CHAPTER 624: 【618】ORPHAN’S COUNTERATTACK 87 (3RD UPDATE)

After joining the Yao Class, Zhou Mo no longer attended class with them as they were enrolled in elite courses that were beyond what teachers of their level could teach. From the beginning of their junior year, Zhou Mo seemed to carry an air of forethought.

Without Zhou Mo by her side, Yiyi dared not allow herself to be distracted anymore. She concentrated intensely in class every day, knowing that she would have to walk alone for the next two years.

During the winter break of her junior year, Zhou Mo went to Hong Kong with his Yao Class classmates for a winter camp while Yiyi, like every other year, went to learn and substitute teach under Professor Guan, earning money and occasionally returning to her own decorated place, which had grown more tasteful after a half year of careful arrangement.

In Lin Mu’s sophomore year, he had acted in an ancient-costume drama as the fourth lead male actor. Due to his outstanding performance, he had gained some fame in the industry, continuously receiving movie offers, and even signed with a talent agency, which provided him with a dedicated agent and team.

During his junior year, he even landed the second male lead role in a major drama series. Although the series had not aired yet, it amassed popularity in advance due to its stellar cast. By 2006, he might become a true superstar.

Now, Yiyi’s achievements were acknowledged by Professor Guan as capable enough to graduate from apprenticeship, meaning her calligraphy could now be auctioned independently. This also indicated an overall improvement in her abilities, subsequently raising her private lesson fees from two hundred to five hundred yuan. Each semester from teaching alone, she could earn about ten thousand yuan.

Additionally, her popularity on a certain website gradually increased, formerly averaging an income of one to two thousand or three thousand yuan a month, which had risen to six or seven thousand, even surpassing ten thousand yuan. Her reinvestment in the stock market had grown to over two hundred thousand yuan.

This two hundred thousand included income from writing, scholarships, part-time jobs during winter and summer breaks, and the rise in stock values.

In the first semester of her junior year, she obtained a certificate relevant to the Computer Department, passed both Level 4 and Level 6 English tests, participated continuously in small and large calligraphy contests, and was highly active in campus club activities. Her university life seemed abundant and joyful, marred only by the increasingly lesser time for reunions with Zhou Mo.

During the summer vacation of their junior year, her classmates were arranging overseas internships, and even Zhou Mo spent the second semester of his junior year abroad in university labs with classmates from the Yao Class. Yiyi had opportunities to intern abroad in university labs or research institutes too, and Zhou Mo was trying to secure a spot for her, but Yiyi did not want to go abroad.

However, at least seventy to eighty percent of their classmates, including Qiao Shan and her two friends, would go abroad, some even going to the extent of their families selling assets to gather tuition fees.

Although not fully exempt from tuition, there was a fifty percent reduction, but living expenses had to be covered by themselves. This was a special treatment from the Computer Department, which had highly recognized computer skills, thus providing the opportunity for students to study abroad as exchange students – a benefit unique to their department.

Currently, Zhou Mo was at Stanford University’s lab, and was set to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his senior year, possibly even moving to Oxford thereafter; these were all top-tier Computer Departments, giving him diverse options for pursuing his master’s and PhD degrees.

Zhou Mo and his school mentor worked together to secure a spot for Yiyi at Columbia University’s Computer Department. Yiyi couldn’t refuse and went.

By then, her savings had reached 300,000 yuan. Even though internships were fully covered (Yiyi had a full tuition waiver), she still needed to earn money for living expenses.

Zhou Mo also networked to find her a place to stay. She didn’t know how he managed it, but despite their rarely meeting, he always ensured her living conditions were well arranged and even discouraged her from working part-time, citing the disorder abroad; she only needed to focus on her studies.

Interning at Columbia University was not easy; all courses were in English. Although her English was passable, there was a need for mental translation, and she initially struggled with her classes. Here, without classmates, only competition existed, along with numerous traps, giving her no chance to slack off.

Zhou Mo called almost every day to check on her academics and life. She always portrayed things positively because he was immensely busy, too busy to even visit her.

After a year of internship, both Yiyi and Zhou Mo returned home, took graduation photos, received their graduation certificates, and Yiyi also got a recommendation letter for a master’s/PhD program at Columbia, while Zhou Mo continued to pursue his master’s and PhD at Stanford.

Four years later (2010), at 23, Yiyi returned home with her degree, giving up a teaching opportunity at Columbia to resolutely return to Tsinghua as a relatively comfortable Computer Department teacher.

Zhou Mo, due to his excellent performance, remained busy with speaking and participating in academic conferences at various universities, increasingly distancing their relationship.

Yiyi didn’t harbor great ambitions. Her stint abroad was forced by circumstances rather than choice. If possible, she would have preferred starting as an intern at a company, slowly climbing the ranks. She despised the cutthroat corporate environment, having experienced society and human nature during her time in the hospital, so right after returning home, she returned to her alma mater without hesitation. After a series of evaluations, she smoothly entered the Computer Department; although she currently only taught professional courses to freshmen and sophomores, she believed that one day she would become a professor.

Lin Mu became a popular star over the space of four years. His acting and singing improved day by day, accumulating steadily. He even managed to enroll in the Beijing People’s Art Theatre through his efforts, becoming an institutionalized actor—a secure job as a drama performer.

However, as they grew up, their busy work lives and increasing differences gradually distanced them. Though they still contacted each other on WeChat and posted on social media, Yiyi felt the absence of their childhood connection.

Zhou Mo was very busy. Previously, at least a phone call was assured, but now sometimes a week passed without contact. Messages sent by her in the morning might be replied to only in the evening, and vice versa. Yiyi felt lonely, yet she didn’t want to fall into an endless wait.

Thus, she devoted her spare time to teaching writing and calligraphy classes.

She initially started a calligraphy class of her own, which at first attracted only the parents from her neighborhood, in which she had no interest. As more people sought her out and she sought to enrich her weekends, she decisively rented a storefront and transformed it into her calligraphy club. With various competition medals and certificates, plus the aura of the Calligrapher Association, it wasn’t surprising that many students came to her by reputation.