Mo Yunchen took the white lab coat that Ye Shaohua had removed.
Hearing the question, he turned his head slightly and spoke for the first time, his voice cold and detached. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend.”
Ye Shaohua glanced at him but said nothing.
This single sentence left An Tongtong speechless. She stared at Ye Shaohua in shock, unable to connect her with Mo Yunchen. The idea seemed almost absurd to her.
Deep down, An Tongtong had always looked down on Ye Shaohua. Since returning to the An family, Ye Shaohua hadn’t even known how to use a knife and fork, opting instead to poke at her food with chopsticks. Even though she was the biological daughter of the An family, An Tongtong had never felt threatened by her.
Especially now that An Tongtong had achieved such heights in her career, while Ye Shaohua had chosen to study medicine—a field often seen as selfless and underappreciated. An Tongtong had assumed Ye Shaohua would never surpass her. But now, with Mo Yunchen in the picture, everything felt uncertain.
Her mind was in turmoil, but Ye Shaohua paid her no attention, instead focusing on her conversation with Dean Tian.
“The freelance job you took is from B University. Just translate it and send it to the same email as last time,” Dean Tian said. Ye Shaohua had been taking on various part-time jobs since arriving at the university, and to ensure her research wasn’t affected, Dean Tian had found her several freelance opportunities. “Take the next two days to rest. Come back in three days.”
Ye Shaohua had never spoken about her personal life. After leaving the Ye family, her adoptive parents had stopped sending her money, and the An family had assumed she was still living comfortably with the Ye family. In reality, most of her earnings went toward international research materials.
Her tuition and living expenses were covered by the freelance work she took on.
Dean Tian and her classmates assumed she came from a poor family. Why else would she work herself to the bone taking on so many jobs?
Because of this, her classmates often looked out for her, assigning her translation tasks whenever they could.
As Dean Tian finished speaking, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.
Their research, which had begun at the start of summer, was finally nearing completion. In three days, the results would be unveiled to the world, and he could already imagine the global attention it would garner.
The thought filled him with excitement.
He remembered twenty years ago, when medical science in their country was still lagging behind. A virus had spread across the nation, and their medical technology at the time couldn’t even identify what it was.
Medical experts had tried to purchase equipment from abroad, but as they weren’t members of the international medical community, the customs officials had demanded exorbitant fees. Their budget was limited.
Back then, those in the medical field had vowed to study harder and advance their knowledge.
Now, twenty years later, their medical science had steadily progressed. Seeing a prodigy like Ye Shaohua filled Dean Tian with immense pride.
They finally had fresh talent, and they no longer had to beg for help from others. Even foreign medical experts would now come to their country to attend medical conferences.
The group walked out of the school, and Mo Yunchen went to fetch the car.
An Tingjun glanced at Ye Shaohua. Her shirt sleeves hung loosely, making her appear even thinner than before. “You’ve been working part-time since your first year?”
He remembered the last time he saw her was during the asset distribution meeting. She hadn’t been this thin back then.
“Yeah,” Ye Shaohua replied, pulling out her phone without offering any further explanation.
Seeing her like this, An Tingjun pursed his lips and turned away, his mind a mess.
She always kept people at arm’s length.
“Ah Xu, do you know who Mo Yunchen is? Have you heard of him?” An Tingjun asked, trying to recall if there was anyone by that name in the capital.
“I don’t know. I’ve only seen him once with Deputy Mayor Shen,” Yan Xu replied, narrowing his eyes slightly. He didn’t want to elaborate. “Let’s go get the car.”
The two of them left, leaving An Tongtong and Ye Shaohua standing by the school gate, waiting for their rides.
“Shaohua, who is that Senior Mo? How do you know him?” An Tongtong asked casually, though her tone betrayed her curiosity. “I’ve never heard of anyone with the surname Mo in the capital.”
Ye Shaohua stood to the side, playing with her phone and ignoring An Tongtong, which only added to An Tongtong’s frustration and resentment.
The group parted ways at the school gate. An Tongtong noticed Mo Yunchen’s unmarked car, but it did little to ease her irritation.
“Shaohua, we’re going back to your parents’ place today. It’s been a month since you last visited. Are you coming with us?” An Tongtong remembered hearing from the lab members that Ye Shaohua hadn’t left campus in a month.
Hearing this, An Tingjun stopped and frowned. “A month? They raised you, after all. The bond of upbringing is stronger than blood. Even if you resent them, you shouldn’t neglect them like this. It wasn’t their fault you were switched at birth!”
Mo Yunchen, who had just helped Ye Shaohua into the car, shot An Tingjun a cold look, silencing him.
An Tingjun’s expression darkened.
An Tongtong, on the other hand, felt uneasy. She had come today hoping to see the “phoenix raised in a chicken coop,” but instead of provoking Ye Shaohua, she had only managed to upset herself.
Listening to Yan Xu and An Tingjun discuss Mo Yunchen and Mo Yunsheng, An Tongtong, who was usually the center of attention, couldn’t help but feel ignored.
Today was the day An Tongtong was supposed to visit Ye Shaohua’s adoptive parents. An Tingjun had even prepared gifts, but the atmosphere in the car was tense, with everyone lost in their own thoughts.
When they knocked on the door, the neighbor’s daughter, who seemed to be on her way to school, slammed the door shut upon seeing them.
The loud noise startled An Tongtong. “What kind of manners do these people have?” she muttered, frowning.
The slums were the slums, after all. If it weren’t for the visit to Ye Shaohua’s parents, An Tongtong wouldn’t have wanted to stay a second longer.
“Tongtong, you’re here!” Ye Guoqing opened the door, his face lighting up at the sight of An Tongtong. “I just saw on the news that you’ve advanced to the next round. The world championship is next, right?”
“Yes,” An Tongtong replied, her good upbringing preventing her from saying anything else.
She glanced around the small, cramped space, feeling a sense of impatience, though she maintained a polite demeanor as she spoke with Ye Shaohua’s parents.
Yan Xu and An Tingjun placed the gifts on the table and accepted the glasses of water offered by Ye Guoqing.
“Will you be staying here tonight?” Ye’s mother asked An Tongtong excitedly, leading her to the bedroom. “I’ve redecorated your room this month. Come take a look.”
She pulled An Tongtong into the room.
“Oh, and I’ve also set up a Go room and a piano room for you,” Ye’s mother added, opening the door to another room. “I converted the guest room. Do you like it?”
Ye’s mother wanted to show off her efforts to An Tingjun, hoping to prove that while the Ye family might not be as wealthy as the An family, they weren’t lacking either.
An Tingjun noticed the brand of clothes hanging in An Tongtong’s closet and compared them to Ye Shaohua’s more modest attire. His brow furrowed slightly.
But when he saw that the guest room had been converted into a recreational space for An Tongtong, his mind went blank.
The Ye family’s home had three bedrooms and two living rooms. An Tongtong had two rooms, while Ye Shaohua’s parents had one.
An Tingjun looked at Ye Shaohua’s parents and asked calmly, “Then where does Shaohua sleep? Where is her room?”