The restaurant Feng Zhiyu chose was right across from the school. The boss was from Northeast China, while the head chef was a native southerner who was excellent at cooking Huaiyang cuisine. With its affordable prices, it was a popular gathering place for teachers and students from the school.
The private room had been booked by Feng Zhiyu in advance. Su Yang followed him there. When she pushed open the door, she saw familiar smiling faces.
There were two senior school sisters, a senior school brother, and a female classmate of Su Yang's who had decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination to study under Feng Zhiyu at the end of the year.
They were all familiar with each other. After sitting around the table, the atmosphere quickly became lively.
As the only male present besides Feng Zhiyu, the senior school brother Song Haolin naturally took on the "important task" of pouring tea, water, and getting drinks for the school sisters.
Song Haolin was already a second - year graduate student this year and had been working on academic projects with Feng Zhiyu.
In the Department of Literature, where the gender ratio was seriously imbalanced, the tall and handsome Song Haolin was always a golden signboard of their department. Even Feng Zhiyu would joke that thanks to Song Haolin's good looks, they could recruit two more transfer students every year.
They had a great meal. In fact, it wasn't really a farewell dinner. It was just that summer vacation was approaching, and they were gathering before going back home.
During the meal, when Song Haolin was pouring Coke for Su Yang, he asked about He Juan's illness.
"My uncle has a college classmate who is in the business of surgical medical equipment. If you need it, I can ask my uncle to find out who the most authoritative doctors in oncology in Haicheng are. You can make an appointment with a specialist," Song Haolin said.
Song Haolin was from Haicheng and one of the few schoolmates of Su Yang who knew about He Juan's illness.
Su Yang thanked him, told him about He Juan's recent situation, and finally politely declined his kindness.
In fact, Su Yang was not the kind of person who liked to trouble others, especially when it came to owing others favors. She would feel unworthy of them.
This was also the reason why after Xu Lize told her that the marriage certificate would help him get the company's equity, Su Yang didn't feel any psychological burden about the money Xu Lize gave her.
Because she thought that what happened between her and Xu Lize was an "equivalent exchange."
After the meal, Feng Zhiyu stood up and was about to pay the bill. When he left the private room, he called Su Yang.
Su Yang followed him out. They walked from the quiet corridor to the lobby outside.
"Have you really decided not to take the postgraduate entrance examination?" Feng Zhiyu had no other intention of calling her out alone. The topic finally fell on Su Yang's decision about postgraduate study. "The department head asked me the other day, thinking it was me who didn't want to take you on. Everyone thinks it's a pity for you to enter society like this. You're calm, patient, and meticulous. You're suitable for academic research. If you're willing, I can even help you contact a doctoral supervisor in the future."
"Teacher Feng..." Su Yang looked embarrassed. She lowered her head and took small steps as she followed Feng Zhiyu. "A big company has already contacted me for a second interview, and the treatment is very good. I..."
Su Yang didn't finish her sentence because in front of Feng Zhiyu, she couldn't openly admit her helplessness of "bowing for a meager living."
But Su Yang was indeed conflicted.
She knew clearly that if she continued to study under Feng Zhiyu and pursue further education, whether she stayed at school or entered society in the end, her own capital and competitiveness would be better than if she graduated right away.
But she could afford to wait, while He Juan couldn't.
Although she no longer had to worry about the huge medical expenses, He Juan was a living person who needed to eat and live. She couldn't ask Xu Lize for this monthly expense.
Moreover, according to He Juan's current situation, Su Yang had to go to the hospital every now and then and would stay there for a long time.
The doctor had been mentally preparing her, the patient's family member, since the day of the diagnosis. He Juan had at most five years, and if the situation was worse, it might even be less than five years.
Su Yang didn't want to leave any regrets in the final chapter of her mother's life.
Seeing her look so embarrassed, Feng Zhiyu suddenly smiled gently like a spring breeze. Then he patted her on the shoulder and said, "It's the teacher's fault. This is really a difficult choice. In fact, you don't have to rush to take the postgraduate entrance examination. If you miss the school - based exam, you can take the social - based exam in the future. With your professional background, as long as you want to go for it, there's no problem."
"Thank you, Teacher Feng!" Su Yang looked at Feng Zhiyu gratefully.
As they were talking and walking, just as they stepped out of the corridor, they met a waiter coming towards them with a large bowl of shredded tofu soup.
The soup bowl was steaming hot. Feng Zhiyu instinctively pulled Su Yang, and they stood close together to make a narrow passage for the waiter.
"Are you okay?" After the waiter walked past with the soup, Feng Zhiyu let go of his hand and asked Su Yang.
Su Yang stood up straight and shook her head.
"Okay, I'll go settle the bill. Don't follow me. Go back," Feng Zhiyu waved at Su Yang and then turned to walk towards the cashier at the door.
That night, when Su Yang separated from Feng Zhiyu and the others at the subway station, she found that Xu Lize had sent her a message an hour ago, telling her that he had already arrived in City B.
Su Yang immediately replied, saying that she was out having a dinner with her teacher and classmates and hadn't seen her phone.
As soon as the message was sent, Xu Lize called directly.
"Are you home yet?" Through the phone, Xu Lize's voice was clearly audible, and the clinking of glasses also came through.
"Not yet. I'm waiting for the subway," Su Yang asked curiously. "Are you also at a dinner?"
"I'm still at a dinner party," Xu Lize said in a calm tone, showing no emotion.
Su Yang didn't know why Xu Lize called and was at a loss for words for a moment.
Suddenly, she heard Xu Lize chuckle softly. "Su Yang, I find that you don't answer my calls or reply to my messages."
Su Yang was stunned. She thought Xu Lize had misunderstood something and quickly explained, "No, my phone... It has been used for a long time and runs out of battery very quickly, so I don't usually play with my phone when I'm out. I just put my phone aside when I was having dinner today..."
"I'll get you a new one when you get back," Xu Lize interrupted her before she could finish.
Su Yang almost choked on her own saliva. "No... no, I didn't mean that. I mean I'll be more careful next time, I definitely will..."
"Be careful on your way back. There's still a long way after you enter the community. If you don't want to walk in, you can go to the security guards. They have special battery - powered vehicles for passengers that can take you directly to the villa gate."
After Xu Lize finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for Su Yang to respond.
Su Yang stared blankly at the darkened phone screen for a while. It took her a few seconds to realize that her ears were actually slightly red...