Chapter 2819: A Fated Encounter

Upon hearing Liu Jiahui's words, Liu Manqiong finally set her mind at ease.

Immediately after, she couldn't help but mutter, "Dad, since Grandpa Qiu and Grandma Qiu are both there, why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have prepared some gifts or something. Now I'm going there empty-handed, which is so inappropriate..."

Liu Jiahui laughed, "With your personality, if I had told you, you definitely wouldn't have been willing to go. You would have surely said something like you were just going over for an interview and it would be best not to disturb others, and then you would have had to instruct me not to tell them about this. I'm your father, don't I know you?"

Liu Manqiong was momentarily speechless. Thinking about it, what her father said wasn't without reason. Given her own personality and the way she usually didn't get along with her father, it might have ended up in a stalemate.

So she said, "Alright, then I'll go pay a visit to Grandpa Qiu and Grandma Qiu first."

Liu Jiahui said cheerfully, "That's a good girl! Have a nice meal with Grandpa and Grandma Qiu, and come back early after the interview. Dad will pick you up at the airport."

Liu Manqiong said subconsciously, "No need, I drove to the airport, I'll just drive back myself."

Liu Jiahui said casually, "It doesn't matter, I'll have A-Mei drive your car back. It's settled, bye."

Without waiting for Liu Manqiong to agree, Liu Jiahui had already hung up the phone.

Although Liu Manqiong felt helpless, she also knew that with her father's temperament, once he decided to do something, he would find a way to achieve it no matter what. It was just picking her up at the airport, so there was no need for her to be overly resistant.

So, she put away her phone and said to Sister Xian, "I'm sorry, Sister Xian, I misunderstood you just now. I hope you don't mind."

Sister Xian said with a smile, "Miss Liu, why are you being so polite with me?"

After saying that, she pointed to a Rolls-Royce on the side of the road not far away and said, "The car is right there, Miss Liu, let's go."

"Okay." Liu Manqiong nodded, followed Sister Xian into the Rolls-Royce, and then the Rolls-Royce drove towards the Zijin Villa.

On the way, Liu Manqiong, just like Lin Wan'er when she first arrived in Jin Ling, looked around with curiosity.

Sister Xian in the passenger seat looked back at Liu Manqiong and asked with a smile, "Is this Miss Liu's first time in Jin Ling?"

"Yes." Liu Manqiong nodded slightly, "I haven't been here before."

Sister Xian smiled, "I heard from our Master that you are coming to Jin Ling University for an interview this time. Let me ask one more question: since you haven't been to Jin Ling before, why did you choose to come to Jin Ling from Hong Kong to develop? In terms of urban development, Jin Ling is still quite a bit behind Hong Kong."

Hearing this question, Ye Chen's figure subconsciously appeared in Liu Manqiong's mind.

She came to Jin Ling naturally for Ye Chen, but she didn't know what the final result would be.

However, for Liu Manqiong, when she decides on something, she always acts first and talks later; empty talk and all talk without action are completely not her style.

However, Liu Manqiong naturally didn't want to tell the truth, so she said to Sister Xian, "I've stayed in Hong Kong for too long, and I've really had enough of it. The pace of first-tier cities in the mainland is relatively fast, so I wanted to find a relatively more comfortable city. So after choosing and choosing, I chose Jin Ling."

Sister Xian nodded in agreement and smiled, "The pace of life in Jin Ling is indeed slower than in first-tier cities, and the environment is relatively more comfortable. I have been here for many years, and now I like it more and more. I believe you will have the same feeling after staying here for a long time."

As she spoke, Sister Xian added, "If you decide to stay in Jin Ling for development in the future, if you need help with anything in Jin Ling, you can contact me at any time."

After saying that, she handed over a business card with both hands. The business card was very simple, with only the three words "Li Shuxian" and a string of mobile phone numbers.

"Thank you." Liu Manqiong took the business card, thanked her politely, and then asked her, "By the way, Sister Xian, if I decide to stay in Jin Ling, I plan to buy a house near the school for daily living. Do you have any good recommendations?"

Sister Xian asked curiously, "What kind of house does Miss Liu want to find? A villa or a flat?"

"A flat." Liu Manqiong said without hesitation, "I can't live in a villa alone. A finely decorated flat apartment is best, and it doesn't need to be too big. It's best if the floor is higher, so I can look at the scenery when I'm free."

Sister Xian thought for a while and said, "The best property in Jin Ling city is Tang Chen Yi Pin. This is a residential area with a mix of villas and flats. All are delivered with fine decoration, and they are existing houses for sale. What you see is what you get. The villas in this residential area are basically priced at tens of millions or even over a hundred million, and the flats are about ten to twenty or thirty million. Moreover, the flats are high-rise buildings, which meet your requirements, and it is not far from Jin Ling University. If you drive, it will normally take about ten minutes."

"Tang Chen Yi Pin..." Liu Manqiong nodded and thanked her, "Thank you, Sister Xian, I've noted it down. After I get the admission notice, I will take time to go and see it."

Sister Xian smiled, "Miss Manqiong, don't worry. With your own conditions, there is definitely no problem with applying for Jin Ling University. Jin Ling University now attaches great importance to internationalization and attaches great importance to foreign and Hong Kong teacher and student resources. If you have a doctoral degree from the mainland, the competition may be more intense, but since you have a Hong Kong identity, it will be much easier."

Liu Manqiong said in surprise, "Sister Xian is really familiar with Jin Ling, even the situation of Jin Ling University is so clear!"

Sister Xian smiled, "Our Master donated a lot of funds to Jin Ling University many years ago. Although he has rarely come here for so many years, he has always paid close attention to the situation of Jin Ling University. And to be honest, my work in Jin Ling is very leisurely. When the Master and Mistress don't come, I only need to lead everyone to do a good job in hygiene and maintain the status quo of the manor. So, I basically use all that free time to understand every aspect of this city. So don't look at me as a Malaysian, but I definitely count as a Jin Ling know-it-all."

Liu Manqiong nodded and said with a smile, "Then if I have the opportunity to work in Jin Ling in the future, I must learn more from you."

Hearing from her tone that she was still a bit unsure about the position at Jin Ling University, Sister Xian said seriously, "Miss Liu, you can definitely put ten thousand hearts at ease regarding Jin Ling University. Even without any connections, your resume will definitely be accepted. In recent years, mainland universities have attached great importance to internationalization. You are from Hong Kong and graduated from the University of Hong Kong. This is definitely very rare for Jin Ling University."

Liu Manqiong asked curiously, "Why do they attach so much importance to this aspect? Since it is running a school, isn't it enough to do a good job in academic research?"

Sister Xian smiled, "Look at schools like Harvard, Yale, and MIT, why can they be world-renowned? It's not just that their academic research is good, but also thanks to those overseas top students they recruit from all over the world. Many young Chinese people went to these universities to study back then, and after returning, they founded their own enterprises and gradually grew into big entrepreneurs with a net worth of tens of billions. When others talk about their resumes, the university they attended is an unavoidable topic. In this way, Harvard doesn't need to take the initiative to do any publicity in China, and it can be known to everyone in China;"

"Moreover, this kind of university attaches great importance to high-end alumni. Any alumni who have walked out of them and have made significant achievements in all walks of life are the objects they focus on maintaining and promoting. This itself is a very powerful resource, which has huge benefits for the development and promotion of the school;"

"Take Harvard University as an example. The annual donations from the alumni association are counted in the billions. Many mainland entrepreneurs go to Harvard to donate, starting at ten million US dollars. But look at Jin Ling University again. Under normal circumstances, the alumni donations received each year, on average, may not even be one percent of Harvard's. This is also the reason why mainland universities are eager to internationalize rapidly. And because of the special situation in Hong Kong, Hong Kong is often a development direction for the internationalization of mainland universities."

Liu Manqiong said in surprise, "Sister Xian, you know so much. I haven't thought about these things for so many years at the University of Hong Kong..."

Sister Xian said modestly, "What I know is gossip. If ordinary people want to know, just pay more attention to it. Compared with elites like you who focus on academics, it's really far behind..."

As she spoke, Sister Xian added, "If Jin Ling University hires you, a doctor from the University of Hong Kong, maybe in the future you can directly or indirectly bring some Hong Kong student resources to Jin Ling University. This itself is also something Jin Ling University values more. Combining these reasons, I dare to say that you will definitely pass this interview."

Hearing this, Liu Manqiong nodded suddenly.

Because she hadn't left Hong Kong much, and she didn't care much about things that had nothing to do with her, Liu Manqiong didn't know much about the situation Sister Xian mentioned.

After listening to her words, Liu Manqiong's confidence was a bit more than before.

At this very moment.

Zijin Villa.

Lin Wan'er was listening to the cicadas under the tree in the courtyard.

She set up a hand-woven rattan rocking chair under the tree and set up a small bamboo tea table. On the tea table, she used a very mini charcoal stove. What was burning in the charcoal stove was charcoal made from top-grade olives. It would not burst or break when burning, nor would there be any smoke or dust, and there would even be a very special fragrance.

And on top of the charcoal stove sat a pottery pot, and in it, a pot of deep red Pu'er tea was being boiled.

Lin Wan'er loved drinking tea. She usually started boiling and tasting tea from breakfast, drinking tea and reading books after meals, having tea at lunch, and having tea when reading books and eating some tea snacks in the afternoon, and even tea was never out of her hand at night.

Moreover, Pu'er belongs to tea with a very heavy soup color. Although Lin Wan'er drinks tea every day, her white and bright teeth have never been stained with half a tea stain because of drinking tea.

Just as she put down the book and picked up the teacup to take a sip, a light knocking sound came from outside the door, and Qiu Yingshan's voice followed, asking respectfully, "Miss, are you convenient now?"

Lin Wan'er smiled, "Convenient, come in."

Qiu Yingshan then carefully pushed open the courtyard door and walked in slowly.

Lin Wan'er looked at him, seeing his hunched posture, silent panting, and sweat beads on his forehead and cheeks, so she asked curiously, "What matter requires you to come up in person? These stone steps are steep, with your current body, you still need to be careful."

Qiu Yingshan swallowed his saliva, and then said with some panting and some weakness, "I... I have a matter, I want to report to you in person..."

Lin Wan'er pointed to a low bamboo stool under the tree and said, "Sit down and talk, it's just right to drink a cup of tea."

Qiu Yingshan was flattered, nodded quickly, and his steps even quickened a few steps.

He first moved the bamboo stool, then came to Lin Wan'er and sat down, and said respectfully, "Miss... it's like this, I... I have a granddaughter, who happens to be coming to Jin Ling to participate in an interview, so I invited her to the manor as a guest, and by the way, have a home-cooked meal. Because I only learned about it this morning, I didn't report to you in advance, please don't blame me."

Lin Wan'er took a new teacup, and while rinsing it with tea, said with a smile, "This is your place, you are the host, you want to entertain guests, why do you need to report to me? I am just one of your guests."

Qiu Yingshan said without hesitation, "Miss, this is the second thing I want to ask for your permission. It's rare that you like this place, and I am old. After this time, I am afraid I will not come here again, so I want to give the Zijin Villa to you, and I hope you can accept it!"

Lin Wan'er was slightly stunned, then shook her head and smiled, "I am not sure how long I will stay here, you should leave it to your descendants."

Qiu Yingshan said quickly, "Miss, those descendants of mine have lived in luxury since they were young, and their temperaments are too impetuous. To be honest, they are not worthy of this kind of place. Giving it to them is a waste of heaven's gifts, so please don't be polite with me, Miss."

Lin Wan'er shrugged her shoulders, handed the tea to him, and said with a smile, "Since you insist, then I won't be polite with you. If one day I don't need this house, and you are still alive, I will return it to the original owner. If you have already left by then, then I will leave it to your descendants to deal with."

Qiu Yingshan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and smiled, "These are all according to your wishes."

Lin Wan'er pointed to the cup of tea she poured for him, and said lightly, "Drink a cup, I see you panting, how embarrassed. Next time, don't climb so high. If you have something to find me, just call me, sending WeChat is also possible."

Qiu Yingshan bowed respectfully, "I obey!"

As he spoke, he carefully picked up the teacup, took a shallow sip, and then looked at the tea cake next to the charcoal stove, and asked tentatively, "Miss, does this Songpinhao tea suit your appetite?"

This tea leaf was specially collected by Qiu Yingshan from Hong Kong and brought to Jin Ling by hand to give to Lin Wan'er.

Pu'er tea, this tea cake has a history of over a hundred years, and it can be called the best among Pu'er tea. Lin Wan'er wrote on the list for Sister Xian that she wanted Pu'er tea cakes, but didn't write what kind, so he bought the most expensive and best he could buy.

Lin Wan'er smiled slightly at this time, "Tea that can be sold for hundreds of thousands or millions per cake on the market is naturally not an ordinary product. Taking money to find it on the market, this should be the most expensive and best Pu'er tea that can be bought."

As she spoke, Lin Wan'er changed the subject and said with a smile, "However, compared to my best tea cake, it is still far behind."

Qiu Yingshan said cheerfully, "Ordinary things that can be bought with money are naturally incomparable to your collection, Miss."

Lin Wan'er smiled slightly and asked him, "Old Qiu, you should still have something to tell me, right?"

Qiu Yingshan then laughed, "Sure enough, I can't escape your wise eyes, Miss!"

After saying that, he added, "Miss, it's like this, my granddaughter happens to be coming to Jin Ling University to apply for a lecturer position, and with her current conditions, this interview should be a sure thing. I think that since you will go to Jin Ling University to study in the future, and she will teach at Jin Ling University, it is a fated encounter to be able to gather here today. You might as well take this opportunity to get to know her, maybe there will be some care in the future."

"Is that so..." Lin Wan'er smiled mischievously and said casually, "Since it is so fated, then it doesn't matter to get to know her!"