Chapter 13: I Don’t Betray My Father, I Betray My Grandfather

“Professor Liu, did you say every weekend?”

“Yes, every weekend.”

“That’s too much trouble for Teacher Sun and it would cut into her rest time. I really feel bad about it!”

Liu Rong laughed in exasperation. “Lin Sicheng, don’t try to take advantage and act all innocent. Teacher Sun has a doctorate from Peking University. So many people want her guidance but can’t get it!”

“I know, but Professor Liu, it really isn’t necessary… I promise I’ll definitely write my thesis well.”

Liu Rong said nothing, just stared at him, her gaze filled with suspicion yet absolute certainty.

Lin Sicheng sighed helplessly. “Professor Liu, truly, I promise I’ll study hard from now on. As long as it’s your class, I guarantee I’ll pay attention in every lesson.”

“Heh, you said the same thing before. Did you really pay attention then?”

Lin Sicheng was speechless: that was the fault of his past life.

He didn’t expect that even after being reborn, he’d still be held accountable for it.

But he couldn’t really come every weekend for extra lessons, could he?

What? Not come?

Lin Sicheng could already imagine the scene: whenever “Introduction to Archaeology” and “Field Archaeology” classes were held, Professor Liu would single him out, make him stand and answer every question in every class.

That would be the death of him.

But if it’s makeup lessons, half a day is enough for him to take a stroll around the East Gate or even craft a Han Dynasty tile pot.

Moreover, every week for half a day?

Lin Sicheng sighed deeply and steeled himself. “Professor Liu, actually my grandfather thinks very highly of you. He says you’re diligent and responsible, gentle and patient, with great charisma, and your teaching is both organized and focused…”

Liu Rong froze for a moment, eyes wide. “Lin Sicheng, flattery won’t work on me!”

“I’m not flattering you!” Lin Sicheng swore. “That’s why since the summer vacation, my grandfather has been tutoring me, focusing on ‘Introduction to Archaeology’ and ‘Field Archaeology.’ I basically understand the knowledge points, so I wasn’t paying full attention today…”

Liu Rong sneered. “Lin Sicheng, do you think I’d believe that?”

“It’s true!” Lin Sicheng pointed at the lesson plan. “If you don’t believe me, ask!”

Really?

Liu Rong looked skeptical and exchanged a glance with the teaching assistant.

If Lin Sicheng was lying, the lesson plan was on the table—it would be clear with a simple question.

But if what he said was true… just thinking of his final exam results last semester made Liu Rong want to scream.

After some thought, she nodded. “Xiao Sun, ask him about uranium series dating!”

“Okay, Teacher!”

Teaching Assistant Sun picked up the lesson plan and flipped to the relevant page. “Principle of uranium series dating?”

“Using the radioactive disequilibrium ratios between parent uranium-238, uranium-235, and daughter isotopes thorium-230 and protactinium-231 in the decay chain to estimate the age of sediment accumulation.”

“Main methods and time spans?”

“Thorium-230 method: 10,000 to 400,000 years; protactinium-231 method: 5,000 to 150,000 years. Combined range: from several decades up to 1 million years for relatively young geological samples.”

Hmm, he really was tutored?

Teaching Assistant Sun was momentarily stunned. Liu Rong waved her hand, indicating that she should continue.

“Applicable scenarios!”

“Relatively closed environmental systems: karst cave deposits, marine and lacustrine sediments, volcanic rocks and fossils, and Paleolithic sites beneath stratigraphic layers.”

“Advantages!”

“Can address dating over long periods beyond the reach of carbon-14 methods.”

“Applicable to inorganic samples without organic material.”

“Can detect age discontinuities caused by secondary sediment displacement.”

Liu Rong’s eyes brightened. “Limitations?”

Lin Sicheng hesitated. “Professor Liu, isn’t this beyond the syllabus?”

I’m only a senior undergraduate; you’re asking me graduate-level questions?

Liu Rong snorted coldly, rolled up the lesson plan, and pointed at him.

Lin Sicheng sighed helplessly:

“Initial conditions are difficult to determine; decay rates cannot be guaranteed constant; environmental closure, control, and absence of external interference cannot be assured; samples may be contaminated by later uranium influx or daughter isotope loss.”

“Solutions?”

“Cross-validate using other isotope precision measurement methods such as paleomagnetic dating, fission track dating…”

Liu Rong opened her mouth, unsure how to praise him.

Truly, even if Teacher Sun tutored him, she might not answer so comprehensively and precisely.

So he wasn’t lying: Professor Lin had tutored him.

But those words definitely weren’t all from Professor Lin…

Instinctively, she recalled the image of Professor Lin standing at the podium during her graduate studies, speaking eloquently and humorously.

After a long moment, she put down the lesson plan and sighed softly, “Not bad.”

Teaching Assistant Sun blinked: More than not bad.

The latter half already involved graduate-level knowledge. Lin Sicheng’s thorough answers showed deep understanding.

Could it be that Professor Lin wanted him to apply for graduate study under Professor Liu?

She only thought it, but Professor Liu asked directly, “Does your grandfather want you to be my graduate student?”

Lin Sicheng shook his head firmly. “He never said that!”

Graduate school is out of the question; at most, he might do some part-time graduate study after graduation.

“Hm, I’ll ask him later. But you can’t neglect your other classes. Graduate exams aren’t like the others; no one can pull strings for you!”

Liu Rong paused, then smiled. “But don’t worry too much. If your scores aren’t too low, there are still other ways…”

Lin Sicheng’s heart skipped a beat: I never said I wanted to go to graduate school!

But that was secondary; what really struck him was Professor Liu’s expression and tone: somehow, it felt excessively kind.

This was Liu Shitai, whom even the dean found difficult.

Lin Sicheng felt uneasy and took the chance to excuse himself. “Professor Liu, I’ll let you get back to your work.”

“All right.”

Liu Rong actually stood and saw him to the door.

Lin Sicheng’s heart skipped again: something feels off.

He went downstairs in a daze, increasingly feeling something was wrong.

If it were just because of his grandfather’s colleague relationship, she wouldn’t care so much about him.

Even considering the teacher-student bond between his grandfather and Professor Liu, she wouldn’t take the initiative to arrange extra tutoring with Teacher Sun.

Nor would she openly say, “Even if your scores are a bit low, there are other ways.”

So why?

After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t figure it out. Lin Sicheng took out his phone.

Grandfather should be at the East Gate market; the background noise made the call a bit noisy.

“Grandpa, can I ask you something?”

“Ha ha… got into trouble?”

“No, I just wanted to ask about your relationship with Professor Liu.”

The line fell silent.

Did he hang up?

He lowered the phone: no, still connected.

Why no response?

Just then, the old man sighed. “Why do you ask that?”

Lin Sicheng was stunned: Wait… I haven’t even said who it is, so why the sigh?

Logically, shouldn’t Grandpa have asked, “Which Professor Liu are you talking about?”

As far as Lin Sicheng knew, the Archaeology Department had one, the Cultural Heritage Department one, the Conservation Department two, plus more in the administrative and academic offices. The Heritage College alone had at least ten professors named Liu.

How could Grandpa know which one he meant? And why such a tone?

Suddenly, Lin Sicheng’s eyelid twitched.

“J-Just… just asking casually!”

“Speak clearly: did you get scolded or fail a test?”

Lin Sicheng didn’t know what to say.

Just say that without reason, Professor Liu took the initiative to have the teaching assistant tutor him and even encouraged him to apply for her graduate program.

The key is, she was so kind.

But since when did she become so kind?

It seemed to be right after he casually blurted out that his grandfather tutored him over the summer:

“Professor Liu, my grandfather thinks very highly of you…”

“Says you’re very kind, gentle, and patient…”

“Also says you have great charisma…”

Lin Sicheng felt a chill crawl over his scalp. Oh no… did I just dig a hole for Grandpa?

“Lin Sicheng, speak!”

Lin Sicheng gritted his teeth.

“Today I was distracted in class and got a good scolding from Professor Liu. She said she’d tutor me. I had no choice but to flatter you by saying you’re diligent and responsible, gentle and patient, and also that you have great charisma…”

The line went silent again.

After a long time, the old man sighed softly, “Lin Sicheng, come home tonight.”

No sooner had he spoken than the call ended with a beep.

Lin Sicheng stared blankly at the screen: Did I really guess right?

A widower and a widow... why didn’t they end up together in the past life, not even a whisper?

Grandpa must have some worries.

No matter. The trouble’s done; just let it be.

Anyway, this home is absolutely off-limits to me, at least for the foreseeable future…