A Dignified Farewell

When Jiangbei returned to Wucheng, his admission notice was already waiting for him at home.

He had chosen to major in computer science, a natural decision given his keen interest in the internet and online games. Yang Xue, on the other hand, had opted for finance. In her words, “From now on, I’ll be a professional money player.”

To this, Jiangbei replied with a smile, “I think you’ll end up making off with the funds.”

Yang Xue was left speechless and exasperated.

Sometimes, Jiangbei’s sharp tongue really could leave people at a loss for words.

…

August was coming to an end. After submitting their university preferences, many students who had been admitted to prestigious universities, like Yang Xue, went on road trips. The thank-you banquet for teachers that Yang Xue had organized for their class had already taken place, but Jiangbei still hadn’t held his.

Now that he was back, he would soon be leaving for the imperial capital to start university life. Jiangbei considered it and, though he found it a bit troublesome, felt it was only right. Over the past three years of high school, his teachers—especially his homeroom teacher, Liu Tao—had taken good care of him. Not in terms of his daily life, but academically: because he performed well, teachers often turned a blind eye to his minor mischiefs, like dozing off in class.

Now that high school was over, he was bidding farewell to an exceptionally important chapter of his life. It seemed only fitting to say a proper goodbye to the wonderful people who had been part of it.

Jiangbei called each of his teachers, arranging a time to meet.

Liu Tao joked when he answered, “You rascal, I thought you’d forgotten all about your homeroom teacher after the college entrance exams.”

Jiangbei chuckled. He’d always thought Liu Tao was quite the character. “No way, sir. If I forget, it’ll have to be a few years down the line.”

Liu Tao laughed. “Jiangbei, you’ve always known how to talk your way around things.”

With the time set, Jiangbei next called the Hilton Hotel. He still had restaurant manager Xiao Wei’s number from last time, so it was easy to make arrangements.

The venue was confirmed for the following evening.

…

While the teachers sipped on a little wine, Jiangbei, who disliked the taste of alcohol, stuck to soft drinks.

Liu Tao was in high spirits. In all his years of teaching, Jiangbei was his first student to top the province in science. That was part of the reason, but above all, Liu Tao truly admired him.

“Jiangbei, since I’m not your teacher anymore,” Liu Tao said, emboldened by a few extra drinks, “let me be straight with you. You’re really smart—tell me honestly, did you intentionally not aim for the national top scorer in science?”

Jiangbei smiled and took a sip of his drink. “Sir, I promised you I’d be the provincial top scorer. You never mentioned anything about being number one in the country.”

Liu Tao was momentarily dumbfounded.

He quickly recovered and slapped his forehead. “Ah, I underestimated you!”

The other teachers burst out laughing.

“Old Liu, just think how much bonus money you’ve missed out on because of that oversight.”

“Yeah, not to mention the bonuses we lost out on as well.”

“That’s right, Old Liu, you’re responsible for this!”

“Enough, enough!” Liu Tao waved his hand, though he was genuinely a little regretful about the lost bonus. But only a little.

He turned to Jiangbei. “So, you’re saying that if I’d asked you to be the national top scorer, you could have done it?”

Jiangbei nodded. Grade manipulation was a skill, after all. Achieving a perfect score was actually easier than controlling his marks.

“You little rascal… I just don’t get it. You could have done better, so why didn’t you?”

After a moment’s thought, Jiangbei replied, “Because there’s no real need. Scores only need to be as high as necessary.”

The teachers were silent for a moment.

“Jiangbei, if you put your mind to it, you’d make a name for yourself in no time,” Liu Tao said with conviction.

Glasses clinked and laughter filled the air. The banquet was a cheerful affair, free from empty formalities. Liu Tao and the others enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Time slipped by, and soon it was time to say goodbye.

“There’s no such thing as a feast that never ends, but gifts can stay in your home for a very long time,” Jiangbei said. “Please wait a moment—I asked the hotel to prepare some small gifts for you.”

The teachers tried to refuse but to no avail.

A few minutes later, they were all stunned.

Small gifts? Each was handed a case of Maotai liquor and a box of premium cigarettes.

“Jiangbei, we know your family’s well-off, but this is far too generous…”

“No, no, it’s not like that. Actually, I’ve come into some money recently,” Jiangbei said earnestly. “A benefactor fell from the sky and gave me a lot of money, telling me to spend it as I liked. I’m just following his instructions. Besides, you’ve taught me for three years—you know what kind of person I am.”

Indeed, they did.

The teachers smiled. On their way home, each of them felt, perhaps for a very long time, they’d remember this extraordinary student named Jiangbei.

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

“Xiaoxue, I’m planning to head to the capital tomorrow or the day after. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to wait until the end of the month?”

The cicadas were still chirping incessantly in the afternoon heat.

Dragonflies skimmed the surface of the lake, occasionally landing on the fishing floats, mischievously creating the illusion that a fish was biting.

Perhaps it was deliberate.

Yang Xue turned to look at Jiangbei, still feeling rather vexed. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she’d let herself be talked into this—fishing by the lake in the sweltering heat.

Though a parasol shaded them from most of the sun, the pervasive heat still made her feel like a piece of barbecue on the grill.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

It wouldn’t be long before, with a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder, she’d be quite delicious.

“There’s still a week before registration. Why are you going so early?” Yang Xue asked curiously.

Jiangbei, eyes fixed on the float, didn’t even glance her way. “I don’t think I want to live in the dormitory, so I plan to buy a villa near the university. I checked online—there’s a place called Peach Blossom Spring Villas, about a fifteen-minute walk from campus. I’ll see if I can buy one.”

Yang Xue was speechless.

A villa next to Huaqing University in the capital? That’s got to be over fifty thousand per square meter.

She was momentarily shocked, then quickly came to terms with it. She knew Jiangbei was now extremely wealthy. Fifty thousand a square meter was hardly an issue for him.

“So if we go early, where will we stay?” she asked.

“We’ll find a hotel,” Jiangbei replied.

“Just the two of us?”

At last, Jiangbei turned to her. “Don’t worry. You’re my friend.”

He emphasized the word “friend.”

Yang Xue’s sun-flushed cheeks immediately darkened. “Thank you so much,” she said sarcastically.

Jiangbei laughed. “No need to thank me. What about you—will you stay in the dorm, or do you want to live off-campus? I could buy two villas and leave one for you. I hear property prices in the capital rise quickly—by the time we graduate, I might even make a profit.”

Yang Xue was speechless once more.