20demayo Chapter 120 You're Professor Zhou's Future Son-in-Law
Chapter 120 You're Professor Zhou's Future Son-in-Law
About an hour later, Zhang Qian returned.
It was just time for dinner, and the three of them, as usual, went to the barbecue stall near the school gate for beer, skewers, and chatting.
When we arrived at our usual barbecue stall, the owner had just set up the grill and lit the charcoal. Seeing that customers were already arriving, he greeted them, "Come on in, have a seat first. The fire will be ready soon. Same as always, thirty meat skewers and half a dozen beers to start."
Wang Jie said to the boss, "Give me twenty more roasted chicken wings, ten large kidneys, and chilled Tsingtao beer, I want Tsingtao beer, canned."
Zhang Qian panicked a little and quickly said, "Did we order too much? Can you finish it?"
Wang Jie smiled, nudged Zhang Qian, and said, "Sit down, it's my treat today, order whatever you like."
Jian Zheng pulled over a small stool, sat down, and said, "You're treating? Is something good happening?"
Wang Jie sat down as well, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I'm in a good mood today because something good has happened."
Jian Zheng and Zhang Qian asked in unison, "What good news? Tell us."
Wang Jie wanted to say that Zhou Yanruo had finally contacted him; she had sent him a message and they had even talked on the phone. But he changed his mind and said, "Professor Qian gave me a bonus."
Zhang Qian immediately pressed, "How much of a bonus did you receive? Professor Qian isn't exactly generous."
Five thousand yuan.
"Damn! So much! You've struck it rich! That's almost half a year's salary for me!" Zhang Qian said enviously. "I want to order twenty more tendons. I'm going to eat like a tycoon today."
After saying that, he added, "Professor Qian isn't trying to bribe you, is he?"
Wang Jie glared at Zhang Qian and said with dissatisfaction, "What did you bribe me for? It's not like you only gave me a bonus, Senior Brother Mengqi got one too."
"Don't misunderstand, what I mean is that Professor Qian has always admired you so much, but I'm not trying to persuade you not to go abroad and to join his research group instead. I heard that Professor Qian is currently very popular in Beijing, and the university and the province are paying close attention to him. His research funding has been approved without any obstacles. I expect the bonuses to be substantial as well."
Jian Zheng said, "You only saw the money. You didn't see how much hardship they endured when they were doing project research and visiting the area around Cuihu Lake. They suffered so many scornful looks and were even chased and beaten by villagers."
"Hehe, that's true, but can you manage without money? Wang Jie also worked odd jobs to earn tuition fees, otherwise he wouldn't be able to go abroad, right, Wang Jie?"
Wang Jie lowered his head and remained silent.
"Tch," Jian Zheng didn't want to continue the topic. He blinked, looked at Wang Jie, and asked, "So, there's more than just this one thing, isn't there?"
“You’re the most cunning one; nothing can be hidden from you.” Wang Jie looked up, a shy expression on his face, and said, “Zhou Yanruo sent me a message; we even talked on the phone this afternoon.”
"Who is Zhou Yanruo?" Zhang Qian asked.
“Wang Jie’s girlfriend, hey, don’t interrupt, keep going. How is Zhou Yanruo doing now? She’s been back in Beijing for almost half a month, right?” Jian Zheng explained to Zhang Qian, and urged Wang Jie to tell him about Zhou Yanruo’s recent situation. After all, they had been through so much together, and it was understandable that he was worried about a young girl who had left Xichuan with such feelings.
Wang Jie said, "She's doing well now. She's already gone to class, and it's her favorite acting class."
"Acting class? Isn't she repeating a year to prepare for next year's college entrance exam? I remember she said that her family didn't agree with her studying acting, and when she was in Xichuan, she had to sneak into your training class."
"Yes, she did say that. Now her parents have changed their attitude. They not only support her to study acting, but also used their connections to get her into the actor training class for the large-scale ancient costume drama 'Dream Back to Dawn.' If she is selected and participates in the filming, she will have the opportunity to study at the Beijing Film Academy."
Jian Zheng said with relief, "That's great! Zhou Yanruo's parents have finally come to their senses and are still supporting her like this. Zhou Yanruo's efforts have finally paid off, and I'm happy for her. You should definitely treat us to a celebration!"
Zhang Qian said, "Weren't you going abroad? How come you have a girlfriend?"
"It must be fate," Wang Jie said with a look of satisfaction.
"What will you do if you go abroad?" Zhang Qian pressed.
"You have such a sharp tongue. Don't bring up things that are hard to talk about. The young couple is already in enough trouble. If you ask me, who cares? When fate comes, you can't stop it. You might as well accept it and take it one step at a time. God will take care of things."
Wang Jie said, "That's what I thought too, and that's how I came to understand it."
Zhang Qian said, "I saw in the newspaper that the classic novel 'Dreaming Back to Dawn' is going to be adapted into a TV series. They are currently casting actors nationwide, and there will be three months of training. Only those who pass the selection process can play roles in the series. What does Zhou Yanruo's family do? They seem to have quite a few connections."
"You haven't met Zhou Yanruo. She has the ability herself, okay? Don't just say she got in through connections." Jian Zheng heard Zhang Qian's implication that Zhou Yanruo relied on connections and retorted directly.
Wang Jie honestly revealed everything, "Zhou Yanruo has the ability, but it was indeed her mother who asked her student to help her get in."
Zhang Qian rolled his eyes at Jian Zheng, his meaning clear: "See? See? I told you you need connections to get in." But he phrased it more tactfully: "Getting in through the national selection isn't easy, but you also need to have some ability. You just said she's her mother's student? Her mother is a teacher?"
“He’s a professor, a professor from Tsinghua or Peking University,” Jian Zheng replied proudly on behalf of Wang Jie.
"Wow, professors from Tsinghua and Peking University, that's amazing. Which department are they from?" Zhang Qian has been working in the lab recently and has met several professors and students from Tsinghua and Peking University. He has come to worship the two universities.
"It's like you think you know someone just because I tell you which department they're from. You've been in contact with people from Tsinghua and Peking University for over a month, and now you think you're one of them too? Wake up," Jian Zheng said dismissively.
Wang Jie thought for a moment and said, "I don't know which department she's in, but her parents have been coming to Xichuan a lot lately, so they probably have some kind of collaboration with some university here."
"Are you stupid? There are only a handful of universities in the entire Jiangsu province that can partner with Tsinghua and Peking University, let alone Xichuan. I'm guessing it's our school, no doubt about it." Zhang Qian couldn't hide his excitement and asked, "What are her parents' last names?"
“I don’t know what her father’s last name is? Oh my god! Your sudden exclamation has confused me. Of course, her father’s last name is Zhou.” Wang Jie thought for a moment and then said, “When I went to her house, I heard her grandmother calling her mother, calling her Yang Man.”
"I...I...I'm so excited! Yang Man! Professor Yang is Professor Zhou's wife. It all matches up, her father is Professor Zhou." Zhang Qian was so excited that he couldn't speak coherently, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "You're Professor Zhou's future son-in-law!"
"Holy crap! Zhou Yanruo is actually the daughter of Professor Zhou, whom I admire most! Wang Jie, you're awesome!"
Wang Jie was completely bewildered by the two idiots in front of him.
He was also surprised and shocked that Zhou Yanruo was Professor Zhou's daughter, but why was it that he, Wang Jie, was the one who was awesome?
The barbecue stall owner walked over, holding a handful of lamb skewers in his left hand and a handful of grilled chicken wings in his right. "You guys eat first, the rest will come later, and you can get your own beer."