Chapter 573 - 588: Mathematics Conference
An Ning’s pursuit of Jiang Xia had been underway for five days.
On the first day, she got into a car accident and was the victim of a staged injury scam.
On the second day, she brought Jiang Xia breakfast, which only made his ulcer worse.
On the third day, An Ning thought she’d be attentive and drive Jiang Xia to work. But a tire blew out halfway there, blasting his hair to the point it was practically smoking.
On the fourth day, An Ning decided to ditch the car and try a different approach.
So she simply bought fresh flowers to give to Jiang Xia. As it turned out, he was allergic to the specific type of flower she chose, successfully forcing him to attend a board meeting with a face full of red hives.
On the fifth day, An Ning decided to stop giving gifts and take a safer route. She went to the seafood market, bought seafood, and had Jiang Xia cook. ’Surely just eating with him would be fine, right?’
The result was that she accidentally bought a blue-ringed octopus, and the two of them nearly kicked the bucket.
On the sixth day... An Ning couldn’t find him, because Jiang Xia had gone on a business trip.
On the plane for his business trip, Jiang Xia was holding a flower, endlessly plucking its petals.
"She likes me, she’s trying to kill me. She likes me, she’s trying to kill me. She likes me, she’s trying to..."
This rigorous method of divination was thus reenacted by Jiang Xia.
An Ning’s behavior these past few days had certainly been bizarre, but something about it felt off, leaving Jiang Xia utterly baffled.
When a flight attendant came over to give Jiang Xia his lunch, she saw the flower petals scattered all over his tray table, and any romantic notions she might have had instantly faded.
’The man in business class is handsome and rich, but I don’t think I can handle that mental state.’
Still plucking petals in his conflicted state, Jiang Xia had no idea that he had just unknowingly snuffed out a budding romance.
Meanwhile, An Ning deeply reflected on her recent experiences.
’Could it be that the heavens are truly against me? Is it because I’m an outsider?’
An Ning couldn’t figure it out, but she knew this pursuit had to be put on hold. Otherwise, she was afraid she would completely ruin her chances with the prize right under her nose.
Most importantly, she really wasn’t doing it on purpose.
Take the allergy incident, for example. She had gone hiking with Jiang Xia in the mountains so many times and never knew he was allergic to that type of flower. The most outrageous part was that it was the first time Jiang Xia himself had found out, too.
Lost in their own thoughts, they went about their separate business.
「Three days after Jiang Xia left, Yu the Elder paid An Ning a visit.」
Ever since studying under An Ning, he had successfully published many papers. He was now internationally famous, even ranked as one of the top mathematicians in the world.
This mathematical big shot arrived at An Ning’s little courtyard himself, carrying two glass jars.
"Master."
"Come in."
Yu the Elder carried the jars inside, placed them on the table in the courtyard, and said, "This is osmanthus honey. It’s delicious for making tea or for drizzling on pastries."
"That’s very thoughtful of you."
An Ning was lying in a rocking chair, a romance novel in her hand. Beside her, a table was laden with washed fruit. She swayed leisurely back and forth.
Yu the Elder, long accustomed to seeing her like this, sat down comfortably at her side and began to prepare her tea.
"Master, I came today to tell you that I’ve been invited to Europe for a mathematics conference."
"There’s more to it, isn’t there? Give me the details."
An Ning listened with half an ear as Yu the Elder explained seriously.
"To put it bluntly, in the past, we weren’t qualified to go. The few who were qualified didn’t dare, afraid they wouldn’t be able to come back. Now we have both the skill and the personnel, so I want to attend."
An Ning stopped rocking, sat up, and took the tea that Yu the Elder handed her.
"Then you should go. Are you scared?"
At An Ning’s question, Yu the Elder gave a slightly sheepish laugh and nodded.
"A little, yes. So I was hoping you could give me a few more lessons, Master. That way, I won’t embarrass you when I go abroad."
An Ning put down her tea, fixed her gaze on Yu the Elder, and said sternly, "You guys have gotten way too good at playing the pity card."
At first, Yu the Elder pretended not to know what she meant. Then, under An Ning’s stare, he gave a sheepish, yet unashamed, smile. "I was just taking a page from their book. I’m getting old; I only have a few more years of learning left in me."
An Ning rolled her eyes, speechless. ’Here we go again.’
"This is the third time this year you’ve used the ’I’m getting old’ excuse."
"Is that so?" Yu the Elder feigned forgetfulness, gave An Ning a goofy grin, and whined pleadingly, "Master—"
"Stop, stop! Don’t you start with that!"
An Ning lay back in her rocking chair, thinking back over the past few years. To compete for her time, her apprentices had used all sorts of schemes, and sometimes she couldn’t even see through their acts.
"When do you leave?"
Hearing this, Yu the Elder knew there was an opening. He enthusiastically shared his itinerary in great detail.
"So, Master, I can start my lessons with you today, and before I go abroad—"
"I’ll go with you."
An Ning’s words left Yu the Elder, who had come with a detailed plan, stunned for a moment. Then he jumped up with a vigor that belied his age, slapped his thigh, and asked, "Really, Master?"
"If I said I was kidding, would you cry?"
"I would!"
They weren’t joking anymore. An Ning really did want to go. She had a plan in mind: to earn money from foreign patent fees.
’To make money, I first need to know where they stand and what they need.’ These were all things An Ning needed to ascertain.
Once Yu the Elder confirmed An Ning would be going with him, he hurried back to make the arrangements.
Without a care in the world, An Ning went back to her novel to study its romantic pursuit techniques.
RING RING RING—
The phone rang. An Ning answered and called out a familiar name, "Hei Niu."
"How are the doctors working out?"
"That’s good. Just focus on getting better; I can lend you the money."
After An Ning had returned to Beijing, she had Yu Zheng find three traditional Chinese medicine doctors, all of whom she recommended to Hei Niu. She also promised to lend her the money.
Hei Niu was decisive. Her priority was the treatment; she would pay the money back later.
"So you’re going south to look for herbs?"
Listening to Hei Niu, An Ning learned that her father was already receiving good care. The medical expenses weren’t too high, so Hei Niu could still afford them. It was just that some of the medicinal herbs were hard to find.
Hei Niu had grown up in the mountains and had a special knack for finding medicinal herbs, so she decided to go to the south herself to find the herbs for her father.
An Ning didn’t dissuade her. If it were for her own family, she would also risk it all.
However, An Ning still arranged for someone she knew in the south to help Hei Niu. It was always better to have a helping hand.
"Don’t worry, you know this person, too. It’s that Hua Cheng you wanted to drag home to be your husband."
"It’s fine. He’s the one who’s scared of you, if anything."
After they talked for a while longer, An Ning gave Hei Niu Hua Cheng’s contact information, and then they hung up.
After hanging up, An Ning called Hua Cheng to give him a heads-up.
The call connected after two rings, and a questioning voice came through the receiver.
"Boss An, you were looking for me?"