness to come was definitely not because he cared about the high tutoring fee Lin Chengzhang offered! In terms of social status, a professor was much more respected than a wealthy businessman. The friends and subordinates of a wealthy man only valued the businessman's resources; once the resources were gone, they could praise you or curse you.

Professors were different. They had students all over the world, many of whom were elites in various industries; those students would be grateful for their mentor's guidance for the rest of their lives! That was why there was a saying: for many people, the ceiling of the human beings they would encounter in their lives was the teacher in college who kept track of whether they had skipped class or not!

Professor Hu’s teaching style was profound yet accessible, making the subject feel easy. Although it was brain-taxing, it was also enlightening. Zhuang Sijing listened intently, and because Old Man Hu was interesting, they became familiar with each other after just one lesson.

"Professor Hu, what was your most outstanding student like?" Zhuang Sijing asked playfully after the lesson.

"That's not an easy question to answer. Each generation produces its own talents!" Professor Hu sounded like he was giving an official statement to avoid saying the wrong thing, but then he changed his tone and added, "However, I do have one student who left the deepest impression on me."

"Oh?" Zhuang Sijing's interest was piqued. "Then don't be in a rush to leave, tell us about it!"

Girls, after all, loved listening to gossip!