563 An Old Schoolmate

"Chen Kang! How do you feel now that I stole your favorite student? I want to inform you that he finished most of his courses in one year with outstanding marks. Remember when you had the chance to stay at Columbia, but you chose to return to China. Is that country really that attractive?"

Qin Guan shivered as he thought of the meaningful expression in Professor Chen’s eyes. Why is Martin reminiscing the past? Maybe their friendship was much deeper than I thought...

Two minutes passed as Prof. Martin rambled on. After finishing the video, he pushed Qin Guan out of his office like kicking down a ladder after climbing over a wall.

Qin Guan had gotten permission to leave college though. Now he could fly to London to finish shooting the part Julia Roberts had helped him get. It was a film about the confused love affairs of a whole generation.

As soon as he left his office, Prof. Martin made a copy of the video on his computer and sent an email to Professor Chen on the other side of the ocean. Qin Guan was smiling with heartfelt delight before the camera.

My boy is doing well in America. He has managed to both succeed in the fashion circle and rein in that strange old man Martin.

Chen Kang sighed at the video. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in! Oh, Ye Dong!"

The visitor was Ye Dong, who had registered for the civil servant exam as soon as he had graduated from college. Thanks to his outstanding scores and perfect resume, he had been selected by the central government among millions of candidates.

Then, thanks to his good connections from college, he had gotten assigned to his favorite post, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Although he had started his career from just a small department in the ministry, this was a great step towards achieving success and realizing his dream. He was a very ambitious young man.

"Professor Chen, I’m here to show my appreciation to you. I didn’t realize that my director had also graduated from the same college as me. He was also one of your students. Thank you for helping me..."

Every step he had taken in college had made a difference. His experience with the Student Union and his socializing skills had made him stand out among the other employees at the ministry.

The graduates of the Financial University of the capital could be found everywhere in the financial circle. They were working for banks, the stock market, insurance companies, government departments... Keeping in touch with one’s schoolmates was very useful.

"This is the first time I’m responsible for a negotiation in Europe. Is there anything you want me to bring you back? I wanted to see you before I left."

Ye Dong was very smooth at establishing social connections. He was in touch with all his schoolmates and relatives in Beijing, and he had also maintained contact with Professor Chen.

He would always care about his talented professor.

Professor Chen turned his computer screen to show Ye Dong.

"It's been a long time since you saw Qin Guan, hasn’t it? Didn’t you two use to share the same dormitory?"

"Qin Guan? He is a very active young man. We are both too busy with our studies and work to contact each other."

Ye Dong watched the video and laughed heartily. "He is so funny! He helped that old man make fun of you! I’d teach him a lesson if I could!"

"Oh! He is going to London to shoot a film! London is my first stop!"

Ye Dong patted his own chest as Qin Guan sneezed in his sleep on the airplane.

Who is missing me? It must be my dear girlfriend!

When the airline stewardess with the small red hat woke him up, Qin Guan realized that he was not in his apartment.

Grinning, he looked down at the city of London through the small window. The whole city was covered by fog. London was quite different from the average Chinese city. It could not be described with a single word. London was composed by London City and 32 municipalities. The Thames River divided it into the northern and southern part.

The British capital had been playing a leading role in Europe since the beginning of the 20th century. As the Big Brother, it was famous for its profound inside information, as well as its financial history.

The UK had played an awkward role in the rise of the United States, but it still cherished its proud nobility.

British people were born with a natural pride and thought of Americans as thieves, criminals and vagrants that they had expelled from their country. These people might have accomplished great achievements on another continent, but they still remained inferior to the British.

The British sneered at Americans in various ways. Americans laughed at their British accent, but Londoners turned up their noses at American English.