Chapter 183: A Chance Encounter with Gu Yunsheng

As soon as Yu Min'er's art exhibition opened, it once again hit the trending search list.

[Min'er is such a talented little fairy!]
[What a treasure of a girl! Singing, acting, and painting—she's amazing at all of them!]
[So in love with this!]
[Both daughters of the Yu family are incredible.]
[Hands off Shen Qing, the Yu family doesn't deserve her!]
[Pardon my frankness, but Shen Qing is way too rough. Don't compare Min'er to Shen Qing.]
[How on earth is Qingqing rough? Why don't you try making a contribution yourself if you've got the skills? She's still much better than those who only know how to cash in.]
[Just based on academic scores alone, our Min'er leaves Shen Qing miles behind!]
[Even the principal of First High said Shen Qing scored 745 on the joint examination. My math isn't great, but that should be over a hundred points higher than what's-her-name, right?!]
[It was totally plagiarized. Having a powerful background lets you do whatever you want.]
[Does Yu Min'er not have a background? Otherwise, why are there so many internet trolls whitewashing her?]
……

Shen Qing bought three plane tickets and headed to the capital with Nie Huan and Nie Yu. Erniu was left behind to be cared for at Madam Lin's place.

"Miss Shen." Lan Xinqiao was there to pick them up at the airport.
"Mm, this is my friend." Shen Qing indicated Nie Huan.
"Oh, hello, I'm Lan Xinqiao." Lan Xinqiao greeted Nie Huan with a smile.
Nie Huan nodded and replied politely, "Nie Huan."

"Miss Shen, will you be staying at the Lan family residence today?"
"No, I've booked a hotel."
Lan Xinqiao was slightly taken aback. No hotel could possibly match the hospitality of the Lan estate.

Ignoring Lan Xinqiao, Shen Qing turned to speak with Nie Huan, "You and Nie Yu go ahead to the hotel. I'm going somewhere with her."
Nie Huan smiled and nodded, "Alright."

Lan Xinqiao arranged a car for Nie Huan and her companion before leaving with Shen Qing.

The car stopped at the entrance of Research Institute 609. Lan Xinqiao got out first and opened the car door for Shen Qing.
"Customs discovered traces of Devil's Tear in a batch of imported goods from Country M. It's not confirmed yet, and tests are currently underway," Lan Xinqiao said, walking side by side with Shen Qing at a brisk pace.
"Alright, let's go take a look first," Shen Qing narrowed her eyes.
"Huh? Miss Shen, are you wearing perfume today?" Lan Xinqiao leaned closer to Shen Qing and sniffed.
In her memory, Shen Qing never used such things.
"Oh, I was scented by incense," Shen Qing replied indifferently, slipping her right hand into her pocket.
Lan Xinqiao glanced over and caught a glimpse of a small silver sphere flashing, though she didn't pay much attention to it.

Just as the two walked up to the elevator, the doors opened to reveal two people in white lab coats, one of whom was sitting in a wheelchair.
Shen Qing lowered her gaze for a glance, her eyes narrowing slightly. The woman in the wheelchair bore a fifty percent resemblance to Gu Ting.
"Professor Gu," Lan Xinqiao greeted Gu Yunsheng with a smile.
"Eldest Miss Lan," Gu Yunsheng smiled faintly, her gaze then shifting to Shen Qing. Her eyes lit up slightly—it was an exceptionally pretty young girl with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and features as delicate as a doll.

Noticing that Gu Yunsheng kept staring at her, Shen Qing gave a slight nod in greeting.

"Professor Gu, we have matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave first," Lan Xinqiao said with a smile as she stepped into the elevator.
"Alright, you go ahead and be busy," Gu Yunsheng smiled at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing curved her lips slightly, nodded softly at Gu Yunsheng, and stepped into the elevator as well.

Even as the elevator doors closed, Gu Yunsheng continued looking in their direction, showing no intention of leaving immediately.
"Professor? Professor?" Her student reminded her softly.
"Hmm?" Gu Yunsheng snapped out of her reverie, "What is it?"
The student smiled, "Professor, how is it that you freeze in your tracks every time you see a pretty young girl?"
"Alright, let's keep going," Gu Yunsheng turned her head away. The feeling that young girl had given her just now was somewhat familiar, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

***

"Miss Shen, I got the feeling you and Professor Gu knew each other?" Lan Xinqiao asked once they stepped out of the elevator.
Shen Qing turned her head slightly, pulled a lab coat from the cabinet to put on, and answered flatly, "I don't know her."
"Oh." Lan Xinqiao dropped the subject, put on her lab coat, and led the way toward the testing laboratory further inside.

By the time Shen Qing emerged from 609, the sky had already grown dark. Lan Xinqiao was still inside and hadn't come out yet.
Shen Qing walked over to the car, leaned half her body against it, took out her phone, and dialed an international long-distance number.

Once the call connected, a man's voice came through, asking in accented, halting Mandarin: "What is it, little Qingqing?"