Chapter 64: Xu the Scumbag Really Deserves to Die!

Xu Qingzhou was thoroughly satisfied; he loved nothing more than making these annoying couples feel awkward. He bent over and had just eaten a few bites when a familiar figure sat down across from him.

“Xu Qingzhou, what a coincidence,” Xue Ying said, her tone tinged with surprise.

She had changed into jeans and a white T-shirt; she was already pretty, and this outfit added a touch of the neighborhood girl vibe.

“Coincidence indeed,” Xu Qingzhou replied, slightly taken aback, greeting her as he glanced at her backpack. “Are you heading to the library?”

Xue Ying was delighted—she hadn’t expected to run into Xu Qingzhou here. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve relaxed for days already; it’s time to study properly.”

After a pause, she looked at the computer bag beside him and asked, “Are you going to the library too?”

Xu Qingzhou nodded.

“Fine, everything’s going well—halfway done already.”

Read!

She really wanted to chase after him, but looking at the food she’d just gotten, she gave up. Besides, she’d soon have to bring meals to Song Yao and the others who’d been called in by the professor.

“Xiao Qiong.”

But by then, Xu Qingzhou had already walked far away.

“She’s fine, just a bit tanner.”

Zhang Qiong stared at the photos, thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Not yet. These are evidence. Song Yao’s too deep in it—if we bring it up, Xu the Scumbag can just make up any excuse to brush it off.”

“Huh~”

Zhang Qiong made a throat-slitting gesture. Zhong Ruotong’s face tightened, strangely sensing that this whole thing felt thrilling.

“Oh, okay, bye,” Xue Ying nodded dully, then suddenly realized—shouldn’t she be going with him?

In a distant corner, Zhang Qiong glared at the couple eating across from her, teeth clenched, burning with rage.

Xue Ying opened her mouth, then closed it. In the end, she didn’t follow. She sighed in frustration, deciding to bring it up next time.

“Mom~”

Busy? Busy being a scumbag!

“Should we show it to Xiao Yao?” Zhong Ruotong asked.

Xue Ying’s eyes brightened. “The first time I went to explore the campus, I only stood outside looking.”

Xue Ying: “?”

Lately, she’d often seen Song Yao sitting at her desk staring blankly. When she asked what she was thinking about, Song Yao wouldn’t answer—until she finally slipped out that it was because Xu Qingzhou was busy and had no time to be with her.

Xu Qingzhou stopped walking and pointed to the crowd ahead. “Just follow them inside.”

Xu the Scumbag, he really deserves to die!

The person on the other end first said, “Huh?” then whispered to someone beside him, “That’s Qingzhou,” before muttering, “Why are you calling?”

After speaking, he waved his hand, "Alright, you go in yourself, I'm leaving now."

As he walked, Xu Qingzhou sneezed, wondering if someone was thinking of him. Could it be his mom? “Are you catching a cold? I’ve got some cold medicine—I can share some with you,” Xue Ying said, concerned.

“We need to gather evidence and wait for the right moment.”

Xue Ying’s cheeks were puffed from eating. Noticing Xu Qingzhou’s odd expression, she swallowed a sip of soup before asking, “What’s wrong?”

“One strike, kill!”

Scumbag, pure scumbag! Xu Qingzhou ate while imparting his old library-hunting tips.

Five minutes later, Xu Qingzhou hung up. His expression was complex: a five-minute call, now only one minute belonged to him—the rest had all been about Song Yao.

Hearing Xu Qingzhou was doing fine, Wang Xiaping lost interest. “Alright, enough about you—what about Xiao Yao? Is she okay?”

“You? Miss us? Did you get into trouble at school again?” Wang Xiaping remained skeptical.

His family status was already low—but now it had turned negative.

“I missed you,” Xu Qingzhou said softly.

Thinking of it, he pulled out his phone and called his mom.

Xu Qingzhou nearly spat out his blood, his head full of question marks. This wasn’t at all what he’d imagined—the warm, filial atmosphere? Why did he feel such blatant disdain? Is this really his mother?!

Outside, the rain had stopped, but the air still carried the damp scent of earth. “Achoo~”

Follow them inside? But Xu Qingzhou said he was going to the library too. Seeing Xue Ying frozen, Xu Qingzhou realized she’d misunderstood. “I need to check some materials—the Math Department library will be more convenient.”

After parting with Xue Ying, Xu Qingzhou didn’t head straight to the library. Instead, he went to the rooftop on the second floor—he figured his parents were definitely thinking of him.

The phone rang twice, then was answered.

“Just swipe your card to get in. Today’s fine, but avoid the roof when it’s sunny—it gets too hot. Don’t go up there in winter either; it’s stuffy. Floors three through six are fine, and stay away from the restrooms.”

After a long sigh, Xu Qingzhou carried his computer to the Math Department Library, found a seat, and prepared to translate the second paper—“A Classical Description of Einstein Coefficients in Quantum Optics.”

“How was military training lately?”

Xu Qingzhou shook his head and smiled. “Probably my parents are nagging me.”

Thinking of it, Zhang Qiong gritted her teeth. One person couldn’t eat or drink for thinking, while the other was happily cavorting with another girl.

!.

Seeing Zhang Qiong nearly poking a hole through her plate, and noticing curious glances from nearby diners, Zhong Ruotong whispered a warning.

After eating a while, Xu Qingzhou suddenly shivered, feeling a prickling sensation on his back. He frowned, turned around—everyone behind him was eating, nothing unusual.

Xu Qingzhou rubbed his forehead. “Mom, can’t you think positively for once?”

At this moment, the two arrived before the Jingda Library.

“Stinky?”

Xue Ying nodded, silently impressed by how much Xu Qingzhou knew. Then she noticed he was eating fast—already halfway done. She hurried to eat faster.

Zhang Qiong exhaled, suppressing her anger, pulled out her phone, and snapped two quick photos. Just as she finished, she saw Xu Qingzhou and the girl walking away.

“Nothing,” Xu Qingzhou said, shaking his head. It felt strange—why did he always get this creepy chill on his back whenever he met Xue Ying? Were they just fated to clash?

“No, it’s the noise—people coming and going, and the loud slamming doors.”

【Abstract: By applying classical statistical theory combined with the hypothesis of energy quantization, using Maxwell’s equations as the basis for electric and magnetic fields】

Unlike his usual approach in advanced quantum mechanics—studying via Fermi’s Golden Rule in the Schrödinger, Heisenberg, and interaction pictures—this time he was starting from the classical Maxwell equations.

This paper was deeper and broader than the previous one. The Chinese version was sixteen pages; the English version would likely be longer.

Let’s go! Xu Qingzhou took a deep breath, focused, and plunged into the translation work.

(End of Chapter)