Chapter 52

Xu Yan cleared his throat and said, "Xuanyun, upon hearing such news, shouldn't you... have a normal human reaction? It seems like you don't care at all."

"Why should I care?" Zhu Youxiang asked in surprise. "Young Master Xu, you are neither the murderer nor a fugitive. You are merely a witness to a murder case, and you have the status of a registered student at the academy. I believe that for a gentleman of your standing, even if the Jinyiwei has any doubts, they wouldn't be too disrespectful to you. Even if they do come to search, I have my own ways to handle it without causing you any trouble."

Xu Yan pondered for a moment and realized that Zhu Youxiang had a point, but he was still somewhat worried. What if the National Security Bureau really came to search his home and found Zhu Youxiang? What would he do then?

Seeing the deep concern in Xu Yan's eyes, Zhu Youxiang clearly said, "Young Master Xu, you are just a witness. The Jinyiwei has no reason to search your residence. In my opinion, you don't need to make any preparations. Just live your life as usual. If the Jinyiwei comes, just say you don't know anything. They won't spend too much time on you. Even if they do come to search, I have my own ways to deal with it without causing you any trouble."

Xu Yan knew Zhu Youxiang all too well. Behind his casual words often lay terrifying consequences. He inwardly grumbled: Zhu Youxiang, your way of dealing with things—do you plan to draw your sword and kill a few of the National Security Bureau officers?

After discussing the matter with the National Security Bureau, Zhu Youxiang enthusiastically asked about Xu Yan's experience at the hospital: "Young Master Xu, how effective was the pill made by my second senior brother Qingyun? Did it help with the condition of the demonic qi in the patient's body?"

"Xuanyun, the pill's effect was astonishing! I gave the patient one pill, and his chest started to glow, his whole body lit up, and in no time, a dying patient was back to full health! The effect was so astonishing that it even scared the experts at the hospital—I almost couldn't get away from the doctors!"

Hearing that the pill made by his second senior brother Qingyun was effective in removing demonic qi, Zhu Youxiang smiled brightly, looking very pleased. "If Second Senior Brother knows that the demon-repelling pill was successful, he will be very happy. I will record this in my diary and report it to the academy's chief priest when I return. I will also ask the academy to report this to the court and promote the formula widely—Second Senior Brother's creation of the demon-repelling pill to save people from the disaster is truly a great deed!"

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The next day, Xu Yan went to the police station and handed over Zhu Youxiang's information—basically ten one-inch photos and a piece of paper with his name—to Zheng Qiuyi. At that time, Zheng Qiuyi was busy and quickly took the information, telling Xu Yan to go home and wait for news.

In the following days, Xu Yan tried his best to act like a normal college student—basically playing himself. He attended classes during the day and studied the history of the Bailu Academy at night, rarely going out.

After a week of this, finally, on Saturday morning, while Xu Yan was still in bed, he heard a loud knocking at the door.

Xu Yan, still half-asleep, was woken up. He looked out the window, and it was still dark outside, not yet dawn. He checked the alarm clock on his bedside table, and it was not even six in the morning.

Xu Yan knew what was happening: on a weekend morning, before dawn, who would come and bang on the door so loudly? It must be the agents from the National Security Bureau.

Thinking that he had finally waited a week for the representatives of the powerful state machinery, Xu Yan felt a bit excited. He put on his coat, practiced his expression in the mirror to look appropriately surprised, and then, pretending to be unprepared, opened the door, expecting to see a group of tough men in black suits and sunglasses.

When the door opened, there was not a single tough man in a black suit. Instead, there was a chubby figure—his childhood friend Liu Yang, who also looked half-asleep, with crusty eyes and a trail of drool on his mouth.

Seeing that it was Liu Yang and not the National Security Bureau officers he had been waiting for, Xu Yan's face fell. He angrily said, "Fatso, are you crazy! Why are you banging on my door so early in the morning? Are you having a seizure? And you're banging so hard, do you have a grudge against my door!?"

Liu Yang, scolded by Xu Yan, looked pitifully at him, knowing he was in the wrong and not daring to retort.

"Rock, it wasn't me who came looking for you. I was also forced to come. Just like you, I was dragged out of bed."

Xu Yan was startled. "Forced? Who forced you?"

A clear female voice said, "It was me!" With that, a girl walked out from behind the wall, looking coldly at Xu Yan. "Xu Yan, why is your phone turned off?"

Seeing the person, Xu Yan was taken aback. "Chen Yaoyu? Why is it you?"

He never expected that the person who would come to bang on his door so early on a Saturday morning would be Chen Yaoyu, the roommate of Gong Xueting, a proud and wealthy young lady.

Chen Yaoyu remained calm. "It's me. Why did you turn off your phone? I had an urgent matter to discuss with you, but you weren't in the dorm, and your classmates didn't know where you lived. I had no choice but to bring your friend Liu Yang to show me the way!"

Xu Yan glared at Liu Yang. "Fatso, you traitor, you disgraceful guide! Tell me, what did this girl offer you to betray me!"

Liu Yang pitifully said, "Chen classmate said she would help me find a girlfriend..."

Liu Yang covered his face, looking like a girl who had been caught by the police. "I know I've wronged you, Rock. Hit me, hit me hard, I don't blame you..."

"Ha! Watch my unstoppable kick!"

"Damn, Xu Yan, you really kicked me hard!"

After waiting a whole week, the so-called National Security Bureau agents never showed up, but an unexpected visitor, Chen Yaoyu, did. Plus, being woken up from his sleep, Xu Yan was furious. He kicked Liu Yang with all his might, and Liu Yang yelped, covering his buttocks and dodging.

Chen Yaoyu watched the two of them for a while and finally couldn't take it anymore. She coldly said, "Stop fooling around! Xu Yan, I have something important to discuss with you, be serious!"

Xu Yan replied rudely, "But I have nothing to do with you!"—waking up early on a Saturday morning, Xu Yan was already in a bad mood. Moreover, the visitor was not the National Security Bureau officer he had been waiting for but the always cold and distant Chen Yaoyu, who spoke to him in a condescending manner. If she weren't Gong Xueting's roommate, and if he didn't want to pursue Gong Xueting, Xu Yan would have slammed the door and gone back to sleep.

Chen Yaoyu's face turned cold. "Xu Yan, what kind of attitude is this?"

Xu Yan looked at her and thought, "What kind of attitude do you expect from me, coming to bang on my door so early on a weekend? I don't owe you anything!"

But this was the norm now. With more men than women, it was said that millions of men would be single in the future. With a shortage of women, the value of being female had skyrocketed. Now, even women who looked like凤姐 (a term for unattractive women) thought they were as beautiful as national treasures, posting sad and melancholic statuses online, feeling very good about themselves. If even the ugly ones could act so arrogantly, it was no surprise that someone like Chen Yaoyu, who was both beautiful and from a good family, would feel that everyone owed her and that men should be subservient to her.

However, this rule didn't apply to Xu Yan. A month ago, he would have been unable to resist a beautiful girl and would have been willing to kneel and beg. But after spending time with Zhu Youxiang, his horizons and understanding had greatly improved. Chen Yaoyu was beautiful, but Zhu Youxiang was even more so. Seeing Zhu Youxiang every day, Xu Yan had gradually become immune to beauty. Plus, being woken up in the middle of the night, he was already annoyed. Seeing this girl dare to boss him around, Xu Yan grunted, "Want a good attitude? Go to the police station, the police have the best service attitude!"

With that, he slammed the door and went back to bed.

Seeing the door slam shut in front of her, Chen Yaoyu was speechless, feeling the greatest humiliation of her life. She looked at Liu Yang coldly. "Liu Yang, is this how Xu Yan usually behaves? Rude, impolite, and disrespectful to girls. He... he is simply too much!"

Liu Yang, rubbing his sleepy eyes, thought that coming to bang on someone's door so early in the morning wasn't very polite either. But since he was hoping Chen Yaoyu would help him find a girlfriend, he didn't dare offend her. He smiled and said, "Well, Rock is usually a good person, but he has a stubborn side. When he's angry, even the heavens can't stop him. He must be upset about being woken up so early. Chen classmate, don't be angry. Now that you know where Rock lives, you can come back another time."

He yawned and said, "I'm so sleepy. I played games until two in the morning. Uh... Chen classmate, now that you know where Rock lives, do you need me anymore? I... I think I'll go back to sleep."

Chen Yaoyu frowned, seemingly not hearing Liu Yang. After a moment, she shook her head. "There's no time!" She then knocked on the door again.

Seeing her persistence, Liu Yang stuck out his tongue and quickly stepped aside, tiptoeing away. He knew Xu Yan's temper well—usually gentle, but when truly angry, he could be fierce. He decided to let Xu Yan deal with the beautiful girl and avoid getting in the middle of it.

Sure enough, after Chen Yaoyu knocked for a while, the door opened again. Xu Yan, looking angry, stared at Chen Yaoyu, who also stared back, undaunted. After a moment, Xu Yan grunted and tried to close the door, but Chen Yaoyu quickly grabbed the doorknob and softened her tone. "Xu Yan, I came so early because I have an urgent matter to ask for your help—it's a matter of life and death! You wouldn't stand by and do nothing, would you?"

Hearing it was a matter of life and death, Xu Yan frowned. He grunted, "A matter of life and death? You should call the police or the hospital. Forget it, what is it? Just say it quickly, I need to go back to sleep."

Seeing Xu Yan finally relent, Chen Yaoyu sighed in relief. "Xu Yan, aren't you going to invite me in? We can't talk standing in the doorway."

With that, she stepped forward, and Xu Yan instinctively stepped back to let her in. Chen Yaoyu quickly entered and closed the door behind her, as if afraid of being kicked out.

In the hallway, Liu Yang looked at the closed door, his face full of despair. He looked up at the sky and sighed, "Am I really that invisible?"

Leaving Liu Yang to his despair, Chen Yaoyu entered Xu Yan's room. She looked around the living room, nodding in approval. "I didn't expect your room to be so tidy. It doesn't look like a boy's room at all. You are quite meticulous."

Xu Yan, of course, knew that his room used to be a mess, and it was only because of Zhu Youxiang that it was now clean.

He grunted, "Sit down. Speak your mind, and then leave. I need to go back to sleep."

Chen Yaoyu frowned and said softly, "You really are crude. Shouldn't you be a bit more polite to a girl?"

Xu Yan looked at her disdainfully. "Coming to bang on my door at six in the morning, and you're talking about politeness? What do you want? Just say it!"

Chen Yaoyu's expression turned serious. "Xu Yan, I have a question: did you cure Gong Xueting's father's illness last time?"

Xu Yan felt a bit nervous. He asked in surprise, "Chen classmate, what are you talking about? Gong Xueting's father's recovery was due to the hospital and the doctors. What does it have to do with me?"

Chen Yaoyu looked straight at Xu Yan, her eyes filled with a mix of helplessness and anger. She had seen Xu Yan feed the patient the pill and heard the doctors admit they were helpless against the strange illness. Although she knew Xu Yan was involved, his denial left her with no recourse.

She looked at Xu Yan earnestly and pleaded, "Xu Yan, I beg you, can you tell me the truth? This matter is very important to me. I have a relative, a dear elder, who has the same strange illness and is also in critical condition.

I know that coming here like this is very impolite, but I was really worried. If my attitude has offended you, please forgive me, but I beg you to tell me the truth. Do you have a way to cure this illness?"

To be honest, if Chen Yaoyu had maintained her usual haughty attitude, Xu Yan wouldn't have cared much. He would have argued with her and then kicked her out. But seeing her now, soft and pleading, he couldn't be heartless.

In fact, in their previous interactions, Xu Yan had a good impression of Chen Yaoyu. She came from a wealthy family, was proud and aloof, but not arrogant or conceited. Her anonymous donation to Gong Xueting, showing concern and consideration for her feelings, had deeply moved Xu Yan.

He disliked her mainly because of her impolite behavior of coming to bang on his door in the middle of the night. But thinking that she did it out of concern for her relative, Xu Yan could understand her feelings—had it been his own family in critical condition, he would have done even more.

...