The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 226 Ugly 8 Monsters

Shang Yibo interjected casually, "You mean, he tacitly agreed that you kept this from him?"

"Let him finish speaking." Jian Zheng glanced at Shang Yibo sympathetically, then said sternly to Zhang Qian, "Get to the point quickly, stop dawdling."

As if he had made up his mind, Zhang Qian raised his voice, his sharp voice sounding particularly jarring in the room, "It's not just tacit agreement, we're in complete sync."

......

After that, Zhang Qian lived a life of relative comfort, no longer worrying about making a living or finding a place to settle down in the city. He could even save some money each month to send back home. His mother's asthma required medication, and as long as she received her medication regularly, she would be fine. His younger brother had also been admitted to a local vocational college, so finding a job locally shouldn't be difficult.

Everything seemed peaceful, and in his view, happiness was nothing more than this.

The school's care for him was limited to the first six months, and he was just a low-level school worker.

In the eyes of those around him, he was an ugly monster, and there were many rumors that he had risen to power by exploiting others, and that his current state as a grotesque figure was retribution, something he deserved. He had become accustomed to a reclusive life, trying to avoid people's attention as much as possible.

The greatest advantage of working in a library is the ability to read books anytime. He taught himself computer programming and discovered the wonders of the online world. Here, he didn't need to interact with people face-to-face, nor was he allowed to have his ugly face seen. He could also reshape his identity, erasing all the unpleasant experiences of his previous twenty-three years and creating a new life for himself.

After settling everything in, he sent an email to Yin Bei, sharing his current situation and leaving his new address.

However, since that phone call that night, Yin Bei has not contacted Zhang Qian again.

Until three years later.

Zhang Qian happened to see a report in the school magazine: "The youngest professor from Tsinghua and Peking Universities will be visiting our school to attend the annual salon."

Out of curiosity, he continued reading: 'Young Professor Yin Bei will bring cutting-edge international scientific research achievements to our university, and collaborate with enterprises to develop new materials...'

Upon seeing the name 'Yin Bei', Zhang Qian was overjoyed. Could it be that his senior had returned to China after completing his studies? Why hadn't he received any news about him? He checked the date; it was a report from three days ago. He then carefully looked up the date Yin Bei arrived at Sunan University in the report—it was today!

The clock showed 11 a.m., and he estimated that the welcoming meeting should have ended by then.

Zhang Qian put on a mask, pulled up a fisherman's hat, and buttoned up the collar before hurrying towards Qiming Tower.

When I arrived at the bottom of the Qiming Building steps, the meeting had just ended, and groups of students and teachers were walking out of the venue.

He quickly retreated to the shade of a thick sycamore tree nearby.

Two school leaders accompanied Yin Bei as they walked towards them, talking as they went.

Zhang Qian leaned back against the tree trunk and watched them walk away. No one paid any attention to him, not even glancing at him.

He returned to the library dejectedly, and as soon as he sat down, Xiao Zhang, who had just started working there, scolded him: "Where have you been? Can't you see how much work is going to go undone?"

Xiao Zhang is a distant nephew of a school leader. He was assigned to the school by the Academic Affairs Office and has been working there for less than two months.

Zhang Qian looked around and saw that there weren't many people in the library. It was right after class, and the students should all have gone to the cafeteria for lunch. "There aren't many people," he thought to himself, and casually said, "Aren't you here too? How much work can be waiting for me?"

"Go get the ladder, someone over there needs to check historical records," Xiao Zhang said impatiently.

"Why don't you go?" Zhang Qian asked, unusually.

"Hey, what do you mean? The curator instructed that you should be doing all these jobs. The school has spent a lot of money on you, you should be grateful."

Zhang Qian stopped talking and walked towards the storage room with his head down. Behind him came Xiao Zhang's arrogant muttering: "Tch, ugly freak, still trying to act coy with me. Doesn't he know who I am?"

Zhang Qian waited for two days, but Yin Bei did not come to see him.

He often overheard students discussing it privately:

"Professor Yin is so handsome."

"He's not just handsome, he's absolutely awesome."

"I heard that his return to China this time was quite complicated. He had to go through Hong Kong Island and was finally picked up by GA. The whole process was like a blockbuster movie."

"No wonder he enjoys such treatment."

"No wonder Dean Xie has been personally accompanying him these past few days."

"Professor Yin will be visiting our school next semester as a visiting professor."

"Wouldn't that mean I could see him more often?"

"Look how happy you are. Stop daydreaming. You have no chance."

After getting home from his early shift, Zhang Qian pulled out the calculation drafts Yin Bei had left behind. Looking at Yin Bei's message, he became more and more depressed. "Now you're all set, a respected professor. If I hadn't covered for you back then, you wouldn't be enjoying such a glamorous life now."

"I should expose your affairs to the public and let everyone see what kind of person this respected professor really is at heart?" Zhang Qian felt extremely resentful when he had this thought.

He turned on his computer, logged into Renren.com, and registered a new username: 'Black Knight'.

Then, he posted a thread on the BBS titled "On the hypocritical people who come out of the corners...".

The discussion surrounding this post quickly gained momentum, and soon, a flood of replies, speculations, and exposés appeared.

Many netizens also praised the 'Black Knight' as a messenger of justice.

Zhang Qian finally made a name for himself in the online world. In his excitement, he copied the post to several well-known public online platforms.

He was busy posting and replying until dark, and if it weren't for his stomach growling with hunger, he wouldn't have realized that dinner time had already passed.

Still feeling unsatisfied, he stood up to stretch his stiff shoulders and neck, put on a hat and mask, and went to the convenience store to buy instant noodles...

As Zhang Qian was selecting instant noodles from the shelf, a familiar voice came from the doorway, "Excuse me, how do I get to the school staff dormitory?"

He peeked through the gap in the shelf and saw Yin Bei asking the shop owner for directions.

Several years had passed since I last saw him. Yin Bei seemed to have gotten a bit darker, but he had gained a more mature and composed air about him. He spoke calmly and deliberately, exuding a scholarly air. He was carrying a white box in his hand.

The boss replied, "Go to the end of this road and you'll reach the residential area. Turn left and you'll see apartment buildings, and turn right and you'll see single-story houses."

Yin Bei said, "Oh, I need to go to the building over there. Thank you, boss."

"Is this the latest model of laptop?" the shopkeeper asked, pointing to the box in Yin Bei's hand. "My son has always wanted a computer like this, but it's very expensive, so I couldn't bring myself to buy it for him."

Yin Bei smiled and replied, "I brought this back from abroad and intend to give it to one of my younger brothers."