Chapter 1896: Chapter 636: Boyfriend, Girlfriend (Double Chapter) (Part 3)

Liu Qingning paid the fare, and as soon as she got out of the car, she saw the familiar figure waiting downstairs.

"Qingning, you’re back." Liu Xuemin quickly stepped forward and took the suitcase out of the trunk.

"Dad, it’s so cold outside, why are you standing here?"

"Oh, the house is too stuffy, so I came out for a smoke."

"Smoke less, your lungs aren’t good to begin with."

"I know, I know," Liu Xuemin responded but his face was full of smiles.

The two of them chatted while walking into Room 03 on the first floor.

A wave of warmth mixed with the aroma of food and the smell of life swept over them, dispelling all the cold from their bodies.

The house wasn’t large, only a little over sixty square meters, with a style of decoration from more than ten years ago, bearing the simplicity characteristic of that era.

But it was kept very tidy, filled with the warmth of home.

Liu Qingning’s mother, Zhang Yunlan, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of steaming hot dumplings.

Seeing her, the smile on her face instantly blossomed, "Qingning! Come here quickly, the dumplings just came out of the pot, your favorite zucchini and egg filling!"

"Mom, I already told you I’ve eaten, why go through the trouble?"

"You’ve come all the way back from Shen City, how can you not eat a bite of home-cooked food?"

Liu Qingning took off her thick coat, accepted the chopsticks, and sat beside the small coffee table.

She picked up a plump white dumpling, blew on it gently, then took a small bite.

The fresh zucchini still had a hint of sweetness, mixing with the aroma of fried eggs and that familiar sesame oil fragrance, instantly blossoming on her taste buds.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Liu Qingning’s face.

Zhang Yunlan and Liu Xuemin sat opposite her, looking at her with joy in their eyes, starting to show concern about her work and life at the new company.

They knew that their daughter had left Century Wisdom for Qingning Technology, whose name was quite fortuitous for her, but didn’t know much else.

However, they had always had much confidence in their daughter, who made them incredibly proud since childhood.

As she had already had dinner, Liu Qingning stopped after eating four or five dumplings.

"Ring—ring—"

A burst of phone ringing suddenly broke the warm atmosphere at the dining table.

Seeing the name flashing on the screen, Liu Qingning quickly put down her chopsticks.

She wiped her mouth and answered the call.

"Hello? Teacher Wang."

"Qingning, you’re not busy now, are you? I hope I’m not disturbing you?" Wangchang’s familiar and gentle voice came through the phone.

"Not busy, Teacher Wang, I took a day off today and just got back to my hometown in Jing County."

"Hehe, tomorrow’s your birthday, you should celebrate well at home," Wangchang paused for a moment, took a deep breath as if calming himself, then said seriously, "Qingning, there’s something I must tell you. This afternoon, I officially submitted an application to the university for unpaid leave."

Liu Qingning’s heart skipped a beat, "Teacher Wang! You’re... you’re leaving Imperial University?"

After all, they had been in a mentor-mentee relationship for many years, and Wangchang had helped her a lot, she held great respect for this teacher.

"I’m not leaving," Wangchang’s voice was filled with laughter and anticipation, "I received an offer I couldn’t refuse. TY Precision sent a formal invitation for me to join the ’Xuanji Light Realm’ project, serving as the deputy dean of the soon-to-be-formed [AI Research Institute], mainly responsible for university collaboration and incubating frontier projects."

He paused, with a tone filled with satisfaction towards his proud student: "Qingning, I heard that the research institute considered our mentor-mentee relationship and prioritized this invitation. Teacher... thank you."

Liu Qingning was momentarily taken aback, hurriedly replied, "Teacher Wang, you’re too polite, I actually didn’t do much."

"Alright, just wanted to inform you, looking forward to our future cooperation."

They chatted a little longer, then hung up the call.

Liu Qingning’s gaze turned introspective.

TY Precision... my connection...

Could it be... Su Yu?

At this moment, Zhang Yunlan across the table asked with concern, "Qingning, was that your Professor Wang on the phone? Is she leaving Imperial University?"

"No, Teacher Wang is going to work at a company, and we’ll have quite a deep collaboration in the future."

"Ah, that’s wonderful news!"

Liu Qingning nodded absentmindedly, her mind racing with thoughts.

Beside her, Liu Xuemin remarked, "Your Professor Wang is a good person, treated you well, and has helped you a lot since college. When you went to Shen City, she was worried we’d be concerned and specially talked to us several times to make sure we support your career."

Hearing this, Liu Qingning suddenly lifted her head, looking sharply at her mother, "By the way, Mom, before I went to Shen City, did you talk to Tang Song about anything?"

Zhang Yunlan’s gaze flickered, "No, what would I say to Tang Song?"

"You definitely said something," Liu Qingning’s tone was assertive, "You asked him to support me moving with the company to Shen City and not hold me back, right?"

She’s such a smart person.

Last year in the Imperial City, when Tang Song heard that [Century Wisdom] was moving to Shen City, he expressed nothing but reluctance and worry.

Then one day, he suddenly began to fully support her and then left the Imperial City himself, returning to Yan City.

From that time, her family no longer talked about her and Tang Song.

She had guessed the reason back then, she just focused on building her career quickly, cashing out and buying a house in Yan City, so she didn’t expose it.

Zhang Yunlan, seeing she couldn’t keep it a secret, shifted her expression: "It was like this! At the time, your company signed a big deal that was expected to make a lot of money. I was worried you’d miss a great opportunity."