She tried calling Liu Daqing, but the line was busy.
She hung up right away.
After a while, the phone rang.
Her voice was bright and cheerful: "Empress Dowager, I've learned the latest way to pan-fry steak. When I come back for break I'll cook it for you to try, okay?"
"Okay. Lately everything I eat tastes like nothing."
"Then I'll learn a few more dishes and cook them all for you when I get back."
"Forget about cooking, Xixi. Your studies have to come first."
"Ha, Empress Dowager, I was just about to tell you. I wrote a new paper and got high praise from my professor. It'll probably be published in a very important core journal. They say it's really, really rare for a freshman to do that…"
"That's really good. Now I can relax. You really are putting in the effort."
