Chapter 28: The Tempted Top Student (Part 2)

"Jiuge, are you really interested in that young girl? You know with our status, our families won't allow such reckless behavior."

In the elegantly decorated private room, a young girl wearing a cheongsam looked disapprovingly at An Jiuge, who sprawled on the sofa, nonchalantly sipping his wine.

An Jiuge's eyes, narrow and long, were fixed intently on the swirling liquor in his glass. With a smile that was not quite a smile, his sculpted features made him look like a beautiful young man straight out of a comic book, as handsome as Apollo and highly aggressive.

Before he could speak, another equally handsome young man in the room took over the conversation.

"Sister Wan He, you don't know, but Jiuge's heart is all set on you..."

"As for that girl named Su Li, it was just a bet among us to see how long she could withstand our sugary onslaught."

"Ruoshen... don't talk nonsense; Jiuge is like a brother to me..." Ye Wanhe hurriedly explained, embarrassed, "Don't say things like that, lest others misunderstand."

Ye Wanhe's pretty face was full of annoyance, and she also looked displeased with Du Ruoshen, who had just spoken, "I'm about to marry into the Xu Family, these kinds of jokes..."

Seeing that she was genuinely getting angry, Du Ruoshen quickly waved his hands, "It was just me talking nonsense, Sister Wan He, don't be angry."

Du Ruoshen said, "But, sister... you really shouldn't worry. We just found that girl amusing, with her bookworm appearance, so different from us, that's why we wanted to tease her."

Ye Wanhe's wandering gaze swept over An Jiuge, and seeing that he had no intention of speaking, a quick flicker of disappointment and a surge of grievance filled her heart.

"Just don't go too far, the girl's life isn't easy..." Ye Wanhe glared at An Jiuge in defiance and finally sighed, her shoulders slumping as she picked up her purse and fled out of the room like escaping.

"You guys have fun, I'm heading back."

Once Ye Wanhe's figure had disappeared behind the door, An Jiuge finally turned his head, staring at the firmly closed door frame for a long time, before downing the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Du Ruoshen looked at his friend and smiled, "Jiuge, about that behavior... why offend Wan He, sister? In the end, it's you who will feel sorry."

An Jiuge snorted, "She's going to get engaged to the disabled eldest son of the Xu Family anyway, why is she even bothering about me?"

Sitting quietly in the corner the whole time, Jiang Baisha, who had hardly made a presence, closed his book and spoke indifferently, "Jiuge, don't talk like that about the Xu Family's eldest. It's lucky Zhiheng isn't here, or he'd be ready to fight you."

Jiang Baisha, "The eldest of the Xu Family holds a different status in Zhiheng's heart."

An Jiuge, "He's just a cousin, can he really be compared to the brotherhood we've shared all these years? Moreover, the Xu Family's internal strife has never been hidden from anyone. If Zhiheng gets close to this older brother, I bet his parents would be the first to disapprove."

An Jiuge really didn't take his friends' words to heart, but still unconsciously changed the subject.

"By the way, I'm planning to give Su Li a surprise tomorrow. Any good suggestions?"

Du Ruoshen grinned, "You're really planning something big, huh? Aren't you afraid Sister Wan He will get mad?"

Jiang Baisha fiddled with his slender fingers, nonchalantly saying, "For a commoner-born woman like Su Li, creating a glamorous world for her will quickly make her obedient as a little rabbit. Haven't you seen enough of such women?"

An Jiuge, "Seen plenty, but not the scholarly type..."

"Don't you want to see how a hardworking scholar falls from grace? Sounds fun..."

Du Ruoshen waved at Jiang Baisha, "If Jiuge wants to play, let him play. Someone is really annoyed about the Sister Wan He matter right now..."

"I'll be the banker, how about we make a bet?"

Jiang Baisha, "Bet on what?"

Du Ruoshen chuckled and said, "Let's bet on how long it takes for Jiuge to knock our dedicated student, Su Li, off her academic pedestal."

"I bet ten days, if within ten days, Jiuge can make our little top student agree to be his girlfriend, I'll give you my latest sports car."

Coming from a business family, Du Ruoshen was never short of money. With just a word, a sports car worth millions became the stake.

When An Jiuge heard this, he also became interested and turned to Jiang Baisha to ask, "Bai Sha, are you in?"

Jiang Baisha was rather indifferent, but he didn't want to spoil the fun, "Then I'll wager that set of precious blue and white porcelain vases from my collection."

Though Jiang Baisha's family wasn't as wealthy as Du Ruoshen's, his family had been in the arts for generations and owned various valuable ceramics and paintings.

An Jiuge grinned wickedly, raised his glass, and declared, "Deal, then watch closely."

------------------

Su Li had been waiting for several days, and as expected, she received a reply from Professor Zheng three days later.

Between the lines of Professor Zheng's reply was a sense of curiosity.

Directly in the email, he posed several new questions about many core aspects of the projects.

Su Li was very meticulous and tried to provide the most comprehensive answers.

This was her opportunity.

Su Li understood that these questions weren't really an assessment; they probably were just whimsically set by Professor Zheng when something piqued his interest.

But this was just the beginning. Su Li was confident that she could keep his interest in her.

As they exchanged emails back and forth, and Professor Zheng's questions became increasingly tricky and bizarre, and more challenging, Su Li knew she had succeeded.

When she received another email from the renowned Jing University professor, it contained simply a line of an invitation.

He asked to meet Su Li in person.

----------------

At home, Professor Zheng paced restlessly in his room, anxiously awaiting an email reply.

His wife could no longer stand to watch, "What is it that has you so out of sorts?"

"I haven't seen you like this in a long time."

Flushed with excitement, Professor Zheng rubbed his hands, "You don't know, I have found an exceptional talent."

"He has profound insights into the biological project I am currently working on, even surpassing me in some areas."

"I wonder which biology student he is. Such an outstanding student, and yet I have no recollection of him at all...."

After agreeing to meet at a cafe near Jing University, Su Li turned off her computer.

Before the meeting, she needed to prepare some materials to bring along to ensure her plan would proceed smoothly.

Once Professor Zheng received Su Li's reply, he immediately got up, changed his clothes, and left the house happily.

Arriving at the agreed-upon address, Professor Zheng looked around but could not find anyone who met the criteria.