The next day, Nian and Xuanye entered the classroom and placed their bags on their desks. Xuanye sighed heavily while looking at the board.
Nian glanced at her. "What happened? Why are you always sighing?"
Xuanye groaned. "Because it's Professor Xi's class, and he always picks me as his anger target."
Nian patted her on the shoulder. "That's because of your mouth! I told you to keep it shut."
Xuanye shot her a death glare.
Just then, Professor Xi entered the classroom and began his lecture. The class listened attentively as he explained the lesson. After wrapping it up, he made an announcement.
"Students, you're going to do a new project."
Immediately, the class erupted in murmurs and sighs.
He tapped the desk firmly. "It's a group project. You'll form your own teams, and each team will be assigned a group of individuals to observe. You'll take notes on their daily life."
Xuanye groaned. "See? I told you. He's going to kill us with another project."
Suddenly, Professor Xi continued, "And for this project, Xuanye will be the group leader."
Nian immediately burst into laughter, tapping the desk with glee.
Xuanye glared at her like she'd rip her apart any second.
The professor turned to Nian. "Nian, I see you're enjoying this. You can assist Xuanye with her work and make sure your project is completed by the end of the month."
Now it was Xuanye's turn to laugh at Nian.
Professor Xi tapped the desk again to get everyone's attention.
"You don't need to attend classes during the project period. Use your time to focus on the assignment."
The class buzzed with excitement.
One student raised their hand. "Sir, where do we go? Who are these people?"
Professor Xi replied, "I'll send you the addresses. You'll receive a card to show them — once you present it, they'll allow you in."
Everyone nodded.
Then he looked directly at Nian and Xuanye. "You two, meet me in my office."
The class turned to look at them. Nian and Xuanye looked at each other and muttered, "We're dead meat."
They followed the professor to his office. He placed his notes on the table, sending a cloud of chalk dust into the air.
He sighed. "Xuanye, Nian… when are you two going to grow up? You're not little kids anymore. Don't you feel embarrassed?"
Xuanye chuckled.
Nian closed her eyes, trying to hold back her laugh.
The professor gave them both a playful smack on the head with a rolled-up paper.
"Behave properly — especially during this project. Don't disturb the people you're observing. And don't embarrass yourselves. Got it?"
They both nodded.
As they left the room, Nian stretched. "Great, now I have to help you and finish my own project."
Xuanye placed her hands on her hips. "But who are these people? Why do we need to take notes on their lives?"
Nian tapped Xuanye's forehead. "We're journalists now, remember? Like eagles — we must observe everything! Don't be lazy. I'm curious… who are they going to be?"