He paused for a moment as he spoke, then corrected himself, “Former dean. You know, the famous and especially young Professor William Carter. Of course, not that you look exactly like him—you’re much younger. It’s just that from a certain side angle, or the way you sit, there’s something… It always reminds me of the annual research review meeting, so I can’t help but feel a bit nervous.”

When the blond mentioned the former dean, his expression turned regretful. He sighed, “Originally, he was supposed to attend this year’s review meeting and graduation ceremony too. Who would have thought such an accident would happen? To pass away so young, what a pity, isn’t it?”

He was just about to seek some resonance, but when he looked up, he saw William Carter’s face turning green.

The blond: “…”

William Carter still hadn’t recovered from the complicated feeling of being eulogized to his face when the HR manager in charge of arranging interns arrived.

After verifying the registration documents, the intern was led upstairs by her.

“…We’ve already accepted three batches of interns before, so there actually aren’t many trial positions left with the litigators. I’ll take you to meet those few, and after you get to know them, you’ll be assigned accordingly…”

As the HR manager led them upstairs, she continued introducing the firm and some important notes, but William Carter didn’t catch the latter half.

Because he saw a familiar face.

When they were halfway up the stairs, a few lawyers happened to be coming down. The last one in line was very tall and strikingly handsome. He held a coffee in one hand and pressed a white wireless earpiece with the other, seemingly connecting with someone. His calm gaze swept over the group of interns from the corner of his eye, revealing a kind of unapproachable coldness.

This young lawyer’s name was James Bennett, and he had once been William Carter’s student.

Actually, in this field—especially at such a renowned law firm—running into his former students was nothing unusual. Half the lawyers here probably graduated from Metz University Law School. But with tens of thousands of students each year, professors at Yan University basically forget them as soon as they turn around; there’s too little interaction, and those he remembers are very few.

James Bennett was one of those few.

Why?

Because this Bennett student was, in theory, half a direct mentee of his.

And also because this Bennett student always seemed to have a particular issue with him, keeping a cold face all the time.

Author’s note:

This is all nonsense, don’t take it seriously. James Bennett is the top, William Carter is the bottom, don’t pick the wrong side, mwah.

Chapter 2 Interns (Part 2)

Actually, at first, their teacher-student relationship wasn’t this bad.

Metz University has always had a tradition: three months after enrollment, freshmen must choose a professor as their direct advisor. In other words, just as students are getting used to the new environment and courses, they have to quickly settle down and plan a clear path for their future.

The intention is wonderful, but in practice, it’s almost a joke.

Every year during advisor selection season, upperclassmen gather at the campus electronics market, kindly hawking their homemade mini-AIs—specialists in curing indecisiveness, professional lottery machines for picking professors, offering full-service solutions.

But despite the chaos, the results are always similar—most students choose professors who made a good first impression.

Judging by James Bennett’s personality, William Carter was sure he wasn’t picked by lottery, but was chosen seriously.

This meant that, at least at first, Bennett student tried to walk the path of “respecting teachers and valuing education.” It’s just that, somewhere along the way, someone must have fed him rat poison, and without a word, he jumped off a cliff.

William Carter would occasionally reflect on this when his conscience pricked him, but he’d always get distracted by other matters within a few minutes. So for a long time, he never figured out why this Bennett student had such an issue with him.

Later, after James Bennett graduated, there was no need to dwell on it anymore.

…

Going up and down the stairs took less than half a minute, but Professor Yan still managed to space out. By the time he came back to himself, James Bennett had already stepped aside to let the group of interns pass.

After all, he had once mentored this student, and to meet again in such a casual way in this setting made Professor Yan a bit sentimental.

So, as he turned the corner on the second floor, he glanced downstairs and happened to see James Bennett, who was on the last step, take off his wireless earpiece and look up at him.

William Carter was taken aback.

However, James Bennett’s glance was extremely brief—just a casual look, then he coldly withdrew his gaze. His expression didn’t change at all, not even his pace. As he looked away, he was already pushing open a door downstairs, walking in without a backward glance.

Such behavior, treating each other as complete strangers, was perfectly normal. William Carter just raised his eyebrows and put it out of his mind, turning on his heel to follow at the end of the group of interns, entering a conference room on the second floor.

“Those you just passed are the lawyers’ offices,” said Ms. Fitz, the HR manager. “Of course, most of the time you won’t find them in their offices. Today you’re lucky; those few are all here, including the ones you met on the stairs just now. You’ve all greeted them—except for a certain daydreaming gentleman.”