65 Lin Gaoyuan

"Welcome home, dear Nanzhou!"

The moment Duan Nanzhou stepped out of the airport, she spotted the massive banner. She didn't even need to guess; it was obviously the handiwork of her mom and dad.

Ever since handing the teahouse over to their son and slipping into semi-retirement, the couple had been living quite freely, frequently treating their children to little surprises and thrills.

Duan Nanzhou quickly grabbed her luggage and jogged over, urging them to take down the banner. Didn't they see everyone around them staring? It was genuinely awkward.

From then on, Duan Nanzhou embarked on a leisurely routine of touring and eating her way through her return, regularly sending photos of various delicacies to Lin Gaoyuan, making the poor guy green with envy amid his grueling daily training sessions.

Of course, Duan Nanzhou didn't spare her family's teahouse either, frequently going there for free meals. After all, their establishment was a famous time-honored brand, drawing massive crowds every single day.

After too many visits, her eldest brother rushed back, declaring under the guise of rejecting free loaders that henceforth, dining required payment.

Duan Nanzhou: Such a stingy old stick.

As the weather grew increasingly hot, Duan Nanzhou became reluctant to leave the house, huddling indoors every day until even her parents couldn't stand it anymore. They were genuinely worried their daughter might develop depression from staying cooped up inside. Was it normal for someone not to go out and socialize at all?

Duan Nanzhou only wanted to say that she was perfectly normal. In fact, her parents had already bought her an apartment of her own in Guangzhou, but since it had just finished renovation and was still airing out, she couldn't move in yet. Otherwise, Duan Nanzhou probably would have moved long ago.

However, staying at home had its perks—it cost nothing, and if she wanted to eat anything, she just had to tell Aunt Wang, the housekeeper. If all else failed, she could just order takeout. Life was simply wonderful every single day!

Until...

"Nanzhou, dear, how about going out for a meal with Uncle Li's son tomorrow? He just came back from studying abroad too. It'd be great to make some friends and hang out together so you aren't sitting at home being bored every day."

A single sentence from her mother shocked Duan Nanzhou, who was sitting on the sofa playing on her phone. She immediately looked up at her parents opposite her.

"Huh?"

"I'm only twenty-three, and you're already sending me on blind dates?"

Was this a universal trait of Chinese parents? The moment their children graduated, they were desperate to see them settle down and start a family.

"I'm not sending you on a blind date, just introducing a friend."

Her father started to say something, but was cut off by a cough from her mother, who then turned to explain more tactfully to her daughter.

"I'm not interested."

Duan Nanzhou knew her parents felt that at her age, without even having experienced a first love, she needed to meet more people and develop relationships.

However, the above was merely the unilateral assumption of Duan Nanzhou's parents. In reality, Duan Nanzhou had no idea how many relationships she had already been in. Aside from Lin Gaoyuan—who didn't really count as a first love—the ones she had in college were all with handsome young men from various countries, though they were short-lived and always ended quickly.

Now that she was back in China, Duan Nanzhou only wanted to enjoy her single life and had zero interest in these arrangements.

The conversation was brushed past with Duan Nanzhou's perfunctory replies. Or was it?

The next day, the third day, and every day after that, her parents subtly tried to set her up with good friends, even acquiring their photos and compiling them into an album for her to choose from.

Duan Nanzhou fell silent. Were her parents running some kind of imperial harem selection?

Terrified, Duan Nanzhou chose to flee. After bidding farewell to her parents and eldest brother, she dragged her luggage and headed north.

Staying at home was terrifying. Although her parents didn't strictly force her to meet these people, the daily routine of it was simply too much to bear. No wonder her eldest brother had moved out shortly after graduation; he must have been terrified of the matchmaking attempts.

After all, her eldest brother was a full decade older than her and was now a "middle-aged man" in his thirties!

Eldest Brother: There was completely no need to add that line (angry)!

Her eldest brother had indeed moved out for precisely this reason. Living at home offered no freedom of solitude, and since he only wanted to pour his energy into his career with zero interest in romance, he couldn't handle his parents' "love" and decisively ran away.

Duan Nanzhou's journey northward was truly a step-by-step affair. Whenever she saw a city or a place that sparked her interest, she would head right over, spend a few days exploring, and then move on to the next stop.

When Lin Gaoyuan first learned that Duan Nanzhou was heading "north," he was so excited he couldn't sleep, daydreaming that the next morning when he opened his eyes, she might already be in Beijing.

Then, a month passed, and he discovered she was still in Shandong.

Lin Gaoyuan fell silent as well.

Yet this couldn't really be blamed on Duan Nanzhou. There was simply too much delicious food everywhere she went, and while her appetite was decent, she wasn't a bottomless pit. Combined with her philosophy of comfortable travel—doing whatever felt most comfortable to her—she moved at a leisurely pace, naturally lingering a bit longer in each place.

Consequently, Lin Gaoyuan was left spending his days looking at her WeChat Moments and the scenery and food she shared, praying in his heart every single day: *Hurry up and get here!*

Perhaps his prayers actually worked. After spending a few days in Shandong, Duan Nanzhou headed straight for Beijing.

Because a sudden job interview notification had finally arrived for her in Beijing.

In truth, even before returning to China, Duan Nanzhou had been planning her future. She couldn't possibly live off her parents forever. Although she had the financial backing to do so—and her parents and brother wouldn't mind supporting her little lazy self—Duan Nanzhou felt she still needed to have her own career and pursuits.

Therefore, while browsing various job postings, she happened to discover that Tsinghua University was hiring lecturers in a field relevant to her major. Upon carefully checking the requirements, she found she fit them perfectly, so she submitted her application.

After that, there was radio silence, and she remained in a state of waiting.

Duan Nanzhou's doctoral advisor kept asking if she wanted to stay at her alma mater or wanted recommendations to other prestigious universities, but she declined them all. After all, she had ambitions, but not so grand or distant ones that she wanted to wear herself out.

Right while she was traveling, Tsinghua suddenly contacted her. After an initial phone interview where they were extremely pleased with her, they invited her to the campus for an interview as soon as possible.

Thus, Duan Nanzhou went straight to Beijing. Feeling confident that her future job was quite secure, she also planned to look into buying a property in Beijing. While purchasing real estate in the capital had strict requirements for outsiders, Duan Nanzhou qualified as high-level talent, and Tsinghua had assured her they could handle her household registration, so naturally, it wouldn't be a problem.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Duan Nanzhou prepared thoroughly and aced the interview, earning her congratulations as a new faculty member at Tsinghua University.

The semester was already underway, and the personnel department told her she could come in early to acclimate, prepare materials for the second half of the semester, and sit in on classes for half a term, with her official teaching duties starting next semester.

As a result, Duan Nanzhou still enjoyed considerable freedom. Knowing from Lin Gaoyuan that his training was quite intense lately—stretching roughly from six in the morning to nine or ten at night—she decided not to disturb him.

When Lin Gaoyuan learned that Duan Nanzhou had arrived in Beijing, he was beside himself with excitement, remaining in a state of euphoria that puzzled his fellow teammates.

After some discussion, they unanimously concluded that the kid must have fallen in love.

Even though he couldn't see Duan Nanzhou right away, Lin Gaoyuan was still thrilled. After all, the geographical distance was gone, and they were much closer now!

Learning that Duan Nanzhou was preparing to buy a house in Beijing and had even become a teacher at Tsinghua, Lin Gaoyuan only thought she was too brilliant. What could he do? He liked her more and more, hopelessly head over heels!

When Lin Gaoyuan finally managed to have some free time on a certain afternoon with half a day off, he couldn't wait to ask Duan Nanzhou out. He initially thought that having lived in Beijing for several years—though he didn't get out much due to training—he still knew plenty of good spots and planned to take her out to eat.

Only to discover that Duan Nanzhou knew far more than he did. Truly, one should never underestimate a foodie's exploration of local cuisine.

For now, Duan Nanzhou was still staying in a five-star hotel because although her apartment had been decided upon, the renovations weren't finished yet, making it unlivable for the time being.

She had no intention of renting a place in the interim; that was too much trouble, so she simply booked a monthly package at the hotel. Since she didn't have many belongings, her room was cleaned daily, and the hotel featured various restaurants, making it extremely convenient for her.

As for the new apartment, Duan Nanzhou had hired a renowned design firm, laid out her requirements, and left the rest to them with ample funding. Above all, she emphasized using high-grade materials. Such a generous client with minimal fuss was every designer's absolute favorite!

After their meal, at Lin Gaoyuan's insistence, Duan Nanzhou took him to see her new apartment. Although there wasn't much to look at yet, the young man was persistent, and the largely unprincipled Duan Nanzhou agreed.

As a result, Lin Gaoyuan discovered that the new apartment wasn't far from the General Administration of Sport, located roughly midway between Tsinghua University and the Administration. This realization sent another wave of joy through him—it meant he could come visit Nanzhou much more often in the future!

Meanwhile, Duan Nanzhou, walking beside him, remained completely oblivious to why this silly boy was grinning so broadly.