Seriously, sir? You can even pursue a professor?

The car slowly drove away from the campus and merged into the afternoon traffic. The cool air from the air conditioner dispelled the summer heat, and a faint fragrance wafted through the car.

Aunt Ruan drives very steadily, just like her personality.

About twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of Boya Bookstore, the largest bookstore in Hancheng.

The two got out of the car and walked into the bookstore. The cool air from the air conditioner hit them, carrying the unique smell of paper and ink. The bookstore was very large, with several floors and various types of books clearly divided into sections. Perhaps because it was the weekend, there were quite a few people in the bookstore, but it was very quiet.

Tang Zheng watched her graceful figure disappear around the corner of the bookshelf, glanced at the sign next to him, and took the escalator directly to the fourth floor, heading straight for the economic and financial district.

The bookshelves were very tall, densely packed with all sorts of books, from classic economic principles to the latest investment practices, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of paper and ink.

He had a clear goal and quickly found several books on the stock market, securities analysis, and corporate finance.

Although one possesses memories of the future, a certain amount of knowledge is still necessary. One cannot simply rely on "prophetic" information. This way, even if some changes occur due to the butterfly effect, one will not be completely clueless and helpless.

Tang Zheng took the book downstairs and soon spotted the rather conspicuous figure in front of a bookshelf on the second floor.

She stood sideways in front of the bookshelf, her fingertips slowly tracing the spines of the books, her expression focused. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the high window, gently enveloping her figure.

He walked over and said, "Give me the book, Aunt Ruan."

Ruan Hongzhuang turned her head at the sound of his voice, handing him a book she had chosen. Her gaze swept over the books in his arms. "Interested in finance?"

Tang Zheng took the book. "Isn't this because I wanted to earn more money to repay Aunt Ruan for her years of nurturing?"

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and said, "Then give me the New Year's money you've saved up."

She had heard Tang Rui say that Tang Zheng had a secret stash of money, which he would save from the red envelopes he received every Chinese New Year.

"Oh," Tang Zheng replied, holding the book in one hand and reaching into his pocket with the other to pull out his wallet. He opened it, took out a bank card, and handed it over. "Password 159368. There's 10,000 yuan in there."

Ruan Hongzhuang paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by Tang Zheng's reaction. She glanced at the bank card Tang Zheng handed her and said, "It's too little. Give it to me when you've earned 100,000."

As she spoke, Ruan Hongzhuang turned her gaze to the bookshelf in front of her and continued to browse.

Tang Zheng put the card back in his wallet. "What kind of reward is there if I earn 100,000?"

Ruan Hongzhuang turned her head and glanced at him, her ponytail swaying gently.

"I'll reward you by making another 100,000 for me."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"Aunt Ruan, you should quit being a teacher and become a capitalist instead."

He felt that Aunt Ruan was clearly more talented in this area.

Half an hour later, Tang Zheng, carrying a heavy stack of books, followed Aunt Ruan out of the bookstore.

He put the book in the back seat and returned to the passenger seat.

"Is Aunt Ruan busy this afternoon?" Tang Zheng asked, turning his head as he looked at the familiar street scene outside the window.

"No, what's wrong?"

"Shall I take you to see the No. 1 High School?"

He and Aunt Ruan attended the same high school, Experimental No. 1 High School, which was near the bookstore.

"I'm not going."

"Let's go take a look. It's just across this street. I haven't been back in a long time, so let's go check it out."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him. "Didn't you just graduate?"

"How come you just graduated? It's been almost two months. Anyway, it's quite close, let's go and take a look on the way."

Logically speaking, he had only recently graduated, but according to his calculations before his rebirth, he had graduated a long time ago. Today, since it was on his way, it was quite nice to revisit the old place.

"School is already on holiday."

"It's alright, you can drive. I have a plan."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and started the car.

A few minutes later, guided by Tang Zheng, the car arrived at an old residential area behind the school.

The two got out of the car, and Tang Zheng led her through the public courtyard where bed sheets were drying, turned two corners, and arrived at the deepest part of the community.

Before us was a brick wall about 1.5 meters high, with some tenacious vines climbing on top. On the other side of the wall was the back playground of Experimental Middle School No. 1.

Tang Zheng looked around. The old neighborhood was quiet and deserted in the afternoon, with only the faint sound of Peking Opera singing coming from a radio in the distance.

"Come here, Aunt Ruan." He turned around, placed his hands together in front of him, and made a lifting gesture.

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at the wall, then at his posture, and asked, "Is this your brilliant plan?"

"Yeah, right." Tang Zheng nodded. "How about it, not bad, huh?"

Ruan Hongzhuang didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

Tang Zheng quickly grabbed her arm, feeling its warm touch, "Don't go, Aunt Ruan, you're already here."

Ruan Hongzhuang looked at him.

"Hurry up, Aunt Ruan, someone's coming soon," Tang Zheng urged, folding his hands together.

Ruan Hongzhuang looked at him, then glanced at the wall, and finally turned around and gently stepped on his clasped hands.

Tang Zheng used his strength to lift her up, and she used the momentum to easily climb onto the top of the wall.

"Aunt Ruan, don't go down yet, I'll come get you." Tang Zheng said, gripping the edge of the wall with both hands, and nimbly climbed up the wall and jumped down.

"Come on, Aunt Ruan, come down slowly, I'll catch you."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him, said nothing, and jumped down, her knees slightly bent as she landed silently.

Tang Zheng glanced at her, and he seriously suspected that Aunt Ruan had also climbed over the wall like this when she went to school.

"Aunt Ruan, why didn't you just jump down?" he asked casually.

"Didn't you tell me not to go down first?" Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and said calmly.

Tang Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "That makes sense."

"Do you often sneak out of class through here?" Ruan Hongzhuang looked him over and asked the probing question.

"How could that be? I'm a good kid. If I skipped classes and didn't study hard, how could I get into Han University?" Tang Zheng said seriously.

Ruan Hongzhuang nodded, her tone revealing no emotion: "Indeed."

Tang Zheng looked at her. "Why do I feel like you're saying I'm stupid, Aunt Ruan?"

After all, the person in front of him was a ruthless individual who was admitted to Han University after only one year of high school.

"I didn't say you were smart."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"That little mouth looks like it's been smeared with arsenic."

"What did you say?"

"I said the weather is so nice today, Aunt Ruan, you look so beautiful." Tang Zheng immediately put on a smile. "Let's go, Aunt Ruan, let's go shopping."

The campus was quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas rising and falling among the branches and leaves, which made the campus even more serene after the holiday.

The two quickly arrived at the school's back playground. The dark red plastic track was getting hot from the sun, and the basketball hoop stood alone in the corner in the distance, its net swaying gently in the wind.

Tang Zheng turned onto a tree-lined path with practiced ease. Tall camphor trees lined both sides of the road, their branches strong and vigorous, their dense foliage forming a natural green canopy that cast a cool shade. The air was filled with the warm, moist scent of grass and soil baked by the sun, mixed with the faint fragrance of roses from the flowerbeds in the distance, a truly refreshing experience.

Ruan Hongzhuang followed beside him, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding scenery. She had only stayed here for a year, and her memories might not be as vivid as Tang Zheng's, but it was still a point in her life's trajectory.

They walked past the library, past the laboratory building, past the cafeteria, past the places where they had once shed sweat and left behind laughter...

Tang Zheng would occasionally point to a corner and tell a funny story from high school, or complain about a particularly strict teacher.

Ruan Hongzhuang mostly listened quietly, occasionally responding with a sound, her gaze sweeping over the buildings and vegetation, a trace of distant memories flickering in her eyes.

Her student days were rather monotonous, mainly focused on studying, and she only had one friend, Tang Rui.

As they chatted, they unknowingly arrived near the teaching building.

Just then, the tightly closed glass doors of the teaching building were pushed open from the inside, and an elderly man in his fifties, wearing a faded security guard uniform, strolled out with his hands behind his back, his eyes sweeping over them like lightning.

It was none other than Grandpa Li, the school's gatekeeper.

"Hey! You two! What are you doing here?" The old man's voice was strong and scrutinizing. "Instead of staying home during the holidays, you're here at school looking for dates, huh?"

Tang Zheng was startled by the old man's loud voice, then stepped forward and greeted him with a smile, "Yes, it's me, Uncle Li, Tang Zheng from Class 1 of Senior Three. A while ago, when I came to pick up my admission notice, you patted me on the shoulder and said I was promising, that I got into Han University."

Grandpa Li squinted and carefully examined Tang Zheng, his wrinkles smoothing out a bit. "Oh...you kid, instead of going out to play during the holidays, what are you doing here at school? You can date anywhere, why come here?"

"Do I look like someone who has no business to attend to, Uncle Li?" Tang Zheng defended himself, then pointed to Ruan Hongzhuang behind him, "This is my aunt. She also graduated from here. She has been working in other places all these years. She just happened to come back to Hancheng these past two days. She said she wanted to go back to her alma mater to visit, so I brought her here."

Grandpa Li looked at Ruan Hongzhuang beside him and said, "Stop lying to me. Hurry up and leave. Don't come back next time."

He's not old and blind. Does this look like an aunt? Young people just like to do all sorts of messy things.

"Alright, we'll be going now. We're sorry to trouble you, Uncle Li."

"It's alright, let's go." Grandpa Li waved his hand.

Goodbye, Grandpa Li.

Tang Zheng turned around and walked towards the school gate with Ruan Hongzhuang.

The old man watched the two figures walk away side by side, shook his head, took out a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes from his uniform pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

The smoke slowly dissipated into the quiet air, and a complex, wistful look, belonging to the passage of time, flashed across his eyes.

He was just as young back then, and he also had someone he liked...

Once outside the school, Tang Zheng began complaining to Ruan Hongzhuang beside him, "I told you I couldn't call her 'Auntie,' but nobody believed me." He glanced at her and continued rambling, "It's all because you look too young, Aunt Ruan. You look like my little sister. If we went to an internet cafe, they wouldn't even let you in."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and said, "That's enough."

She couldn't stand it anymore.

Tang Zheng didn't say anything more, but pointed to a noodle shop not far away, "Have you been to that noodle shop, Aunt Ruan?"

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced in the direction he pointed and said, "No." There was no such store when she was in school.

"Then I'll take you to try it; their beef noodles are especially delicious."

The shop was replaced by a wonton shop when he was a sophomore in college. He was quite heartbroken at the time and even inquired about where the original noodle shop had moved to, but to no avail.

The two arrived at the entrance of the noodle shop. The shop was not very big, and the facade was a bit old. The lettering on the wooden signboard had been slightly yellowed by years of cooking oil smoke, but the words "Old Zhang's Noodle Shop" were still very clear.

Pushing open the door, a soft ringing sound came from inside. There were more than a dozen square tables, almost all of which were occupied by people, including middle-aged men in t-shirts, couples, and young people who looked like students.

The sounds of slurping noodles, clattering bowls and chopsticks, and whispers and laughter mingled together, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

They sat down at a slightly narrow but clean table by the window.

"You got a haircut? You look great!" The cheerful proprietress, wearing an apron, came over with a tray and greeted us familiarly. "What would you like to eat today?"

"Two bowls of beef noodles, a plate of braised beef, and two braised eggs."

"Okay, just a moment," the proprietress said, calling out to the kitchen before going to greet the new customers.

At this moment, a little girl with her hair in a bun, about seven or eight years old, jumped down from the bar stool at the front desk and ran to Tang Zheng's table like a happy little bird. Her eyes were bright and sparkling. "Brother, you're here! I haven't seen you for so long!" she said in a clear voice. After speaking, she looked curiously at Ruan Hongzhuang across from Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng reached out and gently patted the little girl's head, smiling, "Isn't your brother here? Let's see if Yuanyuan has grown taller again!"

Yuanyuan smiled contentedly, her eyes narrowing, then turned her big, dark eyes to Ruan Hongzhuang, blinking rapidly, "Sister, you're so beautiful! Even prettier than the stars on TV!"

"You're very pretty too." Ruan Hongzhuang looked at Yuanyuan and said with a smile, a smile that made Tang Zheng take a second look.

At this moment, Yuanyuan turned to look at Tang Zheng, her little brows furrowed slightly, and asked innocently:

"Brother, is this pretty lady your new girlfriend? What about the lady who came with you before? Don't you want her anymore?" She tilted her head and glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang again. "But this lady is even prettier than that lady."

Tang Zheng's smile froze instantly.

Just then, the proprietress came over with a small dish of braised beef and braised eggs. She had overheard her daughter's words and her face immediately turned embarrassed. She lightly patted her daughter on the back of the head: "Yuanyuan! What nonsense are you talking about! Have you finished your homework? If not, go do it! Don't disturb your older brother and sister while they're eating!"

The little girl pouted, looked at Tang Zheng, and then secretly glanced at her beautiful, fairy-like older sister. She felt a little wronged and reluctant to leave, and kept turning back to the front desk.

"It's nothing," Tang Zheng replied with a smile.

"I'm really sorry, this girl has no sense of propriety and loves to talk nonsense."

"It's alright, Aunt Wang, you can go ahead with your work."

"I'm so sorry," the proprietress smiled apologetically, placed the beef and braised eggs on the table, and went about her business.

Tang Zheng watched the proprietress leave and then looked at Ruan Hongzhuang across the street.

"Um... Yuanyuan is talking about the girl who brought me chicken soup to my house before. She was my deskmate, and her family isn't well-off. I would occasionally treat her to a meal or something. I'm not dating anyone, Aunt Ruan."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and said, "Well, you're quite kind."

"It's all thanks to Aunt Ruan's excellent teaching."