Chapter 310: The Old Man

"Keep your grades steady!" Teacher Liu gave one final instruction.

Only after receiving An Yinan's affirmative reply did he let her go.

With the school's special approval, An Yinan specifically went to the library to fetch some professional books, then stuffed all her textbooks into her space.

Since everyone was still in class and she was in the dormitory, there was nothing to avoid.

After packing her things, she wrote a note and pressed it onto the table to prevent her roommates and friends from worrying.

Only after finishing these tasks did she run to the Principal's office and knock on the door.

"Come in." The Principal's calm and steady voice sounded from inside the office.

An Yinan pushed the door open, "Principal, you were looking for me."

The Principal stood up and picked up the overcoat draped over the coat rack, "Lao Hua has told you, right? I'm taking you now. Once we're there, speak less and ask less; you must not look around."

The Principal looked at An Yinan and instructed in a low voice.

Upon hearing the Principal's words, An Yinan knew the person she was about to meet was no simple figure, so she nodded gently, "I understand."

The Principal nodded with a smile, "You are a smart child, but you must use your intelligence in smart places."

An Yinan understood that the Principal was giving her a warning.

He was also an elder, afraid that she might stray from the right path, which was why he said these words at such an inopportune time.

There must always be someone to play the bad guy; since Lao Hua was unwilling, he would do it himself, the Principal sighed silently in his heart.

"I know." An Yinan smiled, showing no signs of resentment, not even a trace of complaint or arrogance.

This reaction, however, left the Principal feeling a bit uncertain.

"Do you really know?" The Principal, who had been walking in front, turned back to ask again, feeling unsure.

An Yinan was caught between laughter and tears, "I really do know."

She was not a twenty-year-old girl; she had experienced pain and poverty in both lives, as well as wealth and prosperity, yet she remained just herself.

In that era of bustling traffic and crowds, her thoughts had long since settled.

This was also the reason why Hua Wensheng had mentioned there was no need to warn her.

The Principal was driving; this time he hadn't brought a driver, and An Yinan sat in the passenger seat, holding a book and reading it intently.

Seeing her like this, the Principal thought to himself that perhaps she had really taken it to heart.

The two drove for a full forty minutes before arriving at the location.

"The car cannot go inside." Someone stopped the two of them.

"Please, this way." A middle-aged man around forty years old, with a smile on his face, led the two of them inside.

The three of them walked quite a distance, with people watching them all along the way.

"Sir, you haven't rested again." As soon as the middle-aged man entered the room, he saw the old man sitting at the desk, the desk lamp turned on, and the old man flipping through documents in his hands.

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, the old man was not angry, but said with a chuckle, "I'm old, my need for sleep has decreased; how could I have that much sleep to get?"

The middle-aged man walked over, tidied up the documents, and then turned off the desk lamp.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The old man was very gentle and kind; this kindness emanated from his very bones, as if he had already seen through the vast world.

"You must be Comrade Xiao An, right?" The old man walked to the side of the sofa, saw An Yinan beside the Principal, and said with a beaming smile.

"Hello, I am An Yinan." An Yinan's expression was solemn, her eyes filled with earnestness.

The old man laughed heartily, "Don't just stand there, sit down, sit down. I love chatting with young people."

An Yinan looked at the Principal on the side; the Principal smiled and guided An Yinan to sit on the sofa.

"Lao Hua often mentions you to me. I've always wanted to meet you, but circumstances didn't allow it." The old man's expression was very calm, and seeing An Yinan sitting properly, he shook his head with a smile.

"No need to be so nervous, I don't eat people!" The old man made a joke.

An Yinan raised her head, looked at the old man's face, and also revealed a smile.

"You are a Bodhisattva, how could you eat people?" An Yinan said.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

"You certainly have a quick wit!"

An Yinan shook her head, "It's not that my wit is quick; it's just that some thoughts are already deep-rooted."

This person had left a significant mark in history regarding the country's education, economy, and scientific Development Economics.

"Haha!" The old man laughed heartily.

"No wonder Lao Hua mentions you with both fondness and resentment; now I think I understand." The old man pointed at An Yinan.

An Yinan shook her head, "That is the elder being frustrated that I haven't lived up to expectations, meaning I haven't worked hard enough."

The old man smiled but did not respond.

Instead, he had the middle-aged man pour tea for the two of them.

"This was sent by one of my students. You two try it; if you like it, take some back with you later," the old man said.

An Yinan's eyes lit up, "Then this junior will not decline."

Upon hearing An Yinan's words, the Principal's hand trembled slightly.

Student An, Ancestor An, I asked you to make the road smooth, not to dig a grave for us at the very end of the road!

The old man was also stunned for a moment, then looked at An Yinan with a sense of melancholy.

"Not bad!" The old man only said two words, but these two words carried an incomparable evaluation.

An Yinan smiled and shook her head; she was not flattering him, nor was she just trying to be agreeable.

It was rather that she seemed able to feel the old man's loneliness; this feeling was very strange.

Seeing the old man sitting there, flipping through the papers in his hands alone, he seemed not like a person, but like a manifestation of obsession.

In his heart, there was no room for himself.

"Feng Zhong," the old man called out.

That middle-aged man walked out, then stood respectfully behind the old man, "Sir."

The old man said indifferently, "Wrap up two bags of tea leaves, and have the little Comrade take them back in a while."

"Very well, Sir." After hearing the instruction, Feng Zhong left with a smile.

The old man looked at the Principal, shaking his head with a look of disapproval, "You all, your courage is too small."

The Principal nodded, "But it is precisely because our courage is small that we have been able to live until now."

The old man sighed, as if recalling the past.

"Cough, cough." The old man began to cough, and once it started, it seemed unstoppable, as if he would not rest until he coughed his lungs out.

An Yinan did not move; the person before her was no ordinary person.

"Are you alright?" An Yinan asked.

The old man waved his hand, "An old ailment, it is of no consequence."