175 My Special Fish (1/2)

”Well? Why aren't you answering? Are you single or not? I want to know!” Grandpa Lu continued to ask when Iris failed to reply immediately.

After a few more seconds of hesitation, she finally answered, ”I'm not single, Grandpa Lu. I have a boyfriend.”

”What?!” He looked surprised and…enraged.

”Yes, it's true,” Professor Schwarz said. ”Akio and I already met him.”

Professor Hisakawa nodded. ”He's not bad.”

Grandpa Lu scowled. He asked Iris. ”How long have you been in a relationship with your—hmph—boyfriend?”

”A few months.”

”Oh?” Grandpa Lu's eyes lit up. ”Not that long yet! Ahaha! I see. Good!”

Iris tilted her head to the side, confused.

”Xiulan my girl, you're still very young. Not to mention you're beautiful, talented and a Cross Academy student! You should allow yourself to explore the world and meet lots of other people first. I'm sure that you like your boyfriend now, but what do you know? You might meet someone else who you'll like more than him in the future. So don't be so hasty! What would you do if you discover that your boyfriend is not the right man for you? As the saying goes, there are plenty more fish in the sea!”

Although Iris agreed with Grandpa Lu's words, she still couldn't help but feel defensive of Jin Liwei. ”Grandpa Lu, I know that there are plenty more fish in the sea, but right now my boyfriend is my special fish. I like him very much!”

Grandpa Lu was slightly taken aback by her strong-willed response. It seemed like the girl had quite the stubborn streak. Not bad. He inwardly approved of it. However, he was unhappy that she seemed to really like her boyfriend. At this rate, matchmaking her to his grandson would be more challenging than he first thought.

'Dammit! Who's her boyfriend? That bastard! How dare he get his claws on this girl before my Haohao?! Should I investigate him and then scare him off?! Well, a boyfriend is not a husband so my Haohao still has a chance!”

While Grandpa Lu was mentally cursing Iris' boyfriend, they arrived at a wide veranda overlooking a beautiful and lush rose garden. They sat on comfortable barrel chairs. A butler appeared and began serving them refreshments.

Iris listened in fascination to her instructors' conversations about their rich experiences at Cross Academy. Although she was also an alumnus of the academy in her previous life, her education was extremely cloistered. Her interactions were limited to only her instructors and Professor Erwan Dupont who she also met as Evelina.

And because of her special family background, Professor Dupont also made sure to limit the people who knew about her even within the academy itself. Although most of the Cross Academy students and alumni were trustworthy, the Vetrovs had many enemies. It was better to be safe than sorry.

This was why she wasn't familiar with her current instructors before meeting them, especially Grandpa Lu who seemed to be on the same level as Professor Dupont when it came to standing among the Cross Academy alumni.

Then the conversation moved to Iris' progress in her studies.

Professor Schwarz: ”Xiulan is improving very quickly. I actually have to revise my lesson plans several times because her level is increasing by leaps and bounds.”

Professor Hisakawa: ”Same here. Xiulan's comprehension skills are perhaps the best I've ever encountered among my students. She just absorbs everything. That's why Kalisha and I are thinking that maybe she's ready to apply her skills in real life.”

Iris' eyes lit up. This was the first time she heard about this. She also wanted to test the knowledge and skills she learned from their lessons in real life situations.