78: Chapter 78: Do I need to queue? How come I didn't know that?

The other side chuckled. "Alright, I'll take that as modesty."

The city's night view unfolded outside the window. Below, the flow of traffic gradually thinned until only scattered headlights streaked across the streets. The window panes of the high-rises darkened one by one as the night grew deeper.

As the two of them chatted, the topic shifted from today's appraisal to Zhou Waner's experiences at Jinling University over the past few days.

She mentioned that there was a collection of materials in the library she had always wanted to see, and she finally found the opportunity to go through everything this time.

As she spoke enthusiastically and incessantly, Hu Tian leaned against the bedframe and listened, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two.

Zhou Waner asked, "Are you listening? It feels like you aren't saying anything."

"I'm listening,"

Hu Tian said, "You were talking about that collection of materials in the library, the Ming Dynasty Maps."

"Right! So I told the teacher there..."

She started talking again.

Hu Tian just leaned there, listening to her speak. A cool night breeze occasionally drifted in through the window slit. The room was warm and the lights were off; the only illumination was the faint city light filtering in from outside—not bright, but not completely dark either.

The two of them kept talking, picking up new topics as soon as old ones ended. Eventually, the conversation slowed down, and Zhou Waner's voice grew softer. She said, "Remember tomorrow, ten o'clock. Don't oversleep."

"I won't."

"You overslept last time."

"That time was different."

"Fine, whatever, I'll trust you this once."

She paused. "Go to sleep early. Today has been exhausting."

"Mm."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The call ended, the screen went dark, and the room fell silent once more.

Hu Tian placed his phone back on the nightstand and glanced at it; it was a few minutes past eleven at night.

Only then did he switch on the bedside lamp, pull the curtains shut to block out the city's night view, return to bed, pull up the covers, and close his eyes. He was soon fast asleep.

The next morning, as soon as the daylight fully broke, Hu Tian woke up.

After washing up and getting ready, he folded the clothes he had changed out of last night and put them into his duffel bag. He scanned the room to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, then picked up his bag and checked out.

The girl at the front desk yawned as she processed his checkout and said, "Welcome back next time." Hu Tian nodded and pushed the door open to leave.

The outside air still carried a hint of morning chill. The sunlight hit the ground at an angle, stretching the shadows of the roadside trees very long.

He tossed his luggage into the trunk, started the car, turned on the navigation, and headed toward Jinling University.

There wasn't much traffic on the road, so the drive was smooth. He arrived in less than twenty minutes.

He parked the car on the side of the road outside the school gate. Just as he turned off the engine, he saw her.

Zhou Waner was standing to the right of the school gate, wearing a light apricot-colored thin jacket over dark straight-leg pants. Her hair was casually tucked behind her ears, and her makeup was light but clean and beautiful.

Students passing by her slowed their pace; some glanced back for a second look. A few boys even stopped nearby, whispering to each other while casting glances her way.

Zhou Waner was completely oblivious, or rather, she didn't care. She was looking down at her phone, holding a bulging canvas bag—likely the materials she had organized at the library yesterday.

Hu Tian rolled down the car window and honked the horn toward her.

Zhou Waner looked up, saw it was him, put away her phone, and walked over with her bag. She opened the passenger door and sat inside, placing the canvas bag at her feet. "Perfect timing, I just got here."

"I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"

"No,"

She glanced at him. "You're actually on time today."

"I told you I wouldn't oversleep."

Zhou Waner gave a soft laugh, said nothing more, and turned back to fasten her seatbelt.

The moment the car door closed, the boys still gathered at the school gate looked at each other. One of them let out a low huff, while another spread his hands and sighed helplessly. That long sigh seemed to carry an indescribable frustration before being blown away by the wind, dispersing into the morning air.

Hu Tian shifted gears, and the car slowly pulled away from the curb, merging into the morning traffic.

Once the car hit the highway, the road widened and traffic thinned. Hu Tian increased his speed. Once cruise control was steady, he rested one hand on the steering wheel and the other near the center console, sitting in a relaxed posture.

Zhou Waner sat upright in the passenger seat with the canvas bag at her feet and her hands folded on her lap. Not long after they got on the highway, she started a conversation.

"That villa of yours—was it delivered fully furnished, or did you decorate it yourself?"

"Fully furnished."

"How big is it?"

"Big enough to live in."

"Big enough to live in..."

She savored those words for a moment. "That's not called 'big enough,' that's called 'cavernous.'"

Hu Tian didn't respond.

Zhou Waner didn't care if he replied and continued on her own. "I know about Yunding No. 1; everyone in Binhai knows about it. When that development first opened, my classmate's mother tried to get a slot. She didn't win the lottery for it and was upset at home for days."

She paused. "How did you manage to buy it?"

"I bought it normally."

"Even buying it normally requires waiting in line, right?"

"Do I need to wait in line? Why didn't I know?"

Hu Tian gave her a surprised look.

Zhou Waner immediately waved her hand. "Fine, I shouldn't have even asked that."

She said, "Then when did you buy it?"

"A while ago."

"And you moved in right after buying it?"

"Mm."

"What about the things inside? The furniture, the pots and pans—did you get those yourself, or did they come with the furnishing?"

"Some came with the house, the rest I picked out myself."

"You picked them out yourself?"

Zhou Waner tilted her head. "You know how to pick those things?"

Hu Tian said, "What, I don't look like the type who would?"

"No,"

Zhou Waner was very direct. "I figured a guy like you would at most just pick a random set as long as it's functional. You wouldn't put any heart into it."

"You have quite a deep prejudice against me."

"It's not prejudice, it's intuition,"

She said, "My intuition is always accurate."

Hu Tian didn't respond to that. A truck ahead was changing lanes; he lightly turned the wheel, and the car smoothly cut into the passing lane. He pressed the accelerator, leaving the truck behind, and then returned to the right lane in one smooth, steady motion.

Zhou Waner gripped the handle on the car door the whole time. Once the car stabilized, she let go and patted her chest. "Good grief, your driving style..."

She said, "You gave me a fright."

"It's steady."

"You call that steady?"

She shot him a sidelong glance. "Whatever, let's not talk about that. Let me ask you, is there a study in your villa?"

"Yes."

"Are there books on the shelves?"

"Yes."

"What kind of books?"

Hu Tian thought for a moment. "A mix. History, geography, archaeology, and various antique appraisal books."

Zhou Waner's interest was piqued instantly, and she turned toward him. "Archaeology? You read about archaeology?"

"Why, is that strange?"

"A little,"

She said, "But then again, it's not that strange. Given what you did yesterday, you wouldn't have been able to say those things if you didn't have some real skill."

She paused. "So, are you professionally trained, or are you self-taught?"

"Self-taught."

"You can reach that level through self-study?"

"I started learning early."

Zhou Waner stared at him for a while, as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth. Her eyes brightened. "Then what's the biggest bargain you've ever picked up?"

The corner of Hu Tian's mouth twitched. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Try me."

"I'll give you a chance to see for yourself sometime; it's more intuitive than just talking about it."

Zhou Waner huffed, "Smooth talker."

But the corners of her mouth were turned up. "Fine, I'll remember that. Don't you dare go back on your word later."

The conversation continued like this all the way. Zhou Waner asked, and Hu Tian answered. If his answers were brief, she would fill in the blanks with her own imagination and then ask more. The two of them went back and forth at a relaxed pace, never letting the conversation die down.

Later on, Zhou Waner lifted the canvas bag onto her lap and pulled out a small notebook. She flipped it open and said, "I categorized the clues I organized yesterday. Look, here are the records of artifacts, here are the descriptions related to geographic locations, and on this page are several recurring words. I think they might be some kind of code or jargon, but I haven't deciphered them yet."

She held the notebook up. Hu Tian glanced over, then looked back at the road. "I'll look at it when we get back. I need to keep my eyes on the road right now."

"Oh, right,"

Zhou Waner put the notebook away. "I forgot you were driving."

After talking for a while longer, they gradually grew quiet. Zhou Waner leaned her head against the window, staring blankly at the scenery passing by on both sides of the highway. The trees along the road rushed backward in rows, and the distant sky was a clear blue without a single cloud.

Hu Tian drove in silence, and the two of them traveled quietly for a stretch.

About two hours later, the navigation prompted them to take the upcoming exit. Hu Tian slowed down and exited the highway, entering the urban area of Binhai. After turning through a few streets, he pulled into the entrance of the Yunding No. 1 villa area. The guard raised the gate to let them through, and the car drove along the loop road, finally stopping at the villa's garage.

Hu Tian turned off the engine and got out. Zhou Waner also pushed the door open and stepped out with her canvas bag. She stood in front of the house, looked up, and took it in.

The Yunding No. 1 villa was built on a piece of high ground at the innermost part of the area. It was a three-story detached villa occupying 2,000 square meters. The exterior used light gray stone with clean, sharp lines and no redundant decoration, but the sheer volume of it was enough to be imposing.

The front featured a row of large floor-to-ceiling windows. As the sunlight hit them, the glass reflected the light, offering a faint glimpse of the high-ceilinged space inside.

Two large transplanted trees were planted on either side of the porch, their canopies spreading out to shade half of the entrance.

To the right was an independent five-car garage. Beside the garage was a small stone path; turning into it revealed a corner of the backyard and the faint blue surface of a swimming pool.

The entire villa occupied a significant amount of land. Just looking from the front, it stretched across a considerable distance. Combined with its three-story height, one would unconsciously take half a step back when looking up from the front door.

That was exactly what Zhou Waner did.

She took half a step back, her head tilted up, scanning the building from bottom to top and then from left to right. Then, slowly, she raised a hand and covered her mouth.

She kept it covered for several seconds before finally letting it down.