Jiang Li felt that her last summer break in high school went by exceptionally fast. Even though this summer break was much longer than previous ones, she still felt like time flew by. Perhaps it was because, after this break, she would be heading to Beijing to start college and wouldn’t be able to come home for a few months.
At this moment, Jiang Li finally understood why her roommates Pang Ju and Zhang Qingqing used to eagerly look forward to the next holidays so they could go home. She hadn’t even left yet, but she was already feeling homesick. The closer it got to the start of the new term, the stronger this feeling became, even surpassing her anticipation for college life.
Seeing his niece looking like a wilted eggplant, Feng Qi smiled and comforted her, “I go to Beijing every month for conferences or lectures. I will visit you often.”
Jiang Li still looked dispirited. “But when you come, I might be in class!”
“What can we do then?” Feng Qi pondered, “How about I quit my job at the research institute and accompany you to Beijing?”
Jiang Li quickly shook her head, “Let’s not do that. I plan to work at the institute after I graduate, and I’ll still go there during the winter and summer breaks when I come home.”
Feng Qi thought for a moment and said, “That’s good. I’m looking forward to having another capable assistant under me.”
“Who’s the other capable assistant?” Jiang Li asked curiously.
Her uncle replied earnestly, “Of course it’s your senior brother Zhao Qiang. Fang Tong could count as half, but she wasn’t half as smart as Zhao Qiang’s. However, that kid’s diligent and motivated, and always completes the tasks given to her.”
Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re only a few years older than Sister Fang Tong, yet you call her a kid, as if you’re much older.”
Feng Qi lowered his gaze to meet hers. “She’s my student, and you call her ‘Sister Fang Tong’ all the time. Is it a problem for me to call her a kid?”
Jiang Li immediately shook her head, “Of course not! There’s absolutely no problem with that.”
Then she looked at Feng Qi with anticipation, “Uncle, will you send me off to uni?”
Feng Qi replied with a meaningful smile, “Wouldn’t you be disappointed if I didn’t go?”
Jiang Li took Feng Qi’s arm, “I knew you treat me the best, Third Uncle! Grandpa also said he would see me off, and Second Brother and Third Brother are going too. Second Aunt said she wanted to go as well, but her campus starts early, so she can’t make it. But she prepared a lot of things for me—too much for my consumption.”
Feng Qi chuckled, “If you don’t need them, just store them away. If you find yourself lacking anything, buy it for yourself. And don’t donate all your money to the orphanage. You need to learn to buy things for yourself.”
Jiang Li was surprised, “Third Uncle, you actually know that I donated money to the orphanage?”
Feng Qi replied with a slight smile, “If it’s something I want to know, you can’t hide it from me.”
Jiang Li quickly put her hands behind her back, “Then guess, am I moving my left hand or my right hand now?”
Feng Qi looked down at her, “But I don’t care to know about that.”
Jiang Li: “…”
Though her uncle’s response seemed a bit like cheating, from a logical standpoint, there wasn’t a single flaw in it!
…
Soon, the registration period for Jiang Li’s university arrived. She boarded a flight to Beijing City, accompanied by her grandfather, third uncle, and her twin cousins. To her surprise, they unexpectedly ran into Tong Yi on the plane.
As soon as he spotted Tong Yi, Feng Bai exclaimed in surprise, “Big Nephew, are you going to Beijing today? What are you doing there?”
“Of course for uni. Don’t you know it’s the start of the new school year?” Tong Yi replied.
“Aren’t you always busy with your investments? I almost forgot you’re still a student!” Feng Bai casually remarked.
Tong Yi chose to ignore this comment and turned to greet the two adults.
Old Master Feng had always been fond of Tong Yi and smiled as he asked, “I heard from my eldest that you’ve invested in several projects in Beijing?”
Tong Yi nodded, “Yes. Since I’ll be staying in Beijing for the next few years, I decided to invest a little.”
Old Master Feng laughed jovially, “You sly boy! You’re always quietly making big money, and now you’re saying you ‘just invested a little.’ You’re not fooling me with that!”
Tong Yi grinned as he responded, “Compared to when you were young, Grandpa Feng, my endeavors are still too amateurish. Please don’t tease me.”
Old Master Feng sighed, “You can’t say that. The reason I was able to make a name for myself so quickly back then was due to the prestige of my family. Your Tong family is equally prestigious, but your uncle has a narrow mind and can’t tolerate others. It’s not easy for you to have made it under his suppression.”
Jiang Li tilted her head and commented, “Compared to Grandpa, Big Nephew is definitely less impressive.”
“I see, I see. Then, if you compare me with your third uncle, who’s more impressive?” The old master laughed. Nothing could please him more than his granddaughter’s compliment.
“…” Jiang Li was speechless. What kind of trick question was this?
Seeing both her grandfather and uncle looking at her, Jiang Li calmly replied, “You’re both very, very impressive.”
Before they could press her further, she quickly added, “But if I have to determine who’s more impressive, I’ll need some time to compare them slowly.”
Feng Bai suddenly interjected, “Xiao Jiang Li, you’re deliberately being evasive! You didn’t answer Grandpa’s question at all!”
“Then what do you think, Third Brother? Who’s more impressive, Grandpa or Third Uncle?” Jiang Li passed the hot potato to him.
Feng Bai: “…” He shouldn’t have spoken up!!!
He immediately turned to Feng Song for an assist: “Big Bro, what do you think?”
Feng Song looked at his silly twin and said flatly, “I don’t know who’s the most impressive in our family, but I’m sure you’re at the bottom.”
Feng Bai immediately protested, “You’re insulting my character!”
Jiang Li laughed, “Third Brother, don’t argue with Second Brother. He’s just someone who loves to speak the truth. Let’s ignore him.”
Feng Bai thought Jiang Li was speaking up for him, but just as he began to nod, he suddenly stopped halfway, looking at Jiang Li with a hurt expression, “Xiao Jiang Li, whose side are you really on?”
Before Jiang Li could respond, Feng Qi suddenly spoke up, “She’s on my side. Do you have a problem with that?”
Feng Bai quickly shook his head, “No, no, of course I have no problem!” Over the years, he had developed the habit of turning into an instant yes-man in front of his third uncle, a habit that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.
As the family exchanged bickers, Tong Yi maintained a smile, perfectly embodying the image of a polite yet sunny young man. Jiang Li even had serious doubts, suspecting that this big nephew was merely pretending to be well-behaved in front of the elders.
With the family together, the flight didn’t feel long, and they soon arrived at their destination. After exiting the airport, Jiang Li was planning to take a cab to the school, but to her surprise, Feng Qi had already arranged for a driver to pick them up.
Tong Yi was traveling light with just a single suitcase, which made him seem lightly packed compared to Jiang Li’s numerous bags and suitcases. He glanced at her pile of luggage and remarked, “Today is the start of the registration period, so the campus will be crowded with new students and their families. Most vehicles won’t be allowed to enter, so bringing all these items might be inconvenient.”
Feng Bai was quick to respond, “No problem. Third Uncle has already bought a house for Xiao Jiang Li. We’ll drop these things off there first, then accompany her to the uni for the registration and dorm move-in process.”
“…” Tong Yi, who had been looking for an excuse to help carry the luggage so he could follow Jiang Xiao Li to her campus, was suddenly at a loss for words. With Feng Bai having foiled his plan, he had no choice but to back down, lest Third Master Feng began to suspect his real intention.
So, he turned to Old Master Feng and said, “I also need to head to my campus for registration today, so I won’t be joining you all—”
Feng Bai cut him off, “Isn’t your campus in the same direction and not too far apart from Xiao Jiang Li? Anyway, the car Third Uncle arranged was quite spacious, so let’s all go together.”
Jiang Li chimed in, “Yes, let’s go together! You can check out the villa Uncle got me!”
This was, of course, an opportunity Tong Yi couldn’t ask for. Suppressing his excitement, he smiled and nodded, “Alright, let’s go take a look.”
Feng Qi glanced at Tong Yi, then at Jiang Li. However, he didn’t notice anything suspicious, so he decided to leave it at that—for the time being.
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