Xu Ke laughed. "Actually, if you hadn't spoken, I would've been very interested to see how far she could be pushed."

"They say a cornered dog will leap over a wall. I really wanted to see how Shan Lan would jump."

In reality, Xu Ke wasn't afraid of pushing Shan Lan to the brink. He had no reason to be. It was only because Qiu Mingli spoke up that Xu Ke let her off. After all, he really did have evidence.

"Haha, forget it, forget it." Qiu Mingli found the thought of that scene ridiculous.

After laughing, Qiu Mingli said, "Now that you have what you came for, you can leave. Your teacher is busy and doesn't have time for you."

Having said that, Qiu Mingli picked up a tablet lying nearby and pretended to use it. The tablet displayed management data for the archives and storage rooms, issued to him by the university.

Xu Ke shook his head. "I still have something to take care of."

"What is it?" Qiu Mingli was slightly taken aback.

"Teacher, you don't have to try and get rid of me. Tell me the truth, what happened?" Xu Ke looked at Qiu Mingli. He could tell that his teacher's sudden claim of being too busy was just an excuse to send him away.

Upon hearing this, an unnatural expression flickered across Qiu Mingli's face. "It's nothing."

"Teacher, we have a teacher-student relationship. We aren't strangers," Xu Ke said earnestly.

During their university days, Qiu Mingli was always trying to solve his students' problems but would never mention his own, afraid of troubling others.

Qiu Mingli glanced up at Xu Ke, then lowered his head again, hesitation and conflict warring on his face. But Xu Ke didn't press him, simply watching him quietly.

After a long moment, cornered by Xu Ke's gaze, Qiu Mingli finally sighed. "Xu Ke... I... I've run into a serious problem, but I want to solve it myself right now."

Xu Ke shook his head. "Back in the day, didn't every one of us say we'd solve our own problems? Did you ever accept that?"

Qiu Mingli was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile. "Alright then... I'll tell you, but you can't think about helping me or anything, okay?"

Xu Ke didn't speak. The implication was obvious.

Seeing this, Qiu Mingli hesitated for a moment. Under Xu Ke's unrelenting gaze, he finally let out a long sigh. "I... I have made a terrible mistake."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and rubbed his nose, which was beginning to sting.

"Teacher, everyone makes mistakes." Xu Ke stepped forward and patted Qiu Mingli's shoulder, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

What on earth could have pushed the once optimistic and motivated Qiu Mingli to this point? Was it life itself?

"Do you remember four years ago? During your junior year, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer?" Qiu Mingli asked.

Xu Ke nodded.

"I was driven to a dead end. It was all of you who discovered my problem and took the initiative to help me raise money. In the end, we miraculously pulled through."

He lowered his head, a bitter smile on his face. "Back then, everyone envied me for having such a wonderful group of students."

Xu Ke remained silent.

Qiu Mingli continued, as if to himself, "But the good times didn't last. Six months after you all graduated, my mother's illness relapsed. This time, it came on fiercely and suddenly. I hadn't even finished paying off the old debts, so where would I find the money for her treatment? It took me a week to borrow 100,000 yuan from teachers I was close with. But just as I sent the money, my father told me my mother had given up on her own."

His tone was flat, devoid of tears, as if he were telling someone else's story.

Xu Ke took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his own stinging nose.

"On the train home for the funeral, I kept thinking, if I had money, would my mom have had to go so soon? After she survived her first illness, she kept nagging me. She said they should have just given up on her, not spent so much money because her life wasn't worth it."

Qiu Mingli's voice finally began to tremble. "How could her life not be worth it? It was because her son had no money... she was afraid I'd spend the rest of my life buried in debt..."

Tears streamed down his face.

Silently, Xu Ke took out a tissue and handed it to him.

Qiu Mingli quickly composed himself. He coughed and said, "Later, I became obsessed with making money. I just wanted my dad to have a better life in his later years. Stocks, investment funds... I tried every legal way to make money I could think of. But how could an ordinary person like me succeed in those things? I quickly spent my entire salary, then started borrowing—from banks, from legal apps, and finally, from loan sharks.

"The moment I lost the 20,000 I'd borrowed from the loan sharks, I snapped out of it. I knew I was doomed, so I stopped. But how could loan sharks be so easy to deal with? In less than three months, one of them stormed into the academy building and demanded repayment in front of my students while I was in the middle of a lecture.

"After that, I was removed from my post and transferred here as an administrator, slowly paying off the debt with my salary. The academy was kind to me; they made sure my dad never found out."

After Qiu Mingli finished, Xu Ke took another deep breath. "Teacher, how much do you still owe?"

"It snowballed to 150,000. I begged them once, telling them that even if the interest kept climbing, they'd never get their money, so they might as well waive it. They actually agreed. After paying it down bit by bit over the past two years, I still have about 100,000 left."

Hearing Qiu Mingli's story, Xu Ke could easily imagine him pleading with those loan sharks. He immediately pulled out his phone. "I'll pay it for you."

"Don't. I'll pay it myself." Qiu Mingli shook his head.

Xu Ke tried another approach. "Then let me lend it to you. Paying me back is the same as paying them."

Loan sharks are notoriously difficult to deal with. At this rate, he might be paying off that 100,000 for the rest of his life.

"No," Qiu Mingli refused, looking at Xu Ke. "Xu Ke, I've heard about what's been happening with you recently. Reaching the Wang Family's level must be very difficult, and I know you're not the type to curry favor.

"But I'm just a teacher with little influence, and my reputation at Tianhai University is ruined. I can't help you or clear your name. The only thing I can do is not add to your troubles."

Hearing this, Xu Ke shook his head. "Teacher, taking my money doesn't mean you're adding to my troubles. You might think I can only offer you 100,000 because of the Wang Family's power, and that it would cause me to lose face with them. But I can tell you honestly, this 100,000 has nothing to do with the Wang Family."

Xu Ke knew exactly why Qiu Mingli didn't want to borrow from him. He was afraid Xu Ke would use the Wang Family's money to help him, which might lead to him being looked down upon by the family later.

"Huh?" Hearing Xu Ke's words, Qiu Mingli was stunned. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Xu Ke nodded with a smile.

"But..." Qiu Mingli immediately shook his head again. "Then this money must have been very hard for you to earn. I can't take it."

He knew his own earning capacity; he wouldn't be able to repay Xu Ke the 100,000 for years. It would just be a burden on him.

But Xu Ke was no longer listening to him. He had already pulled out his phone. "Alright, it's done. Teacher, you now owe me 100,000."

He had Qiu Mingli's contact information, so transferring the money was simple enough.

Just as he finished speaking, Qiu Mingli's phone buzzed.

Credit: 100,000.00 Yuan.

"Alright, let's contact them and get this paid off," Xu Ke urged.

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