Chapter 63

The next morning was another Sunday. Xuyan, who had been thinking about the science fiction literature appreciation class he had agreed to attend with Gong Xueting, got up early, washed up, and hurried to school.

When he arrived at the classroom, the first person Xuyan saw was Gong Xueting. The girl was sitting in the back row, head down, writing something, with an empty seat next to her. Just as Xuyan was about to greet Gong Xueting, a boy cut in and tried to sit next to her.

At that moment, Gong Xueting looked up and politely said to the boy, "I'm sorry, classmate, but this seat is taken. Please find another place—Ah, Xuyan, you're here! Come over quickly, I've saved a seat for you."

The boy walked away reluctantly. Seeing that Gong Xueting still remembered their agreement and had indeed saved a seat for him, Xuyan felt secretly delighted. He strutted over, greeted Gong Xueting, and asked, "Xueting, I haven't seen you for a few days. Has your father been discharged from the hospital?"

Gong Xueting smiled and said, "Hello, Xuyan. In the past two days, I haven't been back to school; I've been with my father. He was discharged the day before yesterday, so I just came back to school."

"Ah, your father was discharged the day before yesterday? Why so late?" Xuyan was startled, fearing that there might have been a relapse in Gong Jianguo's condition. He asked anxiously, "Is there something wrong with Uncle's illness..?"

"Hehe, no! Don't worry, Xuyan. Actually, my father was fully recovered that day, but the hospital said it was safer to stay for a few more days for observation. Since the hospital agreed to waive all medical expenses, I thought it would be better to stay longer, so I persuaded my father to stay. It wasn't until the day before yesterday that he was discharged."

"Hehe, those few days must have been boring for your father. He's so energetic, he wanted to escape from the hospital every day. I had to stay and watch over him. It wasn't until the day before yesterday that the hospital confirmed my father was fully recovered and let him out. Then I could come back to school."

Xuyan sighed with relief, "I see. Since the hospital isn't charging for treatment, you might as well let Uncle stay. It's good to check up on things, whether there's a problem or not."

"Yes, I told my father the same thing, but he was very reluctant. However, the examination results really surprised me. My father used to have a severe stomach condition, but now, after the check-up, there's no trace of it left."

Gong Xueting looked at Xuyan with enthusiasm, "Xuyan, what could be the reason? Not only did my father's strange illness get cured, but even his old stomach condition is gone, and he looks like he's twenty years younger."

Xuyan knew the reason; it was because Gong Jianguo had been nourished by the spiritual energy, which had rejuvenated his body and reversed his physical functions, naturally eliminating some diseases. But he couldn't explain this, so he smiled vaguely, "Xueting, why are you asking me? Curing Uncle is the doctors' achievement, especially Director Zheng's."

Gong Xueting gave him a glare, "Liar! I knew you wouldn't tell me. Do you know, when I was at the hospital, Director Zheng and the others kept asking me about you."

Xuyan was startled, "Ah, what did they ask?"

"They wanted to know your identity and how to contact you."

"Did you tell them?"

Gong Xueting shook her head, "No—without your permission, how could I reveal your identity? When they pressed me, I just blurted out some nonsense. They tried to get information out of me, but I ended up getting some information out of them."

Xuyan was very interested in what Gong Xueting had managed to get from the doctors, but just as he was about to ask, the class bell rang, and the handsome teacher, Situ, quickly entered the classroom. Xuyan and Gong Xueting stopped talking and took out their notebooks to listen to the lecture.

This class, taught by Teacher Situ, was about the German science fiction novel series "Perry Rhodan." It wasn't very famous, and Xuyan hadn't read it, so he wasn't very engaged—more like he was secretly watching Gong Xueting.

The class began, and since Xuyan wasn't very interested in the content, he didn't pay much attention. He was more concerned about the girl sitting next to him and kept sneaking glances at Gong Xueting's profile. Looking at her porcelain-like, clean, and fair face, he became more and more captivated.

Although he knew it was impolite, Xuyan couldn't help it. Every few seconds, he would sneak a peek at Gong Xueting's face. At first, Gong Xueting seemed unaware of his gaze and didn't react. But after a while, her cheeks started to turn red, and the blush quickly spread across her entire face.

Even with her face flushed, Gong Xueting was still beautiful, and Xuyan was completely entranced. Just as he was lost in admiration, the girl seemed to have reached her limit. She turned her head and glared at Xuyan. Xuyan felt guilty but pretended nothing was wrong, "Xueting, what's wrong?"

"Hmph, you deceitful guy!"

Gong Xueting glared at Xuyan, but as a girl, she found it hard to express her frustration. She put on a strong front, "Xuyan, if you keep doing this, I... I... I won't save a seat for you next time!"

Xuyan was taken aback and quickly smiled, "Hehe, Xueting, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again! Please don't do that!"

"Hmph!"

Although Xuyan promised not to do it again, such promises between a man and a woman are as effective as a fart. For the rest of the class, Xuyan still kept watching, but not as openly. When he got too carried away, Gong Xueting would give a low hum to warn him, and Xuyan would quickly turn his head to the front, pretending to be focused on the lecture.

Thus, the two of them played a cat-and-mouse game, and the otherwise dull class time passed quickly. Before they knew it, two classes had flown by, and the bell rang again. Xuyan still felt a bit unsatisfied.

After class, Gong Xueting said goodbye to Xuyan. At that moment, she seemed to remember something and whispered to him, "Xuyan, are you free tonight?"

"Tonight?" Xuyan's first reaction was pure joy: Could this be a date? He nodded eagerly, "Yes, I'm free. Xueting, what's up?"

"Well, my father has recovered. I thought I should invite you to dinner to express my gratitude." Gong Xueting smiled, "I know a meal can't repay you for your help, but I don't have any other way... I'm a bit embarrassed," she said, shaking her head and lowering her head shyly.

Seeing the shy girl in front of him, Xuyan was moved. He wanted to say, "Money is no problem; you can repay me with your body!" But seeing her bashful expression, he held back and put on a generous face, "It's okay! We're good friends, right? Friends don't need to worry about such things. As long as Uncle is healthy and you're happy every day, that's the best repayment for me."

Gong Xueting smiled, "Hehe, Xuyan, you're so smooth. I bet you've fooled a lot of girls with this, haven't you?"

"Not at all! Xueting, you're really misunderstanding me. I'm the most honest and straightforward person..."

Gong Xueting looked at him slyly, "Really? Then what about your friend Xuan Yun? She seems to be very close to you!"

Mentioning Zhu Youxiang, Xuyan felt guilty and quickly changed the subject, "Xueting, where are we going to eat tonight?"

"Well, I'm not familiar with the restaurants around the school, but my dorm mates recommended the Zhenlong Restaurant at the west gate. I've invited my dorm mates and a few student council leaders and teachers from our department—Uh, Xuyan, do you need to bring anyone?"

Xuyan had thought it would be a romantic candlelight dinner just for him and Gong Xueting. Hearing about the other people, his face fell. But as the guest, he had no choice.

"On my side—If it's okay, I'll bring my dorm mate Liu Yang. He doesn't have a girlfriend yet, and I've heard that your International Trade department has many beautiful girls. He's been pestering me to introduce him to someone. This is a good opportunity, so I'll bring him."

Gong Xueting laughed, "Xuyan, you're really calculating. Okay, bring your friend. My dorm has many beautiful girls, and a few of them don't have boyfriends. But whether he can win their hearts depends on his own abilities. Our dorm girls have high standards."

Xuyan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked casually, "What about you? Xueting, do you have high standards?"

Gong Xueting glanced at Xuyan, her eyes twinkling, "Xuyan, this... " She looked at him with a flirtatious gaze, making Xuyan's heart race, but then she suddenly changed her expression, "A girl's secrets can't be revealed so easily. I won't tell you!"

Xuyan wanted to chat more with Gong Xueting—men always do this with pretty girls, trying to increase their intimacy. But clearly, Gong Xueting had no intention of chatting. She glanced at the podium, saw Teacher Situ coming down, and said, "Well, that's it. Xuyan, see you tonight!"

After setting the time for dinner, Gong Xueting hurriedly left. Xuyan stood there, watching her catch up with Teacher Situ, who was leaving the classroom. She called out, "Teacher Situ, I have some questions to ask..."

The young and handsome Teacher Situ turned and saw Gong Xueting, smiling brightly, "Ah, it's Xueting. Hello, I have another class, but we can talk while walking. What questions do you have?"

"Um... Teacher Situ..."

Watching the two of them walk out of the classroom together, Xuyan felt a surge of frustration. Gong Xueting seemed so happy with Teacher Situ, showing a genuine smile that she never showed when with Xuyan. Xuyan clenched his fists, wanting to smash something. He felt deceived, his dignity challenged, and his face flushed as if everyone was laughing at him.

But then he realized: Why should he be angry? What right did he have to be angry? He had helped Gong Xueting, but she had expressed her gratitude. She wasn't his girlfriend, and they hadn't established a relationship. His anger was baseless.

Realizing this, Xuyan felt like a deflated balloon, suddenly deflated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving the classroom and stepping into the bright sunlight, Xuyan's mood improved slightly. Just then, his phone rang. He took it out and saw it was a call from another beautiful girl he knew, his senior in the police force, Zheng Qiuyi.

"Hello, Senior Zheng, how are you?"

"Hello, junior, are you at school? That's good! I'm out on business and just passed by your school. I have something to give you. I'm at the west gate of your school, come quickly."

Xuyan's spirits lifted, and he ran to the west gate. This was the back gate of the school, and he saw a police SUV already parked on the empty ground. His senior, the beautiful police officer Zheng Qiuyi, was standing next to the car, wearing black jeans and a white shirt, and eating a spicy stick—anyone who didn't see the police car would think she was a college student sneaking out for a snack.

From a distance, Zheng Qiuyi saw Xuyan and waved the spicy stick, shouting, "Hey, junior! I'm over here!"

Xuyan, out of breath from running, waved back but couldn't speak. Zheng Qiuyi looked at him disapprovingly, "Junior, where did you come from? Why are you so out of breath?"

"I... I came from Building 4..."

"Building 4?" Zheng Qiuyi seemed familiar with the campus, and she looked at Xuyan with disdain, "From Building 4, that's not far. You're already out of breath? Junior, if you don't exercise, you won't find a girlfriend in the future—Oh, I forgot, you have a girlfriend. But with your body, even if you have a girlfriend, you might not be able to keep her!"

Xuyan was already upset about Gong Xueting, and Zheng Qiuyi's words made his face change. Zheng Qiuyi, being a police officer, was good at reading people's expressions. Seeing Xuyan's reaction, she was surprised, "Junior, are you okay? I was just joking... Is it about your girlfriend?"

"No! Senior, don't guess—But I'm surprised you can make such jokes."

Zheng Qiuyi laughed, "Ha, it's nothing. You should hear the guys in the squad; they're even worse. When I first joined, they teased me so much that I didn't dare show my face, always blushing—But I've toughened up."

Seeing Xuyan staring at her spicy stick, Zheng Qiuyi smiled, "When I was at Sichuan University, I loved coming out with my dorm mates to eat this. We'd trick a rich male classmate into treating us to a big meal. Those were the good times!"

She bit off the last piece and threw the stick into the trash can, wiping her hands and saying regretfully, "Unfortunately, it doesn't taste as good now. Maybe the chef has changed."

Xuyan was actually very interested in Zheng Qiuyi's story. She looked younger than him but was already a police captain. How old was she when she went to university? How did she graduate so young?

Following her lead, Xuyan smiled and asked, "Senior, when you were at university, did you ever develop a relationship with a rich male classmate?"

Zheng Qiuyi was taken aback and looked at Xuyan with a half-smile, "Oh, you're being bold today, junior. To be honest, when I was at Sichuan University, I was too young to think about dating."

She looked at the golden sign of Sichuan University on the gate and sighed, "It's a pity. They say campus romances are the most beautiful and pure, but I never experienced one—If I had known, I wouldn't have missed the opportunity."

Xuyan laughed, "Senior, you didn't miss the opportunity; you never had one. I bet you were only twelve or thirteen when you went to Sichuan University. No senior would dare to pursue you. Even if they didn't mind your age, they would have to consider their reputation. Pursuing a girl so young would violate the law protecting minors."

Xuyan was joking, but Zheng Qiuyi's reaction was unexpected. She nodded seriously and sighed, "That's probably it. I was specially admitted to Sichuan University at twelve and graduated at sixteen. The seniors were much older than me, and they probably thought I was too young."

"Twelve years old to go to Sichuan University? Senior, you're amazing!"

"It's not much. Sichuan University had a special program for gifted young students. My parents signed me up, and I passed the exam. When I graduated at sixteen, the provincial police department was recruiting, looking for forensic and medical examiners. Since there was a shortage of talent, they made an exception and recruited me. Later, I ended up in the criminal investigation department, and it's been four or five years..."

Listening to Zheng Qiuyi's story, Xuyan was amazed, "Senior, you're incredible! I'm twenty, and I'm only in my second year at Sichuan University. You're the same age as me, but you're already a police leader—Senior, you've