Fang Yuan returned to her dorm, found the textbooks she needed for that day's class, and hurried downstairs. When she reached the girls' dormitory entrance again, Tang Tianyu was gone.
According to Nanjiang Medical College's custom, the first class for freshmen is taught by the homeroom teacher. Fang Yuan's freshman class was no exception, and the young homeroom teacher, Qin Yue, was standing at the podium. Qin Yue, aware of Fang Yuan's recent struggles, didn't mind her tardiness. She even asked her if she was okay, and smiled reassuringly when Fang Yuan replied that she was fine.
Fang Yuan's friends in dorm 441 had saved a seat for her. Aside from the elusive and eccentric Su Ya, the four of them sat together.
Su Ya sat alone in the corner of the last row, with no one to sit with. Tao Bing'er said she had asked to sit there, and Qin Yue couldn't persuade her. Qin Yue had originally wanted to arrange for a female companion, but not many were willing, and Su Ya's cold attitude and unwelcoming body language kept the others away.
There were two classes that morning. The first was Qin Yue's "Microbiology." She didn't actually lecture, spending her time arranging seating, appointing class leaders, and introducing the new students, briefly covering the subject. The second class, "Pathology," was taught by a male teacher, and this was the more formal lecture. While it was called a lecture, the male teacher simply repeated the textbook, teaching with a relaxed manner and showing no concern for the students' attention. The male teacher also explained that university students' learning styles differed fundamentally from those in middle school, emphasizing independent learning rather than rote learning. A teacher's role was simply to answer questions, and everyone was welcome to ask questions if they had any questions.
Fang Yuan was absent-minded the entire morning, her mind preoccupied with Cheng Li's suicide. Cheng Li, Xu Yan, Li Rong, Tang Tianyu—the faces of each flashed before her eyes, shifting and changing. Jumping from a building, suicide, lies, love—her thoughts were tangled and complex, like a thin feather in the air, dancing aimlessly in the wind.
She didn't know who to believe.
Li Rong?
Or Tang Tianyu?
Or neither?
Or both?
How could a simple suicide by a female student lead to so many horrific chain reactions?
After class, the girls from Dormitory 441 went to the fifth cafeteria for lunch. Qin Yanping kept complaining about the itchiness on the wound on her hand, constantly scratching it through thick gauze. Fang Yuan and the others were also having a hard time. Seeing her fingers reminded them of those stinking, disgusting giant rat carcasses, and they lost their appetites, unable to eat at all.
In the cafeteria, Fang Yuan was unusually unmolested by Tang Tianyu and Li Rong, which surprised her. But this was just as well. It gave her an excuse to leave the girls and go to the Nanjiang Medical College faculty dormitory to look for Qin Yue.
She didn't find Qin Yue; the gate was locked. Was she eating lunch in the faculty cafeteria, or preparing lessons in the teaching office? Fang Yuan remembered that Qin Yue took a nap and should be back by noon, so she simply stood at the door and waited for her.
Five minutes later, a man approached. He was in his thirties, dressed in a suit and tie, and looked energetic. Fang Yuan thought he looked familiar, but for a moment, she couldn't place where she had seen him before.
The man walked right up to her and greeted her, "Hi, beautiful."
Fang Yuan looked around, seeing no one else. She pointed at herself and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
The man smiled. "What's wrong, Fang Yuan? Don't you remember me?"
Fang Yuan searched her mind but couldn't recall. She shook her head. "You're—"
The man looked aggrieved. "Beautiful women are so forgetful! I've served you like a pro."
"Served you like a pro?" Fang Yuan suddenly remembered. "You're—Teacher Qin Yue's—"
Fang Yuan didn't know if he was Qin Yue's boyfriend. Last time, Qin Yue had said he was just one of the candidates.
"Now you remember, I'm Teacher Qin Yue's husband. You should call me uncle," the man said, feigning seriousness.
Fang Yuan wasn't to be outdone. "It's okay if I call you uncle, but all the girls in our dorm call Teacher Qin Yue "sister." It doesn't seem right for you, an uncle, to pursue a sister. It's going to get ugly."
The man chuckled. "You're quite articulate. It seems you're in a much better mood now than you were then. Is there something you need from Qin Yue? Hasn't she come back yet?"
Fang Yuan shook her head.
The man checked the time on his phone and said, "Don't worry, she'll be back soon."
For some reason, Fang Yuan felt a great deal less depressed after chatting with this man. He had a unique aura: confident and cheerful, his humorous words and exaggerated gestures easily made people laugh.
Laughter is the best medicine for depression.
"Teacher Qin Yue's husband, why didn't he open the door to let the guests in when he got home?"
The man seemed to suddenly realize something and searched for his keys in a serious manner.
"Stop pretending. I know you don't have the key. Teacher Qin Yue already told me about your relationship with her. You're just one of her potential boyfriend candidates."
Fang Yuan emphasized the words "one of her potential boyfriends," reminding him of Qin Yue's position in his heart.
The man uttered a "Huh!" in disbelief. He looked Fang Yuan over and over, saying, "So, the Fang Yuan standing before me isn't just a beauty, she's also a talented woman, incredibly intelligent. I admire you."
He paused, sighed, and lamented, "What a shame! What's that old saying? Since ancient times, beautiful women have often suffered from tragic fates, let alone those with both talent and beauty. They either can't get married, or even if they manage to, they won't find happiness. Let me give you some advice: find a temple quickly, become a nun, and spend the rest of your life with the ancient Buddha. Perhaps you'll even comprehend profound Buddhist principles and become a great monk."
Fang Yuan hadn't expected the man to be so talkative. She glared in anger, unable to respond for a moment, not knowing what to say. At this moment, Fang Yuan heard Qin Yue's voice: "Fang Yuan, ignore him! Jianhui loves to talk nonsense. If you tease him, he'll get even more excited. The best way to deal with a guy like that is to ignore him. Treat him like a chirping sparrow. If no one pays attention to him, he'll naturally die down."
As the saying goes, there's always someone to take over. Qin Yue returned, and the man, as expected, didn't dare to act rashly. He stopped teasing and said, "Haha, Fang Yuan, my name is He Jianhui. Don't mind me, it's just me. I like to talk nonsense when I see a beautiful woman."
Qin Yue looked for He took out his key and opened the door. He first asked He Jianhui, "Jianhui, what can I do for you?"
He Jianhui smiled. "Today, Zhang Yimou's 'House of Flying Daggers' is showing at the Nanjiang City Cinema. Are you interested in seeing it?"
Qin Yue smiled brightly. "Of course I'm interested. The question is, who will you go with?"
"Of course, with a super handsome guy like me accompanying you. Would you go with anyone else?"
"That's hard to say. Well, we'll see. Fang Yuan, come in. I'll pour you a glass of water." Qin Yue walked into the room first.
Just as Fang Yuan was about to go in, He Jianhui stopped her. He winked at Fang Yuan. "Want to go to the movies? It's Zhang Yimou's martial arts masterpiece, it's worth seeing!"
Fang Yuan: "Of course I do. You want me to invite Teacher Qin to come along?"
He Jianhui took out two movie tickets and handed them to her. "Here are the tickets. This one's for Qin Yue. Remember that."
"Only two? No!"
He Jianhui frantically asked, "Then how many do you want?"
Fang Yuan giggled. "You know we have five girls in our dorm, and we're like sisters. Of course, we share this happiness. Besides the one for Teacher Qin Yue, we need at least five tickets, and they have to be consecutive numbers, so we can sit together."
He Jianhui smiled wryly. "Okay, five tickets, that's five. Just bring Teacher Qin Yue out and let her sit here. Everything else is up to you."
"Oh, I almost forgot. The popcorn, drinks, and midnight snacks during the movie are all on you."
He Jianhui's eyes widened, and after a pause of more than ten seconds, he uttered, "You have a truly vicious heart."
Fang Yuan pretended not to hear. "What did you say?"
He Jianhui's face turned bitter. "I say, Fang Yuan, you have a truly kind heart. Okay?"
He Jianhui repeatedly urged Fang Yuan to take Qin Yue to the cinema, then said goodbye to her and left.