Chapter 5

Late morning, between classes.

Mu Xia got a message from the class monitor asking her to go to the counselor’s office.

At the time, she and Yue Qian were sitting on the balcony, “steaming like a pair of lobsters.” Everywhere you could see skin, they were bright red.

At the class monitor’s message, they both breathed a sigh of relief and hurried off the balcony toward the Engineering Building.

When the counselor saw Mu Xia, she looked troubled. “Mu Xia, you should know our school has always been very strict about its recommendations for graduate school. Unfortunately, this serious bug came up at the worst possible time. I’ll be honest with you: the interview next week won’t change the outcome, whether you attend or not. Director Li’s suggestion is that you withdraw. With your grades, you can get a full scholarship if you sit the entrance exam yourself. You’d still be assigned to Professor Chen. What do you think?”

Mu Xia didn’t think much of it.

She’d guessed the counselor wanted to discuss this before she came, but hearing outright that she had no chance of getting a recommendation still stung.

One serious bug caused by someone else had erased two years of her hard work so easily.

Forget it. Graduate school hadn’t even been her idea. If the professor hadn’t kept bringing it up, she wouldn’t have taken the recommendation exam in the first place. Maybe this was for the best.

Now she could focus on getting a job and earning money.

After how good it had felt to spend money last night, the hardships of life were hitting her that much harder. If she didn’t figure out how to earn money, she’d soon be unable to afford instant noodles.

“Qianqian.” Mu Xia came out and called to Yue Qian, who was leaning over the railing.

Yue Qian immediately dropped her video call with her boyfriend and hurried over. “What did the counselor want?”

Mu Xia slipped her arm through Yue Qian’s and tried to sound casual. “I lost my recommendation for grad school.”

“What the hell! Why didn’t you explain what happened to the counselor?” Yue Qian was furious. “Han Shuyan did something that shameless, and you’re the one losing your recommendation? Doesn’t that mean she’ll be first in the written exam now?”

“Let it go.” Mu Xia shook her head with a smile. “Two years is a long time. She was cruel, but I can’t be cruel back. If a dog bites me and I bite it back, how am I any different from a dog? And most importantly, if Han Shuyan and I fall out in public, the professor will be the one who suffers. He can’t stand infighting among his students, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“And you’re just going to let her get away with it?” Yue Qian refused to accept that.

“Do I look like someone who’d quietly swallow a loss?” Mu Xia smiled, her expression unusually kind. “If this were just about our relationship, then fine. If it works, it works; if it doesn’t, we break up. I have no complaints. But she shouldn’t have touched my code. If it had affected acceptance testing, it wouldn’t just be my grad school recommendation at risk. Eldest Senior Brother might not get a teaching position, Senior Sister might not be able to go straight into her PhD, and Senior Brother Liu might lose his chance to study abroad. I really can’t take responsibility for that. And I shouldn’t have to. Whoever did it should pay for it.”

Yue Qian had never seen Mu Xia wear such a “scheming” expression. It made her feel a little sorry for her—and a little thrilled.

After a few seconds of silence, Yue Qian raised two fingers and declared, “That’s how you do it. If you weren’t born to be a pushover, don’t go pretending to be one. I’m with you!”

Mu Xia grinned and bumped her fingers against Yue Qian’s. “Don’t worry. Han Shuyan will get back everything she’s owed.”

After meeting with the counselor, the two of them headed to the laboratory building together.

There were still a few classes in the first semester of senior year, mostly electives. The workload was light, and most courses consisted of lab sessions that wrapped up after a dozen or so classes.

Today was the big practical exam for image processing.

The exam assignment was difficult, and they worked on it until the afternoon.

As Mu Xia was heading downstairs, Eldest Senior Brother from the lab suddenly called in a panic and asked her to pick up his bound doctoral thesis from the South Gate.

She figured she had nothing else to do and agreed. But the moment she stepped out of the print shop, she saw Han Shuyan standing beside a black car, speaking to someone through the half-open door.

The person inside was blocked from view. Mu Xia could only tell that Han Shuyan was being unusually deferential. It was a far cry from the cool, impatient way she’d treated Mu Xia.

Whatever they said, Han Shuyan shut the rear door with a hurt expression and climbed into the front passenger seat.

In the brief moment the door was open, Mu Xia caught a glimpse of a woman in the back. Judging by her clothes and posture, she looked a lot like the person Han Shuyan had described as her longtime crush: mature, dependable, and successful.

So she’s going for a seamless transition?

But she can’t even get a seat next to her?

Mu Xia pursed her lips, feeling for the first time that the effort she’d put into the relationship over the past two years had been wasted.

So she’d been the lowest rung on the ladder all along. Han Shuyan’s words about making the computer science prodigy grovel had been right on the mark.

After Han Shuyan got in, Mu Xia didn’t look again. She glanced at the car once as it pulled away.

Her eyesight was too good. She read the license plate: S521S.

Oh, the secret crush has a flair for romance. She even worked 521 into her license plate. Wonder if Han Shuyan can make her hers.

Probably not. A sharp woman would see right through Han Shuyan. If she still went out with her, Mu Xia would have to wish them well: true love is priceless. May all the lovers in the world reunite with the long-lost sisters they never knew they had.

Too bad Mu Xia’s wish was doomed to go unanswered.

In the car, Han Shuyan sat up straight and addressed the woman in the back with respect. “Aunt.”

A slim laptop rested on the woman’s knees. A distinct ring of purple bruising circled her sharply defined wrist.

If Mu Xia had seen it, she might have swallowed a sword on the spot.

After replying to an email, Han Qingshi closed her laptop and set it aside. Her brows and eyes were cool and reserved. “Your senior-year schedule is light. If you have free time, go home and spend it with your parents. Don’t wait for them to miss you enough to call and ask you to come back.”

Han Qingshi spoke slowly and wasn’t openly scolding her, but Han Shuyan didn’t dare act as shamelessly as she did around her parents.

Her aunt had always been composed and reserved. She’d grown up surrounded by admiration, and before she’d even finished university, she’d taken over GN. Her great-grandfather had just passed away, GN had been thrown into disarray, and the company was in a difficult period. She’d been barely into her twenties, but she’d held everything together on her own and brought GN back on track. Her ambition ran deep, and her methods were tough.

As the years went by, that formidable strength had only sunk deeper into her bones.

Han Qingshi didn’t even have to speak for the people around her to watch her face.

Like earlier. Han Shuyan had accidentally glimpsed one of Han Qingshi’s emails. Before her aunt said a word, she’d apologized and moved to the front seat.

That was one reason Han Shuyan was wary of Han Qingshi. There was another: Han Qingshi had always been too accomplished.

From the time Han Shuyan was old enough to understand, her parents and teachers had compared her with Han Qingshi. She could never measure up. No matter how well she did, she still got, “Oh, but she’s not as good as your aunt.”

That shadow had taken root in her mind. In time, fearing Han Qingshi had become instinctive.

If it weren’t for that, she probably wouldn’t have gone after Mu Xia.

Mu Xia was like another Han Qingshi. She could leave Han Shuyan struggling for breath without even trying.

Seeing Han Shuyan zone out in front of her, Han Qingshi drew her brows together and sharpened her tone. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”

Han Shuyan came back to herself and quickly nodded. “I heard you. I’ll come home more often.”

Han Qingshi didn’t reply. Silence settled over the car.

When they returned to the old house, Han Shuyan’s parents, Han Mingzhe and Yang Yan, had already arranged dinner.

They were both principal musicians in an orchestra and spent most of the year flying around the world on tour. They rarely had a chance to spend a few peaceful days with their family.

This time, they’d finally had a little free time, so they’d called Han Shuyan and asked her to come home. Then, worried she’d have a hard time getting there by herself, they’d asked Han Qingshi to leave work early and pick her up. Otherwise, Han Qingshi wouldn’t have spent nearly two hours “taking care of” a niece she wasn’t close to.

At the table, Han Mingzhe didn’t fuss over manners. He ate as he talked with Han Qingshi about work, while Yang Yan focused on fussing over their daughter, worried she might have suffered even the slightest injustice at school.

Perhaps she’d gone so long without feeling her parents’ concern that Han Shuyan couldn’t help telling them she was on track to get the top recommendation for grad school.

Yang Yan’s face lit up. “Qingshi was first in her combined bachelor’s and master’s program, wasn’t she? And now Yanyan is first for the grad school recommendation. At last, you’ve caught up with your aunt.”

Even Han Mingzhe dropped his stern-father act long enough to praise his daughter. Han Qingshi was the only one who remained silent.

Han Shuyan felt uneasy. Timidly, she asked, “Aunt, aren’t you happy for me? I got into grad school.”

Han Qingshi put down her chopsticks and picked up her napkin, lightly dabbing her lips. Then she looked at Han Shuyan. “Didn’t you say you had an off day on the written exam and came in second? The interview hasn’t even started yet. Why are you so certain you’ll get in first?”

Han Qingshi’s question hit the mark. Han Shuyan panicked, and her hand trembled around her chopsticks. She forced herself to stay calm. “The person who came in first made a serious mistake on the project and lost her recommendation. I happened to know how to fix the problem, so I was able to help in an emergency. That counts as extra credit. And my own ranking is good, so first place is practically guaranteed.”

“Is that so?” Han Qingshi asked with a smile. It should have sounded like a joke, but there was an unmistakable pressure beneath it. “Professor Chen told me that the student had found the problem and optimized the code a long time ago. Someone deliberately deleted her work, and that caused the mistake.”

Clack! The chopsticks slipped from Han Shuyan’s hand and fell to the floor. Her lips turned pale. She tried to smile, but the strained expression on her face was grotesque.

Her reaction confirmed a few things.

When Mu Xia had told her about the incident the night before, tearfully and full of grievances, Han Qingshi had considered calling Chen Deping to confirm the story. She’d been too busy to get to it that day.

Then Han Shuyan’s words had matched the “she” Mu Xia had described. Even then, Han Qingshi had wanted to give her another chance. A single probing question had been enough to get her answer.

“Yanyan, you should win first place on your own merit,” Han Qingshi said plainly.

Han Mingzhe and Yang Yan had no idea what was going on. Han Shuyan understood perfectly. Furious and humiliated, she stood up and shouted, “Even without this, I would’ve gotten into grad school!”

Han Qingshi leaned back against the chair, her posture straight and her face cold as frost. “But you wouldn’t have gotten in first. Yanyan, no one ever taught you to use underhanded methods to earn yourself an honor.”

“!” Han Shuyan’s strength drained away, and she slumped back into her chair.

At last, Han Mingzhe and Yang Yan began to understand what had happened. Both looked appalled. But it was a family matter, and with Han Qingshi present, they couldn’t openly blow up. They could only hold it in.

Han Qingshi had no such hesitation. She said exactly what she thought. “Go apologize. Tell your teacher what happened and have the school give her back her recommendation.”

“Aunt!” Han Shuyan stared at her in disbelief. “You’re my own aunt. How can you side with a stranger you’ve never even met? If I admit what I did, how am I supposed to show my face at school?”

Han Shuyan’s refusal to show remorse made Han Qingshi’s expression visibly darken.

Han Mingzhe knew his younger sister’s temper. From childhood on, no one—not even their elders—had dared speak to her like that. Worried that Han Shuyan would make things worse, he stepped in to mediate. “Qingshi, she’s young and made a foolish mistake. Let’s let it go this time. Yang Yan and I will give her a good scolding later.”

Han Qingshi’s parents had died when she was young. Han Mingzhe had taken on the responsibility of being both brother and father to her, and she was grateful to him. If this had been about anything else, she might have turned a blind eye and let it pass. But this—

Han Qingshi rose. The coldness in her eyes couldn’t hide her anger. “Let it go? How? She made a mistake, and now another innocent girl has to pay for it. What did that girl ever owe her?”

With that, Han Qingshi left the old house without hesitation.

A little while later, she returned to her own place and stood alone on the balcony, letting the wind blow over her.

On the way back, Han Mingzhe and Yang Yan had called her three times, each time asking her to go easy on Han Shuyan. In the end, they’d even brought up GN. If the story got out, they said, it could damage GN’s reputation. The company had more than a hundred thousand employees to support. It couldn’t afford to have people take advantage of the scandal and kick it while it was down.

If Han Qingshi had cared about that sort of thing, she could never have taken the helm of a company as large as GN in her early twenties. What she cared about was her relationship with Han Mingzhe.

In the end, Han Qingshi called her assistant, Zhao Jiahui, and compromised. “Use GN’s targeted talent program as the reason. Add one more graduate school recommendation at A University’s School of Computer Science.”

Zhao Jiahui asked, “Who should get it?”

Han Qingshi replied, “The student ranked first overall in the program. Mu Xia.”