"Liu Beiming said the Liu Family wronged you, and that you should come home for a visit when you have time," Xu Lai said.

After a long pause, Liu Nanwei, hearing nothing more, asked dazedly, "That's it?"

"That's it."

"..."

After a brief silence, Liu Nanwei's emotions suddenly erupted. "A sanctimonious hypocrite, just as I thought," she choked out. "What's the use of playing the good guy now!"

She slammed the door and stormed out.

Everyone in the infirmary glanced at each other, but no one spoke. It was hard to comment without knowing the details.

"Dr. Zhou, what are you just standing there for?" Li Shouzhong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Zhou Feng was baffled.

"Our colleague is in tears, and you can't even be bothered to go and comfort her? Do you have no empathy at all!" Li Shouzhong chided.

"From a psychological perspective, I believe she needs to be alone right now. Inappropriate consolation could provoke a negative emotional response, such as..."

Zhou Feng rattled off a long list of reasons.

The infirmary fell silent as the group of old men and women stared at him, speechless.

Lin Qiu smacked him on the back of the head. "Enough with the nonsense. Go after her, and while you're at it, find out what happened."

Fine, I'll go. But why hit me? Zhou Feng grumbled internally as he stood up and left.

Just then, the door was pushed open and Ruan Lan peeked her head in.

She hadn't heard from her sister, Ruan Tang, about what had happened at Meteor Melody yesterday. Hesitating at the door, all she saw was the school doctor, Liu Nanwei, running out in tears.

A moment later, Zhou Feng chased after her.

She had assumed only Xu Lai was left in the infirmary, but to her surprise—

The room was still full of people!

"Do you need something?" Xu Lai asked, looking at his sister-in-law.

Ruan Lan ate the finest food for every meal and absorbed high-purity Spiritual Energy at Haitang Court; it was impossible for her to be physically ill. So, her being here must mean she wanted something from him.

Lacking confidence, Ruan Lan said, "I'm not feeling well, so I came to get it checked out."

"Here, here, young lady, let me take a look at you," an old woman with white hair offered, extending a hand. She was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

"No, that's not necessary, Grandma. I'll just have my brother-in-law take a look."

Ruan Lan forced a smile, pulled Xu Lai into the inner room, and promptly locked the door behind them.

The inner room was quiet, lined with several empty sickbeds.

"Ruan Lan, have some self-respect," Xu Lai said sternly.

Ruan Lan's face flushed crimson. "You jerk! I'm really sick! Please write me a sick note."

"You're not sick."

"I am."

"..."

Xu Lai rolled his eyes. "Please respect my profession."

After a moment's hesitation, Ruan Lan suddenly grabbed Xu Lai's shoulders and began to shake him, her voice turning coy. "Brother-in-law..."

"Get to the point. I'm busy."

"Brother-in-law, I have an exam today, but I've been so addicted to an online game, raiding dungeons, that I haven't had time to study. So..." Ruan Lan looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Could you help me get a sick note? I'll study for two days and then take the make-up exam. It'll be so embarrassing if I fail."

"Absolutely not," Xu Lai flatly refused.

"Brother-in-law, if you help me, I'll do anything," Ruan Lan said, suddenly growing shy, the tips of her ears turning red.

"Anything?" Xu Lai narrowed his eyes.

Ruan Lan's pretty eyes darted around before she gave a shy nod. "Yes, but you can't let my sister find out."

BANG!

Xu Lai pinned Ruan Lan against the wall in a corner.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and her face tensed with nervousness. Was Xu Lai really going to make a move on her? At the same time, she felt a secret sense of triumph. The beauty trap never fails!

Xu Lai lowered his head, his voice a devilish whisper in her ear. "What if I wanted you to—"

He... he wants... me? Ruan Lan's pretty face was a mask of shock. That was way too direct, wasn't it? Good thing I recorded this beforehand. Hmph, this is my leverage! From now on, I can get a sick note whenever I want!

Ruan Lan gave a sly smile. Just as she was about to speak, she heard him finish his sentence. "—go back and take your exam."

Ruan Lan froze.

In utter disbelief, she stammered, "You... Say that again."

"What if I wanted you to go back and take your exam?"

"Then why would I have come to you for a fake note and tried using a beauty trap!"

Ruan Lan felt as though her intelligence had been insulted—and even more so, her feminine charm. She, Ruan Lan, the campus belle of Dongli University, a peerlessly youthful and beautiful girl, had actually failed to use her charms. How could she possibly tolerate this!

"If your sister had come, I'd definitely have agreed if she tried to use her charm. But you..." Xu Lai shook his head in mock regret.

Ruan Lan was furious. To think she had actually started to think this man was a decent guy. She must have been blind!

"You're not a man!" she cried, exasperated.

"But you are."

Xu Lai glanced meaningfully at Ruan Lan's 'Class 2A scenic spot' of a chest.

"Xu Lai, you—you—"

Ruan Lan crossed her arms in front of her chest, tears welling in her eyes. "You'll pay for underestimating me!"

Great. She's not even calling me brother-in-law anymore.

As Ruan Lan left the infirmary in tears, Li Shouzhong and the others gave Xu Lai complicated looks.

"Director Xu, we'll keep this a secret."

"She's my sister-in-law," Xu Lai said, feeling a bit helpless. Couldn't these old folks have purer thoughts?

"We understand," they all nodded.

"..."

These people are a lost cause. Was entrusting them with the medical arts of Hua Country a mistake?

Xu Lai sank into deep thought.

* * *

「Fifteen minutes later.」

In the corridor, ten meters from the infirmary door.

Ruan Lan was fuming, trying to stomp away, but was held back by a petite, cute-looking girl beside her. "Ruan Lan, this probably isn't a good idea," she said in a soft, gentle voice.

It was Zhao Xixi.

She had once followed Ruan Lan's advice to fake a stomachache, hoping to get a sick note to skip military training. She ended up with both Liu Nanwei and Xu Lai telling her to "drink more hot water." Ever since, the sight of hot water brought back uncontrollable memories of the infirmary and that mortifying morning.

Ruan Lan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you'd help me get back at him?"

"I..." Zhao Xixi panicked.

Not long before, Ruan Lan had come to her to complain about Xu Lai's despicable behavior. Although Zhao Xixi privately felt Xu Lai had done the right thing, she still offered some words of comfort. As a result, she had been dragged along for revenge.

"The proverb says, 'A gentleman can wait ten years for his revenge.' Why don't we step back for now..."

"Wow, Zhao Xixi, so now you're calling me a man too? Damn it, who wants to be a gentleman!" Ruan Lan glared. "Have you forgotten who gave you all her papaya milk to drink back then? You were flatter than me in junior high!"

"That's because you didn't like papaya milk tea and forced me to drink it..." Zhao Xixi muttered under her breath.

"Hm?" Ruan Lan's eyes narrowed.

Zhao Xixi's scalp tingled. "I was wrong, Sister Ruan Lan," she said pitifully. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

Ruan Lan nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to instruct Zhao Xixi, a calm voice drifted from behind them.

"If you go back and study now, you might still pass your exam."

Startled by the sudden voice, Ruan Lan and Zhao Xixi both stiffened. They quickly realized the speaker was Xu Lai.

Ruan Lan spun around angrily. "Impossible! Today, one of us is going down!"

Xu Lai ignored his sister-in-law and turned to Zhao Xixi, his expression placid. "You had best be careful today. Stay away from water."

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