"Teacher," Liu Beiming coughed. "I heard you started working in East Sea City, so I hurried over to invite you to a meal."

"I don't have time. I'm very busy."

Liu Beiming was left speechless. His teacher was great in every way, except for his obsession with medicine; he often neglected meals in favor of researching medical techniques.

"I'm planning to get married and thought I'd bring my girlfriend to meet you," Liu Beiming said, forced to reveal the other purpose of his visit.

When his teacher remained silent, he knew the man truly didn't want to come out. Forced to give up on the idea, he reluctantly turned the camera to Xu Yaoyao. "Yaoyao, say hello."

"Hello, Teacher," Xu Yaoyao greeted respectfully.

"Okay."

His teacher's voice was dismissive.

Just then, the camera hastily swept past Xu Lai's face.

Then…

Liu Beiming could clearly sense his teacher's excitement surge. "Why is the Director there with you? Move your phone left and right, let me see who else is there."

Director? What director? Liu Beiming was baffled but did as he was told. "They're Ruan Tang and Xu Lai, my girlfriend's best friends."

"Okay, okay, okay! Where are you? I'm coming to find you right now."

After saying that excitedly, his teacher even turned and yelled, "We found the Director! Li Shouzhong, call everyone and get ready to leave!"

"Uh."

Liu Beiming was stunned. He didn't understand why his teacher's attitude had changed so quickly, but he chalked it up to his teacher caring about his student's marriage. A warmth spread through his chest. "Mm-hm, I'll send the address right over."

After hanging up, Liu Beiming couldn't hide the joy on his face. "Hahaha, my teacher is willing to come over!"

Xu Yaoyao gave a half-hearted, "Oh."

After a moment's thought, Liu Beiming looked seriously at Xu Lai and Ruan Tang. "My teacher is a bit eccentric. Later, please try to talk as little as possible and just focus on eating."

Ruan Tang nodded. "Of course, we won't say a word." She even mimed zipping her lips shut.

Xu Yaoyao kicked her boyfriend under the table, annoyed. "You should be the one talking less."

"What did I do..." Liu Beiming muttered, genuinely oblivious to any problem with his words. He even thought he'd been quite tactful.

Xu Yaoyao gave him a huge eye-roll, not bothering to argue. But when she turned to speak to Ruan Tang, she found her friend making a shushing gesture.

Xu Yaoyao rubbed her forehead. "Ruan Tang, cut it out."

Ruan Tang just kept smiling, staying silent.

Liu Beiming had expected to wait at least an hour, but they arrived in less than twenty minutes.

Not only did they come, but they also brought gifts—well, more like a massive crowd of people. There were at least fifteen of them, all elderly people with graying hair.

Liu Beiming's sharp eyes recognized many of them as heavyweights in the medical community. Among them were several old practitioners of Chinese medicine whom even his own grandfather would have to address with the deference of a junior, reverently calling them 'seniors.'

In the world of Xinglin, it could be said that these sixteen individuals were all top-tier leaders, true pillars of Hua Country.

Tears welled up in Liu Beiming's eyes.

What have I, Liu Beiming, done to deserve this? It's just a relationship! My teacher coming would have been enough, but to think so many influential figures would be involved! What does this mean? It means that not only were these seniors showing respect for his teacher, Yan Gui, but they also held him, a junior, in high regard!

Standing up, choked with emotion, Liu Beiming said, "Teacher, respected seniors, thank you for your blessings. I promise to grow old together with Yaoyao and dedicate my life to the medical path of Hua Country until my dying breath!"

However, the crowd of elderly men and women completely ignored him. Without so much as a glance in his direction, they made a beeline for Xu Lai, who had been sitting by the window sipping tea the entire time. They didn't even sit down, just gathered around him, chattering away.

"Aiya, Director Xu, why didn't you come to work today? A bunch of us were eagerly waiting for you."

"Old Li, your attitude is all wrong. What's wrong with waiting? For the sake of medicine, I can wait. A year, ten years, I'll wait until the day I die!"

"You old coot, who was it just now complaining in the school clinic?"

"That definitely wasn't me."

"..."

The private room became as rowdy as a marketplace, with loud arguments breaking out all over.

"Teacher, seniors, you must have the wrong person! He's Xu Lai. I'm Liu Beiming," Liu Beiming called out, utterly bewildered.

Ruan Tang and Xu Yaoyao were just as baffled. What is going on? Why did they all flock to Xu Lai?

"Oh, it's Bei Ming." Li Shouzhong pulled an old man from the crowd. "Yan Gui, your student is calling you. Go deal with him quickly so he doesn't hold us up."

Yan Gui looked surprised. "You're still here?"

Liu Beiming was speechless.

"Actually, it's good you haven't left. We need someone to pour tea and fetch water. First, go tell the staff we need a bigger private room; this one is too small," Yan Gui, a sprightly old man, commanded.

Seeing his teacher's dismissive attitude and disheveled hair, Liu Beiming wondered if he had somehow time-traveled.

Li Shouzhong pursed his lips. "Yan Gui, I'm not one to criticize, but you've gotten awfully arrogant since you became the night-shift doctor at the school clinic. Making the eldest son of the Xinglin Li Family serve you tea?"

"Hehehe," Yan Gui said proudly. "He may be a titan of Xinglin, but he's still my student!"

"What?" Yan Gui arched an eyebrow at Liu Beiming. "Are you unwilling to serve this bunch of messy old men and frumpy old women?"

Liu Beiming frantically waved his hands. How could he possibly be unwilling? It was because of these 'lovable old folks'—teachers like Yan Gui, Li Shouzhong, and Lin Qiu—that Hua Country's medical traditions could be passed down, with each generation improving upon the last.

Is this 'serving' them? This is an absolute honor!

He asked his girlfriend to find a waiter and request a bigger room, then he began pouring tea for his teacher and the other seniors one by one.

He poured the first cup for Yan Gui.

Instantly, Liu Beiming felt the atmosphere in the room grow tense. Over a dozen pairs of eyes shot toward him, all filled with disapproval. Their gazes all seemed to say the same thing: Young man, can't you read the room?

A cold sweat broke out on Liu Beiming's forehead. Pouring the first cup for my own teacher should be fine... right?

He gave the second cup to Lin Qiu, making the atmosphere even more oppressive. The third went to Li Shouzhong, and the fourth to a female traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

After that, no one in the room spoke. They all stared at Liu Beiming with complicated, hesitant expressions before finally turning to look at Yan Gui and shaking their heads.

Yan Gui heaved a long sigh. "He's hopeless."

Liu Beiming was on the verge of tears. I can still be saved! Teacher, don't give up on me! What did I do wrong?

Yan Gui immediately laid into him. "Why would you pour tea for me before Director Xu? What are you trying to imply?"

Director Xu... Ever since the phone call, it had been "Director, Director." Then, upon entering the room, they all crowded around Xu Lai. Could it be... that Director Xu is Xu Lai?

Only then did the rather dense Liu Beiming realize that, aside from Xu Yaoyao and Ruan Tang sitting quietly in the corner, Xu Lai was the only one who had remained seated the entire time. Meanwhile, his teacher and all the other medical seniors were standing, their backs ramrod straight.

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