Chapter Ninety-Eight: Classmates

Since moving into the Sweet Osmanthus Residence, life had been plain and quiet, yet always touched with a sweetness that stirred the heart.

By day, Rong Shen went out to work, and An Tong stayed at home writing code and testing software for a major technology company.

When boredom struck, she would sometimes read a book to pass the time.

In the blink of an eye, four or five days had gone by, and Christmas was almost here.

That morning, after the man had left, An Tong sat listlessly in the living room, lost in thought.

Outside the window, the sky was overcast and veiled in mist.

Her gaze fell by chance on the teacup on the table, and on a whim she sent Rong Shen a message, asking for the pottery artist Gu Qin’s phone number.

About fifteen minutes later, the man called directly. “Want to go to the pottery studio?”

“Yes. I happen to have nothing to do today, so I wanted to go and learn a little.”

He seemed to be smoking. Turning aside, he exhaled a plume of smoke, his voice gentle. “I’ve sent you her number. Take Ling Qi with you when you go out.”

“Got it.”

After the call ended, a message arrived in WeChat with the phone number he had sent.

An Tong promptly dialed it, and the call connected almost at once.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Teacher Gu, hello. I’m An Tong.”

It had been a long time since they had last spoken, and they were not well acquainted to begin with, so Gu Qin paused for a few seconds.

Then she laughed in sudden realization. “Oh, Little An. It’s been ages since you came by.”

“I’ve been a bit busy lately...” An Tong tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, a little stiffly and politely, “I’d like to come to the pottery studio today. Would it be convenient? Do I need to make an appointment in advance?”

Gu Qin’s laughter rang bright and open. “Others need to, but you don’t. Come over soon. Things aren’t busy in the shop right now, and when you get here I’ll arrange a pottery instructor for you first.”

An Tong curved her lips and thanked her, then hung up and went upstairs to change.

After leaving the house, she headed straight for the Yifeng Pottery Studio.

She did not forget Rong Shen’s reminder to bring Ling Qi along, so after sending Ling Qi a message, she waited for her at the exit of the underground garage in Area A.

When she arrived at the pottery studio, Gu Qin, who was explaining details to the instructor, spotted An Tong at a glance.

“Little An is here.”

She waved warmly, and An Tong politely called her Teacher Gu.

Ling Qi also chimed in. “Hi, Teacher Gu.”

Gu Qin shot her an oblique glance, the corners of her mouth lifting in a smile that was not quite a smile, and nodded.

Within five minutes, the pottery instructor took An Tong to the inner public studio to begin learning, while Gu Qin glanced at Ling Qi. “Come with me.”

“Okay...”

Once inside Gu Qin’s private workspace, Ling Qi smiled ingratiatingly. “Auntie, what did you need me for?”

Gu Qin poured two cups of tea and studied her with folded arms. “If I remember correctly, you’re a technical consultant at Little Nine’s company. So what’s this now? Downgraded to a nanny?”

Setting aside everything else, when her own gifted niece had entered Little Nine’s company, Gu Qin had been pleased enough.

But seeing Ling Qi personally drive An Tong over and trail after her like a little attendant, she could not help feeling displeased.

It was fine for Little Nine to spoil a woman, but why assign Ling Qi to do this?

At that, Ling Qi hurriedly waved her hands, her big eyes darting around. “Auntie, I’m not a nanny. I’m just responsible for accompanying Madam when she goes out.”

“And that isn’t what a nanny does?” Gu Qin’s mouth turned down as she frowned and reached for her phone. “I’m calling Little Nine.”

“No, Auntie.” Ling Qi quickly reached across the table and pressed her hand down. “You really misunderstood. Madam doesn’t treat me like a nanny, and I’m learning things by following her too.”

Gu Qin’s impression of An Tong was still decent, but no matter how she looked at it, whether in age or experience, she did not think Ling Qi could learn anything useful from her.

Seeing that Gu Qin still did not believe her, Ling Qi explained earnestly, “Auntie, I’m not lying to you. Our Madam’s coding skills are absolutely extraordinary. I’m telling you, there was something that had been troubling me for half a month before...”

By the time Ling Qi was done speaking, her mouth was dry. She picked up the tea on the table and drained it in one gulp. “Now you understand, right? Don’t underestimate our Madam. She’s more capable than a lot of people—she just keeps a low profile.”

“Does Little Nine know about all this?”

Gu Qin was genuinely surprised, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Ling Qi looked slightly guilty and said in a small voice, “Of course the boss knows... I told him everything.”

Gu Qin: “...”

So her dear niece was merely a spy with her heart in another camp.

“You leave a perfectly good office and spend all day following Little An around, and you don’t feel wronged?”

Ling Qi smiled shyly. “Why would I feel wronged? The boss gave me a fifty-percent raise, I don’t have to sit at a desk, and I can have fun every day. Everyone’s jealous to death.”

For example, Cheng Feng.

For example, Yuan Kai.

Gu Qin had nothing left to say, but her view of An Tong shifted a little in her heart.

Just a few days earlier, she had been in contact with Rong Xian, and she wondered whether her good friend knew any of these hidden details about An Tong.

...

Meanwhile, An Tong followed the pottery studio’s instructor as she relearned the crafting process and techniques. While she was figuring things out on her own, a young man at the wheel beside her suddenly struck up a conversation. “Is this your first time learning?”

Startled, An Tong’s hand trembled, and the blank she had just shaped snapped apart.

She turned her head, her expression faint and cool, and gave a small nod.

“I’m about the same as you. This is only my second time today.” The young man smiled, showing two small tiger teeth, all sunshine and youthful energy. “You’re a student from the university town too, right?”

That line piqued An Tong’s interest in conversation. “Which university are you from?”

“The one behind us, Zhan University of Science and Technology.” As he spoke, he pointed over his shoulder. “The students who come to this pottery studio are basically all from the university town. One look and I knew you were definitely a student too.”

An Tong was not interested in this sort of pick-up line.

What did catch her attention was that the young man was also from Zhan University of Science and Technology.

And in two more months, she would be entering school there as well.

“My name is Dai Shuai. What about you, classmate? Which school are you from?” The man washed his hands in the basin nearby and offered a brief introduction.

After thinking for a moment, An Tong answered frankly, “I haven’t enrolled yet.”

Dai Shuai pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Want to add me on WeChat? I know the area around the university town pretty well. When you enroll, you can come to me. I might even be able to help with your admission procedures and things like that.”

An Tong looked down at the wheel and declined politely and distantly, “No need for now, thank you.”

Although the chance of running into trouble at Gu Qin’s pottery studio was not high, An Tong still did not want to reveal too much personal information.

If he really was a student at Zhan University of Science and Technology, then there would be no rush; they could get acquainted later if they met again on campus.

Seeing An Tong’s cool expression, Dai Shuai was somewhat disappointed, but he did not give up. “Then how about this: leave me your phone number. When you get here, if you run into any problems, you can ask me anytime.”