Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Today, Yu He only had one public class, which was on the basic theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In the medical school, most majors are five-year programs, and this class is a course for the first half of the freshman year. The only ones who take this class in the second half of the freshman year, apart from Yu He who entered through backdoor connections and recommendations, are all the unfortunate ones who failed the course last semester.

After all, it is a retake class, so how many people could there be even if it’s a public class?

Yu He walked into the tiered classroom, paused for a half second upon seeing the full house, thinking he had entered the wrong classroom, and went out again to check the timetable posted at the entrance.

Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Class of 20xx Retake)

That’s right, this is the classroom.

Are there so many people retaking the class?

Even the prestigious Traditional Chinese Medicine University doesn't have this many students, does it?

Yu He walked back into the classroom and saw a tall, chubby guy in the back row waving at him and pointing to the empty seat next to him.

Yu He quickly climbed up the steps in just a few strides.

The guy shifted to the side to make way and introduced himself, "My name is Wang Guangbin, we're in the same class."

Yu He put down his textbooks: "Hello, my name is Yu He."

Wang Guangbin was all smiles and seemed to have a very good temperament: "Thought you entered the wrong classroom, didn't you? That’s just how many people have failed the Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He lowered his voice, "Not just from our year, but there are also seniors from the second, third, fourth, and even fifth year who haven't passed. They're all here. Taking the same course nine times, and even if you've published your graduation thesis, it's useless; you still can't pass Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

Upon hearing how difficult the class was, Yu He immediately gave up: "Then I'm definitely not going to pass."

Wang Guangbin sighed: "Whether you pass or not, you have to pass. Our medical school really won't let you graduate otherwise."

Yu He lazily leaned back in his chair, not picking up the conversation. Instead, he asked, "Why did you choose to study medicine?"

Wang Guangbin replied, “Both my grandfather and my father were barefoot doctors in our village. Because they didn't have the educational qualifications, they couldn't get licensed and weren't allowed to treat people anymore. The village clinic was even built with my grandfather’s money. I want to go back and be a doctor, to treat the folks back home and also to win back some respect for my father. What about you? Why did you choose to study medicine?"

Yu He was suddenly at a loss for words.

He had asked this question intending to lead into his own initial reason for studying medicine—to help his boyfriend with his leg injury; graduating or not didn’t matter to him.

However, for some reason, after hearing Wang Guangbin’s initial reason for studying medicine, Yu He suddenly felt that his own perspective was too narrow.

It was that kind of narrow... like choosing not to answer the last big question in the math section of the college entrance exam just to go to the same university as your boyfriend.

It seemed like it didn’t affect anyone else, just a simple personal choice, but upon further thought, he couldn’t help but feel that something about his decision was not quite right.

Faced with Wang Guangbin's sincere gaze, Yu He jokingly said, "Of course, I study medicine to—serve the people and save lives."

Wang Guangbin took it seriously, feeling greatly inspired, and slapped Yu He on the back: "Wow, Yu He, you are really something. Your family is so wealthy, yet you still harbor such grand aspirations. Truly a blessing for the medical field!"

It had been years since Yu He last got hit, and Wang Guangbin’s slap almost knocked the wind out of him. He seriously wondered if this guy was the reincarnation of Guo Jing—the pain was just too much.

In the time they were talking, the professor walked in, and the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became tense. The hundred or so students in the room fell silent almost at the same time.

Feeling the seriousness of the situation, Yu He silently switched his already muted phone to Do Not Disturb mode.

There was only one class in the afternoon, and a class meeting was scheduled for 4:30 pm. Wang Guangbin led Yu He to the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy classroom: "Our major has very few students. Before you came, we couldn’t even make up twenty."

The academic advisor for Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy, Huang Yuecen, was in his forties, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, very thin and tall, with Bodhi beads wrapped around his wrist, exuding an air of a Taoist master.

Wang Guangbin introduced him to Yu He: "Director Huang is a believer in Taoism and a lay disciple of Qixia Temple."

Yu He found the name Qixia Temple somewhat familiar and nodded absently.

Huang Yuecen went over a few administrative matters, mostly about leave of absence, absenteeism, attendance, and dorm checks. Finally, he said, "This semester, we have a new student in our class, making us an even number. Yang Yuqing, Liang Ran, Liu Ruitong, it was quite inconvenient for the three of you to be in a group before. Who wants to be in a group with the new student?"

Wang Guangbin winked at Liang Ran, but before he could stand up, Yang Yuqing raised her hand and said, "Director Huang, as the class president, I’ll be in a group with Yu He."

Huang Yuecen had no objections, quickly jotting down the new groups in his notebook: "Then that concludes today's class meeting. Does anyone have any other matters to address?"

Liu Ruitong glanced at Yang Yuqing, but she didn’t return his look.

Liu Ruitong had feelings for Yang Yuqing.

This morning during practice, Yang Yuqing accidentally pricked Liu Ruitong, and at noon she brought him milk tea to apologize. He seized the opportunity to confess his feelings to her.

The confession was unsuccessful.

Back in the dormitory, the roommates teased Yang Yuqing, suggesting she was interested in the newly transferred rich second generation.

Initially, Liu Ruitong didn’t believe it.

He was in a group with Liang Ran and Yang Yuqing. Liang Ran, who held a high opinion of himself and was overly confident in his talents, never practiced with them. Liu Ruitong thought he would have plenty of opportunities to be alone with Yang Yuqing in the future, but he hadn’t anticipated Yu He’s sudden appearance.

To his surprise, Yang Yuqing even took the initiative to be in the same group as Yu He.

“What is he, just a pretty boy with a wealthy background?” Liu Ruitong thought.

He even decided to study Acupuncture and Moxibustion despite fainting at the sight of needles—it was clear he wasn’t taking this seriously. What could Yang Yuqing possibly learn by being in a group with him?

Rage churned in Liu Ruitong’s heart, and he suddenly stood up, making a loud scraping sound as his chair moved across the tile floor.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Liu Ruitong.

Huang Yuecen, playing with his star and moon Bodhi beads, asked in a slow voice, “Liu Ruitong, what’s the matter?”

Liu Ruitong raised his voice, “Director Huang, how can a new student who faints at the sight of needles learn Acupuncture and Moxibustion? Maybe it would be better to help him transfer to another department.”

Huang Yuecen slowly tidied the books on the lectern, “Yu He, do you want to transfer departments?”

Yu He stood up, “No need, Director Huang.”

Huang Yuecen nodded, “Alright then, meeting adjourned.”

After Huang Yuecen left the classroom, Liu Ruitong also stormed out, visibly angry.

Yu He, not even knowing who that guy was, looked away, puzzled, and greeted Wang Guangbin, “Brother Bin, I’m heading out.”

Wang Guangbin lifted his head, "How about having dinner together tonight, Yu He?" He pointed at Liang Ran, "This is Liang Ran, my Brother Ran. We are dorm mates."

Liang Ran tilted his head towards Yu He, “Young Master, how about having dinner together? My treat.”

Yu He hasn’t hung out with people of his age for quite a while, but he was really in a hurry to get home. The new house wasn't equipped with assistive facilities, and it was inconvenient for Fu Yunzheng to even go to the bathroom alone.

Yu He made a fist salute towards Liang Ran, “Some other day I will treat Brother Ran and Brother Bin to a meal. I’m in a rush to get home today; my boyfriend is waiting at home.”

Caught off guard by the coming out, Liang Ran was stunned for a moment, but quickly responded, “Bring your partner along next time. We are all brothers; it’s okay to hang out together.”

Yu He said, “Sure, I’ll ask him about it. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”

As soon as Wang Guangbin heard someone was feeling unwell, his professional instincts kicked in, “What’s wrong? Maybe you could try some traditional Chinese medicine?”

Yu He smiled and shook his head, “No need.”

Liang Ran seemed to have realized something and pulled Wang Guangbin aside, “Okay, then you better hurry home and take care of your boyfriend. Let’s get together another time.”

Liang Ran gave Wang Guangbin a meaningful look. Wang Guangbin’s round eyes showed pure simplicity. Liang Ran sighed and looked up to the sky, not expecting Wang Guangbin, such a straight man, to understand the intricacies of a man-to-man relationship. He just hoped that Wang Guangbin wouldn't persistently inquire about someone else's discomfort.

It must be uncomfortable there, for sure.

Unexpectedly, this new classmate, appearing so ethereal and otherworldly, turns out to be so bold in private.

*

Busy with school, Yu He hadn’t live-streamed for a long time and naturally was out of touch with online trends.

This morning, Yu He, as usual, walked into the canteen to buy breakfast, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It seemed like all the students dining in the canteen were looking at him.

Having been the center of attention for so many years due to his stunning looks, Yu He was used to being scrutinized by others. However, the stares this time felt different. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt very uncomfortable.

Clutching a cup of soy milk, he headed toward the academic building, faintly catching snippets of conversation from behind:

"Is that him?"

"Yes, that’s him! He’s in acupuncture and massage therapy, just transferred here this semester."

"You can transfer universities?"

"Well, he’s got connections and money, so he took the back door in."

"Pfft, took the back door."

A few people chuckled and laughed, completely unaware that Yu He in front of them had slowed down his pace, taking in every word they said.

Yu He was never one to be sensitive or paranoid, but from those few brief sentences, he could roughly guess the reason behind all the odd occurrences today.

At that moment, his phone rang.

It was Yu Qingyan.

Yu Qingyan: "Yu He, do you have classes this morning?"

Yu He: "I'm at school right now. What's up?"

Yu Qingyan hesitated for a moment: "Have you checked the school's forum?"

Yu He: "Who even looks at that thing? What's going on? Just tell me."

Yu Qingyan: "I can’t really explain it properly, but it seems like last night some girl live-streamed, claiming you're being kept by a rich woman. Your fans said she was spreading rumors, and then fans from both sides started arguing. Eventually, someone listed a lot of ‘evidence’ very convincingly, saying you’re actually a sugar baby for a middle-aged wealthy man."

Yu He let out a curse: "Damn, how did I become middle-aged? Is thirty-two considered middle-aged in your book?"

Yu Qingyan sounded somewhat wronged on the other end: “Why are you cursing at me? I didn’t say any of that. The post was later pinned on the school forum, and there are a lot of replies. You should check it out yourself.”

Yu He replied: “I wasn't cursing at you. Alright, I know about the situation now, I need to go to class. We'll talk later.”

Yu Qingyan seemed surprised: “You’re still going to class? I'm on my way to the Student Affairs Office right now. Only the administrators there have the authority to delete posts. I’m going to talk to them about it.”

“You really do care about me.” Yu He ascended the stairs, taking a sip of his soy milk: “With someone so keen on stirring up trouble, deleting the post won’t make a difference. Don’t bother yourself with it, I really don’t mind.”

Yu Qingyan sounded even more anxious than Yu He: “You have no idea how bad the rumors they're spreading are!”

Yu He chuckled lightly: “I don’t even have the URL for that stupid forum, why would I go out of my way to read it and upset myself? I don’t care what kind of rumors they are spreading. College students are really bored these days. What era is this? Still browsing forums? It’s so retro. No young people do that anymore.”

Yu Qingyan was at a loss for words: “You really have a big heart.”

Yu He tossed his soy milk cup into the trash can, speaking with a kind of open-mindedness: “People always say that public opinion is something to be feared, but if you treat it like a dog barking, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Yu Qingyan didn’t argue.

He thought to himself: Oh, it doesn’t matter now? Just a moment ago, when Fu Yunzheng was called a middle-aged rich man, I wonder who was the one who howled as if their tail had been stepped on.

Today’s class was a public course, “Employment and Entrepreneurship Guidance”, and the amphitheater was packed, with students not just from the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Anyone who has been talked about in class knows exactly how it feels.

You know they are discussing you. They would glance at you from time to time, whispering, exchanging secretive looks, pointing and making gestures behind your back, and then abruptly changing the topic when you look over.

Even if you confront them and ask what they are talking about, they won’t admit it. But as soon as you turn around and leave, a burst of piercing laughter would erupt.

It’s as if you are a joke to begin with. They are so unbridled, declaring war on you through their eyes, actions, and laughter: Yes, we are discussing your private affairs. What are you going to do about it?

Yet, they were so timorous and feeble, and as a former high school bully, Yu He found dealing with this covert ostracism to be child’s play.

Yu He carelessly tossed his book onto the table, creating a clear 'thump', and the buzzing whispers throughout the classroom suddenly ceased.

Their guilt became even more apparent in their attempt to cover up, further convincing Yu He that they were indeed gossiping about him.

Initially, Yu He had casually taken a seat in the fourth row, where he could feel eyes from all directions converging upon him.

He stood up and slowly made his way towards the back rows, nonchalantly meeting the gaze of everyone who looked his way, engaging in a cool stare-down with them.

The last row in a university classroom is often a gathering place for slackers, and regardless of how prestigious the institution is, there will always be students who are not interested in studying. The last row is tacitly reserved for these individuals.

All the seats near the aisle were taken, so Yu He tapped lightly on the desk and said to the guy sitting on the outside: “Buddy, mind letting me through?”

The boy was engrossed in a video game, his head not lifting as he turned his body to the side.

Yu He took a seat in the last row, leaned back in his chair, and glaringly surveyed the people in front of him, as if daring anyone to turn around and look at him.

By choosing this seat, Yu He wanted to see who would dare to provoke him; he was already prepared to confront them with a ‘What are you looking at?’

As it turned out, Fengcheng University was indeed a reputable institution; nobody dared to contend with Yu He’s arrogance.

Under the pressure of Yu He’s domineering presence, the other students either focused on their books or played with their phones, and no one dared to look at him again.

Soon after, Liang Ran and Wang Guangbin entered the classroom and came over to Yu He.

Liang Ran seemed to have a sort of social bravado, as he patted the shoulder of Yu He’s desk mate and said, “Hey handsome, mind swapping seats with me? I’m duo queuing with my buddy here.”

The desk mate looked up at Liang Ran, seemingly quite familiar with him, and said, “Oh, it’s Liang Ran. Sure, go ahead.” He then stood up and moved to a seat nearby.

Liang Ran took a seat next to Yu He, observing his imposing demeanor: "Oh my, why is the young master in such a bad mood today?"

Yu He leaned back in his chair, turning his head with a sharp raise of his brows, which then relaxed: "You're asking even though you already know. And why call me young master? Just call me Xiao San from now on."

Liang Ran began to laugh: "Did you see that post on the forum?"

Yu He replied, "I didn’t see it, just heard about it from others. It’s just about me being a kept man for some rich person, right?"

Classes began, and the classroom fell silent. Liang Ran lowered his voice to speak to Yu He: "The school forum is on the intranet; it was definitely someone from our school. Have you offended anyone?"

Yu He turned to look at Liang Ran, his eyes clear and untainted: "Since the beginning of the school year, I’ve only talked to a few people. How low-profile can I be?"

Low-profile?

Liang Ran was utterly speechless.

Yu He, this guy, somehow managed to transfer from a third-rate school to study at Feng Da, drives a luxury car, wears a designer watch, and has a residence in the high-end community next to the school.

Being rich is one thing, but Feng Da is no stranger to second-generation rich kids. However, the key point is that this rich kid is even more handsome than a celebrity, and his name is constantly on the love confession wall.

With power, wealth, height, and looks that attract female students, it’s like he’s stacked with buffs; how could he possibly keep a low profile?

It’s absolutely a joke of international proportions!

There are people in this world who are destined to stand out, attracting attention wherever they go.

Yu He is exactly that kind of person.

What’s most irritating is that he’s not at all aware of how envious others are of his conditions, nor does he realize how precious the opportunity to study at Feng Da is. He only sits at the back during theory classes, spacing out and slacking off, either taking leave or skipping classes during acupuncture lessons, but extremely earnest during massage classes, as if he's transformed into a different person. His eyes shine brightly, attracting three girls in the class to constantly glance his way, fighting over being Wang Guangbin’s partner.

Alright, Liang Ran had to admit, Yu He was incredibly handsome. Not just the girls, even Liang Ran himself would sometimes gaze at Yu He's face in a daze. Just to be clear, he is absolutely straight. Watching Yu He is like admiring an exquisitely crafted piece of art, unrelated to gender, it's just pleasing to the eye and soothing to the soul.

It wasn’t until Yu He felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck and turned his head in confusion to glance at Liang Ran that Liang Ran snapped out of his trance.

Remembering the matter at hand, Liang Ran lowered his voice to ask Yu He, “Are you still an internet celebrity?”

Yu He was quite open with Liang Ran: “I accidentally signed a contract for live streaming. Breaking the contract requires paying a penalty.”

Liang Ran gave him a thumbs up: “Being handsome really is something. You're like that lucky guy who accompanies a friend to an interview and ends up getting the job himself. Everything you do turns out successful.”

In the first half of his life, Yu He had always been labeled as ‘unaccomplished’. This was the first time he heard someone say that everything he did was successful, which left him a bit surprised but also somewhat proud: “I just played around with streaming to pass the time, but somehow I ended up gaining some fans.”

Liang Ran opened the Douya live streaming app: “It’s not just ‘some’ fans. You're now a top broadcaster. You're number one on the recommended list. There’s a broadcaster named An Tong. She was live streaming last night, claiming that a wealthy woman is keeping you and that all the gifts she sends you during your streams are money for your services.”

Yu He scoffed disdainfully, not mentioning to Liang Ran that An Tong herself was involved in murky dealings with a manager from the live streaming company, a fact well known throughout the company according to the room administrator, Qi Ge.

Liang Ran’s thoughts were clear: “You usually wear a mask during your live streams. Even though the name is the same, you've only transferred here a few days ago and not many people know you. The person who recognized you and transferred the post to the school forum must be an acquaintance.”

Listening carefully, Yu He picked up on the implication in Liang Ran’s words: “What? Do you know who did it?”

Liang Ran tilted his chin, signaling for Yu He to look at Liu Ruitong in the front row.

Yu He had almost forgotten about Liu Ruitong, finding him somewhat familiar: “Is he in our class?”

Liang Ran: "…Bro, including you, there are only ten people in our class. It's been two weeks since school started, and you still haven’t recognized everyone?”

Yu He rubbed his nose uncomfortably: “The theory classes are big classes, and I’ve never sat with him. Plus, for the practical classes, we’re divided into Group A and B, and then into pairs. It just so happens that we’ve never been in the same group.”

Liang Ran sincerely said, “Yu He, has anyone ever told you that you’re really good at making people dislike you?”

Yu He: "…"

Liang Ran said, “On the first day of school, during the class meeting, Liu Ruitong stood up and told the counselor that you get dizzy at the sight of needles and are not suitable for our department, just because Yang Yuqing wanted to be in a group with you instead of him. Have you forgotten all about it?”

Yu He started to recall, “Why is he targeting me? It’s not like I was the one who wanted to be in a group with the class president.”

Liang Ran answered, “He has a crush on Yang Yuqing. He wanted to be in the same group as her. My God, you really pay no attention to what’s happening in our class.”

Yu He still wasn’t very interested, “So, who is Liu Ruitong in a group with now?”

Liang Ran choked up a bit, “With me.”

Yu He scratched his eyebrow, not quite understanding the love-hate relationships among these college students, “Why don’t we just switch groups then, letting him be with Yang Yuqing?”

Liang Ran was at a loss for words, resting his face in his hands, “Yang Yuqing doesn’t want to. I actually wanted to suggest being in a group with you, but Yang Yuqing spoke up first. She probably doesn’t like Liu Ruitong and took the opportunity to switch groups.”

Yu He couldn’t understand why a class of just ten people could have so many issues.

Maybe this is what Mr. Jin Yong meant when he said, “Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.”

College students really have too much free time. If you like someone, you like them. If you don’t, you don’t. Yang Yuqing has already said she doesn’t like Liu Ruitong. Why is he still persistently bothering her? It’s so boring.

Besides, what does this have to do with me?

Yu He opened a bottle of mineral water, “So why is Liu Ruitong targeting me? Just because I’m in a group with the class president?”

Looking at the naive Yu He who was drinking water, Liang Ran dropped a bombshell, “Because Yang Yuqing likes you.”

Yu He spat out his water, raising his voice, “What did you say?”

The quiet classroom was suddenly filled with noise, waking many students who had fallen asleep during the early morning class. They all turned around to look at Yu He and Liang Ran.

The teacher, having lost her patience, slammed her textbook onto the lectern, “The two boys at the back, you’ve been whispering and mumbling to each other since the class started. If you don’t want to listen, then get out!”

Yu He stood up and sincerely apologized to the teacher, "I'm sorry, teacher. I'll leave right away."

Having said that, under the incredulous gaze of everyone in the classroom, Yu He reached down to pull Liang Ran from his seat and walked out of the classroom in full view of the entire class.

He even thoughtfully closed the door behind him for the teacher.

Standing in the corridor, Liang Ran seemed to be in a daze.

Back in the classroom, a roar erupted: "Which class do those two boys belong to? Where is the class president?"

After a brief silence, Yang Yuqing’s voice carried through the door, "Teacher, we are from the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, majoring in Acupuncture and Tuina Massage."

The teacher took a deep breath and said sternly, "Mark them as absent! Acupuncture and Tuina Massage, huh? Seems like your major has great job prospects, no need to attend the entrepreneurship and employment guidance class, right?"

Yu He, hand resting on the classroom door’s railing, wanted to go back in to explain things to the teacher on behalf of Yang Yuqing. After all, it was he who had angered the teacher. He couldn’t bear to let a young girl face the reprimand in front of students from several classes just to cover for him.

Quick as a flash, Liang Ran pressed down on Yu He’s hand, "Brother, what in the world are you thinking?"

Yu He responded, “I want to explain things to the teacher.”

Liang Ran, also quite tall, hugged Yu He’s shoulders from behind, half-pulling, half-dragging him away, “Bro Yu, you're like a brother to me. Don’t you think the teacher will be even more angry if you go back in now? Why on earth did you drag me out of the classroom with you? Is this how the rich second generation behaves during class where you come from? So... whimsical?”

Full of questions, Yu He earnestly asked, “But wasn’t it the teacher who asked us to leave?”

Liang Ran was utterly astounded and stared intensely at Yu He, trying to find any trace of a joke on his face, “Can’t you tell that those were words spoken in anger?”

Yu He was even more shocked, muttering to himself in disbelief, “Words spoken in anger?”