Chapter 51: Chapter 50 There is Warmth in the World
Zhou Xujang hung up the phone, his mind still filled with doubts.
He always saw Qiao Ze as a special kid, so special that it didn't make any difference whether he was in class or not.
That was also why Qiao Ze had never been moved to another class.
After all, the number of times he actually came to class and sat quietly for a lesson could be counted on one hand.
The teachers didn't really have any objections.
Of course, Zhou Xujang knew that Qiao Ze wasn't dumb, quite the opposite, his IQ was probably very high.
But that kid was genuinely.. mad in the head!
Having taught for more than a decade, Zhou Xujang had never seen a student who criticized exam questions.
Not just regular exams, but even being particular about whether the math Olympiad questions were up to standard, almost causing the school's hard-won math Olympiad teacher to throw in the towel!
Of course, the kid's mother was quite something herself...
He had no choice but to recommend Qiao Ze to Yu Chenggong, with whom he had a good relationship on regular days.
A couple of days ago, he had received a phone call from Lu Xiuxiu.
She was full of thanks over the phone, even saying that her child had signed with Xilin University of Technology, and he was still wondering if there had been some mistake.
After all, he had only asked Yu to help out a bit, just to fudge things over. Who knew that the kid would actually get recruited?
Qiao Ze's condition... who could stand it?!
Who would have thought that today he'd get a call, urgently needing to transfer the student's records, and even wanting to thank him in person?
It really did feel a bit like a fairy tale!
No, he would have to have a good talk with Yu Chenggong tonight to find out exactly what was going on with that kid, Qiao Ze!
He had given up hope, but now it turned out he might even get an extra bonus?!
...
At the same time, Lu Xiuxiu also felt like she was living through a fairy tale.
The supermarket was disbursing salaries.
Xiao, the boss, garnered complaints for his timing of salary payments.
He would only pay them on the twenty-fifth of every month.
But one thing was for sure, he never delayed a day, when the date came, payment was guaranteed.
But the problem was, her normal salary of three thousand, Xiao had actually called her personally into his office and directly transferred five thousand to her via WeChat.
To know that Xiao, the boss, was a nice person, but he valued money quite a bit.
It could even be said that he was miserly to a degree.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone three years without a salary increase.
"Xiao Lu, take this money, but remember, don't tell anyone else about it, alright?"
After transferring the money, Xiao the boss spoke very seriously.
"But, what do you mean by this, Boss Xiao?"
"Ahh, you know, my second kid, your big nephew, he's kind of, what do you call it, ah, yes, a schoolmate with your Qiao Ze now! When you go to the school to work later, you are definitely going to have chances to meet those big professors; just put in a good word for your big nephew then."
"But, Boss Xiao, how can I meet any big professors!"
"Haha, you don't have confidence in yourself, you don't have confidence in your kid either? Teacher Yu himself said that Qiao Ze is a once-in-a-century genius! Anyway, just take the money, remember, I see you and your daughter as family!"
After finishing, Xiao the boss promptly ushered Lu Xiuxiu out of the office.
An increase of two thousand to her monthly salary meant an extra twenty-four thousand in expenses a year, something Xiao himself was definitely reluctant to part with.
But Lu Xiuxiu was going to start working at the school in August, wasn't she?
Spending six thousand to cultivate a good relationship was still acceptable.
Just with a slight twinge of pain in his heart...
Yeah, summer's just around the corner, and a ten-cent increase per bottle of soda shouldn't be an issue, right? If the convenience store next door dares to sell it for three yuan, and theirs is only two yuan six, that's reasonable, isn't it?
...
Xilin City.
Qiao Ze was trying on a pair of glasses frames.
Su Mucheng had personally picked them out for him.
The black frames, with their metallic sheen, paired with plain lenses, actually added a touch of scholarly elegance when worn.
"What do you think?" Su Mucheng asked expectantly.
Qiao Ze nodded.
He didn't really care about these things.
Wearing glasses was merely to give his dormitory roommates some peace of mind.
"Then this is the one! You've got to trust my taste! How much, boss?"
"Ah, this one, it's a new model from this year. The original price is 1380, but today happens to be our sixth anniversary, so you can get a 40% off. Hold on, let me do the math... it's only 828 today!"
Qiao Ze cocked his head, thinking the price seemed a bit high?
But before he could even speak up, Su Mucheng's eyes had already widened in anger.
"How much? 828? This frame is made from some new material developed by your store, right? Do you believe I'll go back and tell my classmates you're running a scam?"
"No, classmate, this frame is made of Titanium Alloy material, you can bend it any way you want and it won't break. Plus, look, your boyfriend looks so classy in it! I'm not even making much profit after the discount, just a few ten yuan."
"Hmm... what did you just say?"
Taken aback by the question, the boss repeated instinctively, "Titanium Alloy material?"
"No... you said he was my..." Su Mucheng reminded.
The boss realized, "Oh, boyfriend?"
With a playful smile, Su Mucheng asked, "Then do we look like a good match?"
"Absolutely, you're a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!" the boss asserted without hesitation.
"No!" Qiao Ze suddenly said.
"Huh?"
The boss gave Qiao Ze a bewildered look.
To seal this deal, he had been exaggerating a bit. Looking at Qiao Ze's dazed expression, was he even a match for such a delicate girl? How could this guy be so ungrateful?
Su Mucheng pouted and turned to glance at Qiao Ze.
Qiao Ze turned to Su Mucheng and explained, "It's not Titanium Alloy."
"No, young man, you need evidence when you speak. This is a shop that has been reputable for ten years..."
Qiao Ze thought for a moment and said, "Just now, when Su challenged you, you didn't think of anything else, you directly mentioned the material, and when you said 'Titanium Alloy,' your tone was hurried, the pitch two degrees higher than before, and your hand involuntarily clenched. These signs all indicate you're feeling guilty.
Also, you just mentioned a sixth anniversary celebration, not a ten-year-old shop."
"Besides, the properties of Titanium Alloy are similar to those of 316L stainless steel; the corrosion resistance generally increases with the chromium content. Due to difficulties in smelting, as well as other material characteristics, like being lighter, non-magnetic, having a low thermal conductivity, and being corrosion-resistant, it's more expensive than ordinary stainless steel."
"But this frame is made of regular stainless steel, not Titanium Alloy. The density is different, so is the weight. Furthermore, the volume of these glasses is easy to calculate, so testing is simple—you just need a digital scale. If you have any doubts, Titanium is much more corrosion-resistant than stainless steel, and a hot corrosive acid test could be used to verify."
The boss swallowed hard, instinctively.
This university student seemed different from the others who previously visited his shop.
Damn it...
Was he here to give a lecture?
Su Mucheng turned around, her expression half teasing as she looked at the boss and blinked, saying bluntly, "Considering you do have some taste, I won't call to complain about your false advertising! Will you sell it for 160 or not? Otherwise, I really might complain about you running a scam next to the university!"
"Honestly, my cost for these frames is 3..." Facing Qiao Ze's gleaming eyes, the boss felt the words on his lips hard to utter, "Alright, alright… 160 it is. Let's consider it an opening sale, but you'll have to help promote my store from now on!"
Today was truly bizarre!
Thank goodness they cost 98 on Taobao... it wasn't a loss!