Chapter 2: Were You an Excavator Student?  

Everyone has their own habits in life, and possessing a clear concept of time ought to be a merit.

Shangguan Ning herself did not like being late either, and she took the blame for this matter on this particular occasion.

Therefore, she apologized sincerely, “I’m very, very sorry. I just ran into some issue. I’m on the way there now. You can start without me.”

“Then please hurry up. I will wait for you.” The voice on the other side of cell phone still sounded displeased.

Shangguan Ning felt weird after hanging up. It was hard to describe the bizarre feeling,

Were they on... a date?

Goosebumps spread over Shangguan Ning when she thought about this word.

They had just eaten dinner once, and Guo Shuai wanted to treat her back today. They were co-workers and could run into each other every single day. That made it difficult to turn him down.

She was a teacher at University of X after she returned to China. Both she and Guo Shuai were the teachers for freshmen students. She belonged to the Department of Foreign Languages whilst Guo Shuai belonged to the Department of Chinese Language.

They had run into one other on different occasions and greeted each other with smiles. They had also exchanged a few words but had never gone further than that. Several days ago, they accidentally ended up eating a dinner together, and out of politeness, Shangguan Ning shared the bill, which Guo Shuai did not disagree with.

That was all. It was far from an actual “date”, wasn’t it?

Yet conversations on cell phones did not work well. She expected to put forward a clearer explanation face-to-face on the spot.

Shangguan Ning drove at such a high speed that she used only ten minutes to finish the fifteen-minute drive. She finally arrived at the western restaurant.

She put on a black woolen coat, grabbed her handbag and walked into the restaurant.

There were few guests at the restaurant. It was probably because the restaurant was new. It took her seconds before she found Guo Shuai, who was sitting at a seat by the window.

Mr. Guo Shuai was 32 years old, a graduate with a Doctor’s Degree from a second-rated domestic university. His skin was slightly tanned and he wore a pair of glasses with golden frame. He did look cultured and educated like a teacher, with a height, couple of centimeters more than that of Shangguan Ning’s 168cm. He had a slightly bloated shape and an ordinary look. It seemed that he was quite far from what his parents had expected in his name – the “handsomeness”.

Shangguan Ning put on a pair of flat-sole shoes on purpose today. She was aware of Gao Shuai’s feelings regarding height.

She walked to the table and sat down. She picked up a glass and sipped the lemon water before saying calmly, “I’m so sorry for being late, Mr. Guo.”

Actually, Guo Shuai had already spotted her the moment Shangguan Ning walked in, but he pretended that he had not seen her at all. At this moment, he gave a slight nod and replied with a nonchalant “hmm”.

Women were not to be spoiled, especially those like Shangguan Ning who used to live abroad, and who possessed both charisma and beauty, otherwise they were definitely going to rip the roof away later in life

However, it was undeniable that Shangguan Ning was a rare beauty. Although she looked tired and wore no makeup, she was still so elegant and refined.

Guo Shuai could hardly get angry in front of such an exquisite face.

But he did not show much enthusiasm to Shangguan Ning either, because she did not seem to care so much about him at all.

“Ms. Shangguan, we are both well-educated people, and you especially. You have been abroad before, but... oh yes, it was just to a tiny place like New Zealand, wasn’t it? Do people in New Zealand tend to be impolite and come to meetings late?”

Shangguan Ning frowned. She had thought of him as someone kind and friendly. He could have been a little morally lofty, but after all he was a good teacher who was devoted to literature. Today, however, he acted more like a 20-year-old young cynic.

“Ning, what are you frowning at?” he asked.

Ning! Was he calling her by that now?

He had addressed her Ms. Shangguan a moment ago. How did he suddenly became such a close person to her? Goosebumps spread over Shangguan Ning’s white, tender arms.

“I am a few years older than you, so I can teach you something. What women need most, is to be nursed with love. Don’t set your standards too high. You aren’t a young girl and you are getting older and older, meaning that you are getting cheaper and cheaper. At the moment, you are lucky to marry someone so excellent like me, but as time goes by, you will have no choice but to marry the security guards at our university gate! Why didn’t your parents tell you anything...”

Before Guo Shuai finished his words, Shangguan Ning smashed down the glass on the table so loudly that the other guests turned their heads towards this direction.

She did not care about the strange look of others around her. She was trying hard not to spill the lemon water onto the man sitting opposite her.

She had already been in a sour mood. She had shown politeness towards Guo Shuai only because she felt guilty for being late. But by this moment, it was clear that the man was picking on her. What was the point of not fighting back!

“Mr. Guo, you didn’t brush your teeth before leaving home today, did you?” she asked.

Guo Shuai did not quite catch Shangguan Ning’s words, so he threw a glare at her, meaning that he didn’t understand her at all.

Shangguan Ning didn’t wait for his reply before saying unceremoniously, “Because your mouth stinks!”

“You...”

“I have not only been to New Zealand. I have travelled to Great Britain, America, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and so on! Men from those countries are all gentle and friendly. Why do I keep running into these single hicks after I returned to China?”

“What do you mean by hicks? Who are you referring to here??”

Shangguan Ning ignored Guo Shuai who had already gotten extremely angry.

She replied in a mocking tone, “Mr. Guo, you really studied hard to come to this University being a vocational school student. What was your major? Could it have been the studies of excavators? Because you are very interested in digging pits and jumping into them yourself. If you want to compliment me, just say so. No one would ever care or understand your roundabouts.”

“You...”

“No wonder Mr. Guo talks like a hick. You must have done a great deal of digging, so that even a Master’s Degree or Doctor’s Degree can’t help to hide up your hick characteristics. Don’t feel less of others, I am not laughing at your background, I am just looking down at your moral qualities.”

“I...”

“You think you are better than the guards at University of X? No, no, no. Those guards might not be as learned as you, but they are morally better than you in every single way. Did you come to University of X through a back-door passage? If not, wouldn’t that be too much a risk for the school to allow an excavator student to teach the Chinese language?”

As a matter of fact, Guo Shuai was indeed quite learned, and he hadn’t come in through back-door passage. Shangguan Ning was just trying to piss him off.

Guo Shuai was feeling more and more agitated. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was trying hard to hold back or because he was too pissed.

He stood up abruptly, his face already twisted.

He lifted his chin and replied in a disdainful voice, “Shangguan Ning, you will definitely pay for what you said today. Bah!”

With these words, he took his things and stormed out.

Good... he’s finally gone. The world was finally quiet.

The restaurant was decorated in a European style, with a classical air going around. The music played there was low and melodious. It was a wonderful place for food.

Shangguan Ning removed her coat and gestured to the waitress. “Take the order here, please.”

The steak was tender and fresh, effusing out tempting scents. The pasta tasted smooth and delicious, whilst the vegetable salad turned out to be a great appetizer when served with Chinese style corn-pea porridge. Shangguan Ning, who was so hungry, felt very satisfied after consuming the dishes.

She had thrown away all the unpleasantness, and devoted herself completely to the wonderful food.

She drank half a glass of lemon water after eating. On the way to the counter, a short-hair girl in a light grey Prada blouse came to the seat in front of her.

Shangguan Ning got slightly surprised. “Anan, what are you doing here?”

Zhao Anan brushed away her short hair in a cool way whilst a bright smile hovered over her face. “This is my restaurant. Any problem with the Boss inspecting the place?”