After making the call, Xu Ke contacted the mail storage room at Tianhai University, saying he would go and collect a package the next day.

This was not a typical courier service; it was generally used for storing items like postcards. Because hardly anyone ever came to collect them, the mail storage room tended to accumulate a lot of things.

Xu Ke was contacting them now because he needed to retrieve a piece of mail from three years ago.

Three years earlier, he had originally planned to swing by Tianhai University for his graduation ceremony on his way down from the mountain and pick up his things. That item was something his master had arranged for him out of practical consideration.

But then, he unexpectedly lost his memory and forgot everything.

Only now did Xu Ke remember to go back for it.

After finishing the call, he went straight to bed.

***

The next day, at seven in the morning.

This was normally the time when commuters would be bustling back and forth, but downstairs, the reporters who had been lying in wait were already at work.

"Do you know Xu Ke?"

"Have you ever seen Wong Qifu here on a date with Xu Ke?"

"Yesterday afternoon, we heard Xu Ke was brought back to the urban village in a car. Did you see Wong Qifu in it?"

Questions like these harassed passersby to no end.

Some people with better composure simply looked annoyed but said nothing, giving a denial before leaving the street.

Others, with shorter tempers, cursed outright. "I have to get to work! Go ask that coward Xu Ke who's hiding like a turtle, don't freaking ask me…"

Looking down from his apartment, Xu Ke's expression remained placid.

If this had been the old him, he probably would have rushed down to pull the reporters away and stop them from harassing the pedestrians. But after experiencing so much, his way of thinking had long since changed.

After washing up, Xu Ke called for a car. He went straight downstairs as soon as it arrived.

***

Wearing a baseball cap, Xu Ke went downstairs and walked out the main entrance.

However, even with the cap, his face might not be famous throughout Tianhai, but the people living nearby certainly remembered it clearly.

Upon seeing Xu Ke appear, some of the frustrated passersby immediately rolled their eyes.

This freeloader has been hiding like a turtle for so long, and now he finally decides to show his face? What good is that stupid cap?

At the same time, a few sharp-eyed independent journalists immediately spotted Xu Ke.

One journalist in a suit and shirt charged ahead. "Mister Xu, is your engagement to Miss Wong Qifu true?"

Xu Ke said nothing.

Another one piped up, "If you and Wong Qifu are so close, why are you still living in an urban village? Is the Wang Family Corporation having cash flow problems? Can't Wong Qifu even afford to buy her fiancé a condo?"

Xu Ke glanced at him coolly.

They're just trying to be obnoxious.

Xu Ke ignored them all. Before the other reporters could swarm him, he quickly strode to the car he had called and got in.

VROOM.

The car sped away, leaving the group to get their fill of its exhaust fumes.

***

At the main entrance of Tianhai University.

Four large stone tablets were arranged on the ground, bearing the words "Tianhai University" in gold characters on a red background, exuding the aura of a century-old institution.

The vast university gate was bustling with students coming and going. The winter break was over, so classes had naturally resumed.

When Xu Ke arrived, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

He had lived here for four years, and this was his first time back since graduation.

The gate was the same, but the people were not.

Back then, he and Siao Jia would often come to the main gate to catch a taxi or take the subway for their dates.

Xu Ke stood there in a daze for a moment before shaking off the feelings and entering the campus through a side gate.

Walking along the campus path, Xu Ke could occasionally hear people discussing him and Wong Qifu.

After all, it was major local news, and since he was an alumnus, it was impossible for the topic to go undiscussed at Tianhai University.

"Did you know? That Xu Ke guy graduated three years ago. He went to our school."

"I don't know what's so special about him. How could Wong Qifu fall for him?"

"Maybe we should go check out the dorm he lived in. It might increase our chances of being noticed by a rich lady."

"If I could live off a rich woman, I totally would. Think of all the years of struggle you could skip…"

"Hahahaha."

Although these comments were laced with some genuine envy and jealousy, most of them were aimed at mocking and ridiculing him.

It couldn't be helped.

Xu Ke was from Tianhai, and now that he was in the news, the reputation of Tianhai University was inevitably being tarnished along with his. It was only natural that these people would start to resent him.

Hearing this, Xu Ke simply acted as if he hadn't heard.

It's not the first time, anyway!

At the same time, he felt a little relieved. Thankfully, I'm wearing a hat. Otherwise, I would've definitely been recognized.

He soon arrived at the Tianhai University administrative building, where the mail storage room he was looking for was located.

However, just as Xu Ke walked in, an unexpected person appeared before him.

A man in his thirties was walking straight toward him. Tall and thin with glasses, he was carrying a tablet and a book.

It was his former homeroom teacher and counselor, Qiu Mingli.

Seeing Qiu Mingli approaching, Xu Ke felt a sense of helplessness.

He wanted to avoid him. He couldn't imagine what they were saying about him inside the university now. If even Teacher Qiu, who had always valued him, said something hurtful, Xu Ke knew he wouldn't be able to stay as calm as he had just been.

But there was no avoiding him.

"Xu Ke, what are you doing here?!" Qiu Mingli exclaimed, looking at him in astonishment.

Even with the cap, Qiu Mingli easily recognized him. This was his student.

"Teacher Qiu." Seeing he'd been spotted, Xu Ke could only take off his hat and offer a bitter smile.

Qiu Mingli nodded, walking up to Xu Ke. "What brings you here?" he asked curiously. "Business to take care of?"

Xu Ke nodded. "I'm here to pick something up. I left an item in the mail storage room a while back."

"You graduated three years ago, and you're only just now remembering to come back for it?" Qiu Mingli laughed. "You're quite the forgetful one."

Xu Ke chuckled. "I only remembered when I was sorting through my things."

"Didn't I tell all of you at graduation to double-check and make sure you took your files and belongings?" Qiu Mingli shook his head, laughing heartily. "Come on, I'll take you. The mail storage room has moved, and I don't want you getting lost."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher," Xu Ke said with a smile.

A trace of warmth flowed through his heart. This was the first person he'd met in a while whose first words weren't about Wong Qifu. Teacher Qiu was still the same as he was three years ago—always worrying about this and that, always putting his students first.

***

In the mail storage room.

Qiu Mingli took out a key, unlocked the door, and Xu Ke followed him inside.

Xu Ke's eyes widened slightly.

The mail storage room had moved from the first floor to the fourth, taking the place of the old archive room. It was much larger and filled with new cabinets fitted with combination locks, a clear upgrade from the old green lockers of three years ago. The school had clearly invested some money to better preserve the mail.

"How about it? Much better than three years ago, isn't it?" Qiu Mingli laughed.

"It is," Xu Ke agreed with a nod.

"Here, if your mail is from three years ago, it should be in this cabinet…" Qiu Mingli lifted the cover of a combination lock and started to enter the code.

Seeing this, Xu Ke's pupils contracted.

Teacher Qiu is a counselor… Why would he know the password to the mail storage room?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.