Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 432 - 406: Huh? Xiaoqiang

Seeing the usually stern teacher lose composure like that, with coffee splashed in her nose, Qian felt a mischievous little joy.

The teacher had tormented her quite a bit in her previous life, so this was her small way of repaying her, and it felt particularly gratifying.

"Who did you meet?"

"Mr. Liu, a particularly handsome uncle— Teacher, do you know him?"

"I don’t know! Who wants to know a man as stubborn as that!"

Qian suppressed her laughter; even someone as highbrow as the teacher could sometimes act so adorably, wasn’t this just covering one’s ears while stealing a bell?

"I think Mr. Liu is pretty nice, he..." Qian glanced at Liu Linlin and shook her head, "You don’t like hearing about him, right? Then I won’t say more, I’ll talk about Yu Gangdan’s workplace environment— lush grasses, beautiful scenery, with fallen flowers everywhere—"

"Are you reciting ’The Peach Blossom Spring’ here? Where would you find lush grasses in winter, talk about the main point!"

"Teacher, what’s the main point?"

"Talk about the major shareholder of Yu Gangdan, how did you meet him?"

"I went to Gangdan’s workplace and met a major shareholder who takes good care of him. He wanted to meet me, so I went. We had met before and talked a lot, he is a respectable elder."

"The most irresponsible father in the world!"

"Actually, it’s not like that... I think Mr. Liu is a man with great love in his heart. His feelings are not narrow; he treats Yu Gangdan like his own child, with a lot of elder-like dignity."

Qian’s words provoked a fierce reaction from Mr. Liu. She slammed her coffee cup on the table, ignoring the overflow.

"He went to be a father to others, but what about his own child? When his biological son died, he was abroad busy, didn’t even come back for the funeral. By the time he flew back, it was too late... what kind of father is he! Two children at home, he didn’t raise either of them, useless old man!"

Whenever Mr. Liu brought this up, she would become somewhat uncontrolled. Realizing her own loss of composure, Mr. Liu waved her hand in frustration.

"You go back, I want to be alone."

Qian’s first attempt failed; it seemed the teacher’s knot was quite heavy. Although the teacher had a bad temper usually, her intellectual arrogance was still intact. But bringing up the old academic triggered much harsher reactions than in the previous life.

Thinking about it, the teacher had been divorced from the academic for only a few years, and with the added grief of losing a child, this was an emotional low. Such reactions were quite normal.

As Qian reached the door, she paused, reconsidered, and stopped.

"Teacher, I don’t know what kind of grudge you have with Mr. Liu to have such prejudice against him. But in my eyes, he is an excellent leader. He was worried that my presence would affect Yu Minglang’s development, so he wanted to talk to me. He even took me to see the photos of a young sacrifice, and the look in his eyes... I’ll never forget it."

"Sacrifice... young one?"

"Yes, I believe a person’s eyes can’t lie. The look in his eyes when he saw the photos was like a father regretting not protecting his child. Because he has lost before, he doesn’t want to lose anyone else. Such magnanimous love makes me feel inferior."

All at once, Mr. Liu seemed to age a lot. She waved her hand weakly, signaling Qian to leave.

After Qian left, Mr. Liu slowly got up and walked to her room. The small apartment’s layout was cramped; a bed occupied the bedroom, and the altar table under her son’s photo on the wall took up most of the space.

Gazing at her son’s memorial photo, Mr. Liu felt a wave of sadness and muttered to herself, "Now he knows regret. What was he doing back then? I told you so many times not to do such a dangerous job. He insisted on encouraging you, and in the end, he encouraged you to your death... the damned old fool went to be a father to a group of brats, but what about his own son, why didn’t he care... Your brother is getting more out of control now..."

In the empty small room, a mother missing her son spoke to a photo on the wall. She never believed in spirits, but after her child was gone, she started to believe. Every day talking to the photo, as if the child had never left.

By the time Qian walked out of the small apartment, her heart felt heavier. The pained look in the teacher’s eyes made her regret mentioning the academic.

She had confused past and present.

In the previous life, the teacher had gone through many years to smooth over the hate for the academic, which wasn’t as deep then. It seemed she had poked a sore spot.

Because of this, Qian was distracted all afternoon, her study efficiency dropped to the lowest. She ignored all classes, wearing headphones, studying on her own. All the lecturers knew there was a female genius in their department, if a course required attendance, she would self-study; if not, she wouldn’t show. They didn’t dare provoke her, or she would retort sharply and embarrass the lecturer. So, the subject teachers turned a blind eye.

As Qian packed her things and walked out, she was stopped by the lecturer at the podium. Qian knew this person; she was a student of Mr. Liu, a Ph.D. candidate at the school, filling in as a teaching assistant for juniors.

"This is from Mr. Liu for you."

Ph.D. candidates generally liked to call their advisors "boss," and this teaching assistant was no exception.

Qian received it; it was an envelope, seemingly containing documents.

"People watched by Mr. Liu are quite pitiful, junior sister, you should take care of yourself."

"Those who are not liked by her are even more pitiful. Senior sister, don’t be unaware of your luck." Qian waved, carrying the envelope away.

"People who appear strange attract the strange as well. I bet Mr. Liu has taken a liking to this strange girl." The senior shrugged, hoping that being liked would mean fewer demands from Mr. Liu, avoiding endless teaching and tasks like a miserably exploited laborer. But who could offend a Ph.D. advisor?

Back in the dormitory, no one had returned yet. Some were out collecting debts, others were on dates. She poured herself a cup of hot milk and opened the envelope, finding a stack of materials.

This was the test that Liu Linlin gave Qian, to treat a manic patient.

"Just twenty yuan for me?" Qian was exasperated as she pulled out two ten-yuan notes from the bag, feeling that Mr. Liu should be called a miser instead of a boss. Was this just to dismiss a beggar?

What psychological consultant only charges so little, but Qian understood, Mr. Liu was different from those exploitative advisors. Their bosses took on projects for students to work on, giving a meager payout while pocketing the majority. Her boss also took projects, but usually unpaid ones. This small sum was probably from Mr. Liu’s own pocket for her travel expenses.

"Let me see, who exactly is this patient— oh, Xiaoqiang?"