Three hundred seventy thousand kilometers away on Earth, Xu Lai, sitting in the medical office, let out a similar sigh. "How boring."

After saying goodbye to his daughter and Qian Xiao, Xu Lai had gone to work at Dongli University, but not a single student had come for a medical consultation the entire morning. He enjoyed peaceful days, but being this idle all the time was just too dull.

However, it wasn't the students' fault. In the past, a bit of melodrama or some sweet-talking could still get you a sick leave slip. But ever since Xu Lai's arrival, a whole group of old men and women dedicated to the art of medicine had practically moved into Dongli University. Trying to fake an illness in front of these revered practitioners? You were lucky to get away without a scolding.

"Nan Wei, any gossip lately?" Zhou Feng asked out of boredom.

"The senior class beauty, Shen Ji, was exposed for being pregnant and already married; a Chinese department teacher, Lin Lin, is being sued for divorce by his wife for having an affair; and also..."

Liu Nanwei hadn't finished when Zhou Feng cut her off in frustration, "Why is it all tabloid news? Isn't there anything else?"

Liu Nanwei spread her hands. "That's all I've got."

Zhou Feng sighed. "..."

He gave up. "Forget it. I'm going to the Go Club to watch Ke Ji and the others play."

With the Go championship in Dongli having concluded, Ke Jie, his master Zheng Zong, and a host of other professional players hadn't left East Sea City. The reason was simple: Ruan Lan had the Go manuals Xu Lai had given her.

The old masters had too much pride to ask for the manuals directly. Instead, they sent Ke Jie to learn from her, after which they would all discuss his findings.

And so, the Go Club at Dongli University had almost become a branch of the Hua Country Chess Institute. It wasn't clear if anyone else was happy about it, but Zhou Feng was ecstatic. He would pop into the Go Club almost every day, discussing insights with this Seventh Dan professional or shooting the breeze with that Ninth Dan master. As a result, several professional players under immense psychological stress found significant relief thanks to his 'talk therapy'. Thus, Zhou Feng was quite popular among the players.

"Off you go, you traitor to medicine," Liu Nanwei waved him away impatiently, repeating a line Yan Gui often used for Zhou Feng.

Zhou Feng stopped in his tracks. "...I'm going to provide them with psychological counseling!"

BANG—

Just then, the door was pushed open. A boy with dyed yellow hair stumbled in, his forehead glistening with sweat as he gasped for air. "HUFF... HUFF... HUFF..."

"What's wrong, student?" Liu Nanwei perked up and hurried over to him.

"I... I..."

The student was still panting, unable to form a sentence. Liu Nanwei said considerately, "Don't try to talk. Let me take your pulse."

Finally, a patient. If I don't practice taking pulses soon, my skills will start to get rusty.

However, the student took a step back and stammered, "D-Doctor, go to the Martial Dao Club... to h-help..."

"What?"

Zhou Feng and Liu Nanwei exchanged confused glances. Once the student caught his breath, he managed to explain the situation. "Students from Sakura Country's Imperial Capital University are here at Dongli University today for a martial arts exchange. There might be injuries, so we need a doctor on standby."

"Today?" Zhou Feng frowned. "We have no application form, nor any notice from the school. I'm afraid..."

"Huh?" The student looked baffled. "Our club already submitted an application to the school, and Dr. Li Shouzhong even approved it."

Li Shouzhong!?

Liu Nanwei made a call to ask. Li Shouzhong sounded exasperated on the other end. "Oh, that? Right, I did sign off on it. My memory is so bad I completely forgot. I'm on my way back now."

"Don't worry about it. You continue with your research, Dr. Li. I can go."

Liu Nanwei hung up, stretching lazily. "I'll go with him. Director Xu, are you coming?"

"Let's go have a look," Xu Lai replied. He decided to go because he figured his spectacle-loving sister-in-law would definitely be there.

In the end, Zhou Feng skipped his trip to the Go Club, and the four of them headed to the Martial Dao Club.

Dongli University boasted a rich variety of clubs. The one currently enjoying the spotlight, aside from the Go Club, was the Martial Dao Club. After all, a martial arts competition between university students from two different countries generated palpable anticipation even without any promotion. The large Martial Dao Club was packed to the rafters.

Xu Lai had sharp eyes. Sure enough, he spotted Ruan Lan in the crowd at a glance. Not only was she there, but Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li were with her.

"Dr. Liu, Dr. Zhou, I'm going to find Ruan Lan. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

As Liu Nanwei responded, Xu Lai made his way toward the spectator stands. There happened to be an empty seat right next to Ruan Lan. The moment he sat down, several ambiguous stares were directed his way—some filled with anger, some with jealousy, and others with amusement, as if watching a show.

Many had coveted the seat next to the campus beauty, but no one had dared to take it. After all, Ruan Lan had quite a temper.

"Goddess Ruan Lan is about to lose it."

"Hehehe, I love it when she gets angry. If only she would step on me..."

"...Dude, are you a sadist?"

"..."

Contrary to the male students' expectations, Ruan Lan didn't fly into a rage. Instead, she looped her arm through Xu Lai's in an extremely intimate gesture.

This scene shattered the hearts of the male students who had a crush on Ruan Lan.

"Brother-in-law, this spot belongs to your *future* brother-in-law, you know," teased Yu Xiaoxiao.

"Oh?" Xu Lai asked with interest. "Where? Let me see him."

Li Li giggled. "Brother-in-law, Ruan Lan's admirer is the president of the Martial Dao Association. He..."

"Oh, come on. What admirer?" Ruan Lan rolled her eyes. "He's just a shameless pest. All those muscles are hideous. As if he's worthy of pursuing me."

"Hee hee, so what type of handsome guy does our Lan Lan like?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked bluntly.

Ruan Lan pondered for a moment, stealing a quick glance at Xu Lai.

Noticing her gaze, and before Xu Lai could utter the words "I'm your brother-in-law, it's impossible between us," Ruan Lan declared, "Any man will do, as long as it's not Xu Lai."

"Your brother-in-law is great!"

"Exactly!"

Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li jumped to Xu Lai's defense, much to Ruan Lan's frustration.

"I never said he was bad! Let's just say... hypothetically... even if I wanted to marry him, would my sister ever agree? You two are terrible friends. Are you worried I'll live too long or something?"

Li Li: "..."

Yu Xiaoxiao: "..."

That's right, we forgot about that! Her big sister is terrifying!

"Alright, enough joking around. What's going on today?" Xu Lai looked toward the center of the floor, where two students were already warming up.

The atmosphere in the Martial Dao Club's gymnasium was fervent, with cheers erupting continuously, all of them for the Dongli Martial Dao Club.

Yu Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. "It's all because of that Judo Club from Sakura Country's Imperial Capital University! They're bullies! For the past two years, they've come here under the guise of a friendly exchange and injured many of our upperclassmen. And now they're back again..."

Ruan Lan clenched her fists, annoyed. "It's a shame I'm in the Go Club. Otherwise, I'd go up there and pummel those scoundrels!"

"Yeah, Lan Lan, you're a third-dan black belt in Taekwondo," Li Li said regretfully. "I heard the students from Imperial Capital University are all experts. If we lose again this time..."

Ruan Lan and Yu Xiaoxiao's faces clouded with worry.

As they were talking, a whistle blew, and the venue fell silent. The two students who had been warming up took their positions in the center of the arena, locking gazes with an intensity that seemed to throw off sparks.

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