RIRW – Chapter 163

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It was the first time something like this had happened at Peking University—not only an open pursuit of a man, but one who was already married. What made it even more bizarre was that she had actually posted it herself on the school bulletin board.

The whole thing was so strange that people began to question whether the letter was really written by the student who signed it, Chen Sinan. Could it have been a prank?

“It’s not a prank,” Chen Pingping said firmly.

Xiang Honghua asked, “How do you know?”

Chen Pingping looked a bit embarrassed. “She enrolled today, just like me. No one here even knows her, so it’s unlikely someone would play a prank on her. Besides, I recognize her handwriting.” That Chen Sinan never liked studying Chinese since she was young. If the family hadn’t spoken Chinese at home, she probably wouldn’t even be able to speak it. That messy handwriting—only she could write like that.

“…” Everyone fell silent.

Xiang Honghua exclaimed, “Classmate, are things always this… unrestrained where you come from abroad?”

Chen Pingping replied righteously, “No, this isn’t a social norm. This is her personal behavior. While people overseas value freedom in love and marriage, that’s only between single men and women.”

Zhao Qianjin spoke up, “Alright, since it’s confirmed that this letter was written by Chen Sinan, what should we do about it?”

“She’s so shameless, corrupting social morals! Of course we should post a big-character poster to denounce her!” Xiang Honghua said angrily. In the old days, someone like her would have been dragged into the street and had her head shaved. She’s lucky to be living in better times now.

Zhao Qianjin looked at the bulletin board. “She already posted it herself. There’s no point in us posting anything else. Besides, times have changed.” He turned to Zuo Dan. “Comrade Zuo Dan, how do you suggest we handle this? We’ll follow your lead.”

“This person’s Chinese is truly terrible. Just look at how ugly the handwriting is, and the phrasing doesn’t make sense,” Zuo Dan commented. “Look at what she wrote: ‘From today onwards, I will pursue classmate Shen Yiming. I hereby declare this.’ It’s laughable!”

“…”

After speaking, Zuo Dan became serious. “With the kind of quality this displays, I believe unless he’s blind, classmate Yiming would never be interested. So this is clearly a one-sided infatuation. Just wishful thinking on her part. However, this matter is very serious—it’s already at the level of damaging social customs and creating misunderstandings about foreigners. I suggest we handle this strictly. Even though we’re not from the economics department, as socially responsible students, we have a duty to stop this kind of behavior. I’ll go to the administration office with the class monitor to report this, and a few students should stay here to guard the evidence.”

“…” They had thought Zuo Dan might storm over to the economics department in a rage. As expected of their party branch secretary—she was different from others. No matter the issue, she always considered the bigger picture and remained composed.

No one felt right about sticking around just to watch the drama, so they all returned to their classrooms.

However, Zhu Min’s face showed a trace of excitement. She didn’t believe that Shen Yiming would turn down such a highly educated student from abroad.

The school administration quickly received the report. When the director saw the love letter, his first thought was: Where did this lunatic come from? But after learning about Chen Sinan’s background, they didn’t dare act rashly and immediately contacted the leadership at the economics department to figure out how best to handle the situation.

Over at the economics department, the news also caused an uproar. Compared to the education department, they received the news a little later. After someone saw the letter, word quickly spread throughout the classroom. No one had expected that the foreign student who joined them just that day had instantly set her sights on Shen Yiming and even openly started pursuing him.

Had she not even figured out that he was married? Were people abroad really this bold and reckless?

Shen Yiming had just returned from Professor Zhang’s office when he heard the news. His expression instantly turned to one of disgust. He walked up to the podium and knocked on the blackboard.

The class quieted down.

Shen Yiming said seriously, “Classmates, I just heard something rather disturbing. I’d like to once again clarify that my partner is Comrade Zuo Dan from the education department. We are in a loving relationship, soulmates, and plan to spend our lives together. Therefore, we do not accept any immoral behavior. For example, the letter posted on the bulletin board is a serious infringement on my personal reputation and is negatively impacting the school environment. This matter must be handled seriously.”

After speaking, he picked up his books and left the classroom.

The classroom erupted into laughter. Many covered their mouths, giggling. They found Shen Yiming too funny—he didn’t care about saving face for the foreign student at all and treated her confession as some sort of scandalous incident. Hahaha.

Looking back, that female student had also run off. Could she be chasing after Shen Yiming?

Outside, Chen Sinan had indeed caught up to Shen Yiming. “Classmate Shen Yiming, what did you mean by what you just said?”

“Exactly what I said,” Shen Yiming replied. “Classmate, I know you just returned from abroad, so your Chinese isn’t very good. But this is China. I suggest you put in the effort to improve your Chinese first.”

Shen Yiming spoke coldly, then went straight downstairs.

Chen Sinan wanted to chase after him, but ended up not catching up. She was so angry she stomped her feet. She secretly regretted not investigating more thoroughly earlier. She had only wanted to seize the opportunity to get a head start and define their relationship early, so that Chen Pingping wouldn’t be able to pursue Shen Yiming anymore.

She never expected that a student with no particular background would actually reject her.

Isn’t he just a poor student at Peking University? What’s so great about that?

Her father was Chen Zhisen! A man who had met with top leaders.

Shen Yiming went directly to the department and, in the name of his personal reputation being damaged, demanded punishment for this kind of behavior to uphold academic integrity.

The leadership of the Economics Department had already heard about it from the Student Affairs Office and were now having headaches. After all, this student was assigned by the university—would this incident affect larger matters? So they reported it to the department head.

The department head, Gao Chengzhang, had not managed department affairs for a long time. He was old and only held the position in name. Plus, he had suffered some hardships a few years ago and was in poor health, resting quietly ever since. But upon hearing the full story of the incident, he came to the university with a cane.

First, he met with Shen Yiming.

“Student Shen Yiming, are you sure you want to pursue this matter? It might affect some of our relations with overseas Chinese communities.”

Shen Yiming sincerely replied, “If this were purely a personal matter, I would definitely let it go. But this goes beyond me personally—it affects the moral standards of the entire school. If we tolerate such immoral behavior just because the person is an overseas Chinese, how can our university students accept that? And if similar incidents occur again, what position will the school be in to punish them? If no punishment is given, wouldn’t that be seen as the school endorsing such actions? In that case, what would become of Peking University’s integrity and reputation?”

Gao Chengzhang looked at Shen Yiming with great interest, then suddenly changed the subject. “I’ve read your essays. Although they’re still a bit immature, I can see your potential and insight. I heard that Old Zhang even took you in as his last disciple—he must value you quite a bit.”

Shen Yiming responded respectfully, “That’s only because the teacher has been kind to me.”

“Well, that just shows you’ve got talent. Not bad—Old Li is quite fortunate to have found such a promising young man to be his granddaughter’s husband,” Gao Chengzhang said with a smile.

Shen Yiming’s expression shifted subtly. He realized this was the old friend that his wife Dandan’s grandfather often spoke of. He began thinking about how to achieve his goal without offending this old friend of his future grandfather-in-law. If he did nothing, Comrade Zuo Dan would definitely question him at home.

Gao Chengzhang chuckled, “Don’t be nervous. Although Old Li is my friend, I won’t use personal ties to force you to back down. Just as you said, this is about the school’s moral compass—it can’t go unpunished. I called you here mainly to inform you that there will be an important conference at the end of the year, and I plan to bring you along. You should start preparing.”

“Director Gao, may I ask what kind of conference it is? So I can prepare accordingly,” Shen Yiming asked seriously.

Gao Chengzhang replied, “It’s quite significant. Just prepare materials related to economics.”

Shen Yiming realized something and his heart skipped a few beats, though he remained calm outwardly. “Thank you, Director Gao. I’ll make sure to prepare thoroughly.”

After Shen Yiming left, Gao Chengzhang called the university’s Student Affairs Office. “Handle it as it should be handled. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Soon after, the Peking University Student Affairs Office issued a public notice of criticism and a major demerit. Although she was only an exchange student and her records weren’t kept locally, a public notice of criticism could still be issued across the whole school to serve as a warning to others.

After school, Zuo Dan saw Shen Yiming waiting downstairs for her.

She got on the bicycle with a deliberately stern face and pinched Shen Yiming. “Comrade Yiming, you sure have a knack for attracting women. I look away for one moment and suddenly I have a love rival.”

Shen Yiming pedaled the bike obediently. “You’ve wronged me. I really didn’t notice she had any feelings for me.”

“She made it public to the entire school!” Zuo Dan looked skeptical. She believed Shen Yiming had no interest in Chen Sinan, but after what Chen Sinan did, how could she not have feelings for Shen Yiming?

Shen Yiming said, “She’s just stirring up trouble. I’ve thought about it—she might have done it on purpose.”

Zuo Dan sensed a story and said eagerly, “Come on, tell me all about it.”

“I analyzed it—there are two possibilities. One, she feels superior because of her background and wants to start a romance with a poor student to show how unique she is. The other possibility is that she’s trying to compete with someone.”

“Compete with who?” Zuo Dan asked in confusion.

Shen Yiming explained, “That new friend of yours asked about you yesterday. When she learned about our relationship, she got a little too enthusiastic—might have caused some misunderstandings. I could tell the two of them don’t get along very well. So maybe she did all this today just to upset your new friend.”

Zuo Dan clicked her tongue. “She must be really confident to think she could win you over just like that. That’s practically insulting my taste. For the Chen family to raise someone like this, I need to be even more determined to avoid any further association with them.”

On the Chen family’s side, Chen Zhisen sat on the sofa with a gloomy expression, facing the pair of siblings.

Next to him, Chen Pingping raged, “Today, so many people asked me whether our overseas education was really this open. Some even asked if our family sent us back to China to learn from the good moral standards here. Fifth Uncle, I really want to know—why exactly did Chen Sinan come to school? How did she manage to stir up such a ridiculous scandal on her first day? The boy she pursued—Shen Yiming—is married, and his wife is even my classmate. They’re a loving, happy couple, perfectly matched. If not for the deep bond between them, this incident alone could’ve caused serious mistrust between husband and wife.”

“You’re talking nonsense! I didn’t even know that Shen Yiming was married. Otherwise, I would never have done such a thing!” Chen Sinan retorted. No matter what, she would never be interested in a married man—let alone one who was married in China.

“If he wasn’t married, does that make it okay for you to do what you did on the first day of school?” Chen Zhisen said sternly. “I brought you back to attend university so you could gain knowledge, not to pull stunts like this! Do you realize how many young people in the country don’t even get a chance to attend university? Studying at a prestigious institution like this is a tremendous privilege. Yet you’ve squandered it like this—I’m extremely disappointed in you!”

“Dad, I—I didn’t take it for granted. I didn’t let it affect my studies,” Chen Sinan’s eyes turned red with grievance.

Chen Nianjiang quickly said, “Dad, I didn’t manage Sinan well enough and let her make a mistake. I’m willing to take the punishment.”

Chen Zhisen exhaled deeply with his eyes closed, then said calmly, “Sinan, write a self-reflection letter and submit it to the school. Also, apologize to Shen Yiming and his wife.”

“Dad, if I do that, I’ll have no face left at school,” Chen Sinan said emotionally. “I don’t want to go to school anymore—I want to return to the U.S.”

“Sinan, stop talking like that!” Chen Nianjiang said in a panic.

Chen Zhisen stood up without saying another word and walked out. Chen Pingping gave Chen Sinan a meaningful look before quickly following after him.

“Brother, don’t you think Dad doesn’t care about us anymore?” Chen Sinan said with a grievance. She noticed that ever since Dad returned to China, his temper had started to change.

Chen Nianjiang sighed. “Sinan, you need to be more mature. Stop making Dad angry. He sent you to school to study. Why don’t you appreciate that? And now you’re talking about returning to the U.S.?”

“I don’t like it here. I just want to go back to America,” Chen Sinan cried.

“If you keep making Dad angry like this, you’ll never get the chance to go back,” Chen Nianjiang said in a low voice.

Tears welled in Chen Sinan’s eyes. “Why? Didn’t we grow up in America? That’s our home.”

“That’s not our home. This is. In Dad’s heart, this is our country, our home. Sinan, you need to remember—we’re not Dad’s biological children! Did you know? A few days ago, he asked me to search for our birth parents.”

Chen Sinan was stunned. “Why?”

Chen Nianjiang’s face turned serious. “Because we’re grown up now. He’s repaid the kindness he owed, and he no longer has an obligation to take care of us. He wants to return us to our real parents. Don’t make him angry. He’s not the gentle, kind person you imagine. Once his debt is repaid, he might abandon us at any time.” Someone capable of making a name for himself in a place like America could never be just a mild-mannered man.

Chen Sinan’s mind went blank.

In the back garden, Chen Zhisen was standing with a cane, quietly observing the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Chen Pingping followed behind him.

“Fifth Uncle, you’ve spoiled them too much. It was fine in the past, but now this has blown up at the university. Everyone thinks people who return from abroad have bad conduct,” Chen Pingping said.

Chen Zhisen didn’t say a word, lost in his thoughts.

Seeing her fifth uncle looking displeased, Chen Pingping continued, “Fifth Uncle, is there really no way to find her in Nanjiang? If you want, I can take a leave and go search.”

“There’s no need. Don’t disturb her life,” Chen Zhisen said.

Hearing this, Chen Pingping’s heart skipped a beat. “Fifth Uncle, are you certain? Maybe… maybe you’re not.”

No wonder her fifth uncle hadn’t mentioned finding that person since returning to the country. Last time she asked, he simply said he couldn’t find her. She had thought he genuinely couldn’t.

Looking at her, Chen Zhisen said, “Pingping, study well. I don’t know how much longer I can shoulder the responsibilities of the Chen family. You younger ones will have to take it from here.”

Tears welled in Chen Pingping’s eyes. “Fifth Uncle, how can you say that? Grandpa always said you’re the backbone of the Chen family, that you’re the pillar holding us all together.”

When she was little, she often heard her grandparents say that when the Chen family fled to the U.S., they were dealt a terrible blow and almost couldn’t survive. Her eldest uncle disappeared, her second uncle buried himself in research and ignored worldly affairs, her father was weak and indecisive, and her fourth uncle was too straightforward. Only her fifth uncle was capable of taking responsibility. He spent a year recovering in the U.S. before barely being able to support himself with a cane and shoulder the family burdens. Slowly, he stabilized the Chen family’s fortunes. Since childhood, she had seen her fifth uncle as the pillar of the family. She couldn’t imagine what they would do without him.

“Fifth Uncle, you must take care of yourself. I’ll listen to you—I’ll study hard and help share your burden. My brothers and sisters in America are helping too. You won’t have to work so hard in the future.”

Chen Zhisen gave a faint smile. “I believe you’ll all do even better than I did.”

At first, Chen Sinan didn’t believe what Chen Nianjiang said. For as long as she could remember, Chen Zhisen had been her father—how could he not want her as his daughter? But when Chen Zhisen went through dinner and then to bed without saying a single word to her, panic set in. She didn’t dare disobey him anymore. The next day, she obediently wrote the reflection letter and submitted it to the school.

She was already a well-known figure at the university, and the letter drew a crowd of onlookers.

Xiang Honghua dragged Zuo Dan over to see it. Zuo Dan scoffed, saying the handwriting was too ugly to bother reading, which made Xiang Honghua burst into laughter.

Zuo Dan thought the matter was over and didn’t want to pursue it further. There was no point in getting entangled with the Chen family. However, after class, her counselor came to call her out. Following the counselor downstairs, she immediately saw a female student waiting there. No need to ask—she could already guess who it was.

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. The girl was dressed nicely and looked a bit stylish. But that was about it. Without the foreign clothes and flair, she’d be just a plainly pretty girl.

The counselor said seriously, “Zuo Dan, this is Chen Sinan. She says she came specifically to apologize to you. You two talk it out. Communicate properly.” With that, she patted Zuo Dan on the shoulder, signaling her to stay calm, and then walked away.