Chapter Twenty: KONKA and NOKIA

None of them had expected Qin Luo to speak up in protest; one by one, they all looked at him in surprise. Every newly hired employee in any department tiptoed around, careful with their words and actions—who had ever seen someone like Qin Luo, going head-to-head with a senior staff member on his very first day?

Some of the kinder teachers, who understood Mr. Zhu’s fiery temperament, secretly shot Qin Luo warning glances, urging him to say less. If he angered Mr. Zhu, it would be no surprise if he ended up with trouble from the director thanks to Zhu’s complaints.

For a newcomer, what was the point in fighting for this moment in the spotlight?

Sure enough, Mr. Zhu’s face darkened. He turned to look at Qin Luo, sneering, “What did you just say? That love has nothing to do with what?”

“I said, love has nothing to do with age, nationality, gender, or number,” Qin Luo articulated each word clearly. “Those who truly understand love will grasp the meaning behind this sentence.”

What wounds more deeply than anything? The truth.

Qin Luo’s remark was sharp, ruthlessly piercing Mr. Zhu’s heart.

In their generation, what did they know of love? It was all arranged by parents and matchmakers. Before marriage, they might have stolen a brief glance, and if they were shy, they might not even see whether their future wife had a round or a square face.

Only on the wedding night, lifting the red veil before consummation, did they clearly see their wife’s face for the first time.

Mr. Zhu’s wife was not beautiful—especially as his income grew, she seemed all the more unattractive in his eyes. He tried to stay at school as much as possible, and even the once-a-month act of intimacy was perfunctory, just to deal with basic needs. To him, his wife was merely a companion—or perhaps a full-time housekeeper.

Strictly speaking, Mr. Zhu truly had no grasp of love.

And precisely because of this, Qin Luo’s words infuriated him further.

Bang!

Mr. Zhu slapped the table, shot out of his rattan chair, and pointed at Qin Luo, shouting, “Who are you calling ignorant of love? Why wouldn’t I understand love? I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice! What could you possibly know?”

Qin Luo frowned. He hated nothing more than elders preaching by flaunting their age and experience.

If you want to insult someone, at least be original about it.

“If you’ve really eaten that much salt, you should have cardiovascular disease by now,” Qin Luo tilted his head back slightly, letting the wind from the window cool his warm face.

Because of his naturally strong yang constitution, he couldn’t afford to get too angry—it would cause a surge of heat inside him, which, in severe cases, could damage his internal organs.

“You—you insolent brat! How did you get hired to teach here? Do you have any manners at all?”

Qin Luo sneered, “From beginning to end, you’re the one who’s been cursing. Have I insulted you once? Who lacks manners here is plain to see.”

“You... you little scoundrel. I won’t waste words on you. I’ll go find the director and ask how a snot-nosed kid like you ended up teaching at the medical university!” Mr. Zhu was used to other teachers backing down the instant he banged his fist on a table and glared—some would even apologize meekly. Not this one. He could tell Qin Luo was a troublemaker.

If this argument continued, he wouldn’t get the upper hand. He decided to leverage his seniority in a complaint to the director.

“See? You call others scoundrels, yet you’re off to report to the higher-ups.” Qin Luo suddenly found this dispute utterly pointless. Maybe he’d only spoken up because Zhu’s words about Lin Huanxi had been so vile that he couldn’t help himself.

“Why do you put yourself on a moral pedestal? Who do you think you are, the Bodhisattva Guanyin or the Buddha himself?” Qin Luo paused, puzzled. Why did that sound so familiar? It had just slipped out.

Mr. Zhu’s face turned even uglier; he shot Qin Luo a venomous look and strode quickly toward the director’s office.

“You’re finished,” the chubby man adjusted his glasses and said to Qin Luo. “Our director’s wife is Zhu’s cousin. Why bother arguing with him when you’re new here? Two teachers before you have already left after teaching Traditional Chinese Medical Diagnostics.”

“Did he drive them away?” Qin Luo asked.

“No. The students did,” the chubby man replied.

“As long as the students don’t drive me away, I won’t leave,” Qin Luo said with a smile.

The chubby man shook his head and said, “You’re still too young. Some things aren’t up to you. Judging by your age, you must’ve just graduated. Think of this as a lesson you paid for. Be careful in the future.”

“Let’s hope so.” Qin Luo smiled.

In this world, it’s only when you need something from someone that you have to swallow your pride and endure humiliation.

Qin Luo didn’t care about this at all.

Just as he had confronted the director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, Ma Youcai, he had never intended to stay there long, so he never needed to hold back his words.

Ma Youcai might hate Qin Luo with a passion, but what could he do? Qin Luo no longer lived under his jurisdiction, so his reach was limited.

Ma Youcai? Ma Heng? Why are they all surnamed Ma?

Qin Luo thought about his own zodiac sign. Was there something inauspicious about his fate with them?

Mr. Zhu was gone for a long time and didn’t return. Qin Luo knew he must have run into a brick wall.

He’d been sent here by Principal Li himself—even the director would have to show some respect.

Since Mr. Zhu couldn’t find support, he naturally lost the stomach to come back and play the authority, so he simply slipped away.

Qin Luo was quite satisfied with this outcome. Not having to see people you dislike is one of life’s great joys.

Those who have never had an enemy can’t understand this happiness.

Don’t believe it? Try slapping a coworker in the office twice and see for yourself.

The other teachers in the office, seeing that Mr. Zhu had not returned, began to discuss among themselves, and their gazes towards Qin Luo grew much more interested.

******************************

After class, as Qin Luo walked to the parking lot beneath the Biomedical Engineering Faculty’s office building, Lin Huanxi was already waiting in her car.

It was the peak of student dismissal; in the bustling crowd, Qin Luo clearly felt countless eyes lingering on him—many of them hostile. Even more exaggerated, some people were snapping photos of him with their phones.

Clearly, the “Lin Huanxi teacher-student romance scandal” had spread widely throughout the Biomedical Engineering Faculty.

Qin Luo opened the car door and got in, saying with a wry smile, “Let’s hurry and get out of here. If we don’t, your admirers might drag me out for public shaming.”

“Ridiculous,” Lin Huanxi said as she started the car. The champagne-colored BMW glided smoothly out of the school.

“You don’t usually eat at the cafeteria?” Qin Luo asked. Director Guo had mentioned that there was a faculty dining hall, and some teachers usually ate lunch there.

“I do,” Lin Huanxi replied.

“So why not today? Because of the rumors about us? Why not just clear things up directly with them?” Qin Luo asked with a smile.

“I don’t want the hassle. There’s no need,” Lin Huanxi replied.

“So cold,” Qin Luo said, pouting.

He’d thought Lin Huanxi would drive him home, but instead she headed for the Wangfujing pedestrian street.

“Are we eating here?” Qin Luo glanced around.

“We’re buying a phone,” Lin Huanxi said.

Buying a phone? Right, he needed one too. Without it, staying in touch would be troublesome.

Lin Huanxi led Qin Luo into a chain phone store, walked up to a counter, and said to the sales clerk, “Let me see that model.”

“Of course. Please wait a moment,” the saleswoman replied enthusiastically.

Lin Huanxi took the phone and immediately handed it to Qin Luo. “See if you like it.”

“I do,” Qin Luo nodded. He quite liked the phone—it looked hefty but felt solid. “You’re buying it for me?”

“I already have a phone,” Lin Huanxi said.

“—Let me pay for this one myself,” Qin Luo said awkwardly. She’d already bought the clothes he was wearing—letting her buy his phone too would be far too much.

Lin Huanxi said nothing, signaling for Qin Luo to try turning it on.

Qin Luo fiddled with the phone for a while, then reached to press the red button with the phone icon.

He pressed it. Nothing happened.

He pressed it again. Still nothing.

Pressed it hard—still nothing—

Qin Luo looked up at the saleswoman. “Is there a battery inside?”

The saleswoman’s face went red as she tried to hold back a laugh. “Sir, the power button is on top of the phone. The black button.”

“Uh—” Qin Luo explained, embarrassed, “On my old phone, you pressed this button to turn it on.”

“That was KONKA. This is NOKIA,” Lin Huanxi said flatly.

“Aren’t they siblings? They look about the same,” Qin Luo tried to defend himself, feeling guilty.

After the teasing, Qin Luo was about to pay, but Lin Huanxi had already handed over her credit card.

“I have money,” Qin Luo said, reaching for his own card.

“I know.”

Seeing Lin Huanxi deftly sign the receipt, Qin Luo smiled wryly, “I feel like a kept man.”

After leaving the phone store, the two strolled down the pedestrian street. Around the corner was a street lined with restaurants.

Outside a department store, a group of trendily dressed young people were putting on a street dance show. Their flashy moves drew excited screams from the girls, who snapped away with their phones and cameras.

Ma Heng, seeing Qin Luo and Lin Huanxi pass by, clapped excitedly, “Hey guys, hold up! Remember what I told you earlier? Looks like we need to act ahead of schedule.”