Chapter 298: Chapter 298

The university began assigning internship placements to all seniors, and for those in the finance department, it was either banks or other units in need of financial staff. Some had secured their own internships, and almost half of their class had returned to their home provinces for internship opportunities.

Although Li Xianglu and her classmates still had half a month of courses left, the seniors were already in a frenzy, with some even mailing their heavy quilts back home since the weather had warmed up by mid-April.

Li Xianglu, too, was packing up her bedding in the dormitory. Qin Xi was coming to pick her up soon to take some of her stuff back first. Only she and Wang Ke were in the dorm. Wang Ke was as calm and composed as she had been when they first met at the start of university; not even the biggest issues could deter her from her studies.

Just as Li Xianglu was about done packing, the dormitory door was suddenly slammed open. Both Li Xianglu and Wang Ke looked up in surprise, only to see Lu Anna standing at the door panting, her face filled with nervousness.

Li Xianglu paused and quickly asked, "What happened?"

Lu Anna pursed her lips, as if wanting to speak but then hesitated, noticing Wang Ke nearby. Her expression alternated between tense and frightened, and was that a hint of joy too?

Li Xianglu was puzzled. Where was this joy coming from? Had Lu Anna been shocked into silliness?

Seeing the situation, Wang Ke stood up with her thermos, saying she was going to fetch some water.

Sitting on Anna’s bed, Li Xianglu chided, "Look, just tell us what’s going on. Wang Ke has left, all this mystery..."

Anna’s lips quivered as she lamented, "I’m pregnant!"

What! Li Xianglu stared incredulously at Lu Anna, who held her belly, blinking; Qin Zhen had been away for over a month now.

Seeing Li Xianglu’s expression, Lu Anna, irked, exclaimed, "It’s been almost two months, what are you thinking about!"

Almost two months, that meant during the winter break. Li Xianglu was relieved, but wait, relieved about what? The two of them weren’t even married yet; what about the child? And graduation was still a year away.

Anna was also concerned about these issues, agitatedly throwing a pillow on the bed. They heard a knock at the door and suddenly looked up to see it wide open, with Xu Xin standing at the entrance, looking rather embarrassed as if he had overheard their conversation.

Li Xianglu stood and smiled, "Xu Xin, you’re here?"

Xu Xin nodded and glanced at Anna, who was sitting on the bed with a strange look, and said with a smile, "Sorry, the door was open. I heard everything."

Anna sighed, covering her belly helplessly, "I missed my period last month, thought it was just a cold, but this month it didn’t come again, so I got anxious and went to the hospital today. The doctor said I’m pregnant."

Just then, Xiao Chong and Wang Ke returned to the dormitory and were delighted to hear about Anna’s pregnancy.

Li Xianglu comforted her, "It’s okay, if necessary, you could take a year off school and come back to finish the courses after the baby is born."

But Xu Xin, sitting across from them, said with a smile, "I don’t think that’s necessary. Internships start in half a month, and being pregnant at work isn’t a big deal. If you feel tired, just take some leave. The most important thing now is to get the wedding done quickly."

Li Xianglu also felt that Xu Xin was right; the top priority now was indeed the wedding. Aborting the baby was out of the question. Even if the Lu Family agreed, it was doubtful that Qin Zhen, the little overlord, would.

Li Xianglu looked at her own stomach somewhat helplessly. Well then, her little uncle was going to have a child before getting married. Her own child would be at a disadvantage in the future.

Indeed, after speaking with Qin Zhen on the phone, he was ecstatic, saying that from now on, any child would have to call his son ’big brother,’ finally getting one up on his own brother.

By Qin Xi’s side, black lines of aggravation appeared on her forehead. The Lu Family was also aware, and while somewhat displeased, since it had already happened, all they could do was to expedite the wedding of the two children.

However, the new marriage law had already stipulated in January that men must be at least 22 years old and women 20 years old to obtain a marriage certificate.

The Lu Family had to step in and find a solution since this issue related to the household registration of the grandchild; it would be unacceptable to have the child born out of wedlock, a situation the Lu Family would never tolerate.

Thus, the wedding date was set for May 4, Labor Day, and Qin Zhen’s age was advanced by one year for the occasion.

The little western-style building was also ready. Due to the tight timeline, the banquet was set to be held outside at Quanjude roast duck restaurant, reserving the entire second floor; all meat and staple ingredients, except for duck, were provided by the groom’s side.

Since Mr. Qin and Yang Huan were not around, Mr. Li and Su Yan were asked to stand in as the groom’s elders.

Qin Shen was somewhat reluctant at first, but thinking back on Li Huai Ren’s past maneuvers, he no longer said anything.

The wedding was bustling with activity. Qin Zhen had been so heavily toasted he had to be carried back, not arriving at the courtyard for lunch until past ten the next day.

Lu Anna didn’t take a break from school. Since the doctors said she was healthy and the baby was fine with no particular issues, aside from being a bit more sleepy than usual, it was all normal, so she continued her internship as planned.

Qin Zhen returned to school three days after the wedding ceremony, his reluctant demeanor upon departure left Li Xianglu with a sour taste.

Lu Anna stayed at the Lu Family home after both families discussed it. Mr. Lu’s workplace was in the same compound as his daughter’s, making it extremely convenient to travel with him by car to and from work.

As for Li Xianglu, her internship was at a China Bank branch, three stops away from their courtyard.

Li Xianglu’s branch at China Bank lacked computers, and at that time, there was no networking, so one could only withdraw funds from the same location where they were deposited, aside from transfers of course.

Hence, work progressed slowly. Every deposit and withdrawal required meticulous verification and multiple signatures to complete a transaction. In her first week, Li Xianglu was positioned in the lobby to maintain order.

She ensured that everyone queued properly, then inquired about the services needed—if withdrawing money, people had to fill in the forms in advance; likewise, for making deposits.

After a week of this routine, Li Xianglu grew familiar with the bank’s personnel, as well as its daily operations and work policies.

In her second week, she was transferred to work behind the counter by the director.

Li Xianglu was paired with a woman in her thirties to learn about the operational procedures.

This woman was named Zhou Qingfang, thirty-four years old this year, and coincidentally, her hometown was Guanzhong. Her mother and a sister worked in the county where Li Xianglu lived.

Of course, Zhou Qingfang didn’t specify what job they did, and Li Xianglu didn’t ask, since she mentioned it only in passing, implying she preferred not to dwell on it.

Zhou Qingfang had graduated from a secondary professional school with a degree in accounting and had already been working in the bank for five years. Her husband was a local of the capital. Overall, she was quite decent, just somewhat inexplicably arrogant.