Chapter 48: Chapter 59 (Part 1)

Final exams arrived right on schedule, and Lin Yilan's freshman year came to an end.

As soon as the final exam finished, Xiong Zhaodi and Lin Yilan returned to the dormitory together.

Pushing open the dormitory door, the two of them heard Hang Xiulan's cheerful voice.

"You're back?"

"Should we go grab something to eat together? To celebrate the end of our freshman year."

Xiong Zhaodi paused for a moment and turned to look at Lin Yilan beside her.

Lin Yilan shook her head bluntly. "My family is coming to pick me up later. Let's do it next time."

Hang Xiulan pouted, tossed what she was holding onto the desk, and said, "Why are you always so busy? Why go back so early? How boring."

Xiong Zhaodi looked at Lin Yilan with some concern, seeing that her expression remained calm, as if she hadn't heard a word of what Hang Xiulan had just said.

She then stole a glance at Hang Xiulan, who was still banging things around, picking something up from the desk and throwing it back down, deliberately making a loud noise.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Lin Yilan and Hang Xiulan. As the noise created by Hang Xiulan grew louder, Lin Yilan continued to pack her luggage quietly, acting as though she still heard nothing.

Forget it, she wouldn't say anything. Neither of these two could she afford to cross.

Compared to a year ago when she wanted to play the role of the big sister in the dorm, Xiong Zhaodi had become much more self-aware now.

It wasn't that Lin Yilan hadn't heard the commotion Hang Xiulan was making.

They were all adults; she wasn't going to go out of her way to coax Hang Xiulan into a good mood over something like this, nor did she owe her anything.

With that thought, she sped up her packing. Compared to whatever drama was unfolding in the dorm room, the prospect of her eldest brother waiting for her was much more important.

The remaining three people in the dormitory did not dare to breathe too loudly, afraid the fallout might reach them, so they quickly picked up the books on their desks and pretended to study diligently.

Feeling completely ignored, Hang Xiulan grew more and more frustrated. She abruptly hurled the book she had just picked up onto the desk.

"Bang—"

She then stormed quickly out of the dormitory.

"Is she okay?" Wang晓红 (Wang Xiaohong) asked timidly.

Xiong Zhaodi turned to look at the dorm entrance. "I... think she's fine?"

"Want to go eat roast duck? My treat, how about it?" Hang Xiulan's voice echoed from the corridor.

Followed immediately by a chorus of chattering voices from several girls.

"Really?"

"Woohoo! Thank you, Xiulan."

"Xiulan, you must have done really well on your exams."

Their voices were loud, and combined with the nearly nonexistent soundproofing of the dormitory door, all five people inside Room 406 heard them clearly.

"Sounds like she's pretty happy. Definitely fine now." Lin Yilan packed her luggage with a completely composed expression.

The other four felt a strange sense of reassurance. Seeing her remain so calm helped settle their own moods.

As the atmosphere in the room normalized, someone couldn't help asking, "What are you guys planning to do for the summer vacation?"

Xiong Zhaodi rubbed the back of her head. "I've already discussed it with my parents. I'm not going home for the summer; I plan to stay at school and study."

"Ah... me too, Sister Zhaodi, let's stick together then," another bespectacled girl in the dorm said, looking up excitedly.

"Count me in! I'm not going back either." The girl who usually maintained a low profile in the dorm quickly raised her hand as well.

Wang Xiaohong looked blankly at the three of them. "Doesn't that mean only Xiaolin, Xiuxiu, and I are going back?"

"You guys are all so hardworking," she murmured, her tone carrying a vague and complicated entanglement of feelings.

Lin Yilan glanced up at Xiong Zhaodi. "Sister Zhaodi, if you have anything you want to ask me, you can save them up and ask me all at once like before."

"I should be coming to the school every three or four days during the summer." With that, she bent down, retrieved reference materials from the cabinet by her feet, and placed them into her backpack.

Xiong Zhaodi cupped her hands excitedly in front of her chest. "Really? I thought you wouldn't be coming to school at all."

Lin Yilan shrugged. "How could that be? I came to the school library to find materials during the winter break, and I'll come during the summer too. Besides, I still need to submit my assignments to Professor Wu."

It was no longer a secret in the Department of Architecture that Professor Wu had taken Lin Yilan on as his student. As one of the department's most prominent professors, countless people frequently visited his office, and more than one person had spotted Professor Wu and Lin Yilan discussing design blueprints inside.

Later, someone saw Lin Yilan going to Professor Wu's house for dinner. Once others inquired about Lin Yilan's background from Professor Wu, the news of her being accepted as his personal student instantly spread throughout the entire department, and even many people in other departments came to know about it.

It was also around that time that Lin Yilan's transfer into the Department of Architecture became widely known.

Back then, it had provoked a great deal of jealousy, especially among the students in the department.

Some claimed she lacked the merit for the position, while others rumored she had influential family connections—all sorts of messy gossip circulated.

At that time, Lin Yilan simply posted her transcripts, assignments, and family background on the school's notice board, leaving behind a single sentence: "Anyone with objections is welcome to file a complaint against me with the school administration. My conduct is upright, and my conscience is clear."

The incident caused a massive stir throughout the school, and the name Lin Yilan officially imprinted itself in the minds of everyone at the University of Technology.