The man's name was Xu Botao.
He had once been a student council officer at Jiang University, two years Wen Zhi's senior.
But in his fourth year, because of certain incidents, he had been expelled by the university.
In the four years since then, this was the first time Wen Zhi had seen him again.
At that moment, Xu Botao finished bowing and scraping to someone else. When he lifted his gaze—
Across the crowd, he spotted Wen Zhi instantly.
Radiant. Striking. Stunning enough to draw countless eyes.
His pupils narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Mo Tingyan finished asking a staff member for directions, turned back, and said,
"We go right."
Wen Zhi was staring coldly into the distance.
Before Mo Tingyan could follow her line of sight, she had already withdrawn her gaze and looked at him.
"Let's go."
She ignored the sinister look Xu Botao shot her and walked straight into the venue beside Mo Tingyan.
The entire morning was filled with lectures on aviation regulations and etiquette.
Wen Zhi listened attentively.
Mo Tingyan slept like a log.
When the lecture finally ended and the instructor left, Wen Zhi nudged him helplessly.
"Wake up. It's over."
Mo Tingyan blinked awake, looked at the dispersing crowd, yawned lazily, and said,
"Finally. That was noisy and boring as hell. Still—my Zhangzhu talking is way more engaging."
Wen Zhi shot him a side glance.
"Enough nonsense. Pack up. Let's eat."
He obediently stood up.
But when he noticed several men nearby stealing glances at Wen Zhi—nudging each other, clearly gearing up to ask for her contact—
The hand he was about to slide into his pocket changed direction.
He hooked an arm around Wen Zhi's shoulder, pulled her firmly to his side, and swaggered toward the exit.
"Tsk. Why are there so many flies? If I don't keep an eye on you, you'll get swarmed in seconds."
Wen Zhi: "..."
Did he just compare her to a cracked egg?
Once outside the conference hall, she shook off his arm and said coolly,
"We're in public. Mind the influence."
Mo Tingyan followed with a roguish grin.
Since there were afternoon sessions, they didn't go far—just crossed the street to a Chinese restaurant.
Before eating, Wen Zhi went to wash her hands.
The moment she stepped out of the restroom, a thin figure blocked her path.
She lifted her eyes—
and met a pair of vicious, calculating eyes.
Xu Botao adjusted his glasses and curled his lips into a chilling smile.
"Junior sister. Long time no see. Seeing your senior today, and you don't even come say hello?"
"Xu Botao," Wen Zhi said flatly, calling him by his full name.
"Get this straight. You were expelled from Jiang University. You're no longer one of us. Stop calling yourself my senior—it's disgusting."
His expression darkened instantly.
He grabbed her wrist harshly.
"If it weren't for you, would I have been expelled? Would I have ended up working as a nobody's assistant at some pathetic training center? Junior sister—being this vicious isn't a good look."
Wen Zhi sneered and tried to shake him off.
"Reap what you sow. Let go."
Xu Botao clenched his jaw, hatred seething in his voice.
"Say whatever you want. I won't argue about the past anymore. But a few days ago, I ran into Fu Xiaowei. She said there's a pretty decent man pursuing you lately."
He looked her up and down, eyes full of filth.
"With that slutty way you crawl into men's bones, I knew you'd climb high sooner or later. So—how about it? Can you ask your admirer to get your senior a job? Make up for your mistake?"
Wen Zhi shoved him hard with her free hand and finally broke free.
Looking down at him with disdain, she said coldly,
"Watch your mouth. I will never help someone like you find a job."
She brushed past him and returned to the restaurant.
But her mood had already been ruined.
Mo Tingyan noticed immediately.
As he poured her tea, he asked gently,
"How did washing your hands turn into washing yourself into a bad mood?"
Wen Zhi didn't want to drag others into her emotions.
She shook her head. "It's nothing. Just tired."
She lifted her teacup and took a sip—
And a shadow fell beside her.
She turned her head and met Xu Botao's eyes again.
Xu Botao glanced at Mo Tingyan, then looked back at Wen Zhi with sudden delight.
"Well, if it isn't little Zhi."
Wen Zhi stared at him icily, saying nothing.
Mo Tingyan caught her expression and turned to Xu Botao, his gaze sharp and assessing.
"And you are?"
Xu Botao smiled ingratiatingly.
"I'm Wen Zhi's university senior, Xu Botao. And you are—?"
Mo Tingyan didn't like the way this man looked at her.
His voice dropped, cold and curt.
"What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing really," Xu Botao said with a fake smile.
"I'm here for a conference. Ran into my old junior sister and came to say hello."
He looked at Wen Zhi again.
"I heard you work at Jiang Airlines now. We should stay in touch sometime. I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and walked away, smiling.
Mo Tingyan looked at Wen Zhi, who clearly hadn't cooled down yet.
"You really hate him?"
She didn't hide it.
"Yes. He was expelled from school for bad conduct."
"If you don't like him, stay away," Mo Tingyan said calmly.
"And if there's anyone you can't deal with—tell me. Remember, you still have me."
Wen Zhi had long been used to carrying everything alone.
Yet those three words—you still have me—
made her look up at him involuntarily.
That warm feeling brushed lightly across her heart again.
She nodded.
"Okay."
She knew exactly why Xu Botao had sought her out—
to tell her he knew where she worked now, to threaten her into helping him find a job.
As if she'd ever bother with trash like him.
Trash like that deserved to rot in the gutter forever.
After the afternoon session, the two of them returned home together.
The moment they entered, Wen Zhi hurried to the bathroom to shower—it was too hot.
Mo Tingyan had planned to wash up in the guest bathroom too.
But something crossed his mind.
He hesitated, walked to the table, and took Wen Zhi's phone out of her bag.
Living together for so long, he already knew her unlock password.
After unlocking it, he quickly found Lian Qiao's contact, memorized the number, then returned to his bedroom.
Standing by the window, he dialed.
The call connected quickly.
A cool, indifferent voice came from the other end.
"Hello."
Mo Tingyan lowered his voice.
"Hello, best friend. I'm Mo Tingyan."
Lian Qiao was startled.
Why was Wen Zhi's husband calling her privately?
This felt… improper.
Her tone sharpened.
"Why are you calling me alone? What do you want?"
Mo Tingyan didn't waste time.
"I want to ask you about someone. You graduated from Jiang University too, right? Do you know a man named Xu Botao?"
On the other end of the line—
Lian Qiao froze.
Several seconds passed.
Then her voice suddenly rose, tense and shaken.
"Y-You… how do you know that name?"