Rows of lush and towering phoenix trees lined the roadside neatly, their dense foliage creating a shaded pathway. Groups of students, clutching their books, moved in clusters through the tree-lined path, filling the air with the unmistakable ambiance of academia. The scene stirred a deep nostalgia in Zuo Ning, as if he had been transported back to his university days. The sight of students riding their bicycles between faculty buildings felt like it had only been yesterday, yet so much had changed.
Lu Chenghe noticed Zuo Ning peering out of the window and gently ruffled his hair before reminding him, “You need to behave at school. If anything happens, call me immediately. Be cautious about making friends. I trust you can tell the good from the bad. Keep your phone and wallet with you at all times, and remember my number by heart. After school, don’t wander off. The driver will be here to pick you up.”
Zuo Ning turned to him with a deadpan expression. “You’ve already repeated this a dozen times since yesterday. I could recite your phone number backward. If you’re this worried, why insist on sending me to school?”
Lu Chenghe flicked his fingers lightly against Zuo Ning’s forehead before stepping out of the car at the faculty building. Zuo Ning hurried to follow. Rumor had it that an esteemed professor would be teaching a three-month course at the university. Students could enroll for credit, but non-university attendees had to secure audit privileges, and competition for spots was fierce.
Zuo Ning assumed that such a sought-after course would be from a powerhouse field like finance, only to be caught off guard—it was modern history. Staring at the textbook in his hands, he was momentarily speechless. He had considered that Lu Chenghe might send him to study something academic, maybe even a language-intensive program, but he had never expected him to enroll him in modern history. Back in school, history had been his designated nap time, and to this day, his historical knowledge barely extended beyond the chronological order of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Anything before or after—movements, wars, revolutions—was a complete blur to him.
He could somewhat grasp Lu Chenghe’s intention—perhaps to encourage him to understand human society on a deeper level. But all he could think was that he had a habit of bringing trouble upon himself, stepping on his own toes over and over again without learning his lesson.
Following Lu Chenghe into the professor’s office, he noticed the teacher had been waiting. Zuo Ning had no idea how many benefits Lu Chenghe had promised the university to get him admitted, but judging by the professor’s attitude, it had likely been quite the sum, perhaps even enough to fund a new building. Standing beside the professor was a slightly older student. His features weren’t particularly striking, but he had a calm and pleasant demeanor.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the professor, Lu Chenghe gestured toward Zuo Ning. “I’ll be relying on you to take good care of him.”
The professor adjusted his glasses with a smile. “No need to worry, Mr. Lu. Ding Rui, show Lu Ning around. Did you bring your books?”
Zuo Ning nodded, and the professor added, “Once you’re familiar with the surroundings, head to class. Don’t forget to wear your student ID badge. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me.”
Zuo Ning glanced at Lu Chenghe, who gave him a nod of approval. With that, he followed Ding Rui out.
Leaving the professor’s office, Zuo Ning couldn’t help but sigh. He was back to the life of a student.
Seeing his expression, Ding Rui chuckled. “I’ll be looking after you throughout this course, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
Zuo Ning gave him a questioning look. “Looking after me the whole time? Is this how your university treats all audit students—assigning them a personal guide?”
Back in his own university days, there had been plenty of audit students, but never had they been given this kind of one-on-one supervision. And certainly not for the entire duration of the course. This wasn’t kindergarten.
Ding Rui seemed slightly surprised by his response. “Isn’t this what your guardian requested? Normally, exchange or audit students from other schools are briefly introduced to the campus by a student representative, given their study materials, and then left to handle classes on their own. But your professor told me this was your guardian’s instruction. Apparently, they were worried that you might struggle to adapt to a university-level environment due to your young age.”
Zuo Ning let out an awkward laugh. “Well, just let me do what the others do. You don’t have to babysit me. I can take care of myself.”
Ding Rui smiled lightly, but neither agreed nor refused. While universities were often seen as havens—ivory towers untouched by the outside world—they weren’t necessarily pure, either. Like any other place, they were saturated with competing interests.
Take the boy standing in front of him, for instance—it was obvious that he had gotten in through connections. Under normal circumstances, a student who hadn’t even entered university yet wouldn’t be able to audit a course here. Rumor had it that the audit spot had been exchanged for several internship slots at Lu Corporation. Because Ding Rui was favored by the professor, he had been given the perfect opportunity to get close to someone influential. If he played his cards right, this could be a stepping stone for his future.
Naturally, Zuo Ning had no idea what was running through Ding Rui’s mind. After touring the buildings where he’d be attending classes and checking out a few dining halls, they arrived at the classroom just in time for the scheduled lecture.
As soon as they stepped inside, the previously lively room fell silent. Having never been a transfer student before, Zuo Ning felt a little out of place. But then, he spotted a familiar face among the students.
Before Ding Rui could introduce him to a few classmates, Zuo Ning broke into a bright grin and dashed toward the back of the room.
He slapped his palm down on a desk, startling the person engrossed in their textbook. The student looked up with a dazed expression.
Zuo Ning grinned. “What a coincidence! You’re taking this class, too?”
Lu Nianqi looked at the boy in front of him with a hint of confusion. He wasn’t someone with a photographic memory, but if they had ever crossed paths before, he wouldn’t have forgotten, especially someone this good-looking.
Seeing Lu Nianqi’s puzzled expression, Zuo Ning quickly realized the problem. He knew Lu Nianqi, but Lu Nianqi didn’t know him. Ever since Lu Nianqi moved out of the Lu family home, they hadn’t seen each other. Although they hadn’t met in person, he had occasionally received phone calls. Despite not visiting home often, Lu Nianqi would sometimes call to check in.
Even though he didn’t recognize the boy, Lu Nianqi remained polite. “Hello, may I ask who you are?”
Zuo Ning plopped down in front of him with a grin. “I’m Lu Ning. I’m friends with your second brother. I’ve seen you before, though you probably haven’t seen me. Chenghe didn’t mention you were taking this class, too. Aren’t the professor’s courses divided by year? If I remember correctly, you’re not a freshman.”
Upon hearing that he was his second brother’s friend, Lu Nianqi found it a little odd. Given his brother’s personality, his friends were usually elite professionals. So how did this boy, who clearly needed looking after, fit into that picture? Still, it wasn’t something people would just make up, so he smiled and explained, “Professor Jin isn’t a faculty member here. He often teaches short-term courses at various universities, and anyone interested can attend. His courses are highly sought after, so there aren’t many freshmen in this class—most students are in their third or fourth year.”
Zuo Ning let out an exaggerated “Wow.” “This professor is that incredible? Isn’t his course on modern history? I didn’t expect so many people to be interested in that.” He had assumed most people shared his reaction—hearing “history” and immediately wanting to nap.
Lu Nianqi chuckled. “Not everyone is here because they love modern history. The course counts for credit, and there’s no thesis or exams, so it’s a great deal. But Professor Jin’s lectures are genuinely engaging. Even those who signed up just for the credits usually end up absorbed in his teachings.”
Just then, Ding Rui approached with a smile. “Do you two know each other?”
Zuo Ning nodded. “Yeah, I do. I’ll just sit with him. Thanks. You’ve been really helpful.”
Ding Rui smiled. “No problem. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Zuo Ning responded with a quick “Mm-hmm” before casually settling in next to Lu Nianqi. Since class hadn’t started yet, he took out his phone and called Lu Chenghe.
Meanwhile, still parked outside the school, Lu Chenghe glanced toward the building where his little troublemaker was supposed to be in class. Seeing the incoming call display, he couldn’t help but smirk.
The moment the call connected, an excited voice rang out. “Chenghe, guess who I ran into at school?”
Lu Chenghe barely needed to think—among the people Little Pudding knew, the only one he could have bumped into at this university was Lu Nianqi.
Seeing that Lu Chenghe had guessed right so quickly, Zuo Ning glanced at Lu Nianqi and asked, “Are you free at noon? My next class isn’t until two, so I’ve got plenty of time to eat. Can we have lunch together?”
Lu Chenghe chuckled and told him to pass the phone to Lu Nianqi.
Taking the phone, Lu Nianqi greeted his older brother somewhat stiffly. He listened intently to the instructions given on the other end, responding with repeated acknowledgments until he finally handed the phone back to Zuo Ning, visibly relieved.
Upon hearing that his lunch invitation had been declined, Zuo Ning huffed in dissatisfaction. He listened to a few more words of caution before finally hanging up. When he turned back, he noticed that Lu Nianqi no longer seemed as at ease as he had been earlier. Amused, he teased, “Your brother isn’t going to eat you, so why are you so scared of him?”
Lu Nianqi shot back, “You’re not afraid?”
“Of course not. What’s there to be scared of?” Zuo Ning replied matter-of-factly, conveniently forgetting how timid he always was whenever he got himself into trouble.
The fact that his brother had specifically told him to look after this boy suggested they had a close relationship. Curious, Lu Nianqi asked, “Have you been friends with my brother for a long time? I only just returned to the Lu family, so I don’t know much.”
Zuo Ning smiled. “Not too long—just a little earlier than you.”
Lu Nianqi nodded. “My brother told me to take good care of you. You two must be really close. I’ve barely seen him interact with his friends. You might even be his first.”
Zuo Ning grinned. “Not just close—really, really close! If you ever mess up and make him mad, just come find me!”
Originally, Zuo Ning had been thrilled to have encountered someone familiar. He figured that the next three months would be easy with a companion around. What he hadn’t expected, however, was that instead of making his own life easier, he was about to bring quite a bit of trouble to Lu Nianqi.
