Chapter 11: "There’s a Cloud Thinking of You"

Yu Tu turned around. “Jingjing, these are my teacher and his wife— I’ve told you about them before.”

Qiao Jingjing bowed again, then pulled off her mask and spoke clearly: “Teacher! Madame Teacher!”

The wife always reacted faster than the husband. “Oh my goodness, Xiao Yu, you’re here buying books too? What a stunning girlfriend—you’ve been hiding her well!”

“Yeah, it’s rare to have time off. Thought we’d browse some books, enjoy the view… You two came here too?”

The elegant older woman lowered her voice with a sly twinkle. “Today’s our wedding anniversary. We make it a tradition—every year, we go somewhere new.”

“Not that this place isn’t popular with the young crowd…” she added.

“Ahem.”

The teacher hopped down from his stool, cutting her off.

“We should probably head out now. Let the young folks enjoy themselves.”

“Jingjing, right?” The old man looked kindly at the girl. “Xiao Yu’s a good one. Have fun.”

“Goodbye, Teacher! Goodbye, Madame Teacher!”

They bowed together, escorting the elders toward the exit. After just a few steps, the old man turned back.

“Hey, Yu Tu— I saw the original English edition of von Kármán’s autobiography over by the old books section.”

“Just couldn’t find the second volume. Could you check up high later?”

A light tap on his back from his wife made him cough twice. “Never mind, never mind—save it for later. Go enjoy yourselves!”

“Alright,” he said, turning back to Yu Tu. “Come see me first thing tomorrow morning.”

Watching the elevator descend, Jingjing slipped her mask back on and gave Yu Tu a playful shove. “Come on, come on—let’s go hunt for books!”

With his height, long arms, and even a ladder, Yu Tu still couldn’t find the second volume. But he did stumble upon a pristine original copy of an aerodynamics textbook.

He was surprised. Clutching the book, he climbed down and asked the staff: “Any more like this?”

The young guy glanced at the cover, squinted at the unfamiliar letters, and shrugged. “We carry a wide range of materials…”

Walking back to No. 1 Courtyard wasn’t far. Jingjing held Yu Tu’s arm, swaying as she walked, humming snippets of the song she’d be singing at the New Year’s gala in a couple of days.

“Yu Tu, what do you think of clouds?”

“Pretty good. Depth, breadth—solid.”

Watching her light-footed stride, he added, “And the imagery, the positioning—really beautiful.”

She stopped, grinning proudly. “They invited me to be their brand ambassador. Pretty cool, huh?”

He pulled her close and kissed her softly. “You’re an amazing girlfriend.”

“What’s the slogan?” she asked.

“One cloud is thinking of you.”

“Read it aloud—doesn’t ‘There’s always a cloud thinking of you’ sound better?”

“Seriously? Yeah… the rhythm feels looser, the mood deeper…”

“I’ll tell them!”

Along the riverside path, their silhouettes merged into one another again—two shadows, overlapping, inseparable.

The next morning, as soon as Yu Tu stepped into the teacher’s office, he handed over the book he’d bought the day before.

“Couldn’t find the second volume, but I found this one. Take a look—the graduate-level textbook we use is translated from Russian. There might be subtle differences…”

Professor Zhang took the book, flipped through a few pages, and immediately showed interest.

“This version hasn’t surfaced in China yet. Since your project’s wrapping up, why don’t you take a look? Might be valuable.”

Then came the discussion on the paper. As usual, the old man was meticulous—grammar, punctuation, every detail mattered. But Yu Tu was the kind who needed no whip to drive himself forward. His usual closing line? “Don’t get cocky.”

Sure enough, as he wrapped up: “Don’t get cocky. Oh—your lovely girlfriend. My wife says she looks familiar. Where do you know her from? Studying? Working?”

Yu Tu bent down, tidying papers and pens on the desk. “She’s my high school classmate. Now working.”

“High school? You’ve been hiding her well—she doesn’t look a day older!”

The old man suddenly felt less fond of his favorite student.

“No, we didn’t date back then. Just met recently—at the Planetarium.”

“The Planetarium?”

Now the professor perked up. “Working under Lao Li? That’s great!”

“No—she’s the Planetarium’s official ambassador.”

“Ambassador? Lili, Zhou Lao, and… a celebrity?”

“Yes. Her name’s Qiao Jingjing.”

The old man kept his expression neutral. “Good. Solid background. If you’re serious, go all in.”

“I know. Also, Teacher… we’re not ready to let too many people know yet.”

“Fine, fine, got it. I’ve got real work to do.”

He waved him away, then paced around the room. Just as Yu Tu was stepping out, he turned back.

“Teacher… um… those mushrooms from a few days ago—Jingjing’s mom made them…”

The old man rubbed his nose.

“Well… thank her for me.”

“Okay, Teacher, I’m off.”

Yu Tu wouldn’t dream of telling him that the woman hadn’t even known he existed.

“What… were the mushrooms for?”

It took the science luminary two seconds to catch on. *You eat someone’s food, you owe them something.*

This student was officially unadoptable.

Laughing at himself, the old man circled the room once more, then picked up the phone.

“Mrs. Zhang, your eyes are incredible—Xiao Yu’s girlfriend really does look familiar…”

He dialed again. “Lao Li, how do you feel about the female star serving as your Planetarium’s ambassador? Any thoughts?”

The director praised Jingjing without reservation, and even the department head—who’d just walked in with files—jumped in with enthusiastic support. Professor Zhang nodded in approval.

“Alright, Lao Li, I get it. Keep up the good work. Nothing urgent—just saw a video from your event, thought I’d ask casually. All good. Bye.”

Meanwhile, Jingjing woke up, spotted the key on her nightstand, and grinned like a little fox. She reached out to her boyfriend. “Hand over the house keys. Need a reason?”

At eleven o’clock that morning, Jingjing met her loyal designer friend at the community gate.

“Jingjing, I was dying! If you don’t hurry, the workers’ll be packing up!”

“Relax—I came straight to you after I got home yesterday.”

Xiao Zhu blinked, confused. “Wait… where exactly are we? Aimi, what are we doing here?”

Aimi’s custom workshop delivered flawlessly. By three-thirty, a full wall of bookshelves on the west side of the living room was complete. They even threw in a welcome shoe cabinet with a half-screen divider. After a round of friendly dinner, all three girls declared they were thrilled.

As Aimi wandered from room to room, offering critiques, she frowned slightly.

“To be honest, the layout’s great, the neighborhood’s nice—this would be gold if it were on the 1st or 2nd ring roads…”

“Why’d you buy a place so far out?”

“Investment.”

“With this location? Not even keeping pace with inflation!”

“I want to.”

“Fine, fine—be happy, be right. Whatever floats your boat.”

Aimi circled the rooftop again, then came back down to hear Jingjing’s requests. After listening, she realized it was all the same: “Eco-friendly, practical, minimal changes.”