"Teacher Shen is so nice, huh?" Jiang He said from his bed. "Does that mean if I get drunk in the future, you’ll sleep with me?"

There was a noticeable half-second of silence on the other end of the line.

Immediately after, Shen Yu became flustered.

She hastily denied it, flustered and embarrassed.

"Pah! Pah! Don’t be ridiculous! What do you mean, ’sleep with me’?! You shouldn’t just throw words around like that!"

Jiang He teased her, "But you’re the one who just said it. You told me to take off my shoes and get in bed, close my eyes, and then you’d sleep with me."

"I didn’t! I said *lull*! Lull you to sleep! Lull!"

"Oh, I see." Jiang He decided to quit while he was ahead, smiling as he went along with her explanation. "Well then, thank you, Teacher Shen, for being willing to lull me to sleep."

"Don’t mention it. After all, you took such good care of me when you were in the Capital City..."

Hearing this, Jiang He sighed quietly.

’Everything they did together every day was exactly what a couple would do.’

’But whenever he tried to push their relationship forward, even a little, Teacher Shen would take half a step back.’

’She’d attribute it all to repaying his kindness or returning a favor.’

’Deep down, Jiang He understood it was because they had known each other for such a short time.’

’All told, it had only been a little over a week since they reconnected in the Capital City.’

’Shen Yu was a traditional girl at heart. She didn’t want their relationship to progress too quickly, afraid it would seem too casual.’

On the other end of the line, Shen Yu abruptly changed the subject. "By the way, I heard from Juanzi... the results of your competition are out?"

Jiang He’s smile didn’t falter. He replied, "Yeah. I did alright, I guess. Only got a 99, first in the university, that’s all."

Shen Yu was instantly filled with admiration. "Whoa! A 99! That’s incredible, Dr. Jiang! How are you so amazing?! How did you even do that? You’re officially the person I admire most in the world!"

Being praised so unabashedly by his girl, Jiang He couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

Once he’d had a good laugh, he said, "Alright, alright, any more praise and I’ll float away. I don’t dare show off. I’m afraid you’ll end up like Xu Juan and think I’m getting too full of myself."

Shen Yu immediately disagreed. "Never! Dr. Jiang, I’d never think you’re arrogant. In fact, I think you’re too modest! You didn’t even tell me about something so important right away. I had to hear it secondhand from Juanzi. Next time something great like this happens, you have to share it with me, you hear?"

"You’re right, you’re right. My bad. I was so busy today I forgot. I spent the day doing research in the library, and afterward, our class monitor dragged everyone out for dinner. I just got back to the dorm."

"So, you got drunk at the class dinner?"

"Mmm, had a few beers."

"So..." Shen Yu asked, feigning nonchalance, "did you happen to get drunk... drinking with the girls in your class?"

Jiang He froze for half a second, then rolled over in bed.

’His girl was jealous.’

’Nineteen-year-old Teacher Shen was actually jealous over him.’

’Cause for universal celebration.’

He was inwardly ecstatic. He explained, "No, I didn’t drink with any of the girls. It was all with Chen Hao."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang He felt a strange sense of displacement.

’It felt like he’d said that same line many times in his past life.’

A powerful wave of déjà vu washed over him, making him feel as if timelines were crossing...

Hearing that he had been drinking with Chen Hao, Shen Yu visibly relaxed and didn’t press him any further.

She naturally moved on to the next question. "So, now that you’ve won the qualifying round, does that mean you have to represent the university in an even bigger competition?"

"That’s right. It’s a regional competition in the South China Region. Several universities from the area will be sending teams. I heard the winner also gets a pretty substantial scholarship."

"That’s amazing!" Shen Yu asked. "So when exactly is the competition?"

Jiang He answered directly, "It’s tentatively scheduled for October 30th."

"October 30th..." Shen Yu repeated the date. "And where’s the competition being held?"

Jiang He said, "Right here on the main campus of our Southern Medical University, at the Clinical Skill Center."

"Oh, okay, got it." Shen Yu seemed to be pondering something.

Jiang He didn’t notice the strange note in her voice. He only heard the autumn wind howling louder through the phone’s receiver and frowned.

"Teacher Shen, is it windy where you are? Aren’t you cold? Don’t stand around outside in the middle of the night. You should hurry back to your dorm so you don’t catch a cold."

Tinged with the effects of the alcohol, Jiang He’s voice was especially gentle.

A little too gentle, perhaps.

Chen Hao couldn’t stand it. "Old Jiang, I’m cold! I’m cold! How about some of that concern for me?"

Li Zijian chimed in, "I’m cold too! Dr. Jiang, I’m getting chilly over here!"

Wang Bo: "Ditto. I’m very cold as well."

Teacher Shen heard the commotion from the boys’ dorm room.

Shen Yu: "!!!"

After a two-second pause, she said in a rush, "Ah! Dr. Jiang, I’m hanging up! I’m going back to my dorm! I need to take another shower and go to bed for real this time! Bye!"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The phone was hung up at the speed of light.

After hanging up the phone, the conversation seamlessly transitioned to QQ.

Little Mihu: [Your roommates are the worst!! (angry)(angry)]

Jiang He: [Hehe, I’ll go give them a piece of my mind.]

Little Mihu: [Oh, no need for that... Dr. Jiang, go to bed early, and try to drink less from now on, okay? Good night!]

Jiang He: [Good night.]

He opened his photo album and looked at a photo of the two of them.

Just as he was about to sleep, he received another message from Brother Sun.

[Jiang He, quick announcement. To prepare for the finals of the South China Region Clinical Thinking and Skills Competition at the end of the month, the Academic Affairs Office has set up an advanced training class. In addition to the top three from the qualifying round, a few outstanding seed candidates handpicked by their departments will also attend. There are nine people in total. The first meeting is tomorrow at 9 a.m. in Room 302 of the Practical Training Building. Make sure you’re on time to check in. Reply to confirm receipt.]

Jiang He frowned.

’An advanced training class for the competition... For a student, this would definitely be a great opportunity.’

’But for him, it was a complete waste of time.’

’The competition in this field of research was fierce worldwide. He had to seize every moment. He already wished he could split one day into forty-eight hours; where would he find the time to attend a class...?’

Jiang He replied: [Received].

’But in his heart, he had already made up his mind.’

’He’d show up tomorrow morning to register and make an appearance, just to give face to the university and Brother Sun.’

’Then he’d explain the situation directly to the supervising instructor and request to withdraw.’

’However, he also knew the temperament of the old professors at the university. They probably wouldn’t let him go easily.’

’In their eyes, no matter how talented a third-year student was, they still needed to be polished step-by-step.’

’If he didn’t show them some truly overwhelming skill, a peaceful withdrawal from this class probably wouldn’t be so easy.’

’If that didn’t work... he’d just have to show the instructor what he was really made of.’

...

「A thousand miles away, in a girls’ dorm at North Normal University.」

"Well, well, if it isn’t our Teacher Shen," Liu Xiaotian said, her eyes sparkling. "Spill it, spill it! Did you get the intel?"

Shen Yu nodded emphatically, hurried to her desk, and opened her top-secret little notebook.

Yan Tong leaned over and asked, "Time? Place?"

"October 30th, Nanshan Medical University, main campus Clinical Skill Center."

Shen Yu carefully wrote the information on the paper, then drew two heavy lines underneath it.

’That day wasn’t just Dr. Jiang’s finals, it was also his birthday.’

She turned her head to look at Xu Juan, who was lying on her bed reading a magazine. "Juanzi, you don’t need to ask Chen Hao anymore."

Xu Juan snorted. "You... I just hope you go there as one person and don’t come back as two."

Shen Yu tilted her head. "I’m not going to bring Dr. Jiang back with me."

Liu Xiaotian covered her mouth and laughed. "Juanzi means she’s afraid you’ll get pregnant."

Shen Yu: "!!!"

After squeezing her eyes shut, making a gun with her fingers, and pretend-shooting all of her roommates one by one...

Shen Yu finally collected herself.

She opened Xu Juan’s computer, logged into a ticket-purchasing website, and started looking up train tickets.

The faint light from the screen illuminated her cheeks, which were dimpled with a sweet smile.

’Dr. Jiang... Last time, you came to the Capital City to find me. This time, it’s my turn to come find you!’

’Hehe, you just wait. Let’s see if I can’t surprise you!’